by Lucia Ashta
The bindings that held me dissolved or disappeared, I wasn’t sure which as I couldn’t see them. All I knew was that one moment I was fixed in place against my will, and the next … I wasn’t.
While Radley prattled, I carefully slid my shoulders out from under me, but kept my hands beneath my thighs so the change wouldn’t be overly obvious. I wiggled my shoulders a few times, trying to encourage the return of regular blood flow.
The next moment, before I was prepared for it, the collar around my neck popped open with a surprisingly loud click.
I froze, and Radley spun on me, hands already reaching forward—to fling some sort of attack magic at me, no doubt.
I didn’t think; I reacted.
He hurled some kind of spell at me, swirling and tumbling in my direction like a quickly rolling fog.
I rolled and jumped to my feet, stumbling when I discovered my feet to be like two unwieldy bricks, but lumbered on as the blood rushed into my extremities. Before turning to look, I dove to the side, anticipating another one of Radley’s attacks perfectly.
A beam of bright red light shot right past my head, kicking strands of my hair up and singeing them.
I plodded forward, running in a rough zigzag, trying to be unpredictable, knowing that Radley was going to try to pick me off with his magic. I wouldn’t let him.
While I ran, I muttered:
“Whatever harm you wish on me,
I send back to you.”
Crap. I didn’t know what else to say! I wasn’t good at thinking on my feet, especially not when a demented sorcerer was trying to fry me.
“Whatever you say or do,
Bounces off of me and sticks on you.”
Not my finest moment, but at least I finally had some use for silly phrases from my childhood.
Another beam of red flashed directly by me, this time burning a line straight through the seam of my pants. That had been too close…
“Whatever intent you hold toward me,
Directs itself toward you.
Instant karma, I wish on you.
I place the force of my power behind this spell.”
I hesitated, knowing there had to be more, wishing Professor Hapblomb had been more interested in teaching me than “putting me in my place.”
Unsure what else to say, I screamed: “Now!”
I kept running until I finally noticed the eerie silence behind me, loud enough to overpower my panicked heavy breathing. Risking a quick glance over my shoulder, I stilled in mid-step, placing my hands on my thighs and bending over to catch my breath.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said to Radley, though the sorcerer was in no position to properly respond to my outrage. “You were trying to turn me into a guinea pig?”
The guinea pig twitched his nose at me and whimpered.
The critter was the average size and shape of the common pet, but his eyes contained the intelligence of a dark sorcerer snared in his own trap.
Slowly, I approached, catching my breath until I slumped down in front of him, plopping on the ground. The guinea pig’s coat was brown, with two large patches of different color: one white and one black. As far as guinea pigs went, Radley was a fine one.
His little pink nose twitched, and mine twitched in automatic sympathetic response. Before he could run away, I scooped him up lightning-quick. He struggled and tried to jump from my hold, but there was no escaping. To him, I must be a giant.
“Serves you right, Radley Clark Raschund III. You got exactly what you deserved,” I said.
The little guinea pig whined. Surely he knew it too.
24
Not long after I accidentally turned an accomplished dark sorcerer into a guinea pig, the cavalry arrived. It turned out that though Radley had spoken the truth when he told me that he’d removed the battery from Laredo’s phone so no one could track us, he hadn’t accounted for Professor Hapblomb, who’d done nothing but surprise me lately.
Professor Hapblomb had realized Ky was speaking with me and immediately placed her own tracking spell on Laredo’s phone. When Radley removed the battery, she already had her own way to find us. And find us she did … all the way in Idaho, in the middle of a small farming community with tons of alfalfa crops, at an otherwise abandoned barn, isolated from its neighbors.
Since Radley and Laredo had effectively managed to demolish the Academy Spell’s most important protections, Leander was able to open up a portal within the school grounds, and transported a whole horde of frantic creatures and mages directly to the barn. By the time Leander, Ky, Boone, Dave, and my dad—my real dad—ran from the portal, Rage had bled out. He’d died on the dirt floor of the barn, receiving perhaps an easier death than he deserved.
