by Linsey Hall
When the pages lay flat, I saw an illustration of a large bird.
“It looks just like the witches when they transform,” I murmured, directing my words toward Florian.
Above the illustration, the word Stryx was written in a curvy script. I read quickly, my gaze racing across the page as I tried to absorb the information. I didn’t know how long the wraith would give me, but his impatience was obvious as he tapped his ghostly foot.
There was very little written about them, but what I saw made my blood chill. “They’re ancient Greek witches who can turn into birds. The last time anyone saw one was thousands of years ago.”
“Greek?” Florian asked. “Like you?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. I wasn’t Greek by birth, though I likely had some ancestors who had been. But I was the Greek DragonGod, a supernatural gifted with the powers of the Greek gods.
“We really are connected,” I said. “No way they rise to power at the same time I do and there’s not a connection.”
I’d already known there was a connection, but it was somehow even scarier to see it written. To have it confirmed.
“That’s enough.” The wraith jerked the book back.
I bit my tongue. I’d read everything there was, so no need to snap at him and lose access to that second book. That was what I really wanted to see anyway.
The wraith passed over the heavy leather book. It was a grimoire—an ancient spell book filled with dark and dangerous magic. I didn’t even need to touch it. The thing just hovered in the air in front of my chest. Golden scrollwork on the leather cover gleamed in the low light.
“Think of what you want and touch the cover,” the wraith said.
As I carefully pressed my fingertips to the edge of the leather cover, I imagined a spell that would recreate what the Truth Teller had shown the Stryx. Like a revealing spell that turned back time, or something.
The cover flew open, snapping against my fingertips, and the pages began to flip so fast that they were a blur. They settled open on a page with a long list of ingredients.
Shit.
No way I could memorize all that. And if the wraith was as big a jerk as I thought he was—there was a one hundred percent chance of that—he wouldn’t give me long with it. I glanced up, catching sight of his fangy smile.
Yep, this jerk was going to yank this book back soon.
Quickly, I shoved my hand in my pocket and yanked out my cell phone. It was new, and I didn’t carry it often, but I’d had it on me today, thank fates. I clicked the main button on the phone twice to pull up the camera function, then raised it and snapped a quick picture.
“What are you doing?” the wraith hissed.
I snapped another picture for good measure, right before he yanked back the book. Dark magic swelled on the air, piercing my skin like wasp stings. I flinched hard.
Next to me, Florian shouted in pain.
The wraith opened his mouth wide, his fangs appearing sharp. A shriek burst from him, tearing through my head and making it ring. He raised his hands, claws pointed toward me.
Yep, I’d overstayed my welcome.
I spun on my heel and ran, sprinting through the dark library with Florian at my side. The wraith’s shrieks echoed around us, shooting pain through my head. Something warm and wet trickled down my neck.
I touched it and raised my fingers up to look.
Blood. From my ears.
I shoved the cell phone back in my pocket and covered my ears as we sprinted. The black mist that surrounded us grew thicker and colder, rising up to my thighs. Suddenly, it was harder to run, as if I were trying to beat my way through a snowbank.
I slowed, my muscles burning.
“Keep going!” Florian shouted from up ahead. As a ghost, he didn’t have nearly the trouble I did.
I turned to look back, catching sight of the wraith raising his hands. Behind me, bookshelves creaked, then tumbled over, collapsing inward. Heavy volumes fell from the shelves, plunging toward the ground.
Oh shit!
They were going to be damaged.
Crap, I didn’t want that.
When the books neared the ground, they stopped abruptly, floating in midair. Then they moved, hurtling toward me.
Oh, double shit!
I turned and ran, trying to outrun the heavy volumes that charged toward me. There were hundreds of them, and if they reached me, they’d crush me.
The fog dragged at my legs, making every muscle burn, but I pushed harder. My breath heaved as I raced past the bookshelves.
A heavy book hit me in the back, and I nearly stumbled forward. Another hit me on the arm, then one on the thigh. Pain flared each time, the beginning of a deep bruise.
We were coming up to a long row of tables stretching toward the wide, sweeping staircase that led to the exit. I neared the first table and leapt, then scrambled up onto the heavy wooden surface. It was above the low-lying fog that pulled at my legs. Up here, I could run faster.
I sprinted ahead as the books raced after me, sparing a brief glance behind me and spotting hundreds of volumes chasing me.
My heart thundered hard. They formed a solid wall, and they were nearly to me.
I turned back and sprinted as fast as I could.
“Hurry!” Florian shouted. He waved me on from up ahead, his eyes bright and his wig askew.
I leapt from table to table, the cold mist grabbing for my feet.
“Nearly there!” Florian turned and sprinted up the stairs to the main part of the ghost library.
Lungs heaving and muscles burning, I joined him, leaping onto the wide staircase and following him up. I took the stairs three at a time, moving faster than I ever had in my life. We reached the next level and I turned.
The books had stopped at the bottom, hovering menacingly in the air.
Panting, Florian propped his hands on his knees. “They can’t come here. The rest of the ghost library is out of the wraith’s control.”
