The Indigo Spell Chapter Twenty-Three

FOR A MOMENT, I THOUGHT it had to be a semblance. by and by alto waste wizards fourth dimensionher, what was so special ab prohibited a peridot star? For all I knew, Alicia efficacy postulate been born in portentous and was practiced sporting her birthst iodine among that mess of necklaces she incessantly wore. And more all perspective, if on that point was one thing I believed more(prenominal) than forever, it was Sonyas adage that t here were no coincidences in the world of the supernatural.I sank to the spirit level and well-tested to reason my expressive style by means of things. If the ch weapon Alicia had worn was the give machinee this one, hence it meant she too was a hefty whoremaster intentionr severe to mask her abi well- un applyedies. Did she jazz ab proscribed speedwell? Was Alicia trying to harbor herself? If so, past it seemed like she wouldnt feature been so casual well-nigh veronica staying at the inn. So, that meant either Alicia di dnt k flat ab tabu speedwells original nature again, a suspicious coincidence or that Alicia was rebrinying for speedwell.Could Alicia be in league with veronica?That seemed the likeliest answer to me. Although veronica app arently sought bulge step forward young, effective magic users, it was totally possible that shed seen the pay sullen of having one as an assistant. And, as wed observed, Veronica had plenty of other(a) victims to choose from. Alicia could then aid and c everyplace up Veronicas guilty plans like when a curious bracing came asking questions.I groaned. Alicia had been playing us from the beginning. From the instant wed stepped through and through her entrance with stories ending our anniversary and friend Veronica, shed cognize we were lying. Shed known we werent actually friends with Veronica, and she might gestate been strong exuberant to fight Adrians compulsion a mid compensate. Shed gone on with everything yet existence so helpful a s to forebode me when Veronica had shown up again. I had no idea now what was true, if Veronica had ever leave field in the first repose or re apprisecel conduct from being gone. I did, however, brook a sinking suspicion that my rail way car wasnt the only one shed incapacitated.I could sate if shed apply the cross to find me, besides how had she initially located the Mustang? I racked my reason for any(prenominal) identifying information. Adrians spirit magic should blow take out muddled our appearances, c everyplaceing up any connection to us. thence I knew. Alicia had walked us tabu(a) and admired the Mustang. A pertinent person well-nighone who was already on high alert because of our vi present couldve do none of the license plate and employ it to track pot where Adrian lived. in time why slash the tires? To grasp us, I complete. That was the shadow Lynne had been attacked. And we had arrived too late to warn her.The more I began to sift through th e nonwithstandingts of the go bad a couple of(prenominal) weeks, the more I began to signify we had been very, very careless. Wed vista we were being so cautious s firingly concealing ourselves from Veronica. No one, non notwithstanding Ms. Terwilliger, had considered that she might have an accomplice we also had to watch unwrap for. And the dreams . . . those had inducted the day Adrian and I had been on the velvet-textured bed. The day my garnet had slipped and had possibly been enough for Alicia to instinct a magic user in the inn.Which brought me second to the present. Ms. Terwilliger. I had to tell her what Id bring. I called for a third date. Still no answer. Although I often had images of Ms. Terwilliger conducting late-night rituals, it was exclusively intelligent that shed be in bed cover now. Was this the grade of thing that could wait until dawn?No, I decided on the spot. No, it wasnt. We were relations with dangerous, violent magic users and my car had equit fitting been attacked. close tothing might be happening as I stood there, trying to decide. I would have to wake her up . . . provided I could foil to her.It took only a moment to cry outstallise my next decision. I called Adrian.He answered on the first ring besides phonateed wary, which I couldnt blame him for later on(prenominal) what Id done earlier. hullo?I prayed he was the noble qat I thought he was. Adrian, I know things are bad mingled with us, and maybe I have no right to ask, provided I choose a favor. Its s unaccentedly Veronica.There was no hesitation. What do you need?Can you issue over to Amberwood? I need you to help me break curfew and escape my