One of the security guards turned to me. “Ms. Black, stay back. This creature is dangerous.”
“He’s my familiar. He won’t hurt anyone unless he feels threatened.”
‘Jupe!’Noodle’s voice filled my mind, agitated and strangely urgent.‘Danger! Smell danger!’
“What kind of danger?” I asked aloud, confusing the security personnel who couldn’t hear his side of the conversation.
‘Bad magic. Wrong magic. In our room.’
I felt the blood drain from my face. “Someone was in our room?”
‘Yes. Left smell. Bad smell. Came to find you.’
The Nightfall Shield had caught up to us, and I felt their alarm through the bond as they picked up on my fear.
“What is it?” Draco asked, moving to my side.
“Someone was in my room. Noodle came to warn me.”
Percy’s expression turned thunderous. “We need to check it out. Now.”
I nodded, then turned back to Noodle. “It’s okay, buddy. I’m here now.” I held out my arm, and he immediately slithered up it, coiling around my shoulders in his preferred position.
The security guards looked relieved to have the situation defused, though they eyed Noodle warily. “Ms. Black, your familiar cannot be allowed to roam freely,” one of them said. “Academy regulations clearly state?—”
“I’d like to see you try to stop Noodle from doing as he pleases.”
We fled the hall and ran for the elevators, filing in as a collective group. As we approached my door, I felt a strange prickling sensation on my skin. Magic, and not the friendly kind.
“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “Something’s not right.”
Draco stepped forward, his Scorpio magic manifesting as he scanned the door. “There’s a ward on it.”
“What kind?” Aiden asked, his own magic flaring golden around his hands.
“Looks like a trigger ward,” Draco replied. “Set to activate when the door opens.”
‘Bad magic,’Noodle confirmed, his body tightening around my shoulders.
“Can you disarm it?” I asked, looking at Draco.
He nodded, his fingers already tracing complex patterns in the air. “Stand back.”
We all moved away as Draco worked, his purple magic weaving around the invisible ward. After a minute of careful manipulation, there was a soft hissing sound, like air escaping a balloon.
“Done,” he said. “But we should still be careful.”
Percy moved to the front, his Aries magic forming a protective red shield around his body. “I’ll go first.”
He pushed the door open slowly, bracing for whatever might happen. When nothing did, he stepped inside, scanning the room before signaling for us to follow.
My room appeared untouched at first glance. Everything was where I’d left it—books stacked on the desk, clothes in the wardrobe, bed neatly made. But there was a strange smell in the air, a bit acrid and chemical.
‘There,’Noodle directed, his head swiveling toward my pillow.
I approached cautiously, and that’s when I saw it, a small, folded piece of paper on my pillow. With trembling fingers, I picked it up and unfolded it.
Written in flowing script were five words:‘Myths should stay in the past.’
