DESECRATION, Serial: Part 1 of 3 (Book One of The Wizard Queen at Sixteen Series)

by Hadley Holt

  He tilted his head quizzically and I realized I hadn’t made any sense.

  I blushed because Rory made me ditsy beyond belief. “I meant that I knew you’d keep my secret, too.” I huffed, frustrated with myself.

  Rory winked at me and my mouth curved in what felt like a goofy grin.

  Rory looked off in the distance and then met my eyes again. “While we’re talking about this, it’s strange,” Rory mused. “But Lady Acacia is unbelievably anal about me avoiding any magic that could even remotely result in harm—not that I would do anything like that. But she constantly reminds me. It gets kind of old.”

  “I bet,” I said nonchalantly, but my stomach lurched. Did Lady Acacia know something? Was she afraid that Rory could become a sorcerer? Was she trying to prevent it from happening by steering him clear of any kind of magic that would tempt him to go dark? No way! There had to be another explanation for the purple magic, and besides, it wasn’t muddy with red or black streaks. It was a translucent lavender-purple. Was it possible that Rory was the one referenced in the prophecy whose blood ran with both sorcery and wizardry? But I couldn’t ask anyone about this. I’d officially promised Rory I wouldn’t tell anyone, which included Hugo or Izzy. I had to get my own translation amulet.

  “Sometimes, with your brother,” Rory broke into my thoughts, “I’m really tempted to do something to him with my magic—not just a ward.”

  I felt my eyes widen.

  Rory laughed. “Don’t worry, Addie. I don’t mean I’d hurt him with my magic, but I’d like to bind him from hurting others. Yesterday, when he hurled magic at me, I don’t know what he meant to do to me, but it wasn’t anything good.”

  “I don’t know why he’s like this.” I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip in frustration. Sometimes I, too, wanted my brother to feel a little payback for the cruelty he’d heaped onto others, to learn a lesson if nothing else.

  “But my point is that according to Lady Acacia, even messing with someone’s free will, like in a binding, is something I have to steer clear of.”

  “Maybe I can lock him in his room. I wouldn’t be using magic, then.”

  “Well,” Rory said, mischief twinkling in his eyes, “since that doesn’t involve using my magic, I could probably help you lock him up.”

  I giggled with a snort that had us both breaking into a fit of hilarity. Cheeva lifted his head, roused from sleep by our loud laughter. He tilted his head to one side and then the other, which made us laugh all the more.

  Then I thought about how even Rory, who was supposedly human, had a huge head start over me. “You know a lot more about all of this than I do.”

  “You’ll learn. I’ll teach you what I know. I’m sure Hugo will, too,” Rory said. He raised his eyebrows. “So now that I’ve pretty much spilled my guts to you, it’s your turn to bring me up to speed. Make sure you include the explanation of why you think my magic isn’t the right color to be human magic?”

  Uh-oh. I forgot we’d have to circle back around to this topic. For a second, I thought about how to respond. I stood up to start pacing, but then sat right back down on the bench.

  “I know you came into yesterday’s events kind of late in the day. I think you picked up on the fact that even though I’m a wizard girl, I have magic. And I didn’t have magic until yesterday on my sixteenth birthday, so all of this is completely new to me. It began yesterday with wish magic for me, too. And then I realized I could actually see magic—its different colors. Apparently that’s an extremely rare and dangerous ability…”

  “Dangerous?” Rory stared at me intently, or perhaps protectively.

  “Yes. Hugo explained it. Because I can see the color of magic, I can tell if someone is a sorcerer or if someone is turning into a sorcerer.”

  Rory nodded as understanding dawned. “And that’s the last thing a sorcerer would want.”

  “Exactly. That’s also why it’s a rare talent. It tends to get people killed.”

  “Okay, so we can’t let that happen. But how did Hugo know what colors correspond to different types of magic?”

  “It was documented in ancient wizard texts by Leonardo Da Vinci.”

  “I bet Izzy loved that,” he said with a chuckle.

  “She sure did.” I laughed, too.

  “So, what color is a sorcerer’s magic?” Rory asked.

  “Deep red, maroon, or a combination of red and black.”