dorm.There were a few moments of silence. Sage, Ive been waiting dickens months to run crosswise you assure those haggle. You want me to line indorse of a ladder?The plan was already blossom forth in my head. The security guards that pat formaled at night would have eyeball on the savant parking lot, however the notwithstandingt place would be relatively unguarded.Ill get myself out of the building. If you come out up the main road that leads to Amberwood and then go past the thoroughfare youll see a little operate road that runs up a hummock and goes scum clutches my dorm. Park there safe the utility shed, and Ill meet you as in briefly as I get out.When he spoke again, his earlier levity was gone. Id really like to believe this is about awe several(prenominal) midnight adventure, hardly its not, is it? Somethings gone really wrong.Very wrong, I agreed. Ill explain in the car.I chop-chop changed into clean jeans and a T- apparel, adding a send off suede jacket against the level(p)ing chill. To be safe, I also decided to sw girdle my eliminategrip with a few supplies and bring it along. If all went well, Id hardly be precedent Ms. Terwilliger tonight. But with the way things had been pass lately, I couldnt presume anything would be simple. B ringing the batchle this time would be unwieldy, so I had to defecate a few degraded decisions about chemicals and wizardly components. I tossed several(prenominal) in the bag and stuffed others in my jeans and come out pockets.Once I was ready, I headed atomic pile to Julia and Kristins way. They were dressed for bed hardly not asleep yet. When Julia adage me with my coat and bag, her eyeball went wide.Sweet, she express.I know youve gotten out before, I tell. Howd you do it?Julias some(prenominal) dates often occurred outside of sanctioned coachtime hours, and two she and Kristin had bragged about Julias exploits in the past. Id hoped perhaps Julia knew about a secret tunnel out of the school and that I wouldnt have to attempt some crazy feat of acrobatics. Unfortunately, that was exactly what I had to do. She and Kristin walked me to their window and pointed at a capacious channelise maturation outside it.This room has a view and easily admission, verbalize Kristin proudly.I eyed the gnarled head warily. Thats easy?Half the dorms employ it, she state. So nominate you.We should be charging people, muse Julia. She flashed me a smile. Dont worry. Well go you a freebie tonight. merely start on that heavy(p) limb there, tremble over there, and then use those branches for slide byholds.I lay down it amazing that somebody whod claimed badminton in PE was too dangerous would have no qualms about scaling a tree from her third- bedeck room. Of course, Marcuss a cancelment had been on the fourth floor, and that clear escape had been a million quantify more unsafe than this tree. Thoughts of Alicia and Ms. Terwilliger snapped me suffer to the vastness of my mission, and I gave Julia and Kristin a decisive gesticulate.Lets do this, I verbalize.Julia cheered and haveed the window for me. Kristin watched entirely as eagerly. Please tell me youre run off to meet some breathtakingly vainglorious guy, she verbalize.I pa utilize, yet as I was about to climb out. Yes, actually. But not in the way youre telephoneing.Once I make it to the limb Julia had indicated, I observe she was right. It was pretty simple so simple, in fact, that I was impress no school official had noticed this easy access escape driveway and chopped it raven. Well, so some(prenominal) the burst for those of us with late-night errands. I do it to the ground and strayd proficientbye to my honoring friends.The dorms back property had some lights on it, exactly for the reason of deterring wayward students like me. It was also along the patrol route of one of the security guards hardly wasnt a spot he stayed regularly stationed at. He wasnt in suspirationt, so I cross my fingers that he was busy with some other severalise of his beat. There were enough shadows on the lawn that I was able to stay within them the hale way until I reached the back fence. It was lit up pretty well, and really, the only assets I had were that I was a fast climber and that the guard hadnt sur tear downtd yet. Falling back on that hope that the universe owed me some favors particularly by and by tricking me about Alicia I gulped and go over. No one shouted at me when I landed on the other side, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Id made it out. Getting back in would be harder, but that was a difficulty for later, hopefully one Ms. Terwilliger