The next few minutes were a blur of gearing up, psyching up, and trying not to think about what was to come, only what I had to do. I had to do this.
Wells held the door open, waiting for me. Squaring my shoulders, I walked in. My eyes immediately darted over to Tiffany, but Wells was between us and I couldn’t see much. Before I reached Tiffany, I could see the sheet moving. Bless him. He was covering her face.
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “I don’t want this to be any harder than it already is.”
There wasn’t much I could say to that, so I got to work. First I changed my vision so I could see magic, or to be more precise, I stopped making the effort to avoid seeing it. There was a sooty haze across her body. At the most basic level, magic was energy, so magic usually looked like light, often infused with different colors or sparks. Magic was rarely opaque, and I’d never seen it look like that. The haze wasn’t something I could readily identify as magic, but it wasn’t normal either.
I changed my vision back because looking at the haze strained my eyes. It was time to try probing, which could be dangerous. If there was magic on her, it could react. Reaching out with a slender strand of magic, I let it explore the air above her body, slowly getting closer and closer.
At first I didn’t feel anything, but when the probe was about eight inches above her body, I felt a change in the flow of energy. Most energy was neutral; you hardly noticed it moving around. This was different. It was sticking and felt as though it wanted to drag my magic down into her body.
After pulling the probe back into me, I stepped and looked. I didn’t see my friend but a body. I studied it the way I would study any body I was called to examine. Extensive damage, likely torture before her death, and abnormal energy.
“Wells.” My voice was carefully empty. “I know you asked me to leave my kit outside, but can you go get it? I need to test something.”
“You sure you’ll be all right alone?”
“I need it.” Then I prayed to the earth, moon, and sun that my hunch was nothing more than the paranoid musings of a woman mourning her friend.
It only took him a few seconds to retrieve my bag, and it took me even less time to find what I needed. I dug a small energy meter out of a padded side pocket. I turned it on and held it two inches above the body. The arm on the meter wobbled, then swung all the way to Negative—Very Bad. I cursed viciously.
Wells gave me a puzzled look. “What?”
“A demon killed Tiffany.” I laughed bitterly. “Your medical examiner was right. I killed her. I killed her because I killed the last demon, and this one wanted to hurt me.”
Wells rocked back on his heels and took a deep breath. “I’d hoped Gremory would be the end of the demons we saw, but I should’ve known something that evil would come back.”
“Me too.” I rubbed a rogue tear away from my eye. “I’ve got a good idea what happened to Patrick. He got contaminated with negative energy. I’ll call the hospital as soon as we’re done.”
“He’ll recover?” Wells’s brows pulled together.
“He should.”
Conversation lapsed as I cleaned up and packed away my supplies. Then we removed our protective gear and washed up.
Bag in hand, I followed Wells to the door. He paused, shook his head, and then pushed the door open. I hesitated for a moment before following him into the hallway.
Standing there, his red hair wet, was Patrick. “You were right, you know. A thorough purification isn’t all that fun.”
I managed a smile. “Patrick! Are you okay? What kind of purification did they do? I was about to call the hospital and—”
He held up his hand, and I swallowed the rest of the sentence.
“I received an almost invasive purification.” The smile faded. “You taught me better than that.”
Setting my bag on the floor, I pulled him in for a hug. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I was worried about you.”
He patted my shoulder. “I’m fine, though tired. But you, you’ve been crying.”
I released him to rub at my eyes, making sure they weren’t leaking again.
Patrick looked at Wells and tipped his head down the hallway. “Did the good doctor get his way?”
Wells nodded.
“Aww, Michelle. I’m sorry.” His gaze drifted over my shoulder, lingering on the window above Tiffany’s body. “I don’t know what his problem is.”
I shrugged. “There is one, that’s for sure. What happened to your last medical examiner?”
“Car accident.” Patrick let that sink in for a moment before changing the subject. “Did you find anything useful?”
After swallowing to ease my suddenly tight throat, I answered. “A demon killed her, though since you went through purification, I bet you know that.”
“Suspected as much.” Patrick gave me a quick one-armed hug. “Anything else?”
“No. I think I just want to go home.”
“Do you need a ride?” Wells offered.
“I’ll be fine.”
They didn’t look convinced.
I put a little more force behind the words. “Really, I’ll be fine. I’d like to be alone anyway.”
“If you say so.” Wells’s voice was doubtful.
“I do.” That time I was a bit short, but hopefully they’d attribute it to grief. “Patrick, I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”
He nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” I choked out. I hurried out the door before any more tears could show up, then sat in my car for a good five minutes before I felt up to starting the drive home. To be on the safe side, I activated a couple of charms to keep myself focused and alert.
The trip home was a blur. Some practical part of my brain took over while the rest shut down. I needed to be in my own space where I could grieve and process. And, at some point, I had to find it in me to tell Amber, my best friend and a very good friend of Tiffany’s, that Tiffany was dead.
