Forbidden Alchemy (Elemental Book 7)

by Rain Oxford

  “I wish.”

  “Does that mean that people can come in?”

  He frowned at me for a moment and then shook his head. “No. She’s standing outside the barrier.”

  “How did you find her?”

  Now he looked downright confused. “You asked me to watch the barrier in case anyone figured out that we were trapped here.”

  “What? When?”

  “Last night. You came to my room around midnight.”

  I looked at Remy as she sat up. “He was with me at midnight. Neither of us left the room.”

  “Where is Scott?” I asked.

  “With the twins.”

  “Go. Go find your son. Meet me in the West during lunch time to figure this out, but don’t let Scott out of your sight.”

  He nodded once and took off without a word.

  While Remy and I dressed, I grabbed my scorpion amulet out of the nightstand. I hoped it would give me a little more time. Fortunately, it helped ease the pain immediately, but I had to keep myself as calm as possible. Afterwards, Remy and I walked to the perimeter. The driveway wound through the forest and over hills to hide the school from anyone wandering by. There was nothing to stop a human from accidentally stumbling upon us, but Hunt’s ward was designed to gently dissuade them. With the forest decimated, it looked depressing.

  We reached the entrance and found Dani standing there. “There’s something weird going on at the council. I can’t talk to anyone. When did this happen?” she asked, gesturing to the invisible ward.

  “About an hour after you left. Have you tried to get in?”

  She pressed her hand against the ward and it was as solid as a wall. “I have. Fortunately, Henry was around. Is this for protection or do I need to get help?”

  I looked at Remington. Neither of us liked to ask for help, but Remington was in the hot seat. She sighed and glanced towards the school for a moment. “Tell my father that we need help.”

  Dani nodded. “Yes, headmistress.” She started to turn, but hesitated. “You two might want to shower before you do anything else. You smell like sex.”

  The Center was pretty much deserted, so Remy suggested we share a shower. I damn sure wasn’t going to argue.

  * * *

  Remington and I were most of the way back to the Center when Mr. Grant intercepted us. “Mr. Yuun and the professors of the North have reappeared. They woke in their beds with no memory of anything after dinner yesterday.”

  I sighed. “While I’m glad they’re back, we need to find out what happened to them.”

  Remington nodded. “I would rather keep everything as normal as possible, but it’s not safe to leave children with them.”

  “It’s not safe to keep them with the older kids either, though,” I said.

  “What do you suggest?”

  I considered it for a moment. “If it happened at the North, it could happen for anyone. I suggest we move the North kids back into their rooms and I’ll have the twins keep watch over the adults. If you agree to it, I’ll give them access to come and go from their rooms to report to us.”

  “What if they’re outside when it gets dangerous?”

  “I’ll be on the lookout and I’ll tell them not to leave the North unless there is something to report.”

  “Scott would be more responsible,” she said.

  “Yeah, but I doubt he’s going to be allowed more than five feet from his father.”

  A girl screamed and we rushed into the West. Students pointed us up the stairs and a teenager ran out of her room. Robin was a blond, athletic girl with puppies on her pajama bottoms and an oversized college t-shirt. Her pink fuzzy socks left bloody footprints behind her.

  My heart pounded painfully. A bleeding wound, broken bone, or even migraine could be ignored with adrenaline, but adrenaline was the enemy in this case. The stabbing pain and weakness I felt in my chest couldn’t be overcome with determination. If my heart failed, I was going down. I forced myself to take slow, measured breaths.

  “What happened?” Remington asked.

  Robin babbled almost unintelligibly that her dead girlfriend was in her room and pointed behind her. I stepped in the doorway before Remington could in case there was danger. The first thing I noticed was the small pool of blood in front of one of the beds and bloody footprints that led from the puddle to the window. There was also a smear of blood across the floor towards her bedroom and Robin’s footprints from it. What I didn’t see was a ghost, nor did I sense one near.

  My heart was slowing down and the scorpion was able to ease the pain again.

  I stepped over the blood, grabbed a pencil from Robin’s desk, and stuck it in the blood, which was sticky. Why would a ghost leave real bloody footprints? They led to the window sill, where I found identical bloody handprints on the frame.

  “This window doesn’t open, right?”

  “None of the windows in the West do,” Remington said.

  Robin was shaking, standing in the doorway with Remington. “Sydney was standing over me when I woke up. She said she was bullied into committing suicide and that I would be next. Then she walked to the window and jumped.”

  “You said she was your girlfriend?”

  “She was my girlfriend when I went to human school. I left before she came out. I found out a few weeks ago that she’s dead. Her mother didn’t tell me why, but I suspected. Middle school was hard enough for normal girls. I had her and then… I left her. I left her to come here and now she’s dead.”

  “I’m going to take her to Amelia,” Remington told me, rubbing her back.

  “Good. Let’s lock this door and have her and her roommates stay in the common room tonight.”

  * * *

  I dropped by the infirmary and found Dr. Martin mixing chemicals in a beaker. The counter in front of him was covered in bottles of ingredients, while the beaker hovered several inches off the surface. He shook a few dried ants out of one of the jars into his palm and then added them to the potion. I shuddered.

