Yikes. These were lessons I had no interest in learning. “So, where can I bury this body so that it stays dead? Armitage said we need to find the right hallowed ground.”
Cato appeared thoughtful. “Slavic, right? Hmm. I seem to recall a place about thirty miles southwest of here. Near the fizzleberry bogs.”
“Fizzleberry bogs?” I echoed.
“Sure. Tell me you’ve never had a refreshing fizzleberry juice on ice.” He sighed. “Sometimes I miss the good old days when I had a full body and wings.”
“That’s understandable,” I said. “But, selfishly, I’m glad you’re here now.”
Cato’s beak parted in a birdlike smile. “Me, too, Bryn. Best of luck with the burial.”
“Thanks.” I turned to go.
“Make sure the demon doesn’t thaw on the way there,” Cato called. “You don’t want to have to kill it all over again.”
I shuddered. No, once was most definitely enough.
The four of us stood around the ice chest, staring.
“We could each take a corner,” Mia said.
“We cannot possibly carry an ice chest all the way to the fizzleberry bogs,” Dani said.
Cerys gave an emphatic nod of her head. “Dani’s right. We’d never manage to balance it on our broomsticks.”
“Then what’s the solution?” Mia asked.
I pressed my lips together. “I could freeze the body solid. It would never thaw quickly enough to be an issue.” I hesitated. “We’d still need to secure it to the broomstick, though.”
“It will weigh us down if it’s frozen solid,” Dani said.
“This feels like a version of ‘how many witches does it take to screw in a light bulb’,” I said.
No one responded.
“Do you really think it will reanimate if it thaws?” Mia asked. “Or is that just a myth?”
“I’d rather not find out the hard way,” I said.
“Fair enough,” Dani agreed. “Hey, doesn’t Prefect Chambers have that bicycle with a basket?”
I waved her off. “No, not the bicycle built for two. Besides, there are four of us, and only one other single bike.” The idea of the demon’s frozen body stuffed into the bike basket was almost comical.
“Someone else must have a bicycle we can use,” Cerys said.
“What about the groundskeeper?” I asked. “He travels to the human world for supplies, and he mentioned a pickup truck.”
Dani snapped her fingers. “He does. He bought it in Terrene. I heard him tell the story once because Mrs. Engelhardt couldn’t understand why he needed to research gasoline in the library.”
“What do vehicles run on here?” I asked.
“Magical energy,” Cerys said. “My cousin works for one of the major car companies as a magical engineer.”
I learned something new every day. “Who has the best relationship with Fonthill?”
“I don’t know him,” Mia said.
“I’ve always found him a bit crabby,” Cerys admitted.
“I just practically accused him of murdering Karl Muldoon, so it can’t be me.”
We all shifted our attention to Dani.
She flipped her shampoo-commercial hair over her shoulder. “Fine, I’ll do it. Old men tend to like me.”
“Gee, supermodel. I can’t imagine why,” I quipped.
Dani laughed. “Not because of my appearance, goof. Because I spent so much time with my grandparents growing up. I speak their language.”
“They have their own language?” I queried.
“In the immortal words of Theo Armitage,” Dani said, “watch and learn.”
Thirty minutes later, we stood around the rusty blue pickup in the driveway of Fonthill’s cottage, staring awkwardly.
Finally, I broke the silence. “So. Important question. Does anybody know how to drive?”
After a few minutes of negotiation, Dani got behind the wheel, while I played navigator. Mia and Cerys sat in the small cab behind us. The demon’s body was securely stowed in the bed of the truck.
“Maybe someone should sit with our friend in the back in case he thaws,” I said.
“I’m not riding back there,” Mia objected. “It’ll be way too bumpy.”
“You should do it,” Cerys said to me. “If he thaws, you’re the best one to freeze him again.”
“You all have power over ice,” I said. “Don’t you?” They were all elemental witches, just not as adept with water as I was.