Getting home was such a relief. I grabbed my stuff and shuffled past the dining room where Landa was feeding the long-term residents and some overnight guest. Landa watched me as I walked by. Eventually she would come check on me, but for now I was safe.
It was such a relief to finally close my apartment door and block out the rest of the world. I let my bags slide to the floor, toed off my shoes, padded into my still-dark bedroom, flopped on the bed, and cried.
To my shame, some of those tears were for me because I knew the demon wouldn’t stop until I was dead.
Chapter Five
Elron
A centaur barreled through the door, hind end sliding as he turned onto the path. “Professor! The plants. There’s something wrong with them. All of them.”
Luke skidded to a halt in front of me, chest heaving, eyes darting around.
“Which greenhouse?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but I was unable to mask all my pain.
“The other two.” Luke sucked in a breath. “I don’t know what happened. One minute the crocuses were fine. The next they wouldn’t hold still. There were even plants shooting thorns into the air!”
“I see. Give me a moment.” I took a deep breath, tried push aside my pain and focus on the steadiness of the earth under me and the plants in my greenhouses. The anxious energy threatened to carry me away. I homed in on specific plants. The golden elephant’s ear was nearly frantic with worry for me.
Danger. Hurt you. It repeated the phrase several times.
I am still here. I made the statement firm.
The golden elephant’s ear was less than convinced. You have been injured.
Able to heal. Why the concern? I hoped to get a clear answer. I needed to reassure the other plants so they would settle down before someone was injured.
Bad plant. Wants to hurt you. Hurt all of us.
I will not allow that. This time my conviction seemed to have an impact and the golden elephant’s ear started to calm down.
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When it had settled, I questioned another plant. It said much the same thing. I opened myself to all the plants, being sure to block the Japanese black pine from contacting me, letting the others feel me, feel my thoughts, feel the calm and reassurance I projected.
Moments later they started to settle down. One by one, they brushed against my mind and found the comfort they needed. When they had relaxed to the point where they no longer needed active reassurance, I opened my eyes.
Standing next to Luke was my boss, Brandon Johnson, and two campus security officers.
I tried to smile but was sure it looked more like a grimace. “How may I help you?”
Brandon looked me over. “Don’t take this the wrong way Elron, but I think you could use the help.”
“It’s been an eventful morning.” I tried not to wince at the edge in my voice.
Poor Luke did wince. “Sorry, Professor.” His tail swished. “I was in greenhouse two when the plants started misbehaving. I looked through all of greenhouse one and your office but couldn’t find you, so I called for help.”
“Which was the right thing to do.” I tried to sound firm and encouraging, but I wasn’t sure I made it.
Luke looked at me with big eyes. “It was?”
“Yes,” Brandon said firmly. “ Never hesitate to call for help.”
Luke nodded.
Brandon turned to me. “Do you need medical aid?”
I nodded. “A healer would be appropriate.”
Brandon glanced at the security officer. One of them was already on the phone, relaying information.
The other security officer, a short woman with fiery red hair, jerked her head in the direction of the door. “You need to sit. Let’s move this meeting to the hall, get everyone seated, and go over what happened.”
Luke retreated immediately, carefully turning around without a single hoof leaving the path. Still on the phone, the other security officer followed him. Brandon motioned for the two of us to go ahead.
Nodding, I fell in next to the redhead. “Could you check the women’s restroom? Maggie, one of my students and a werehedgehog, was in here. I believe she went to find clothing as she was shifted when I sent her out.”
“I’ll check on her.” As soon as she exited the greenhouse, she turned to the right and jogged over to the bathrooms.
I made it to the bench across from the door, sat down heavily, and closed my eyes. Even three greenhouses full of plants wanting to help me could not take away the pain of a broken arm. The kudzu kept bushing against my thoughts, radiating worry and apology. I did my best to reassure it, but dozens of plants were clamoring for my attention. They kept asking me if I could come visit them, if I’d removed the black pine, and how long it would be before I was healed.
A cool hand rested against my forehead. The plants’ demands grew distant, as if they were inquiring from miles away.
“Don’t open your eyes, simply breathe.” The gravelly voice was oddly soothing. “Can you tell me how you injured your wrist?”
“I tripped and fell on it. I believe it is broken.”
“Hmm.” A second cool spot rested against the back of my neck. “Not the first time you’ve broken that wrist.”
“No.” I exhaled. The plants were staying reasonably calm, and my thoughts were coming into focus. This had to be the healer.
I kept hearing little bits of something, like a conversation that was just barely in earshot. Everyone was close enough that it should be easy for me to understand the words. The owner of the raspy voice and cool hand had to be responsible.
Cold fingers touched my wrist, turning it this way and that. “Take a deep breath, then slowly exhale.”
I filled my lungs, paused, and then released the air. There was a tug at my wrist. My breath caught, a muffled whimper escaping. More of the cool magic washed over my lower arm, and the pain was gone.
It felt like I sat there for hours with my arm infused with delightfully chilly magic, but it was likely only a couple of minutes. I was pain-free, relaxed, and clearheaded when the magic withdrew, leaving a well-chilled arm that didn’t so much as twinge when I wiggled my fingers.
