by Laurie McKay
“Of course it is, prince. That’s what makes it fun.”
Well, Caden saw no reason to argue with that.
“And today, I win,” she said.
If he leaned forward and kissed her, even on the cheek, he wagered she’d lose. That’s what he would do. In just a moment. Then he’d win. No future Elite Paladin should lose to a spellcaster.
Brynne arched a delicate brow. “Are you ready?”
Caden blushed. Kissing her would have to wait. “It seems not,” he said. He took a deep breath. “But if you can fix my curse, do so now.”
“Close your eyes, prince.”
No doubt Caden would regret this, but he closed his eyes. For a moment, he stood in darkness. He heard the breeze blowing leaves from the trees. The cold bit at his cheeks and hands.
WHAP.
Brynne hit him, palm first, in the chest. He opened his eyes and looked at her. He felt magic tingle over his limbs. He fell to his knees, hitting the damp earth, no doubt dirtying his jeans. Whatever Brynne just did felt like a curse, not the breaking of one. “What did you do?”
She knelt beside him, face bright with anticipation. “How do you feel?”
Caden felt angry. “Like I did when you cursed me the first time.”
Her smile lit up the morning. “That’s good.”
“No, it’s not,” he said. His bad feeling about this intensified. “Tell me what you did.”
“As your compliance curse for the half-moon holds, so shall you be resistance bound. I linked one curse to the other.”
Caden definitely didn’t like the sound of that. “What does that mean?”
She sat back on her heels. “The curse can’t be broken unless you die, which is no solution, or unless we destroy the moon, and Tito’s adamant we not try that.” She picked at a bright-yellow leaf on the ground. “Sometimes enchantments counter each other. That’s why Jasan’s enchanted paper clips keep his blood dagger wound from being fatal. Why can’t curses counter each other, too?”
She wasn’t saying what he thought she was saying, was she? “Have you cursed me again?”
“With resistance.” She started speaking faster, more excitedly. “Don’t you see? The resistance curse will be coupled to the compliance curse; they’ll occur together. And if you’re cursed dually with resistance and compliance, they’ll cancel each other out.” She took a deep breath. “I think.”
“You think?” he said.
“I’m almost positive.” She leaned forward and took his hand. “You said Ms. Jackson could smell the magic. She’ll know. Rath Dunn’s tested you enough that he likely knows when, too. This is the only chance to fix it before the half-moon.”
Caden pulled away from her. He stood and brushed leaf litter from his jeans. Nothing about being doubly cursed seemed good.
“I think this is the only way,” Brynne said. “I really do.”
Caden took a calming breath. “If you say so.” He crossed his arms and tried to be less irritated and more accepting of his scheming sorceress of an ally. “Do you think it has worked?”
Brynne twisted her hands together. “We won’t know until the curses activate.”
Well. That didn’t seem ominous at all.
After they separated, Caden called Jasan. He was relieved when he answered. “You’re all right,” Caden said.
“I am,” Jasan said. “And we won’t let the next part of the spell happen.”
“We won’t.” Quickly, Caden told him about the contact with the Greater Realm. “Bring your Enchanted Whisk of Mixing,” he said. “We need to warn them as well.”
From the driveway came the sounds of wheels crunching on gravel and of a car engine. Caden ended the call and grabbed his bag. Officer Levine had arrived to take them to school. Rosa stood on the porch to see them away, but she kept shaking her head. “I don’t want to send you, but I have to.”
“It’s in the paperwork,” Caden said, and grabbed his school things. “We also have to go.”
Tito and Jane burst out the door, Tito pulling his hair back, Jane stuffing papers into her bag. Rosa gazed at them with her brows drawn and a frown. “I don’t want to send you somewhere dangerous. You know that.”
“We know,” Tito said. “But we’ve survived school every other day; odds are we’ll survive today, too.”
That didn’t seem to make Rosa feel any better. She took a deep breath. “I’ll find a way to keep you safe. Be careful today. Text me at lunch to let me know you’re all right.”
“We will,” Jane said.
Officer Levine seemed equally dismayed. He drove them to school in his patrol car—Brynne got the front seat. Apparently losing her hair gave her special rights to the best seat most befitting of royalty. Caden, Tito, and Jane sat in the back. No one kicked her seat like they did when Caden was in front.
