Page 71 of Phoenix Academy: Mayhem

Under the spell of her power, the demonic bat-winged things fall from the sky and burn into ash on the ground, returning from the Hell from which they came.

I smirk at Dani and flip my growing blue hair over one shoulder. "Ready to call Uncle yet?"

She raises one brow just barely.

"I know, I know." I sigh. "You can't exactly give in to my brilliant plan when I've taken the ability to move and speak away from you." Scuffing the rune, I command, "Release!"

The grass that formed the rune springs back into place as it's erased from existence. Dani breathes out dramatically and wipes sweat from her brow, then shoots a grin in my direction—and races forward to tackle me.

I screech as I fall to the grass. She tumbles after me, grabs my wrists and holds them down, grinning at me with delight.

"You know," she says conversationally, "we're honing out battle skills for nothing. The threats are all gone. Even Headmaster Towers says the Grim clans are subdued. We could probably stay inside and binge watch TV shows instead if we wanted to."

"Sounds boring," I grouse. "Also, you haven't done it yet."

Rolling her eyes, she sits back on her heels and drones methodically, "I am the loser, Ari is the winner, she is the Greatest Phoenix of All Time, Holder of the Champion Ring, blah blah Uncle."

"Close enough."

Holding out my hand, I watch her drop the little plastic decoder ring we've been using into my palm—then gasp as I realize something.

"The bracelet. It's gone."

For several minutes we search in the tall grass, looking for the thing. I feel my heart seize with fear and anger at myself. It never should've fallen off—shouldn't even be capable of it. Seven immortal creatures died to create it.

Then my fingers hit a thin metal circlet, and I raise it up triumphantly. "Found it, over—"

My voice cuts off as I see what I'm holding.

The bracelet has been drained of its power.

Sitting back at my heels, I stare at the dull metal, which now has a piece missing in the center—no doubt how it slipped from my wrist. It doesn't warm to my skin, doesn't even do anything when I experimentally let a flame dance between my fingers.

It's dead.

Dani stares at it, and we meet each other's eyes.

"It was probably drained most of the way when you got out of Hell," she says, folding her palm out of mine. "Whatever magic was left after that couldn't have been much."

"And I just wasted the last of it."

She shakes her head. "No, it wasn't wasted. We did remarkable things with it. And now... now that the magic is gone, maybe that means they're all at rest. Even the worst of them."

Even the soulless man.

Tears prick my eyes, but I dash them away. My father wasn't one of the seven immortals who died to make this bracelet, but he had much in common with one of them. I wonder if this means that the spirit of the Manslayer has moved on—and whether or not he's been dragged to hell.

"C'mon." Dani slaps me on the back. "Let's bring it to Auerbach. I'm sure he'll have boring, nerdy things to say about it."

* * *

After hours listening to Auerbach hem and haw but get no closer to explaining the drained bracelet, I give up on getting answers and head back to our room. I may not be there when he figures out why the bracelet went dark, but at least I won't kill myself from boredom.

Besides, Dani is probably right. I'm sure the answer is that the bracelet's magic has been used up. Whatever tethered that power to an object, the immortals are long gone by now—and good for them. After so many centuries in captivity, they deserved rest.

We all deserve the rest of the afterlife.

Even my father.

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