Wade
“What?” I stared at the nurse. “Garrett… is that you?!”
He toyed with his blond hair and put on a girlish giggle. “What a surprise. I was not expecting visitors. You really should not be here, madames et monsieurs. Visiting hours are over, and my patient must get her rest. Please, if you would leave, zat would be très bon.” He really thought he could get away with this.
“Garrett, we know it’s you. I saw you come in here.” Harley was trying, and failing, to hold in a laugh. “Drop the act.”
“Act? Zere is no act. You must go, you really must.” He put on another giggle that made me want to collapse on the floor. He was delusional. He couldn’t trick us.
“Garrett, just stop. You’re embarrassing yourself.” I grinned. He wasn’t going to live this down anytime soon.
With a furious expression, he lost the face he was copying, but he was too angry to remember to Shift out of the outfit, too. “Yeah, well, you should’ve known I’d be here. You guys said six, and then I find out you’re all going at five. Good thing I thought ahead and arrived before you did. This is my mission, too, in case you’ve forgotten. I was supposed to come with you, not get left behind!”
“We should work on this together, now that we’re all here,” Harley said. “And we didn’t leave you behind. You were there when we said when we were meeting—same time as the other morning.”
He puffed out his cheeks. “Well, how was I to know you meant five? You weren’t exactly specific.”
“Garrett, I think you’re forgetting something.” I gestured to the nurse’s outfit.
His gaze darkened. “See, you all think I’m some kind of joke. At least the LA Coven gives me some freaking responsibility.” He shook his body violently, and the outfit faded away to reveal jeans and a t-shirt.
“We don’t think you’re a joke.” I cast him a sincere look. I could take him seriously now that he was in normal clothes. “You just reminded me of that day you dressed up as my old crush, that’s all. I guess I dodged a bullet there.”
Garrett looked about ready to burst. “Look, you all shouldn’t even be here, and you definitely shouldn’t have brought the boy wonder. Levi would literally kill you if he found out you’d brought a Portal Opener out here.”
“Well, Levi doesn’t know about me,” Jacob shot back.
“Garrett, come on. We’ve got to work together on this, the way we agreed,” Harley said.
“The way you agreed, you mean?” He scowled at her. “You didn’t give me much of a choice, dangling Astrid in front of me like a friggin’ carrot. I only said I’d work with you to get you off my back, but I’ve changed my mind. I’m not putting my career at risk for this. You’re not even supposed to know where the Librarian is!”
I flashed him a warning look. “We’ve all got the same goal, the difference being we’re actually in a position where we can do something about Katherine. The Council are dragging their feet; you know they are. They haven’t faced her one-on-one. We have. We know what we’re up against. Now, either help us or get out of our way.” I held his gaze. “You’re still a part of the SDC, even if the LAC has got you doing their dirty work. Remember where your loyalties lie, and remember who your true friends are. Don’t get sucked up in that Council machine, because it’ll just spit you out when it’s done with you.”
Garrett scoffed. “Like you wouldn’t be doing the same in my position.”
“I didn’t do the same, Garrett. Imogene offered me a position and I turned it down,” I said. “I’m not saying you were wrong to take them up on their offer. You’re a braver man than me for doing it. You’ve always pushed people out of their comfort zones. Remember that water thing at school, where we got ducked in a pipe and had to come out the other side? I’d never have done it if you hadn’t been the one pulling me back up for air and shouting me on. I admired you then, and I admire you now, but don’t be an ass. Because you’re not one, no matter what you want people to think.”
He frowned. “Did you forget me pushing your head into the mud?”
“No, but you gave me the anger I needed to get through that netting. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t seen that shit-eating grin on your face and wanted to smack it off.” I smirked at him, and he smirked back. We’d shared some good times back then, when our camaraderie had been at its strongest. It got bad after we arrived at the SDC together. For a while, it had felt as if the previous stuff had never happened. Especially when he got in with Finch. Garrett blamed me for ratting him out to Santana; I blamed him for hurting her in the first place. We’d probably have figured it out if Finch hadn’t been whispering in his ear. We’d always been at loggerheads, even when we were close. But we’d always made up again. That was how our friendship worked. Even now, I hated him as much as I loved him.
Garrett laughed. “You ever wish we were back at school? Man, those days were simple. If I’d known things would turn out like this, I’d never have graduated.”
“They were good times, but we’re better now than we ever were then.”
Harley and Jacob were staring at us like they were watching an episode of Oprah. I didn’t care. Garrett needed to remember why he was in this with us, and a bit of nostalgia never hurt. Those school days had felt like we were in the Army sometimes. You didn’t get through that and forget who was beside you when you did. I had dirt on him that I’d take to my grave, and he had the same on me. He really was an ass at times, but that didn’t change anything. He’d always be my brother, even if we weren’t bound by blood.
