Page 3 of Baneful Magick

It was a pretty plain invitation; nothing really stood out. Ma read over it, giving no opinion on the matter beyond saying it was my decision.

Mom never came back inside. She ended up calling Ma’s cell to say that she had gotten to work and was sorry she had left in such a rush. We ended the call with peace between us and a promise to talk more the following evening when she had time off.

I ordered the pizzas as Ma walked off to talk with Mom privately. Once that was done, I went to check on my plants one more time before I came in for dinner. A drizzle had started while I was inside, and the drops immediately coated me in a light layer of moisture. With every step toward my garden, the mist grew heavier, transforming into a downpour, but I didn’t care.

My thoughts were swirling around in my head like a vicious storm, and I knew that being in my garden would help center me. The moment I closed the gate behind me, I started to feel at ease. The allure of the rich earth was too strong to ignore, so I slipped off my shoes and let my bare feet sink into the grass and mud. The steady hum of my deadly plants was like a lullaby, soothing and haunting, and I walked among the rows to calm myself down.

Academy had ended a few weeks ago, and I had reached out to Demir to get his thoughts on where I should move to around Seattle, where he lived. In fact, I had appointments set up to check out apartments so I could move out of my parents’ home.

Going to a university after an academy had never been in my plans, especially since people didn’t apply to universities or conservatories. The college level schools needed to reach out to you if they were interested, but Ineverthought I would be sought after. Some people received multiple invitations, which started a competition between the institutions who wanted to “claim” them, whereas I was stunned to receive even one.

My powers centered on poisons. Sure, I could heal small wounds, but that at the end of the day, that wasn’t my specialty. Plus, I was awitch. Not high fae, elf, siren, or shifter. There weren’t many of us left these days, and not many had been strong enough to draw the interest of the higher learning institutions even when more of us existed.

Greywood, though… Not much was known about them.What history does Mom have with that place to evoke such a strong reaction? Who was the man that delivered the envelope to me, and why did I react so strongly to him?

I didn’t have any answers, and the voice inside my head remained frustratingly silent. Pulling out the letter from my pocket, I unfolded it to look at it again.

Something filled me, an impulsive thought that I couldn’t resist. I stood up, hurrying to my workbench and opening the secret compartment where I stored poisons. Browsing through them, my hand stopped when it reached the small bottle of Aqua Tofana. I poured a small amount on the page, slowly spreading it with my fingers to cover the entire bottom of the paper.

The paper absorbed the liquid, and I gasped when a hidden message appeared. Pain consumed my hands felt like they wereon fire, and I reflexively dropped the paper. As it fluttered to the ground, I read the words seared on the page.

Thank you for accepting your place at Greywood Conservatory, Isla Hallowes. You will be among the most deadly and dangerous magick practitioners of our time. I hope that you will not disappoint us.

Only the strong and capable make it out of Greywood, Miss. Hallowes. We shall see if you are one of them.

What the hell did I just do?!

Chapter 2

Ambrose

FRIDAY

Black hair and hazel eyes teased me as I inhaled deeply on my pipe. The smoke and slow lull of opium crawled into my veins, its familiar warmth filling me like a wicked lover’s embrace.

Isla Hallowes.

She was trouble with a capital T.

The way she had called out to me, daring me to come out and confront her. Even when I said her name, hoping to get some kind of reaction from her, there was no true fear. Sure, there were nerves, which were understandable, but fear… That was absent. If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

Did she not recognize that I was high fae? Or maybe she just didn’t care? An intriguing yet irksome thought all the same.

Try as I might to relax, my mind kept wandering back to the witch I had met this evening. Absently, I brushed my hand along the edge of my coat that she had complimented.

A slamming door made me sigh in frustration and annoyance, giving up on my drug-induced escape for a while longer.There is no damn privacy on this campus.In walked the President of Greywood Conservatory, his long beaked nosefollowed by his lean, willowy frame in a cheap suit. Really, the man should just stick to his necromancer robes. They fit him better.

“Did you give the witch the invitation, Ambrose?”

Hot rage warmed my blood at his cool tone. I focused on him as I took another deep inhale from my pipe. I remained sprawled across the deep ruby-colored chaise, purposefully looking him up and down with an unimpressed glance.

“Yes,” I answered a minute or so later. Smoke swirling between us, a lingering reminder that I would not snap to attention under his mere presence. “Isla took the envelope and brought it inside to her mothers as soon as she thought I was gone.”

“Did you stay to ensure she accepted?”

“That would be in violation of your own rules, President,” I reminded him evenly, my eyes narrowing as he bristled. “I might work for you at the moment, President Thatcher, but do not forget to whom you speak.”

The dim lights of the room flickered, going out one by one until the only light in the room was from my pipe and the red and gold in my eyes. The necromancer looked surprised by the power display but not afraid.What an annoying theme of today.

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