Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
U nderstanding dawned as pieces clicked into place. “Like Ames and his council protocols,” Vail said quietly. “The same prejudices against hybrid magic.” She thought of the crystal she’d seen Ledger using, how it pulsed with that ugly purple energy whenever hybrid magic was present.
“Pure bloodlines were everything to them.” Kaine’s anger brought the temperature down further, frost patterns spreading across the windows. “The Changlys were considered magical royalty, their lineage traced back to the founding of the council itself. When Sirai married Marcus... it wasn’t just about love. It was a challenge to centuries of tradition.”
“What happened?” Vail squeezed his hand gently, remembering Ames’s earlier warning about ward alignments and lunar phases. The protection runes on her rings hummed with increasing urgency.
“She showed up at their house during the full moon. Said she wanted to reconcile, to understand.” His laugh held no humor. “Marcus called me right after she left. Said something felt wrong – the wards were acting strange, their usual protective magic twisted somehow. Daisy’s power kept fluctuating like it was responding to something they couldn’t see. They were driving to my place when...” He broke off, magic crackling with suppressed emotion.
“The accident,” Burke supplied quietly. “Black ice that shouldn’t have been there. Shadows on the road that witnesses couldn’t quite describe. And Daisy...”
“I felt it the moment it happened.” Kaine’s voice turned hoarse. “The family bonds breaking. By the time I reached them, it was too late. Daisy was unconscious in the backseat, her magic twisted into something dark. And Nora... she just stood there, watching from the roadside. Said it was ‘necessary’ to preserve the council’s traditions. That the curse would ‘purify’ Daisy’s magic, stripping away what they considered contamination.”
Horror rolled through Vail as more pieces clicked into place. A Senior Council member’s hatred of hybrid magic. A curse tied to lunar cycles. And now Ledger manipulating Ames with promises of council advancement, right when the ward fluctuations were growing stronger.
“The lunar eclipse,” she said slowly, remembering Ames’s parting comment. She crossed to her calendar where the upcoming eclipse was marked in shimmering silver ink. “If the curse is tied to moon phases...”
“It’ll be at its strongest then.” Kaine’s eyes met hers, golden with fear for his niece. “And if someone’s using council connections to tamper with the wards...”
“They could use that power surge for something bigger.” Vail’s rings burned against her skin, protection runes flaring. “We need to?—“
A knock interrupted her words. When the door opened, Thaddeus Ledger glided in, his smile smooth as oil on water. His magic filled the room with discordant notes. Even the ward stones visible through her window pulsed erratically at his presence, their usual golden light taking on that same violet tinge.
“Headmistress, I wondered if I might discuss some fascinating theories about hybrid magic?” Ledger’s gaze slid to Daisy’s curse diary on Vail’s desk, lingering too long on the lunar charts tucked between its pages. The crystal at his throat pulsed brighter, and Vail felt her recent ward stone observations trying to rearrange themselves into a pattern she couldn’t quite grasp. “I’ve been reviewing some of Nora Changly’s old council research. Remarkable work on magical purification. Though perhaps her methods were a bit... crude.”
His casual mention of Nora’s name hit like a physical blow. Kaine shifted slightly, angling himself between Ledger and the curse diary. Outside, storm clouds gathered as his protective magic surged, responding to the threat he sensed in Ledger’s carefully measured words.
“I’m particularly interested in her theories about ward stone alignment during lunar events.” Ledger moved farther into the office, each step precise and measured. “The council has expressed concerns about the stability of hybrid magic signatures. Your experimental curriculum has raised some... questions.” His smile sharpened. “Though I’m sure your former fiancé already mentioned that.”
“The council approved our curriculum,” Vail said firmly, though her rings burned against her skin. “Including the hybrid magic studies.” She watched how his crystal flared at the mention of hybrid magic, storing away another piece of the puzzle.
“Ah, but they weren’t fully informed of certain... complications. Like young Daisy’s unique condition.” His eyes glittered with secret knowledge. “Such an interesting case study in magical contamination. Or purification, depending on one’s perspective. Nora was quite thorough in her documentation.”
Thunder rumbled overhead as Kaine took a step forward, raw magic rolling off him in waves that made the ward stones vibrate. But Vail caught his arm, her touch both restraining and grounding. They couldn’t afford to show their hand – not yet, not when they were still putting the pieces together.
“Thank you for your academic interest,” she said smoothly, professional mask firmly in place. “But curse theory will have to wait. We have a student to attend to.”
“Ah yes, speaking of Daisy.” Ledger reached into his robes, withdrawing an ornate crystal rod that pulsed with sickly light – the same purple energy she’d seen him using near the ward stones. “I believe she had another... episode today? Fascinating how curse magic responds to ward stone fluctuations. Almost as if the two were connected somehow.”
He turned the rod slowly, letting them see the dark energy writhing within. “One might almost think Nora was ahead of her time, combining curse work with ward manipulation. Though her execution lacked... refinement.”
The threat in his words hung heavy in the air. Outside, storm clouds gathered thicker, responding to the tension in the room. Even the protection runes carved into Kaine’s gifted organizer pulsed with warning light, recognizing the danger in Ledger’s carefully chosen words.
“The council might be interested to know you’re carrying Nora Changly’s research materials,” Vail said carefully. “Considering they sealed her records after?—“
“The council,” Ledger’s smile never wavered, “will be quite interested in many things once the eclipse arrives. Hybrid magic. Ward stone alignment. The true potential of what Nora began.”
He tucked the crystal rod away with elegant precision, though the one at his throat continued to pulse ominously.
The moment Ledger left, Kaine pulled Vail close, both of them needing the contact to shake off the chill of his presence.
“He knows something,” Vail whispered against Kaine’s chest, their combined magic burning away the lingering traces of Ledger’s dark energy. “About Nora’s ritual, about the curse...”
“And now he has three weeks until the eclipse to use that knowledge.” Kaine’s arms tightened protectively. “We need to figure out what he’s planning before?—“
“Uncle Kaine?” Daisy’s small voice from the doorway made them both turn. She stood supported between Sabine and Ren, looking pale but determined. Her usually vibrant magic dimmed to flickering shadows that swirled around her in visible tendrils, making the protection runes throughout the office pulse. But it was the fear in her eyes that hit them hardest – no child should have to carry such heavy knowledge.
“I remember something,” Daisy said quietly. “About the night Grandma cursed me. About what she said when Mom and Dad...” She swallowed hard, her curse magic swirling faster. “I think I know what she was trying to do. And I think... I think Mr. Ledger wants to finish it.”
The ward stones pulsed with ominous light, and somewhere in the depths of the academy, a crystal answered.