Charm School (The Demon's Apprentice Book 4)

by Ben Reeder

  “Good boy,” I said as I pulled a piece of pemmican from the baggie at my side. He sat down, and I tossed it in the general direction of his mouth. His head moved so fast, I wasn’t sure if he actually caught it, or if he vacuumed it out of the air. Either way, it last all of a microsecond.

  “Hey,” I heard Kiya say from behind me. Hoshi hovered over one shoulder and nudged her forward. “Um, Hoshi says you might know about why I keep wanting to go down to the lake?”

  “Well, he knows more about it now than I do,” I said.

  “I know names,” Hoshi said. “Not much more, and even that’s a guess. Nearest I can find, you’re being called by the Abantubomlambo, the River Folk. The Nguni shaman claim them as their teachers.”

  “So, I’m…not trying to kill myself?” she asked. Her eyes flicked back and forth between us.

  I shrugged. “You still could be, but I don’t think you’re trying to drown yourself. I talked to a water elemental a few weeks back who told me to let her daughter know she was calling to her. I figure, with what Hoshi told me, you’re that daughter.”

  “It would explain why your evocations are so hard to do, and why your conjurations are so unpredictable,” Hoshi offered.

  “It would explain a lot of things,” Kiya said, her voice almost inaudible. “So, how do I do this?”

  “Go to the lake,” I said. “And listen.” I hoped it was that easy, but by now, I still wasn’t sure of anything. “Take Hoshi with you. I think the rest will come to you.”

  “You’re not coming?” Hoshi said.

  I shook my head. “No, I have another promise to keep.”

  Kiya took Hoshi’s hand and pulled him away. “Please, let’s go do this. I need to know.” He let her tug him toward the lake, only sparing one look at me before he turned and went with her.

  Once they were out of sight, I stood and dusted off my jeans. Junkyard looked up at me and made a sound in his throat. “Yes, it’s that time again,” I said. He trotted over and picked up a purple Frisbee, then brought it back and dropped it at my feet. When I tilted my head, he put a big paw on top of it and dragged it toward himself.

  “You want to keep it?” I asked. He barked and wagged his tail. “Sure,” I shrugged. “Why not?” He followed me into the dorm and to my room, where I found Ren waiting with a package and a handful of fresh flowers in his arms. Mom’s neat, swirly handwriting was on the outside of the rectangular cardboard box. I cut it open to find a cone of paper that held flowers from Mom’s garden and a sachet with fresh herbs. Dee had enclosed a letter of her own, her wobbly cursive handwriting a rebellion of its own, since her school refused to teach it. There was a bag of homemade cinnamon fireballs, and a plastic bag with dried apple and pear slices. I set those aside, pleasures for later, after I saw to what was important. I took the flowers and the herb sachet and headed for the door with Ren and Junkyard on my heels. Like every time I made this trip, I didn’t hurry across the quad. The cool air, the setting sun, even the fall decorations in peoples’ windows were things to be noticed, savored. Appreciated and held onto as I stopped at the door to Barton Hall, the school’s infirmary. It took me a moment to make myself go inside. That part never got any easier.

  The nurse on duty nodded to me as I passed, and the Sentinels at the door to the long term care ward gave me a cursory look through their goggles before letting me pass. Then I was among the fallen, and in front of the person I’d failed. Every bed was swamped with huge bouquets of flowers and balloons and cards. Desiree’s was no exception, though there were more flowers, more cards and fewer Mylar balloons. There were also candles, pictures and small stuffed animals. Extravagance gave way to sentiment at her bedside.

  She’d lost weight, and it made her face look gaunt, robbed her of even the semblance of peace as she lay there in front of me. They had covered her up to her shoulders with the sheet to keep people from touching her by accident. For a while, all I could do was sit there. Ren landed at the foot of her bed, and Junkyard sat beside me.

  “Hey,” I finally said. “I think I finally caught a break. I can’t go into it here, but I think I found one of the people behind this. And, I think we figured out what’s going on with Kiya.” I scrubbed my hand across my face as I struggled to keep my voice from cracking. It was always harder at first, but it never got easy. “We think she’s got a spirit trying to reach her, something from her family’s ancestry. Turns out, she might be more shaman than mage.” The rest was mundane, stuff I knew we had all missed being able to talk about at meals and between classes. But it was important that I say it. Finally, I ran out of little things, and I only had the really big stuff left, the things that seemed to be too big to make fit into words. The things I wanted to say, but hadn’t been able to.