“We can’t perform water magic the way you do,” Dani said. “Your father must have been a talented water wizard.”
“I guess so,” I said vaguely.
“It’s a shame you can’t find out more about him,” Mia said.
“I don’t mind,” I lied. “Some information is best left in the past.”
Dani drove until dense woods gave way to swamps and marshes. The watery landscape seemed devoid of life. Suddenly, it seemed like the most appropriate place to bury the body.
“Stop here,” I said.
Dani parked the truck. “Let’s scope out the area before we take our friend for a stroll.”
“Good thinking,” Mia replied.
We left the truck and headed through the swampland.
“This place is sad,” Dani said, scrunching her nose.
“I think it’s really pretty,” Cerys countered. She glanced at me. “You must feel right at home.”
“Because of the wetlands?” I asked.
She nodded. “All this water must feed your soul.”
Although I felt energized, I wasn’t sure whether to attribute that to the excitement of the quest or the something else.
“The trees here are so skinny compared with the ones at the academy,” Mia observed. “They look underfed.”
We stopped at the edge of a marsh. “This looks like a good spot,” I said. “He’ll have that little cluster of trees over there to shade him.”
“Does he need shade at the bottom of a marsh?” Dani inquired.
“Need is probably a bit strong,” I agreed.
“It’s nicer here than the swamp,” Cerys said. “I bet the sunsets are lovely.”
Dani shook her head, her strawberry blond ponytail swaying from side to side. “You two are weird.”
“We should try to head back before the sun sets,” Cerys said. “Who knows what creatures come out here in the dark?”
I shivered at the thought.
“I don’t understand,” Mia said. “If we throw him in the marshes, won’t he thaw?”
“Not here,” I said. “This whole area is sacred to the demon’s kind. That’s why we had to come all this way. His gods aren’t so popular closer to the academy.”
“Who are his gods?” Cerys asked.
“I am,” a voice said.
I jumped at the sound.
“Great Goddess of the Moon,” Mia exclaimed.
“No, wrong deity,” the voice replied.
I looked down to see a white hare poised at the edge of the marsh. “You’re one of the gods?” I wasn’t familiar with a hare god.
“My followers call me Perun. I can take many forms,” the hare said. “Today, I had the need for speed, so I chose this body.”
“It’s very…adorable,” Mia said, clearly uncertain whether it was appropriate to call the god ‘adorable.’
“Seeing the four of you beautiful creatures, I’m beginning to wish I’d opted for something else,” the hare said.
I resisted the urge to cringe in front of the deity. He may be a god, but his A game needed tweaking.
“I’m afraid our visit is of a serious nature,” I said. “We’ve brought one of your followers here to bury his body.”
The hare wiggled his tiny nose. “Where is he? I don’t see a body.”
“We left him in our pickup truck until we figure out the right course of action,” Dani said. “We didn’t want to disrespect him or you.”
A nice touch.
The white hare hopped on a tree stump to be
closer to us. “I appreciate you coming all this way. Nobody ever visits this place anymore. It gets lonely.”
“But you’re not here all the time, are you?” Cerys asked.
“Certainly not,” he replied. “It’s a pretty place, but a god has needs.” His droopy ears twitched. “Come then. Let’s see this follower of mine.”
The hare hopped alongside us as we returned to the truck. I breathed a sigh of relief to see the body still safely secured in the bed of the truck. Dani and I pulled the body from the chest and dropped it on the ground in front of the hare.
“A bukavac,” the hare said. “How odd.”
“Why odd?” I asked.
“You don’t see those around here very often,” the hare replied. “Someone must have summoned it.”
“Why would anyone summon it?” I asked. “Six arms, I can understand, but six legs? What’s the point?”
The hare observed me, his nose quivering. “Could’ve been many reasons. To appeal to me for virility. For successful crops. For power. If you knew more about me, perhaps you’d know these things.”
“Wait,” I said. “Are you…sulking?”
