Cackles and Cauldrons

by Sarina Dorie

  Thatch stood behind my chair, kneading his fingers into my shoulder muscles. Perhaps it was the idea that another teacher might peek in—or a Fae—but he didn’t kiss me or make this one of our more intimate lessons.

  My energy pulsed in my core and spread into my limbs. My muscles were languid and relaxed. I felt powerful and full of energy. My breath quickened as pleasure filled me.

  The door burst open. Gertrude Periwinkle stood in the door, her blonde hair escaping from her bun and curling seductively around her beautiful face. She wasn’t wearing her new macabre witch hat covered in skulls and dead roses.

  “Come quick!” she shouted. “We need your help.”

  Thatch rushed past me and toward her. I followed at his heels.

  “Have they caught her?” I asked.

  “Not exactly.” She caught my arm, her eyes worried. “It’s Vega they need help with.”

  Thatch spun to face me. “You stay put.”

  “No,” I said. “They need our help.”

  “Not your help.” His formidable expression left no room for argument. “Remain here where it’s safe.”

  “Actually,” Gertrude said. “Vega is asking for Clarissa.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Exorcising Vega’s Demons

  Thatch led the way to the infirmary. Gertrude Periwinkle and I ran to keep up with his long stride. We rushed past Nurse Hilda’s intake counter and into a room of curtained partitions beyond. It was Josie and Pro Ro I saw first, lying on beds that looked too small and old not to collapse underneath them. Josie’s eyes were closed and her head bandaged.

  A strangled cry escaped my lips. Something had happened to her too? Tears filled my eyes.

  Josie’s eyes fluttered open. “Clarissa?”

  I stepped toward her, but Gertrude Periwinkle’s grip was a vise on my arm. “She’s fine. She’s suffering from a bump on her head. Vega’s the one who needs you. She’s been cursed. It happened when she tried to warn them.”

  Josie reached toward me. “I thought I’d died. I saw a bright light and angels—or at least one angel.” Josie’s brow furrowed. “And singing or maybe it was screaming, but it sounded so pretty—”

  Gertrude Periwinkle yanked me away from Josie. My friend wasn’t making a lot of sense. Maybe it was the bump. Either that or some magical ailment, which I hoped wasn’t the case.

  Thatch stood outside a curtained space, looking in. His expression was grim. A wet cough came from inside.

  He turned to Gertrude and me. “Miss Lawrence doesn’t need to see this.”

  “Clarissa,” a raspy voice burbled. “I need Clarissa.”

  Chills shuddered down my spine. I didn’t want to see what lay behind that curtain, but I had a feeling I already knew. Gertrude and Thatch were arguing, but their voices were distant and muffled under the thundering of my ears. My feet took me forward without thinking. I glided like I was in a dream. My body felt numb. I rounded the corner, finding Vega.

  Blood bubbled from her mouth. She twitched and spasmed. Pinky stood on the far side of the bed, a furry arm draped across her shoulders to keep her lying down. Blood soaked into the sable of his fur, matting it in wet clumps. Nurse Hilda muttered a spell over her, a book open on her arms.

  Vega’s eyes were wide, terrified. Blood trickled from the corners of her eyes. Pinky stroked her black hair out of her face, the gesture so sweet and gentle one would never have suspected she insulted him on a regular basis.

  All I could do was stare at her in horror.

  “Fix her,” Gertrude shook my arm. “Fix her.”

  “Me? How?” I tore my gaze away from the crimson splatters and stared into Gertrude Periwinkle’s blue eyes. Only now did I notice the crimson dots marring her corn-silk hair. Red smeared her cheek.

  Gertrude leaned closer. “We all heard about you reviving her before and bringing her back from the dead. Do it again.”

  “She’s not dead.”

  Gertrude shoved me forward. “It shouldn’t be that difficult, then, should it?”

  Thatch spoke quietly. “Miss Lawrence doesn’t know how to fix this. What she did before wasn’t necromancy. It was Morty medicine. In this instance, it wouldn’t work.”