  As I sat and tried to figure out what was going through my head, a nurse came up. “Do you mind if I take her vitals real quick?” the little blonde woman asked from beside me. I shook my head, actually glad of the distraction for a few moments. The nurse pulled her arm out from under the sheet and took her pulse, then checked the machine beside the bed and the IV bags. Finally, she turned to me and smiled.

  “You’re here more than any of her friends, even her roommate,” she said. “And her vitals always get stronger after you’ve been here. You must care about each other a lot.”

  “She’s a good friend,” I said. “And I don’t have a lot of those. But…she doesn’t seem to have an off switch when it came to caring about people. She just does, as hard as she can.”

  The nurse nodded, and patted Desiree’s hand. “I hope you don’t mind a little unsolicited advice. Touch has healing properties of its own. And every time you’re here, it seems like you leave with a lot unsaid. Don’t worry about the words. She’s your friend. She’ll know what you mean.”

  I looked up at the nurse, at her pale blue eyes, and wondered why she was telling me this. Did she know something I didn’t? She smiled, and it lit up her eyes. Then she looked down at her watch, her page boy cut sliding forward to obscure part of her face. “Well, that’s almost the end of my shift. Put her hand back under the sheet before you go?” With that, she slipped past me and out to the hall. I turned back to Desiree.

  Why the hell not? I thought. I reached out and took her hand in mine. Immediately, the harsh edge of grief seemed to dull, and the ache of sadness seemed to lift just a little. All that was left was the warm glow of affection for her. My free hand came up to my face as I finally realized what it meant to me to call someone a friend, how much I cared for that small group of people. I took a long, shuddering breath, overwhelmed by what I was feeling. It was the same fierce devotion as I gave to my Mom and Deirdre. To me, my friends were as close as family, one and the same as far as my heart was concerned. And that list was small. Dr. C, Lucas, Wanda, Junkyard (yes, even my dog), and now, Desiree held that place in my heart. There were other people I cared about, sure. But these few, they were family to me.

  “Des,” I said, my voice cracking, “I need you to get better. I need you to beat this. Hell, I just need you. You’re my friend, and I don’t want to lose you. I’m not going to lose you. I will move mountains and shake the gates of Hell if I have to. So you hang on. Please. Be there when all this is done. You help me be a better person, and all seven Heavens know I need that.” By the time I was done, my voice was stronger, and steady. I tucked her hand under the blanket and got to my feet. Ren flew over to the table and laid his flowers down, and I set mine next to his. Junkyard reared up and put his paws on the side of the bed, then gently laid the Frisbee down across her legs. Tears welled up in my eyes at the gesture. Hells, even my dog loved her. I kissed her forehead before I left, feeling oddly lighter.

  I was halfway across the commons when my cheap cell phone pinged to alert me that I had a text. I pulled it out of my pocket and slid it open.

  >>Call home, little hero. I want you to hear this. ##

  I didn’t hesitate. I cleared the text screen and hit speed dial for Mom’s num
ber. The first thing I heard when she picked up the call was Dee screaming in the background.

  “Chance, what’s going on? Dee just started screaming and thrashing!” Mom said.

  “Mom, get her to Dr. C’s place now! You need to get her into the big circle upstairs!” Even as I closed the connection on my phone, I had the one Shade gave me out and I was dialing as I ran across the quad.

  “Hey baby…what is it?” Shade’s tone went from sultry to business in nothing flat.

  “I need you to get to Dr. C’s place pronto,” I said. “Someone is attacking Dee, and I think I know how to stop it.”

  “Got it. Who else do you need on this?”

  “Lucas and Wanda.”

  “I’ll make sure Wanda’s there. Tyler, saddle up, I need you to go to-” She cut the connection midsentence, and I smiled. That was my girl, all business when it counted. Next on my call list was Lucas.

  “Hey, dude, what’s up?”

