His statement of confidence in me permeated into my body. Even in the dim light, the sparkle of his blue eyes felt like a beacon drawing me to him.
“Hu-hum.” Holly cleared her throat. “Don’t forget there’s supposed to be a curse, Josy.”
My cheeks flushed, and I was glad for the dimness hiding the color. “Of course I remember the curse.” Not that I wanted to. I unlocked eyes with Aspen, brought out the diary and set it on the desk next to Nine, who sniffed the cover.
I’m going to watch you from over there. Nine leaped from the desk and scurried to Emiko’s side.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I muttered.
Just taking precautions.
Emiko leaned down and patted him on the head. “What do we need to do, Josy?”
I thought for a second about how my magic had worked best before. “I think you just need to be doing something magical, so I can funnel the force, but that’s just a guess.”
“Well, that’s easy.” Holly held out her already-lit hand. “We can all do this. We learned it in grade school.”
Emiko raised her hand, and a flurry of sparkles danced in her palm as if she held fireflies there.
Aspen brightened his illumination and nodded my way. “Give it a try. We’re all willing to help you.”
Nine crouched his body low to the ground and twitched his tail behind him.
I balled my fingers into fists, trying to squeeze out the nervousness swimming in my belly, but it was no use. I’d just have to use that energy for good. I stepped behind Mr. Bay’s desk and faced my friends with the diary in front of me. Sighing, I lowered my ring hand to the journal’s cover and closed my eyes.
My thoughts went suddenly to my mother. Some long-forgotten memory in the back of my mind jogged loose, and her smiling face, not so different from my own, came into view.
“You are my hope, Josy. I love you.” My mom handed me off to a younger version of Edie Barrows, the woman I knew as my grandmother on The Other Side, and leaned to kiss me on the forehead.
The moment her lips touched my skin, a spark ignited my entire body. White light filled my vision, and the energy of my friends’ magic drew into me.
“Unveil the place I need to go to discover who I truly am,” I commanded and pressed my hands onto the journal, allowing the magic to flow through me.
Then, like a zap of electricity, the feeling and vision were gone. I was back in the library, staring at my hands laid on the diary as if nothing had happened.
“It didn’t work,” I mumbled in disappointment and looked up to my friends. They all still held the magic in their hands and were staring past me. I slowly twisted around to see what they were gawking at.
Instead of the librarian’s office was a glass door with a flickering neon sign in the window, reading “JUNK.”
Mrs. West, wearing a garish neon muumuu, flung open the door. “What are you people doing out here in the cold?”
“Cold?” I asked in complete confusion. “We’re in the libr—” But the moment I said the words, it started to snow . . . inside the building.
Nine raced past me. Don’t have to ask me twice. There are snacks in there. He wrapped his tail around Mrs. West’s leg and then trotted through the open door.
Chapter 10
Inside the junk shop, Nine munched happily from the bowl of food atop the glass counter while Mrs. West scratched behind his ears.
“Why are we at the West Coast doorway?” I asked her. My friends, no help at all, just stood there gazing in wonder at the plethora of junk filling the store shelves.
“My dear.” Mrs. West stroked her hand along Nine’s back. “You are the ones who traveled here. Maybe that is a question you need to answer.”
I turned to my friends, but Aspen had disappeared down one of the aisles and Holly and Emiko were digging through an old cardboard box of knick-knacks. I turned back to Mrs. West and frowned.
“Are you searching for something in particular?” Her lips twisted into a sweet smile as if she already knew the answer.
I didn’t answer. Should I tell her?
“Josy Barrows, something you should know about The Four Points is that we are neutral. Neutral to The Side of Magic, neutral to The Other Side and even neutral to the Morelli. We will not allow our doorways or information to be used for evil, but we are impartial. If you need something from us, then you may simply ask.”
