by Leigh Kelsey
And didn’t she deserve a little something good after the shit she’d been through because of Theo? The universe owed her one.
“Don’t drink the poison,” Gull intoned, mercifully derailing Kati’s train of thought. “Got it.”
“Everyone else?” Mr Worth asked, his eyes again seeking them all out. Kati’s heartrate leapt as their eyes met but he moved onto Naia as if he hadn’t felt the connection. Oh well. There was a whole academy full of boys; surely one of them would want to flirt with danger enough to allow himself to be dragged into Kati’s bed. And if she ran out of them, well, there was always a dormitory full of girls.
“Now,” Mr Worth said with a smile. “Have you all got your textbooks? We’ll be reading chapter thirteen tonight.”
Kati sighed in disappointment. All that build up and they were doing book work?
Death magic theory dragged on despite Mr Worth’s obvious enthusiasm for the subject, but spells was worse. Kati had been looking forward to learning how to cast a new spell, transforming a simple glass of water into something that could be used to kill someone—allowing Kati to bring them back if Mrs Hale ever taught them anything beyond basics in necromancy. But spells class was like necromancy in reverse. Instead of being singled out for being a reprobate criminal, evil dark lady, or fuck knew what else, Kati was singled out for being … good. Way too good at death magic.
And it was exactly what Kati had been worried about her first morning at SBA when she’d asked one suitcase to unlatch and both had flown open.
“Have you studied this spell before?” asked Mrs Grant, a horse-faced woman with impressive nose hair and an overwhelming miasma of old lady perfume.
“No,” Kati said, frowning. She knew Naia and Rahmi were confused too. While everyone else was still getting the hang of the wand movement, and repeating the command until they executed it in the right tone of voice for the spell to cast, Kati had read over her notes once, lifted her wand, and perfectly turned the clear glass of water into a liquid with thin smoke curling off the surface. Kati didn’t know enough about belladonna to know for sure, but she suspected her glass was full of it.
Mrs Grant wove her wand over the smoking glass and her frown lines deepened. “Perfect.” Despite seeming like a total drip and a bore, the woman beamed at Kati. “Absolutely perfect, Miss Wilson. Well done!”
“Uh,” Kati replied with a wince as everyone turned to look at her. “Thanks.”
Mrs Grant’s face stretched to accommodate her new smile. “Well, since you’ve shown a natural aptitude for this spell, why don’t you help out your neighbours, Miss Qureshi and Miss Clerk with their casting?”
Naia deflated, everything about her seeming to droop.
“It’s Clarke,” Kati said after a moment, realising Naia wasn’t going to correct a teacher. Souls forbid.
“Sorry, Miss Clarke,” Mrs Grant said to Naia, patting her shoulder. “Old age, love, it goes to your head.”
Someone across the room raised her hand and Miss Grant tottled off to speak to them, leaving Kati with her two friends looking at her questioningly.
“Don’t look at me,” Kati muttered. “I don’t know how I did it, either. It’s probably a fluke.”
But it wasn’t a fluke. Wednesday and Thursday passed, bringing them to another day of death magic theory and spells, this time studying an illumination charm. While more advanced than the basic lighting spell Kati had learned as a kid, it came as easily as breathing. She was just lucky that a handful of other students had mastered it quickly too and she managed to dip under the radar.
How the souls could Kati cast spells so easily like this? She’d always been good at magic—really good—but this good? Faster than the rest of the class good? Kati felt less like she was talented and more like something was wrong with her.
It was a nice feeling though, to have a teacher like Mrs Grant be supportive and genuinely pleased whenever she did something right, instead of squinty and suspicious like some of her other teachers. Potions and poisons with Mrs Balham had been fun. Not that she’d singled Kati out; she was just as stern and short with everyone.
And it turned out Kati sucked—really, epically sucked—at potions. She’d managed to stir her clear thinking potion too long, let her cauldron burn too high, and put too much sage, grave dirt, and sheep’s blood into the mix, leaving her with about a teaspoon’s worth of green sludge. Not the clear, luminous potion Rahmi held up for inspection—utterly, annoyingly perfect. Not that Kati was bitter.
