by Casey Morgan
“Yes, sir. It will.”
“Then I see no issue with it. Do what you need to do.”
I watched in awe as the two continued to speak about supplies and how the spell would go. I was not only shocked because we got permission so easily, but also because of the way that Headmaster Thorn was treating Archer. Compared to how he treated me, Thorn was a completely different person. It was almost creepy. He was smiling, engaging in equal conversation, and he even chuckled. I almost felt like vomiting.
In the midst of my thoughts, Archer placed a hand on my shoulder. “Then we’ll leave you to your work, sir, and begin preparations,” he said.
The two of us turned to leave when Headmaster Thorn called out, “Ah, wait. One more thing.”
We both stopped and turned to face him. I knew that there would be a catch, nothing could just be easy.
Headmaster Thorn continued, “Once you have perfected the séance spell, I want you two to perform it for the entire school.”
“The entire school?” Archer asked.
“Yes, it will be an educational experience. You can do it right before Professors Goldwin and Bigsby present on the magic freezer.”
“That’s Friday night!” I protested. “That’s really soon.”
My original plan was to let Archer do all the speaking and just wait until we left the office to vent my frustration, but at this point, I was too angry. This felt like another trial, another way for Thorn to try and get me out of Ironwood. As if my life being on the line wasn’t enough stress, the cruel headmaster just had to pull this on me. I had proven my worth multiple times and more than demonstrated that I deserved to be at this school. I didn’t need to do that again.
“Is this another trial?” I asked furiously.
Headmaster Thorn looked pleased with my question. “Is that what you believe, Ms.Thrushmoor?”
Childishly, I stomped my heel and balled my hands into fists. “It really feels like another trial. A ridiculous deadline for a task that requires a lot of thought and preparation, one that I will most likely struggle with.”
He laughed. “At least you’re perceptive.”
“Why?” I half-yelled. “Haven’t the previous two trials proven that I am worthy of being here?”
Thorn shrugged. “I say that you were lucky those two times. This round will be different.”
I scoffed. Headmaster Thorn stood up from his seat and placed his hands on the desk. He smiled wickedly. “This time, even with Archer’s help, there’s no way that you will be able to pull off the séance spell. If anything, you’ll hold the poor boy back.”
“Then why have us do it?”
“So, you can understand that you don’t deserve to be here!” he roared. “You’ve been a nasty stain on Ironwood for too long.”
It was then that I recollected that Archer was still standing next to me. I noticed that he seemed confused. In all honesty, he probably had never seen this side of the headmaster. He probably still had the image of a respectable and calm Thorn.
I stepped in between the two of them and spoke up. “I haven’t done anything wrong,” I stated.
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about the séance spell,” Thorn continued. “Considering the death curse that you are under, you’ll be dead by Friday anyway.”
The entire room fell into silence. It was suffocating, and I found myself choking on all the words that I wanted to say. How dare he? How dare he insinuate that I wasn’t strong enough? That I wasn't smart enough? That I—after everything that I have gone through—wasn’t enough. I puffed out my chest and sucked in a deep breath.
“Well then, Headmaster,” I baited, “I will learn this spell and show every single individual here that I am the greatest witch at Ironwood!”
I turned on my heel and began to walk out of the room. The door stood defiantly in front of me. I didn't break my stride as I pushed it open and rushed out into the hallway. I could hear the Headmaster laughing behind me. My cheeks burned with anger, and I waited until I heard the door slam to sit down on the ground.
A few tears fell onto the floor until I used my sleeve to wipe them away. I was so tired of being ridiculed and minimized by the headmaster. He was supposed to support his students and help them thrive in school, but he had done nothing but make fun of me and try to kick me out. I had done nothing to make him hate me, and yet, he was ecstatic at the possibility of me dying.
Although I was filled with anger, I was also more determined than ever. Forget the past two trials, I was going to ace this séance and do it again right in front of the entire school. There is no way that he can reasonably deny me my place if I can prove myself in death magic.
The sound of soft footsteps came to my ears. I looked up to see Archer making his way over towards me. His handsome face was no longer holding the same shine and confidence that it did before. He walked over to where I was sitting and plopped down beside me. I watched as his soft grey eyes looked at me with worry and confusion.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
“No, not really,” I answered. “My Headmaster doesn’t care if I’m dead or alive. I have another trial. My friend is missing, and I have a death curse placed on me.”
He was silent for a while before adding in, “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” I asked. “You’ve actually helped me.”
Archer wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I could've gone to Headmaster Thorn alone.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t know.”
“I knew that he didn’t like you, but I had no idea that he hated you that much,” he continued. “Why is that?”
I sighed in resignation. “I have no idea.”
The two of us sat like that for a while, silent by each other’s side. Archer being there was a nice comfort, but eventually I felt the need to take a walk and have some time to myself. I turned to face him to see that he was already looking at me.
“I can tell that you need some time,” he stated. “Meet me with Angie later tonight in the supply room?”
“That sounds great.”