“Thank fates.” I leaned against the bannister and surveyed the rest of the library. It was a massive, ten-story affair with a huge open atrium in the middle that led all the way up to the domed skylight. Each level of the library was a circle surrounding the atrium.
“Let’s go,” Florian said. “I don’t want to test that theory.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” I followed him up the stairs, ascending five flights to the middle of the ghost library where it joined with the main library.
We slipped through a narrow door in the shelves, emerging into the warmth and color of the main library.
Immediately, the prickly chill that had enveloped me disappeared. Unlike the ghost library, which was round, this room was a tall, massive rectangle. The books were well cared for and gleamed with colorful leather spines. Four massive fireplaces crackled merrily, sharing their warmth with fat, cozy armchairs.
The Pugs of Destruction, three ghostly inhabitants of the castle, snoozed away in front of one of the fires.
I collapsed into one of the chairs next to Florian, my muscles shaking from the adrenaline high.
“Did you get what you came for?” Florian asked.
With a trembling hand, I withdrew the phone from my pocket. “I hope so.”
I clicked the buttons, pulling up the photo and squinting at it. The image was a bit fuzzy, but I could read it all. “Oh, thank fates.”
“You have it.” There was a smile in Florian’s voice. “Quick thinking with your little gadget there. That page was too long to memorize.”
“No kidding.” I inspected the list of ingredients in the spell. I recognized almost all of them, but there was one that was unfamiliar. “What’s a Veil of Power?”
Florian frowned. “It wants a Veil of Power? Those are quite rare.”
“Do we have one here?”
“We do, I believe. But for you to obtain access to it, as a student…” He shook his head. “That is unlikely.”
“I’ll just have to convince Jude that I nee
d it.”
A doubtful frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Do you think you can?”
“I’m going to have to.”
2
“So, I was hoping that I could have access to the Veil of Power. I need it for a spell that will tell me what the Stryx are up to.” I gave Jude a hopeful look. It was just one ingredient in the spell, but it was vital.
Her starry blue eyes narrowed as she thought, her smooth dark brow creasing. The braids that hung down her back glinted in the light of the sconces. I’d cornered her right before class and spelled out what had happened down at the bottom of the ghost library.
“You went to see the wraith at the bottom of the library by yourself?” Her scowl deepened.
I nodded tentatively. True, it was against the rules and I’d known it when I’d done it, but I’d had to. “I had Florian.”
“You know he doesn’t count.”
“You’re right. I knew it was a risk, but I had to take it. I’ve looked everywhere else in the library for answers and found none. And you know how dangerous the Stryx are.”
They’d killed people. Lots of people. And now they were up to something even darker. I was sure of it.
Jude gave a long-suffering sigh. “I know they’re dangerous. Just like I know the wraith is dangerous.”
“This is bigger than all of us, Jude.”
“I know it is. And you’ve proven yourself capable ever since you started at the Protectorate. More than capable.”
“So I can use the Veil of Power?”
Jude squinted down at my cell phone, which she held in her hand. Her gaze traveled over the words on the screen. “I think you’re going to have to be the one to use the Veil of Power. This spell requires so much raw magic that you and your sisters are some of the few with the strength.” Her gaze flicked up to mine. “Do you think you’re ready for this?”
“Yes.” I nodded firmly. I needed to be ready for this. The Stryx were forging ahead with their plans. They wouldn’t wait for me and my wonky magic to catch up.
“Fine. You can use the Veil of Power. As long as you do so with Hedy’s supervision.”
“Of course.” I grinned. It was better that way, actually. Hedy was our resident Research & Development witch, and easily the most accomplished spell worker at the Undercover Protectorate. We needed for this spell to go right, and her help would be invaluable.
“You’ll conduct the spell as part of class,” Jude said. “It can be part of one of the lessons.”
I swallowed hard. In class?
That meant in front of an audience. An audience of people I didn’t really like. And who definitely didn’t like me.
But what choice did I have? I nodded. “Okay. How about in this class, since we’re down here in the spell room anyway?”
At least that way, I could get it over with quickly. And I wanted my answers ASAP.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
The stone-walled room on the castle’s bottom floor was where all the spellwork classes were conducted, largely because the walls were thick and heavy enough to keep any wayward magic from hurting the rest of the castle. We didn’t have these classes often, and I didn’t want to wait to figure out what the Stryx had learned from the Truth Teller. Since a class was starting in twenty minutes, there was no need to wait.
“I’ll bring the Veil of Power to class.” Jude gave me a serious look. “Be sure you’re ready to try this, because it won’t be an easy spell. It will take a lot of your magic to accomplish.”
The first tendrils of nerves crept over my spine. A lot of my magic.
I did have a lot of magic.
What I didn’t have was a lot of control over it. I’d been getting new powers from the Greek gods, and to say that there was a learning curve was an understatement. I had lightning power from Zeus and water magic from Poseidon, but it was my strange death magic that scared the crap out of me. I had to assume it was a gift from Hades, and it gave me the ability to suck the life from plants and use it as my own.
But it was just so…dark.
I was resisting practicing it, and I knew it was dumb, but I couldn’t help myself. With the Rebel Gods’ dark magic stuffed down deep inside me, I didn’t want to do anything to wake it.
