“Me too,” Mia said.
“And me,” Dani added.
Bryn suppressed a smile. “You do realize that it’s only a sacrifice for me, right? You witches rarely get dessert.”
“Mine was more symbolic,” Mia said meekly.
“I accept your sacrifices,” I said. “Both symbolic and real.”
“Solidarity, sisters,” Dani said, and raised her half-empty glass of water.
Peter let out a low whistle. “Anybody ever tell you ladies that witches are weird? Because they are.”
I slid the opal back into my pocket. “Long live weird.”
My roommates and I returned the truck to Fonthill’s house and then headed straight to the library. I chatted the whole way there, pleased that my friends were willing to help.
“Would anyone like a post-dinner mint?” I asked. “I have a variety of flavors.”
“Isn’t the flavor mint if it’s a mint?” Bryn asked.
I produced a handful of wrapped mints in different colors. “I’ll let you decide. Only one, though. Two will upset your stomach.”
“Yes, Mom,” Bryn grumbled and dutifully took only one. The other witches complied as well and dumped the rest into the zippered pocket of my purse.
“If it isn’t the Quad Squad,” a familiar voice said, as we approached the library steps.
“Hey, Fred,” Bryn said to the large stone gargoyle.
“Late study session?” George asked.
“Afraid so,” Dani said. “We’ve got a guy trapped in a stone and we need to set him free.”
“What’s wrong with stone?” Fred asked defensively.
“Nothing if you’re a stone gargoyle,” Bryn said. “A lot if you’re a djinni in a hideous outfit. I bet Gus had no idea when he got dressed that day that he’d be wearing those clothes for eternity.”
“Not if we can help it,” I said.
“She looks determined,” Fred said, his bulging stone eyes fixed on me. “I predict whatever you’re about to do will be successful.”
“We’re not doing anything until we’ve thoroughly researched,” I said. “I want to be sure we do this right.”
“Very responsible,” George said. “Let us know how it goes.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Dani said, “if you see a Shaitan running down these steps, then you’ll know we did it.”
“A trickster, huh?” George said. “We like tricksters.”
“Amazing mindbenders,” Fred agreed. “We don’t see too many of them at Spellslingers.”
“Robin said the djinn tend to be insular,” I told them.
“True, true,” Fred said. “Like George and me.”
“That’s out of necessity,” Mia said. “You two can’t go anywhere.”
“Like your friend in the stone,” George said.
I patted my pocket where the opal resided. “Not for much longer.” I proceeded up the steps and into the library.
“We should ask Cato first,” Bryn said. “He knows a lot of ancient customs and spells.”
“But he’s not a djinni,” I said. “He’s a gryphon.”
“Yes, but he’s wise,” Dani said. “And he can tell us which books to try first.”
I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Lazy kids.”
“Hey, you’re the one desperate to do this tonight,” Bryn said. “I’m trying to help.”
“Okay, you ask Cato and I’ll start working my way through the stacks,” I said. “Anyone need the bathroom before we get started?”
“I went before we left the diner,” Dani said.
“I have the bladder of Thumbelina,” Bryn said. “I’ll make a pit stop in the bathroom before I see Cato. The gryphon can talk a blue streak when he’s in the mood.”
I headed into the first aisle to find any available resources on djinn or breaking attachment spells. I paged through more indexes than I could count. “Breaking attachment to people. Breaking attachment to bad habits. Where are the magic books?” I fumed. Then I realized I was in the psychology section. Oops. That would teach me to play closer attention.
“Any luck?” Mia asked, appearing beside me.
“Not yet. You?”
“I found a few books on the djinn realm, but it’s more about geography and history,” Mia replied. “Nothing specific to spells.”
Bryn rounded the corner and entered the aisle. Somehow, she’d managed to acquire a banana and was happily eating.
“Nothing from Cato?” I asked.
“He’s known a lot of djinn, of course,” Bryn replied, “but none that were bound to an object. He only remembers one ingredient for a spell that breaks the bond.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Frankincense,” Bryn answered.
“We can get that from Professor Mayweather’s classroom,” Mia said.
“Or from Alana,” I added. The druid healer kept almost as many herbs as the herbology professor.
“What about your blood, Bryn?” Mia asked. “It breaks wards. Could it break the attachment?”
Bryn shrugged. “Can’t hurt to try.”
“I don’t know if that’s true,” I said. “Your blood is potent. It could have serious consequences for Gus.”
“Don’t get too attached to your attached djinni,” Bryn said. She wagged a finger at me. “If he turns out to be evil and tries to kill us the second we free him, you’ll be sorry.”
“I promise you, I don’t get any malevolent vibes from the stone,” I said.
“Yes, but remember that Shaitans are tricksters,” Mia said. “Maybe that’s what he wants you to think.”
“I don’t think he can control the vibe the stone gives off,” I argued. “I trust it.”
Dani came rushing into the aisle. “I found something.” She clutched a book to her chest. “It’s how to permanently link a djinni to an object.”
“So we reverse engineer it?” Bryn asked.
