“Oh my God…” Isadora gasped. I couldn’t even speak. This was terrible, and that was putting it mildly. I felt like throwing up.
Imogene wiped away another tear that managed to sneak out of her eye. I could tell she was trying her hardest to stay professional. “Now Katherine is moving on to the next and last ritual. That’s her purpose in stealing these children, I’m certain of it. And I cannot even begin to comprehend what she’ll do to them…”
“Did anyone put trackers on the children?” Isadora asked.
Imogene grimaced. “They did, but the trackers have gone dark. Katherine must have removed them, somehow, knowing we would use them.”
“How can we stop her?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t know, as of yet, but if she’s seeking out rare magicals, Louella might be a target again.” Imogene fixed her steely gaze on me and Isadora. “As such, Louella must be confined to the infirmary. She must stay with you both, at all times.”
“Of course, Imogene,” Isadora replied, while I gave a nervous nod. Louella was one of my best friends. If her life was at stake, then that made things way more personal.
Imogene sank back in her chair. “Thank you, both of you. I trust that you’ll keep this a secret. I’ll tell those who need to know when the timing is somewhat better.” She sighed. “I’ll inform Harley later tonight, and we’ll send out security teams to retrieve the children. We cannot lose hope.”
I didn’t feel too sure. If Katherine had those kids, she’d do everything in her power to keep them hidden. She’d done it before; she’d do it again. But at least Imogene was doing something. If Levi had been in charge of this, it would’ve been a total car crash.
“Was there something else?” Isadora prompted.
Imogene nodded. “Yes, thank you for reminding me.”
“Is it better news?” I added.
“Sadly not,” Imogene replied bitterly. “Remington has met with the National Council. Not a single person is willing to give him a sample of those pills. In fact, they have entirely denied giving any such pulls to Levi, to begin with. And, with Levi still unconscious, we have no means to verify that with him. Hopefully, once Levi awakens, we will be able to discover more, especially with the use of Dr. Krieger’s medical interventions.”
Isadora pulled a sour face. “So you’re saying we’ve hit a dead end?”
“It would appear so, but Remington has assured me that he’ll continue to investigate.” She paused. “However, that means the danger remains. Very few people within the magical leadership of the covens, worldwide, can be trusted. Naturally, you’ll understand why we can’t declare our suspicions publicly.”
I smiled nervously. “Then our best bet is to find Katherine and destroy her before she ascends.” We had the magical detector, and Harley was working away at the Grimoire. We had everything in place—we just needed it all to come together.
* * *
Rattled by everything Imogene had said, we immediately brought Louella to the infirmary. We told her about the stolen kids and the danger she was now in, and she immediately agreed to our version of witness protection. That was good. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, no matter what. She might have been funny about Suri, but she was my friend. She’d always had my back. Now, it was my turn to return the favor. If Katherine wanted to come after Louella, she’d have to go through me and my portals. I’d keep jumping for the rest of my life if it kept Louella safe.
In addition to looking after Louella and Suri, the most useful way I could spend my time was making sure the magical detector was working, with Krieger’s modifications.
“We should do a test run in the Banquet Hall,” I said. “To help iron out the kinks.”
Krieger nodded. “That sounds very sensible. It needs to be tested in a larger area, with more magicals around. I keep trying to make specific choices, but it can’t seem to lock on to the person I want to find. There’s too much interference from other magicals, so testing it in a larger crowd may prove useful.”
“I’ll come with you, Jacob,” Isadora insisted. “Krieger, will you watch out for Louella while we’re gone? You should probably make sure Suri stays in her room, too.”
“Of course, though I’m rather sad I won’t get to see the device in action out there.” He smiled at Isadora.
She smiled back. “We’ll come back with all the results, don’t worry. And if there are any glitches, we’ll just bring it back so you can keep calibrating it.”
“Yes, it’s a very sensitive contraption. More sensitive than I anticipated. It is by no means perfect, given that it’s the first of its kind.”
And I helped build it. That would never stop being awesome.
* * *
We hid away in the corner of the Banquet Hall. Setting the device on the table, I concealed it behind a book that I’d set up. Old detective movie style, only no eye-holes to peep out of. Isadora sat next to me as we prepared to test the device on the people in the room. There were still quite a lot of people around, even though it wasn’t a set mealtime.
“How are you feeling after what happened in Lethe?” Isadora glanced at me as I twisted one of the dials. It was supposed to tighten the field of detection. “I know we haven’t had much chance to talk about it, but it’s bound to have affected you. You saw your dad, after all. That can’t have been easy. How are you coping with everything?”
I shrugged. “I’m trying not to think about it.”
“You should, though. It’s not healthy to bottle things up.”
I chuckled. “I suppose I’m just waiting for it to lose its fizz before I deal with it.”
“Seriously, Jacob. How are you feeling?”
I kept my focus on the dials. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t think I’m ready to process it.”
“I imagine Suri is a good distraction.” She smiled.
“Yeah… she is.” It was true. I hadn’t thought about my dad much with Suri around. And I hadn’t really thought about what had happened in Lethe. My only concern was for Suri and keeping her here. That way, I’d never have to think about all the hard stuff that I didn’t want to think about. I could just think about Suri and keep things light and fluffy. No tough emotions necessary. Only the good stuff.
