I wheeled Ava to the center of the room, and Kallie joined us. Marcus circled us, scratching lines of chalk across the floor. He placed crystals around us, and the sweet scent of lavender filled my nose as he sprinkled the herbs at our feet.
“Brace yourselves,” Marcus warned.
I didn’t think much of it, until a gust of wind swept through the room so fast it nearly knocked me over. I grabbed the back of Ava’s chair so I wouldn’t fall. She squeezed my hand, and I felt a moment of fear flicker through our bond, because we didn’t know what to expect. Sprigs cowered deeper into my pocket.
The lights have gone out, Ava told me.
Marcus muttered Latin phrases under his breath, and the spell grew in intensity. The ground began to shake beneath our feet, and I could feel the magic rolling off him in waves. Blasts of heat pulsed throughout the room. I’d never seen Marcus perform magic like this before.
Oberi barked loudly.Tell Marcus to stop!
“This is intense!” Kallie cried over the sound of the room shaking around us. “Marcus, are you sure about this?”
“I can feel him!” Marcus shouted. “Thaddeus, is that you?”
A muffled voice came from somewhere in the distance, but I couldn’t understand what was being said. It sounded like the voice was coming from the other room, only it surrounded us from every angle.
“Thaddeus, we just want to talk!” Marcus said. “You had information about Professor Mazur that could help us. We need to know what you found!”
In a split second, the heat warming my skin turned into an icy chill. The hairs on my arms stood up, and a shiver rocked my whole body. The floor stopped shaking, and the wind settled. Ava breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’m here,” a voice said, filling the room. It sounded like he was standing right in front of me.
My heart became so full when I heard Thaddeus. Without thinking about it, I reached out to feel him, ignorantly thinking I’d be able to touch him. What I found instead was unexpected.
My hand went straight through his spirit, but an image of him formed in my mind, like it had when I touched my ancestors’ spirits before. Normally, only Marcus could see ghosts, but his powers had allowed Thaddeus to appear to us all.
Thaddeus stood in front of me, his form glowing with ethereal whisps. His Familiar perched on his shoulder. I’d never seen Thaddeus in the flesh, but I was shocked by how smooth his skin appeared. I knew he was just a kid, a teenager barely old enough to have his magic, but seeing his young features reminded me of just how short his life had been cut. When I pulled my hand away, the image in my head vanished.
“Thad!” I cried in relief. “It’s so good to hear your voice! I’m so sorry about what happened—”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Thaddeus said gently.
“But I sent you after Mazur,” I argued.
“That’s not the reason I’m dead,” he pressed. “I’m dead because of Mad Dog. Don’t beat yourself up about it, Charlie, because it’s not your fault, and you can’t change it.”
My guts twisted, because Ihadchanged it, only to have to go back and let him die all over again. It felt like I’d chosen my friends over Thaddeus, but he was my friend, too. It was an impossible decision to make, and no matter who had wound up dead that day, I’d still blame myself for making that call.
Kallie didn’t waste any time. “What did you learn about Professor Mazur?”
“I overheard her talking to the Warden,” Thaddeus explained. “She knows where the Elven concentration camps are.”
“Where?” Ava asked eagerly.
Thaddeus hesitated. “She didn’t say. But one thing I do know… Eddie was moved from the camps. He’s not there anymore.”
My stomach dropped, because that meant Eddie was further from our reach than ever before. “We have to find him once we get out of here. Did she say where he was taken?”
“No. But I thought you should know,” Thaddeus said.
“That isn’t helpful,” Marcus complained. “Not unless we know where he is.”
Thaddeus paused for a beat. “Maybe I can find out. I’m a ghost now, so I can sneak around without being seen. I could get into the Warden’s office.”
“That’d be great!” Marcus exclaimed.
I don’t think this is a good idea,Oberi warned.