The hare’s long ears dragged on the ground. “Of course not. I just don’t understand why a perfectly good god like me gets ignored in the hustle and bustle of everyday living. Aren’t I as worthy as Zeus? I mean, he turns into a swan, for my sake. At least I have the decency to take a form that represents virility.”
Hares were symbolic of virility? That was news to me.
“We don’t worship Zeus,” I said. I hesitated and glanced at my friends. “Do we?”
They shook their heads in unison.
“Come on,” Dani said. “We should get moving. This body isn’t going to bury itself.”
“Unless you thaw it,” the hare said. “Then it might.” He paused. “But it would probably kill you first.”
Ugh. Not a pleasant thought.
The four of us each took leg and dragged the body back toward the marshes. Before we dumped the body into the marsh, I looked at the hare.
“Any special words we should say?” I asked.
The hare thumped its foot on the ground. “O great and wondrous me, we submit to you body and soul has a nice ring to it.”
I glared at him. “Special words for your demon friend.”
“Oh.” The hare blinked in the breeze. “Nothing springs to mind.”
We swung the body backward once before launching it into the marsh.
“Godspeed, scary demon guy,” Dani said.
“Oh, that’s nice,” the hare said. “Yes, my speed.”
The body quickly submerged. “I guess that’s it.” I looked at the hare. “Take care. It was good to meet you.”
“Feel free to stop by whenever you’re in the area,” the hare said. “Next time I might be in a better form.”
“I like the hare,” Mia said.
As we began our walk back through the woods to the pickup truck, the hare hopped behind us, chatting the entire way. “Make sure to spread the word about me. I’m always happy to collect new followers. There’s no upfront cost.”
“And no hidden fees?” I queried.
The hare didn’t answer. Didn’t think so. There were always hidden fees.
We climbed into the pickup truck and gave him a final wave.
“Don’t forget to make me an offering I can’t refuse,” he called after us, but we were already back on the road.
13
On Saturday morning, my roommates slept in, while I packed an overnight bag for Starry Hollow. It was time to pay the piper for the red healing stone. Icarus was concerned about me traveling to see Captain Yellowjacket on my own, and had convinced me to ask Gray to tag along. I took his concern seriously because I knew my familiar wasn’t a huge fan of vampires. If Icarus thought the errand was risky enough to suggest Gray’s involvement, then I wasn’t foolish enough to ignore him.
Gray and I arrived at the small airfield at the appointed time. A small plane sat at the end of the runway. No one was there to greet us, so we climbed aboard.
“Explain to me why you’ve agreed to be Harrington’s new errand girl,” Gray said, settling into a seat.
I couldn’t tell him about the healing stone, so I made up a story about Armitage requiring an independent assignment as part of our clinic.
“I know the academy likes to foster independence, but this seems a little dangerous for a first year, especially one with your lack of training,” Gray said. “No offense.”
“None taken.” He was right. It didn’t matter that I was used to traveling on my own—my experience had been in the human world. The paranormal world was far more dangerous for someone with limited knowledge like me.
The plane began to taxi and, without thinking, I grabbed Gray’s hand.
“What’s happening? There’s no pilot,” I said.
“A common practice in the paranormal world,” Gray said. “The plane’s flown by magic.”
I wasn’t sure at first. I mean, what incentive did an immortal have to make sure all the parts were in working order? Although it took a bit of time, Gray managed to talk me down from my anxiety high.
“Harrington wants the book,” Gray said, once we were airborne. “He’s not going to risk losing another treasure because his plane wasn’t properly serviced.”
At least that was a more believable statement than ‘Harrington wouldn’t want you to die.’
“What’s the name of our hotel?” Gray asked.
“It’s not a hotel,” I said. “It’s an inn called Casper’s Revenge.”
“Doesn’t sound like a five-star accommodation. Sounds like somewhere pirates used to stay.”
“I don’t think Anton and I discussed the quality of the overnight stay,” I said. “At the time, I was planning to come alone anyway.” And, as someone, who’d spent plenty of nights in alleyways, the unimpressive accommodation wasn’t exactly a deal-breaker.