Sadie and Damon, with his trusty semi-automatic, rushed from the portal only seconds behind my friends and family, along with Sir Lancelot, Fianna, Nessa, Nancy, Melinda, and a crew of mages borrowed from the Magical Arts Academy that I recognized only in passing. Professors McGinty, Quickfoot, Hapblomb, Marcy June, and Egan were there too, along with a troop of pygmy trolls. Every creature was armed to the teeth, whether with magic or shiny, sharp weapons, and wearing a crazed, ferocious expression.
But by the time the forces arrived to save Jas, Wren, and me, we’d already found the way to save ourselves. When Sadie realized that Rage wouldn’t be forced to face Thane’s punishment, she muttered a string of curses creative enough that they garnered the admiration of the potty-mouthed Marcy June. Not even the usually cool Damon appeared pleased that Rage had escaped Thane’s judgment, making me wonder for the umpteenth time what this ferocious Enforcer was like, while simultaneously hoping I’d never have to meet him. Neither Sadie nor Damon had forgotten that Rage had led the forces that had wiped out the majority of the Enforcers while they slept. It was the attack of a coward, and I doubted Sadie or Damon were soon to forget it.
In the absence of Rage, Sadie and Damon directed their anger at Fury, who’d managed to survive the loss of his shifter magic—in other words, my shifter magic—but remained in the magical equivalent of a coma in the healing wing. The kindhearted Melinda cared for him with the dedication she’d offer to any of the rest of us, but Sadie or Damon remained at his side at all times, determined to make him pay for his crimes as soon as he woke.
Fury didn’t worry me much, however. Sure, he’d gone along with Rage’s plans, and they’d been despicable. He could have—should have—spoken up against them more strongly and refused to go along with them. However, Fury was a second to one of the most powerful alphas in North America. Thanks to Boone and my dad’s Compendium, I understood enough about the power structure of packs to know that Fury’s defiance would likely have been futile, and quashed in the most violent of ways. Whether he was his brother or not, Rage would have been forced to make an example of him.
I didn’t fear Fury. I’d witnessed regret in his eyes, and I was certain he wouldn’t try to come after me. Sadie was far less convinced, but she hadn’t witnessed his protests. Though feeble, they’d suggested the shifter hadn’t wanted to take my magic for himself. I suspected he’d come to terms with the loss of his mountain lion, and accepted it as a worthwhile tradeoff for his brother’s life.
Fury’s fate was out of my hands. I’d expressed my thoughts on the man, but I wouldn’t be involved in his judgment. The sooner I got to put this ordeal behind me, the better. I was more than ready to move on with my life, now that all it held was promise.
To that end, Sir Lancelot had snapped orders that had the mages of the Magical Arts Academy whisking Laredo away, post-haste. The dark sorcerer had disappeared through the portal, and Sir Lancelot had assured me the sorcerer would never harm me again. I’d already believed that to be the case, as Laredo seemed the less demented of the two dark sorcerers, but the way the headmaster had said it, with such depth of conviction, I was certain that wherever Laredo was, few would ever see him again. I pictured him in some dungeon somewhere in the pits of the Magical Arts Academy. When
I’d suggested as much, prying for information, the owl had choked on his surprise, eyes impossibly wide, making me think that’s exactly where he was.
When I’d explained the circumstances of my new guinea pig, everyone had wholeheartedly agreed that Radley Clark Raschund III had earned his unusual fate. Radley would remain a guinea pig for the rest of his life. That crazed sorcerer definitely deserved what he got.
As I’d steadfastly refused Sir Lancelot’s offer that I could keep him as a pet, even on campus with a special dispensation, Professor Hapblomb had surprised all of us by offering the guinea pig a home. Last I’d seen Radley, the witch had been petting him amid cooing sounds, as if he were a regular ol’ guinea pig. Whatever plans she might have for him, I didn’t want to know.
Jas, Wren, and I had been only too happy to put the barn, filled with its torture paraphernalia, behind us, especially once Sir Lancelot had agreed that Jas could keep her new sword, dagger, and mace. Neither Wren nor I had wanted a single thing from that place; the memories of it were bad enough. But Jas had practically begged to keep her new pointy toys, until the owl had relented.