  “And a human mage?”

  “Well, it’s supposed to be some shade of gold or amber,” I replied.

  “And what color is my magic?”

  That was the crux of things, although he hadn’t asked about the color of wizard magic, and I wasn’t volunteering it. I didn’t want him putting that particular two and two together. I was pretty sure he’d understand that red and blue make purple. “Your magic is a beautiful lavender-purple.” It didn’t have dark red and there wasn’t a hint of black. He wasn’t a human mage, but maybe he was something else.

  I looked up at Rory. A slight smile curved his mouth at what I’d said, but then he grew serious again.

  “So I guess purple isn’t the right color for a human mage.”

  “Hugo may not remember everything perfectly,” I said hastily. “And the information is pretty old. It could be wrong. It could be Da Vinci didn’t know there were different flavors of mages. Or maybe you’re something different or new?”

  He squinted at me, tilting his head. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  I sighed. What was I going to say? “Like I said, this whole magic thing is new to me. Wizard boys are prepared their whole lives for this, but not wizard girls. We’re pretty much kept in the dark. But yes, there’s something Hugo said about the colors that I need to research before I tell you something that could be wrong. I’m probably totally off base. So please, no worries for now.”

  He stared at me through narrowed eyes for the span of a few heartbeats, but then reluctantly nodded.

  I knew I’d do anything to make sure I didn’t let him down. In my heart, I knew Rory wasn’t evil and he wasn’t turning evil, either. He couldn’t be. I’d bet my life on it and, maybe, that’s exactly what I was doing.

  Cheeva’s ears perked up. He stared intently at the wall of branches and leaves. He’d heard something, or someone.

  CHAPTER 13

  Reckless Abandon

  “Hello, again,” Hugo said as he pushed through foliage to enter the bower with Izzy trailing behind him.

  “Your wards are a pain,” Izzy accused, staring at me, but the ward wasn’t mine.

  “It’s wish magic. I can’t control it,” I said with a shrug, not happy about lying to my friends.

  Hugo made a hand gesture and with a chant under his breath, his opalescent ward surrounded Rory’s ward. He probably didn’t trust a ward that he believed came from my wish magic.

  Regardless, I was pretty confident that no one would hear us now.

  “People are starting to talk,” Izzy said without preamble.

  “I’m sure they are after last night,” I answered with a sigh.

  Izzy glanced from me to Rory and back to me, again. “Are we interrupting something?”

  “Since when has that ever stopped you?” Hugo arched an eyebrow at Izzy.

  “Well, it hasn’t, but I thought it would be good to know if I’m third-wheeling or something.” She dropped down next to me on the bench.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” I chimed in.

  Izzy absently scratched Cheeva’s head. I was relieved he didn’t chomp down on her hand. She obviously had not paid attention in Familiars 101.

  “And you’re not interrupting anything, Izzy.” I recalled her implication. “Lady Acacia had a meeting with my father, so Rory and I came here to talk,” I explained.

  “Well, I’m dying to know what happened this morning at the Evangelista family confab,” Izzy urged.

  “Then why didn’t you call?” I asked, and then realized I didn’t have my cell
phone. I had a bad habit of forgetting it. It was very un-teenage girl of me.

  Izzy rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, I forgot it, again.”

  “Oh really,” Izzy deadpanned. “What a shocker!”

  “Uh-hum,” Hugo cleared his throat. “How did it go this morning? Give, give, give!” Hugo sat on the end of the bench a couple of feet from Rory.

  “First, Hugo, while I’m thinking about it, do you have an extra translation amulet I could borrow? I’m going to need one to do research, and soon.”

  “Actually, they’re pretty expensive. I only have one and I need it every day for school. And Horatio is still in classes, too, so he uses his all the time. I’m not sure how we can get our hands on one.”

  “I’d hoped it would be easier than that,” I said with a sigh.

  “You don’t happen to have a bunch of money stuffed in your mattress or anything, do you?” Hugo asked with a half-grin.

  “Unfortunately, no stash hidden anywhere,” I replied, “but I really need an amulet, Hugo. Can you help me figure out a way to get one? I wish I didn’t need to pull my friends into this mess, but I don’t have anyone else to turn to.”