She hid her envy, since Rahmi was a decent person and a good friend and Kati didn’t want to be a bitch to her. Not when she’d taught her, slowly and patiently, how to get that perfect winged eyeliner the night before and Kati had managed to replicate it pretty okay.
“You just need practise,” Rahmi said encouragingly as Kati scowled at the green sludge coating her cauldron. “My mum’s a chemist, I was bound to get this right.”
Kati nodded, a forcibly neutral expression on her face as she stared at the ‘potion.’ It stank, like every rotting thing Kati had ever smelled rolled into one.
Aw, cute, you made a tiny bog monster.
Kati’s head whipped around, looking for who had spoken, but with a flicker of unease she realised she hadn’t heard the words out loud. Rather, they were spoken into her mind. There was a slight pressure inside her skull, not painful but there. Gripping her wand hard enough that the thorn dug into her palm she mentally snarled, who the fuck are you?
Don’t give yourself a conniption, the voice replied, dry and sweet at the same time. You’ll find out soon enough.
And then the voice was gone, the pressure lifting from Kati’s head.
“You’ll be fine,” Rahmi said gently, squeezing Kati’s arm and misinterpreting her sudden tension. “I’ve got a potions set in my room, we can practise until you get this right. Naia’ll help too, right?”
“Of course,” Naia said instantly, carefully putting her clear potion into a vial with a pipette.
Kati exhaled slowly and forced herself to nod, wiping the unease from her expression. “Thanks,” she said, and hoped neither of her friends could tell that her sanity was slipping.
That, or someone had invaded her mind.
Neither option was comforting.
AN UNEXPECTED FAMILY TREE
“I’ll meet you back at our rooms,” Kati said as the three of them left P&P—as they’d quickly began calling potions and poisons. “There’s something I wanna check in the library.”
“Someone you wanna check out in the library, you mean,” Rahmi purred with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.
“Shut up,” Kati hissed, elbowing her, but she didn’t dissuade Rahmi from the notion. It covered up her true purpose, after all. “I won’t be long.”
“Aww,” Rahmi murmured, her eyes wide with fake sympathy, “don’t be so mean. He might last longer than you expect.”
A bright burst of laughter tore from Kati and she grinned, ignoring Naia covering her face with her hands. “You’re wicked, Qureshi.”
“Says the girl sneaking away to flirt with a teacher,” Naia whispered, her eyes darting around as if someone might overhear. “Kati, I don’t think it’s a good idea. The rules say—”
“Have fun, use protection,” Rahmi cut off, wrangling Kati into a hug before she could evade it.
Kati scowled, her face warm, but a kernel of bubbling happiness filled her chest. “See you in a bit,” she said, wrangling herself free.
“I want details when you get back!” Rahmi warned as Kati turned away, her face scalded red.
She headed across the foyer in the direction of the library, half wishing she was just going to seduce a cute teacher, but unable to forget the feeling of that voice in her head. It hadn’t felt malicious, but the fact that someone had invaded her private, innermost sanctuary rattled her. She needed protection, something to ward her mind against further intrusions.
The library was busy at this time of night—just before three am
and still an hour until tea—so Kati blended into the masses easily. Beyond the windows spaced along the outer walls, the sky was dark and star-speckled, but the library was lit with soft white light, almost cosy despite that ominous atmosphere given off by books bound in human skin. She was beginning to adjust to the nocturnal schedule, yawning less and the constant tiredness beginning to lift, but it was still odd for it to be pitch black beyond the windows.
Kati examined the spines of leather-bound and paperback books alike as she strolled down aisle after aisle, looking for anything that might contain a spell to ward off a mental attack. She was so focussed on her hunt, the quiet hum of the library lulling her into a state of calm despite her earlier anxiety, that she startled at the sound of her name.
Her back hit a shelf as she jolted, a stubborn hardbound edge bruising her spine as she spun, ready with glares and sharpened words, braced for yet another person who hated Theo, who thought she was a psychopath who didn’t belong at SBA. But the fight drained out of her at once.