We both stood up and turned to leave. Archer went to the left, and I went to the right. The walk through the green was calming, and I enjoyed taking some time to just breathe and be in the sunlight. My thoughts wandered with me. Everything that had happened over my time at Ironwood, the relationships that I had gotten into, my teachers, my classes, and my past.
I knew that I didn’t have time to think about all of it. Not with the trial, Drew, and the death curse on my mind. I just needed to concentrate on getting myself out of the situation I was in. If I was successful, then I would have the opportunity to worry about and put energy into everything else later.
For once, I looked forward to worrying about stupid things. I found a smile gracing my lips as I looked ahead of me. I would head back to the dorm in a little bit, but first, I needed to go to the school store. I promised Angie that I would bring back some chocolate.
Chapter Eleven
Walking through the empty hallways after normal school hours was always a weird experience, and tonight was no different. The sound of Angie and I’s footsteps echoed off of the walls as we made our way to the supply room. Hopefully tonight would be the end of the death curse, and then I could focus on the demonstration. I had to remind myself, one step at a time.
“You okay, Ruby?” Angie asked.
I looked at her worried face. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
She smiled slightly. “I think it’s a fair question for both of us. I’ve never done a séance before, so I’m personally a little nervous.”
“I trust Archer, we’ll be fine.”
“And I trust you.”
We smiled at each other and continued to walk to the supply room. It only took a minute or two before we were standing in front of the door. I eagerly pushed open the door and slipped inside, Angie beside me. Archer was already there waiting for us. I saw his eyebrow rise in satisfaction as we made our way
over.
“Happy to see me?” I asked cheekily.
“Of course,” he teased back. “It would be a shame if after all we went through, you didn’t show up.”
Archer began giving us instructions on how to set up the room and how we were supposed to sit. I was expecting him to be reading it out of a book or scroll, but he seemed to have the entire ritual memorized. Both Angie and I listened carefully and followed every single instruction that we were given. There were a total of twelve candles that we laid out in a very specific way. The base of each of the candles could be connected to form a sigil.
Archer indicated that the sigil being used was meant for four people, but since we were trying to locate Drew, it should still work. It was designed in a way to protect those performing the spell as well as make the area a magnet for the dead. The description was ominous, but Archer didn’t seem to be bothered by any aspect of it. As soon as Angie and I were done setting up the candles he walked in a circle around us, spreading a thick layer of salt.
“Here you are.” Archer handed us both a small slip of parchment paper. “It’s the words to the séance spell itself. Look it over really quick and try to memorize it.”
We both nodded and got to work. There were only four lines with about five words each. I muttered them to myself. The syllables felt foreign on my tongue. But after a minute or two of repetition and concentration, I found that I had memorized the spell without any trouble. The words had a natural flow to them that followed an entrancing meter. I looked up to indicate that I was ready and found that both Angie and Archer were also all set to go.
Archer smiled and lit all of the candles surrounding us. We each closed our eyes and matched our breathing. As soon as our rhythms matched each other, we began to chant. The sound of three voices sailing on the waves of the spell was powerful. Each syllable seemed to ring in my ears and reverberate back out into the room. I focused as much of my energy into Drew’s ring as I possibly could, hoping my magic would materialize.
I could feel the buildup of energy and the vibrations of the spell in my bones. I was no longer thinking of the spell as I said the words, the vibrations had swallowed me up. My consciousness began to transform itself into the all-too-familiar vision of Drew falling.
I gasped as I was fully sucked into the vision, already desperate to reach out and grab his hand. Drew was still falling over and over again out of the attic window of his childhood home. He was reliving his death.
I began to feel helpless. What was going to be different this time? I still wouldn’t be able to reach him.
“Snap out of it, Ruby,” a cool voice snapped at me.
I whipped my head around to see Archer looking down at me from the attic window with Angie behind him. “Archer?”
He smirked, and his grey eyes twinkled. He tightly grabbed onto my hand and then also grabbed onto Angie’s. I already knew what he was thinking and immediately made myself start leaning toward Drew.
Carefully both Archer and I hung off the side of the Birch’s home with Angie managing to keep both of us tethered to the ledge next to the window. Having both of them behind me allowed my arm to reach farther, and a little bit of hope began to fill my heart.
Drew’s hand was within my grasp. I just needed to stretch a little bit more, just a little bit more. I strained every muscle in my body, even my fingertips extended by a millimeter. In a moment of triumph, my hand wrapped around Drew’s wrist.
I screamed in relief and felt Angie and Archer already hauling us back up. The four of us were pulled back onto the ledge, and we fell backwards into the attic.
I didn’t let go of anyone’s hand, and the four of us took a second to catch our breath. Happiness filled me. Relief was a close second. I looked up and made eye contact with the other three. There was no need for words at that moment, we all knew that we had accomplished something great.
All was good until Drew looked up at a figure that we had failed to see. It was Mr. Birch. He was standing next to the window of the attic, his hands extended outwards in the motion of what looked like a push. Had he pushed Drew? My mind failed to understand how or why he could do that. Drew seemed to have the same thing in mind as he stood up and walked up to his father, letting go of my hand.