  “How can I help you, Devon?” he asked, not looking at me.

  I held up the pencil? “I’ve got some blood for you.”

  “That sounds lovely, but I’ve already eaten.”

  “It’s ghost blood.” He turned and looked at me. “Well, it was left by what might have been a ghost. Can you identify it? Can you tell me who or what it belonged to?”

  He held out his hand and the pencil shot from me to him. To my disgust, he licked the blood. He pursed his lips. “It’s rabbit.”

  “Rabbit?”

  He nodded. “Rabbit blood mixed with turmeric, ginger, and garlic.”

  “The hell?” A red jar slowly levitated behind him and my intuition told me it was somehow trying to be sneaky. “Is that intentional?” I asked, pointing to it.

  “Hör auf damit!” he demanded. The jar sank back onto the table. “Fagglespit likes to be included.”

  “Either you just made that word up, or I don’t want another potion ever again.”

  Without answering me, he set the pencil down. “Anything else you need?”

  “Can you think of any reason why a ghost might make footprints with this type of blood? Could it be a ritual of some kind?”

  “My people have many similar rituals, but none that would use rabbit blood. That’s just strange. As for here… it sounds like witchcraft.”

  “Great. I guess I’m going to spend the day pouring through witchcraft spell books.” I went to the library and did just that.

  * * *

  After three hours, I hadn’t found anything. Most of the school’s books on witchcraft were dry. By the time Darwin entered, I had drunk too much coffee and was wondering if there was a spell to help me absorb the information without actually reading it.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  I explained what happened in Robin’s room, how I took the blood to Dr. Martin, and what he said it was.

  Darwin frowned. “That sounds half witchcraft, half cooking sho
w. Have you asked the cooks?”

  “I was hoping to find the spell first.”

  “Interesting…” He picked up a stack of books from the table.

  “What is?” I asked.

  “Turmeric, ginger, and garlic are all natural anticoagulants. Plus, they’re ingredients readily available at the school.”

  “You think it was a prank? That someone killed a rabbit and spiced it up to keep it from coagulating?”

  He shrugged. “You’re the investigator, bro. Witchcraft often involves ingredients like ginger and turmeric. Rabbit feet, teeth, bones, etcetera, have been used forever and a half, but I’ve never seen rabbit blood being used. You have to take into account what they stand for. Rabbits have to do with fertility, resurrection, new beginnings, and stuff like that. Although it really depends on the witch, they’re usually associated with light magic. There’s a chance that your ghost girl did a ritual when she was alive and just really sucked at it, but it’s more likely this was a prank. That being said, I have to get back to work, so I’ll leave the dead people for you to deal with.”

  I went to Remington’s office, but the door was open and she wasn’t alone. Ms. Holland and Mrs. Davis were arguing while Remington rubbed her temples. Normally, I would have let her deal with it alone, except my intuition told me not to leave. Instead, I ignored the bickering women, stopped behind her chair, and started rubbing her shoulders.

  “I can make them leave,” I offered. This shut the two teachers up instantly.

  Remington leaned back and closed her eyes. “They’re upset because their familiars are missing.”

  “It’s not just us, either,” Ms. Holland said.

  “How long have they been missing?”

  “Since the sigils appeared,” Mrs. Davis said. “I’ve tried to call Stella every day, but she hasn’t responded.”

  “Has anyone seen their familiar since?” They shook their heads. “The barrier apparently cut us off from our familiars if they were on the other side of it.”

  “Gorgo never leaves the school grounds,” Ms. Holland said.

  “Where does she go when she’s not with you?”

  She shrugged. “Wherever she wants; I haven’t grounded her. She doesn’t go far, though.”

  “And Stella?” I asked Mrs. Davis.

  “She stays in my room. She doesn’t like people. I knew something was wrong Sunday morning because she was gone when I woke.”

  * * *

  I went to my room, locked the door, and summoned my staff. I would have taken it out to the forest so that I wasn’t endangering anyone, but there was no forest anymore. Since the staff was a huge aspect of my power, Hunt taught me how to summon it and banish it. Where it actually went, I had no idea, but I suspected it was in a place no one would think to look. From what I could tell, it only existed when I had use of it.

  Because I primarily focused on magic that made me a better investigator, I never practiced spells with my staff. It was one of my most powerful tools, yet I hardly knew how to use it. I considered asking Remy to help me, but I didn’t want her nearby in case my magic blew up in my face.

  My staff appeared in my hand and the magic joined with mine. It was a relief, as if I have been living with one arm tied behind my back and never realized it until it was released. The wood was oak and covered in sigils. At the top of the staff was a clear crystal with a dark red spot in the center. The wood wrapped around the root of the crystal and the crystal was fused into the wood.

  Remy had warned me that it wasn’t a weapon; it was meant to enhance my magic. Thus, I wanted to use it to call Rocky to me. Holding it in my arms, I focused on her presence. I visualized her in my room. Soon, magic stirred inside me, though it had nothing to do with Rocky. My intuition was welling up inside me, not with urgency but with calm awareness. A classroom appeared in my mind.

  I set my staff aside and mentally sent it away. It vanished.

