Page 115 of The Holy Academy of Witches

“You just did,” she stuck her tongue out at me over the top of her book.

Pointedly ignoring her, I continued my perusal of the maps I’d retrieved from the library archives, “A maiden full in dying light... The last riddle required a particular phase of the moon…”

“What are you thinking?” Sage asked.

“Dying light could perhaps be a waning moon?”

“Yes! That makes sense… though I really don’t get any of the rest.”

“Perhaps we should revisit the statue?”

“Good thinking. When?”

“Now?” I began to pack my books away as Sage looked at her watch awkwardly. “What?”

“Umm well, I’m actually busy.”

“Busy? You’re never busy?”

“Rude!” She swung her book at my arm, which I narrowly avoided. “I do socialise… Sometimes… rarely. Okay, it’s with Cillian.”

“Ah. He told me he had plans tonight. A gig I presume?”

“Bingo. Anyway, due to the fact that we’re y’know…” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “fake dating… we’re going on a ‘date.’” She motioned air quotations in the air in a discreet way.

“Do you have time to go have a quick look before you meet him?”

She looked at her phone as she considered my question, “sure, I think so!”

“Let’s go then…”

Sixty-Two

Sage

Adeline was pacing around the statue this time. Though with her delicate brows drawn and the occasional mutter it looked more like she was casting a curse than thinking. I stood off to the side with the book staring at the words without comprehension… again.

A maiden full in dying light.

A curse, a sign, or blessing?

Solace found in kins own sight,

Seek out the holy dressing.

“We’re sure this isn’t something to do with Salad Dressing?” I asked, knowing full well I’d deserve the look of blatant disgust thrown to me from Adeline. I’d asked the same question dozens of times, but hey, I was hungry. And if we didn’t finish up soon I’d be late for Cillian’s gig. Which was out of our radius, which meant I needed to leave soon.

“Elizabeth saw angels right? So maybe she was related to them and they brought solace? Maybe we need to summon an angel?”

“We better hope that’s not the answer because I don’t feel like breaking more laws or attempting a summoning that’s never been done successfully.”

“Okay, well maybe I can use the Sight to find a Solacing angel?”

“Haven’t you been trying that already?”

“Yeah…”

“And?”

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