The Indigo Spell

I realized then that it was almost time to meet Ms. Terwilliger. I hurriedly finished a banana and told Eddie and Jill I’d see them later. Whether they would talk about male modeling or Jill’s dating life, I couldn’t guess.

I showed up right on the dot for my meeting but found Ms. Terwilliger’s room locked and dark. Even in crisis mode, I supposed she was entitled to run a little late now and then, so I settled down on the hallway floor and read ahead for my English class.

I grew so absorbed that I didn’t realize how much time had passed until I heard the warning bell ring and realized students were starting to fill the halls. I glanced up just as the same harried substitute teacher from before came scurrying up to the door with a set of keys. I scrambled to my feet.

“Ms. Terwilliger’s out today?” I asked. “Is she okay?”

“They don’t tell me the reasons,” the sub said brusquely. “They just ask me to be here. I hope she left an assignment this time.”

Knowing Ms. Terwilliger, I had a feeling it was going to be another “homework” day. I shuffled into the classroom after the sub, feeling a knot of anxiety in my stomach.

The next hour was agonizing. I barely heard as the sub told us to work on homework. Instead, I kept sneaking glances at my cell phone, hoping a text would come from Ms. Terwilliger. No such luck.

I went from class to class but was too distracted to give anything my full attention. I even shocked myself in English when I nearly mixed up Henry IV with Henry VI while answering an essay question. Thankfully, I caught myself before committing that embarrassing mistake to paper.

When I returned to Ms. Terwilliger’s classroom for my independent study at the day’s end, I was expecting the sub to tell me I could leave early again. Instead, I found Ms. Terwilliger herself, rifling through papers on her desk.

“You’re back!” I exclaimed. “I thought something had happened to you.”

“Not me,” she said. Her face was pale and drawn. “But someone else wasn’t so lucky.”

“No. Not again.” I sank into a chair, and all the fears I’d been carrying around today came crashing down on me. “I’d hoped we’d protected those girls.”

Ms. Terwilliger sat down opposite me. “It wasn’t one of them. Last night, Veronica targeted one of my coven members. Alana.”

It took me several moments to truly process that. “Your coven . . . you mean, like a full-fledged witch?”

“Yes.”

“Someone like you?”

Her face gave me the answer before she spoke. “Yes.”

I was reeling. “But you said she only went after young girls.”

“Normally she does. That way she can capture youth and beauty along with power.” Ms. Terwilliger didn’t look like she had to worry about someone stealing her youth anytime soon. Fatigue and stress were taking their toll on her, making her look older than she was. “Now, some magic users who perform this spell are only concerned about power, not getting younger. That’s never been Veronica’s style, though. She’s vain. She always wanted the superficial benefits—not to mention easier victims. Someone like my coven sister would be more difficult to take, so this is surprising behavior.”

“It means you could be a target,” I said. “You’ve been saying all this time that you’re safe, but now everything’s different.”

Ms. Terwilliger shook her head, and a bit of steely resolve flashed in her eyes. “No. Maybe she did this to throw me off, to make me think it’s someone else behind the spells. Or maybe to make me think she’s not interested in you. Whatever the reason, she won’t target me.”

I admired Ms. Terwilliger for thinking so well of her sister, but I couldn’t share her confidence that sisterly affection would overcome an evil quest for youth and power. “No offense, ma’am, but isn’t there a slight chance you could be wrong about her coming for you? You said she’d only go after young novices, but obviously, that’s not the case. She’s already doing things you didn’t expect.”

Ms. Terwilliger refused to back down. “Veronica may do any number of terrible things, but she won’t face me unless she’s absolutely forced to.” She handed over a new spell book and a small drawstring bag. “Just because she went after an older witch, it doesn’t mean you’re out of danger. I’ve marked some pages I want you to go over. There’s a spell there I think will prove particularly useful. I’ve gathered some components for you, and you should be able to cast the rest yourself—just make sure you do it somewhere remote. Meanwhile, I still need to make you that secondary charm. There’s just so much to do lately.”

A mix of emotions swirled within me. Once again, I was amazed that Ms. Terwilliger would go to such lengths for me. Yet I couldn’t shake my fear for her. “Maybe you should make one for yourself, just in case.”

She gave me a wan smile. “Still pushing that, hmm? Well, once I’ve secured yours, I’ll see about another. It may take a while, however. What I have in mind for you is particularly complex.”

That made me feel even worse. She always looked so worn out lately, and all these things she was doing for me were only intensifying the situation. But no matter how many arguments I made, she refused to listen. I left her classroom feeling upset and confused. I needed to vent to someone. Obviously, my choices were limited in this matter. I texted Adrian: V attacked a real witch last night. Ms. T won’t protect herself. She’s only worried about me. As usual, I received a quick response: Wanna talk about it?