  That was mostly true. Even if I could send an electrical impulse through her, it might restart a heart, but I couldn’t guarantee it would stop a curse. An electrical shock could also stop her heart.

  Vega’s head lolled to the side, her eyes rolling wildly. For a moment her gaze rested on me, desperation contorting her features before turning to pain. Her body arched, and she coughed again.

  I tried to step closer, but Nurse Hilda elbowed me back. “Stay out of the way. I’m at work.”

  Vega stretched out a hand toward me. “Clarissa, please.”

  Nurse Hilda be damned! She never cured anyone with her bat-dung elixirs anyway. I darted past her to Vega’s side. I took her hand. The change that came over her was immediate. She stopped shaking, and blood no longer bubbled from her nose. Her expression softened.

  Vega’s lips moved, but the words that came out of her mouth didn’t sound like her voice. It was too high and pretty. A lilting accent laced her words, something exotic and unfamiliar. “Let this be a warning to you for trying to outwit one of your betters.”

  Her skin glowed white, at first mildly luminous, but slowly brightening like a light bulb, too strong to gaze at directly. Pinky and Nurse Hilda leapt back. Vega’s hand clutched mine tightly, crushing my fingers in hers. I tried to pull away, but I couldn’t.

  The woman continued speaking. “I will ensure you never touch another man again, so long as you live. Let long life be a curse upon you, full of misery and strife for all the ways you’ve wronged me and my kin.”

  I couldn’t see with my eyes, which might have been why my awareness left my own body to examine what my magic could see. The light was brighter than the sun, yet simultaneously filled with darkness. The power of the Fae was distant, but the longer the voice spoke, the more magic she funneled into her words, making them tangible. She was cursing me.

  Vega was nothing more than a vessel to her, to be used to carry out her enchantment. In a moment of clarity I understood. It had never been the flowers that carried in the Fae’s hook to sink into our school and disrupt our wards. It had been Vega.

  I could see the light of Vega’s soul dimming as the Fae spoke through her. She grew weaker as the Fae took from her. The more she drained Vega, the stronger my enemy’s presence became.

  The Fae spoke, her words like a song. “Each time you try to stop me, I will kill one of your friends, or students, or family. I shall start with this one, then I shall move on to your lover. The moment you take another lover, I will kill him—”

  As unexpectedly as a faulty Skype call, the connection dropped. I didn’t see Thatch with my face turned away, but I felt his hand on my arm. The voice abruptly stopped, and the light died away. I blinked, realizing Vega no longer held my hand. He had a hold of her wrist. He dropped both of our arms.

  The presence inside Vega was gone, but I still sensed a thread of connection between them.

  Vega’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she shuddered. Nurse Hilda rushed forward. Vega choked and gurgled.

  “Has anyone checked for poison?” Thatch turned to Gertrude Periwinkle. “That spell you used on me when the Raven Court poisoned Miss Lawrence’s chocolate—”

  “I already tried,” she said.

  A fountain of blood burbled from Vega’s mouth. Pinky and Nurse Hilda rolled Vega onto her side, probably to keep her from inhaling her own blood.

  I wanted to do something for Vega, but I didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t been choking and losing blood when the Fae had been channeling through her body to speak, but she hadn’t been in any less danger of dying. I touched the amulet around my neck. Two stones were left. I was already beholden to Elric’s whims now that I was allied with his court. Was I willing to give up
my soul as well? For Vega?

  She had tried to protect me from this Fae. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, especially just when she was learning to love.

  I didn’t want anyone else to die either. But Vega had been cursed by a Fae, and I doubted any Witchkin magic could stand up to that. As powerful as Thatch was with his Merlin-class Celestor status, he was no match for Fae magic. During those times he’d battled with Elric, he’d only had a fighting chance because of his wit and his treachery. That and Elric had weakened himself by being in the Morty Realm and exposing himself to synthetic materials and electricity. He’d used electronics or been around them.

  Electricity, the forbidden magic that Fae didn’t want us to use.

  Electricity, the reason Fae had killed the Red affinities in the past.

  Electricity, the one weakness of a Fae.

