Wilde Abandon (Ashcroft Academy Book 3)

by K. M. /Kelly Charron

Sydney didn’t want to think about what came next for the two of them. What would happen if he never got his magic back? Would he be considered a middling? Would the Wildes Persuade him to forget everything about them? About her and their relationship?

  He wouldn’t be the same person without magic, though. How could she stay with him? Shame flushed her skin. Sydney berated herself. She was the reason he didn’t have his magic; she couldn’t abandon him. She wouldn’t.

  The doors opened, and the remainder of the apprentices trailed in, chattering and laughing, but they quieted as they registered Langston and Jake. Each pair of eyes seemed to land on the two boys. Some looked away quickly as if to prevent their shock and embarrassment from being seen as gawking. Others offered a smile or a slight nod of the head.

  Corey Brighten, an Elemental apprentice with Justin, gave Langston a nod. Langston nodded back.

  “See,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder. “People are treating you the way they always have.”

  “One head nod from Corey is not everyone and always, but I love you for lying.”

  Sydney’s heart ached. Reaching next to her, she grasped Langston’s hand in hers and squeezed. His palm was moist, but she stroked his clammy skin with her thumb and psychically sent him positive, healing energy.

  Her mother, Màthair Bello, and Màthair Zhang stood before the room, silencing it in an instant.

  Sydney despised her mother for showing up tonight when she hadn’t bothered before. Typical of her to want to be the center of attention during a moment of crisis. Where had she been for most of the apprentices’ regular classes, testings, and events?

  Regal in deep purple robes, her mother cleared her throat. It was the only gesture needed to ensure every face turned toward her. She clasped her hands and raised her chin as if basking in the reverence. “Welcome. As you know, an unknown supernatural entity recently attacked two of our own. I thank you for respecting the new protocols we’ve put into place. I assure you, we have things under control, but I urge you to continue to be cautious and stay in groups until otherwise notified.” She stopped, surveying the room.

  Syd wouldn’t put it past her to be mentally scanning the apprentices while she talked, assuming she could dip into all their heads the way she could Sydney’s—even without the bloodline connection. Her mother loved to be mysterious about her powers and abilities. Sydney believed she did it so that her subjects were perpetually intimidated by the unknown, by some underlying threat. It helped ensure no one would dare challenge the High Priestess.

  Her mother continued, her voice a booming echo inside the Main Hall. “Langston and Jake are still a part of this coven and will attend classes as usual. I know that each one of you will treat them with the same dignity and respect as before. The other Masters, Elders, Lords, and I, as well as the Directive, are confident that we will be able to rectify this travesty. We will find the entity, destroy it, and reunite Langston and Jake with their rightful magic.”

  Whispers and murmuring sprang from the crowd.

  Her mother raised her arms up and out at her sides. “Silence!”

  The room went eerily quiet and still. It happened so quickly, Sydney could hear her own heartbeat.

  “Until that time, Jake and Langston will observe you practicing, and you will be as supportive, welcoming, and gracious as I know you all to be.”

  Sydney watched her mother turn to face Màthairs Zhang and Bello, before gliding out of the room. It had been quite the performance.

  Sydney sprinted to catch up to her mother. When she neared, she placed a gentle hand on her mother’s back. “Wait. Please.”

  Her mother turned, a look of annoyance on her face. “You are supposed to be with the other apprentices.”

  “Why haven’t you answered me? I’ve sent you several messages, and the crows returned with nothing each time.”

  Her mother steepled her fingers. “I’ve been busy rectifying your mistakes.”

  Even though her questioning was going to infuriate her mother, she needed to try. She needed to know if her mother was close to fixing the situation. Sydney longed for the days when her biggest concern was studying for testing. She wanted to have fun with her friends again, have a boyfriend who voluntarily left his room, and remember what it was like to goof-off in the village with Justin. Sydney didn’t know if any of that would ever happen again.

  She pulled her attention back to her mother. “I know you’re busy, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. What are you and the other Elders doing about the entity? Have you found it? Do you know where it’s hiding? No one feels safe right now.”