“So,” Officer Levine said after they were on the road, “are you all really okay?”
Jane leaned her head back and put in her drops. Brynne tugged at her cap. Tito fidgeted. Caden raised a brow. “Not entirely,” he said.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Officer Levine said.
Jane glanced at Caden. She seem calm and collected, and she smiled at him kindly. “We try not to ask Caden that question,” she said.
It took Caden a moment to realize he’d been insulted. He bristled. “And why not?”
“Because the answer is always yes,” Brynne said, and grinned.
It seemed Caden needed to explain himself. “That’s because talking is often necessary.” He caught Officer Levine’s gaze in the mirror. “Jasan will die if we don’t stop this spell.”
When they got to the school, brown-suited grounds workers were planting crimson-colored bushes around the school’s stone walls. No doubt that was Rath Dunn’s doing. He did enjoy spectacle.
His head heavy with thoughts, his gaze on the red-rimmed school, Caden got out of the car. The grass was more brown than green now. There were no clouds overhead, but in the distance he saw a fleet approaching.
Tito, Brynne, and Jane got out of the car, too.
“Call me if you need me,” Officer Levine said. Slowly, he pulled away.
Brynne was quiet. She tugged her cap down. “Everyone will notice I don’t have hair.”
“Probably,” Caden said.
Jane squinted at him, then leaned closer as if to see him better. “That’s not helping, Caden,” she said.
“People will notice,” Caden said, then caught Brynne’s gaze. “But you’re a powerful sorceress of the Greater Realm. What do you care what the students of Asheville think? And Jane, Tito, and I will be with you.”
“We got your back,” Tito said.
What more could Caden say to ease Brynne’s worry? She liked vengeance. Jane, too, for that matter. He suspected that shared trait made them better friends. He straightened his posture. “If anyone says anything cruel to you, flip them over.”
“Flip them over?” Jane said.
“With her telekinesis magic.” He made a circular motion with his hand. “Knock them over. Like you did downtown with the teachers and the tables. Except don’t hurt anyone.”
“Oh,” Jane said. “I like that idea.”
Caden knew she would.
Brynne pursed her lips. “I would feel better knocking over people,” she said.
“And since you’d use magic, no one will be able to prove you’ve done anything wrong.”
Tito looked from Jane to Caden to Brynne. “Okay,” Tito said. “Haven’t you knocked assassins over with your telekinesis magic and killed them? And you set that mountain on fire by accident that time, right?”
“Indeed,” Brynne said, and sounded proud.
“Well, let’s not magic any bullies. If someone gives you trouble, just ignore it.”
“Oh,” Brynne said, “I won’t ignore it.”
Tito seemed exasperated. “Fine, but don’t do anything that could accidentally kill someone, okay?”
Brynne’s sil
ver eyes glinted. “Even Derek?” she asked.
That seemed to give Tito pause. Derek had teased him. Finally, Tito said, “I’ve forgiven him. I’m not wasting my time hating him. So no, not even him.”
In Caden’s first class, Manglor announced, “The tyrant Rath Dunn has called an assembly.” He led Caden, Tonya, and Ward to rows in the back left, close to an exit. Instead of sitting on the aisle like teachers typically did, Manglor sat between Ward and Tonya, one giant arm behind each and his knees bunched against the seatback in the row ahead. He gestured Caden to that seat. “Stay close.”
Caden pointed to a different seat, one that the knees of Manglor the Conqueror weren’t crammed against. “I’d prefer this one.”
Manglor narrowed his eyes, but Caden held his gaze. Caden stood in the aisle, unwilling to lose their battle of wills, when someone grabbed his arm. Sharp nails pinched, and his heart beat faster. He twisted back.
Mrs. Belle stood behind him. It seemed it wasn’t only Brynne who snuck up on Caden. It was everyone. With one hand, Mrs. Belle held on to his arm, with the other she directed her morning science students to the middle section. Her hair was held into a bun with a yellow Ashevillian pencil. Her red nails looked long and freshly polished.
“You warned me,” she said quietly. “So I’ll return the favor and help you. Those of us against Mr. Rathis must band together.”
“How?”
“I’ve decided to go with them, to let them lead me to their spell.”
That would help no one. “What? No. They’ll sacrifice you.”
