Page 38 of Forbidden Magic
He takes a step forward when I approach, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning against. “Julia? I sent Lydia ahead. Can I speak with you?”
“Sure.” Another depressing teacher pep talk might be all I need to spontaneously combust.
“Dr. Chen gave me your testimony. I’m responsible for the security on Academy grounds, and I have a few questions.”
“Oh.”
“First, can you show me exactly where you were when you saw the yellow eyes?”
We walk to the spot where I saw the monster. The gnarly trees look almost friendly in the daylight. A huge thunderstorm erased the paw prints that I saw.
“You say you ran when you heard the growl?” He scribbles something in his notepad.
“Yes. I was alone and freaked out. There were weird paw prints in the mud right here.”
“Why were you late to the party?” Oz asks, his pen tucked in his mouth as he crouches down to examine the ground. He passes his hand over the wet soil and casts a spell, the earth forming a vague animal-shaped print.
“Lydia and I were stuck on dishes duty.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “The dreaded dishes chore. And you saw the anomaly around 10:15?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see Holly at the party?”
I look to the ground. “No, I didn’t know her. Is she okay?”
“She’s still in a coma. Her roommate says she left the party early, around the time that you arrived. Can you make a list of every student you saw when you got there? You can give it to me tomorrow.”
Does he have a suspect in mind? “Sure.”
“Anything else that could help us catch whoever did this?”
I swallow hard.
Oz’s gray eyes carve into me like a knife. “I’m going to be straight with you here, Julia. A lot of people, students and staff combined, weren’t happy with the Council’s decision to allow mortals to return to the Academy. This might be an isolated incident, but…”
“There was a shadow,” I blurt out.
A dark cloud obscures his chiseled face, and he rubs his jaw. “A shadow?”
“Yes. It was huge, with tendrils and a darker, blurry area that looked like a mouth.”
His previously inquisitive expression wrinkles into a deep frown. “Be careful, Julia. Shadows of that sort come from the underworld. And if a demon acquired your scent…he’ll be coming back for seconds.”
My mouth slacks. “A demon?”
The third realm is the most mysterious of the three. The Underworld is a place few mortals ever live to recount, full of monsters that sometimes bleed into our reality. Witches have the ability to harness the powers of the demons that live there, that’s why we have such an affinity for elemental magic, but we never ever wish to meet our dark patrons. Summoning a demon into our realm requires immense power. Whoever did this means business.
Oz pats my shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone else for now. I don’t want to cause mass hysteria over nothing. If there’s a demon here, I’ll find his trail.”
If a demon is roaming the forest behind the Academy… we’re all screwed.
15
Library Things
“Demeter’s roots,” I say, biting my bottom lip. The thick reference books at the front of the library fans until it reaches its destination. The volume settles on a blank page that writes itself faster than my eyes can read, the paper now filled with book names and stacks on where to find them. My breath stutters. There are at least 30 books with references to the plant. I’m going to miss dinner.