  “Look, Addie,” Hugo said solemnly. “I understand and I’ll try to figure out how we can get an amulet for you.”

  “Thanks, Hugs. I really appreciate it.”

  “Hello!” Izzy groaned. “Family confab?”

  “Oh yeah. Sorry.” And I quickly told them every little detail about what happened. There was a lot of laughing and several no he didn’t comments about my brother.

  “I don’t believe it!” Izzy barked out a laugh. “You’re actually getting your room remodeled? That’s awesome.”

  “Hey.” I shook my head, smiling in disbelief. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you wanted me to be found out.”

  “Of course not, you pixie-head!” Izzy slapped my shoulder. “I just can’t believe you went from being suspected of having a familiar to getting your bedroom overhauled. Don’t get me wrong—it’s amazing! I think I’m going to have to start taking lessons from you.”

  “And, don’t forget the most important thing,” Hugo added.

  “What?” Rory asked.

  “Zarius totally blew it,” a smirking Hugo replied.

  “Yeah, well,” Rory agreed, “that karma is a—”

  Cheeva growled.

  “What is it?” Not that I knew how to communicate with Cheeva yet, but we all sat up straighter as Zarius entered the bower, scowling as he pushed through the wards.

  “Thought I’d find you here,” he jeered. His eyes narrowed. Piri ran from one shoulder to the other, chattering incessantly. “Oh look, the gang’s all here.” He gave each one of us his stink eye. “I felt those wards. That proves you all are up to something. And I’m going to find out what it is.”

  “What can we do for you, Zarius?” I asked, biting back a challenge and channeling my former obliviousness. My stomach flip-flopped with anxiety, and I patted Cheeva. He growled quietly, the rumble vibrating against my leg.

  “Father wants you, Adriana, and—” Zarius’ glare shifted from me to Rory. “Lady Acacia is leaving and needs her pet human. And, I volunteered to personally find you both. I suspected the two of you would be out here, all alone.”

  “Well, as you can see,” I gestured to my friends, “Rory and I aren’t all alone out here.” Forget the fact that we had been moments before.

  “Nevertheless, I think I need to let our father know you are spending too much time with this human. I don’t think he’d like it. Yes, I’m pretty sure he won’t like it at all. And lately he’s been asking me a lot of questions about Bart. I think I know why.” Zarius’ mouth twisted into a vindictive smirk, as if he knew a secret I didn’t know.

  “You are such a tool, Zarius Evangelista,” Izzy blurted.

  “Like I said yesterday, Isadora—” Zarius stepped toward my friend and we both stood up to face him— “That mouth of yours is going to get you into a world of trouble one day.”

  “And, as Izzy said yesterday,” Hugo interjected calmly, standing so that all six-foot-four of him invaded Zarius’ space as he stared down at him, “a girl shouldn’t get in trouble for telling the truth.”

  Zarius backed away from Hugo, his face turning red with fury.

  Rory burst out laughing. “Izzy’s right.”

  Without another word, Zarius spun around and stormed off.

  Izzy threw her arms around Hugo. “I really, really love you, Hugs. You are the bestest bestie, ever!” She turned to me and gave me a quick hug. “Well, you are the bestest bestie, too.”

  I smiled as sincerely as I could, but inside dread began to form at the revenge I knew Zarius was brewing up for me.

  As we walked back to the keep, I told Hugo and Izzy about how my father had talked to Bart at the party and how I thought he might have rolled his eyes.

  “Surely,” I said, “my father won’t betroth me to Bart.”

  “His father is on the council,” Hugo pointed out.

  I stole a glance at Rory and noticed the muscles clenching in his jaw.

  * * *

  Hugo and Rory went home. After all, they couldn’t exactly come in: they were boys, and visits from boys were strictly forbidden. Meanwhile, Izzy walked with me towards my father’s library. My stomach churned with anxiety about my father summoning me to his office.

  “It’s going to be okay, Addie,” Izzy said, but she didn’t fool me. She was almost as nervous as I was. “I’ll wait here for you.” She sat on a settee outside of the office door.