  “Get to Dr. C’s place on the double. Someone’s trying to hurt Dee. I’m going to need you to show him a symbol to protect her.”

  “Shit! Okay, I’m on my way.” I heard the screeching of tires as Lucas hung up. Last but not least was Dr. Corwin. He answered on the fourth ring.

  “Chance, this is a little premature-”

  “Dee’s being attacked, sir,” I said, finally letting some of the desperation I was feeling come through in my voice. “Everyone is heading to your place, I need you to get her into the circle and do the defensive spell.”

  “Chance, I can’t.”

  “What do you mean you can’t? This is my sister we’re talking about.”

  “I’m not at home right now.”

  “It’s gonna take everyone a few minutes to get there anyway-”

  “Chance, I’m in San Francisco.”

  “What the hell are you doing in San Francisco? Shit! This can’t be happening! Lucas, Wanda, and Shade are still warded to get in right?”

  “And your mother and Deirdre,” he added. “I can have-” he was saying when I cut the connection. The stairs went past two and three at a time, then I was on my floor and ignoring Stanwicke telling me not to run in the halls. My sneakers slipped as I tried to stop, and I ended up sliding past my door by a few inches before I could stop and push my way in.

  It took me precious seconds to grab a pen and a few sheets of paper from my mobile bookcase. I leaped across the room and frantically started drawing out the defensive ward. When I was halfway through, I hit the call button on my laptop, and Lucas answered right away.

  “Almost to Dr. C’s place,” he said as soon as he answered.

  “Okay, good,” I said, trying to breathe a little slower. “Once you get there, use the key above the kitchen door to get in and head to the attic.”

  “Okay, I’m pulling to his place now. Wait, I don’t see his Range Rover.”

  “Yeah, slight change of plans there. Tonight the part of wizard is going to be played by you.”

  The sound of a door closing came over the speakers, then I heard footsteps. “Dude, I’m not a mage.”

  “You’ve got some talent,” I said as I heard the door unlock. “So you’re gonna have to be mage enough.”

  “Okay…mage enough…not a lot of options, huh?”

  “Only one.” I heard his feet on the stairs, and his breathing got heavier and faster.

  “I think they’re here,” he panted. “I hear…Shade’s bike…and your sister. God, she sounds like she’s being skinned alive!” I could hear Dee’s screams in the background.

  “Okay, you haven’t practiced casting a circle, so we’re going to have to do this the hard way. Are you in the attic?”

  “Yeah. Um, what’s the hard way?”

  “We’ll get to that. See the big workbench on your right? There’ll be a bunch of little paintbrushes and some pots of ink. Grab one of the smaller brushes and a bottle of ink. Wait, get a second brush, you’re gonna need it. There’s also a box of lancets somewhere. Grab those.”

  “Chance, we’re here, I have Dee,” I heard Shade say in the background. I wiped the excess moisture from my eyes and willed myself to keep my voice calm. I laid the completed ward down in front of me and turned my camera on, then tried to hold my shaking hands still enough to get a clear picture of it.

  “Okay, baby,” I said, certain she could hear me, even over Dee’s frantic cries. “Take her to the center of the circle and sit down with her. Is Wanda there yet?” I hit the button, and the flash went off, but when I looked at the image, it was blurry and overexposed.

  “Almost,” I heard her say. “Tyler’s about a block away.” My fingers shook as I turned the flash off and tried again.

  “Okay, got the ink and a few brushes,” Lucas said. The new image was still blurred.

  “Okay, hang on one,” I said as I took a deep breath and centered all my excess energy into my core. My hands stilled and my heart rate slowed a little. I held the phone over the page and tried to snap another picture. This time, the image came out clear. I immediately sent it as a text. “I’m sending you an image, Lucas. I need you to draw it between Dee’s shoulder blades exactly as it is in the image.”

  “I’m not an artist,” Lucas protested. “Wanda’s the one who can draw.”

  “You don’t have to be,” I said. “It’s just a couple of circles and some funky symbols. You’ve got this.”

  “What do you need me to do?” Mom’s voice came over the speaker.

