Page 19 of Demon Found

“Do youwantme to make you toast? You might have heard, I’m good at setting things on fire.”

The kid gulps and shakes his head vigorously.

“Then budge the fuck over before I set you alight like the fucking sun.”

“Neat,” whispers Naeve. “Of all the people you could threaten to set on fire, you choose the dryad. I guess in his genus form he would burn quite nicely.”

Oops.Shrugging, I cast a glance at the desktop in front of me, the dryad momentarily forgotten. This is amazing: beakers of brightly colored liquids neatly lined up, pipettes, measuring jugs, and a whole rack of dried herbs. There’s even a little gas burner flickering away. My hand twitches toward it automatically, and I run my fingers through the flame, enjoying the brief prickle of heat across my skin.

The dryad squeaks, gathers his stuff and scuttles to the back of the room.

“You really aren’t about making friends, huh?”

I glare at Naeve but keep my mouth shut as the professor starts to gather up various liquids and herbs.

“Page seventy-two. Today you’re going to create an elixir to change the appearance of something. This is a straightforward potion.” Professor Allegra’s nails tap irritably on her textbook. “Follow the instructions and you can’t go wrong—although I’m sure some of you will do your best to disprove that theory. I will leave you to decide what you want to change the appearance of—use your imaginations.”

Glancing over the spell, my fingers tingle. This looks simple. It’s like making a cocktail. Even without my powers, I could make a mean Magical Mary with the right herbs.

Picking the leaves of the final ingredient, I roll them in my fingers, inhaling the slightly woody aroma of the herb. Now I have the base, I just have to work out what I want to change. Professor Allegra always liked flair so . . .

“Good, Naeve. Six out of ten.” Naeve’s shoulders droop. “The elixir’s components are exact, you measured and cut perfectly, and you did change something. But really? A pencil into a pen? Camille managed to make a very ordinary rock grow hair. Next! Lorelei?”

My idea of flair seems a bit over the top now that I’ve seen most of the class’s efforts. I don’t even know if it’ll work. Palms sweating, I move toward Alice clutching my little vial of elixir.

“What did you make?” The professor takes my vial warily and runs her tests.

“It’s to change appearance. It shouldn’t last long.”

“Well, yes, that was the task.” Professor Allegra lets out a musical laugh. “You have all the right components of the base in there. So, let’s see what you’ve got.”

“I... I... have to drink it.”

She frowns and the class starts murmuring. Did I misunderstand? I thought anything went.

“That’s rather advanced. Did you follow the formula in the appendix?”

I nod and the professor claps her hands. “Carry on, then!”

Gingerly I pull five milliliters into a pipette and drop it into my mouth. Five milliliters for five seconds. That should be right.

Gasps break out around the room. It’s worked. I’ve done it. I can’t see myself! As quickly as I’m gone, I reappear. Puffing out my cheeks in relief, I try to walk nonchalantly back to my seat.

“An elixir that conveys transparency—very well done! Full marks.” Professor Allegra beams at me. “You know, I rather think I remember you from somewhere . . .” Her face closes off suddenly and she turns away. “Alright, class, I have a meeting to attend. You may leave early, but only once the room is spotless.”

Wrinkling my nose, I frown at Professor Allegra’s departing back. It’s almost like she didn’t want to remember.

“That was freaking amazing, Lorelei,” Naeve says. “That’s final-year stuff!”

“Don’t see why, it’s literally following a recipe and working out how to make the base do the thing you want. The book says elixirs to convey transparency won’t last longer than twenty seconds, ever. Not without some complicated magic. No biggie.”

Turning around, I nearly walk into Camille. She’s poised right behind me, a glint in her eye.

“So, youcando something that’s not whoring, Scholarship. Tell me, are you as good at getting rid of potions as you are at making them?”

In a flash she upends her entire beaker over me. Gasping as the cold liquid trickles through my shirt, I shove Camille back too late. My hand starts to sprout thick brown hair, and a creeping across my back and chest tells me it’s growing everywhere.No, no, no!I don’t have time for stupid pranks. I need to get to my elemental reveal. I take a few steps, but a flash goes off in my face and I stumble backward.

“Check out Hairy Harpy on my Magabook page,” Belinda yells before she and Camille careen out of the lab in fits of laughter.

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