30. Thea
Thea
Terms and Conditions Apply
Classes are demanding, but now that I’m finally in the right place, I feel capable, like I’m not just trying to survive. I’m loving Misfit Magic, though I accidentally started glowing again last week while trying a low-level necromancy spell.
I didn’t try again.
Combat Magic has finally started to click and I can already tell the extra practice with Mavrik will help.
Sometimes, I’m convinced he’s Lazlo, then he says or does something that completely throws me.
He’s changing, though, his eyes aren’t so dark anymore, his shadows less pronounced. Or maybe I’m just used to them.
I almost took down a fae in sparring. It was a brutal match, but I managed to land a rock-fisted punch with perfect timing, knocking him flat.
He knocked me out afterwards and I ended up with a black eye and a bloody lip, but I was proud of myself.
I let Zair heal me afterward. Last week, I tried healing myself and I managed to turn a sprain into a full-on break that Zair had to fix, laughing the whole time.
After practicing with Mavrik, I run home to shower. When I’m walking past the Illusions building, Anita steps into my path. I spot Gideon on a bench ten feet away, and my stomach sinks. Trouble.
“Look what I got you,” Anita says, all sweetness, before presenting a delicate silver pendant shaped like a teardrop.
She holds it out like it’s a gift, not a noose.
The necklace is heavy in my hand, its cold surface unnatural against my palm. Her gaze sharpens when I don’t immediately put it on. I know it’s cursed. The question is, am I strong enough to fight it? Gideon’s watching. If I refuse, he’ll force me.
I shove aside the unease twisting in my gut and fasten the chain around my neck. The clasp clicks into place with finality.
Almost instantly, a chill runs through me. It’s as if the necklace is pulling something from deep within me. My magic is dying as it’s being siphoned away. My heart beats faster as I try to shake the sensation, but it lingers, pressing deeper into my chest like a stone.
“Adora, you should never take it off,” she says, her voice syrupy with insistence. And I feel the necklace’s magic attempting to worm into my brain. “It’s a symbol of our friendship. A reminder that no matter what, I’ve got your back.”
Anita steps closer, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. Her cloying perfume fills the air. My arms stay limp at my sides and my mind races, icy dread crawling down my spine as I realize I’ve made a mistake.
“Take care of it, okay?” she insists. “And remember, no matter what happens, you can always trust me.”
With that, she turns and leaves. I’m left standing alone, the silence around me louder than ever. My magic feels caged, trapped within me, and the necklace thrums faintly against my skin, as though it’s alive and pleased with itself.
The moment I make it to my dorm, I try to reach up to remove it, but my fingers feel numb, unresponsive.
I turn away from the door, pacing in a tight circle.
My eyes land on the goblin blade resting on my desk.
I know I could break the enchantment, sever the magic, but last time I used brute force, this time I need to use some delicacy.
I grab my phone and type quickly, trying to steady my breathing.
I need advice.
Magical object involved.
Should I go to Professor Tennant or Professor French for a quiet chat?
Zair:
Tennant.
French is good with objects, but she’s a gossip.
Perfect. That’s what I thought too. I don’t hesitate before typing a quick thank you and slipping my phone into my pocket.
I grab the bag I placed the bracelet in and head toward Professor Tennant’s office, hoping she’s still there.
The necklace presses against my skin, but I force myself to ignore it.
I need answers, and she’s the one who can help me get them.
As I step into Tennant’s office, her warm smile greets me. “Thea, what brings you here?”
“I need help with something,” I pause, fingers tightening around the bag in my hand. “But it’s sensitive.”
“I understand. I promise I won’t tell anyone what we discuss.” She gives me a reassuring nod before casting a soundproofing charm with a swift flick of her wrist. The hum fills the air as she shuts the door behind me. I pull the bracelet from my bag, its twisted remains wrapped carefully in cloth.
“A witch in my coven gave me this,” I explain.
Tennant examines the fragments with a careful gaze. “What happened to it?”
