“Dang it.”
I watched Mr. Tom don a bowler hat and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses before wrapping a yellow and maroon striped scarf around his neck. He rolled up the sleeves a little on his tux jacket and then hoisted one of the pant legs to his shin. That done, he drifted back to the wall.
“Become the stone.” Mr. Tom’s voice was soft and hollow, as though lending credence to his efforts. “Soak into your surroundings. Wrap the magic around you like a cloak.”
“Huh,” Sebastian said as Mr. Tom disappeared. I could still see him, of course, with my magic, but when they were in this element, there was a sheen to their appearance. It helped me identify when they were hiding and not. “That’s pretty slick. I can’t make him out at all.”
“But you can make me out?” I asked as Ulric crossed the street and then blended in on the opposite side.
I felt Jasper on the main drag, probably halfway between Sasquatch and me. He always made my opponents start at the other end of the downtown area so I had a chance to figure things out. Hadn’t happened yet, but today was the day!
“Yes. Why does Mr. Tom put on all that garb?”
“I have no idea.”
“And why did he roll up his coat sleeves and one pant leg?”
“Look, when it comes to Mr. Tom, or Edgar, or Niamh, you really just need to roll with it. They don’t make any sense at the best of times.”
Sebastian’s crooked smile was back. “You might have the most eccentric organization of them all.”
“That’s a very nice way to put it. Okay, you gotta scram. I can’t have you hanging around, chatting to me. You’ll get me caught.”
Sebastian took a step away, but he paused and pulled a small vial from his back pocket. “I don’t have magic to blend into stone, but when you get good at potions, you can use magic to make you disappear. I won’t get you caught. Give me a sec.”
He pulled out the cork stopper, tilted the vial up, and dribbled the contents into his mouth before he swished twice, sucked air in through his lips, and then swallowed it down, all without letting any liquid dribble from his lips.
He saw me watching. “Sometimes it’s not just the potion, it’s how you take it. Aerating that one right before swallowing keeps it working for twice as long. Don’t tell anyone, but I found out accidentally. It’s a secret.”
His body shimmered and then the image of his face went hazy. A moment later, his physical being bled away, out of sight. He’d become invisible through other means.
“Does that mask your scent, too?” I asked, remembering when spells like that had been used against me.
“Scent, yes,” came his disembodied voice. “Not sound, though. For some reason, I can’t get this potion to cut out sound.”
“Maybe you don’t have enough power?”
“I can do a soundproof potion, and the two can be taken together, but the soundproof potion doesn’t respond to aeration, and, strangely, stops the other from responding as well. I have no idea why. It makes no sense. So when I use the soundproof potion, the invisible potion doesn’t last as long. I don’t figure I need it here, though, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll be quiet.”
I shook out my hands, noting Mr. Tom had drifted down the way a little, giving me space.
“Here.”
The bit of sidewalk where Sebastian had stood looked completely empty. “What?”
The sound of glass met concrete. A shoe sole scuffed against the path, and a little vial appeared at my feet.
“So you can see me, and also get used to needing a defense against invisibility potions. They are heavily used within the magical world.” His foot slid further away, giving me space. “You have to be careful with this potion—the one I took. It isn’t just your body that disappears. It’s almost like a cloud extends around you. Not far around you, but you will make things within the cloud disappear. A cunning eye will spot that, and an experienced magical worker will look for it. That vial at your feet holds a counter-spell to the potion I took. If I drank it, it would nullify the effects of the spell I have consumed. If you take it, it will allow you to see through the effects of the potion I’m using. There are a few varieties of invisibility potions, and the counter-spell will reveal them all in different ways. That’s a secret, too. Most counter-spells are just that—counter-spells—but I added a twist to this one. It’s more helpful that way. Plus it tastes better.”
“You guys must all want to sneak into each other’s labs and steal each other’s stuff, huh?” I picked up the vial and pulled out the cork.
“In most cases, yes. Which is why our labs are so well warded. Break-ins usually only happen to newer mages, and they don’t have much to offer. Anyway, don’t let me keep you. I didn’t intend a lesson on invisibility potions, I just figured…since the case presented itself…”
“I hope this isn’t poison.” I upended the vial. The taste of black licorice exploded in my mouth, and I forced myself to choke it down. My face screwed up and I shook my head. “If that tastes better, I don’t want to know what it tasted like before.”