  “It’s no longer your concern, dear. I’m handling it.”

  “But how?”

  “You don’t get to question me. Now go back to the Main Hall and prepare for your studies.” She put a limp hand on Sydney’s cheek. “This conversation is over.” Maybe it was an attempt at comfort, but it felt placating and dismissive.

  “You’re not doing anything, are you?” Syd asked, gently removing her mother’s hand, although she didn’t drop it.

  Her mother rolled her violet eyes and pulled away, clearly annoyed that her manipulation hadn’t worked. “My best witches are working on this. There has been no sign of anything unusual in the Nest, at Ashcroft, around campus, or in the surrounding woods. Nothing has happened in Danvers or the surrounding communities. No one can sense any foreign magic in the air. If it weren’t for Langston and Jake, I wouldn’t be certain anything was out there at all, considering your propensity for embellishment. Whatever this thing is, it’s likely left. We are continuing to monitor everything and have additional protection wards up. Now, stop putting your nose where it doesn’t belong. Back to class.”

  Was it possible that none of the Elders had told her about Cassidy? Regardless, Sydney had no faith in her mother’s words. She could tell her mother was hiding something. Besides, why would the shifter leave when it had only begun to claim its revenge?

  It was lying in wait now. It had exposed itself and knew it. Knew that the powerful Elder witches were looking for it. If her mother refused to take this threat seriously, Sydney needed to step up and protect her people. More than ever, she needed to raise Saskia’s spirit—before there were more attacks and witches weren’t only bled of their magic but killed outright.

  Sydney did what her mother wanted and went back to class. Their lesson on Divination was less than productive. Langston had wanted to work with Sydney, but every time she used her abilities, she could see it was like a slap in his face. Divination was a High magic proficiency, his specialty, and it was agony to know that everything she did was a pointed reminder of what he’d lost.

  Each one of them was to ask private questions to the universe before using their preferred way to decipher the answers. Witches generally decided over time between the multiple divination techniques. Their options were numerous and included tarot cards, crystals, tea leaves, the Norse Runes, pendulums, osteomancy (reading bones), lithomancy (reading with stones), numerology, and even automatic writing to translate the universe’s answers. It even worked to speak to the Ancestors. It was worth a try now.

  Sydney quietly asked if Langston would ever get his magic back. She blamed her poor technique when she didn’t get the answer she wanted.

  When most of the apprentices had left, Justin and Jax approached them, Justin holding up his phone. “Ainsley thinks she might have something. We’re going to meet her behind the rowing building in twenty minutes.”

  Sydney might despise the middling, but she was willing to see whatever the twit thought she’d discovered. She stood, having just put her grimoire and robes away when she met Langston’s eyes. “You’re coming.”

  He just stared at his feet, not answering. Sydney understood, but she also knew he’d feel better if he was a part of the solution. Yanking Langston by the arm, she pulled him away from the rest of the group. “You’re going to fight with us to get your magic back. We’re in this together. I�
�m not going to let this thing win, and neither are you.” He glanced up at her, and she could see in his eyes that he wanted to come. That was all she needed.

  There were still trace amounts of snow in patches around the grounds from the snowfall a few days before. The night air chilled her, probably because she’d had so little sleep.

  Justin headed for the back of the rowing building, and Syd followed along with the others.

  “That girl is either crazy or badass brave,” Khourtney said. “You wouldn’t see me standing alone outside in the dark with that thing on the loose. And I have magic.” Her face dropped as she realized her words. She glanced at Langston and then away, shame radiating from her.

  “Or she’s just incredibly stupid,” Syd added, hoping to break the tension.

  As they rounded the corner of the building, Syd flexed her fingers, ready to use magic against any threat that loomed. Nothing was going to happen to anyone else that she cared about.

  Ainsley stood shivering against the building’s wall.

  Sydney slowed, eyeing the middling. “Wait,” she called out, and her friends halted. “How do we know it’s her?” It was a fair question. “Considering what happened—with the shifter posing as Kai—we can’t be too careful.”

  “It’s me, guys.” Ainsley gave them a pleading stare. “I swear.”

