“I’ll see you at the Academy,” I said on my way to the kitchen door. I paused just before leaving the dining room and looked back at her. “Oh, wait, that’s right. You’re discreet about your obsessive monitoring and use your network of observers to keep you updated. I guess I won’t be seeing you then.”
I marched through the empty kitchen and got into my car. It wasn’t until I was almost to the Academy that I realized my stupidity in challenging Adira like that on the morning I was supposed to hand over a shovel to the druids.
Mentally cringing, I pulled into the nearly empty parking lot and hurried inside with the shovel in hand. The few mermaids in the pool gave me odd looks before remembering to hiss at me and dive under the water.
Anne looked up from her place near the sink when I entered and gave the shovel a curious look.
“It’s the only personal item I could get,” I said.
“That’s not very personal.” Doubt coated Lauv’s expression as well as her words.
“I know it’s not. The windows are spelled against anything non-human, though. I’m lucky I got this.”
“Whatever,” Meg said. “Let’s just try it.”
I handed over the shovel and stood back. They sat in a circle while holding it, did some mumble-mumble chanting, mixed some twigs and powders together, then lit them on fire. I watched as they stared at the bowl of water. And…
Nothing.
Lauv spoke after several long minutes.
“We know this spell works. We tested it on Anne’s brother. On you. On Fenris. On the human boy. Each time, we saw your locations clearly in the water. Something has to be blocking Ashlyn. Something big.”
“We thought a personal item would help the spell focus,” Anne added.
“We’re going to need to boost this spell’s power to overcome whatever is blocking her.” Meg shook her head, looking annoyed. “It’s going to take more time.”
I considered the three of them and what they were telling me. What could possibly be blocking Ashlyn? There were some powerful creatures in Uttira. But powerful enough to trick a location spell? I had no idea. I wasn’t that knowledgeable in spells like these girls were.
There was another option. One that I’d been refusing to consider.
“What about Ashlyn’s death? Could that be why you’re not finding her?” I asked, feeling sick for even saying it.
“We thought that, too, which is why we tried summoning her ghost yesterday after the first location spell failed. The summoning spell is one we’ve used since we were little. A safe way to communicate with the dead. They can’t refuse. But she didn’t answer, so we believe she’s still alive.”
“Okay. What is it going to take to strengthen your spell?”
“Nothing you can help with,” Anne said. “We’ll gather what’s needed and try again. If you find anything more personal, we’ll take that too. It can’t hurt.”
“Meanwhile,” Lauv said. “We’ll continue to do the summoning spell daily, just in case. Be here earlier tomorrow for your spell. It’s going to take some time.”
I straightened away from the sink I was leaning against.
“If you can remove my tracking spell and make it so I can’t be tracked again, could someone else have done the same to Ashlyn?”
“We considered that. It’s possible, but it takes some pretty serious spellwork. The likelihood of her finding a druid with that kind of knowledge, who’d be willing to do it for next to nothing like we are, is slim.”
It made sense. The humans in Uttira didn’t have much money because everything they needed was provided. That meant Ashlyn would have no means to pay a druid. But it was still a possibility and gave me a little hope and peace of mind. If Ashlyn wasn’t in Uttira and was smart enough to get a druid’s help to hide, then she’d won her freedom.
In order to be okay with her absence, though, I needed to be sure.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I accepted the shovel back and headed for the door.
“Wait. There’s one more thing.”
When I turned to look back at Meg, she blew some kind of glittery dust in my face that smelled like fish. My vision changed instantly, my anger at the idea they thought to memory wipe me barely contained.
“Explain yourself.”
“It’s only a discovery spell that will help us determine who knows about Ashlyn coming into this bathroom. We need it to wipe their memories of us. That way, if things go sideways, you’ll be the only one to blame for her disappearance.”
Her eyes went wide as mine narrowed.
“What the hell, Meg,” Anne said at the same time that Lauv smacked Meg.
“You will wipe their memories of all of us, myself included,” I said, my gaze sweeping the three. “Or are you stupid enough to believe that I’d keep my mouth shut if the Council started questioning me?” I paused for a moment. “And I suggest you stop considering wiping my mind, too. The Council has a method to undo mind wipes if there’s a need. It’s not pretty for the person involved, but it’s survivable. The Council will get their information, regardless.” My look hardened. “Be discreet and be smart. Find Ashlyn.”
I left the druids in the bathroom, and when the mermaids and sirens in the pool hissed at me, I hissed back. They didn’t dive under the water, though. Instead, they hefted themselves out of the pool. I paused, watching their tails fade and legs appear.
“You’re safer in water,” I said.
One of them twitched in place and hissed at me again. My grip tightened on the shovel.
“Use your words. I don’t understand water snake.”
More emerged from the pool.
“I think that’s enough of that,” Lauv said from behind me. “Eliana has no quarrel with you. Do you, Eliana?”
I glanced back at the girls standing behind me. Lauv watched the mermaids, but the other two had their eyes on the glowing crystals in their hands.
“I have no reason for a quarrel with anyone,” I said, annoyed.
“Good.”
As soon as Lauv spoke, the light coming from the crystals died, and the mermaids jumped back into the water.
“Everything’s fine now,” she said. “Let us know if anyone else has a problem with you.”
The three left, and I trailed behind, wondering what exactly the dust in my face had done and when the smell of fish was going to clear from my nose. Breathing in the fresh air while I returned the shovel to my trunk didn’t help either. With my luck, I would be breathing in fish for the rest of the day.
Once again distracted by all the bullpoopy in my headspace, I wasn’t paying attention when I reentered the school. So, I was unprepared when I neared the pools again and someone grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pushed me against the wall.
Eras’s angry dark gaze pinned mine.
“I saw you walk out with the druids. I know it was you.”
He looked to the left of us.
“Bring him,” he growled.
A few of Eras’s lackeys towed a struggling Eugene forward.
“Feed on him,” Eras demanded, giving me a shake. “Feed or I will, and I’ll make sure I take so much that Eugene will spend the rest of his life on his knees for me.”