“He agreed to help us,” Marcus insisted. “Whatever he found in Cellblock 9 could be crucial. If we can narrow down the site of the shipwreck, we can do this all in one go and get off the islandwiththe merfolk key undetected.”
“I’m in,” I decided. I’d do almost anything to get out of this place.
“It’s our best way out of here,” Kallie agreed.
“No!” Takahashi protested. “You need to stop summoning your friend so he canmove on. Marcus, you can’t do this again.”
“Technically, Ican,” Marcus said.
“But youwon’t,” Takahashi insisted. “Not as long as I’m around.”
It was meant to be some sort of a threat. Marcus grumbled and said, “All right, fine. I won’t.”
Takahashi took that as the end of the conversation. “Let’s focus on the task at hand. Marcus, I’ll need a list of ingredients for the potion. I’ll begin gathering them right away while you work on your demigod practice this morning. We’ll start brewing, so we can be sure the potion is ready the moment Ava returns from her trial.”
Marcus scribbled a few things down on a sheet of paper, then handed it to Takahashi. Takahashi thanked him, then left the room.
He wasn’t gone two seconds before Marcus conjured a bundle of herbs, the scent filling the room as he lit them.
“Marcus, what are you doing?” Ava demanded.
“Summoning Thaddeus. What does it look like?” he asked innocently.
“You said you wouldn’t!” Ava insisted.
“I said I wouldn’tas long as Takahashi was around,” he emphasized.
Kallie almost soundedproud. “You make promises like a fae.”
“I’ve learned a thing or two,” Marcus said nonchalantly. “Are you guys staying, or not?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Ava growled.
“But you’re not going to stop me, either.” Marcus waved his herb bundle around and began calling out Thaddeus’ name, but nothing happened.
Oberi barked a few times, like he was trying to help.Something feels awry, he added, and I mentally felt his consciousness bristle.
“Thaddeus, show us a sign that you’re here,” Marcus demanded.
A chill spread over my arms, but that was as far as it went.
Marcus tapped his foot. “He’s around, but for some reason, he’s not appearing in full form. It seems he needs a bit of help.”
Marcus began muttering words in Latin, and a cold breeze swept through the room. A hawk’s cry came from overhead, and my heart leapt as the bird’s scream came closer to my ear. The bird swept past me, and I clutched my chest as my heart rate slowed.
“It’s Thaddeus’ Familiar,” Ava said.
The hawk flew around the room in a chaotic pattern, as if it was trying to escape from a cage. Its continuous squawk filled the room. Oberi whimpered, like he was trying to calm the bird down.
“Thaddeus is confused,” Marcus said. “He doesn’t know where he is, or how to shift his spirit from Familiar to man. They are two pieces of a whole, but his soul is disturbed.”
Oberi continued barking. The hawk swooped down toward him, and Oberi jumped. His jaws snapped, and the hawk cried out from the floor. Oberi must’ve pinned the spirit under his paw. I didn’t know he could do that, but he was amutabeechawith one foot residing in the spirit plane.
Be still, Oberi ordered the bird.
The hawk’s cries died down, then came the sound of Thaddeus’ screams from below us. He was lying on the ground. His spirit must’ve shifted to his human form. The cries were deafening, echoing off the walls and vibrating the rafters above us.
Marcus raced over to him. “Thad, it’s just us!”