  Syd wasn’t convinced. “And that proves nothing,” she snapped with a huff.

  “It’s her. She texted me to meet here,” Justin said in her defense. No shock there.

  Jax stood protectively in front of Langston. “Prove it then.”

  Ainsley threw her hands in the air. “And do that, how?” She pulled her bare hands out of her pockets. “Fine, someone touch my hand. When I don’t shift into you, you’ll know.” She frowned, and when no one came forward, Ainsley sprang her arm forward and grabbed Ava’s hand.

  Ava reeled back, trying to take her hand back. But it was clear that nothing was going to happen.

  “See? Now that you’re all convinced, I’ve got an old grimoire that can help us.” She opened the flap of her bag and hefted a medium-sized book out in front of her.

  Langston held his hand out for the volume, saying, “I think it only shifts into non-magical people, like us, Ainsley, not witches.”

  Ainsley averted her eyes and quickly passed it to him.

  Even if Sydney couldn’t tap into Ainsley’s emotions, she could see sorrow and guilt written all over the girl’s face. Maybe it was easy for her to see it because she shared it.

  Ainsley explained how she’d gotten the grimoire and that she’d spent all afternoon translating what she could.

  Langston flipped through the pages, comparing them to Ainsley’s handwritten notes. “Not bad, Ains,” he praised. “Most of these are pretty close.”

  Sydney’s fists ruled into claws. Ains? He was using a pet name with the middling now? She rolled her eyes at the way Ainsley beamed like a good dog for shaking a paw. Was the middling doing this out of guilt, or was she trying to win them over?

  Ainsley smiled wide. “Okay, good. Now, all we have to do is find out where they buried Saskia. Then you guys can perform the necromancy spell to raise her spirit.” She said it as if it were the easiest thing in the world. “Saskia can tell us how to recreate the symbols and which binding spells she used.”

  Sydney rubbed her temples at the way Ainsley made it sound like she’d found the recipe for the softest chocolate chip cookies and all they needed to do was buy the right brand of brown sugar, instead of suggesting that they break one of the most vital oaths every witch swore to uphold. Yes, Sydney knew that conjuring Saskia was the only way to fix this mess, but still, it was a huge deal. Sydney looked at Justin. She knew exactly what his response would be, and she smirked as she watched him deny his precious girl her prize.

  With a pinched face, he said, “No, Ainsley. We can’t do this. It’s against witch law, not to mention the laws of nature.”

  Ainsley’s gleeful expression quickly morphed into pouty shock. “What do you mean, we can’t? Sydney said this was what we needed.”

  Justin looked like he going to have a stroke. Jubilation warmed Sydney right down to her toes.

  Khourtney shook her head. “Nope. No. Necromancy is forbidden magic, Ainsley.” She focused her attention on the girl’s confused expression. “It’s very dark and has a detrimental impact on the environment and users. It’s dangerous, very dangerous. And anyone caught using it must stand trial before the Directive.” She cut Ainsley off with the explanation before she could ask, “That’s a council made up from some of the most powerful witches from covens around the world. So yeah, in short, it’s bad and we can’t.”

  Ainsley looked completely deflated. “Oh. I thought Sydney had mentioned something about this to me a while back, and I figured if it was in a grimoire, then it was acceptable magic. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

  Syd scoffed. “What you don’t know could fill a library.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Justin said with a hint of respite, ignoring Sydney. “You were trying to help.” He scrubbed his face with his hands, turning to Sydney. “Why would Ainsley think you’d already decided upon this?”

  “Because I did. We’re doing it.” All eyes immediately focused on Syd.

  “What?” Ava said, mouth gaping.

  Khourtney shared a similar expression, and Sydney saw the wheels turning in Jax’s head.

  “No, Syd,” Justin snarled, “It’s not happening. You’re endangering all of us, and I won’t allow that.” He stalked toward her. “No one else gets hurt because of this. You know how dangerous those kinds of Repercussions can be. How unpredictable.”

