Lock and Key

by Evangeline Anderson

  “If they can keep their hands off each other.” Avery sounded distinctly skeptical about that idea.

  “We can if we have to!” I exclaimed, feeling defensive. “And in case you’re wondering, I didn’t set out to mark Griffin. It just sort of…happened.”

  “I could buy that excuse the first time, Princess,” he said flatly. “I mean, after all, the first time he marked you and it was to protect you from Sanchez. But you don’t just happen to break the Edict twice in a row!”

  “Shouldn’t the Edict itself have kept this from happening?” Emma asked doubtfully. “I mean, I thought it worked to keep members of different species of Others from feeling attracted to each other in the first place.”

  “Yes, but didn’t Avery also say it was getting really old?” Kaitlyn said. “Like wearing out, maybe? Do you think there are other, uh, Others from different species who are feeling attracted to each other but they’re just hiding it?”

  “That’s a whole lot of Other business going on,” Avery said skeptically. “And to answer your question, I don’t know and I don’t care. All I’m worried about right now is Princess Latimer here getting caught doing the unthinkable.”

  “Is it really that bad to break the Edict, though?” I protested. “I mean, really?”

  Avery sighed. “Look, you weren’t raised in the magical world so you don’t understand. For most Others, being caught breaking the Edict is almost the worst thing you can do. I mean, it’s so socially unacceptable you might as well declare that you’re going to take up…I don’t know, serial murder or something awful like that.”

  “That seems kind of extreme,” I said. “How can you equate killing people with loving someone of a different species or race?”

  Avery shrugged. “I’m just telling you what the Council of Elders thinks about it.”

  “Well, they’re older,” I said. “The older generation. But maybe things are changing—maybe they ought to change. Think about it—just a generation or two ago a lot of people hated mixed marriages and gay marriages now they’re much more common.”

  “A lot of people still hate mixed couples—especially in the South,” Kaitlyn said in a low voice. “My parents used to get some pretty nasty looks and remarks from time to time, since my dad was white and my mom was black.”

  “And you try telling my dear old dad that gay marriage is acceptable now,” Avery said dryly. “I’m sure he’d love to hear all about it.”

  “My point is that just because a few people think something is wrong, doesn’t make it wrong,” I argued.

  “A few people? You don’t understand,” Avery said. “You’re talking about breaking the Edict like it’s some kind of Civil Rights issue. I’m telling you, Megan—it would be tearing the fabric of Other society apart if everybody started doing what you and Griffin are doing.” He leaned forward. “And speaking of that, what exactly are you doing? I’ve heard Nocturnes are amazing. Strictly from other Nocturnes, of course,” he added quickly.

  “It’s none of your business,” I said primly. And when the three of them groaned in disappointment, I added somewhat reluctantly, “Actually, not much. I’m underage, according to Griffin, and he refuses to do anything illegal.”

  “Except for breaking the Edict,” Avery said dryly.

  “You keep coming back to that,” I said, feeling exasperated. “But it’s not like Griffin and I are Blood-Bonded or anything. And anyway, what about the other things we were supposed to discuss today? What about the prophecy I heard Nancy and her mom talking about? Did you get a chance to do any digging on that?”

  Avery shook his head.

  “I meant to get over to my aunt’s house and look through her spell library but she had to leave for a weekend retreat with the rest of the Windermere Coven and my mom lost her spare key.”

  “Great.” Emma sighed. “How are we ever going to find out what prophecy they were talking about then? Because I really think Megan needs to know!”

  “I do too,” I said. “I want to know if that’s the reason my mom kept me out of the magical world and raised me as a Norm.”

  Then, of course, I had to tell them all about my conversation with Aunt Dellie and everything she’d said about my mom. All three of them were wide-eyed when I had finished.

  “Okay, now we definitely need to find out about that prophecy,” Kaitlyn said at last. “Is there another magical library somewhere we could look? Maybe someplace on campus?”