  At least I’d have Cheeva by my side. He bolstered my courage a little, but it was ironic that the white wolf had put me under suspicion in the first place.

  I couldn’t imagine what my father wanted to discuss. Anything about shopping would be coordinated by my mother or Tristan. Had I been wrong about what had happened at breakfast? Was the real interrogation about to begin?

  Since Zarius had just now threatened to say something about Rory, I was fairly sure he hadn’t had time to make good on that threat. I still had that to look forward to. However, any way I looked at it, I just couldn’t see how this conversation could amount to anything good.

  I gulped hard as I knocked on the library door.

  “Come in,” my father called.

  I opened the door. “Hello, Father. Zarius said you wanted to discuss something with me.”

  My father’s stare shifted from me to the huge white wolf. A deep furrow formed between his brows, as if seeing Cheeva made him question everything all over again. Great.

  “Take a seat, Adriana.” He sat behind his desk, waving me into one of the two plush armchairs facing his desk.

  My heart sped up.

  “Adriana.” He said my name like a reprimand.

  My heart sped up more.

  “I do not want you to think that what I’m about to tell you in any way condones your poor behavior yesterday.”

  He couldn’t mean Cheeva choosing me, as that wasn’t anything I actually did.

  “Are we clear, Adriana?” He glowered at me.

  Whoops! I hadn’t answered without hesitation as expected. If I wasn’t careful, I’d blow Operation Oblivious. “Yes sir, we are.”

  “That’s better,” he said, steepling his forefingers in front of his mouth. “I have reconsidered Bartholomew Magnuson as your future betrothed. What I also want you to know is that I would have interviewed him before making any decisions and I would have found him…lacking.”

  Yes, but what if my father had promised me to Bart when I was little? He wouldn’t have known Bart was “lacking,” and I would have been stuck with him anyway. It wasn’t fair that no wizard ever got to marry for love. It wasn’t right.

  “Adriana!”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Pay attention, daughter. As I was saying, in the future, you will trust that I will make the right decisions for you and for this family. You will respect my judgment and you will not
challenge me again. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir.” I nodded dutifully.

  “There is time to sort this all out. The overturning of your betrothal to Falcon Voltaire could take quite a while.” His focus shifted once more to Cheeva and then returned to me. “I’ve sent for a seeker to consult about the white wolf. I want to understand why Cheeva has attached himself to you. I’m sure you would like to understand it as well.”

  Oh Shih-Tzu! What would a seeker see? Would he know I have magic? “Um—” I choked. “Ye-yes sir.”

  “It seems that Seeker Quinlan cannot make it to the stronghold for three or four more weeks, so it should not interfere with your trip to New York.”

  “Yes, Father. Whatever you think is best.” I swallowed hard. “But—” I heard the hesitance in my own voice, “—even though I don’t know why he chose to be with me, I am growing fond of Cheeva.”

  “Do not get attached to him, Adriana. He is not your pet. He is a powerful familiar. I’m sure when this is resolved he will end up bonding as your brother’s familiar.”

  I knew in my heart that wasn’t true. It would never be true. “Yes sir,” I whispered meekly.

  With a nod, my father dismissed me, looked down at papers on his desk, and started writing notes as though I was already gone.

  I walked out of my father’s office feeling like things could have gone worse, and then they did.

  Zarius walked by, snickering as he knocked on my father’s library door. He’d warned me. He was about to try to make sure I didn’t see Rory anymore.

  What could I do to stop him? I tried to think of anything I could do or say, but there wasn’t anything. I was just as powerless as I’d always been. Being able to levitate a water bottle wasn’t going to help me stop my brother. Some wizard queen I was.

  By the Claw of Copernicus, why was I stuck with a brother like Zarius? He was such a jerk. Part of me wanted to collapse on the floor and cry right then and there. I wasn’t ready to lose Rory. I’d liked him for so long and now he liked me, too. I knew I’d have to give up Rory someday, but not yet. Not now, when we were just starting to get close.

  My thoughts shifted to the prophecy. Was it possible that my and Rory’s lives were intertwined by destiny?