Though several days had passed since the kidnapping, and the feeling of being captured and taken against my will for what I desperately hoped would be the last time was beginning to fade, Leander wouldn’t leave my side. I wasn’t about to complain. It was either he, my brother, or my dad. They’d all agreed I shouldn’t be left alone for a good, long while, so much so that my dad had talked Sir Lancelot into allowing Leander to sleep in my room with me. My dad was either far more progressive than I gave him credit for, or he was so freaked out that I could be snatched from what was supposed to be one of the safest places on the planet that he only saw Leander as a magical creature capable of protecting me from anything.
For the first time since receiving my invitation to the academy, I felt strong enough to defend myself. But I was excited to have Leander sharing my bed again, so I didn’t draw attention to my newfound confidence. He was just the kind of distraction to put the bad memories far behind me.
Sir Lancelot had agreed that Jas, Wren, and I should remain together while we recovered, and so he’d instructed Nancy to rearrange our dorm rooms according to our instructions. While we’d had no idea how much we could get away with, we hadn’t held back. If the last few semesters had taught us anything, it was that we shouldn’t take our friends and loved ones for granted. Melinda voiced her wholehearted agreement. “Love and caring can heal the deepest wounds,” she’d said, and it made me like the badger all the more.
We convinced Nancy to rearrange Wren’s and my dorm room to include a suite for Leander and me, another for Jas and Ky, and one for Wren and Dave. Adalia and Boone would also share a room, but not a bed, making ours the only co-ed dorm room on all of campus. Even more, Sadie had apparently convinced Nancy that she and Damon needed to supervise the co-eds, and so a fifth suite had magically appeared in our room—with two separate beds. Despite that, Sadie and Damon were never in the room at the same time, taking shifts to rest, determined to be at Fury’s bedside when he woke.
I did my best to be a good sport about Jas and Ky sharing a room, directing my thoughts to the fact that Ky had requested two beds when I hadn’t bothered for Leander and me. Neither had Wren or Dave, shocking the rest of us into a moment of silence. Somewhere along the line, Wren had directed her admiration from Boone to Dave, and I didn’t think I could like the burgeoning match between the two quiet, quirky shifters any more than I did.
When Stacy, Tracy, and Swan found out about our sleeping arrangements, they complained up a storm. Stacy had barked herself hoarse, but no one in a position to change things had cared. I think they were all just relieved we’d managed to survive when it was so unlikely we would. No headmaster wanted to be the one to tell the parents and school that kids had died on their watch.
The revered wizards Albacus and Mordecai were on their way to repair the damage to the Academy Spell, and once they did, Sir Lancelot assured me I’d be truly safe at the school once more. He also prattled on about how the spell probably should undergo routine maintenance every century or so at the least, to make sure it was in proper working order.
“Ready to head to class?” Leander asked, obviously concerned about interrupting my thoughts, bringing a gentle hand to my shoulder while he stood over me.
I looked up at him and smiled, fully taking in the way his silver hair blew across his shoulders in the gentle breeze of the academy, the way he stood with so much strength, and the way his silver eyes swirled with an intensity I’d learned he reserved just for me. Reaching for his hand, I beamed at him.
He scanned the length of my body, taking his time.
“You look amazing,” he said, wrapping his arms around me, drawing me into his embrace. “You look so amazing, in fact, that I’m wondering if it’s a good idea to go to class at all. Surely Marcy June will understand we have far better things to do than learn more defensive creature magic. I have several fabulous ideas of how we can make better use of our time.”
“Hmm.” He knew precisely what to say to tempt me. If I followed him to our shared room, I had no doubt I’d enjoy my time more than if I attended Marcy June’s class. “I’d love to take you up on your offer,” I finally said, though with flimsy conviction. “But I’ve never been this excited to go to classes. I finally feel like I belong here, like I actually have the chance to grow into something powerful. I want to learn everything the school has to offer me. I’m ready to go to the next level.”