Did I? I wasn’t the type to sit and analyze my feelings, but I did actually want company. I knew I shouldn’t spend more time around Adrian than I had to when my feelings for him were already so mixed. But he was the only person I wanted to talk to. I have to cast some spells for her now. Want to pick me up and come along?

My answer was a smiley face.

She’d told me to go somewhere remote, so I picked Lone Rock Park again. When Adrian and I arrived, it was smoldering in the late-afternoon heat, and I found it hard to believe Christmas was only a couple weeks away. I’d dressed in layers, just like before, and took off my Amberwood hoodie as Adrian and I trekked across the rocky terrain. He took off a coat as well, and I had to do a double take when I saw what he was wearing underneath.

“Really?” I asked. “Your AYE shirt?”

He shot me a grin. “Hey, it’s a perfectly good shirt. I think I’m going to see if I can start a chapter on Carlton’s campus.” Carlton was the college he took art classes at. It was pretty small and didn’t even have fraternities or sororities.

“A chapter?” I scoffed. “Don’t you mean the only chapter?”

“Gotta start somewhere, Sage.”

We reached the same spot where I’d practiced with Ms. Terwilliger, and I tried to ignore the scorch marks on the ground. Adrian had decided to turn this into a desert picnic and had brought along a basket containing a blanket and a thermos of lemonade. “I figured we could stop at Pies and Stuff on the way back since I know how much you like that place,” he explained, deadpan, as he poured me a cup. “Hopefully this’ll tide you over after the spell.”

“I wish this was over,” I said, running my hand over the weathered leather of Ms. Terwilliger’s latest book. It was an old handwritten one called Summonings and Conjurations. “I hate living with the uncertainty, worrying that Veronica’s lurking behind every corner. My life’s already complicated enough without witches coming after me.”

Adrian, face serious, stretched out on the blanket and propped his head up with his elbow. “If she’s even coming after you.”

I sat down cross-legged, careful to keep a lot more distance than in the Velvet Suite. “Ms. Terwilliger won’t listen to me. She just keeps stressing over me.”

“Let her,” he suggested. “I mean, I totally get why you’re worried about her. I am too. But we have to accept that she knows what she’s talking about. She’s been involved with this stuff a lot longer than we have.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Since when are you involved with magic?”

“Since I started looking after you and being all manly and brave.”

“Funny, I don’t remember it that way.” I worked to keep a straight face. “If you think about all the rides I gave you, me getting you into college . . . well, it kind of seems like I’m looking after you.”

He leaned toward me. “I guess we look after each other.”

We locked eyes and smiled, but there was nothing sensuous about it. There was no trick here, no sly move on Adrian’s part to advance on me. And there was no fear on my part. We were just two people who cared about each other. It reminded me of what had initially drawn us together—before all the romantic complications. We connected. Against all reason, we understood each other, and—as he said—we looked out for each other. I’d never had a relationship quite like that with anyone and was surprised at how much I valued it.

“Well, then, I guess I’d better get to work.” I glanced back down at the book. “I haven’t had a chance to look at what she wants me to do. It doesn’t sound like a defensive book.”

“Maybe you’re graduating from fireballs to lightning bolts,” Adrian suggested. “I bet it’d be a lot like throwing ninja stars. Except, well, you could incinerate people.”

When I found the page Ms. Terwilliger had marked, I read the title aloud: “Callistana Summoning.”

“What’s callistana mean?” asked Adrian.

I scrutinized the word, making sure I was deciphering the elaborate script correctly. “I don’t know. It’s kind of like the Greek word for ‘beautiful,’ but not quite. The spell’s subtitle is ‘For protection and advanced warning.’”

“Maybe it’s some kind of shield, like the one Jackie had,” suggested Adrian. “An easier one.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. I wouldn’t mind a little bit of invulnerability.

I opened up the bag Ms. Terwilliger had given me. Inside, I found dragon’s blood resin, a small bottle of gardenia oil, branches of juniper berries, and a glittering smoky quartz crystal, rutilated with lines of gold. Although she’d provided the ingredients, the spell’s directions required that I use and measure them in a very specific way, which made sense. As usual, it was the caster’s work that powered the magic. Adrian sat up and read over my shoulder.

“It doesn’t really say what happens when you cast it,” he pointed out.

“Yeah . . . I’m not really excited about that part.” Presumably, the caster was supposed to just know what she was doing. If this was some kind of protective shield, then maybe the shield would materialize around me, just as it had for Ms. Terwilliger. “Well, no point in wasting time. We’ll find out soon enough.”