could help out with.I set in motion Adrian waiting for me in the Mustang, exactly where Id indicated. He gave me a asquint glance as he legion us out-of-door. No black catsuit?Its in the laundry.He smiled. Of course it is. Now, where are we red ink, and whats acquittance on?Were difference to Ms. Terwilligers, I said. And whats going on is that weve been walking roughly in front of the enemy this entire time without evening realizing it.I watched Adrian as I related my revelations and sawing machine his facet go from disbelieving to dismayed the more I spoke. Her aura was too perfect, he said once I finished. Perfectly neutral, perfectly average. No ones is like that. I brushed it off, though. Figured maybe it was entirely a weird human one.Can someone influence how their aura looks? I asked.not to that extent, he said. I dont know enough about these ch harness you guys use, but Im guessing it was one of those that skewed the way her colors looked.I slumped into the seat, nonoperational angry at not having workd this out sooner. On the splendid side, she doesnt know were on to her and Veronica. That could give us an advantage.When we reached Ms. Terwilligers dramaturgy, we found all the lights on, which was a surprise. Id assume she was in bed, though this certainly wouldnt be the first time shed missed a phone call. Only, when we reached the house and knocked on the door, there was no answer. Adrian and I exchanged looks.mayhap she had to leave abruptly, he said. The tone of his translator conveyed what his words didnt. What if Ms. Terwilli ger had already found out what we had and had interpreted off to fight Alicia and Veronica? I had no idea how stringy Alicia was, but the odds didnt seem promising.When no answer came from my second knock, I nigh kicked the door in frustration. Now what?Adrian glowering the doorknob, and the door opened right up. How about we wait for her? he suggested.I grimaced. I dont know if Im comfor put off breaking into her place.She left the door unlocked. Shes practically inviting us in. He pushed the door open farther and looked at me expectantly.I didnt want to go back to Amberwood without speaking to her tonight, nor did I want to sit on her doorstep. Hoping she wouldnt creative debateer us make ourselves at home, I gave a nod of resignation and followed Adrian inside. Her house was the homogeneous as ever, cluttered and redolent with the scent of incense. Suddenly, I came to a standstill.Wait. Somethings different. It took me a moment to figure it out, and when I did, I couldnt b elieve I hadnt realized it immediately. The cats are gone.Holy shit, said Adrian. Youre right.At least one of them forever and a day came to greet visitors, and others were usually visible on furniture, under tables, or simply occupying the essence of the floor. But now, there were no cats in sight.I stared around in disbelief. What in the world could An earsplitting shriek made me jump. I looked down toward my hip and found the dragon sticking his head out of my satchel and trying to claw his way up my side. Belatedly, I realized Id forget to cover the aquarium. Hed apparently slipped inside the bag back in my room. The sound he was reservation now was similar to his hunger cry except even more annoying. Then, impossibly, he nipped my leg. I bent over and tried to pull him off me.I dont have any pie What are you trying to ahhSomething zoomed over my head and smashed into the wall coffin nail me with a flashy splat. A couple up wet drops of something landed on my side and began to burn. It was a wonder I didnt run into a sizzling sound.Sydney Adrian cried.I divergeed toward where he was looking and saw Alicia stand up in the doorway amid the supporting room and the kitchen. Her palm was raised toward us, a shimmery and gooey substance cupped in it. Presumably it was the same substance that presently seared my skin. I almost wiped it away but feared Id simply be spread it to my fingers. I winced and tried to ignore it.Sydney said Alicia pleasantly. Or should I say Taylor? I figured Id be seeing you two again. Just not so soon. I guess your car solicitude didnt endure you tonight.We know everything, I told her, relieveing on an eye on that goo. We know youre work for Veronica.The smug look on her face momentarily shifted, overcome by surprise. workings for her? I got rid of her ages ago.Got rid of. . . . For a few seconds, I was at a loss. Then the stay on of the puzzle pieces shake off together. Youre the one whos been absorbing those gi rls. And that witch in San Diego. And . . . Veronica Terwilliger.Id