“They’ve never seen me after dark. I am something to behold.” With a wink, she left to sit with her class.
Caden was wondering just what that meant when Jasan hurried down the aisle to him. He wore a brown leather jacket over a fitted blue sweatshirt. No doubt Jasan intended the jacket to hide his wrist, but Caden saw the pink tinge near the sleeve, and it made him queasy. His brother was always bleeding.
Jasan pushed Caden toward the cramped seat before Caden could fully explain that he didn’t want Manglor’s giant knees against his seatback. “What was that with Mrs. Belle?” Jasan said, and slid into the seat beside him.
The other teachers and classes filed down the aisles. Mr. Faunt led his morning math class toward the front rows. Brynne, Tito, and Jane normally had their morning honors English course with Mr. Bellows. Of course, Mr. Bellows had been blown away the night before. They entered behind stout Mrs. Grady instead. She appeared to be in charge of Mr. Bellows’s class as well as her own.
Brynne caught Caden’s gaze. Her hat fit snugly on her head. She smiled, but she looked a bit wobbly as she sat down.
Suddenly, the auditorium lights flashed on and off. The speakers pounded with drumbeats. Then all went dark, all went silent. When the lights turned back on an instant later, the curtains opened and Rath Dunn stood center stage. He’d trimmed his beard to a sharp point. He wore a three-piece red suit and shiny, brown-and-white shoes.
“He deserves to die for this spectacle alone,” Jasan grumbled.
Ms. Primrose sat in a chair stage left. She seemed shadowed in blue, and she neither moved nor blinked. Was that Caden’s imagination or did she seem less human than usual? Meaner and more shaded in blue? Was that because Rath Dunn stood in front of her and brought out her Blue essence, and was he unafraid of that because he held power over her?
She had said he’d let her rage. That was something Caden hoped never to see.
Mr. Creedly stood hunched over by the edge of the curtains. His beady eyes followed Rath Dunn as he strode across the stage. The shadows around Mr. Creedly’s long limbs seemed to lengthen toward Rath Dunn as if to engulf him, but then they drew back. The hatred on Mr. Creedly’s face, however, didn’t.
With the air of a dictator, Rath Dunn surveyed the audience. “Welcome.” He cocked his head and peered toward the right rows, the rows opposite Caden. “I’m sorry, Brynne,” he said suddenly with feigned sympathy. Something cruel flashed in his expression, and he pointed at her. “No hats in the building. No exceptions. You’ll need to take that off.”
Everyone in the auditorium turned to Brynne.
Caden started to stand, but Jasan reached across him and forced him back. This had to be addressed. Caden opened his mouth to—
“No,” Jasan said. “This isn’t the place or time.”
“But he’s harassing Brynne.”
“Brynne will be fine,” Jasan said. “Don’t be distracted by his antics.”
Everyone stared at Brynne. Caden felt helpless and stared, too. Her face was ablaze, and for a moment, she sat frozen and red. Then she stood. Caden feared she’d light the stage on fire. But she didn’t. She raised her chin, reached up, and yanked her cap off.
“That’s a good look,” Rath Dunn said with a chortle, and ran a hand over his shiny head. Brynne sat, though she wore a defiant expression. Students began to whisper. Murmurs bounced off the acoustic walls. Caden saw Jane say something to her, and Tito put his arm around Brynne’s shoulders.
Onstage, Rath Dunn seemed full of glee. “Now, down to business.” He reached out as if to pull the crowd to him. “As you know, Mr. McDonald was tragically lost”—Rath Dunn moved his right hand over his heart—“and sadly Mr. Bellows was lost in yesterday’s windstorm. Sucked into the sky no less. We’re here to discuss the tragedy and move forward—”
Suddenly, Rath Dunn’s feet flew out from under him. He was a red-spinning blur. His face careened toward the stage, and . . . he caught himself like an acrobat, like it was easy.
In one swift move, he jumped back to standing. His eyes glinted and scanned the audience. He paused for an instant and looked at Brynne. Then, with great flourish, Rath Dunn took a deep bow. Applause rang out from the audience.
Jasan let out a sigh. “Your sorceress shouldn’t taunt him like that.”
“I think she meant to kill him.”