“With me?” His eyes twinkled, the mischief still well and alive.
I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, but my heart answered anyway. “Always with you.”
His eyebrows rose in question, but I didn’t explain what I didn’t fully understand myself. “Rain check on the hanky-panky?” I asked instead.
He grinned. “Always.”
Chuckling, I tugged on his hand and pulled him in the direction of Irele Hall. We’d finished lunch early and settled on the quad to soak up some sunshine while our friends remained in the dining hall. Though I didn’t think of all the events Rage had set into motion as often as I’d worried I would, they still haunted me from time to time—when I allowed it—and Leander had learned to offer me some quiet when I could examine my thoughts.
“What do you think Marcy June will have us do this time?” I asked. “She’s got to be running out of options to torture us.”
“Marcy June?” Leander said, dropping my hand to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me into his side. “Nah. She’ll never run out of ideas for new exercises. Besides, I think Sadie’s been helping her come up with her lesson plans.”
I groaned. “Sadie? Those two shouldn’t be allowed to come up with anything together. They’re a danger.”
“No doubt. They’re also two of the finest supernaturals there are.”
“No doubt,” I echoed.
“Besides, think of all the torture she’s put you through as preparation.”
“For what?” I asked, swallowing a sizable lump of dread.
“For fighting my brother, of course. You didn’t forget about that, did you?”
The warmth of the sunshine dimmed a bit as I pondered that I still had to fight Galen, but the thought of the impending duel didn’t crush me as it would have before. The time since I’d last seen Leander’s arrogant, imposing father and brother had shaped me into a dual mage shifter that refused to cower before a challenge.
“Rina?” Leander stopped walking and pulled me across from him, studying my eyes. “Are you all right?”
“You know what? I can barely believe it, but I’m truly better than ever. I feel … whole.”
“Well, you finally have your queen back…”
“I do, but it’s even more than that. At last I understand who I am right now, and who I want to become. I feel more alive than I ever have before, free of fear.” I was sure it had something to do with facing down the threat of death so many times ov
er the three terms since I’d enrolled at the school. The fear of the unknown no longer loomed over me, heavy and dark. I brimmed with hope.
Leander stared at me like he could see beyond my exterior to deep inside me, where all my thoughts and hopes milled, fashioning themselves into a strength so important that it would shape me into the person I wished to become. As students began to pass us on the sidewalk, heading to their next classes, he stared at me for so long that I began to wonder what he might say.
When he opened his mouth, I thought I was ready.
“I love you,” he said, like it was the plainest truth in all the world.
What shocked me most was that I believed him, and I discovered that I loved him too.
I opened my mouth, but none of my thoughts tumbled from my ready lips.
He pressed his mouth to mine. “Don’t say anything,” he whispered. “Not until you’re ready. I already know how I feel. I have for a long time. My heart believes you’re mine.”
“I … am,” I croaked out.
“Shh,” he said around a smile, and kissed me as if we were all alone in the world. He kissed me until I forgot every reason why I’d suggested we attend class instead of return to our shared room. He kissed me until a cat-call whistle shattered the moment, and delivered Jas and the rest of our friends to the sidewalk next to us, with Ky right up in our business.
When I met Ky’s glare, I burst into laughter before I got a hold of myself. When my biggest worries were my big brother objecting to his friend’s tongue in my mouth, life was good.
Life, in fact, was great.
25
The remaining weeks of the semester flew by. I barely even minded Professor Whittle’s Intermediate Creature History class, though it remained a challenge to stay awake all the time. Still, with so much going for me now, I was properly motivated to study everything there was to learn about the supernatural community.
I no longer doubted my place. I was exactly where I belonged—for now. With the return of my mountain lion queen, I was undoubtedly a magical creature, but my mage powers had become a more insistent part of me, whispering to me constantly of their potential. With both sides of my dual nature awakened, they grew stronger, not in opposition to each other, but jointly. As my lion grew in power, so did my witch—still rough and largely instinctive, but with training I would accomplish incredible things. I just knew it.