The Indigo Spell Chapter Ten

THE NEXT MORNING, I sought proscribed Ms. Terwilliger ahead yr to give her a recap of yester twenty-four hour periods adventures. She leaned against her desk, sipping a cappuccino as I spoke. Her twist grew darker as the story progressed, and she sighed when I finished.Well, thats unfortunate, she give tongue to. Im glad you were able to find the muffin girl, except that kills our lead on Veronica until the next full moon. It could be also late by then.Youre incontestable theres no other scrying hug drug? I asked.She shook her head. Most that I could attempt would alert her that I was looking for her. There is ane that might mask me while Im using it . . . and when it also might not be able to plump hold of either shielding shes using to hide herself.Its exempt worth a try, isnt it? I asked. The warning bell rang, and students began trickling into the classroom. She shot me a smile as she straightened up.Why, Miss Melbourne, I never thought Id hear you suggesting su ch functions. merely youre right. Well talk approximately it this afternoon. Its more or lessthing Id like you to see.That anti-magic gut instinct started to rear its awful head . . . and then stopped. Somewhere, against my wishes, Id gotten caught up in wholly of this. I was oerly concerned now roughly Veronicas other victims to pay tutelage to my vulgar worries. In Alchemist eyes, using magic was bad. In my eyes, leaving innocents in endangerment was worse.With no other critical situations to contend with, I name that the day flew by. When I rejoined Ms. Terwilliger for our independent study, I found her packed up and waiting for me to arrive. Field trip, she told me. We train to work on this at my place. A ruminative look get over her features. Too bad we lavt stop at Spencers. caffein and magic didnt mix, which was another(prenominal) skinny reason for staying forth from the ar nominatee. I started to lodge out that since I wasnt working all magic, I didnt have the state(prenominal) restrictions. A moment later, I decided that would be mean. Ms. Terwilliger had enough deprivation on with a bloodthirsty sister on the loose. She didnt need to be taunted too.The cats were waiting at the door when we arrived at her ho usance, which was slightly terrifying. Id never seen all of them at once and counted thirteen. I had to assume that number was by design.I have to feed them first, she told me as they swarmed at her feet. Then well get to work.I nodded wordlessly, meaning her plan was a good one. If those cats werent fed soon, it seemed likely they would crease on us. I didnt like our odds.in one case they had food to distract them, Ms. Terwilliger and I went to her workshop. There was bitty I could do except observe. Magic a good deal required that the person doing the spell be the one to put in all the labor. I assisted with a little measuring, plainly that was or so it. Id seen her do a couple of quick, flashy spells in the past that never anything of this magnitude. It was clear to me that this was a very, very powerful feat. She had naught to necktie her to Veronica, no hair or picture. The spell required the threader to use the image in her mind of the person creation sought. Other components, herbs and oils, helped rear the magic, however for the most part, the work was all on Ms. Terwilliger. Watching her coif triggered a mix of emotions in me. Anxiety was one, of course, however it was paired with a secret fascination at seeing more or lessone with her strength cast a spell.When everything was in place, she spoke the in gittation, and I nearly gasped as I felt power surge up in the room. Id never sense it from another person before, and the intensity nearly knocked me over. Ms. Terwilliger was staring at a spot a few feet in front of her. After several(prenominal) long moments, a glowing dot appeared in the air. It grew bigger and bigger, go into a flat, shimmering disc, which hung there li ke a mirror. I stepped back offward, half-afraid the disc would fall out expanding and consume the room. Eventually, it stabilized. Tense silence sur turninged us as she stared at that glowing surface. A minute passed, and then the oval began to reverberate and shrink until it was gone. Ms. Terwilliger sank with exhaustion and caught the side of her table for support. She was sweating heavily, and I handed her rough orange juice wed had place.Did you see anything? I asked. Thered been nothing visible to me, solely perhaps only the caster could see what the spell revealed.She shook her head. zero(prenominal) The spell was unable to assemble her mind. Her shielding must be too strong.Then we cant do anything until next month. I felt my stomach drop. I hadnt realized until that moment how much Id been hoping this spell would work. So much of my brio involved problem solving, and I felt lost when I ran out of options.You and Adrian can keep warning the other girls, utter Ms. Terwilliger. Color was beginning to return to her face. At the very least, it might slow Veronica down.I looked at the time on my cell phone. This spell had taken s eventide-day than I thought. I dont think we can do a corpulent trip to Los Angeles today. Ill get him tomorrow, and well see if we can finish off the list.Once I was convinced she wouldnt pass out from magical exertion, I make motions to leave. She stopped me as I was active to walk out the door.Sydney?I glanced back, suddenly un liberal. The problem with having so many people call me by nicknames was that when someone called me by my actual name, it usually meant something serious was happening.Yes?We keep talk of the town somewhat warning others, but dont forget to look after yourself as rise. Keep studying the book. Learn to protect yourself. And keep the charm on.I touched the garnet, hidden under my shirt. Yes, maam. I will.Marcuss promised text came as I was driving back to school, telling me to meet him at a nigh arcade. I knew the place and had actually been to its adjacent mini-golf course once before, so I had no difficulty heading over there. Marcus was waiting for me vertical inside the door, and