Page 52 of Phoenix Academy: Madness

"Good. That means I stopped it before it could go too far." Auerbach is cool and unflappable, not reacting even a little bit to my irritation and scorn. "We had an unexpected result. That means taking a step back before going forward again with the experiment."

Anger flashes inside me at his words. I don't want to stop what I've started now. Seeing the simulacrum light up with sudden spiritedness was thrilling. And I've stoked so much rage within my blood and bones. It has nowhere to go if I don't aim it at the simulacrum.

I refuse to be told no.

Especially when, these past four months, I feel like I've been held back completely. Kept from becoming my true, most powerful self.

The only way I can get the revenge I want is if I become ruthless and full of rage.

Cutting my eyes at Auerbach, I tell him, "This isn't over. Not yet."

"I'm the teacher here." His mouth turns down in disapproval. "Also, you can't use Gilgamesh without me."

The reminder of the simulacrum's name triggers a tiny memory in my mind. I've spent countless days with Xavier in the library, reading every book about witches, magic, or anyone who has ever been a mage or a witch. Some of them were borrowed from other libraries, thanks to Xavier's privileges, or brought from the rare books room.

Some, even, were about channeling magic the way a mage does: using objects, words, and rituals to bend it to your will. While witches use whispered spells and natural material to coax spirit magic where we wish, it doesn't always go as expected. Our spells are things put together with glue and hope.

On the other hand, mages use every element at their command, and leave nothing up to chance. Everything is ordered. Exact.

Named.

I may be a phoenix now, but I was born a witch. Magic runs through my blood and flows from my fingers—and not just the wild kind that makes men mad. Spirit magic bends to my will, too.

Turning from Auerbach, I look into the simulacrum's empty eyes and say, "Gilgamesh, animate!"

At first, nothing happens, and I almost feel embarrassed. Then I reach out with my naturalistic senses and feel it: another presence in the room.

There's me, Mage Auerbach, Xavier, Reggie, David, and... a flicker of light, like a portion of a soul poured into a vessel built from clay and bones.

It's so small. Just a little thing. A candle flame flickering in the wind.

With my senses, though, I can tell it's no newborn soul. This is a spirit that has been around; it's traveled through the layers of the spirit realm, pushed against the edges of Purgatory itself, and returned to the mortal realm because... because of me.

My wild magic called it here, to this vessel without a soul inside it: plenty of space for one. And just like a bachelor moving into a one bedroom condo, the spirit moved into the simulacrum and poured its soul into all of its empty spaces. The madness called out to it with spirit energy, and it responded by flying straight into the mortal realm and into this body.

But the spirit doesn't quite settle right in the simulacrum. It's a large, empty, human-like space, but it's no human body. There isn't the stuff that makes a soulstick.

Besides that, there's the madness.

A madness that makes the thing's eyes glow blue, hands turn into fists, lip twitch with a sneer trying to rise.

It advances on me, madness and free spirit fighting within the thing's clay, and I take a step back, suddenly wary.

"Ari!" Auerbach's voice sounds unsteady for the first time since I met him; he's panicked, which just makes me panic. "You're the one who animated it this time, so you have to be the one to cut its strings."

I grit my teeth, jaw clenched. "Not yet. I want to know what's going on."

From behind me, Xavier calls out, "Be careful!"

"This is stupid," David grouses. "That thing is going to pummel you to death."

But the simulacrum hasn't taken another step towards me. Its legs are locked, eyes darting wildly from side to side. When I reach out with my naturalistic senses, I can tell that there's something unsteady about the way the spirit has attached to the body. It's not completely in control, but is fighting the madness in an attempt to reach out and communicate.

It needs more spirit magic so it can settle inside the body fully. Once it has, there's something it wants to tell me.

Time to be brave.

Licking my lips, I take two quick steps towards it and press my thumb against the simulacrum's forehead. Reggie makes a strangled, protesting sound, and Auerbach says, "Careful, Ari," but I ignore them both in favor of staring straight into Gilgamesh's bright blue eyes.

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