Leaving the hair and bottles behind, we continue exploring the room, each section containing more of the same—magick spells, essence, grimoires. I pick up one of the spellbooks, but before I can take a look, Carly’s calling me over to her side of the room, panic edging into her voice.
“What is it?” I ask as I approach.
Her face is sheet-white, her eyes wide. Whatever it is, it’s got her so freaked out, she can’t speak.
My heart jumps into my throat, certain we’ve been busted. I’m almost afraid to look any closer, so certain that Anna Trello will be standing their with an axe, ready to chop us into tiny magickal bits…
“Look.” Raising a trembling hand, Carly points into the darkness, where another chamber opens off this one.
And there, right in the middle of the room, is a hospital bed. An old man lies in it, hooked up to dozens of IVs. Not just regular saline IVs, but magickal ones, each bag a different color, some swirling like the potions on the wall, some bubbling.
“Professor Phaines,” I whisper, my magick immediately picking up on his. Right now, he’s just a sickly old man in a stained T-shirt and a pair of sweats, but I know it’s the man who nearly killed me. The man who’s possessing Casey and Janelle.
Kill him. Wrap your hands around his throat and press your thumbs into his fucking windpipe until his head turns the color of a rotten eggplant…
The voice inside my head is loud and convincing, but I can’t kill him. As far as I know, the binding spell is still in place on Janelle and Casey. I have no idea what would happen to them if Phaines died while still in possession of their bodies. But if there’s even a chance that Kirin’s sister could die, I can’t risk it.
I grab Carly and turn around.
“We need to leave. Right now. We—”
The chamber door beeps, then clicks open. High heels clack on the concrete steps, and I know even before we see her that it’s Trello.
“Hide,” I whisper, and Carly and I scuttle behind a bookshelf, crouching down and praying to the goddesses Anna can’t see us.
She crosses the room, heels clacking, heading straight for the antechamber with the hospital bed.
In her hand, she holds two syringes.
My heart is hammering so loudly I can barely think straight, but I manage to hear her Anna’s words as she reaches Professor Phaines.
“You’ve drawn far too much attention, Professor Phaines. I’m afraid we’ve reached the end of the road.”
I can’t see what she’s doing, but it doesn’t take much imagination to figure it out.
Minutes later, she’s on her way out, heading back up the stairs as if this were no more than an annoying errand.
Certain we’re alone, Carly and I creep out from our hiding place and check on Phaines.
He’s dead.
* * *
“Stevie? Where are you?” Doc barks into the phone. “I just got a call from Professor Maddox. Phaines’ connection to Casey and Janelle has been severed.”
“That’s because Phaines is dead.” I tell him the short version, still trying to catch my breath as Carly and I jog back to the café, desperate to get away from the library.
“Kirin and I are on our way. Stay there.”
True to his word, Doc and Kirin rush into the café no less than ten minutes later.
“Where’s Ani?” Doc says, his voice tinged with alarm.
“He should be waiting for me at my place. I was supposed to meet him after my date with Carly.”
Doc nods, already ushering me and Carly back toward the exit. “Let’s go. We need to get Ani, pack your things, and get off-campus tonight. With Phaines dead, the Dark Hierophant energy could be anywhere.”
“Where’s Baz?” I ask.