been able to track Veronica back to the inn with the scrying bend. When Ms. Terwilliger had attempted a different locating bout, shed come up blank. Shed assumed it was because Veronica had some crystallise of bucklering. But the truth, I was all of a sudden certain, was that Veronica was already comatose. There was no bustling mind for Ms. Terwilliger to reach because Alicia had consumed Veronica.Ms. Terwilliger . . .Youre here for her, I said. Ms. Terwilliger. not me.The untrained do make easy targets, conceded Alicia. But they dont have the same world power as full-fledged witches, who can be tho as easy to absorb if you break them down first. I dont need the youth like Veronica did, just the power. Once she showed me how the spell works, I was able to catch her in a weak moment. That other college girl tided me over until I wore down Alana Kale. Where had I comprehend that name? Alana . . . she was Ms. T erwilligers comatose coven sister. And finally I can take out the large-scale hit Jaclyn Terwilliger. I actually wasnt positive(predicate) if Id be able to break her, but it turns out shes done an awesome labor of wearing herself out these pop off few weeks, all in the service of defend her sweet little apprentice.Im not her . . . I couldnt finish. Id been about to say I wasnt her apprentice, and yet . . . wasnt I? I wasnt just dabbling in magic anymore. I had joined the ranks. And now, I had to protect my mentor, just as shed defend me. If it wasnt too late.Where is she? I demanded.Shes around, said Alicia, clear delighting in having the upper hand here. I wish you hadnt found out about all this. You wouldve made a good hit, once youd learned a little bit more. Youre just a dispirited spark to Jaclyns flame right now. Shes the big score tonight.Tell us where she is, reproducible Adrian, a stringy note in his voice that I recognized.Alicias gaze flicked from me to him. Oh, please, she scoffed. damp wasting my time with your vampire compulsion. I realized what was going on after that first visit, when I kept having trouble remembering your faces. From her jumble of necklaces, she showed us a jade circle. I acquired this afterward. Makes me impervious to your charms.Something that resisted vampire magic? That would be a effectual item to have in my bag of tricks. Id have to look into it . . . provided I survived tonight.I saw Alicia tense to throw again, and I managed to jump out of the way, pulling Adrian with me toward the hold room. More of that goo splattered behind us with a hiss. I produced a dried thistle blossom and crumpled it toward Alicia, cheering a Greek incantation that would cunning her. She made a small curl with her left hand and sneered at me. sincerely? she asked. That remedial blindness spell? peradventure you arent a prodigy after all.Adrian perfectly flipped open a small display panel in the wall beside us. I hadnt even no ticed it, largely because Id been too distrait about having my face melted off. I saw a flurry of interrogative sentence from his hand, and perfectly, we were plunged into injustice.Now this is remedial blindness, he muttered.Alicia swore. I froze, immobilized by the blackness around me. As much as I comprehended any attempts to slow Alicia down, I was kind of at a loss myself.I felt Adrians hand grab hold of mine, and without a word, he tugged me farther into the animateness room. I followed dissolutely, relying on his superior vampire eyesight to guide us. I could already hear Alicia chanting and was sure some light-giving spell was coming soon. Either that or something that would magically fix a ground box.Careful, Adrian murmured. Stairs.Sure enough, I felt my al-Qaida hit a wooden step. He and I move down as quietly and as quickly as we could, descending into a wine cellar. My eyes still hadnt adjusted to the darkness, and I wondered if Id just entered some secret d ungeon. Yet as he wound us through stack of boxes, I realized the basement was just used for ordinary storage. There was a lot of junk down here. by and by seeing Ms. Terwilligers already messy house, I wondered what more she could possibly own.Adrian finally halt when we were in a far turning point behind some oblong boxes toothsome nearly as high as me. He pulled me to him, keeping me in his arms so that he could speak piano in my ear. My head lay against his chest, and I could hear his rapid heartbeat, a mirror for my own.That was a good idea, I said in as low a voice as I could manage. But now were trapped down here. It wouldve been better if we could go outside.I know, he verbalise back. But she was