  She chose to ignore his earnestness and pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. “It’s still coming after all of us. My mother is lying. I spoke to her today, and they’re no closer to finding it. I’m not sure she and the Elders are even still looking. She point-blank stated that I’m exaggerating the danger that the shifter possesses. It stole Langston and Jake’s magic, there was a middling in a coma, and another was Pressed to death, but I’m the one that’s being deceitful?!” She paused to suck in a breath and calm herself. “I’m sorry, Justin, but the safety of our entire coven outweighs any magical side effects. Besides, if the Ancestors understand our reasons and intentions, they shouldn’t allow much Repercussion. It’s not like we’re trying to raise the dead. We’ll only be using it to get information, so we can save ourselves and get Langston and Jake’s magic back. I’m doing it. It’s the only way.” Determination bolstered Sydney’s voice into a finality so fierce that it took even her by surprise. “You’re all welcome to join me, or not.”

  Ainsley, of all people, spoke first. “I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  Syd wanted to strangle her. “Not helpful.”

  Jax stepped forward to flank Sydney. “I’m in.”

  A tentative grin filled Ava’s face as she joined the line, followed by Langston, who looked so relieved Syd could have cried.

  Justin and Khourtney stood across from them. They shared the same blank expression until Khourtney nodded. Holding her head up, she said, “My grandmother will kill me if she finds out.” She smiled wide and moved to join the rest of them amidst whistles and hollers.

  Everyone faced Justin. He stood with his arms crossed, head tilted, and gaze narrowed. Finally, he dropped his arms to his sides. “I’m only doing this because somebody needs to babysit you all.”

  Cheering, Jax and Langston rushed to his side, putting their arms around him.

  Syd wasted no time quieting everyone down. “Let’s celebrate after we survive this. We’ve got work to do gathering ingredients for the spell and finding out where Saskia’s grave is. Since Ainsley has the grimoire, why don’t you all work on collecting everything it says we need. I’ll find Oswald and see if his knowledge of Saskia goes beyond the legend.”

  Langston stepped forward, his voice low and unsure. “What do I do? I’m kind of useless now.�
�

  Syd did her best to keep the burning she felt inside from reaching her cheeks. Keeping her voice a whisper, she said, “You are not useless. You know High magic better than anyone here. We need you to help guide the spell’s design and translation, not to mention that you’re an expert at summoning. Go with them and make sure they do everything by-the-book. We only have one chance at this.” She flung her arms around him and nuzzled her face into his neck. “We’re going to get your magic back if it’s the last thing we do.”

  He smiled for the first time since the attack. She hoped she could keep her promise.

  Chapter 10

  Ainsley

  Ainsley stayed a step behind everyone as they made their way toward the rose garden, listening to them discuss what they were going to sneak out of the Potions room. The sting of Justin’s initial reaction lingered on her skin. How was she supposed to know that it was a cardinal sin? Didn’t witches do things like conjure spirits and talk to the dead?

  Apparently not. Justin had seemed so offended, but then Sydney gave her little pep talk, and suddenly, everything was great.

  It wasn’t Ainsley’s fault that she was full of misperceptions. It wasn’t like any of them were keen on filling her in, and she was too nervous to ask. Did they ride on brooms, make magic potions in iron cauldrons boiling over an open flame, or wear striped stockings and curly-toed boots? She’d figured not, and from what she’d witnessed so far, magic wands weren’t actually a thing. Why did everything have to be a fricking mystery? She worried that the more she discovered, the more danger she’d ultimately be in since she couldn’t be Persuaded. Right now, they were letting Ainsley be part of their little group, but what would happen when this was over, and they didn’t need her help anymore? Would they really just let her go on knowing their biggest secret? It was no secret Sydney still didn't trust her. How long until she got the rest of them to go completely against her?

  If Ainsley were honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she didn’t have any good reason to be there, that the help she’d offered so far had been minimal. Well, except for the spells in the grimoire, she mused. But now that she’d given them the grimoire, what was the point in her staying with them? Yes, Ainsley wanted to help fix her mistake, but even more, she stayed because, for the first time in her life, she felt included in something bigger than herself.