Charmfall

by Chloe Neill

  Sebastian gestured toward a group of trees and a bench a few feet away from the river’s edge. I guessed that was where he wanted to talk.

  “We’ll be right back, Fayden,” he said.

  She nodded just a little.

  “So you’re sightseeing?” I asked as we walked to the trees.

  “Yeah, helping her get acquainted.”

  The small talk done, I cut to the chase. “So what’s up?” I asked.

  He looked super uncomfortable. “What do you know about magical power loss?”

  My heart began beating wildly. Was he asking because he knew about us . . . or because Reapers were having problems, too? I decided to play dumb. “What do you mean?”

  “Spells not working, powers gone.”

  How to lie without lying? Avoid answering the question. “Why do you ask?”

  Sebastian looked back at me for what felt like a long time. Maybe he was deciding how honest he could be, wondering if he could trust me. “Because our magic is gone.”

  I was almost too stunned to speak. It wasn’t just Adepts? It was Reapers, too? “Our?”

  “Reapers. Every Reaper in Chicago.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since this morning.”

  We’d lost our magic last night. They lost their magic this morning, after we’d lost ours. That didn’t sound like a natural phenomenon. It sounded like someone had flipped a magical switch. But was that even possible? Who could flip a switch and turn off the magic of all Adepts and Reapers in Chicago? Who else was left?

  “Jeremiah thinks Adepts did it,” Sebastian added. “Canceled out our power somehow.”

  “We didn’t,” I assured him. “I’m not even sure we could.”

  “I’m not sure he’ll buy that.”

  So many questions raced in my head. What if he was telling the truth and Reapers didn’t have powers? He was taking a risk, so didn’t I owe him the truth, as well? But what if he was lying? What if Reapers were the reason we didn’t have power, and he wanted to confirm the trick had worked? What if he was trying to ferret out our weaknesses so Reapers could attack?

  And, more important: Why was he helping me? Why was he giving me information that helped Adepts, when he didn’t even believe Adepts were on the right side of things? Was he trying to lure me in? Win me over?

  But I held them in. I also held in the truth. I didn’t tell him we didn’t have powers, either. Maybe he knew; maybe he didn’t. But if he proved trustworthy, I promised myself I’d repay the favor later.

  “Convince him,” I said. “I promise you we didn’t take your magic.”

  “He wants proof. He wants Scout’s Grimoire. He thinks she did it.”

  That wasn’t even negotiable. “He’s not going to get it. Not that it would help him anyway. And if he tries it, we’ll throw everything we have back at you.”

  It was just that “everything” we had wasn’t much right now, at least not magically.

  Fayden called his name, pointing at something on the river. I glanced back at her. “Is she one of you?”

  His eyes darkened dangerously. “She is not,” he said. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d keep her out of it. There’s no need for the rest of the Dark Elite to know she’s even here.”

  I guess he didn’t trust his fellow Reapers any more than we did. But that begged a question—if I’d said I had relatives visiting, would he do me the same favor? Would he keep my family out of it?

  But I wasn’t a Reaper, and I wasn’t looking for a way to hurt Sebastian or his cousin, so I nodded. “No problem.”

  He looked relieved.

  “Well, I need to get back to school,” I said. “Thanks for the update.”

  “You, too.”

  He walked back to Fayden and I walked back to Scout like nothing at all had happened. Like we hadn’t just discussed gigantic magical developments. She started grilling me immediately.

  “What did he do? What did he say? Who’s the girl?”

  “His cousin. The good news is, Reapers have lost their power, too.”

  Her eyes got really wide. “He told you that?”

  “He did.”

  “Do you think he was bluffing?”

  “The only reason to bluff would be to find out if we have magic, too. And I’m not about to give that away. At least, not now. Not until we’re sure whose side he’s on.”

  “So Reapers don’t have magic, huh?” She turned around and propped her elbows behind her on the railing. “So what does that mean? Who’s behind it?”

  “I have no clue. Unfortunately, I do also have bad news.”

  “You made out with him?”

  “No, jeez, no. Have some respect. Seriously, though. The Reapers, or so they say, don’t know who’s done this, either. But they have a theory.”

  “Which is?”

  No sense beating around the bush. “They think it’s you.”

  The smile that spread across her face wasn’t the fear I’d expected. “They think I’m good.”

  “They think the answers are in your Grimoire.”

  That made her pale a little bit, which I thought was good. I’d rather have her a little bit afraid than a little bit too cocky—and not as careful as she should be.

  She pushed off the railing. “I’m not giving up my Grimoire,” she said. “If they think that’s going to happen, they are crazy or stupid. Or both.” She looked at me. “We have to figure out this blackout thing. We have to.”

  “I know,” I said.

  Unfortunately, I bet that was going to be the hard part.

  * * *

  When compared to a meeting with a Reaper beside a bridge that had vaulted itself out of the Chicago River, classes were dull. We’d also skipped lunch for the meet, which meant we were both starving. Hunger didn’t make European history any more exciting.

