Page 24 of With the Potion in the Courtyard

"I would love that!"

So, we used our fingers as wands, and found ourselves swinging our backsides and hips, twisting and turning, and jumping up and down as he showed me a spell to blast things away, one that causes fires, another that brings wind. We practiced them repeatedly until Robbie felt like I had them done, and even though I still wasn’t sure I could get them to work, I liked thinking I had some new skills to help me in the world.

A movement caught my eye, and I put a hand over Robbie’s mouth, for reasons I didn’t understand. There, outside the windows, the hunters passed us by. They were talking, heads pressed together, which I didn’t like one bit. But luckily, they didn’t slow or head in our direction, they justwalked past.

I dropped my hand when I was sure they were gone.

"Think they were looking for you?" he asked.

"I hope not," I said, and I meant it.

That sense of urgency returned. We needed to figure this out before I found myself behind bars for a crime I didn’t commit. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure how the whole legal system worked in this world, but I wasn’t about to trust my life to it.

"Hey, there she is," Robbie said as Jessie emerged from the shadows of the Academy's towering stone archways. Her face was drawn into a frown that didn't quite match the playful leap of the griffin still splashing in the birdbath.

"What did Mr. Vanderflit say?" I asked.

She let out a sigh, the kind that spoke volumes before words even had a chance to catch up. "He wasn't much help, honestly. Said that traveling to other realms is something some godmothers and sugar daddies can just do. Like flipping on a light switch, you either can or you can't."

"Did he say anything about how it's done? Maybewriting your name is part of it?" The question slipped out before I could think twice about it.

Jessie avoided my eyes, focusing instead on a particularly vibrant tulip bobbing in the evening breeze. "No, we didn't get into details," she said after a pause. Her hands fidgeted, tying themselves into knots.

"Jessie." I reached for her arm. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged off my touch gently but firmly. "I'm fine. It's just, Mr. Vanderflit acted like he didn't want to talk to me. And now that I think about it, nobody has been very forthcoming lately."

"Because of me?" I couldn't hide the hurt in my voice. The idea that my friendship could cause issues for Jessie knotted my stomach.

"Maybe." Jessie's voice dropped to a whisper. "Ever since I started hanging out with you, people are keeping their distance."

"Jessie, I'm so sorry," I said, the words coming out heavy with guilt.

"Hey, don't be," Robbie cut in. "This isn't on you. If they have a problem with Jessie's friends,that's on them."

"Thanks, Robbie. You’re absolutely right." Jessie managed a weak smile, then looked back at me. "We'll figure this out, okay?"

"Right," I nodded, forcing a smile for her sake. "Together."

The weight of unspoken things settled between us, heavier than the cool night air. But we stood united, our shared resolve pushing back against the shadows of uncertainty.

"Let's head back," Robbie broke the tension. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Good idea," I said, but as we turned to leave, the corner of my eye caught the griffin taking flight, disappearing into the night sky. A symbol, perhaps, that some mysteries were meant to soar beyond the reach of simple answers.

We walked back to the courtyard, our steps slow, burdened with unanswered questions. The moon hung like a silver bauble in the sky, casting long shadows that stretched across the cobblestones.

"Jaylyn managed to slip through to another world," I eyed the spot where her name had been scrawled. "How? And why my name?"

"Maybe she needed someone to pin it on?" Robbie said, his brows knitting together. "A diversion?"

"Or a target," Jessie added, her tone grave.

"Could be either, or neither." I sighed. "Without knowing her motive, we're guessing in the dark."

"Let's go over it again," Jessie said, determination in her voice. "There could be something we missed."

"Right." Robbie nodded, and we split up, examining every inch of the courtyard with excessive scrutiny.