“I’m not complaining,” Gray said. “You’ve seen where I sleep. I just expected more from Anton Harrington.”
“The room above the Stake-n-Shake is perfectly adequate for your purposes,” I said.
Thankfully, the flight was quick and painless. When Gray offered to hold my hand during landing, I felt comfortable enough to refuse.
We were met at the Starry Hollow airport by a black SUV.
“This one has a driver,” I said, relieved. Despite the smooth plane ride, I preferred someone at the controls.
“Miss Morrow?” the driver asked.
“That’s me.”
“I wasn’t told to expect anyone else,” the driver said, his gaze flicking to Gray.
“A last minute addition of muscle,” I replied.
The driver opened the passenger doors and we climbed into the backseat.
“Anton doesn’t do anything by halves, does he?” I asked. My hands ran over the luxurious leather interior.
“You don’t see many middle class vampires,” Gray said. “You either get the wealthy set, like my family and Anton, or the depraved set that allows bloodlust to rule their every waking action.”
I peered out the window as we drove away from the airport. “What about you? You’re in neither camp.” Not that he was in the middle either. Like Anton said, Gray was more on the fringes of society. The shadows.
I quickly cast off the thought. I couldn’t think of the word ‘shadow’ without my mind wandering to my father, and I didn’t want to think about the Shadow Sorcerer. Not now.
“I was making a broad generalization,” Gray said.
“Ooh,” I said excitedly. “Look at that lighthouse.” I had a strange fascination with lighthouses.
“That’s a restaurant, if you’re interested in a good place for dinner,” the driver said. “The top rotates so you get a full view of the town on one side, and the ocean on the other.”
I turned to Gray with pleading eyes. “We can have a nice dinner, right? There aren’t any rules that s
ay I can’t.”
Gray couldn’t seem to resist my enthusiasm. “Who can say no to a rotating lighthouse restaurant?”
“The Whitethorn is there,” the driver said. “Not far from Fairy Cove. Mr. Harrington asked me to point it out to you. You can walk there from the inn. Quite a pleasant stroll most evenings.”
“That’s where we have to collect the package,” I whispered to Gray.
Downtown Starry Hollow was nothing short of charming. The shops all had adorable names like The Pointy Hat, Glitter Me This, the Caffeinated Cauldron, and Stars and Cones. Finally, the driver pulled into the driveway of a historic-looking inn. The painted sign read ‘Casper’s Revenge.’
“I’ll be back here tomorrow at ten to return you to the airport,” the driver said.
“Thank you.” I practically skipped up to the door. For some reason, I felt giddy with excitement. I attributed it to the salty air and the close proximity of the ocean. Being near the water was like food for my soul.
The brass knocker was the head of a minotaur, nostrils flaring. I took hold of it and banged the brass hoop of his nose against the door. The door cracked open.
“After you,” Gray said.
Suddenly, I was extremely grateful that he was with me.
The interior was tastefully decorated, with portraits on the wall and a working fireplace, despite the warm outside temperature. I noticed a guest book on a table.
“Very good,” a voice said. “Sign in, please.”
I scanned the room but saw no one. “I’m Bryn Morrow,” I said, scribbling my name in the book. I decided against adding Gray’s name. It was probably best not to have a written record that he’d accompanied me.
“Don’t add me,” Gray said. “I don’t leave written records of my travels.”
“Already beat you to that thought,” I said, setting down the pen.
“Ooh, such power,” a female voice said. “Both of you.”
“Very different from each other, though,” a male voice chimed in.
“But both ancient,” the female voice said.
“Are there hidden speakers somewhere?” I asked Gray.
“Your room is upstairs,” the female voice said. “Third door. Not to worry. We’ll take care of your bags.”
“Who will?” I asked. I still couldn’t see anyone.
Outclassed: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Warden of the West Book 2) Page 11