  It was early in the week at St. Sophia’s School for Perpetually Rich Girls, which meant the options in the cafeteria weren’t quite as nasty as they’d get. Dinner on Thursday or Friday meant you’d be served up a stew of anything that didn’t get eaten earlier in the week. The cafeteria crew called it “slurry.” I called it disgusting.

  Tonight they were serving burgers—the meaty kind for Scout and black bean for me. I was a vegetarian, so I made up for the lack of meat with veggies and sugar.

  The brat pack seemed excited about something, but it wasn’t like I was going to go over and see what was up. They were at their usual table in the cafeteria beside a huge window that looked out over the yard. It was brat pack kingdom over there, and I wasn’t about to trespass.

  Scout and I took seats at the end of a table on the other side of the room. We replayed my conversation with Sebastian, and she kept asking questions about what he did or didn’t say as she tried to fish clues from our conversation.

  But one question stood out.

  “Are you going to tell Jason you’re friends with Sebastian?”

  I stopped in the middle of a bite of a burger. “We’re not friends.”

  “Maybe not,” she said, squeezing so much mustard and ketchup onto the remaining half of her burger that it oozed out the sides. “But I still think he’d want to know.”

  “Would you tell him if you were me? I mean, it’s completely innocent, but I don’t think Jason—or any of the rest of the Adepts—would think it’s a good idea.”

  “Do you think it’s a good idea?”

  “I’m not talking to Sebastian because I want us to be buds, because I want to date him, or because I think he and the rest of the Reapers are right about anything. He’s more like . . . a secret source. He gives me information, and if that information is useful, I’m going to use it. I’m not going to ignore him just because the Adepts aren’t comfortable with it.�
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  “And if Sebastian’s using you?”

  “He could only use me if I was giving him information. Which I’m not.”

  “Well, be careful he doesn’t try to turn your friendship—or whatever it is—into a way to get access to information . . . and the Enclave.”

  “I’d never do that.”

  “Yeah, but I also bet you never thought you’d be talking to Sebastian on the street or making nice with his cousin. Things change. People change. Just keep an eye out.”

  “I will. And I’ll think about whether I should tell Jason.”

  Scout’s phone beeped, so she pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “You better think pretty fast,” she said, then showed me her phone.

  We were meeting at the Enclave tonight.

  7

  The situation was dire. We had a trig test, our magic was gone, and we had a party to prep and a secret meeting with a vampire to arrange. I had no parents for parents’ night, and no dress for the dance. I also had a worried werewolf and a spellbinding best friend who was now target number one for the city’s bad guys.

  Pretty stressful stuff.

  A lot of that stuff affected Michael and Jason, which I assumed was why we found them sitting at the table in the Enclave . . . preparing their fantasy basketball lineups.

  “Is this seriously the best thing you guys have to do with your time?” Scout asked, tossing her messenger bag onto the table.

  “No, no,” Michael said, stabbing a finger at the table and completely ignoring Scout. “You can’t put Topher at point guard. He was out half of last year because of his knee. That’s ridiculous.”

  “I can put him wherever I want,” Jason said, writing something out on a piece of paper. “I drafted him. You’re just complaining because you couldn’t get him.”

  Michael pointed at his chest with a pencil. “I didn’t want him. I am smarter than that, and I know he’s not going to last through the season. I took Guzman because I wanted Guzman.”

  So he said, but he didn’t exactly sound that confident.

  I sat down next to Jason. “Basketball? Really?”

  He grinned over at me. “We finished our draft over the weekend, so we’re comparing our lineups.”

  “Guzman?” Scout asked. “I can’t believe you picked Guzman.”

  This time, Michael looked upset. “You think it was a bad pick?”

  Scout snorted a laugh. “Like I know. I have no idea who Guzman is. Or the”—she looked over at the paper—“Lack-ers. Pretty crappy name for a team.”

  “That’s Lakers, Scout. Lakers,” Jason said.

  “Whatever.” She yawned. “If you two gentlemen are done, can we get this show on the road?”

  “Let’s do,” Daniel said, and the rest of the Adepts joined us at the table. “First things first—any updates from the field?”

  I looked at Scout, who nodded. “The Reapers have lost their magic,” I said.

  The room got really quiet, and my heart pounded so hard I wondered if everyone could hear it.

  “What do you mean, they lost their magic?” Daniel asked. “How did you learn that?”

  “She—we saw a Reaper near the door at St. Sophia’s,” Scout blurted out.

  I froze, then looked slowly over at her. She had totally just lied to Daniel and the Enclave, I assumed to keep me from mentioning my meeting with Sebastian. Because she thought talking to him was a bad idea that was going to get both of us in trouble—or because she wanted to keep our secret source to ourselves?

  “Near the door?” Daniel asked with a frown, crossing his arms. “And he didn’t get in?”

  “She didn’t get in,” Scout corrected. “She was a Reaper we’d met before, so we knew what magic she could work. But she tried the magic and it didn’t work. When her attempt at mano a mano went bad, she sprinted off.”

  “But not before squealing something about how she was like the other Reapers and didn’t have magic, either,” I said.

  The story sounded ridiculous even to me, but in the world of the Adepts, it probably wasn’t even on the top-ten list of strange things we’d seen in our careers. Reapers trying to break into our school? Already seen it. Fist-fighting girls? Been there, done that.