  I knew then what I had to do, even if it risked exposing myself. “Everyone stand back,” I said.

  “You need to leave,” Nurse Hilda said, waving at me to get out of her way.

  “You get out,” I said.

  “Like hell I am!” The nurse stood taller, her white witch hat splattered with blood, looming over me.

  This was Nurse Hilda’s rodeo, and she wasn’t about to be told to stand back from her patient. I understood why she thought she needed to be in charge here. It just happened she was wrong about how to cure Vega.

  “Everyone. Get. Back,” I said.

  “No.” Fear flashed across Thatch’s face. “Clarissa, don’t do this.”

  The Red affinity Thatch had stoked with our magic lesson earlier still pulsed strong inside me. I held up my hands and pushed everyone away with all the force I had in me. Gertrude Periwinkle stumbled back into Thatch. Pinky rolled away as effortlessly as a tumbleweed in the wind. A tray of herbs turned over, and Nurse Hilda fell on her plump behind and slid away.

  I leapt up onto the bed and placed my hands on Vega’s chest. I dug deep down into the well of red light swirling inside me and drew it up into my arms. I shot electricity from my body into hers.

  As I did so, I projected myself inside her body and soul, feeling around for the Fae presence. It was everywhere in her, toxic and alien. Silver and gold light pulsed through her veins, as bright as the stars and as dark as the void of space in between at the same time. The Fae magic recoiled from the red electricity. I poured my magic into every nook of Vega’s body, stretching out and overwhelming the alien presence.

  As I did so, I noticed something else not quite Vega residing inside her. A second heartbeat—not mine or the Fae’s—accompanied Vega’s. The hint of a second soul, budding like a flower, dwelled inside her.

  I couldn’t think upon what that meant. An evil Fae awaited the fate I was about to grant her for the crimes of hurting those I cared about. I chased the demon out, singeing her light with my own magic. My magic flowed out of Vega, burning back along the tether of their connection, flooding the source with lightning.

  This Fae dared threaten me and my friends? She thought she could tell me who I could love and who I couldn’t, probably because of some old wrong my mother had done once upon a time?

  No, I wouldn’t allow that.

  I felt the Fae presence, distant in the Faerie Realm, writhing in pain at the lightning that licked across her palms. My awareness strayed farther from my body. I saw a garden lit by moonlight, the perfume of flowers buried under the stench of burning flesh. I pushed harder, wanting to kill her once and for all.

  Pain seared into the Fae’s hands and up her arms. Electricity crackled over her, and she screamed. I kept pushing. I wouldn’t let this vile demon hurt my friends or family.

  I didn’t know if I succeeded in killing her. My own body felt weak and insubstantial. Before I could push more electricity into her, I was aware of Thatch’s hands warm around my waist, anchoring me back into my body.

  “Stop. You’re going to kill Vega,” Thatch said quietly into my hair.

  The connection between the Fae and myself was gone. He drew me off the bed and onto my feet.

  Vega gasped and coughed, clearing her lungs. She spat a gob of blood onto my shirt.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  Vega shoved me away. “Do I look all right to you?”

  My legs shook as I stood next to the bed. Thatch held a hand under my elbow as if afraid I might fall over. I didn’t blame him.

  Nurse Hilda gasped behind me. “What did you just do to my patient?”

  “Saved my fucking life.” Vega snapped her fingers at Nurse Hilda. “Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to get me a glass of water and a clean cloth to wipe my face with?”

  Nurse Hilda smiled. “What you need is a nice tonic to help ease—”

  “The only tonics I’m drinking better have vodka in them.”

  “Yes, of course, dear,” Nurse Hilda said, bustling off.

  It was a relief to see Vega had returned to her same snarky self.

  Pinky stood against the wall, eyes wide as he stared at me. Gertrude Periwinkle laid a hand on his arm, speaking quietly. I couldn’t hear her words, but her tone was soothing. The lullaby of her voice pulled me into complacency. I leaned against Thatch. He pushed me upright.

  Pinky’s high nasally voice broke through the melody of Gertrude’s siren spell. “But that doesn’t answer my question. What kind of magic was that? How was Clarissa able to stop the curse when we couldn’t? She can’t even do simple magic, right? She was drained?”

