Page 1 of With the Potion in the Courtyard

CHAPTER ONE

Grabbingmy bags and cat carriers, I touched the spot at the corner of the envelope and within a blink of an eye; I was standing outside the Rune Academy. The towering gothic castle rose in front of me, and I set down my stuff, putting the letter back in my pocket. Taking a deep breath, I breathed in the rich scents of nature, greenery combined with the scent of flowers. I hadn’t been gone long, but I missed this place.

In front of me, the doors to the academy were thrown open. Jessie stood in the middle of them. Her brown hair was in its familiar messy bun, and her cheeks were rosy, as always. But even though she was a tinywoman, she radiated something intense that made me worry.

Was something wrong?

Her dark eyes found me, and relief flowed from her. She hurried down the steps, nearly tripping as she went, and I steeled myself for what was about to happen. Although one thing I’d learned about this place was that you could never be truly prepared for what you might face.

Jessie appeared at my side, her face a mask of anxiety. "Thank goodness you're back," she blurted out, wringing her hands. "Something terrible has happened."

She sounded like she was on overdrive. Like she couldn’t get the words out fast enough. Whatever was wrong, it wasn’t good.

"Whoa, slow down," I said, trying to keep up with her rapid-fire speech. "What's going on?"

"Jaylyn. She didn't go home for the break," Jessie explained, her voice trembling. "She stayed here at the school, and this morning this loud noise woke everyone up. We found the courtyard statuesknocked over, Jaylyn's things scattered everywhere, and?—"

"Wait a minute," I interrupted, feeling like my brain was catching up. "Are you saying something happened to Jaylyn?"

Jessie nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "We found her bookbag and shoes near the destroyed statues in the courtyard. There was also a cloud of smoke. The statues were cleanly sliced, but the pieces that came off of them were scattered everywhere."

"There was an explosion?" I repeated, my mind racing. "How could that happen?"

"Nobody knows," Jessie admitted, her gaze fixed on her palms. "To make matters worse, your name has been written into the ground in soot. It looks like it was done deliberately."

"Me?" I stammered, my stomach twisting into knots. Not this again. "Why would someone do that? What does it mean?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have any answers yet," Jessie said softly, not making eye contact. "One thing is clear: we need to find out what happened to Jaylyn, and why yourname is involved."

Jessie looked away as she spoke, avoiding me. A pang of guilt washed over me from the way her voice shook. I didn't need to see her eyes to know she felt terrible about what was going on, about me being in the thick of it again. My stomach churned with a familiar unease. How could this be happening? Again?

"Let's go see what we can figure out."

Jessie nodded and grabbed my suitcase and one of the cat carriers. I hoisted the other carrier and my backpack. We walked to the courtyard, the sounds of commotion growing louder with every step.

It seemed like the entire school had turned out. Students and teachers clustered in tight groups, their expressions ranging from concern to outright fear. Mr. John stood near the center, his usually calm demeanor replaced by an anxious frown.

"What's with the crowd?" I scanned the sea of faces for any sign of understanding.

"Those two over there," Jessie pointed to a man and a woman standing a little apart from the rest, "they're hunters. Like the ones who came after the librarian's death."

My heart sank at the mention of hunters. The word alone conjured images of stern faces and cold scrutiny, the last thing we needed right now. "How do you know they're hunters?"

"The teachers and TAs had a meeting earlier," Jessie mumbled. "They didn't say much, just that these hunters were here to investigate."

"Have you seen them before?" I grasped at whatever information I could.

"No," Jessie admitted, "never met them. They introduced themselves as David and Sarah. But if they're anything like the last ones..." She trailed off, leaving the unspoken thought hanging between us like a dark cloud, they might mean trouble.

Great. This was just great. How many times would I have to clear my name or else face trouble? When I became a fairy godmother, I wanted adventure,notthe threat of a prison cell.

I glanced around and my stomach sank. The teachers and my other classmates were throwing me looks that could sour milk, their eyes narrowed with suspicion. It was déjà vu in the worst way, like when they all thought I’d offedthe librarian. Silly me for thinking we might get past our differences.

"Hey," Jessie gave my arm a reassuring squeeze, "don't let them get to you."

"Easy for you to say." Their stares weighed at me.

In the midst of all the awkwardness, a pigeon, which had been perched on a toppled statue, lost its footing and tumbled down in a flurry of feathers. It hit the ground with a soft thud, looking more surprised than injured. For a moment, it just sat there, dazed, before letting out an indignant coo and taking off into the sky.