Page 101 of Magic's Rise

Tris and I had found it in our investigation. There’s also a bed for napping, which Aspen needs.

“I’ll check it out if the wooden seat gets too uncomfortable.” Aspen drags over the slender grimoire with all of the barrier spells. “Will you be upstairs?”

“Gotta commune with the magic wind.” I slip the Rothaven spell book in next to mine and swing the backpack over my shoulder. “Holler if you need me.”

I leave Aspen slumped over his homework and head up to the turret, feeling a bit like Rapunzel, complete with the long hair and princes, though I’ll never tell Haut that he’s royalty as far as I’m concerned. It would just inflate his already substantial ego.

As I reach the top, a chilly breeze swirls around me, making my skin tingle.

I settle on the floor, take a deep breath, and set the grimoires in front of me. With wand in hand, I open to the first spell that I copied. “Here goes nothing. No pressure or anything.”

I work through them one by one, adding my blood into the mix by dripping it onto the cover, similar to how I call the four quarters and perform the misdirection spell. The thirsty book drinks it all up and remains stubbornly shut through the first two, but the third spell is just right, and the grimoire’s cover lifts, revealing its secrets to me.

“Don’t you lie to me, you nasty thing.” I whip out my phone to snap a picture.

My heart races as I wait for the grimoire to slam shut again, but it remains motionless, inviting further exploration.

When I close the cover and open it again without the need to let some blood, excitement bubbles within me. It worked.

Eager to share my success with Aspen, I bounce to my feet before I force myself to sit again. Unlocking the book is only the first step, and now that I’ve come this far, I want to go back downstairs with even better news.

Flipping to the first spell, I snap a picture of the title and use an online German-to-English translator to see what the spell is. Cure Boils.

Gross, but also cool. Who needs a dictionary when I have the internet?

I flip to the next page and translate that one, too, followed by the next.

Dense text and intricate illustrations fill each page, and some of the titles translate into utter nonsense, making it a challenge to decipher their meaning. Progress moves at a snail’s pace, but determination keeps me going.

After all, at least one game-changing spell hides within this book.

As I turn the page, my pulse quickens as I spot an illustration of a wolf and a human overlapped. My hand shakes as I snap a picture, and I hold my breath as I wait for the translation.

Suppress the Bloodlust.

With a surge of excitement, I scramble to my feet and bolt out of the turret.

“Hey, Aspen!” I race down the stairs and across the open second floor. “I think I found something you need to see!”

In my haste, I reach the next set of steps before I realize I left the grimoire behind, but I’ve gone too far now. Aspen will just have to come upstairs to marvel at my discovery.

As I arrive on the ground level, an acrid stench reaches my nose, the unmistakable scent of something burning.

“Aspen?” I hurry to the table, only to find it empty and spin in a circle. “Aspen, are you playing with fire?”

Then I spot smoke crawling down the hall, where I had told Aspen about a comfy chair and a soft bed that his exhausted body would have found irresistible.

“Fire!” I race to the front door to pull it open, but it refuses to budge.

I pound my fist against it. “Help! Fire!”

But no one comes to our rescue, and I remember Griffen saying that he would take the pack for a run.

“Haut!” I scream at the top of my lungs as smoke curls around my ankles.

Horror fills me as I stare down at it. If it’s this thick in here, how much worse is it where Aspen is?

I turn back to the hall, where the air grows so hazy that I can’t see the far wall. “Aspen! Are you back there?”

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