hair out of my face and closed my eyes, replaying the scene from the asylum. Richard had been one step ahead of us. Again. He’d said he’d known I wouldn’t pass up a lead, but raising Nolan’s dead mother had to have taken some effort. Which meant he’d known we’d be coming long before we did. Albuquerque had to have been arranged—they’d known we were there.
We definitely had a mole.
I punched the wall with the side of my fist and hurried through the rest of my shower.
Kayla was on the sofa with Seth and Tabbi when I exited my room. The three of them watched me, their eyes full of concern and curiosity. I’d share my thoughts with them later.
“I need to visit with Bartholomew,” I said.
Kayla jumped up from her seat. “I’ll come with you.”
I shook my head, grabbing a nutrition bar from the box on the kitchenette’s counter. “I’ll just be a few moments. I only want to ask if he’s learned anything from my blood sample. I’ll be right back.”
Her face fell. She frowned but nodded and plopped back down on the sofa, turning her face toward the television. Seth shook his head as Tabbi’s gaze fell on Kayla. I didn’t bother analyzing my friends’ expressions—I’d disappointed Kayla, again—and stuffed my face instead, snatching a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, my gut in a knot. One of these days, I’d think before I reacted.
With a quick wave goodbye to Seth, I exited our home and hurried through the center of Caelum. Our hidden town was filled with people chatting and laughing, and Magus and Protectors evaporated together to and from the city with smiles on their faces. What was happening? Trishna never let us come and go so freely.
Inside the commons room, Nolan was hard at work at the laptop, dark circles around his eyes. Trishna and Bartholomew hovered over a large book. Spotting me, Trishna ushered me to a corner of the room before I could tell her I wasn’t there for her medical expertise.
“Why did no one tell me you were awake? I would’ve stopped by,” she said. “Lift your top, please. I need to make sure you’re fully healed.”
With a sigh, I raised my dark T-shirt. Trishna nodded, but her eyebrows furrowed. “Looks like all traces are gone. How do you feel?”
“Tired, but fine. Kayla said Bartholomew studied my blood?”
She motioned for me to follow her. I dropped my shirt and stepped toward the table where Bartholomew waited.
“He did,” Trishna said. “Turns out, he was right. Your blood was laced with some sort of demonic poison.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“It was nothing I’d seen before,” Bartholomew said. “And no matter what she did, Trishna could not heal you. We simply had to let it run its course and hope you would recover. I tried to formulate an antidote, but…” He shook his head, lines breaking his forehead.
“Are you feeling any different?” Trishna asked.
“No. Not yet, anyway. Well…” I scratched the back of my neck. “I did have a nightmare.”
All of them, even Nolan, stared at me, wide-eyed. Trishna had warded Caelum from Nightmares. In order for them to enter, a powerful witch or warlock needed to break her charm. No one in the city matched her abilities.
“Are you sure you didn’t just imagine whatever you saw?” Trishna asked.
I shook my head. “It was right before I snapped out of the poison’s hold.”
Bartholomew’s tan face was devoid of its usual color. “I need to look into this. Excuse me.”
When he was gone, Trishna turned to me. “Your team already shared their sides of what happened. But I want to hear your thoughts. Can you debrief me about New Mexico?” She sat at the table and signaled for me to join to her.
Taking my seat, I rehashed what I’d seen and heard, and I shared what I’d come to suspect in the shower: someone tipped off Richard about New Mexico.
Trishna agreed. “Bartholomew and I both believe now that running into the Magus at the Walmart
wasn’t
an
We definitely had a mole.
I punched the wall with the side of my fist and hurried through the rest of my shower.
Kayla was on the sofa with Seth and Tabbi when I exited my room. The three of them watched me, their eyes full of concern and curiosity. I’d share my thoughts with them later.
“I need to visit with Bartholomew,” I said.
Kayla jumped up from her seat. “I’ll come with you.”
I shook my head, grabbing a nutrition bar from the box on the kitchenette’s counter. “I’ll just be a few moments. I only want to ask if he’s learned anything from my blood sample. I’ll be right back.”
Her face fell. She frowned but nodded and plopped back down on the sofa, turning her face toward the television. Seth shook his head as Tabbi’s gaze fell on Kayla. I didn’t bother analyzing my friends’ expressions—I’d disappointed Kayla, again—and stuffed my face instead, snatching a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, my gut in a knot. One of these days, I’d think before I reacted.
With a quick wave goodbye to Seth, I exited our home and hurried through the center of Caelum. Our hidden town was filled with people chatting and laughing, and Magus and Protectors evaporated together to and from the city with smiles on their faces. What was happening? Trishna never let us come and go so freely.
Inside the commons room, Nolan was hard at work at the laptop, dark circles around his eyes. Trishna and Bartholomew hovered over a large book. Spotting me, Trishna ushered me to a corner of the room before I could tell her I wasn’t there for her medical expertise.
“Why did no one tell me you were awake? I would’ve stopped by,” she said. “Lift your top, please. I need to make sure you’re fully healed.”
With a sigh, I raised my dark T-shirt. Trishna nodded, but her eyebrows furrowed. “Looks like all traces are gone. How do you feel?”
“Tired, but fine. Kayla said Bartholomew studied my blood?”
She motioned for me to follow her. I dropped my shirt and stepped toward the table where Bartholomew waited.
“He did,” Trishna said. “Turns out, he was right. Your blood was laced with some sort of demonic poison.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“It was nothing I’d seen before,” Bartholomew said. “And no matter what she did, Trishna could not heal you. We simply had to let it run its course and hope you would recover. I tried to formulate an antidote, but…” He shook his head, lines breaking his forehead.
“Are you feeling any different?” Trishna asked.
“No. Not yet, anyway. Well…” I scratched the back of my neck. “I did have a nightmare.”
All of them, even Nolan, stared at me, wide-eyed. Trishna had warded Caelum from Nightmares. In order for them to enter, a powerful witch or warlock needed to break her charm. No one in the city matched her abilities.
“Are you sure you didn’t just imagine whatever you saw?” Trishna asked.
I shook my head. “It was right before I snapped out of the poison’s hold.”
Bartholomew’s tan face was devoid of its usual color. “I need to look into this. Excuse me.”
When he was gone, Trishna turned to me. “Your team already shared their sides of what happened. But I want to hear your thoughts. Can you debrief me about New Mexico?” She sat at the table and signaled for me to join to her.
Taking my seat, I rehashed what I’d seen and heard, and I shared what I’d come to suspect in the shower: someone tipped off Richard about New Mexico.
Trishna agreed. “Bartholomew and I both believe now that running into the Magus at the Walmart
wasn’t
an
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