too close to the door, and I didnt have time to mess with a window.Above us, I could hear the floor creaking as Alicia walked through the house. Its just a matter of time, I said.I was hoping itd give you a chance to find of something to get us out of here. Cant you use that adviseball? You were pretty good at it.Not inside. Especially not in a basement. Id burn this place down around us. And we dont know where Ms. Terwilliger is yet. I racked my brain. The house was small enough that there werent that galore(postnominal) places Alicia could have stashed Ms. Terwilliger. And I had to assume she was stashed somewhere, if she hadnt come to our aid already. Alicias language made it sound like she hadnt sucked away Ms. Terwilligers power yet, so hopefully she was just incapacitated.You must be able to do something, said Adrian, modify his hold on me. Youre brilliant, and youve been reading all those spell books.It was true. Id consumed tons of material these last couple of months material I wasnt even supposed to have learned but somehow, in this one terrified moment, my mind couldnt focus on any of it. Ive forgotten everything.No, you havent. His voice in the darkness was tranquillise and reassuring. He smoothed back my hair and pressed one of thos e one-half kisses to my forehead. Just relax and focus. Sooner or later, shell be coming down those step after us. We need to take her out or at least slow her down so that we can escape.His reasonable words centered me and allowed the gears of logic that ran my support to take over again. A little light was coming through from the basements small, high windows, allowing my eyes to finally adjust and make out some of the dark shapes in the basement. I could still hear Alicia moving around upstairs, so I crept away from Adrian and walked over to the staircase. With a few graceful hand arcs, I chanted a spell over the steps and then hurried back to my corner with Adrian, slipping back under the shelter of his arm.Okay, I said. I think Ive got a minor delay ready.What is it? he asked.Just then, we hear the door at the top of the stairs open. settle spilled down, though we still remained in the shadows. Youre out of options, I heard Alicia say. No place left to ahhThere was a loud thump-thump-thump-thump as she went sliding down the stairs and hit the bottom with a crack. unseeable ice on the stairs, I told Adrian.I know Im not supposed to say this, he said. But I think I love you more than ever.I took his hand and tried not to think about how happy his words made me, even in this life-or-death situation. act on.We left our hiding spot and found Alicia sprawled ungracefully on the floor, trying to get to her feet. A silver orb of light hovered in the air near her, bobbing along faithfully with her movements. Seeing us, she snarled and waved her workforce to cast at us. Id anticipated this and had an talisman ready. I swung it on its silken cord and said a few quick words as we passed her. A brief, shimmering shield flared between us and her, just only absorbing the small glowing travel rapidly she hurled our way. The shield was similar to the one Ms. Terwilliger had used at the park but had to be summoned on the spot and didnt last long.I didnt know wha t Alicia planned on doing next, but obviously, something bad was coming. I cast a preemptive spell Id never used before, one of the ones that Ms. Terwilliger had told me not to bother with. It took a lot of energy and was powerful if used correctly, yet was deceptively simple and deluxe in its effects. I merely blest Alicia crosswise the room with a wave of power just as she was about to stand. She flew backward, into a stack of Christmas items. A box of ornaments dribble down, shattering near her on the hard floor.Casting the spell left me dizzy, but I managed to keep moving. I summoned a fireball when we reached the stairs but held it in my hand, keeping it low as though I were going to roll a Skee-Ball though my intent was simply to jam it. I prayed it would melt the ice, and after my first few steps, I knew I was right. Careful, I warned Adrian. Theyre wet.We made it to the top, but Alicia had already scrambled after us. From the bottom of the stairs, she used the same spel l on me that Id used on her, throwing a wave of camouflaged energy at Adrian and me that knocked us to the floor. Id been holding on to the fireball, despite Ms. Terwilligers warnings about how doing so would drain my own power. When Alicia knocked me down, the fireball flew from my hand and landed on Ms. Terwilligers couch. Considering it looked as though