Adrian chuckled as he watched me walk over to a clear piece of land. “Am I the only one amazed that you now perform magic blindly?”

“No,” I assured him. “You’re not the only one.”

I had to pluck the juniper berries off one by one and make a small ring with them, saying, “Fire and smoke,” each time I placed one on the ground. When I finished, I anointed each berry with a drop of the oil and recited, “Breath and life.” Inside the circle, I lit a small pile of the resin and rested the smoky quartz on top of it. Then I stepped back and reread the spell, committing the words and gestures to memory. Once I was satisfied I knew it, I handed it to Adrian and shot him a hopeful look.

“Wish me luck,” I said.

“You make your own luck,” he replied.

I tried not to roll my eyes and turned toward the circle. I recited the spell’s complex Greek incantation, pointing in the four cardinal directions as I spoke, per the book’s instructions. It was startling how quickly the magic welled up within me, filling me with that blissful power. I spoke the last words, pointing at the juniper circle as I did. I felt the magic pour from me and into the quartz. Then I waited for something to happen.

Nothing did.

I looked back at Adrian, hoping he noticed something I hadn’t. He shrugged. “Maybe you did it wrong.”

“It worked,” I insisted. “I felt the magic.”

“Maybe you just can’t see it. At the expense of getting myself in trouble here, you should know how amazing you look when you do that stuff. All graceful and—” His eyes went wide. “Um, Sydney? That rock is smoking.”

I glanced back at the circle. “That’s just the resin that’s—”

I stopped. He was right. Smoke was coming out of the quartz. I watched, fascinated, and then slowly, the quartz began to melt. Rather than dissipate into a puddle, though, the liquid began to re-form into a different shape, one that soon hardened into something new and unexpected: a crystalline dragon.

It was small, able to fit in a palm, and glittered just like the dark brown quartz had. The dragon looked more like the serpentine kind usually associated with Chinese culture rather than the winged types of European myth. Every detail was meticulously carved, from the tendrils of its mane to the scales on its hide. It was stunning.

Also, it was moving.

I screamed and backed up, running into Adrian. He put an arm around me and held me as protectively as he could, though it was clear he was just as freaked out. The dragon opened its crystal eyelids and peered at the two of us with tiny golden eyes. It elicited a small croak and then began walking toward us, its small claws scraping against the rocks.

“What the hell is that?” Adrian demanded.

“Do you really think I know?”

“You made it! Do something.”

I started to ask what had happened to him looking out for me, but he had a point. I was the one who’d summoned this thing. No matter where we moved or backed up to, the dragon continued to follow and make a small, high-pitched screeching noise that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I groped for my cell phone and tried to dial Ms. Terwilliger, but there was no reception out here. Darting over to the blanket, I grabbed the spell book and then hurried back to Adrian’s side. I flipped to the index, looking up callistana. There I found two entries: Callistana—Summoning and Callistana—Banishing. You would’ve thought the two would be near each other in the book, but they were pages apart. I flipped to the latter and found the instructions brief and to the point: Once your callistana has been fed and rested, you may summon and banish it at will for a year and a day. A short incantation followed.

I looked up at Adrian. “It says we have to feed it.”

“Will that make it shut up?” he asked. His arm was around me again.

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Maybe we can outrun it.”

All my instincts about hiding the supernatural world kicked in. “We can’t just leave it for some hiker to find! We have to get it some food.” Not that I had any clue what to feed it. Hopefully humans and vampires weren’t on the menu.

A look of determination crossed Adrian’s features. In a great show of bravery he lunged for the picnic basket and actually managed to scoop the dragon up in it. He slammed down the lid, and the mewling faded but didn’t stop.

“Wow,” I said. “Manly and brave.”

Adrian regarded the basket with dismay. “I just hope that thing doesn’t breathe fire. At least it’s contained. Now what do we do?”

“Now we feed it.” I made a decision. “We take it to Pies and Stuff.”

I didn’t know if dragons ate pie, but that was the closest food source we had. Besides, I was pretty sure I’d be able to get a cell phone signal there. So, Adrian drove us back to the little diner while I gingerly held the noisy basket. He went inside, and I stayed in the car and tried to call Ms. Terwilliger. I was sent to voice mail and didn’t even bother with formalities. Was she never near her phone anymore?

“Call me now,” I said through gritted teeth. The dragon’s screeching was really starting to get to me.

Adrian returned in about ten minutes carrying two bags. I stared in amazement as he got in the car. “Did you buy out the store?”

“I didn’t know what kind it wanted,” he protested. Between the two bags, we had half a dozen slices of different kinds of pies. Each one’s container was neatly labeled.

“I really don’t know either,” I said.