  “I need you to help Shade hold Dee still, Mom,” I said, my voice shaking. “I need you to help her get a handle on the pain and fight.” I scrubbed at my eyes and fought to keep my shit together. What I wanted was something to hit. A target. I typed away on my phone’s surface, frantically entering in instructions for Lucas.

  “Wanda’s here,” Shade said, her voice calm and strong. “Where do you want her?”

  “In the circle. Listen up guys, I’m sending a text. Once you cast the circle, we’re going to lose signal, so I need you to be ready. Lucas, you ready to draw?”

  “Yeah,” he said, his own voice quavering. “I just need to get her shirt out of the way.” There was a tearing sound and Mom’s voice came over the line.

  “There,” she said. “Now, Deirdre, hold still, very still.”

  “Momma, it hurts!” Dee sobbed, and I had to wipe away fresh tears of rage and frustration.

  “Dee,” I said. “Listen to Mom. I’m going to try to stop this, but Mom needs your help,” I said over the phone. “You can do this, sis. You have to. Please, just listen to Mom and do exactly what she tells you. Hold still so Lucas can help me protect you.”

  “Take my hand, sweetie,” Mom said. “Hold on tight, but don’t move.”

  “Do it, Lucas,” Shade said. Nearby, I heard Wanda’s voice begin to chant, and Dee whimpered.

  “First circle, done,” Lucas said, his voice steady now. “Outer circle. First symbol…second…third…fourth and fifth…last symbol between the circles. Okay, moving to the two below the circle.”

  “No, Lucas,” I said quickly. “Get the second brush. Shade…give him your vial, babe.”

  “What’s that?” Mom asked.

  “It’s Chance’s blood,” Shade said.

  “What? When did you…never mind,” Mom said. “Lucas, do what you need to.”

  “Do the first symbol in my blood, Lucas. Wanda, there should be some lancets next to Lucas or somewhere in the circle. Mom, I need some of your blood, too. Just a few drops.”

  “Got it,” Wanda said. “This shouldn’t hurt at all.”

  “First symbol done. Do I clean the brush or something?”

  “No, it’s fine. Do the second symbol quick. Then…you’re going to have to use the lancet to put three drops of your blood on the outer ring of the circle.”

  “That’s…the hard way, isn’t it? Okay, second symbol done. Okay, Wanda, do it.”

  “Tyler,” I heard Shade say. “Catch.” The next thing I heard as the sound of plastic h
itting flesh.

  Then Dee screamed.

  Up to that moment, I thought her sobs were the worst sound I would ever hear in my life. But the scream that she uttered now was pure agony, unbridled and unrestrained, a pure note of torment that sounded like it was being ripped from inside her until her lungs were empty. It wasn’t the high pitched squeal of a skinned knee, but the full throated wail that defied comfort. I knew that sound. I’d made it plenty of times myself. Even over the phone, I could hear the ragged, gasping breath she took, and cringed when she let out another scream that slowly dwindled.

  “What is that?” Lucas asked.

  “Deirdre!” Mom cried.

  “No, let her go,” Shade said, her own voice suddenly uncertain. “That’s the attack. Chance, the energy strand is inside the circle, but it’s…it’s like it isn’t hurting her any more. She’s standing up, and there’s a kind of barrier around her. Dee, what are you-”

  The next sound that reached my ears was an animalistic howl of pure hate.

  “Oh my God!” Shade said. “She grabbed it, just like you did! She’s pulling on it and-” The connection went, but a heartbeat later, the world went white outside my window, thunder cracked and boomed across campus, and my windows rattled. My mystic senses buzzed as energy flooded the air.

  “Way to go little sis!” I whispered as I felt the feedback wash over me. Nothing in the world could have prepared Dee’s attackers for the pure wrath of a ten-year-old. I really didn’t want to be one of her foes just then.

  I dialed Lucas again, and Tyler picked up.

  “Is she okay?” I demanded. In the background, I heard incoherent noises, and my heart jumped into my throat. “Is anyone hurt?”

  “Yeah, they’re all fine. Here, Dee wants to talk to you,” Tyler said.

  “Chance? Are you okay?” Dee asked, sounding like a ten-year-old again. A tired ten year old, but a ten year old all the same.