Garrett’s expression softened. “Fine, then we might as well work together.”
Harley rolled her eyes. “Thank goodness for that.”
“Although, we probably won’t get anything out of this one.” He nodded to Odette. She was tapping the glass in steady rhythms. Judging by the look on her face, the lights were on, but nobody was home.
“What’s wrong with her?” Harley approached tentatively.
Odette was slim but not in a healthy way. Her collarbones protruded, and I could see the indents of her ribcage through her gown. Her cheeks were sunken in, and dark hollows surrounded her jet-black eyes. They couldn’t have always been that color; no doubt it had something to do with the ritual to become a Librarian. Her fair hair had been scraped into a bun, dry and straw-like.
“Katherine must have done something terrible to her,” Jacob murmured.
Harley nodded. “I’ve seen trauma like this before, just never quite this bad. A couple of the kids at the foster center used to do this, tapping on the wall and muttering to themselves.”
I couldn’t think of Harley in a place like that. It hurt to imagine her as a lost kid, abandoned and alone. Jacob, too. They’d been through stuff I couldn’t even picture. It was never nice to be reminded of my privilege, but this stung deep.
Meanwhile, Odette continued to mumble to herself. She wasn’t making any sense, just babbling incoherently. Harley got closer with slow movements, her eyes narrowed as she listened. I followed her lead and got nearer. Odette’s words still didn’t make sense, but Harley seemed to be on to something.
“Unleash the dragon’s kiss and feel the heat of burning flame,” Odette whispered. “Two drops of a witch’s blood, five drops of silver…”
Harley’s eyes widened. “They’re spells. She’s mumbling spells and ingredients, listing them one after the other.
Listen.”
“Five dried toadstool caps, one sprig of holly…” Odette tapped the glass in time to her words. Five taps for the toadstools. One for the holly. Harley was right.
“You think she’s going through the whole repository?” I kept listening. The words were tumbling out of her like water from a broken faucet. She must have had thousands of spells in her head—new, old, complete, incomplete. And she was set on saying every single one. She never repeated anything.
Harley nodded. “It sounds like it.”
“What the hell did Katherine do to her?” Garrett wondered in a low voice. He looked mad. At least he’d forgotten to be angry at us. This was a surefire way to get him to stay on our side.
“Odette?” Harley murmured. She reached for Odette’s hand, but the woman tugged it away and kept tapping. “Odette, can you hear us? We’re here to help you.”
Nothing.
“Odette, I know you’ve been through a lot. We’re sorry for that. We know you escaped while Katherine was completing the first ritual, but we need to know about the rest.” Harley stared at her in earnest.
Odette blinked. “My mind… it’s broken.”
“Keep talking, Harley,” I urged.
“Your mind is broken?” Harley went on. “Did Katherine break it?”
Odette tapped her finger against her forehead. “It’s all in pieces… coming back in pieces. Vital spells in the dark. All in the dark, still. Can’t reach them. Can’t get them. Can’t find them.” She tapped harder and broke the skin.
Harley’s hand shot out and grasped Odette’s.
“Are you trying to get to them?” she asked. “Are the doctors here helping you remember?”
“Can’t remember. Can’t think. Can’t get them,” Odette whispered. She clung to Harley’s hands. “Spells and charms. Medicine and potions. Nothing helps. It’s all dark. All gone. All hidden. They don’t want to be found. My spells. They run. They hide. Can’t unlock. Can’t get in.”
“Do you know you’re saying all your spells out loud?” Harley urged. The three of us—Garrett, Jacob, and I— were holding our breaths. She seemed to be getting through to Odette. Somehow, she was doing it. As far as Odette was concerned, us guys weren’t even in the room.
“Must find. Must search. Must speak. Must get in.” Odette rocked unsteadily and gripped Harley harder. And then the clarity faded away and left a rambling husk on the windowsill. Harley looked at me desperately. I wracked my brain to find a solution. I could only think of one.
“Keep going,” I said. “Keep talking about Katherine.”
A glint of pain flashed in Harley’s eyes. She didn’t want to cause Odette any more suffering. But we had no choice, not if we wanted to beat Katherine. I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. I’m right here. I’m with you in this. I hoped she understood.
“Odette, I’m sorry to ask this, but we need to know about the second ritual. We need to know so we can stop Katherine before she hurts others, the way she’s hurt you,” she whispered.
Odette blinked again. “Must kill. Must stop.”
“Exactly, we’ve got to stop her, and you’re the only one who can help us.”
“Kill… a… Father of Magicals… in the Land… of Gaia. Can’t think of three. Four is gone. Five is dark. All gone. All hiding.” The strain of remembering showed on Odette’s face. Veins bulged at her temples, and her pale cheeks were scarlet with exertion.
“What did you say?” Harley turned to us. “What did she say?”