thankfully, Sabrina wasnt a rape wielding a gun.I hadnt spent a banding of time in arcades and didnt truly understand them. They hardly meshed with my fathers course of education. For me, it was a mass of sensory overload that I wasnt quite ready for. The smell of slightly burnt pizza filled the air. Excited children and teenagers darted back and forth between games. And everywhere, everything seemed to be flashing and beeping. I winced, thinking maybe my dad had been on to something in avoiding these places.This is where were dismissal to discuss covert activities? I asked in disbelief.He gave me one of his movie star smiles. Its not an easy place for people to spy on you. Besides, I havent played Skee-Ball in years. That game is awesome.I wouldnt receive.What? It was manakin of nice to catch him by surprise again, even if it was for something so trivial. Youve been missing out. Spot me some money for tokens, and Ill award you. Apparently, being an on-the-run renegade leader didnt pay well.He found the Skee-Ball machines instantly. I bought him a cupful of tokens and handed them over. Have at it.He right away put a token in and threw his first thump. It landed all told outside of the rings, making him scowl. You dont macerate any time, I remarked.His eyes were on the game as he made his second throw, which again missed. Its a survival tactic. When you spend enough time on the run . . . privateness out all the time . . . well, you take advantage of these moments of freedom. And when pretty girls nub you away.How do you know were free? How can you be so sure the Alchemists havent been watching me? I asked. I was pretty sure I wasnt being watched and mostly fatalityed to test him.Because they wouldve showed up on that first day.He had a point. I pu t my hands on my hips and tried to be patient. How long are you going to play? When can we talk?We can talk now. His next clod trip up the ten-point ring, and he whooped with joy. I can talk and throw. Ask away. Ill give you as many shocking secrets as I can.Im not easily shocked. unless I wasnt going to waste this opportunity. I glanced around, but he was right. No one was going to take heed in this noisy place. We could barely hear each other as it was. Whatd you do to get kicked out of the Alchemists?I didnt get kicked out. I left. This round ended, and he put in his next token. Because of a Moroi girl.I froze, unable to believe what Id hear. Marcus Finch had started his great rebellion . . . because hed been involved with a Moroi? It rang too keep out to my own situation. When I didnt say anything, he glanced over and took in my expression.Oh. Oh. No, nothing like that, he said, realizing my thoughts. Thats not a line even I would cross.Of course not, I said, hoping I was d oing a good job at hiding my vileness. Who would?He returned to the game. We were friends. I was assigned to Athens, and she lived there with her sister.That derailed me. Athens . . . you were in Athens? That was one of the places I destinyed to be assigned. I went to St. Petersburg instead, but I always kept hoping that, maybe, maybe, Id get reassigned to Greece. Or even Italy. I was nearly babbling, but he didnt seem to notice.Whats wrong with St. Petersburg? Aside from the juicy Strigoi count.Whats wrong is that it wasnt Athens or Rome. My dad specifically requested that I not be assigned to either place. He thought itd be too distracting.Marcus pa apply again to give me a long, level look. There was humanity in his expression, as though my entire history and family drama were performing before his eyes. I didnt want him to feel sorry for me and wished I hadnt said anything. I cleared my throat.So tell me about this girl in Athens.He took the hint. Like I said, she was a fri end. So funny. Oh, man. She cracked me up. We used to hang out all the time but you know how thats kind of frowned upon.I almost laughed at his subtle joke. Kind of? That was an understatement. Field Alchemists werent supposititious to interact with Moroi unless it was absolutely necessary for some business matter or related to stopping and covering up Strigoi. My situation was a little unique, since my mission actually required me to talk to her on a chance(a) basis.Anyway, he continued. Someone noticed, and I got a lot of unwelcome attention for it. Around the equivalent time, I started hearing all these rumors . . . like about Alchemists holding Moroi against their will. And even some Alchemists interacting with the Warriors.What? Thats impossible. We would never work with those freaks. The idea of Moroi prisoners was outlandish, but it was that second part that truly stumped me. I couldnt even process it. He might as well have said the Alchemists were working with aliens.Tha ts what I thought. He threw another ball, looking supremely pleased when it scored thirty points. But I kept hearing whispers, so I started asking questions. A lot of questions. And, well, thats when things really went bad. Questions dont always go over so well especially if youre a nuisance about them.I thought about my own experience. Thats certainly true.So thats when I walked. Or, well, ran. I could see the signs. Id crossed a line and knew it was only a matter of time before I had a one-way ticket to re-education. Another new round started, and he gestured me front. Want to give it a try?I was let off stunned enough by his earlier words that I stepped forward and took a ball. The Alchemists were logical, organized, and reasonable. I knew there were Alchemists who wished we could do more to fight the Strigoi, but there was no way our class would work with trigger-happy zealots. Stanton told me we only tolerate the Warriors. That were honourable keeping an eye on them.Thats what I was told too. He watched me line up a shot. Theres kind of a learning slide to this, by the way. It may take you a few I threw and hit the l-point ring. Marcus could only stare for a few seconds, his earlier smirk vanishing.You said youd never played he exclaimed.I havent. I threw another fifty pointer.Then how are you doing that?I dont know. Fifty points again. You just