  Gertrude’s voice rose, her song blinding me. I gasped from the intensity of the notes. My thoughts washed away. Thatch pinched me, bringing me back into myself. He shook his head at me. I gazed around the room, noticing the way Pinky swayed, entranced by the siren song, forgetting about everything else.

  A commotion of voices came from outside the infirmary. Khaba shouted, “This is why our wards keep breaking. If you didn’t keep tearing holes through them, no one would be in the infirmary right now.”

  “I didn’t break your blasted wards.” Elric shouted back. “I used the front door. I convinced a student to invite me in.”

  “By enchanting her! You’ve just broken the law and trespassed. There will be consequences.”

  Footsteps trampled into the room. Elric burst past the curtain, followed by Khaba and Mrs. Keahi. Suddenly the little curtained section of the infirmary felt a little too crowded and small.

  “Miss Bloodmire!” Elric said. “I’m here to save you.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? This is how long it took you? I would be dead by now if I was waiting around for you.” Vega crossed her arms. “Some boyfriend you are. Did you want me to die?”

  “No. Of course not.” He walked over to the other side of the bed. I scooted farther back. My legs were tired, my muscles fatigued as I moved.

  This seemed like the perfect opportunity to slip off and come up with a cover story with Thatch.

  Vega jabbed an accusing finger at Elric. “You don’t take this long to come to Clarissa’s aid when she’s in trouble.”

  Elric took her hand in his, stroking her fingers. “I gave her an amulet. You know it will bind her soul to me if she uses it three times. Do you want an amulet that binds you to a Fae? You told me you didn’t.”

  “Excuse me,” Khaba said. “Prince Elric, I insist you leave at once. As you can see, Miss Bloodmire is quite well.”

  “I am not quite well. I was cursed by a major Fae, and I feel like I just got trampled by a herd of unicorns,” Vega said. “This is not going to happen again. I want some protective Fae magic to make curses bounce off of me.”

  I slipped around the curtains into Josie’s section. She and Pro Ro were both awake, staring at the crowd around Vega’s curtain. Khaba, Vega, and Elric shouted over each other to be heard.

  Vega said, “If you loved me, you’d come up with a better solution than a fucking amulet that will steal my soul away every time I need you.”
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  “If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to report this trespass to your father, who will be forced to punish you,” Khaba said.

  “You know what I think would make everyone feel better?” Elric asked. “How about a new hospital wing, well-stocked with better equipment and clean curtains? I bet that would put everyone in a better mood.”

  Josie sighed, dropping back onto her pillows. “So much for getting some rest here.”

  I sat on the edge of her bed, exhausted enough I could have collapsed beside her. “Do you want me to help you get back to your room before Nurse Hilda makes you drink one of her potions?”

  Josie smiled. “Don’t you know it!”

  As fatigued as I was, I helped Josie out of bed. She touched a hand to her head, her expression speaking of her pain. Even leaning against me unsteadily, she wobbled. She was too heavy to hold up in my weakened state, and I nearly fell over. Thatch caught her around the shoulders. I hadn’t even realized he’d been there behind me.

  “I’m fine,” Josie said, giving him a shove. “I don’t need your help.”

  He laid a hand under her elbow. “You are not fine, Miss Kimura. You’re suffering from a blow to the head.” His eyes spoke of genuine sympathy, if only she’d been willing to look him in the face to see it.

  Josie recoiled from him “I notice you haven’t earned any injuries in all this. It wouldn’t have anything to do with you tipping off the Raven Court to let them know about our little sting here, would it?”

  “No, it would not.” Thatch said with a cool monotone. “Nor do I believe that was the Raven Queen.”

  She snorted. “You would say that.”

  Pinky patted me on the shoulder. “I’ve got it from here.” He reached around Josie and lifted her into his arms as effortlessly as he might with a child. Considering his substantial height, he made her look like a child.

  I watched him carry her off. Josie flipped Thatch the bird over Pinky’s shoulder.