The door chimed behind me. In walked an older, sepia-skinned woman wearing a flowing magenta gown and wide-brimmed purple hat with a feather jutting from the side. Her plump cheeks became even more so when her lips stretched into a wide smile, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. West. Am I early for tea?”
“Oh, no, no, Mrs. North.” Mrs. West waved her hand in the air. “Josy Barrows and her friends dropped by unexpectedly. But maybe you can be of assistance.”
Mrs. North’s brown eyes sparkled as if they contained galaxies. “Oh, I love doing that. It’s what The Four Points do best.”
Aspen emerged from the aisle, and Emiko and Holly stopped digging through the box and returned to my side.
“Now do you want to help me figure this out?” I growled at the three of them.
“Sorry,” Holly said. “I’ve never seen any of The Four Points’ doorways. They’re kind of legendary.”
“It’s just an old junk shop . . . not that big a deal,” I said.
Emiko opened her palm, and in the middle of her hand was a small dog figurine. “It is kind of a big deal. The story is that the West Point contains something you loved and lost. This was in that box over there. I haven’t seen it since I was five. My brother played a trick on me, and I never saw it again. I cried for weeks.”
“Did you find what you were searching for, my dears?” Mrs. West called to us.
Aspen and Holly tucked something into their pockets before I could see it.
“Yes,” Emiko answered. “I believe we did.”
She grinned, then tipped her head quizzically at me. “But not you, Josy Barrows. You are not here today for something you lost but for something you’ve not found yet.”
Mrs. North walked up beside me and placed her hand on my shoulder. An instant calmness wove through my body, much like Emiko had done to me in the past with her empath magic. She checked the large watch face on her wrist. “Mrs. West, we haven’t much time if we also want to enjoy tea.”
“I don’t understand how you can help me,” I said. “Professor Lakeshore told me that what I needed was under the Academy library.”
Mrs. North chuckled. “The Four Points are where you need us to be when you need us.”
“And we aren’t there when you don’t,” Mrs. West finished. “If Professor Lakeshore needed us under the library, then we would be there.”
“We are here now,” Mrs. North said. “So, you must need us here.”
Great, riddles. I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Nine finally came up for air from his food bowl, licking his chops. I know it sounds weird, but these ladies know what they’re talking about. He brought his paw to his mouth, licked it and rubbed at his cheek. Good food, too.
I rolled my eyes. Nine and his stomach. “You’d probably trust anyone who gave you a decent meal.”
Nine burped and flopped onto his side. That’s not true.
Mrs. North chuckled and dropped her attention to me. “As amusing as this conversation is, no visit to one of The Four Points is by accident. Allow us to assist you, Josy Barrows.”
I studied her for a moment, planted my feet, and pulled my long white hair out in front of my shoulder. “As you can see, I’m Morelli—well, half Morelli—”
“You don’t need to state the obvious, my dear,” Mrs. West said. “I’ve known you were Morelli from the first time I met you, and it wasn’t your hair that tipped me off. ”
Mrs. North leaned against the edge of the glass counter. “Just as we know that your friend Mr. Rivers here is new to academy life and the transition
has not been easy for him. He fears letting his family down but is willing to move past that for something important to him.”
Aspen’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
She turned her attention to Emiko. “Your family is from a long line of empaths.” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “Powerful empaths that the Directorate has employed from time to time.”
My eyes widened at my friend. She hadn’t told me her family worked for the Directorate. Emiko lowered her eyes.
“But Miss Fujii is different than those in her family. She thinks for herself,” Mrs. North finished.
I didn’t need to hear more. Before Mrs. North could move on to Holly, I spoke. “To fully access my magic, I need to have access to Morelli spell books. Do you have them?”
From seemingly nowhere, a china teapot with steam floating from the spout appeared on the counter. Mrs. West held out her palm, and a teacup materialized. “It seems we may have to kill two birds with one stone today.” She handed Mrs. North the cup, and on its own, the teapot rose into the air and hovered in front of Mrs. North.
