“No. Thad, you can’t do this,” Ava protested. “Marcus summoned you into this circle, but the spell is temporary. If you want to get into the Warden’s office, we’d have to break you out of the Ancestral Lands, so your ghost could stay here to search.”
“I can do it,” Marcus said confidently. “His spirit is really strong here. It wouldn’t take much—”
“I'msureyou could do it,” Ava said. “And that’s the problem. I’ve come back from the Ancestral Lands, and I was lucky enough to have a body to come back to. Thaddeus doesn’t.”
“He’s already crossed over once,” Marcus said. “He can cross over again.”
“You don’t realize the risk you’re taking,” Ava pleaded. “Noneof you comprehend how hard it is for a soul to come back after they’ve crossed over. I’ve been there— it fucking sucks. It messes with your spirit in a way you can’t understand. I still haven’t gotten over it.”
Ava wheeled closer to the center of the circle. “Thad, don’t do this. Just stay in the afterlife. We’ll find another way to get information.”
“Weneedto get into the Warden’s office, Ava. Thaddeus can do that without tipping off the wards. If Thaddeus wants to help, you can’t stop him,” Marcus argued.
“I do want to help,and I don’t think you guys can get the information without me,” Thaddeus said. “But I have to return to the Ancestral Lands as soon as possible.”
“Yes, of course,” Marcus said. “We won’t keep you here any longer than necessary. Once I break the circle, you should be able to roam free around the Institute.”
Marcus went to the edge of the circle, and his toe scraped against the ground as he broke the sigil. A distant, high-pitched squeal filled the room as his spell broke.
A chill spread over my skin as Thaddeus passed by me. His voice came from outside the circle. “I know how important this is to all of you. I want to make this right and finish the work I didn’t get to wrap up before I died. I’ll do my best.”
“Find out where Eddie was moved to,” Marcus instructed. “Oh— and Thaddeus. Keep an eye out for any clues mentioning keys or the siren lake. We think the Warden found something in the lake, and it would help us a lot to learn what it was. Let us know when you’ve found something.”
“I will.” Thaddeus must’ve vanished, because the chill in the air receded.
Marcus is entering dangerous territory,Oberi warned.
Oberi had me worried at first, but I figured he was just concerned about what happened last time we used our demigod powers. He didn’t want to see Ava get hurt again.
“Thaddeus wants to help,” I replied. “Don’t act so concerned.”
I wouldn’t if the last time we attempted to tamper with things had ended better, Oberi sneered.You two can’t keep out of trouble, can you?
I scoffed. “It’s not like we’re criminals. Oh, wait. Weare.”
There’s no need for your sarcastic sass, Oberi scolded.Don’t come running to me when this gets messy. Death isn’t something that should be dabbled in lightly.
“Like time?” I asked him. “It’s like you don’t want us using our demigod powers at all.”
Your powers are dangerous.
“Yes, but we’re not going to get anywhere without them,” I argued.
“What’s he saying?” Kallie asked, and Ava quickly translated.
“If Oberi wants to go inside the Warden’s office himself, he’s more than welcome,” Marcus said. “But otherwise, this is our only option.”
“That may be the case, but we have to be careful,” Ava said. “Oberi’s is right. The three of us are still fucked up from bringing me back. It was a lot for our soul to take. I’m glad that I’m still here, but we need to be careful about any consequences to bringing others here.”
“We’ll be careful,” I insisted.
We trained for a while after that, but nobody could pull off a feat quite like Marcus had. I managed to create a solid illusion of a tiny throne made out of twigs for Sprigs. Then I made him a flower crown, which he wouldn’t take off.
“I want a throne, too,” Marcus whined.
Within minutes, I’d made three separate thrones for my friends, made out of elements of the Earth like gold and silver, because those were the easiest to conjure with my Earth magic. We were getting better by the day, and I felt we were getting closer to busting out of here.
I was pushing Ava back to our room after practice when I heard the sound of a familiar voice. “I made an honest mistake, Professor. I didn’t mean to hand in the wrong paper. I swear it.”
