Page 75 of Monster's Mystery

Master Blackthorn has vanished into the dark forest. It has been a fortnight, and nobody has seen neither hide nor hair since. His mother is driven to distraction, but his cousin seems to know more than he lets on. He’s the Headmaster of the academy now, as the young Master passed it on through legal means. Search parties have gone out, but none have been successful. In my estimation, Master Blackthorn will be found when he wants to be found and not one moment before. The spell he cast on our door holds well and is a source of great entertainment to our neighbors. This house shall be passed down in our family and the secret guarded well. We are loyal to the Blackthorn family and shall be forevermore.

“Thank you so much for your help,” I said, closing both my grimoire and the journal. I felt a little sick; if my suspicions proved correct, I had been trusting the wrong person.

Jim entered with the two mugs of tea. “Are you leaving already?”

“I’m afraid so. Dinner is in a few minutes, and I have an appointment I can’t miss,” I said. “Thank you so much for the offer of tea.”

“We should probably get ready for our own dinner, then,” Everly said, putting her crochet work to the side and stretching her arms.

“Thank you,” I repeated, hurrying out of the room.

My heart was in turmoil. I understood why Master Blackthorn had done what he’d done back in 1666, but if I was correct…

I took a deep breath. “I have no proof,” I muttered to myself as I left the house. “Yet.”

Mirror travel brought me back to the front of the academy. The pedestal where Clarissa Blackthorn had stood was empty. I tried not to think about the fact that she had been a real person the whole time. For over three hundred years! I pinched my lips tight to hold back the lump in my throat.

You got this.

Just go into the cafeteria and tell him that you know what he’s up to—

No, you need proof first.

I sat on the bottom step. A breeze shuffled the leaves around my feet and made me shiver. I pulled the grimoire out of my purse again, opening it to a tracking spell that I had marked as potentially reworkable to find a person. Professor Reynolds had said it wouldn’t work unless I had a part of the person I wanted to find, but for today, I didn’t need to rework it. I could use it as is.

It was a little more complicated than I thought at first, but soon I had a vial, which I had transfigured from a leaf, filled with a drop of pure power. All I had to do was attach it to my target. Somehow. Without him noticing.

This is going to backfire spectacularly,I thought grimly. But I had to try.

I dusted the seat of my pants off with shaky hands when I stood. “Wish me luck, Clarissa,” I whispered to the non-existent statue. Despite only knowing her name for a short time, I felt connected to her in a way. Maybe because we were both tied up in this mystery.

After the quiet outdoors, the bustling foyer was a shock. All the happy, chattering students standing in small groups were almost confusing. As I made my way through them, I overheard snippets of conversation. Everyone had their own theory about the missing statue, the most outlandish being that she was responsible for the kidnappings and she was using the victims to bring herself to life.

I swallowed hard. That last one sounded a lot like my fears manifested.

My gaze skipped over our usual table before I realized that Paige was sitting there alone. I made my way over to her.

She looked tired.

I fought down the odd mixture of annoyance and embarrassment burbling inside me as I sat beside her. “Who are you accusing today?”

Paige sighed. “Nobody. Nothing makes any sense. The victims aren’t connected in any way, other than they are all fire beasts. Hazel excluded. They come from different backgrounds, they are different years, they have different studies. I’m sorry.” She put her head down on her arms and her shoulders shook.

I patted her arm awkwardly. “It’s not your fault. You tried your best.” I saw my friends heading toward me. “I might have a lead,” I whispered quickly. “Can you cause a distraction?”

Paige raised her head. “I think I am most uniquely qualified to do that.”

I swallowed a laugh, coughing slightly. “I think you’re right.”

“Ready to go see Professor Dunlop after dinner?” Bruce asked, sliding into the seat next to me.

“So ready,” I said, my stomach turning. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need his spell.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it before!” Paige shouted suddenly, leaping up from beside me. Her face was red. “You’re the kidnapper!” She was pointing directly at me.

“What?” I asked, gaping at her.

“You’re always trying to point me in other directions. I bet you killed Richard, too!”

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