“He’s not so easy to defeat,” Jasan said. He kept his voice low, his words quiet. “He’s good at strategy as well as combat. He isn’t weak to magic.”
So Caden had just seen. Brynne had thrown him, and he’d reacted with ease. Caden frowned at Jasan. “You plan to fight him.”
Jasan took off his jacket and set it in his lap, where it covered his wrist and hand. “I’m not so easy to defeat either.”
In the front, Rath Dunn held out his palms to quiet the cheers. “Settle down, settle down,” he said. “It’s time to come together as a group. Move past our differences. Those of us who can will benefit.” It seemed like he was addressing the teachers specifically. “Everyone needs a purpose.”
Caden studied his brother. His skin was paper white. “You look pale, Jasan.”
Manglor leaned forward. “I expect my allies fit for battle, and he is fit.”
“Fit and ready,” Jasan said, but Caden’s stomach twisted.
Onstage, Rath Dunn motioned to Ms. Primrose. “If you have troubles dealing with these losses, feel free to talk to our school’s counselor. As you know, Ms. Primrose is in the small office near the gym.” Now he was taunting her. “She always does her job.”
Maybe Ms. Primrose truly had no choice but to help him. Caden wasn’t sure, but Ms. Primrose’s already-cold expression iced over and she sat sword straight. Of one thing he was certain: no sane person would go to her to talk of their feelings. Fickle old Elderdragons were unsuited for counseling middle school students. For counseling anyone, really.
What would happen if her essence was lost? He knew what had happened to Jane when she’d lost her tears and Brynne when she’d lost her hair. His heart ached when he thought of what would happen to Jasan if they failed to stop the third part of the spell tonight. Still, Caden couldn’t help but wonder what would losing part of Ms. Primrose’s essence make her? Would Rath Dunn still have some degree of control over her? He didn’t seem afraid of her, so Caden feared he would.
“As soon as the school day ends,” Jasan whispered, “we need to establish conta
ct with the Greater Realm.”
“While you do that,” Manglor said, his voice low and deep, “I’ll see if I can capture Ms. Jackson. Stop the witch before the spell.”
“We have to stop the sacrifice tonight,” Caden said.
“If Manglor can’t catch Ms. Jackson before tonight,” Jasan said, “he and I will hide in the woods, catch them unawares, and stop them there. I with my sword and he with his ax.”
“And I’ll go with you and help,” Caden said. “As will Brynne and Sir Tito and Lady Jane—”
His words were interrupted by Rath Dunn bellowing from the stage. “Now get to class.” His gaze zoomed to Caden. “Jump up now. That’s an order.”
Was Rath Dunn testing his curse now? Neither his compliance curse nor his new resistance curse would be active until tomorrow. By then, the four-part spell would be stopped. All would be okay. It would have to be. Caden stayed in his seat.
Rath Dunn watched him for a second more. Then music blared again. The lights flipped on and off. All went silent. All went dark. When the lights turned back on again, the stage curtains were closed.
Jasan squeezed the arm rail tight enough that Caden swore he heard the seat groan. “You’ll stay away and stay safe. Manglor and I won’t need help. I won’t be a bird nor he a dog tonight.”
In the auditorium, Caden saw Mr. Faunt leading his class away. He saw Mrs. Grady and Mr. Wist. He saw many teachers who looked strong: the wraith and the banshee, Mr. Faunt and his razor-sharp nails, lanky Mr. Frye, Mr. Limon with his strange brow, the nurse. Likely, they were all loyal to Rath Dunn and Ms. Jackson. “You might need help anyway,” Caden said.
Jasan stood but then leaned down to Caden. “You worry too much.” He paused and added, “Little brother.” Jasan rarely referred to Caden as his brother, and he almost never directly addressed Caden as such. Did he truly think it would lessen Caden’s worry?
“I think I worry just enough,” Caden said, and stood up to leave the assembly. If Jasan and Manglor were to battle villains in the woods at midnight, Caden would find a way to fight beside them whether they wanted him there or not.
Rosa was waiting in her pickup when Caden, Brynne, Tito, and Jane were freed from the last class of the day. Jane’s eyes were so bloodshot they were completely red. The fake tears the doctor prescribed her only seemed to help so much. Brynne’s hair was gone. If they didn’t stop this next part of the spell, Jasan’s blood would be gone, too.