“Oh,” she laughed shakily. “It’s you. Do you live here or something?”
Mr Worth was sat at the exact same table she’d seen him at last time, tucked into the alcove beneath a stained glass window, although he looked much more rumpled, his hands again stained with ink and shadows smudged under his tired eyes. Those eyes brightened as he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, his wire-framed glasses about to slip off the end of his nose. “I might as well do, I’m here enough.”
Kati nodded, a moment of awkwardness stealing over them. She didn’t know what to say, so she turned back to the stacks.
“Do you need help finding a book?” he asked, rising with that annoyingly kind expression on his face, more than eager to help. Kati couldn’t imagine being so open with people, inviting rejection and inevitable sneers when they laughed at the offer.
She shrugged as he stopped within a respectful distance, suddenly defensive as his inquisitive gaze fell upon her. “No, I’m fine,” she said quickly, her heart starting to race. What would he think if she told him she’d heard a voice no one else had? That she was a loony case as well as a dark magician?
She saw him straighten from the corner of her eye, his expression sharpening with intensity. Frustrated and pissed off—but not entirely surprised by the conclusions he’d jumped to—Kati spat, “I’m not looking for a ritual murder guide, don’t worry.”
It was a surprise to hear herself so bitter and vicious, and with a sinking heart Kati realised she’d started to let her guard down this past week, mostly thanks to Naia and Rahmi. How could she have been so damn stupid? She built up her armour and walls now, making them taller and thicker than ever.
Pity softened Mr Worth’s eyes but Kati only glared harder, ignoring the tremble in her fingers. “Then what are you searching for?”
Kati clenched her jaw so hard a muscle fluttered. “It’s none of your business.”
He ran a hand through his hair, making a total mess of it. “I shouldn’t be telling you this,” he said quietly, meeting her eyes, “but all the teachers have been briefed about your situation. Madam Hawkness asked us to tell her if you were found doing something … suspect.”
Kati glared with all the force of her hatred but especially with her fear. She glanced away, an annoying sheen covering her eyes at the confirmation of what she’d already suspected. She was going to be kicked out. If she put one toe out of line, she’d be out on her ass quicker than she could blink. Chances were they’d only given her a position here because they thought she knew where Theo was. “You’re not telling me anything I hadn’t already worked out,” she ground out, scowling at the shelf in front of her through the veil of tears. “Thanks for the tip, though.”
“Kati,” Mr Worth said, so much sympathy in that single word. “I can’t help you if you aren’t honest with me.”
Not caring one bit that he was a teacher, that the power balance between them tipped heavily in his favour, Kati spun to face him fully, ire burning hotly in her blood. Tears scalding her eyes, she snarled, “I never asked for your help.”
If anything, he softened further. “But you need it, Katriona.”
Kati flinched hard.
Katriona was what the press called her whenever they hounded her for answers she didn’t have. For a split second she flashed back to a day last December, trying to get out of her front garden to Tesco because they’d run out of milk. She’d been swarmed by persistent reporters, nine of them pressing in around her, stealing all the breath from her lungs, erasing any personal space she’d ever had as they asked their cold questions—or worse, as they pushed her for a quote, for her side of the story, as she fought her way through the crush, shaking from head to toe.
Did you know Theo was experimenting with non-consent magic? Did you help him in any way? Do you feel betrayed by his actions? Are you afraid of him now you’ve seen what he’s capable of? Do you know where he’s hiding?
“Why do you even want to help me?” she asked Mr Worth, her anger slipping away like water in a leaky barrel as hollowness took over. She evaded eye contact, staring only at the shelves in front of them.
Why the souls was she still here? Sure, she’d wanted to come to SBA for years, and it was her dream, not to mention a certain route to a good job and a steady life, but … it was exhausting to be scrutinised every second of every day.
Was it even worth staying?
Mr Worth’s blue eyes swept around the stacks, and then back to her. “Not here.”