  I went to the East and found the room, but before I could open the door, I heard voices and froze. “This is wrong,” a male voice said. His voice was quiet, but not mature, and I didn’t recognize it. However, I didn’t know the voice of every student.

  “We have to do this,” a girl argued. I didn’t recognize her voice, either. “You know what happens to people who cross her.” I ignored my intuition when it warned me that someone was coming because they weren’t a threat and I needed to hear more.

  “I know. I’ll do it. We’re running out of rabbits, though.”

  “We’ll move onto something else.”

  I reached for the door handle. I had to see who was talking.

  “Mr. Sanders!” I turned to see Mandy walking towards me. “I was hoping to run into you. About the martial arts class you taught a couple weeks ago… do you ever use that stuff as a cop?”

  “I’m not a cop.”

  “Well, yeah, I know, but I mean before you became the deputy headmaster.”

  “I am a private investigator, which is different than a cop.”

  “How so?”

  “I don’t have police backup, for one thing. I don’t hand out tickets.”

  “What about warrants?” I shook my head and she frowned. “Oh. Is that why you quit, or were you injured? I heard you were shot, but some people think you were cursed.”

  “I’m still a private investigator. I’ve been shot and cursed before, but I’m still active. Why all the questions?”

  She blushed. “I might want to be a cop someday. Can you tell me what it’s like and what’s the difference?”

  “Hang on.” I opened the door. The room was empty. Damn.

  “Are you looking for someone?” Mandy asked.

  “No.”

  * * *

  I figured the best way to keep all of the students safe and together was to find a large space underground. Remington agreed, so I decided to explore the hidden rooms under the East. However, when I got to the library, it was occupied. Eugene was pacing around the bookshelves.

  Eugene was a ghost who reluctantly guarded the secret entrance to the underground floor. He was fond of making students ill or throwing books at them if they got too close to the gas sconce trigger. In life, he was a scummy person who collected humans for his wizard master to sacrifice. He guarded his ex-master’s tomb as best as he could in death to atone for his crimes, but he hadn’t been able to stop a group of students from almost accidentally resurrecting the ancient wizard early in the school year.

  This time, he looked squirlier than ever. There was something lost in his eyes. I considered passing him, but with everything that was going on, I decided his odd behavior could be a clue. “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “They’re going to kill us all,” he said, not looking at me.

  “Who? The council? The elementals?” No answer. “Eugene.”

  He looked at me and vanished.

  “That was very helpful.” I reached for the lamp, only to be interrupted when the door flew open and Cy rushed in.

  “Darwin needs help in the West.” On the way to the West, I asked him what the problem was, but he just said that I had to see it for myself. Because I was expecting danger, I ignored my intuition telling me to turn around. Instead, I focused on keeping my heart calm.

  I stepped into the West and saw students huddled together in the common room. No one was freaking out and Mr. Murphy was watching over them, so I calmly asked if something was happening.

  “No. It’s been quiet so far. Why?”

  I looked behind me, but Cy was gone. “Cy told me there was trouble.”

  Murphy frowned. “The last time I saw him, he was helping Darwin. Maybe he was confused.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, maybe. Have you seen Mandy, Benny, Leesa, or Nancy?”

  “Mandy and Nancy are in the first dining room. Benny is with his sister in the second. I haven’t seen Leesa. Do you want me to get them for you?”

  “No. I’ll talk to them when I see them again. It’s nothing to worry about.”

 
; “Ms. Hunt said we’re resuming classes tomorrow.”

  I nodded. “You don’t sound like you agree with that decision.”

  “I wouldn’t argue with Ms. Hunt. People who argue with her don’t last long here. You, on the other hand, seem to be able to change her mind. I don’t think the students should---”

  “You’re an AP just like me,” I interrupted. “Ms. Hunt is extremely reasonable if you focus on the problem and not her decisions. If you tell her that you disagree, she’ll bite your head off, but if you tell her that you’re worried about the students and show her that you only care about their well-being, she’ll listen.”

  “Then can you at least get her gun away from her long enough for me to talk to her?”

  “She’s more dangerous without her gun. When she uses her gun, she fires a warning shot.”

  * * *

  I was heading back to the East when the wind picked up. Assuming a tornado was about to form again, I listened to my intuition, which was warning me to get inside. Darwin wasn’t far from me, so I went to him. “We need to take cover.”

  He grabbed his notebook and stood. “Okay.”

  “Where’s Cy?”

  “I just sent him to the library to get some books.”

  We made our way to the East and were almost inside when the air suddenly filled with sand. We didn’t get sandstorms here.

  “It must be because of the fire!” Darwin said, covering his mouth with his shirt. We got inside despite the poor visibility. “This is really getting in the way of figuring out how to stop the curse.”

  Either that was the point, or the elementals were in worse shape than I thought.

  * * *

  We found Cy in the library. “What happened?” Darwin asked. Books were strewn everywhere, and many of them had been torn to shreds.

  Cy shook his head, visibly upset by the destruction. He loved books. “I don’t know. It was like this when I got here.”

  “I was here fifteen minutes ago,” I said. “Everything was fine.”