“Father!” he yelled. “Why? Why would you do that to me?”
Mr. Birch made no response and continued to exist in the form that he was in. Drew didn’t let up and continued to yell and confront him. I looked at Archer for help.
“He’s a part of the death curse,” Archer explained. “He has no answers.”
“Then what do we do?” Angie asked, tears running down her face.
Archer pulled both of us up. “Help me cast a binding spell. We have to make sure that Drew remains in the attic for the curse to not continue to take place.”
Both Angie and I held hands, completing a channel through all three of us. A binding spell was something that we learned early on at Ironwood, each of us knew exactly which words and what kind of energy to use.
Golden ropes shot from the floor beneath Drew and dragged him down onto the attic floor. As we chanted, they wrapped around his waist, ankles, and wrists. By the time we finished, Drew was as secured to the floor as he possibly could be.
“Perfect,” Archer mused.
I looked over at him and saw him raise his finger to snap. As soon as the sound of him snapping hit my ears, the entire world spun. I felt my mind being pushed and pulled in a confusing flurry of emotions, thoughts, and states. It was only a moment before I found myself sitting back in the supply room. All the candles had been blown out, and the empty space in the circle was now occupied by Drew’s ghost.
“Drew!”
Angie flew up from where she was sitting, her face already running rampant with tears. She dove towards her twin, only for her to phase through him and hit the floor with an audible smack. She quickly collected herself and sat up to look her brother in the eyes.
“I missed you so much,” she cried. “I was so worried about you.”
“I know, I know,” Drew comforted. “I’m so sorry that I left you. It won’t happen again any time soon, okay?”
“It’s a promise.” They both stated at the same time.
As soon as the twins settled down and the adrenaline began to wear off, I spoke up. “Drew,” I prodded, “What happened? Why did you place a death curse on me?”
He looked at me sadly. “A few nights ago, I was wandering through the halls around midnight. I got sucked into the curse...”
I gasped. “It must’ve been the magic freezer!”
“The magic freezer?” Angie looked at me skeptically.
I raised one of my hands excitedly. “Yes, it lines up perfectly. That has to be what sucked you into the curse.”
“No. No. I don’t know how to tell you this, Ruby,” Drew mumbled.
I frowned. “Just say it, we pulled you out of a loop of you falling to your death, I’m sure I can handle it.”
“It wasn’t the magi freezer at all,” he explained. “It was another ghost named Rose Thrushmoor.”
The room froze.
“My grandmother?” I asked tentatively.
Drew nodded. “Yes. She placed the curse on me and then told me that the only way that I could be saved was if I placed it on you. I’m... sorry.”
I stood up from where I was sitting. My head was still a little bit fuzzy, but I wasn’t sure if that was from the séance or the news I had just gotten.
“That’s okay, Drew, spend some time with Angie,” I started. “I need some time to think.”
Archer stood up as well, reaching a hand out towards me. “Ruby?”
I cut him off, “I’ll see you tomorrow. We still need to prepare for the trial Headmaster Thorn gave us.”
Without another word, I turned around and left. I needed air. The hallways were too cramped. I broke out into a light jog until I made it out of the building and out into the open green. The crisp night air stung my lungs
, but anything was better than being inside.
I didn’t understand any bit of it, not one word. I was still furious that my grandmother hadn’t told me that she was a witch, or that magic ever existed. If she had been that keen on me being ignorant to magic in life, then why would she drag me into a death curse? Not only me... she dragged a friend into it as well. I had so many questions that I knew I couldn’t answer.
At least, I couldn’t answer them without a séance.
Chapter Twelve
I decided to walk to the trial alone this time. I slowly made my way to the stone amphitheater behind the school. I would be lying to myself if I said that I wasn’t nervous. I was hoping that after the death curse was lifted that I would be able to go into the trial with a clear mind and ready spirit, but there was just too much weighing on my mind for me to be comfortable. I was sure that the séance would go well, but it was the circumstances surrounding the event that concerned me.
Even after hours of thought and contemplation, I still wasn’t sure as to why my grandmother would do such a thing to Drew. The closest answer that I could come up with was that she wanted to get into contact with me. But it seemed like such a roundabout way. It seemed just so needlessly complicated. Why couldn’t she just follow me around like Drew does to Angie and me?
I was hoping to get some sort of answer tonight with the séance, but I couldn’t allow myself to hope for too much. My thoughts enveloped me, and I barely noticed that I was already at the amphitheater.
“Ruby!” Archer called from the stage. “Over here!”
I waved back at him and ran up to the stone steps. He smiled at me and handed me a few candles. We had changed the spell slightly, so it matched two people instead of four, but it was still roughly the same. I began setting up the candles while Archer poured the salt. We made sure that there was enough room for a third person to come into existence before we stepped away and waited for the seats to fill.
I could tell that Archer was excited to demonstrate his skills. He must’ve gotten tired of not being able to share his magic with people since he needed to get permission from the headmaster every single time he wanted to do anything related to necromancy.
