blood. Who knows what would’ve happened if I hadn’t refused? Maybe a few minutes difference, and the hunters wouldn’t have been around. Or maybe if she hadn’t been so upset, she would’ve been able to defend herself more.” A million memories tumbled through my head. Sonya making the lily grow for me. Sonya talking to the queen on Adrian’s behalf. Sonya showing me pictures of bridesmaid dresses. Sonya working diligently to stop Strigoi and redeem herself. All of that could be lost now.
“Maybe, maybe, maybe.” Adrian sat down near me on the couch. “You can’t think like that, and you sure as hell can’t blame yourself for the actions of some crazy paranoid fringe group.”
I knew he was right, but it didn’t make me feel any better. “I should call the Alchemists. We’ve got ties to law enforcement too.”
“Probably a good idea,” he said, though his words were a little halfhearted. “I’ve just got a bad feeling about those guys. Even if… well, even if she’s alive, I really don’t know how we’re going to find her. Short of some miraculous, magical solution.”
I froze.
“Oh my God.”
“What is it?” he asked, looking at me in concern. “Did you remember something?”
“Yes… but not what you’re thinking.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Sage?” Adrian lightly touched my arm, and I jumped at the feel of his fingertips against my skin. “You okay?”
“I don’t know,” I said softly. “I just thought of something crazy.”
“Welcome to my world.”
I looked away, conflicted about the decision before me. What I was contemplating… well, some might argue it wasn’t so different than what I’d done before. And yet, it all came down to the fine line between doing something by choice and doing something because I had to. There was no question here. This would be a choice. An exercising of free will.
“Adrian… what if I had a way to find Sonya, but it went against everything I believe in?”
He took several moments to answer. “Do you believe in getting Sonya back? If so, you wouldn’t be going against everything you believe in.”
It was odd logic, but it gave me the nudge I needed. I took out my cell phone and dialed a number I almost never called-though I certainly received texts and calls from it all the time. An answer came after two rings. “Ms. Terwilliger? This is Sydney.”
“Miss Melbourne. What I can do for you?”
“I need to see you. It’s kind of urg-no, no ‘kind of’ about it. It’s urgent. Are you at the school?”
“No. As shocking as it is, I do go home on occasion.” She paused for a moment. “However… you are certainly welcome to come to my house.”
I don’t know why that made me uneasy. After all, I spent plenty of time at Clarence’s. Surely a vampire’s sprawling estate was much worse than a high school teacher’s home. Of course, said teacher was also a witch, so I wasn’t certain if I could expect a boring suburban flat or a house made of candy.
I swallowed. “Do you keep a lot of the same spell books at home that you do at school?” Adrian arched an eyebrow at the word
Ms. Terwilliger hesitated for much longer this time. “Yes,” she said. “And more.”
She gave me her address, and before I could even hang up, Adrian said, “I’m coming with you.”
“You don’t even know where I’m going.”
“True,” he said. “But lack of information’s never stopped me before. Besides, I know it has something to do with Sonya, which is good enough for me. That, and you looked scared to death. There’s no way I can let you go alone.”
I crossed my arms. “I’ve faced scarier things, and last I checked, it’s not your place to ‘let’ me do anything.” There was such concern in his face, however, that I knew I wouldn’t be able to refuse… especially since I was kind of scared. “You have to promise not to tell anyone what we’re going to do. Or talk about what you see.”
“Damn. What’s going on, Sage?” he asked. “Are we talking animal sacrifice or something?”
“Adrian,” I said quietly.
He grew serious again. “I promise. Not a word, unless you say otherwise.”
I didn’t have to study him to know I could trust him. “Okay, then. But before we go, I need your hairbrush…”
Ms. Terwilliger lived in Vista Azul, the same suburb Amberwood was in. To my surprise, the house really did look quite ordinary. It was small but otherwise blended in well to its older neighborhood. The sun had long since set when we arrived, and I was conscious of the school’s approaching curfew. When she let us into her house, I found the interior a bit more in line with what I’d been expecting. Sure, there was a TV and modern furniture, but the decor also featured a lot of candles and statuary of various gods and goddesses. The scent of Nag Champa hung in the air. I counted at least three cats in the first five minutes and didn’t doubt there were more.
“Miss Melbourne, welcome.” Ms. Terwilliger took in Adrian with interest. “And welcome to your friend.”
“My brother,” I said pointedly. “Adrian.”
Ms. Terwilliger-fully aware of the Moroi world-smiled. “Yes. Of course. You attend Carlton, correct?”
“Yeah,” said Adrian. “You’re the one who helped get me in, right? Thanks for that.”
“Well,” said Ms. Terwilliger, with a shrug, “I’m always happy to help star pupils-especially those who are so diligent about keeping me in coffee. Now then, what’s this urgent matter that brings you out at night?”
My eyes were already on a large bookcase in her living room. The shelves were filled with old, leather-bound books-exactly the kind she always made me work on. “Do you… do you have a spell that would help locate someone?” I asked. Each word caused me pain. “I mean, I know they’re out there. I’ve come across them in my work a couple of times. But I was wondering if there was maybe one that you’d recommend over another.”
Ms. Terwilliger laughed softly, and I looked away. “Well, well. This is definitely worth a late-night visit.” We were in her dining room, and she pulled out an ornate wooden chair to sit down. One of the cats brushed against her leg. “There are a number of location spells, certainly-though none are quite at your level. And by your level, I mean your constant refusal to practice or better yourself.”
I scowled. “Is there one that you could do?”
She shook her head. “No. This is your problem. You’re going to do it. You need to.”
“Well, not if it’s beyond me!” I protested. “Please. This is a matter of life and death.” That, and I didn’t want to taint myself with her magic. Bad enough I was encouraging her at all.
“Rest easy. I wouldn’t make you do it if you couldn’t handle it,” she said. “To make it work, however, it’s imperative we have something that can connect us to the person we’re looking for. There are spells where that’s not necessary-but those are definitely out of your league.”
I produced Adrian’s brush from my purse. “Something like a strand of hair?”
“Something exactly like that,” she said, clearly impressed.
I’d remembered Adrian’s complaint about Sonya using some of his personal items. Although he apparently cleaned the brush regularly (and really, I’d expect nothing less from someone who spent so much time on his hair), there were still a few lingering red strands. Carefully, I plucked the longest one from the bristles and held it up.
“What do I need to do?” I asked. I was trying to be strong, but my hands shook.
“Let’s find out.” She rose and walked into the living room, studying the shelves. Adrian turned to me.
“Is she for real?” He paused and reconsidered. “Are
“Neither had I until a month ago.” I sighed. “And unfortunately, it is real. Worse, she thinks I have a knack for it. Do you remember at all when one of the Strigoi in your apartment caught on fire?”
“Vaguely, but yeah. It kind of all got brushed aside, and I never thought much about it.” He frowned, troubled by the memory. “I was out of it from the bite.”
“Well, it wasn’t some freak accident. It was… magic.” I gestured toward Ms. Terwilliger. “And I made it happen.”
His eyes widened. “Are you some kind of mutant human? Like a fire user? And I use