“I’ll save you the trouble.” Robin stood at the end of the row. Tucked under his arm was an enormous brown book that looked as though he’d dug it out of a hole in the ground.
Dani frowned at her own discovery. “What have you got there?” she asked.
“I had to pull a few strings to remove it from the AMF library,” Robin explained, “but you can use it and then I’ll return it as soon as you’ve finished.”
“Magic Robbie to the rescue,” Bryn said, invoking the wizard’s childhood nickname. Robin had performed magic tricks on talent shows in Terrene as a child and had become somewhat famous for a time, earning the nickname from humans.
Robin handed the book to me and I nearly dropped it. “Stars and stones. This is heavier than it looks,” I said.
“Are you sure the right spell is in there?” Dani asked.
Robin did his best version of a withering stare. It only managed to make him look constipated. “Would I have bothered to race over here with it otherwise?”
“Why is it hidden away in an AMF library?” Bryn asked.
“Our relations with djinn have been challenging over the years,” Robin said. “We try to stay out of their affairs, unless they impact our realm or Terrene. Having access to the type of material in this book might encourage involvement where none should exist.”
I glanced at the book in my arms. There was no title. Only a faded design on the cover. “Do you think I’m interfering in djinn business? That maybe we shouldn’t do this?”
“I trust your instincts, Cerys,” Robin said. “The opal was found in Terrene in a river that flows to the underworld. If that stone spoke to you, then I’m glad you took it.”
I nodded. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Good luck,” the former prefect said. “Call me when you’re no longer in need of the book. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it while it’s off-site.”
I hugged it to my chest. “I’ll take excellent care of it.” I looked at my roommates. “Where should we do this?”
After a few minutes of discus
sion, we decided to perform the spell in the herbology classroom. That way we had access to what we needed and plenty of space. It was also late enough that no one would disturb us. Robin had stuck a tab on the page, so I didn’t need to flip through to find it. Dani gathered the candles and lit them once they were in place. Bryn collected the necessary herbs. Mia retrieved my rune rocks from our windowsill and created the protective circles. There were two—one for us and one for the opal. The idea was that Gus would flee the stone during the ritual and end up in our safe circle once the bond was broken.
I ground the herbs with a mortar and pestle and placed them in a fireproof bowl, then I placed the opal on top. I carried the mixture to the second circle and joined my roommates in ours.
“Dani,” I prompted, once I was settled on the floor with the book in my lap.
The fire witch lit the candles with the flick of a finger and then started a small fire under the stone. Flames licked the smooth black surface and Mia conjured a gentle breeze to keep the smoke detectors from going off.
“Tone of voice and pronunciation are critical to the success of this spell,” I said. I’d practiced for a few minutes earlier. Ancient languages weren’t too difficult for me to grasp thanks to years of Etruscan. The movement of the tongue was a critical skill that many overlooked.
“Do we hold hands?” Mia asked.
“Yes,” I said. “We’re always stronger together.” The four of us clasped hands in the circle and I began the incantation. “Brokhrex. Thatha.”
Gus appeared in the circle beside the opal. A good sign.
“I think it’s working,” Mia whispered.
I continued chanting the ancient words on the yellowed page while the fire heated the opal. The pungent smell of burning herbs filled my nostrils.
The djinni’s gaze met mine and my heart thumped with hope when I realized that he was smiling. Progress! I was desperate to ask his name, but I couldn’t risk stopping the incantation. One wrong word or change in tone could ruin the ritual.
I finished the final round of chanting and the candles blew out, plunging us into darkness.
“Mia, was that you?” Dani asked.
“No,” she replied.
We continued holding hands. “He should be in our circle now,” I said, but I sensed he wasn’t. “Sir, can you hear me?”
No response.
“Can you speak now?”
The room began to glow with a faint light and I saw a white-hot ball of fire hovering above Dani’s palm. She’d let go of Mia’s hand to light the room. Gus still stood in his circle, his gaze sweeping the room. He looked more solid, if that was possible.
“See if you can leave that circle and enter ours,” I said to him.
He seemed to understand and took a step toward us.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“You did it,” Mia said, squeezing my hand.
He opened his mouth to answer just as his right foot stepped outside the circle.
Then I saw it. A thick, black substance oozed out of the djinni’s mouth, and began to choke him. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the floor. I scrambled to his side, but it was too late. His body seized and I noticed that his veins were black too. Whatever was happening, it was attacking him from the inside out.
“Get Alana,” I yelled.
I held his hand until the skin cracked and crumbled to dust. By the time Alana arrived, there was nothing left of the djinni but a mixture of black gunk and remnants of bone. His remains were mostly destroyed. I skittered back into my circle in case the attack came from some type of magical parasite. It was rare, but it happened.
Pressure built behind my eyes from unshed tears. Alana crouched beside the remains, a pensive expression on her aging face. She didn’t have to say a word. It was obvious there was nothing to be done. Gus was gone and it was all my fault. I was no better than my parents. Tonight, I’d let my desire for the djinni’s freedom override everything else and now he was dead.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Mia’s mournful face. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said. “You did the spell perfectly.”
