Hunger

“I didn’t technically lie to him,” Mason said as he handed Felix his list of supplies. “You will be getting supplies that would allow me to undo a masking spell. But I’ll also be able to cast my own masking spell on us.” His eyes glinted. “Which will allow us to enter Ernest’s house undetected.”

Arisa peered over Felix’s shoulder to look at the list. “Right. All we need after that is an address, transportation, and a way to get you through protection wards.”

“One thing at a time.” Mason lifted his gaze to the sign hanging above the store. “I came here a couple of times on trips with my parents.” He sighed. “I wish I could go in again.”

“There’s really no way they’d let you in?” Felix asked.

Mason shook his head. “It’s fine. Just go get the supplies so we can get back to the castle.” He threw a quick glance back at where Archer waited across the street, glowering at every passerby who gave him a second glance. “Thankfully, I don’t think any of the Guardians know enough about spellcasting to question us.”

Felix and Arisa had to pester some of the store employees for help, but they were able to find everything and check out in about ten minutes. When they handed the bag to Mason outside the store, he dug through it with a concerned expression on his face.

“Did we get it all right?” Felix asked.

Relief crossed Mason’s face as he lowered the bag. He looked up. “Perfect. Thank you.”

They returned to Bright Castle in a considerably better mood than when they’d left. They were one step closer to breaking into Ernest’s house, they’d beaten the wraith without too much injury, and Jack Caldwell had been humbled. Jack’s weird behavior still nagged at Felix, but he decided to chalk it up to the guy’s obsession with winning fights.

The good day ended with Felix waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

He sat up, a hand pressed to his forehead. He couldn’t remember what his dream had been. He could only remember being paralyzed while something drew closer and closer.

His stomach growled. No way was he going to make it to morning without a snack. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his shoes. Kendra had mentioned a nearby kitchen on his first day, but he couldn’t remember which floor it was on. The only kitchen he knew how to reach off the top of his head was one that Arisa had shown him, through one of the secret passages.

Using his phone’s flashlight, Felix entered the passages through a door hidden near his room and made his way to the kitchen, where he snagged a couple of rolls and a yogurt. On his way back, as he passed an exit into one of the main hallways, the sound of a door slamming made him freeze.

He frowned. Wasn’t this part of the castle residential? Who was awake at this hour? Felix crept toward the door that he was pretty sure opened behind a tapestry. He dared to turn the handle and push it open an inch.

The tapestry in front of the door was hung from the ceiling rather than attached to the wall, leaving a small gap between it and the door. Felix peered down the hall toward the source of the sound.

Jack Caldwell stood in front of the door that must have been the one slammed shut. He glared at it for nearly a minute before turning and storming off.

Felix waited for Jack to disappear around the corner at the end of the hall. Once he was sure Jack was gone, he slipped through the door and out from under the tapestry. He tiptoed up to the door and rested a hand on it.

Everything but the door faded away. Jack reappeared next to Felix, materializing from nothing. As Felix took a step back, Jack moved forward to knock on the door. When a minute passed without a response, he knocked again, harder.

The door swung open. Abraham Caldwell stood on the other side. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “Your mother and I are sleeping.”

“I can’t sleep,” Jack said, no sign of his usual confidence. In fact, he sounded scared. “I’m having nightmares about the wraith.”

“You’re fine. The healer said none of you would suffer any permanent effects.”

“But—” Jack’s jaw clenched. “I haven’t seen you since I got back. We need to talk about—”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“I need another chance! I promise, I’ll beat anything you give me.”

“I can’t cash in another favor, Jack. That was your only chance to get close to something that powerful.” Abraham rubbed his forehead. “I’m going back to bed. I suggest you do, too, since you’ll need to train twice as hard tomorrow.”

The door slammed shut. Felix resurfaced and backed away from it, alone again in the empty hallway.

Awesome. As if things weren’t already complicated enough.

The next morning, Felix opened his curtains and spotted Mason and Arisa sitting on the castle lawn far below his window. He quickly got dressed and raced down to meet them.

“What are you guys doing?” Felix called as he approached.

“You’re up earlier than usual.” Arisa looked up from the notebook in front of her. She’d scribbled loopy sigils all over the page in pen.

“I knew they existed, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find them,” Mason said. He held up a dark red book. “But I did last night. They’re sigils that can be used to break wards. We’ll use them to get me into Ernest’s house.”

Felix sat down next to Arisa. “It’s that easy?” he asked as he watched her draw another sigil.

“No,” Mason said. “They take a lot of energy. We’ll have to draw them in advance over the next few days.” Glancing at Arisa, he added, “She’s just practicing.”

“And why are you guys all the way out here?” Felix asked.

“We’re hiding from spiders.” Mason swept his gaze across the grass around them. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Adrienne keeps some out here, too, but it’s easier to pinpoint their magical energy in an open space.”

“Well, I have news, too,” Felix said. He explained what he’d seen the night before.

“So, Jack did know there was a wraith inside,” Mason said, brow furrowing. “But why would he want to fight one?”

“No idea,” Felix replied. “But whatever the reason, he failed, and his dad’s not giving him another chance.”

“Sounds like his dad can’t give him another chance.” Arisa tapped her pen against her notebook. “I wonder what he meant by that ‘cashing in a favor’ thing.”

Mason perked up. “Hey Felix, do you think it would be possible to use your psychometry to get Ernest’s address?”

Felix blew out a breath of air. “I mean, maybe, but I have no way of knowing what objects in the castle could hold a memory involving his house.”

“We’ll just have to go with plan B,” Arisa said.

Mason lifted an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware we had a plan B.”

“I came up with it while talking to my parents this morning,” Arisa said. “Turns out my uncle in Oregon needed emergency surgery last night, so they’re flying down this afternoon to help take care of his kids.”

“So, they’re not going to the party?” Felix asked.

“Nope.”

Mason frowned. “How does that help us?”

“Kendra and Hana are driving them to the airport as we speak,” Arisa said. She smirked. “Which means their car is here, just waiting to be driven. All I have to do is grab the keys from their apartment.”

“And how will we find Ernest’s house?” Felix asked.

“We’ll just have to follow the other Guardians when they leave.” Arisa shrugged. “My parent’s car is plain, and a lot of people will be driving off.”

“But someone like Hana or Kendra would recognize it.”

“The Guardians will have to space themselves out as they leave the pocket dimension and enter the main road,” Arisa explained. “We can wait for anyone who would notice us to leave first, and then we’ll follow someone else out.”

Mason nodded, though his expression was reluctant. “I guess that will work. I’d prefer to know where we’re going beforehand, though.”

“At this point, we have to take what we can get,” Arisa said. “I’m surprised we’ve made it this far.”