“I can do it, Jude,” I said. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
I saw no skepticism in her face, which warmed me slightly.
While Jude went to speak to Hedy about the Veil of Power, I hurried back to my apartment to grab the Truth Teller. I’d won it in the Intermagic Games obstacle course a few days ago. Unfortunately, the Stryx had immediately stolen it from me and used it. There’d been a hell of a fight to get it back. They’d managed to get information from it first, though, and that was what I needed to figure out with the Veil of Power.
As for the Truth Teller, I’d had a few days with it myself to ask it questions and try to figure out what the Stryx were up to. Soon, I’d give it to the Protectorate so they could use it in their work to help people.
By the time I made it back down to the classroom, the other students were in place. They sat at long, heavy wooden tables, all of them clustered together. Lavender glared at me, and I returned the favor, shooting my archnemesis a scowl.
In fairness, I didn’t dislike her that much. I had real problems and real enemies, and Lavender didn’t figure into that. She might make my life in class hell, but we were still on the same team. I could appreciate that, at least. But it was kind of fun to pretend I had an archnemesis.
I sat at a long table near the other students, my gaze glued to the big table at the front of the room. That was where demonstrations were done. No doubt I’d go up there to cast my own spell.
The room was large, the walls made of huge heavy stones. The vaulted ceiling was also made of stone, and I had one quick, horrible vision of my magic going awry and ricocheting wildly around the room.
I shook away the thought.
Nope. I had this under control. I could do this.
Jude swept into the room a moment later, a small wooden box in her hand. My heart leapt as my gaze zeroed in on it. That was it. It had to be.
Hedy followed her into the room, her lavender hair flowing behind her and her colorful skirts swishing around her legs. She took a seat near the front while Jude headed up to the main table and set the box down. She didn’t mention it, just started up with class as if everything were normal.
We were discussing proper technique when performing unfamiliar spells. Jude explained that our assignment was to replicate a spell from a spell book. Lavender and Angus went first, and I barely registered what they were doing.
Frankly, it was all a blur. By the time it was my turn, tension vibrated through my muscles.
Jude’s gaze found mine. “Rowan, it’s your turn.”
I stood, reaching into my pocket for my cell phone. Excitement and nerves thrummed through me as I headed to the front of the class. I focused most of my time at the Academy on combat and tracking, so this was unusual. I hadn’t always been great at spellwork, but with so much on the line, I was determined to change my record.
Hedy joined me at the table, and I heard Lavender snicker. “She needs a supervisor.”
Jude didn’t seem to hear her, and I was grateful. I didn’t need my future boss knowing that I was having a spat with my colleague. And the last thing I wanted was anyone defending me.
I fought my own battles, thanks.
I looked at the class, feeling the weight of their gazes. “I’m going to be conducting a spell that reveals what the Truth Teller showed to a person who used it last.”
The crowd stared at me, slightly dumbfounded. They weren’t quite up to date on all that had been happening with the Stryx, and I wasn’t about to enlighten them. I just had to get my answers.
I pulled the Truth Teller from my pocket and set the small stone on the table. It gleamed golden in the light, a tiny object that held so many answers. Unfortunately, it wasn�
��t always easy to get those answers out.
Next, I pulled up the spell on my phone and set it on the table. Hedy leaned over my shoulder and peered at it.
“Won’t be easy,” she murmured. “Though there’s a lot of ingredients here, it relies mostly on raw power. Without it, the spell won’t work.”
That wasn’t great. I was a wizard with potions ingredients. Not so much with my raw magic, unfortunately.
This time, though, I’d get it right.
I had to.
The box containing the Veil of Power buzzed with magic. I could almost see the wood vibrating. I picked it up and opened it, then removed a lacy little cloth that looked like it’d been spun by spiders. Magic prickled against my fingertips, feeling like popping champagne bubbles.
Carefully, I laid the veil over the Truth Teller. At her seat, Lavender leaned over and whispered to Angus. I ignored her, focusing on the tiny text on my phone. There were a few ingredients I had to mix before I could start the incantation.
Working quickly, I picked up the proper vials and poured tiny droplets into an onyx bowl. The liquid smoked as it hit the stone.
“This is taking forever,” Lavender whispered.
I scowled. If Jude reprimanded her, I didn’t hear it. I was too focused on the task at hand. Each measurement of the various ingredients had to be perfect. If I so much as trembled, this would fail.
Finally, the potion was mixed. It smoked lightly, smelling of lilacs and burning tires—a weird combo.
I glanced at Hedy, the question clear in my eyes. Did I get this right?
“You’re doing well,” Hedy murmured.
That was because we hadn’t reached the hard part yet.
I drew in a deep breath and held the potion over the veil. Carefully, I poured the liquid onto the lace, which flared a bright gold. Magic burst from it, a wave of power that blew my hair back from my face.
As quickly as I could, I put down the onyx bowl and touched the little stone with both hands. I fed my magic into the rock, acting as a battery for the spell. It flowed from me, through the veil, and into the stone. It all combined to form something greater, something more powerful than the sum of the ingredients.
