Chapter Forty
After David’s disappearance, our entire Battle Magic class aided Headmistress Wake and Professor Thrax in searching for him. When we came up short, the questions began.
Headmistress Wake explained that she believed Chena must have had a demon stone on his person. Otherwise the blade would not have lit up in his presence, and more importantly, he wouldn’t have been able to disappear in a cloud of black smoke.
He was only human, after all.
Although I knew I had to, and even wanted to because it might help people find Chena, it took me three days after his disappearance to inform the headmistress about David’s relationship with Holly. As a result, Holly underwent a week of questioning at the PIA. When she returned, I tried to talk to her, but she wanted nothing to do with me.
Even though I might have lost my friendship with Holly—and by extension, Heidi—I didn’t regret it. I wasn’t sure what was up with David, but one thing was clear.
He’d deserted the PIA and allied with the demons. Which meant he was my adversary.
How long has he been playing me?
The thought ran through my head for the millionth time as I trudged through the woods to meet Alex, Hunter, and Eva for yet another warping lesson.
The weeks had flown by since David Chena’s disappearance. A thin layer of snow lay on the forest ground and Yule was fast approaching.
The difference was only weeks, but so much had changed. The PIA was in an uproar, conducing investigations. Rumor had it that five more spies had been discovered to be traitors.
My whole world had flipped, but one thing remained constant. Alex had had zero luck in warping since our first lesson. Despite this fact, he remained undeterred in his wish to continue trying. In fact, since Chena had been exposed, Alex became more militant about our lessons, and insisted that Hunter and Eva join us.
Not one of them seemed to have the knack for warping, but there were some side benefits to practicing. Since they’d begun trying to warp, each of them had tested and strengthened their magic. Eva could now easily perform many spells that had caused her issue three weeks ago, and the guys noticed similar results.
“There you are!” Eva said as I stepped into the clearing where we’d banished the ghost. “Who goes first today?”
I scanned my friends, gauging their exhaustion. “Alex,” I said after assessing Hunter’s dark circles, and the massive bags beneath Eva’s eyes. “But this time, we’re trying something different.”
My friends’ eyes narrowed, but I brushed off their skepticism. They hadn’t had any luck with Professor Tittelbaum’s, Andre’s, or my methods. It was time for us to get innovative.
“Alex, start here. I’ll move about thirty feet into the woods. Aim for me.”
Alex’s brows furrowed. “What’s the point of this?”
“I want to make sure I’m not hogging all the warping energies in this area. I’ll also be working magic over there to make warping more accessible. You’ll only have to create half a warphole.”
He looked skeptical.
“Humor me, okay?”
He released a huff. “Sure. It’s not like anything else is working.” His tone sounded sour.
I suspected that the upcoming Yule holiday worried him. We would be separated for part of it, to spend time with our families. Plus, the next Spy Games challenge had been moved up a month to throw off the rogue agents who knew the original date, and that frustrated Alex.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “This might change everything.”
He gave me a grim smile.
“Okay, I’ll flash a ball of light once when the energies are ready. Try to warp to me.”
With that, I broke away from my friends and ran the short distance into the woods. Once there, I began to manipulate the surrounding energies into what I would use for a warphole. I pushed them to the point that it would require only a smidge more magic before a warphole would appear.
It felt weird to nearly make a warphole but stop myself—it wasn’t something I’d ever done before.
The air shimmered with the act, and thin, colorless lines appeared in my vision.
Weird, but cool,I thought, lifting my other hand and calling a ball of light. Fuchsia flashed bright in the darkening sky, the signal for Alex to proceed.