Curiosity and alarm both pinged inside Kati, and she peered up at him, realising only now that he was a good head taller than her. He was trying to draw her away, get her alone somewhere private, and it scared the hell out of her. But when she met his eyes again, it wasn’t just pity or kindness she saw in his eyes. It wasn’t calculated cunning, however well hidden—there was none of that, only the genuine sympathy she’d seen since day one. It was understanding she saw when she looked into his eyes.
“You don’t think I’m evil, do you?” she asked with sudden comprehension. “That’s why you’re being nice to me.”
His soft eyes flashed, fierce and immediate like molten metal struck with a hammer. “You shouldn’t be grateful for common courtesy, Kati. All I’ve shown you is basic, human decency. That you’re so surprised by it … angers me,” he admitted, inhaling slowly as if controlling himself.
Kati waited for that ping of alarm to hit again, but it didn’t.
“Alright,” Kati said, maybe recklessly. She didn’t care; he had something to tell her that couldn’t be said in public. She was always going to follow him, her curiosity overriding self-preservation. Besides, she could always hex him. Theo had taught her a basic hex last year and, given her aptitude for spells, it ought to be no problem.
Mr Worth frowned, his handsome face creased in confusion. Wait, when had she started thinking he was handsome? She’d considered him plain except for those stunning eyes, but some time in the past day or so she’d begun to appreciate the rest of his features. “Alright what?”
Kati shrugged. “You said not here. I said alright.”
“Oh. Yes.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking suddenly unsure, and Kati wondered if his ink-stained fingers would leave marks. “I don’t want this to seem inappropriate, this is merely…”
“Additional tutoring?” Kati supplied.
“Yes.” He nodded, collecting his jacket, bag, and books from the table. Kati peered at his neck, on her tiptoes, and sure enough there was a smear of black ink on the back of his neck. It was surprisingly endearing. “Indeed, that.”
Kati raised an eyebrow as she watched him, mostly at herself for thinking this newborn fawn of a man could have posed a threat to her. She knew looks could be deceiving but come on. He was adorable.
Besides, if all her assumptions turned out to be wrong, she’d just knee him in the balls.
“We’d be best going to my classroom,” he said, his blue eyes distant with thought. He lowere
d his voice, hooking his bulging bag over his shoulder; Kati eyed a pencil case that looked ready to jump overboard. What the hell did he have in there? It couldn’t just be books and stationery supplies. No one had that many pens. Did they? “That way, if anyone happens to see, it’ll look completely innocent.”
Kati laughed. “What wicked plans do you have for me, sir? You mean we aren’t going to be completely innocent?”
He shot her a reproving look, a bit of steel showing through his eyes. “I won’t disabuse my position by doing anything remotely similar to what you’re suggesting, Kati Wilson.”
“Alright.” Kati shrugged, accepting that. “I’ll probably flirt with you anyway though, if you don’t mind.” It lifted her mood, made her feel better about the shitty state of her life.
His mouth opened, closed, and then he scowled. “Yes, I do in fact mind.”
Delight rippled through Kati’s belly at the blush layered over his glower. She fluttered her eyelashes at him. Shaking his head in exasperation, he broke eye contact.
“I won’t lock the door,” he told her, still frowning as he unlocked the death magic theory classroom, the room eerie with nobody inside it, utterly silent except for the sound of people playing football on the field outside. He didn’t lock the door but he did shut it, giving them a privacy that had Kati’s curiosity sitting up in interest, ears pricked.
Mr Worth perched on his desk, his heavy bag slumped on the floor spilling notebooks and ink pots, so Kati pulled herself onto the worktable facing him, giving him an expectant look. He really was cute. Even though Kati wouldn’t have looked at him twice except for those Caribbean sea eyes, the more she looked at him, the more she found to admire: the tiny chip of a scar on his jaw, the slight stubble on his chin, the cheekbones giving his face a delicately sculpted shape, the greyish mark just under his jaw that was clearly a few-days-old ink stain in the process of fading. Honestly, why didn’t the man use biro—it washed off so much easier.
