Page 92 of Pixie Problems

The halls were mostly empty this morning. I wasn't the only person heading to class, but I only saw about a dozen others, and most of them were older students who were also heading to the Never. Once down there, I aimed for our regular room, stepping in only to stop hard.

Ms. Rhodes was already sitting at the table. Today, her hair was in a simple ponytail, making her look even younger. Her elegant skirt suit had been replaced with casual slacks and a fitted blouse. Then there was the thing in her hand.

"Good morning, Rain," she said, glancing at my coffee cup.

"Bracken mixed in some nectar," I admitted. "And cocoa, which is like the human version of a 'make it better' potion."

She laughed, the sound calm and easy. "I'll remember that."

Then she pushed a chain towards me, lifting her hand to reveal a crow pendant dangling from the end. It was small, slightly larger than a quarter, but carved. There was a ring around the outside, with a crow flying throughit. Ridges marked the grey stone, making it look both rough and elegant simultaneously.

"Can you touch that for me?" she asked.

"Ok?" I reached over, palming the whole thing.

Ms. Rhodes watched carefully, but nothing seemed to happen. After a moment, she nodded as if pleased. "Now push some Wild magic into it?"

"Uh..." I made a noise in the back of my throat, hoping I could do it.

But nothing came. The harder I pushed, the less I could feel anything at all. It was as if the magic was just out of reach, taunting me.

"Morrigan," Jack pointed out.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Ms. Rhodes assured him.

Then she flicked a finger at me and green filled the room. I looked up to see sparkles, like glitter raining through the air, but this wasn't physical. It was merely light flickering as it all sank towards me.

"Can you try again once the rejuvenation conjuration has completely settled in?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled, watching the sparkles land on my skin and get absorbed. "That's rejuvenation?"

"It seems like something that might be useful," she explained.

Nodding, I pushed at my magic again, trying to figure out exactly what I'd done in the middle of yesterday's fight. I'd managed to send daggers at the Huntsman, so I had to be able to do this.

"Rain," Jack said gently. "Rain-Morrigan. Rain, Rain."

"I'm trying, Jack."

So he shook his head. "Rain." Then he closed his eyes. "Rain," he said again, more lazily this time.

"Oh, I should relax?"

The crow nodded, so I tried that. I didn't need to tense up. I simply had to find the thing inside me, then direct it. Just a tendril, and I wanted it to go to the necklace. So if I couldn't push, then maybe I could let go?

A dark waft swirled from the tip of my finger and into the crow pendant. More followed, almost like it had a will of its own. Right, this wasWildmagic. That meant I needed to treat it like a wild thing. Turning it loose seemed to work better than trying to force it to behave.

But on the table, the pendant was starting to - well, glow wasn't the right word. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Shadows clung to it, emanating a strange blackness which was almost light. Purple, but not quite.

"Is that black light?" I asked.

"I do believe it is," Ms. Rhodes agreed. "Technically, it's ultraviolet."

"Cool," I muttered to myself.

"Morrigan!" Jack affirmed.

"That was never in doubt," Ms. Rhodes told him. "I just wasn't sure it would work, but clearly it does."