I pull out of his tight embrace. “Tell us what happened.”
Baz closes his eyes, pulling me tight once again. Just when I’m about to pass out from the force of it, he lets go, grabbing my hand and opting to crush my fingers instead. “Come on. Everyone’s waiting inside.”
We follow him into the Iron and Bone common room, the buzz audible even before we reach the entrance. I spot Doc and Kirin immediately, but there are others here, too—Kelly Maddox and Professor Broome. Kirin’s sister, Casey, and her fellow agent James Quintana. Even Isla and Nat are huddled together by the fireplace, the look of worry in their eyes sending a bolt of fear to my heart.
“Stevie!” Isla gasps, and the girls rush forward to greet me, nearly tackling me with a double-hug that’s only slightly less painful than Baz’s.
Kirin and Doc both give me a once-over, their faces pulled tight with worry.
“Everyone okay?” Doc asks, unable to hide his energy. It washes over me in alternating waves of concern and relief. “No trouble at the Cauldron?”
“We’re fine,” I say. “What happened? Why is everyone here?”
“I called Isla and Nat when we couldn’t reach you,” Kirin says. “I wanted to see if they’d heard from you. Isla was with Professor Broome at the time.”
“I was having trouble with my dream potion,” Isla explains. “We were in the classroom trying to figure it out.”
“When I heard what happened,” Professor Broome says, “I called Kelly.”
Professor Maddox offers a kindly smile. “And I drew the Three of Pentacles crossed by the Nine of Wands this morning,” she says with her usual mystical flare, “so when Kelly told me what happened, I knew we had to be here.”
A muscle in Doc’s jaw ticks, and he folds his arms across his chest. I know he was hoping to keep things under wraps, but clearly, that’s no longer an option.
“Stevie, have a seat.” Doc gestures for the girls and I to take the seats by the fireplace. The three of us crowd into one chair, Isla and Nat basically sitting on my lap.
“Nice to see you again, Miss Milan.” Casey takes the other chair, attempting a smile. It glows in the firelight, but no amout of warmth can temper the icy tension in her energy. “Though I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Please tell me no one died,” I say, my voice breaking.
“No one died.” Casey sighs. “But I’m afraid we’ve suffered a number of setbacks tonight. Earlier this evening, a third-year witch was attacked en route to her magickal combat class, taken completely by surprise. Shortly thereafter, a graduate mage was attacked outside Blood and Sorrow’s Deep Dive Bar and Grill. One hour later, a group of three students reported suspicious activity out by the River. They claim someone wearing a dark, hooded robe attempted to stab them with some sort of ritual blade, but when the perp saw there were three of them, he took off into the woods. Agent Eastman and a few of our security mages are investigating, but we don’t have any leads yet.”
“Is everyone all right?” I ask. “Were they hurt?”
“Physically, they’re fine. None of the bodily injuries were extensive—mostly just scraped knees from falling during the attacks.”
“Was it him?” I ask.
Casey knowsexactlywhichhimI’m referring to. “There’s nothing in any of the witness statements to make us think it was Phaines.”
“But you haven’t ruled him out,” Kirin says.
“We haven’t ruledanyoneout.” This from Agent Quintana, looking supremely uncomfortable at having to speak in front of this little mini-crowd. “Not at this stage.”
“You said none of the bodily injuries were extensive,” I say, a new flicker of dread working its way through my insides. “What other kinds of injuries are there?”
It’s a long beat before anyone speaks again, and when the fire pops behind us, I’m just about ready to crawl out of my skin.
“What other injuries?” I press.
“Well…” Casey glances at Agent Quintana, who nods stiffly. Meeting my gaze again, she lowers her voice and says, “We didn’t want to share this particular detail, so I must ask for your complete discretion. All of you.”
The group nods our ascent.
“The three students at the River are reporting no anomalies. But both students who were physically attacked tonight—as well as the student from Monday’s attack—are missing chunks of hair.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head, and I know the bad news is only just beginning. “All three of them are now reporting a total loss of magick.”
The collective gasp in the room tells me that this is the first the agents have shared this particular detail.
“How is that possible?” Doc asks. “I’ve heard of muting spells, but no magick at all?”