“Kill a Father of Magicals in the Land of Gaia,” Garrett replied. Jacob nodded. “I don’t think she can remember three, four, or five.”
“Wade, can you try any of your memory tricks on her?” Harley glanced at me.
“You don’t think the doctors here have tried every single one in the book?”
She shrugged. “I don’t care, I want you to try. They might have missed one. We have to see if we can make it work.”
I stepped forward and placed my hands on either side of Odette’s head. She wouldn’t let go of Harley’s hands, which made things awkward. Ignoring the brush of Harley’s forearm against my stomach, I focused on Odette. Wisps of magic slithered across my fingertips and into her skull. I didn’t like doing memory spells this way; it intensified the sensations.
“Claustra deobstruere,” I chanted. “Quod depelle nebula. Excommunicare auferat Daemones.”
A scream howled from her throat, and I stepped back sharply. Her body convulsed, white foam spilling from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and veins bulged like fat worms under her skin. Before she could topple from the windowsill, I caught her in my arms. She weighed almost nothing at all and looked like a child in my grasp. I carried her across to her bed and lay her down.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. Behind me, Garrett hurried over and administered a painkiller, pulling it out of his pocket. He shot it right into her vein, having somehow gotten his hands on a syringe. He’d really gone all out with the nurse thing. She relaxed instantly, but it wouldn’t fix her mind. She was definitely suffering from a bad case of retrograde amnesia, and an even worse case of PTSD.
Harley came to sit at her side, holding on to her hand as she tossed and turned. “Odette?”
It was no good. The poor woman was babbling again.
“It doesn’t look like she’s going to talk again.” Jacob sounded nervous.
“She gave us the second ritual, whatever it means. Maybe we should leave her for a while,” Garrett interjected.
Harley shook her head. “She told us what the second ritual entails, but we need to know more about astral projection. Remington mentioned it when I spoke to him. It’s going to be important if we want to stop Katherine from performing ritual two.” She fixed her gaze on Odette. “Odette, there’s one more thing, and then I swear I’ll let you rest. There are two ways of reaching out to a Child of Chaos, right? One way is through a portal, which takes us straight to the otherworlds. And the other way is through astral projection. I know nobody has tried it for a very long time, and I don’t really understand what it means. That’s why I need you to help me. Please, Odette.”
Odette stirred and stared up at Harley. “Astral… projection. Yes. Will get a Child’s attention. Yes. But how? Must think. Must focus. Must remember.” She strained, and her back arched. “Need spell. Must get spell. Must think. Must remember.”
“That’s it, Odette. You’ve got this.” Harley gripped her hand.
“Euphoria,” she whispered. “Euphoria. Can talk. Can reach. Can seek. Happened once. Yes. A witch. She sought. She sank. She spoke. Lux. Long ago. Yes. Euphoria.”
“Euphoria is a way of doing this astral projection thing? A witch did it, a long time ago? She spoke to Lux when she did it? Is that what you’re saying?” I heard the desperation in Harley’s voice. The rest of us were watching her in awe. Marie Laveau had given us a small square of paper that gave us some indication of how to perform astral projection, but we hadn’t been able to make much sense of it. This was good progress.
Odette nodded very slowly. But it was a definite nod.
“Must rest. Must think. Must remember,” she murmured. “Very dark. Very tired. Very scared.”
“We’ll let you rest now, Odette. But if you can, will you try and remember the other rituals?” Harley pressed. Odette nodded again. “I find. I tell. I try. Much harder. I try.”
“I’ll leave my number here in case they come to you. You can call me any time, and I’ll be there to answer. If you want us to visit you again, we’ll come running, okay?” Harley’s voice was soft and sweet. Tears glinted in her eyes. Angry ones. Katherine had pushed this woman to her breaking point, and Harley wouldn’t forget or forgive that. None of us would.
Odette smiled. “Very kind. Very sweet. Good soul.”
A tear fell down Harley’s cheek. It took everything I had not to wipe it away. “I’m sorry Katherine did this to you,” she murmured.
“Much pain.”
“I know, I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through,” she replied. “How did you escape her in the end?” “Broke rules. Used spell. Powerful spell.”
“You broke the rules? What rules?”
“Librarian rules.”
Harley shook her head sadly. “I’m so sorry, Odette.”
“Human Morph. Woman dead. My hands. Only way.”
“You used a Morph spell to take over someone’s body?” Harley sounded surprisingly understanding. Anyone who sided with Katherine was our enemy. And Odette had been pushed to her limits by Katherine. Of course she’d snapped eventually. I only wondered what it had cost her. Was this because of Katherine, or was this because she’d broken Librarian rules? There had to be boundaries to being a Librarian. If they could use their knowledge themselves, they’d be the most powerful magical on the planet. It made sense now that she’d said it. Katherine had forced her to break those rules. Either way, she was the one responsible for this.