it was covered in some crummy fabric from the 1970s, I wasnt entirely surprised that it lit up so fast.On the bright side, the fire solved our darkness problem. On the downside, it meant the house was likely going to burn down around us after all. The callistana, who hadnt been fast enough to keep up with us when wed gone downstairs, came scuttle over to my side. I had only half a heartbeat to make a decision.Go look in the rest of the house for Ms. Terwilliger, I told Adrian. Ill stop Alicia.The growing fire created weird shadows on his face, play up his anguish at this. Sydney.This is one of those generation you have to tru st me without question, I said. drive on Find her and get her out.I saw a thousand e communicates flash through his eyes before he obeyed and ran off toward the other wing of the house. The fire was spreading rapidly throughout the living room, in a way that had to be magical. The increase passel gave me an idea, and I cast a spell that enhanced it, creating a logy wall at the entrance to the basement stairs. It allowed the dragon and me to make a short retreat before Alicia appeared, parting the smoke as cleanly as though she were opening curtains.That, she declared. Hurt.I cast a spell that shouldve encased her in spiderwebs, but they fell away before they even reached her. It was infuriating. Id memorized so much, but these remedial spells werent working. I understood now why Ms. Terwilligers main strategy had been for me to lie low and shroud my ability. How would I have ever been able to take on Veronica? True, Alicia had interpreted her out, but only after probably weake ning her as she had Ms. Terwilliger. I even understood now why Ms. Terwilliger had told me to get a gun which, I realized now, Id left in the car.The ice spell had worked because Alicia hadnt seen it coming. The only other spell that had worked on her was the blast of power, an advanced one that had still left me weak. It was going to take another one of those, I realized. I had no idea if I had the ability to do a second one, but trying was the only chance I had of I screamed as what felt like a thousand volts of electricity shot through me. Alicias hand movement had been so subtle, and she hadnt even spoken. I fell down again, twist in offend as Alicia strode toward me, her face enjoymentant. The dragon bravely put himself between the two of us, and she simply kicked him aside. I heard him yelp as he skittered across the floor.Maybe I should absorb you, said Alicia. The shocks abated, and I could only sit there and gasp for breath. You could be my fifth. I can come back for Ja clyn in a few years. Youve turned out to be a lot more powerful than I thought and annoyingly resourceful. You even made a good travail tonight.Who says Im done? I managed to say.I cast the first of the advanced spells that came to mind. Maybe it was stimulate by the broken Christmas ornaments, but suddenly, I had broken shards on the brain. The spell take no words or animal(prenominal) components and only the slightest of hand movements. The rest was taken from me a draining of energy and power that hurt almost as much as the electrifying spell Alicia had just used.But oh, the results were breathtaking.On Ms. Terwilligers coffee table (which was now on fire) sat a set of five perpetual motion balls. I used a revolution spell on them, forcing them out of their spherical shape and breaking them apart into thin, hasty razor blades. They broke free of their arrange and came at my command. That was the easy part.The hard part was, as Ms. Terwilliger had told me, actually attac king someone. And not just making them slip and fall. That wasnt so bad. But an actual physical attack, one you knew would cause direct and terrible damage, was an entirely different issue. It didnt matter how terrible Alicia was, that shed tried to kill me and wanted to victimize Ms. Terwilliger and numberless others. Alicia was still a living person, and it was not in my nature to show ferocity or try to take anothers life.It was, however, in my nature to save my own life and those of my loved ones.I braced myself and request the razors forward. They slammed into her face. She screamed and frantically tried to pull them out but in doing so wooly-minded her balance and went back down the stairs. I heard her shriek as she fell into the basement. Although I couldnt see her, her magical lantern orb merrily followed her all the way down.My triumph was short-lived. I was more than dizzy. I was on the verge of passing out. The heat and light from the fire were overwhelming, yet my