“Did I?” I wasn’t convinced. If I had, the djinni would be standing here right now, telling us his name and how he’d come to be attached to the opal.
“We must alert the chancellor,” Alana said, rising to her feet. “And do not touch the remains. They must be preserved as evidence.”
“Evidence of what?” Bryn asked.
Alana shot me a sympathetic look. “We shall have to wait and see.”
Chapter Six
The chancellor was, unsurprisingly, less than thrilled with this turn of events. She stood at the large window in her office that overlooked Mercer Lake. She’d clearly taken a moment to dress and brush her sleek white-blond hair, although she’d likely been in bed when the news reached her.
“Why would you attempt such a complicated spell without supervision?” she asked. “I told you that research was in order.” Anger and disappointment simmered beneath the calm and cool surface.
“And we did research,” I said. “We had the right spell to free him. I told you I wanted to prove myself.” And yet I’d managed to do the exact opposite.
“You should have come to me with your findings first,” the chancellor said sternly. “I should have turned the stone over to the proper authorities as I’d initially suggested.”
“What happens now?” Dani asked. “Will he be identified by his remains?”
The chancellor stepped away from the window and took her usual place in the chair behind the desk. “Yes. I shall alert the AMF and the League so they can argue over jurisdiction. A headache in the making.”
“Why would they argue?” I asked.
“The stone was found in Terrene, but the victim died here,” the chancellor said.
My throat tightened. “Is it considered an accidental death or something else?”
“It’s not our fault and it’s definitely not Cerys’s fault,” Dani said vehemently. “Cerys performed that spell perfectly.”
“How do you know, child?” Chancellor Tilkin asked. “It would be unfamiliar to you. The language, the intonation.” She exhaled softly. “I shall do my best to protect you. This is my failure as much as anyone’s.”
Fear seized my body. “I’ll call Callan.” If the League got involved, he would help sort this out. So would Kendall and Mona.
“And I’ll call Gray,” Bryn said. As a local warden, he’d be an asset.
“And Peter can get us fake IDs if we need to leave town in a hurry,” Dani said. “It pays to date a smuggler.” If the situation weren’t so serious, I would’ve laughed at the ridiculous suggestion.
Chancellor Tilkin rubbed her temples. “No one is leaving the academy. The djinni was trapped in the stone and spelled to prevent communication. For all we know, there was also a spell to prevent him from release.”
“A booby trap?” Bryn asked.
“A failsafe,” the chancellor said. “We do not know the reason for his binding. If the conjurer was truly committed to silencing the victim, then there could have been an additional spell in place to destroy him should he be freed.”
“There was that black gunk,” Mia said. “I’ve never seen that before.”
“Maybe the AMF lab can identify it,” Bryn said.
“Or the League lab,” I said.
“I will make the necessary calls,” the chancellor said. “Right now I suggest you try and get a restful night. Tomorrow could be busier than you anticipated.”
Inwardly, I groaned. The whole reason I’d performed the spell tonight was because of a busy schedule tomorrow. Not that I could complain about such trivial matters. I’d killed someone tonight. Nothing else seemed important.
“I’m very sorry, Chancellor Tilkin,” I said, forcing myself to meet her gaze. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I only wanted to set him free.”
She pressed her lips together, contemplating me.
“I know, child. We’ve all had a role to play in this. I should have been clearer in my instructions.”
“We’re just as responsible as you are,” Mia said.
“I’m the one who insisted,” I said. “You were all being supportive. That’s all.”
“There’s no need to argue, witches,” the chancellor said. “What’s done is done. Good night.”
The four of us returned to our room where Haggis, my familiar, anxiously awaited me. She bolted for the door as soon as we entered and I bent down to soothe her. I felt awful, realizing that she must have sensed my distress and not understood what was happening.
“Please don’t blame yourself, Cerys,” Mia said.
I said nothing. I waited for my roommates to prepare for bed and then I went into the bathroom with Haggis and locked the door. I sat on the floor with my back against the door and buried my face in my hands so they couldn’t hear me cry. Sobs racked my body and I could scarcely breathe. Haggis paced beside me, rubbing her soft fur against my leg.
I don’t know what went wrong, I said. I was so sure I did everything right.
You don’t have all the facts yet, Haggis assured me. Perhaps things will seem different then.
I only wanted to help him, I said. I know he didn’t deserve that fate. And he certainly didn’t deserve the death I served to him. He’d smiled. Just once. Another cry lodged in my throat. I’d carried guilt over my brother for all these years and now I had Gus to add to my emotional turmoil.
You need sleep or you won’t function tomorrow, Haggis advised. You need your wits about you.
Reluctantly, I agreed and returned to my room where the other witches were soundly sleeping. I climbed under the sheets and prepared for a fitful night.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Nightmares had free reign over my subconscious. They pummeled me with memories of the day my brother died and the night I killed his monstrous replacement. There were worms crawling out of eye sockets and the screams of my parents. I heard the sound of my brother’s voice, begging me not to kill him.
“I’m sorry, Folant,” I cried to the empty air. “Please forgive me.”
Outlaw: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Enforcer of the East Book 2) Page 6