base your absorb on the balls weight and distance to the ring. Its not that hard. This is kind of a slow game, really.Marcus was still dumbstruck. Are you some kind of super-athlete?I nearly scoffed. You dont need to be an athlete to play this.But . . . no . . . He looked at the rings, then at me, and then back to the rings. Thats impossible. Ive been playacting this since I was a kid My dad and I used to go to our towns carnival over and over in the summer, and Id spend at least an hour playing this each time.Maybe you should have made it 2 hours. I tossed another ball. Now tell me more about the Warr iors and the Alchemists. Did you ever get any proof?It took him several moments to tune back into the conversation. No. I tried. I even got cozy with the Warriors for a while thats how I met Clarence. My pigeonholing has found a few dark secrets about the Alchemists and saved other Moroi from the Warriors, but we were never able to make a connection between the two groups. He paused dramatically. Until now.I picked up the next ball. This mundane activity was percentage me analyze his startling words. What happened?It was a fluke, really. Weve got a guy working with us now who just left the Alchemists and broke his tattoo, he explained. He said it like it was no big deal, but I still couldnt quaver how uneasy breaking the tattoo made me feel. Hed overheard something that matched up to something Sabrina uncovered. Now weve just got to get the evidence linking it all.How are you going to pull that off?Actually, youre going to pull it off.He spoke just as I was cathartic another ba ll. My shot went wide, missed the rings and even the machine entirely. The ball bounced off the wall and landed at the feet of some startled girls. Marcus retrieved the ball and gave them an apologetic smile, which made them gush about how it was no problem at all. As soon as they were gone, I leaned toward Marcus.What did you say?You heard me. You want to join our group? You want to break your tattoo? He looked annoyingly smug. Then this is all part of the process.I never said I wanted to do any of those things I hissed. I just wanted to find out more about them.And I bet youd really love to know if there are factions in the Alchemists working with the Warriors.He was right. I did want to know that.He caught hold of my hand. Sydney, I know this is a lot to take in. I dont blame you for doubting, and thats exactly wherefore we need you. Youre smart. Youre observant. You question. And just like me, those questions are going to get you in trouble if they havent already. Get out now while you can on your own terms.I just met you Im not breaking away from the group that raised me. I pulled my hand back. I was willing to hear you guys out, but now youve gone too far.I turned and headed toward the door, unwilling to listen anymore. Yet as I walked away, his words crawled over me. Even though Id been forgiven for my involvement with Rose, my record still probably had a black mark. And even though I hadnt pushed hard about Marcus Finch, had even bringing him up raised Stantons suspicions? How long until little things added up?I pushed open the doors and stepped out into bright sunlight. It chased away the darkness of what Id just heard. Marcus was right bed me and touched my shoulder.Sydney Im sorry. Im not trying to scare you. That cocky attitude was gone. He was deadly earnest. I just sense something about you . . . something that resonates with me. I think were on the same side, that we want the same things. Weve both gotten close to the Moroi. We want to help them without being lied to or used.I eyed him warily. Go on.Please, hear us out.I thought I just did.You heard me out, he corrected. I want you to meet the others and hear their stories. Theyll tell you more about what they went through. Theyll tell you about this. He tapped his tattoo. And when you hear more about that task . . . well, I think youll want to do it.Right. The big, mind-blowing thing thats going to unveil an Alchemist-Warrior conspiracy. He remained serious, which bothered me more than if hed suddenly revealed this to be one big joke. So, what? Youre going to get the others, and well all have an arcade day?He shook his head. Too dangerous. Ill gather them in some other place and then tell you where to meet us, but its got to be last minute again. Cant risk detection.I cant go on some epic road trip, I warned. No one cares much about LA trips, but traipsing all over the state is going to get that unwanted attention you were talking about.I know, I know. Itll be close. I just have to make sure its secure. He was back to his excited, well-off self. Will you do it? Come join us?In fire of myself, I was curious. Even though I refused to believe in any connection between the Warriors and the Alchemists, I wanted to find out what leads this group thought they had. I also just wanted to see this underground group of his, period. What had Adrian called them? Marcuss Merry Men? And, of course, there was the tattoo. Marcus kept alluding to its secrets but still hadnt given me the details.Ill do it, I said at last. On one condition.Name it.I want to bring someone with me, I said. You can trust him, I swear. But after Sabrina pulled a gun on me, you have to understand why Id be a little nervous about walking into your clique.Marcus looked like he might almost involve it but then suddenly recoiled. Not Adrian?No, no. This guys a dhampir. No one whod be interested in turning you over to the Alchemists, especially if you really are working to protect Moroi . You say youve got a good feeling about me? Then trust me that you have nothing to mystify about with him. Hed just be there to make me feel a little safer.You have nothing to worry about with us, Marcus said. We wont hurt you.I want to believe you. But I dont quite have that same good feeling you have yet.He didnt say anything right away and then burst into laughter. Fair enough. Bring your friend. He shook my hand, as though we were sealing some great bargain. Ill be in touch later with the details. You wont regret it, Sydney. I swear it.