v ision was going dark from the exhaustion of casting a spell I was in no way ready for. I suddenly just wanted to curl up there on the floor and close my eyes where it was comfortable and warm. . . .SydneyAdrians voice shaken me out of my haze, and I managed to peer up at him through heavy eyelids. He slipped an arm around me to help me up. When my legs didnt work, he simply scooped me up altogether and carried me. The dragon, whod suffered no permanent damage from the kick, clung to my shirt and scurried into the bag that was still draped over my shoulder.Where . . . Ms. Terwilliger. . . .Not here, Adrian said, heading swiftly toward the front door. The fire was spreading over the walls and ceiling now. Although it hadnt kinda made it to the front of the house yet, our way was still thick with smoke and ash. We both were coughing, and tears ran out of my eyes. Adrian reached the door and turn the knob, yelping at how hot it was. Then he managed to kick the door open with his foot, and we were free, out into the clean night air.Neighbors had gathered outside, and I could hear sirens in the distance. Some of the spectators watched us curiously, but most were fascinate by the inferno that was Ms. Terwilligers bungalow. Adrian carried me over to his car and gently set me down so that I could lean against it, though he still kept an arm around me. We both stared in awe at the fire.I really did look, Sydney, he said. I couldnt find Jackie in the house. Maybe she escaped. I prayed he was right. Otherwise, we had just abandoned my explanation teacher to a fiery death. What happened to Alicia? come through I saw, she was in the basement. A ugly feeling twisted in my stomach. I dont know if shell get out. Adrian, what have I just done?You defended yourself. And me. And hopefully Jackie. His arm tightened around me. Alicia was evil. Look what she did to those other witches what she wanted to do to you guys.I never saw it coming, I said bleakly. I thought I was so sm art. And each time I talked to her, I dismissed her as some dumb, scattered girl. Meanwhile, she was laughing and countering my moves every step of the way. Its humbling. I dont meet many people like that.The Moriarty to your Holmes? he suggested.Adrian, I said. It was all I needed to say.He suddenly did a double take, noticing my barde for the first time tonight now that the jacket had come open. Youre wearing your AYE shirt?Yeah, I never wage magical battles without A small mewling noise suddenly caught my precaution. I searched around until I sight two green eyes peering at me from under a bush across the course. I managed to straighten up and found that my legs, though weak, could support my weight again. I took a few halting steps toward the bush, and Adrian immediately ran to my side.What are you doing? You need help, he said.I pointed. We have to follow that cat.Sydney athletic supporter me, I pleaded.He couldnt resist. Supporting me with his arm again, he helped me wa lk across the street toward the cat. It ran ahead between two bushes, then glanced back at us.It wants us to follow, I told him.So we did, cutting through houses and streets until when we were about four blocks from the bungalow, the cat dashed off into a park. Whatever energy Id had when I started after the cat was long gone. I was panting and dizzy again and engagement hard to resist asking Adrian to carry me. Something in the center of the park caught my attention and gave me one last burst of adrenaline to run forward.There, lying on the grass, was Ms. Terwilliger.She was awake, thankfully, but looked nearly as exhausted as I felt. Tears and smudges suggested shed been through kinda an ordeal. She had managed to escape Alicia, but not without a fight. That was why we hadnt been able to find her in the house. Seeing me, she blinked in surprise.Youre okay, she said. And you found me.The cats led us, I said, pointing. All thirteen of them were seated around in the park, surroun ding their owner making sure she was okay.She glanced around at them and managed a weary smile. See? I told you cats are useful.Callistanas arent so bad either, I said, looking down at my satchel. That pain in the ass screeching saved me from a face full of acid.Adrian put his hand to his heart in mock horror. Sage, did you just swear?Glancing over, Ms. Terwilliger noticed him for the first time. And youre here too? Im so sorry you had to get dragged into this mess. I know you didnt ask for any of this trouble.It doesnt matter, said Adrian, smiling. He rested a hand on my shoulder. Some things are worth the trouble.