One hour earlier.
Morwood’s Graveyard
Sadness crept over the graveyard as Mona faced off with the woman who was once her only friend in the world—who was now her nemesis. “How?” Mona asked, barely able to stand.
A smile crept across Lara’s face. “You made a mistake.”
“I don’t make mistakes.”
“This time you did,” Lara said defiantly. “The magick you harnessed to make your undead followers created a portal, so to speak. I took advantage.”
Mona’s eyes widened. “You will never be whole. Your time here is limited.”
“For as long as you are.”
“You know what this means don’t you?”
Lara nodded. “You know what this means for you, too, then.”
Mona ground her teeth and lunged forward, but Lara jumped back and kicked Mona in the stomach.
“I’m more powerful than even you,” Lara stated. “Your biggest mistake was underestimating me the first time. Don’t let it become a habit.”
“Don’t worry.” Mona gasped. “I won’t!”
Lara walked toward the damaged iron gates.
“Also,” Mona said. “Your sister is at the academy.”
Lara’s brilliant green eyes widened. “Katarina?”
Mona smirked. “She doesn’t remember you.”
“Mom must have wiped her memories of me,” Lara said downheartedly. “She was only four when I—”
“Yeah, I know,” Mona said dismissively. “If you even so much as mention I’m back, I will kill her. I’ll snap her neck like a twig just like yours did when you hung from the willow tree.”
Lara took a step forward, pointing her finger at her ex–best friend. “If you lay one finger on my family...”
“You’ll what? Kill me? Please.” Mona’s fierce gaze locked onto Lara’s. “By the time you even try to kill me, she will already be dead. I have spies everywhere.”
Lara growled. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”
“No,” Mona said, her eyes flashing blue. “I don’t believe I have.”
***
LAYLA PULLED KAT AND Angie into a deserted potions classroom. The potions that the students had made were still brewing in the cauldrons.
“She walked back into the academy as if no time had passed,” Layla explained. “I listened in on Krauss. According to the teachers, she hasn’t aged a day. Apparently, she doesn’t even remember how she came back to life.”
“She’s real,” Kat said, still trying to wrap her head around it. “I just can’t believe it. I mean, surely I’d remember her?”
Angie squeezed Kat’s hand. “We need to find the headmistress—”
“No,” Layla interrupted. “If you go in there knowing what happened, they’ll know I...”
“You what?” Angie asked.
Layla fiddled nervously with the strings on her school hoodie. “I sensed magick coming from Morwood’s Graveyard, so I may have tapped into the magick to see if I could find out what was going on.”
Angie sighed with disbelief. “You mean to tell me that you sensed magick when no one else did?”
Layla bit her lip. “Okay, I did a divination ritual that is kinda, well...banned.” She put her hand up to hush them as they both opened their mouths. “But, I always do it, I swear. It’s not a big deal. Anyway,” Layla continued. “I sensed the magick of a Mornai.”
Angie and Kat both looked at each other, remembering back to their history lessons. “Necromancers.”
“Yes,” Layla replied. “So I used the earth to track the magic, and I don’t know what happened. It reinforced the magick that was being channeled there, which strengthened the magick of another’s already there. I think that’s how your sister got back through.” Layla hushed them again as Kat stepped forward. “No, I don’t know who was behind the magic,” she said, answering the unspoken question. “I was hoping your sister would know, but she doesn’t from what I heard.”
Angie flicked back her hair, stepped forward and pressed her index finger onto Layla’s chest. “I knew you were odd, but dangerous? You’ve just caused one hell of a problem. Don’t you see how this is affecting Kat?”
“I’m fine,” Kat lied.
“Shh,” Angie replied. “You’re not. Coming back from the dead is never straightforward. You’re going to help us fix this, Layla, or I will tell everyone that you’ve been doing banned rituals.”
“I’ll help,” Layla said, taking a step back. “You really didn’t need to threaten me. I would have helped anyway.”
Kat sucked in a deep breath, taking in the wafting smell of herbs and flower petals from the potions. “Let’s go find my sister then.”