“I took a goblin blade to it.” She looks up at me with an assessing glance before reaching behind her to pull out some tools.
“This is a magical cuff of sorts. I can’t tell you much more than that with it broken.
” Her fingers tracing the runes. “The bracelet was crafted to drain power, enough to control it, but not sever it entirely. Are you feeling any compulsion toward…?” She leaves the question hanging, her eyes searching mine for an answer.
I shake my head. “No. Should I?”
Tennant nods thoughtfully. “Yes, it seems to have a type of devotion curse built in. It makes you want to please them, to stay close. As well as something that makes you almost unnoticeable to others. No student made this.”
I feel like I missed a step as the realization rips the rug out from under me: they drained my power, stole my free will. It was their magic making me into Adora. That’s why she feels like such a stranger. She is.
“So these are… like a leash?”
Tennant doesn’t look up. “Exactly. A leash that keeps you under control. Goblin blades are one of the few things capable of cutting through these types of enchantments. That shouldn’t have been possible alone. You must’ve had immense willpower.”
The necklace seems to pulse, prepared to test it.
Profesor Tennant’s frown deepens. “Whoever made these underestimated you. How long had you been wearing it?”
“Since I was a kid,” I admit quietly, feeling the weight of it all pressing in on me.
Tennant’s expression tightens. “That’s why you have so little control over your magic. Your magic didn’t just grow, it exploded, from a creek to an ocean.”
I glance down at the fragments, the broken pieces of my past.
“That’s what happened at the park? You removed the bracelet,” she asks, though it’s not a question. I nod anyways. I show her the fake bracelet on my wrist and then drop the illusion.
“I think she’s noticed I’m not weak anymore, she brought me this tonight,” I explain, showing her the necklace. “I can’t take it off.”
“Why did you put it on, Thea?” she asks, a note of disappointment in her voice as she examines the necklace. “I thought better of you.”
“I knew I could handle it,” I say quietly. “Is there any way to break the curse without destroying the object? I still need her to think I’m wearing it.”
Her eyes soften, though her tone remains practical. “I’m afraid not. The curse is bound to the object itself. You’ll have to sever the connection completely to free yourself. But… if you need something similar for deception, I could enchant a replica.”
I nod slowly. “So what now?”
Professor Tennant exhales. “First we get this necklace off you. Then we work on protecting you from anything like this in the future. Do you have the goblin blade on you?”
I pull it out.
“Do you need me to?”
“I got it,” I say, my hands struggle for a moment as I hook the blade inside the chain of the cursed necklace. I don’t let it take root, cutting the thin but unyielding chain. As soon as the last link gives way, my magic explodes out of me in an uncontrollable surge.
The air around me warps, pulsating with energy, as a gust of wind rips through the room, tearing papers from desks.
The force of it pushes me back a step, and I watch in horror as Tennant’s plants start growing uncontrollably.
The temperature rises sharply, and the wooden furniture creaks under the pressure of the expanding magic.
“Dial it back, Thea. I like my office in one piece,” Tennant says.
I take a shaky breath, closing my eyes and focusing on calming techniques. Slowly, the swirling gusts and the wild growth of the plants begin to settle. Leaving the room in a disheveled state.
My stomach lurches. I gasp, fighting against the nausea that hits.
Tennant reacts immediately. “Here,” she says, handing me a trash can as my body betrays me. I lean over, my stomach heaving as the magic continues to pulse, sending waves of dizziness through me.
Tennant watches me. “It’s just the aftereffects.”
“Still got it,” I mutter to myself, feeling both relieved and unnerved.
“Clearly,” Tennant replies dryly, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. She looks around, assessing the damage. “I can’t believe how easily you broke that.”
Easy, yes.
Did it take going through literal hell to gain the strength?
Also yes.
My phone dings, breaking the charged silence.
Zair:
Everything okay?
Everything’s good. I need to eat before heading to the library.
Meet you in the dining hall?
Alright, give me 15.