Page 156 of Malcroix Bones Academy

I frowned, thrown somehow by her words.

What the hell did Ankha care about Caelum? And, given everything else the psychotic witch just said, not to mention what she planned to do to me, why were warning bells suddenly going off in my head about how to answer that question?

“He doesn’t like me,” was all I could think to say.

Ankha let out a harsh laugh. “He likessomepart of you, well enough.”

She stepped closer, eyeing my body under the restraining snakes.

“His father won’t thank me for letting you anywhere near that bloodline.” Ankha paused to toss a handful of magical powder over the pentagram and circle. Silver and red smoke erupted in a dense cloud over the blood and ash-covered skull. “…I’ll have to tell him, of course,” she added under her breath,lips pursed. “That can’t be helped. He has plans for that boy of his. Big plans. If you had any idea…”

She trailed, and glared at me.

“Well, nothing to be done about it now. He’ll discipline the brat. Malefic might even thank me for it, if that man-child of his is harboring rebellious notions, and his father hadn’t picked up on it. Anyway, the blow will be softened after I take care of you. I doubt even Malefic will object to his son fraternizing with Morticia La Fey… even in that body.”

She glared at me through the writhing cloud of smoke.

“If there’s any chance that young Bones might’ve impregnated you?”

I choked on the word.“Impregnatedme? Caelum?”

Ankha’s eyes darkened more. “Caelum? You dare to be so familiar with him?”

I opened my mouth, thought better of it, and closed it.

My aunt glared at me only a few seconds longer, then turned back to the circle, and began muttering words in a language I’d never heard. I knew it had to be one of the magical languages, but for most of those, while there was no exact equivalent on human Earth, there were echoes of Latin, Sanskrit, Ancient Runes, Ancient Egyptian, even Mandarin and English.

This didn’t sound like any of those.

These words sounded harsher, more guttural.

“Sarpah aatma chorah… sarpah aatma chorah… pibatah hadapane rakt…”

I tried to use my sun primal to translate, but either it couldn’t, or too much of the drug remained in my system. A wave of cold, clammy presence enveloped me as Ankha continued to speak, as if I’d been thrust into the dark water of an icy lake.

The green powder in the lines of the pentagram began to glow.

I struggled harder against the silver snakes as that nauseating, disturbing presence grew. Revulsion brought too much saliva to my mouth. I had to get out of there. Some part of me panicked. I needed to get the hellawayfrom what I could feel coming.

A dark, cloudy, apparition-like shape began to rise sickeningly out of the center of the pentagram. It writhed upwards as if searching, seeking to connect with something else. Ankha’s vocal tone changed as the cloudy form grew more and more distinct. Her words grew harsher, more guttural. Her magic slid through the wolf primal that stood on the back of the armchair Archie always favored to watch his cartoons. The primal’s lips lifted in a snarl, its eyes and silver fur tinged green in the light of the pentagram.

My chest clenched as the wraith-like shape changed direction.

It stretched out past the boundary of the flaming circle.

It began moving deliberately towards me.

I screamed. I threw my whole body backwards in pure instinct, using every ounce of my strength. Everything in me told me not to let that ghost-like presence touch me. Everything in me told me to run, to do whatever I had to do, if it meant getting away.

The silver snakes tightened around my arms and legs.

I lost my balance and toppled, landing hard on the carpet by the fireplace hearth. My knees flared in pain, but I barely noticed. I dragged myself along the rug in a writhing crawl. I couldn’t bend my legs or arms well enough to crawl for real, so I threw my body forward as best I could, straining against the hissing snakes. I reached the hearthstone, and tried to use the rough edge to rub them off my arms.

I focused everything I had on my sun primal.

I begged it to help me.

The gold-white light flared, blindingly bright, and, shockingly, the snakes on my arms and legs loosened.