Odette smiled. “Yes.”
“And that woman is dead now?”
“Only way. No trail. Two spells. Broke rules.”
Harley nodded. “You killed her to cover your tracks, which meant you had to use two of the spells you’d learned? Two very powerful ones?”
“Human Morph. Medusa’s Gaze.”
“Those are the spells you used to escape. One that gave you the ability to use Morph powers on a human, and one called Medusa’s Gaze?”
“Yes.”
Garrett gave a low whistle. “Man, Katherine must be fuming right now.”
“Garrett,” I hissed.
“What? She must be!”
Harley’s focus never left Odette. “I promise I’ll make sure that Katherine doesn’t hurt you ever again. She won’t touch you, do you hear me?” The woman’s eyes closed, and a look of quiet calm settled over her face. “I promise you, I’ll stop her.”
“We should go,” Jacob said. There were tears in his eyes, too.
I nodded. “Just let me set some charms under her bed, and we can head out.” Katherine had been dabbing her fingers in the SDC with annoying ease. She wasn’t going to do the same here.
“Good idea.” Harley placed Odette’s hands on her chest and got up. “We need to do what we can to boost this coven’s protection. If a Shapeshifter can sneak in without detection, we need to boost the security ourselves. No offense, Garrett.”
He shrugged. “None taken. I’ll help.”
After laying the charms under Odette’s bed and around the room, we were ready to portal back to the SDC. Dr. Fenélon would no doubt wonder where we’d gone, but that was the beauty of a Portal Opener. They were so rare that nobody expected them.
“Everyone ready?” I looked at the group.
Garrett shook his head. “I’m going to stay here awhile and do some research. Plus, I can cover for you so Dr.
Fenélon doesn’t start freaking out about a bunch of missing visitors.”
I frowned and opened my mouth to speak. He cut me off before I could.
“Relax, it’s all above board. You were right before. We’re all in this together. There are just some things I need to look into. If Odette came here, then people know who she is here—I might be able to find out more. Plus, I kind of want to keep an eye on her, just for a bit.”
“You’re not going to LA about us, are you?”
He grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll have to tell them about the second ritual, though.”
Man, you better not screw us over.
“Fair enough. Let’s get going.” I turned to Jacob. “Whenever you’re ready.”
We reappeared in the dragon garden a few minutes later. Fortunately, nobody was there. It was so out of the way that hardly anyone came to this part of the coven. Jacob had chosen well. At some point, I’d have to properly forgive him for the Quetzi incident. Slowly but surely, he was winning me over.
Together, we headed out into the main hallway. A second later, I skidded to a halt and pulled the other two back. Levi had turned the corner into the corridor, and he didn’t look happy. He stormed toward us, ready to tear us a new one. I didn’t need Empathy to know he was pissed. I could see it on his face—he knew we’d been out.
“Crap, crap, crap!” Harley hissed. My thoughts exactly.
Hell was about to rain down on us. I just hoped the rest of the Rag Team wouldn’t get soaked along with us. Whatever happened, we had to defend the lie. We had to make sure they weren’t embroiled in this. Otherwise, everyone would be screwed.
“You!” Levi roared. “A word. NOW!”
Jacob was frozen stiff. He still wore his Tarver mask, but I could sense his fear at being found out.
“Not you. You can go. This will not be suitable for younger ears.” He flicked his wrist at Jacob, who didn’t need to be told twice. He scurried away and flashed us an apologetic look. I didn’t blame him. I wanted to do the same thing. “I’m very interested to hear where the two of you have been.” Levi’s eyes burned almost as brightly as Raffe’s. He might not have had a djinn, but Levi sure had a devil inside him. Right now, we were facing the pointy end of his pitchfork.
“We were taking a walk,” I replied. We had to play it cool.
“You don’t fool me, you little worms.” Levi’s chest heaved with the exertion of his anger. “I know about the duplicates, so don’t even try to use them to save your asses. I popped them like balloons. I haven’t figured out who made them, but I will. You can count on that. And when I find out, there will be hell to pay for that magical!”
Harley cleared her throat. “We wanted some privacy, that’s all.”
“Yes, some privacy,” I added.
“I trusted you, Wade, and you have let me down. I should have known you were too close to the situation to be given any responsibility.” He shot me a dark look to let me know my cover was blown. No more spying for me. “You underestimate me, both of you, and you undermine me. And it will stop. You two have no idea what I’m capable of, but I’m only too happy to make sure you find out,” he growled. “As if I wouldn’t spot a duplicate a mile off? I’m no fool.”
If you have to say it…
“So, I’ll ask again, where have you been?”
A very familiar voice echoed in the hallway behind us. “They were out to dinner. With me.”
I whirled around and stared into the eyes of the one person who could possibly be angrier at me than Levi.
My mom.