Adrian sifted through the bags and pulled out a slice of coconut cream. “If I were a dragon, this is what I’d go for.”

I didn’t argue, mainly because that statement had no logical argument. He took the lid off the pie and then looked at me expectantly. With a gulp, I opened the basket’s lid and prayed the dragon wouldn’t climb out and claw my face off. Adrian quickly set the pie down in the basket. Nervously, we both leaned forward to watch.

At first, the dragon looked as though it really would climb out after us. Then it noticed the pie. The little crystal creature sniffed at the slice, circled it a few times, and then began gnawing at the pie in teeny-tiny bites. Best of all, the screeching stopped. We watched in wonder as the dragon made its way through a third of the coconut cream pie. Then, without warning, it rolled over onto its back and began to snore. Adrian and I sat there, frozen, and then finally dared to look at each other.

“I guess you were right about the flavor,” I said.

“Do you think you can banish it now?” he asked. “Is it fed and rested enough?”

I retrieved the spell book to double-check the incantation. “Time to find out.”

I recited the words. Smoke fluttered from the dragon’s body. He began to shimmer, and within moments, we were looking at an inert piece of smoky quartz. In another valiant display, Adrian picked it up but held it as far away as possible as he studied it. The ringing of my phone startled both of us, and he dropped the crystal back into the basket. I looked at the phone’s screen and saw Ms. Terwilliger’s name.

“You made me summon a dragon!” I exclaimed.

“I most certainly did not,” she responded. “Callistanas are a type of demon.”

I froze. “A demon.”

“Well,” she amended. “A very minor and generally benign kind.” I didn’t reply for a while. “Sydney? Are you still there?”

“You had me summon a demon,” I replied, voice stiff. “You know how I feel about evil and the supernatural. You’ve spent all this time trying to convince me that the magic we do is all for some greater good in the battle against evil, and yet you made me summon a creature of hell.”

“Creature of hell?” She snorted. “Hardly. You know nothing about demons. I told you it’s benign, didn’t I? Callistanas can be very useful. They’ll warn you if dark magic is nearby and will even try to defend you if you’re attacked—not that they can do much damage.”

I wasn’t buying it. “If they’re so useful, then why don’t you have one?”

“Oh, well, I’m at a level where I can sense dark magic on my own. That, and—if you’ll forgive my language—callistanas are a real pain in the ass. They make the most irritating noise when they’re hungry. Cats are more than adequate for my needs.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I kind of noticed the noise part. I fed it some pie and turned it back into a rock.”

“There, you see?” She sounded happier than I’d heard her in days. “Look at the progress you’ve made already. No matter what comes of this mess we’ve found ourselves in, I’m more convinced than ever that I made the right choice in guiding you on the magical path.”

I had too much going on to really appreciate the compliment. “So what do I do now?”

“It’ll disappear on its own after a year and a day. Until then, you can call it when you need it. You can try to train it. And of course, you’ll have to feed it. Whatever you choose to do, it will be loyal to you. It bonds with the first person it sees and will need to spend time with you . . . Sydney? Are you there?”

I’d gone silent again. “The first person it sees?” I finally managed to ask. “Not the caster?”

“Well, usually they’re one and the same.”

I glanced over at Adrian, who was eating a piece of blackberry pie while listening avidly to my side of the conversation. “What happens if there were two people there when it opened its eyes? Adrian was with me when I summoned it.”

Now she paused. “Oh? Hmm, well, I probably should’ve said something before you cast the spell.”

That had to be the understatement of the century. “You should’ve told me a lot of things before I cast it! What does it mean that the dragon—demon, whatever— saw both of us? Did it bond with both of us?”

“Look at it this way,” Ms. Terwilliger said, after several moments of thought. “The callistana thinks of you two as its parents.”

\I CERTAINLY HADN’T EXPECTED to walk away from today’s trip with joint custody of a miniature dragon. (I refused to call it a demon). And, as it turned out, Adrian was already proving not to be the most dedicated of “fathers.”
“You can take him for now,” he told me when we got back to Amberwood. “I’ll handle weekend visitations.”

“You don’t have anything going on. Besides, we’re only a few days from the weekend,” I protested. “And you don’t know that it’s a ‘he.’”

“Well, I don’t think he’ll mind, and besides, I’m not going to investigate to find out the truth.” Adrian put the quartz in the basket and closed the lid before handing it over to me. “You don’t have to summon him back, you know.”

I took the basket and opened the car door. “I know. But I feel kind of bad leaving him as a rock.” Ms. Terwilliger had told me it’d be healthier for him if I let him out once in a while.

“See? Motherly instinct already. You’re a natural, Sage.” Adrian grinned and handed me a bag of pie slices. He’d kept some for himself. “Look at you. You don’t even need to break the tattoo. You think you would’ve been mothering a baby dragon a month ago?”

