“No way.”
“Yes, way. Come on.”
Cade followed without any other complaint and continued teasing Simon while they worked on the chores. They finished the weeding and were halfway through the flowers when Cade tensed and looked up. “Someone’s here,” he said, jumping quickly to his feet.
“Oh, that’ll be Master Thomas. We have training today. I guess you’d better go back to lurking.”
Cade smacked him on the back and made sure to rub in the dirt from his hand with a smug smile. “I’ve got your back, Simon,” he said with a laugh before he turned and jogged off into the trees.
Simon scowled after him, wiping off the muck from his shirt before turning to greet Master Thomas. His master came around the corner of the house with his usual beaming smile, his hands reaching out to Simon. He frowned when he saw how dirty Simon’s hands were.
“Pardon the mess, Master. I’ll go wash up, and we can get started.”
Simon hurried inside and cleaned his hands, even using a little brush to quickly get under his nails. When he returned outside, Master Thomas was already seated in the circle, ready to begin. Simon sat across from him and offered his hands.
Master Thomas flinched before he could grab them. “Simon? What’s going on?”
For once in his life, Simon didn’t want to tell the truth. He wasn’t so much worried for himself as he was for Garon and the pack if the mages found out more had happened.
“I’m not sure, Master. I have felt an energy drain since last weekend with the demon but was only able to isolate it over the past couple days. I was hoping you could help.”
Master Thomas paled and jerked his hands away. “You have been tainted by the demon.” He scurried out of the circle and backed away from Simon.
“But Master, I need your help. Please, what can I do to fix this?”Simon reached out to Thomas, unable to stand being rebuffed when Thomas was his only hope.
Thomas tripped over one of Simon’s potted plants in his haste to get away. “I cannot work with you any longer, Simon. I won’t risk being afflicted as well. This goes beyond me. I will report this new development to the Conclave immediately.”
Simon watched him run from the yard and heard his car speed away moments later. With a deep sigh, Simon realized his dream of becoming a mage was slipping further away with every day that passed.
He refused to give in to the depression threatening him. Simon focused for a moment on Cade’s presence and drew comfort from knowing he wasn’t as alone as he felt. Giving in to the fear and sadness that wanted to bear down on him wasn’t an option. Thoughts of the pack settled him and calmed his nerves to a manageable level. He renewed his determination to keep fighting, no matter what.
His list of tasks altered as his mind scrambled to make sense of everything. Gone was the to-do list of things he needed to accomplish to become a mage. Achieving full mage status meant nothing if his magic continued to be affected by the dark spell. Without the guidance of a master mage, he didn’t know how to complete the training anyway. First and foremost, he had to find a way to get rid of the leech in his magic on his own.
There was really only one resource open to him since Master Thomas had abandoned him. He didn’t have any other contacts with mages, had never even spoken to another mage since Thomas became his assigned master over four years ago. Even if he had known another mage, they wouldn’t be allowed to aid someone else’s apprentice. No, if he wanted a solution to his problem, he needed to find it himself.
At least he had his resources. His grandfather’s library was just inside, filled with hundreds of books he’d collected over his long life. Sure, Simon had promised he wouldn’t use the books until he’d passed the apprentice stage, but Master Thomas had broken his promise to get him through his apprenticeship. Simon refused to godown without a fight, and if reading some books that were levels above his ability could help, he had to try.
Settled in his decision, Simon went into the library for a reason other than to dust and vacuum. Grandfather hadn’t wanted an overhead light in the room, so there were lamps scattered about on various tables. Simon turned on the standing lamp near the door and let its glow spread throughout the room.
He crossed to the windows and opened the blinds. The sunlight flowed inside, the bright glow filling Simon with the hope of a solution. He opened the window, and the smell of his herbs began to drift inside. Soothed by the comforting scent, he turned back to face the room and took a moment to run his hand over the smooth wood of the oak desk.
Simon remembered his grandfather in this very spot, seated in his creaky old chair as he grumbled to himself. Whenever one of his plants gave him trouble or a concoction didn’t turn out correctly, he would settle at the desk with a stack of books. With one of his leather-bound journals spread open beside him, his grandfather would make long pages of notes in his flowing script.
Simon felt even more peace settle over him. His grandfather would want him to use the books to figure out how to get rid of the dark spell inside him. He took a deep breath, and for the first time in a long while, looked over the shelves for something that could help.
Of course, nothing immediately jumped out at him. There wasn’t a book with big red letters that read “What to Do if Attacked by a Demon.” He was convinced something here would hold an answer for him.
He only had to find it.
Simon grabbed a few likely books off the bookcase and settled into his grandfather’s chair. He’d just started reading when he heard a quiet knock at the back door. Setting the book aside, he went to the door and opened it to find Cade there, waiting.
“You okay? I heard what happened.”
“I’m fine. A bit relieved, to be honest with you. At least now I don’t have this big what-if hanging over my head. I’m sure the Conclave will take action sooner rather than later at this point.”
Cade nodded. “Yeah, he seemed pretty freaked. You sure you don’twant to come out to the compound? I’m heading there now. Liam is here to relieve me, but we can have you out of here in no time.”
“No. Thank you for offering, but I think I’ll stay. I’m going to go through my grandfather’s library to see if I can find anything helpful. If I find something, I’ll let you guys know right away.”