“Black tea, two sugars and plenty of cream, please,” she addressed the pot. Into her cup poured a waterfall of milky-looking liquid. Mrs. North held up her hand to indicate she’d had enough, and the pot floated back to the counter, next to Nine who was curled up in a tight ball, asleep.
Mrs. West plucked the pot and poured it by hand into her cup. This time a lighter-colored tea came out, no milk. She turned her attention to us. “Any for you?”
Emiko stepped forward as if to accept.
“No.” I held out my arm to stop her. When we’d left the dorm, it was one a.m. I had no idea what time it was now. “It must be getting very late. Can you tell us about the spell books?”
Mrs. North sipped her tea, and tendrils of steam trailed up her face. “Why do you need these books, specifically?”
For the first time since we’d arrived, I realized that my backpack was on my back again and it was heavy enough that the Morelli diary must be inside. I swung it off my shoulders, opened it, and removed the book. I held it out to the ladies. “Professor Lakeshore gave me this. I know about the love curse, and I know that the Morelli were forced from The Side of Magic. If I have the power to stop the injustice this caused, I want to be able to do it.”
Mrs. North wavered her gaze between Aspen and me. “You also have personal reasons to see this changed, and the curse broken.”
My breath hitched. “Yes,” I admitted. “But this is much larger than me.”
“The power you are requesting is great.” Mrs. West took another sip of her tea. “How do you know you are ready to control it?”
A nervous chuckle escaped my lips, and I returned the diary to my pack. Professor Magnolis had already expressed her concern about me not knowing how to control powerful Morelli magic. “I don’t; I’m not ready. But if I refuse to step up, things may remain as they are . . . with all three worlds, The Side of Magic, The Middle and The Other Side in great danger. We need peace.” I bit my lip. “Part of me still wants to back away, but everything I do points me to those books and to Morelli magic. It’s what led me here.”
Mrs. North and Mrs. West exchanged glances. After a few moments they lowered their heads and closed their eyes. A puff of gray smoke appeared and quickly dispersed on a nearby shelf, leaving a large, chocolate-brown book with gold lettering on the spine where there had been nothing before.
Spells of the Ancients.
“Just one book?” I asked.
“Just one. For now,” Mrs. West confirmed.
I was disappointed but grateful I would not be leaving empty-handed. Slowly, I approached the shelf and reached for the thick book. But before I got there, Mrs. West spoke.
“You will only be able to unlock the magic within the pages as you need it—not before and sometimes not again. Do not make any assumptions about the magic inside the book. If you try to force a spell, you may regret the results. Ask the book to guide you, and it will always be true. Abuse it, and you will go the way so many have gone before.”
I lowered my now-shaking hand away from the book.
“Take it, dear,” Mrs. North said. “Just never forget that power is seductive. Keep those you trust close.” She glanced at the others. “You have chosen your friends well so far; continue to do so. And never forget that those you think to be enemies may become powerful allies.”
“Go ahead, Josy,” Holly encouraged. “This is why we’re here.”
I gingerly grasped the book and pulled it from the shelf into my arms. The thing must have weighed at least twenty pounds. On the cover was a golden emblem that reminded me of a spiraling Celtic symbol, but I knew it couldn’t be that. My heart beat like a drum as I moved to open the book, but when I pulled at the cover, it wouldn’t budge—as if the pages were stuck together.
“Tonight, the book will not open for you.” Mrs. North sidled up to me and took a drink of her still-steaming tea.
I opened my mouth to ask her why not and when it would open, but before I could speak, she smiled and waved her hand in the air. In an instant, I found myself alone and back in my room, the book in hand.
Chapter 11
Taking short breaths, I studied the partially darkened dorm room. The only sliver of light came from around the drape’s edges. It was morning. I set my backpack on my desk chair but still held onto the spell book.
My head was thick with fog from visiting the West Point. What day was it again? Saturday morning. Relief washed over me that I wasn’t missing a class or something, but where were the others?