“I don’t know.” But he had a point. It seemed likely I would’ve run screaming from it back in the desert. Or maybe tried to exorcise it. “I’ll take him for now, but you’ve got to pull your weight at some point. Ms. Terwilliger says the callistana needs to spend time with both of us. Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?”

I shook my head. “Just getting ahead of myself. Wondering what I’d do with him if I did go to Mexico.”

Adrian gave me a puzzled look. “What about Mexico?”

It had never come up, I realized. All Adrian had known about was Marcus’s mission and the initial tattoo breaking, not the sealing. I hadn’t been keeping the rest a secret, but suddenly, I felt uncomfortable telling Adrian about it.

“Oh. Well, Marcus says that after I perform this rebellious act, we can break the elements and free me from the tattoo’s control. But to truly bind the spell and make sure the tattoo is never repaired, I need to tattoo over it—like he did. He calls it sealing. But it takes some special compound that’s hard to find. He got his done in Mexico and is going to take some of his Merry Men there so they can do it.”

“I see.” Adrian’s smile had vanished. “So. Are you joining them?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Marcus wants me to.”

“I’m sure he does.”

I ignored the tone. “I’ve thought about it . . . but it’s a big step. Not just for the tattoo, either. If I did that, there’d be no going back. I’d be turning my back on the Alchemists.”

“And us,” he said. “Unless you really are only helping Jill because of your orders.”

“You know it’s not about that anymore.” Again, I didn’t like his tone. “You know I care about her and . . . and the rest of you.”

His face was hard. “And yet you’d run off with some guy you just met.”

“It’s not like that! We wouldn’t be ‘running off together. I’d be coming back! And we’d be going for a specific reason.”

“Beaches and margaritas?”

I was speechless for a few moments. It was so close to what Marcus had joked about. Was that all anyone associated with Mexico?

“I see how it is,” I snapped. “You were all in favor of me breaking the tattoo and thinking on my own—but that’s only okay if it’s convenient for you, huh? Just like your loving from afar’ only works if you don’t have an opportunity to get your hands all over me. And your lips. And . . . stuff.”

Adrian rarely got mad, and I wouldn’t quite say he was now. But he was definitely exasperated. “Are you seriously in this much self-denial, Sydney? Like do you actually believe yourself when you say you don’t feel anything? Especially after what’s been happening between us?”

“Nothing’s happening between us,” I said automatically. “Physical attraction isn’t the same as love. You of all people should know that.”

“Ouch,” he said. His expression hadn’t changed, but I saw hurt in his eyes. I’d wounded him. “Is that what bothers you? My past? That maybe I’m an expert in an area you aren’t?”

“One I’m sure you’d just love to educate me in. One more girl to add to your list of conquests.”

He was speechless for a few moments and then held up one finger. “First, I don’t have a list.” Another finger. “Second, if I did have a list, I could find someone a hell of lot less frustrating to add to it.” For the third finger, he leaned toward me. “And finally, I know that you know you’re no conquest, so don’t act like you seriously think that. You and I have been through too much together. We’re too close, too connected. I wasn’t that crazy on spirit when I said you’re my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. Our backgrounds don’t matter. What we have is bigger than that. I love you, and beneath all that logic, calculation, and superstition, I know you love me too. Running away to Mexico and fleeing all your problems isn’t going to change that. You’re just going to end up scared and confused.”

“I already feel that way,” I said quietly.

Adrian moved back and leaned into his seat, looking tired. “Well, that’s the most accurate thing you’ve said so far.”

I grabbed the basket and jerked open the car door. Without another word, I stormed off toward the dorm, refusing to look back in case he saw the tears that had inexplicably appeared in my eyes. Only, I wasn’t sure exactly which part of our conversation I was most upset about.

The tears seemed like they were going to stay put by the time I reached my room, but I still had to calm down. Even once my emotions were settled, it was hard to shake his words. You’re my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. What did that even mean?

At least smuggling a dragon into my room provided a pretty good distraction. I brought the basket inside, hoping demonic dragons weren’t contraband. No one stopped me when I went upstairs, and I was left wondering how I was going to confine him if I did summon him back. The basket didn’t seem all that secure, and I certainly wasn’t going to let him run loose in my dorm room. When I reached my door, I found Jill standing outside, her pale green eyes wide with excitement.

“I want to see him,” she said. The bond was strongest in moments of high emotion, and judging from Adrian’s face when the dragon had been chasing us, his emotions had been running pretty strong. I wondered if she’d witnessed our argument too or if that hadn’t come through the bond. Maybe the tension between him and me was second nature to her now.

