Page 60 of Beastkin
“What if his parents found out we’re friends with him?” Lila interrupted, her eyes wide. “If they took him?—”
“Why would his parents take him?” I demanded, but even as I asked, I knew the answer. If they’d somehow discovered our relationship, discovered that their precious purebred witch son was involved with a Beastkin… that would be the end of it. They’d stolen him away in the past for just being friends with me. I shuddered to think what they’d do now.
“We need to find Professor Blackwood,” I decided. “She’s the only one who understands what’s going on. She helped us free Phoenix from his parent’s tethering spell.”
Lila nodded, and we sprinted across campus toward the facultyhousing. My heart hammered in my chest, each beat a reminder of Phoenix’s absence. The bond between us remained frustratingly silent, no matter how desperately I reached for it.
Professor Blackwood answered her door in a dark silk robe, her silver and black hair loose around her shoulders. One look at our faces and she ushered us inside without a word.
“Phoenix is missing,” I blurted out before she could ask. “He disappeared during the game, and we can’t find him anywhere.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How long has he been gone?”
“Almost two hours now,” Lila said, wringing her hands. “He wouldn’t just leave without telling us.”
Professor Blackwood studied me for a moment, her magic flaring around her. “You’re bonded with him.” It wasn’t a question. “Can you feel him?”
I startled, not realizing she could sense something like that so easily. “No. There’s nothing. It’s like... it’s like he’s not even on campus anymore.”
She turned abruptly, grabbing a leather-bound book from her shelf. “Follow me.”
We trailed after her as she strode across campus, her slippered feet somehow making no sound on the gravel paths. She led us to a small grove of trees just outside the wards of the academy.
“The pendant,” she muttered, heading straight for a gnarled tree in the center of the clearing. “I buried it here with the golem that holds the tethering spell.”
But when we reached the tree, we saw the freshly upturned earth. Professor Blackwood ran to the small hole in the ground, digging through with her bare hands. But there was nothing to exhume. The golem was gone. The pendant was gone.
“They found it,” Professor Blackwood whispered, running her fingers over the empty space.
“What does that mean?” I asked, my voice hoarse with fear.
She turned to me, her eyes grave. “It means someone camelooking for the pendant. And when they found it and realized it was no longer around Phoenix’s neck…”
“His parents,” I said, the words barely audible. “They… They know.”
Professor Blackwood nodded slowly. “I’m afraid so.”
My world collapsed around me. Everything we’d feared was happening. Phoenix was gone, taken by the same people who’d stolen him from me once before.
“We have to get him back,” I growled, my claws extending further as rage built inside me. “I won’t lose him again.”
“Karrick,” Professor Blackwood said, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation, “we need to be careful. The Emberwoods are powerful witches with deep connections in the magical community.”
“I don’t care!” I roared, making Lila jump beside me. “They can’t just take him! They can’t control his life forever!”
Professor Blackwood placed a firm hand on my arm. “I understand your anger but charging blindly after them will only make things worse. They have the support of the Purity Front behind them. If we’re going to get Phoenix back, we need a plan.”
I took a deep breath, trying to rein in the beast that was roaring inside me. Around my feet the earth began to shift as plants sprung up, curling across my feet. At the same time, I felt my hands grow hot, sparks shooting from my fingertips. This was the magic Professor Blackwood had warned me about. When emotions ran high, it would show itself. And right now, it was taking everything I had to stop myself from exploding.
“Lila,” I said, turning to her with my teeth gritted. “Phoenix said you’ve been watching students connected with the Purity Front. Tell me their names.”
“That’s half the witch students in the school,” she replied. “Most of them aren’t actively involved. It’s just their parents. But a few…”
“Which…ones,” I growled, barely able to contain my anger.
Lila lookedterrified.
“Karrick,” Professor Blackwood said in as gentle a voice as she could muster. “We’re going to get him back. I promise. But I need you to calm down. If we go rushing in, the first person we interrogate will tip off the others and they’ll disappear. We have to do this methodically.” She glanced around at the three of us. “And we’ll need help.”