I pressed my lips together. “Strapping it on will take time we don’t have if we’re attacked. There’s got to be a better way. Hang on— I’ve got it!”
I ran my hands over Oberi’s back. “What if Oberi and I use simultension and combine shifter magic with my illusion magic? We can make the saddle shift with her.”
“That might work,” Ava said. “Why don’t you try it?”
Oberi nickered, and I felt her shifter magic flowing through me. I ordered it to tangle with my illusion, and the saddle buzzed with energy.
“Try it now, girl,” I instructed.
Oberi shifted, her form shrinking beneath my hands. Oberi let out a bark.
The saddle’s gone, he said.
“Incredible,” Marcus mused.
“Try shifting back,” I suggested.
Oberi’s energy changed as she became a unicorn again. I ran my hands over her back, and the bareback pad was still there.
“This is amazing!” Ava raved, sounding thrilled. “Now we won’t have to worry about this.”
I paused when I heard the sound of footsteps in the distance.
“Someone’s coming!” Marcus hissed.
The door to the abandoned cell block opened, and we all held our breath. Rishi meowed and pawed at the door to our secret room.
“Yo!” someone shouted. “Anyone here?”
I relaxed. “It’s just Alistair.”
I opened the door and called down the hall. “We’re in here.”
“Is Marcus down there?” Alistair asked.
“He’s here,” I said.
Alistair’s cane clicked louder and faster against the ground as he hurried toward us. “Marcus, I need some damn answers.”
Marcus groaned as Alistair entered the room. “I told you, we can’t cheat on our final. If we’re caught—”
“I’m not talking about cheating,” Alistair interrupted. “I’m talking about Eddie! What did Thaddeus find?”
We’d told our friends we’d summoned Thaddeus, and that he’d learned the Elves had been moved. They knew Thad had gone looking for answers, but so far, we didn’t have an update. It’d been a few days, and that worried me.
“He’s still looking for information,” Marcus said.
“Well, he’s taking too long!” Alistair shouted.
“He’s aghost,” Marcus shot back. “He can’t exactly shift through paperwork.”
“He must’ve found something,” Alistair insisted.
“That’s not fair,” Marcus said. “We’ve been searching for answers all semester. Thaddeus has only had a few days.”
“That’s a problem. How much longer are we going to hang out waiting on answers?” Alistair demanded.
“Look, I’m sorry, but Thaddeus doesn’t have any answers for us,” Marcus said harshly.