“You like her a lot, huh?”
I nodded awkwardly. “Yeah, I kind of do.”
“Kind of?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, I really do.”
“She seems to like you, too.” Isadora nudged me playfully.
“Come on, you’re making me feel weird.”
“Why? Because I’m interested in who you’re dating?”
I gaped at her. “We’re not… We’re not dating.” My heart sank. “Besides, I couldn’t date her even if I wanted to. You’ve heard what everyone’s been saying. They think Suri should get her memory wiped, even though she doesn’t know anything she shouldn’t. I doubt I’ll be able to change anyone’s mind. Rules, remember?”
She laughed. “Rules are made to be broken. Especially coven rules.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot how much you hate these things.” I smiled at her sadly. “But it doesn’t change the facts, does it? Unless…”
“Unless?”
I turned back to the dial. “Unless you can help me with Suri.”
“In what way?”
“Well, Imogene might say that Suri doesn’t have to have her memory wiped, and she might let her go without doing anything, if you were to give me a little adult backup.” I could feel my cheeks getting hot. “I really want to see her again, Iz, but I know I can’t keep hiding her here for much longer. It’s clearly not safe, and I don’t want her to be in danger again.”
Isadora sighed. “I’d love to help you, Jacob, but if you don’t want her to be in danger, then there’s one very simple solution. I don’t like it any more than you do, since it’s a stupid coven rule, but it might put her out of harm’s way. The less she knows, the safer she is.”
“You don’t real
ly believe that.” It wasn’t a question. “I’d be careful about it, I promise. I’d make sure she didn’t say anything, and I really don’t think she would, anyway. She likes us. She likes it here. Why would she risk that?”
“Humans often do foolish things without meaning to.”
“What, so someone else’s stupidity means I can’t have a chance?” I turned to her. “I really like her, Iz. She’s kind, and sweet, and smart. She wants to learn about magicals, she doesn’t want to expose us. And, honestly, neither of us have had normal lives. She’s always on her own, and I… well, I’ve never had anything normal. I’m not bringing out the violins here, but I want to have something normal, just once. And I can, if you help me. I can have that, with someone who knows what I am and doesn’t care.”
Isadora sighed. “Damn, did you pick the wrong time to fall for a girl.”
I managed a grin. “Tell me about it.”
“You’re right, though—she does seem like a nice girl. Everyone’s taken to her, even if they won’t say so. Plus, I think she’s even managing to chip away at Louella, which deserves a medal in and of itself.” Isadora put her hand on my shoulder. “I already agreed to help you, so what are you worrying about? You know I’ve got your back.”
I fiddled with the knob, just for the sake of keeping my hands busy. “Well, first off, that Imogene will say no. And, secondly, I was worried that you might have changed your mind, after hearing about the missing kids and stuff. You said so yourself, it’s safer if Suri is away from here. Wiping her memory is the simple solution. I guess I wondered if you were starting to have doubts.”
“Maybe I’m more cautious, and maybe wiping her memory is the simplest solution, but I promised to help you. That hasn’t changed.” She gave my shoulder a squeeze. “But I do think you should wait another day or two to speak to Imogene. Her circumstances have changed. She’s crushed over the magical kids being taken, so she’s not going to be in a very generous mood, especially not if it means putting someone at risk. Wait a while, until the dust settles, and then go to her.”
I stopped what I was doing. “I get it. I’ll wait. Plus, it’s not like I’m asking Imogene to let Suri stay here, you know? Even if Suri’s mom doesn’t seem to care about her, she should be back at home, away from the coven. That way, there’s less danger. Now that Levi isn’t tracking my every move, I could go see her whenever I want, using portals. No evil cultist would be able to follow me there. I’d get Santana to ward Suri’s house, too, and—”
“One thing at a time, Jacob,” Isadora said softly. “And, right now, we’ve got much bigger fish to fry. Suri can wait another day while we test this baby and I come up with a strategy for convincing Imogene not to wipe your girlfriend’s mind.”
I grinned. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Sure, and my name isn’t Isadora Merlin.”
Forty-Five
Harley
As it turned out, reading a Grimoire wasn’t like riding a bike or reading a regular book. This wasn’t the kind of thing that came naturally to anyone—well, not to me. I’d discovered the first hidden page, with that dark and ancient spell written on it, but no matter how many times I’d tried to read it out, nothing had happened. To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure it wasn’t just gibberish, made to look pretty. Perhaps my ability to read unfinished Grimoires only extended to the Latin or English kind of spells. I really hoped not; otherwise, my dad’s last ever spell was going to be a total bust.
After that colossal, exasperating failure, I’d decided to delve deeper into the book, and it had already taken up about two days of my life, give or take a few very short breaks. After all, I knew that there couldn’t just be the one hidden page. I figured that first one had been a sort of marker, to let me know that there were definitely more in here—I just needed to find them.