  “Huh,” Daniel said. “So you’ve got firsthand info that Reapers’ magic is not working?”

  “Firsthand info,” I confirmed.

  I tried not to fidget beneath the other Adepts’ curious stares. Did they know I was lying? Did I look suspicious? I was definitely not made for spy games. Thankfully, before I actually started shuffling my feet and whistling nervously, there was a knock on the door.

  We all braced ourselves for impact—except Daniel.

  “It’s open,” he called out.

  So much for security.

  The door squeaked open, and Detroit walked in.

  I mentioned Lesley’s fashion sense—odd, but pretty chill. Detroit’s fashion sense was much more intense—an explosion of leather, lace, feathers, and random bits of metal. Tonight she wore a long, fitted black coat with sleeves that poofed out at the hands with a shower of lace. She wore leggings and knee-high black boots beneath it, and her blond hair was carefully curled. A tiny black hat was angled on top of her head, and she wore a small black satchel diagonally across her chest. She lugged in an old leather suitcase with gold buckles across the top.

  Adepts were an odd group, and Enclave Two was certainly no exception.

  “What is this?” Paul asked, walking closer.

  When she had the suitcase where she wanted it, she placed it down on its side, unbuckled the straps, and flipped open the top. Unlike the vintage leather and brass on the outside, the inside was all wires and buttons that looked like they’d been popped out of old typewriters. Most of Detroit’s machines looked slick and modern. This one looked like bits of junk hot-glued together. I guess that was what you got when your machinist lost her magic.

  Detroit pressed one of the buttons.

  Nothing happened.

  She laughed nervously, then mashed the button down again. The machine clicked and then whirred into action. Little black dials flipped over on each other, and a small contraption that looked like a cheap plastic Ferris wheel began to spin.

  “And what is that, exactly?” Paul asked.

  She stood up again and looked proudly down at . . . whatever it was. “It’s a virus remover. It will look you over and if you’re infected with a virus that’s caused the blackout, it will get rid of it.”

  Well, that was a pretty creative idea. Although it did beg one question:

  “We’re infected by viruses?” Scout asked with a frown.

  “I’m not sure. But it’s worth a try, don’t you think?”

  I guess I couldn’t argue with that.

  With the toe of her shoe, she pressed another button. A flap on the other side of the machine flipped open, and a beam of light shot across the room. “I don’t have magic, but, you know, I can still make stuff. Who wants to step into the beam?”

  Maybe not surprisingly, nobody raised a hand.

  “Is it safe?” Jill asked, kneeling down to get a look at the machine. It buzzed and beeped as she looked at it, like the machine was filled with wicked angry bees.

  “Oh, God,” Detroit said, holding out a hand. “Don’t move.”

  Jill froze in her crouch, her eyes widening. “Oh, God, what? What did I do? Did I trigger something? Is it a bomb?”

  The Enclave went silent.

  Detroit laughed so hard she snorted. “Ah, that gets ’em every time. Seriously, it’s fine. Walk into the beam.”

  “Because?” Jill asked, face wrinkled with worry.

  “Because, in order for it to remove a magical virus, you have to, you know, use the machine.” She
nudged Jill gently toward the beam of light.

  Wincing, eyes closed, Jill put a toe into the beam. When she didn’t burst into flames, she opened one eye and checked out her foot.

  “See? It’s fine. Now step all the way in, please.”

  While Jill walked into the light, Detroit adjusted the dials on the suitcase. The light wavered and flickered, but that was all it did. After a moment, the light went out altogether.

  Not entirely sure what to do—or what had happened—we stood there looking at each other awkwardly, then at Detroit.

  “All done,” she brightly said. “You wanna see if it worked?”

  Jill and Jamie shared one of those kinds of deep looks that twins had—like they could read each other’s minds and knew exactly what the other was thinking. And neither one of them looked like they trusted Detroit’s new contraption.

  “Of course she does,” Daniel kindly said. “Maybe start with something small.”

  The girls looked at each other, then nodded. “Does anyone have a bottle of water?” Jill asked.

  “I’ve got one,” Scout said, then dug through her messenger bag and pulled out a bottle. “It’s only half-full.”

  “No problem,” Jill said. She walked over to the table and put the bottle on top, then stepped back a few feet.

  We all scooted back a little, giving her room to operate. Just in case.

  She stood there for a moment, hands at her sides, and squeezed her fingers rhythmically into fists. Open. Closed. Open. Closed. Her long hair fell across her shoulders, which she rolled a little as if loosening them up.

  “Is it wrong that I’m really freaked-out right now?” Scout whispered.

  “That she’ll turn us all into ice?” I wondered.

  “That it won’t work at all.”

  That was probably the scarier option.

  Jill raised her hands in front of her body, and with a whoosh of sound—like she’d exhaled really hard—she pushed her hands out and toward the bottle of water.

  The room was silent—and the water wasn’t even a little bit icy.

  The tension in the room was awful. It wasn’t exactly fun to watch another Adept completely unable to work her magic, especially knowing we were all in the same boat.