Merrygold was lying in her bed, and Nine was curled up asleep in mine. I went to the curtains and threw them open, allowing the morning light reflecting off the snowdrifts to spill into the room.
Merrygold sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. “You’re back. Did you get what you needed?” she said with a yawn.
Nine stretched his legs straight out and blinked at me several times. When’s breakfast?
I rolled my eyes at him and ignored his silly question. Holding out Spells of the Ancients
to Merrygold, I said, “Yes . . . from Mrs. West and Mrs. North.”
Merrygold pushed the covers back, revealing her semi-transparent body. Realization flickered in her eyes. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. The Four Points are very knowledgeable and have most everything a person might need. But they are difficult to find, so that’s probably why they didn’t come to mind. How did you find them?”
Boom, boom. The door rattled from someone banging on it.
“Josy.” Emiko’s muffled voice came from the other side. “You in there?”
I raced to the door and opened it, mostly to stop her from banging and attracting attention so early in the morning. Both Holly and Emiko stood in the hall, still wearing their coats and snow gear, just like I was. They entered.
“Where’s Aspen?” I asked and poked my head out into the hall before closing the door.
Holly shrugged, and her eyes moved to the book in my hands. “Probably back in his dorm room just like we all were.”
“Can you open it yet?” Emiko asked.
Merrygold furrowed her brow. “You haven’t opened the book?”
Before I could tell Merrygold any more of last night’s events, Nine jumped from the bed and planted himself between us. I had this terrible dream that you became a cat, Josy.
I peered down at him. “We all became cats last night, Nine. That was real.”
Ugh . . . that’s right.
Merrygold raised a brow at us in question.
“Go back to bed,” I said.
Great idea. Maybe the three of you could leave. I’m exhausted after that little adventure. He eyed Merrygold. She can stay.
I shook my head at him dismissively and pulled at the book cover. “It still won’t open. Maybe I need some time alone with it without everyone watching.”
Several taps came from the window, and I spun around to see Aspen sta
nding outside. I set the book on my bed and walked over to open the window. Cold air rushed into my dorm room, but since I was still wearing my coat, I didn’t mind too much. “Did you end up out here?”
Aspen was standing in about two feet of snow. “No, in my room. I ran over to check on all of you. Everybody get back?”
I moved aside to show him Holly and Emiko. “Nine is here, too.”
Since you all keep yakking, breakfast would be nice. Nine yowled and jumped onto the sill.
Aspen came closer to the window. “Well, you’ll have to wait for that because something is going on at the library. The chancellor and a bunch of staff are outside.”
“Do you think someone knows we were in there last night?” Emiko asked. Her voice was tense.
Aspen shrugged. “Didn’t stop to ask. I came straight here.”
I shooed Nine from the sill, and a slight growl rumbled from his throat when his feet hit the floor.
“You’re right. Breakfast will have to wait,” I said to Aspen. “We’ll be out in a couple minutes. Meet us out front.”
His lips formed a flat line, but he gave me a curt nod and I closed the window. “We should go to check what’s going on, right?” I asked Holly and Emiko.
“I’m not waiting here,” Holly said.
“Yeah. I want to go, too.” Emiko buttoned the top button of her jacket.
“I’ll stay with Nine.” Merrygold’s lips pulled down with disappointment, and she lowered herself onto the edge of her bed. “As usual.”
Nine was already settling himself onto my pillow when I tucked the spell book from the Points under my mattress. I hurried into the corridor and nearly ran straight into Rosalee. Even at that early hour, she was fully dressed, and her coat had dots of moisture on the fabric as if she’d been outside recently. Her red hair was perfectly pulled back off her face into a low ponytail, and her cheeks had just the right amount of pink from the cold outside.
She quirked one manicured brow behind me at Holly and Emiko. Then she bobbed her head as if trying to peek into my room. “Finishing up your secret meeting?”
Spellcaster Academy Box Set Page 22
