Page 276 of Sigils & Spells

As I turned the door handle, it felt preternaturally cold. With the help of a silent opening spell, I rotated it, the door hinges creaked, and the simple wooden portal opened wide.

The smell of damp earth, sweaty socks, and death hit me between my eyes like a butcher’s mallet. It was definitely not a welcoming experience, but at least I knew I was in the right place. I raised my chin, ready to enter their crypt. The wooden staircase led to an old stone staircase that descended further down into the earth. I couldn’t see the end of it in the darkness.

“I … I … don’t like this,” said Harvey who saw everything through my mind.

“I can handle it.” I stilled my senses. “Stay above ground, Harvey. No matter what happens. Stay above ground.”

Of course, there were no lights in this passageway. I should have expected that. Vampires can see in the dark, so they don’t need electric bulbs. I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight app. Slowly, step by step, I descended into the bowels of my academy. My stomach clenching tighter every second.

The stench grew stronger the further I ventured. At the end of the stairway, I found a solid metal door with locks. Trust Onyx to secure the residences with the latest technology. It looked like something in a James Bond movie.

I cast a beam of laser light from my fingers to release the locks. The door opened silently. I think I would have felt better if it creaked. The stillness of the silence sent a shiver up my spine. I peered inside, illuminating the area with my flashlight. It appeared to be a large room, about the size of the library upstairs, with ten-foot earthen walls strengthened by wooden beams.

Gingerly, I stepped inside. The cement basement was darker than night and stiller than death. My heart leaped into my throat. I didn’t belong here and that feeling echoed in my bones. I struggled for my next breath.

The smell of dead bodies grew stronger. My stomach flipped, and I wanted to run. In my head Harvey said,I told you so.

I had to think. How else would Onyx protect the vampire nest? Would daggers fly out of the wall like in a treasure hunting movie? Or maybe worse, bats? I hate bats.

I swallowed and took another step. Nothing moved. I was just being silly, scaring myself, as if I was a thirteen-year-old at a Halloween sleepover. Nothing was going to—

Clang. Scrape. Clang. Scrape.

I froze. The sounds came from the other end of the room, the darkest area. What or who had I awakened? I turned off my light and listened.

The clanking drew nearer. I crouched beside the door ready to flee—or attack. My heart pounded like a jackhammer. Goosebumps rose on my arms.

Clang. Scrape. Clang. Scrape.Whoever it was—whatever it was—crept steadily toward me. My nose wiggled. I smelled a chemical, possibly chloroform. If only I could turn on my light. But that would be stupid.

Screech.The squeal of old hinges turning cut into the night. I studied the shadows in the darkness. A dark figure opened the top of a coffin. My fingers itched to send a message on my phone to Gavin, but I couldn’t risk making any noise or movement. I had to deal with this on my own.

A rustling followed. Rustling? I had no idea what that could be.Pop.That sound I knew from visits to the dentist. A tooth—a fang—had been pulled.

My body shook and my hands trembled so violently I wasn’t sure I could do anything.

“Hmm. Gotcha, bloodsucker,” said a male voice with glee.

Anger roiled inside me. I wish I could say it was courage, but it was more like pure hot rage and it made me move. I shone my flashlight toward the source of the voice.

There, three yards in front of me, stood Norm the academy’s janitor. He leaned over the open casket. In one hand he held a pair of pliers, and in the other a cloth soaked in something with a strong chemical smell wrapped around a fang.

“How could you?” I screamed loud enough to wake the dead.

His rheumy eyes glinted with pure malice. “Oh, it’s you, the goody-goody witch.”

“These are my students.Ourstudents. I can’t let you hurt them.”

He scoffed. “They’re creatures of the night. Blood-sucking killers, every one of them. Vampires don’t belong in our town. You must know that in your soul.” He hissed and spit flew from his mouth. “None of you magic folk do.”

“Put your pliers down,” I ordered.

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Okay, if you don’t care about vampires living amongst us, listen to this. I make more than a million cold bucks on every tooth I harvest. I’ll give you a percentage if you keep your mouth shut.” The line between his eyes deepened. “If you help me, we can get two tonight, and you’ll have more money that you could ever make being a teacher.”

“These vampires are under my protection.”

“What are you going to do about it? Throw a high heel at my head.”

Well … Well, he should be afraid of me. He should be very afraid of me. I was a witch after all, and he was a norm with no powers. So, why the hex wasn’t he afraid. What …?

---