  “There is one,” Avery said slowly. “But it’s in the South Tower in the Sisters’ dorm. They have an ancient grimoire that supposedly belonged to Corinne Latimer herself. If there were any pertinent prophecies to do with one of her descendants, I’d bet it would be there.”

  “Great,” I said. “Let’s go!”

  “Not so fast, Princess,” Avery said, frowning at me. “The only people who are allowed in the Sisters’ Spell Library are Sisters. Specifically those who live there.”

  “Do you think we’d get in trouble if they caught us there?” I asked. “I mean, you’re a Sister and I technically am too. In fact, Nancy’s mom really wanted the headmistress to move me in there. She said it was the only way I would get a ‘proper magic education.’”

  “I think we would get into trouble, yes,” Avery said. “But of course, that’s only if we get caught.” He brightened. “And I happen to know that this weekend is probably the best chance we’ll ever get to sneak into the South Tower. All the Sisters are away at the weekend retreat with the Windermere Coven. It’s kind of a magical field trip where they perform the Great Rite for the first time,” he added, by way of explanation. “So if we’re going to break in, now’s the time.”

  “Like I said—let’s go,” I said, slapping the tabletop with one hand and making the thick white china dishes rattle on the table. The I Scream didn’t serve anything on paper or plastic—even the strawberry milkshake I’d drunk had come in a tall, old-fashioned glass and had been topped with real whipped cream.

  “I can’t right now,” Emma said regretfully. “I have to finish my shift.”

  “And I have to put Allegra to bed before I can go anywhere,” Kaitlyn said apologetically. “Mr. and Mrs. Breedlove are already being really nice, letting me take time off in the middle of the day like this.”

  “It’s better to go after it gets dark anyway,” Avery said, shrugging. “And Megan has to be back at school by midnight tonight anyway. So shall we say I’ll pick you all up around ten and we’ll head back to the Academy then?”

  I was impatient to begin but I could see the sense of this plan. After all, if anyone was hanging around the campus and watching, it would be way easier to see a bunch of people who didn’t belong sneaking into the South Tower in the middle of the day. At night, there was much less chance of anyone noticing us.

  “All right,” I said. “Ten it is.”

  “Just see that you’re at your aunt’s house and not over at Griffin’s place when I come to get you,” Avery said waspishly.

  I frowned. “Actually—” I broke off to yawn, surprising myself. But the excellent cheeseburger and milkshake I’d had were suddenly weighing on me. “Actually, I’m going to go home and take a nap,” I finished. “I, uh, didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

  “What? Did you and Griffin stay up all night staring into each other’s eyes? Since he’s too proper to do anything ‘illegal?’” Emma asked, grinning at me.

  Actually, that was closer to the truth than she probably thought. We had been talking—talking about everything and nothing—getting to know each other more intimately even though the most Griffin would do was hold me after our near-disastrous make-out session which had been stopped only by the black lock around his neck.

  It occurred to me then, that I still hadn’t told my coven-mates about the key I wore and the lock that matched it. I thought about it now…but pushed the thought away. First because I wasn’t sure if the key would allow itself to be revealed. And second because they might want to know wha
t Griffin had done to deserve to be locked up in constant pain and thirst for essentially the rest of his life.

  I didn’t want to tell them the whole story—his awful memory of waking up beside the two dead Norm girls and being blamed for their murder. He hadn’t done that—I was sure of it. But I wasn’t sure I could convince my coven-mates of his innocence, and I didn’t want them to hate my boyfriend.

  Wait—was boyfriend the right word for Griffin? I could feel his mark on me even now—a warm spot on my forehead that seemed to radiate love and protection. Somehow boyfriend didn’t seem like a strong enough term of affection—it didn’t feel like an accurate description of what he was to me.

  Blood Knight, whispered a little voice in my head, but I still didn’t really know what that meant. What good was an ancient legend when it came to describing the most important and unique relationship of my life?