Opening my eyes, I looked into an ancient face. Deep creases and shallow wrinkles covered every bit of skin. A hood covered both hair and ears, but I doubted she was fey or elven. The magic had felt different.
“You’re healed.” Eyes, an icy light blue that could be mistaken for white, drilled into mine. “Do not stress the arm for the next day. Two would be better, but knowing men, I doubt you will be able to go that long without finding trouble.”
I wanted to protest, but knowing Michelle’s luck and factoring in the demon, I suspected it would be difficult to cobble together twenty-four uneventful hours, never mind a longer stretch. “Understood.”
With a jerky nod, the healer pulled back and marched over to Brandon. After exchanging a few words, the healer walked out of the room.
The healer had not only known who I was but had named Michelle. Our adventures were not common knowledge at the university. My eyes locked on the door swinging shut behind the healer. How had the healer known of Michelle? Or that I had come to her aid?
“Elron?”
Was the healer connected to the demon? That hardly seemed likely, but stranger things had happened.
“Elron?” The voice was more demanding this time.
I glanced up. Brandon was standing in front of me.
“What happened in there?”
“I should answer that.” Maggie sat on the bench next to me.
I looked her over. She did not appear to be hurt. “Were you injured?”
She shook her head. “Shaken up, yes, injured, no.”
The red-haired officer’s eyes darted between Brandon and her partner. “I’m going to see if any of the neighboring greenhouses were occupied.”
Brandon nodded, his attention still on Maggie and me. “So what happened?”
“Well.” Maggie sighed. “I needed to do a soil inspection. The professor has been encouraging us to use all of our abilities, and for those of us who shift, we’re supposed to figure out which form is better at different tasks. I first went in as a human. Everything was okay at first. Then I started feeling like someone was watching me.” She thought for a moment. “It was really odd because no one was there. Then one of the plants tried to hit me. I screamed before shifting into a hedgehog and found what I thought was a safe spot. Then the world went all dark.” She shivered.
I patted her shoulder.
“Thank you.” Maggie looked up at Brandon. “That’s everything until Elron found me. He sent me out of the greenhouse. I lost my clothes in the excitement. Luckily, I was planning on going to the gym later so I had these to change in to.”
“Is there anything else you can remember?” Brandon was growling, a deep crease between his eyebrows. “Any scents, sounds? Anything?”
She shook her head. “It just happened.”
“If you think of anything, tell me or Professor Elron.”
“I will.” She leaned against the wall and started breathing carefully.
Brandon’s attention shifted to me. “How did you get in the greenhouse?”
“I was in my office when suddenly I could not feel any of the plants in greenhouse three.” It took a long time to tell my part of the story. I kept mostly to the facts, leaving out my suspicions about a demon’s involvement. That was one rumor students shouldn’t be hearing.
By the time I finished, two officers were guarding the door to the greenhouse. The entire complex had been shut down. No one was allowed in, and people had to be questioned before leaving. Brandon was giving me a horrified look. I suspected he was thinking through one of the same problems I had yet to find a way to solve. How would I guarantee a student’s safety in these greenhouses?
These plants were not the same as the ones in an ordinary garden, and no amount of careful examination would reveal all their secrets. Even in more established plants, on
es that had been left in my care, well, there was no way I could ensure that the plants were safe to be handled by the students. That led to a very serious problem. It was one thing for students to be in situations where they might come to harm, but it was another altogether to put them in a room with a plant like the black pine, which could try to kill them.
“We have to move the black pine,” I finished. “At least into isolation. Though a different facility or even disposal would be the best solution.”
“Can you get it to isolation now?” Brandon asked.
“Yes.” For most plants, that was a simple request. This time I would have to contain the magic during removal and transport. At least we should be able to manage the containment once the tree had been removed.
“Then we need to get moving. The longer this goes on, the more rumors students may hear, and we do not need word of this incident spreading.”
I did not have the heart to tell him that news had already spread. Students talked, often and quickly. Every time I added a plant to the garden, students from all disciplines arrived to look at it before the end of the day. This news was far more interesting than the arrival of a new specimen, and by now most of the campus likely knew. Before long, Brandon would have to come to terms with the fact that we were working at damage control.
Chapter Six
Michelle
The tea was doing its very best to warm me, and the soft piano music drifting from the speakers was trying to soothe me. Nothing but time would fix the hole in my heart, but the combination had created a buffer between the pain and the rest of me. For now I was content in that space and hoped the feeling would stretch out for hours.
There was a light knock on the door.
I sighed. “Come in!”
The door swung open and Elron stepped inside. After closing the door, he walked over to me. Unlike me, sitting there in pajamas with my hair in a messy ponytail, he looked as tidy as could be. His waist-length silver hair was pulled back in a complicated braid, leaving his pointed ears in plain view.
A Witch’s Demons (Witch's Path Series: Book 6) Page 5