“Don’t like black licorice? Huh.” He took the empty vial from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine. I flinched as half my hand disappeared. “Also, no, it is not poison. I don’t want to even contemplate what it would be like for that alpha to come after me. I will never hurt you, as long as I live. I swear that, both because I have decided to take you as my student, and also because I’m terrified of what that alpha would do to me. The more I learn, the more I realize how even-tempered he is around you. I do not want to make him angry.”
“No, probably not. He gets crazy.” The street shimmered a little before settling back to normal. The shape of Sebastian manifested near my elbow. A little hazy, orangy and sparkly, but there. “Cool.”
I gave a thumbs-up and tried once more to blend into the stone, remembering what Mr. Tom had said. Feeling the stone. Turning into the stone.
Shivers coated my body. Was it finally working? Either way, I needed to get closer to the main drag.
I crossed the street at a jog, then flattened against the wall of an old house turned orthodontist’s office. Shivers still danced across my skin. I chanced a glance at Sebastian, standing about ten feet away, looking right at me.
“Dang it. You can see me?”
“Is it cheating if I tell you?”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
He looked away. “That’s a yes, then, it is cheating. Your expressions come in handy.”
“Dang it,” I said again, aiming for the alleyway down the way. Ulric drifted back, scanning the street, on bodyguard detail. Mr. Tom slunk across the street after us, following at a distance.
“Oh, I see,” Sebastian said, at my back. “He is disguising himself for when he can’t blend into buildings. Though…who is he trying to look like? And the rolled-up sleeves and pant leg still make absolutely no sense.”
“Can’t people still hear you?” I asked.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “Though I’m still unclear on what we’re doing. Other than failing to blend into the stone.”
“Just shh.” I moved slowly, digging down deep inside of me, bypassing the sorceress magic to access the gargoyle part of me. The part with the wings, tough skin, and ability to fly. I called it up, glowing with the feeling. The desire to change form and take to the skies overcame me. To rise above the buildings and hunt…
That was probably a good sign.
“Can you see me?” I whispered.
“Shh,” Sebastian replied.
I rolled my eyes, halfway down the alley now, focusing on the street. Someone passed by, straight and tall, muscular. Definitely not Sasquatch.
Farther along, I caught sight of the vacant wine-tasting room. The empty barrels had all been cleared away, the area swept. Once I signed the paperwork, I’d own half of a winery. Austin and I would need to settle on a winemaker, update the tasting room, and get the word out. It would be a lot of work.
Why didn’t that scare me as much as officially transferring Ivy House into my name?
Because you could sell the winery, but Ivy House comes with a blood oath and a contract term of “forever unless killed.”
“Oops. Where did your mind go?” Sebastian whispered. “You’d nearly done it. You’d blended in for the most part. If I hadn’t been watching, I probably wouldn’t have noticed you.”
“Sorry,” I said, pushing the thought of my duty away. But it refused to release its grip. The time had come for me to become the leader my people needed, the leader they deserved. I had to do what Austin had done and claim my position fully, balls to the wall. Only it was easier said than done.
I reached the edge of the alley, fighting to keep my focus, and losing.
Jasper waited just down the way, Mr. Tom was behind, and Ulric was…in the air?
I looked back, catching a glimpse of him just as he jumped from one rooftop to the next, his wings snapping out so he could soar the last few feet before his feet touched down. He held his clothes in his hand, and the second he landed, he disappeared into the wall next to him, his bright pink form blending in effortlessly.
Why hadn’t he just followed behind Mr. Tom?
I turned back to the street, my gargoyle magic pulsing, as if I’d unburied it earlier and made it easier to access. Actually, it felt like when I was in the middle of changing, the power surging.
Ready to grab it up and drape it over me like a cloak, hoping for more than just nearly working this time, I froze.
Sasquatch stood right in front of me, an evil smile curling his lips. Triumph lit his eyes.
“Dang it!” I yelled.
Sixteen
“Missus high and mighty can’t use the magic she was given,” Sasquatch said, his mustache moving as he spoke, the motion wiggling a clump of food stuck on the end.
“You couldn’t be grosser if you tried.” I spread out my arms. “Go ahead.”