  “Megan? Oh, Princess Latimer…”

  Avery snapping his fingers under my nose made me realize that I’d drifted off, thinking of Griffin.

  “Yup, she’s got it bad, all right,” Kaitlyn remarked, grinning. She seemed to be more approving of Griffin than Emma and Avery—maybe because he had helped her to get out of Coach Vasquez’s PE class from Hell.

  “Sorry, guys,” I said and yawned again. “I’m just sleepy. And to answer your question, Emma, we were up all night talking,” I said primly. “Just talking.”

  And being close…and looking into each other’s eyes. I knew it sounded stupid and hopelessly romantic but I couldn’t help it. The memory of Griffin’s strong arms around me…his cool, wintry scent…the way his voice went soft and low when he called me his “little witch”—all those things were hard to forget. I had never been in love before and just thinking of him made me feel tingly all over.

  “Okay, she’s drifting off again,” Avery said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Time to get her home so she can have some sweet dreams of her Nocturne Blood Knight before we break into the South Tower tonight.”

  “Ha-ha, Avery—very funny,” I said, but I could feel my cheeks getting hot. He was right—my mind kept wandering back to Griffin. But at the same time, I wanted to find out about the mysterious prophecy and I also found myself curious about my ancestor, Corinne Latimer.

  Why would she enact such a restrictive law as the Edict and bind all the Others to it? And even more puzzling, why would she outlaw her own kind of magic—Blood magic?

  I didn’t know but I was determined to find out—right after I had a much-needed nap. (In which I knew I would dream of Griffin.)

  62

  “Okay, nobody’s coming—the coast is clear,” Emma hissed, putting her head around the curving side of the South Tower and beckoning to us with one hand.

  “Take it easy, Jane Bond,” Avery said dryly. “I think you’re getting a little too deep into all this spy stuff. Just act natural and if anyone asks, I’ll say I’m picking up a book I loaned to one of the Sisters in the dorm.”

  “Emma and I will be right out here,” Kaitlyn whispered. She seemed more nervous than Emma, who was clearly thoroughly enjoying the “spy stuff” we were all engaged in.

  I had argued that only Avery and I should go, since we were technically the only witches in our little coven. But Emma and Kaitlyn had gone mulish and declared that we were sticking together.

  “Coven-mates don’t abandon each other!” Emma said, frowning when I had proposed she and Kaitlyn stay behind in the Norm Dorm. “Kaitlyn and I can at least be look-outs.”

  So the plan was for the two of them to hang around the South Tower, trying to look casual, as though they were just strolling around the castle grounds. If anyone went into the tower, Emma was going to open a spelled scroll and read a certain magic word which Avery had written for her. The moment she said it, he would hear it in his right ear and know that someone was coming. This, in theory, ought to give us plenty of time to hide.

  Personally, I thought we would probably be able to hear it if anyone opened the heavy wooden door with its thick brass knob, but the magical scroll and word added a nice touch to our little “covert operation.”

  “All right, here goes nothing,” Avery remarked. Putting his hand on the shiny brass knob, he turned and pushed at the door at the same time.

  Nothing happened.

  “Hmm…” He frowned and tried again. “What in the name of the Goddess?” he murmured.

  “What is it? What’s going on?” Kaitlyn whispered nervously. She was probably enjoying our little spy mission the least, but she had refused to be left behind, repeating Emma’s assertion that coven-mates stuck together.

  “I think someone’s put a spell on it,” Avery said, frowning. “They locked it magically so nobody could get in while they were gone.”

  I tried the knob myself. It would only twist a fraction of an inch before it stopped and the door didn’t even rattle when I pushed against it.

  “They locked it all right,” I said grimly. “But I don’t think they did it magically. This feels like a real, solid lock and this is a heavy door.” I shook my head. “I don’t think we’re getting in.”

  “Oh, yes we are. We’ll never get a better chance to look at Corinne Latimer’s grimoire than this weekend,” Avery said grimly. “Stand back, girls—I’m going to try something.”