Saying that, searching this book on such a deep level was proving to be incredibly intense. I kept unearthing symbols hidden in the corners and in the actual text of some of the fully visible spells, spending hours trying to decipher what it all meant, my eyes swimming by the end of it. Only that first secret spell had turned into actual words, even though I couldn’t read them. The rest were playing hard to get, just inky smudges and multicultural marks across the near-liquid pages, their purpose evading me.
It was almost hypnotic, the way they swirled and drifted, dragging me into a strange trance that was tricky to get out of again. If it hadn’t been for Wade and Finch yanking at my shoulders until I snapped out of it, these pages would have consumed me by now. I’d be a listless, blathering idiot, yapping on about inky symbols I couldn’t figure out.
Totally at my wit’s end, I flipped back through the book to the “hidden things” spell. I didn’t know how much more staring at pages that didn’t freaking do anything I could take. I sat up straighter in my chair at a sudden thought.
If it finds hidden things, maybe it’ll find the hidden pages, too.
Nothing in this book seemed to be easy, aside from the spell that had summoned Erebus. It didn’t seem fair that a spell so chaotic could have been so simple, while these other ones were super complicated. And, right now, this spell to find hidden things was battering my brain.
In life and death, there is unity beyond measure,
It can be found in the bond that will go on forever.
Through time and space, a pattern appears,
The kind to allay uncertain fears.
A triad unwavering, against all odds,
One that may challenge even the most vengeful of gods.
Through history and legend, power has grown in threes,
And with that, we may find the path to appease.
Light and Dark survives with Gray between,
The bridge that joins, as yet unseen.
To make eyes that see what others cannot,
One must make the sacrifice to remember what they forgot.
Fragments lost from long ago,
Must be put back together before the truth may show.
Pieces of the essence of life,
Must come together to end future strife.
Whether in despair or Euphoria, these slivers must be found,
Unearthed beneath the debris that covers common ground.
A union of three points, made in blood,
Each line united for the greater good.
Father, Child, and Ghost we know,
But Time and Death cannot interrupt the flow,
Of souls combined, in shared pain,
And so this ends this brief refrain.
But one thing more is known above all,
If what is hidden is found, the mighty shall fall.
I stared at it blankly. What the heck is that supposed to mean? I’d never had either of my parents down as poets, but this was a lyrical work of complete frustration. I kept reading it, in the hopes that it would somehow make sense. There was a lot of talk of threes and triads, but what did that mean? And fragments? Fragments of what, exactly?
One thing was for sure, I wasn’t supposed to do this on my own. It seemed to be suggesting I work in a trio of some kind, but with whom? It couldn’t be Wade or my friends, because the spell seemed to be alluding to some blood bond. As far as I could tell, there were only three possible variations of this blood triangle—Me, Finch, and Isadora. Me, Finch, and Katherine. No chance. Or me, my mom, and my dad, which seemed even more unlikely than the second one. They were dead and gone. Perhaps they’d written this thinking they’d make it out alive, but surely… surely, they’d have put in a failsafe of some kind?
My brain is going to fall out of my head. This “hidden things” spell held the secret to the rest of the book, I was sure it did, but there were secrets upon secrets within that secret.
“Why don’t you take a break?” I looked up to find Wade standing close by. I had no idea how long he’d been there watching me, but his brow was furrowed in concern. “You need to be careful with the Grimoire, Harley. It’ll suck
you right in if you’re not careful.”
I sighed. “Or suck my brain right out.”
“Come on, why don’t you put it to one side for a little while.” He held out his hand to me, and I took it reluctantly. Feeling the weight of forty-eight hours with very minimal sleep, I dragged my feet as he led me over to one of the other chairs. I sank down, grateful to be away from the book and to take some of the weight off my mind. Even the natural pull of it was exhausting, though I hadn’t realized it until I’d stepped away for a moment.
“It’s driving me insane, Wade,” I murmured, reaching for a water bottle and downing the contents. “I keep finding things, but then I can’t read them. And there are all these swimming images, but there’s nothing I can do to figure them out. I thought it’d be easy. I thought I’d just have to look at it and find the hidden pages, and the spells would trip off my tongue, simple as you like.” I put my forehead to the desk. “Why did they have to make it so friggin’ hard!”
Wade smiled and knelt beside me, his hand on my thigh. “Listen, if anyone can read this damn thing, it’s you. Chaos literally made you so you could do it. I know it feels impossible right now, but you’ll crack it.”
I bumped my head against the desk a couple times. “It feels like I’m getting nowhere, and we’re not exactly drowning in time. I thought the ‘hidden things’ spell might work, but it’s just some poem that makes zero sense. It’s a total mindf—sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t swear.”
He chuckled. “It’s testing you.”
“Well, I wish it wouldn’t. I don’t have time for some worthiness exam. If what everyone is saying is true, that I’m some custom-made Chaos magical, then it shouldn’t be this difficult.”
“I’ve seen you blast through every challenge, Harley. I’ve seen you kick and scream and lie and fight for what’s right, sticking to your guns no matter what.” Wade shook his head. “I’ve seen you literally break open a massive hole in the earth out of sheer determination to fight Katherine. I’ve seen you go into Echidna’s box on your own to get what you wanted. You’ll pull through this one, too, and when you do, we’ll get Katherine.”
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