“I can’t let him out yet,” I said, letting her into my room. “I need something to keep him in. Like a birdcage. Maybe I can get one tomorrow.”

Jill frowned in thought, then brightened. “I have an idea.” She glanced at my alarm clock. “I hope it’s not too late.”

And without further explanation, she took off, promising to be back soon. I was still a little shaky from today’s magic but hadn’t had time to rectify the situation after all the other excitement. So, I sat at my desk with a spell book and ate the rest of the now-soft coconut cream pie, careful to first cut off the part where the dragon had eaten. I didn’t know if callistanas had communicable germs, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

Jill returned an hour later, bearing a rectangular glass aquarium, like the kind you’d keep fish or gerbils in.

“Where’d you get that?” I asked, moving a lamp off my desk.

“My biology teacher. Our guinea pig died a couple weeks ago, and she’s been too sad to replace him.”

“Didn’t she ask what you needed it for?” I examined the tank and found it spotless, so someone had apparently cleaned it after the guinea pig’s unfortunate passing. “We can’t have pets.”

“I told her I was building a diorama. She didn’t question it.” Jill eagerly brought the aquarium over to the desk. “We can give it back when you get your own.”

I set the quartz crystal inside and slammed on the tank’s lid, making sure it was securely attached. After more entreating from Jill, I spoke the summoning words. A bit of smoke appeared, and the quartz transformed back into the dragon. Mercifully, he didn’t make any more of that screeching, so I guessed he was still full. Instead, he scampered around the tank, examining his new home. At one point, he tried to climb the side, but his tiny claws couldn’t get traction on the glass.

“Well, that’s a relief,” I said.

Jill’s face was filled with wonder. “I think he’ll be bored in there. You should get him some toys.”

“Toys for a demon? Isn’t it enough that I give him pie?”

“He wants you,” she insisted.

Sure enough, I glanced back at the tank and found the callistana regarding me adoringly. He was even wagging his tail.

“No,” I said sternly. “This isn’t a Disney movie where I have an adorable sidekick. You aren’t coming out.”

I cut off a piece of blueberry pie and put it in the tank in case he wanted a midnight snack. No way would I risk a late-night wakeup call. After a moment’s thought, I added a stress ball and a scarf.

“There,” I told Jill. “Food, a toy, and a bed. Happy?”

The callistana apparently was. He batted the ball around a few times and then curled up on the nest I’d made with the scarf. He looked more or less content, aside from the fact that he kept watching me.

“Aww,” she said. “Look how sweet he is. What are you going to name him?”

Like I needed something else to worry about. “His ‘father’ can name him. I’m already on the hook for the Mustang.”

After a bit more swooning, Jill finally retired for the night. I made my own preparations for bed, always keeping one eye on the dragon. He did nothing threatening, however, and I even managed to fall asleep, though my sleep was restless. I kept imagining he’d find a way out and come get into bed with me. And of course, I had my usual fears about Veronica coming after me.

I did hit one stretch of sound sleep, during which Adrian pulled me into a spirit dream. After our earlier fight, I honestly hadn’t expected to see him tonight, a thought that had saddened me. The reception hall materialized around us, but the image wavered and kept fading in and out.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” I told him.

No wedding clothes tonight. He wore what he’d had on earlier, jeans and the AYE shirt, though both looked a bit more wrinkled. He was dressed as he was in reality, I realized.

“You think I’d abandon you to Veronica?”

“No,” I admitted. “What’s wrong with the room?”

He looked a little embarrassed. “My control’s not all it could be tonight.”

I didn’t understand . . . at first. “You’re drunk.”

“I’ve been drinking,” he corrected, leaning against one of the tables. “If I was drunk, I wouldn’t be here at all. And really, this is pretty good for four White Russians.”

“White what?” I almost sat down but was afraid the chair might dematerialize beneath me.

“It’s a drink,” he said. “You’d think I wouldn’t be into something named that—you know, considering my own personal experience with Russians. But they’re surprisingly delicious. The drinks, not real Russians. They’ve got Kahlua. It might be the drink you’ve been waiting your whole life for.”

“Kahlua does not taste like coffee,” I said. “So don’t start with that.” I was insanely curious to know why he’d been drinking. Sometimes he did it to numb spirit, but he seemed to still want to access that magic tonight. And of course, half the time, he didn’t even need a reason to drink. Deep inside me, I wondered if our fight had driven him to it. I didn’t know whether to feel guilty or annoyed.

“I also had to come tonight to apologize,” he said. He sat down, apparently not having the same fears about chairs.