  “Something” turned out to be an opening charm which didn’t work. Nor did the unlocking spell he used next or the reversal incantation which should have made the lock reverse its function and open the door instead of holding it closed.

  At last Avery stood back panting and I saw droplets of sweat beading in his blond hairline.

  “Whatever it is—it’s strong,” he said, glaring at the lock as though it had offended him personally. “And if it’s not magic, it’s at least magic-resistant.”

  “Is that it, then?” Emma sounded disappointed that our little caper was over almost before it had started. “We’re not getting in?”

  Avery shrugged, looking defeated.

  “I hate to give up but I just don’t know what else to try.”

  I felt a surge of disappointment. I didn’t know why, exactly, but I had a very strong feeling that I needed to see my ancestor’s grimoire. Not just to see if there was some obscure prophecy I was supposed to fulfill but because more and more, I wanted to know who Corinne Latimer was—or who she had been, I guess. After all, in a round-about way, she was part of me. The search for her felt a little like the search for myself—the magical part of myself, anyway—that I was still struggling to unlock.

  Speaking of unlocking, was there anything we could do to get this door open? I wondered if I should try Blood magic, but somehow it just didn’t feel right. It was too overt—too obvious. And yet—

  Just then I felt a tugging around my neck. Looking down, I saw something twitching under the cotton fabric of the Henley I was wearing. Though I was only supposed to have uniforms on when I was on campus, I hadn’t bothered to change.

  The black key tugged at my neck again and then pulled away, as though trying to get to the door.

  I frowned—could it be that the black Blood Stone key was the answer? I had thought it was only meant to unlock the padlock around Griffin’s throat but maybe it could help me in another way too.

  Carefully, I reached into my shirt and pulled the key out. The chain grew obligingly longer so I didn’t have far to reach to fit it into the lock.

  “Hey, what’s that?” Avery frowned at the key when it slid smoothly home, as though it had been made especially for this particular lock.

  “Just something I found at a flea market,” I said absently and turned the key in the lock.

  “What is that? One of those keys that fits any lock? A what do you call it—a skeleton key?” Kaitlyn asked excitedly.

  “Something like that,” I said. And since the door was now unlocked, I tucked the key back into my shirt, turned the shiny brass knob and pushed it open. “Are you coming?” I asked Avery, who was looking at me in frank
amazement. He seemed to get over it after a moment, though he was still eyeing the lump under my shirt where the key lay with uncertainty.

  “Coming,” he echoed and we pushed our way into the South Tower, our feet barely making a noise on the flagstone floors.

  Great, we were in. Now what?

  63

  “Now we go up about a bajillion stairs,” Avery informed me. “The library is at the very top of the tower—in the cupola.”

  I looked up the broad gray stone stairs that spiraled around and around the outside edge of the tower and groaned. But really, what could we do but climb? After all, it wasn’t like there was going to be an elevator in a thousand-year-old stone castle.

  Also, though it was a pain in the butt, putting all the valuable, rare magic books at the very top of the tower made sense. Who would try to steal them once they realized they had to climb forever to get to them and then cart them down all those stairs?

  We started climbing, passing wooden doors along the way that led, first to various classrooms and then to the dorms—or so Avery said. I peeked into a few of them and saw that all the beds were full-sized with rich-looking tapestry-type canopies and the wardrobes were shiny, polished oak, unlike the battered ones we had in the Norm Dorm. The rugs on the floors looked thick and fluffy and new and the brocade drapes hanging in the windows looked like something you might see on a tour of Buckingham palace.

  “Nice to see how the other half lives, isn’t it?” Avery said dryly as I scanned one of the dorms before moving on. “Does it make you want to move up here, away from the Norm Dorm?”

  “Not for a minute,” I said without hesitation. “I’d rather live in a hole in the ground with you guys than in a mansion with Nancy and her merry band of assholes.”

  Avery snickered at this and shot me an appreciative glance.