For one inexplicably terrifying moment, I thought he was going to take back the part about me being his flame in the dark. Instead, he told me, “If you need to go to Mexico to finish this process off, then I understand. I was wrong to criticize you for it or even imply that I had some kind of say in it. One of the greatest things about you is that in the end, you always make smart decisions. Can’t always say the same for myself. Whatever you need to do, I’ll support you.”

Those annoying tears almost returned, and I blinked them back. “Thank you. That means a lot . . . and to tell you the truth, right now, I still don’t know what I’m going to do. I know Marcus is worried about me eventually getting in trouble and being under their control. Then again, staying part of the Alchemists seems like it’d give me more power, and besides . . . I don’t want to leave you. Er, you guys.”

He smiled, and it lit up his whole face. Like a flame in the dark. “Well, ‘we’ are certainly happy to hear that. Oh, and I’m also happy to watch our darling little love child dragon while you’re in St. Louis.”

I grinned back. “As a rock or in his real form?”

“Haven’t decided yet. How’s he doing right now?”

“He’s locked in an aquarium. I’m guessing I’d wake up if he got into bed with me, so he must still be asleep.” I hoped.

“Well, I’m sure getting into bed with you would be—” Adrian held back whatever comment he’d been about to utter. He instead gestured to the table, and a Monopoly board appeared. “Shall we play?”

I walked over and peered at the board. It apparently was also suffering from his drinking, seeing as half the streets were blank. The ones that were there had names like “Castile Causeway” and “Jailbait Avenue.” “The board’s a little incomplete,” I said diplomatically.

Adrian didn’t seem concerned. “Well, then, I guess that improves your odds.”

I couldn’t resist that and took a gamble on sitting in one of the chairs. I smiled at him and then began counting money, happy that all was (relatively) right in the world with us again.

\SOMEHOW, I STILL LOST.
If Adrian were capable of on-the-fly calculations, I’d swear he was using his powers to affect the way the dice rolled. Most likely, he either had some innate and inexplicable Monopoly skills I just couldn’t understand—or he was very, very lucky. But through it all, I had fun, and losing to him was a lot better than having Veronica haunt me in my sleep. He continued the dream visits for the next few days, and although I never felt completely safe from her, I at least didn’t have her occupying the forefront of my mind at all times. That honor was saved for my weekend trip to St. Louis, which came around more quickly than I expected.

Once I was on the plane, the reality of what I was about to attempt hit me. This was it, the point of no return. In the safety of Palm Springs, I’d been able to maintain a somewhat cool and collected attitude. St. Louis had seemed far away back then. Now the tasks ahead of me seemed daunting and kind of crazy. And dangerous. There was no part of this that wouldn’t get me into serious trouble. Lying to Stanton. Breaking into top secret servers. Even charming information out of Ian could have repercussions.

And really who was I to think I would have any ability to lure secrets from him? I wasn’t like Rose or Julia. They had men fawning all over them. But me? I was socially awkward and pretty inept when it came to romance. Maybe Ian liked me, but that didn’t mean I’d have some magical power over him. Of course, if that part of the plan with him failed, then I’d be free of my other tasks.

Every single part of this was overwhelming, and as I stared out the plane’s window, watching St. Louis grow closer and closer, my feelings of dread grew. My palms were too sweaty to hold a book, and when I refused food, it was because of the queasiness in my stomach, not some obsession with calories.

I’d gone back and forth on whether to get a hotel room or stay at the facility itself, which provided guest housing for visiting Alchemists like me. In the end, I opted for the former. The less time I spent under the watchful eyes of my masters, the better.

It also meant I didn’t have to worry about my outfit attracting attention. I hadn’t exactly followed all of Adrian’s suggestions, but the dress I’d purchased for this trip was a bit racier than my normal business casual wardrobe. Okay, a lot racier. It would have been completely out of place among the modest and neutral-colored attire Alchemists usually wore. But when Ian met me in the hotel’s lobby for dinner, I knew I’d made the right choice.

“Wow,” he said, eyes widening. “You look amazing.”

Apparently, his Alchemists sensibilities weren’t offended by my outfit. It was a form-fitting minidress that went about to my mid-thigh, with an open back and a disconcertingly low V-neck that gave me cleavage I hadn’t even known was possible. Any demureness the dress’s long sleeves might have offered was undone by the fabric combination: a beige underdress covered in black and maroon lace. It gave the illusion that I was wearing lace with nothing underneath. The saleswoman had assured me that every part of the dress was supposed to fit that snugly (for once in my life, I’d actually suggested a larger size) and that I needed at least four-inch black heels to make it all work. With the help of a lot of hairpins, I’d even managed to pull my hair up into a bun, which wasn’t easy with my layered haircut.

I felt conspicuous walking through the lobby, but no one gave me any shocked looks. The few I did get were admiring ones. The hotel was pretty posh, and I was just one of a number of women dressed in holiday cocktail dresses. Nothing scandalous or out of the ordinary. You can do this, Sydney. And wearing a revealing dress wasn’t nearly as difficult as breaking into a server, right?

Right?

I smiled as I approached Ian and gave him a quick hug, which was weird both because it was with Ian and because I felt naked in the dress. This femme fatale thing was harder than I’d thought it’d be.

“I’m glad I got to see you again,” I said. “I know what an inconvenience this must be, with no notice.”

Ian shook his head so adamantly that I almost expected to hear rattling. “N-no. No trouble at all.”

Satisfied he’d gotten a look, I slipped on my coat, a mid-length black trench, and gestured toward the exit. “Time to brave the elements?”

He hurried ahead of me to open the door. A scattering of snowflakes drifted down, resting on my coat and hair. My breath made a frosty cloud in the air, and I had a momentary flashback to traipsing across that field with Adrian. Little had I known that search for Marcus would lead to me running errands for him in a tight dress.

Ian had parked in the hotel’s front circle drive. He drove a Toyota Corolla, which was made even more boring by the fact that he’d chosen it in white. A little air freshener shaped like a tree hung from the rearview mirror, but rather than the usual pine scent, a small label declared it to be “New Car Scent.” Mostly it smelled like plastic. I put on a brave face. Marcus really owed me one.

“I made us a reservation at this really great seafood place,” he told me. “It’s close to the facility, so we can head on over to the service right away.”

“Sounds great,” I said. I never ate seafood in any landlocked state.

The restaurant was called Fresh Cache, which didn’t improve my opinion of it. Still, I had to give it credit for attempts at a romantic atmosphere. Most of the lighting came from candles, and a pianist in the corner played covers of easy-listening songs. More well-dressed people filled the tables, laughing and chatting over wine and shrimp cocktails. The host showed us to a corner table, covered with burgundy linen and decorated with a scattering of green orchids. I’d never seen any up close and was actually quite taken with how exotic and sensual they were. If only I was here with anyone but Ian.

I was hesitant to take my coat off. It made me feel exposed, and I had to remind myself of the consequences of Alchemists and Warriors working together. As soon as the dress was unleashed again, I had the satisfaction of seeing Ian melt once more. I remembered Adrian’s advice about confidence and put on a smug smile, hoping I gave the impression that I was doing Ian a great favor by allowing him to be in my presence. And, to my complete and utter amazement, it seemed to work. I even allowed myself to indulge in a dangerous thought: maybe it wasn’t the dress wielding such power here.

Maybe it was me.

Opening the menu, I began skimming for a beef or poultry option. “What do you recommend?”

“The mahi mahi is great here,” he said. “So is the swordfish.”

The waiter stopped by, and I ordered a chicken Caesar salad. I figured they couldn’t really mess up the anchovies in the dressing.

We were left alone to wait, with nothing to do now but move on to small talk. Ian picked up the ball. “I suppose you still can’t tell me much about where you’re at, huh?”

“Afraid not. You know how it is.” I buttered a sourdough roll with what I was pretty sure was exactly half a tablespoon. I didn’t want to go too crazy, but I could allow myself a little indulgence since I ordered a salad. “I can tell you I’m in the field. I just can’t say much else.”

Ian’s attention shifted off my neckline as he stared into the candle’s flame. “I miss that, you know. Being in the field.”

“You used to be, right? What happened?” I hadn’t thought much about it lately, but when Ian had accompanied Stanton and me to the Moroi court, he had been pulled from his post to make the trip. He’d been assigned somewhere in the south, Florida or Georgia, I thought.

“Those Moroi holding us prisoner is what happened.” He shifted his gaze back to me, and I was startled at the fierceness I saw. “I didn’t handle it very well.”

“Well, none of us did.”

He shook his head. “No, no. I really didn’t handle it well. I kind of freaked out. They sent me to anger management training afterward.”

I nearly dropped the roll. I had in no way expected that. If someone had asked me to name the top ten people who needed anger management, Ian wouldn’t have even made the bottom of the list. My father, however, would have been near the top.

“How—how long were you there?” I stammered.

“Two weeks, and then I was good to go.”

Admittedly, I didn’t know the extent of the rage that had landed him in anger management, but I found it interesting that two weeks was good enough to deem him ready to work again. Meanwhile, Keith’s scheme to use Moroi to make money had earned him at least two months in re-education—maybe more, since I hadn’t heard any updates in a while.

“But they wouldn’t let me work in the field,” Ian added. “Figure I shouldn’t be around Moroi for a while. So that’s why I’m stuck here.”

“In the archives.”

“Yes.”