Page 25 of Phoenix Academy: Madness

"I won't be cutting off your connection to the spirit realm, if that's what you're asking." He calmly heads up the stairs towards the front doors of the gym, which are thick with magic wards and covered in fireproof bars alike. "There are permanent runes laid down in elemental-forged paint that affect how strong magics work. At least one of the runes has an affect on magic sourced from the spirit realm, as it stops demon summoning. It's something we've done before here at the academy, in the prison."

"Prison?"

Petra scolds him. "We don't tell first years about that shit. Not on purpose, that is."

"Really?" His voice is mild as he says, "I'm sorry about that."

Standing next to him is like being lightly sedated. Everything he says is cool, calm, and neutral—even more so than Xavier. I don't get it, but it's better than the alternative, which would be him being a raging maniac who pushes all my buttons.

Still, I'll be glad when the headmaster finds a new teacher to replace him.

"I'll just pretend like I never heard about the prison," I tell Petra. "Though I can think of someone I'd like to send there. Especially if there's torture."

The Auerbach mage clears his throat and throws open the front doors of the building, leading us inside.

I can tell it used to be a gym. The wide planks of wood in the floor are scored from hundreds of feet running over them. Marks on either wall reveal where basketball hoops used to be, and there are two doors in the back corner with signs that read GIRLS and BOYS for the locker room.

But that's where the old features of the gym end. The renovations have covered the windows high up in the walls with iron bars, which have anti-magic properties. All the walls are cement, and the doors close behind us with heavy weight. There are also clearly anti-fire elemental wards on the old wood floors to keep them from burning, as well as a patched area of new wood that must have been scorched with fire at some point.

What really catches my attention, though, are the runes painted into the floor. They run beneath the wards and a light coat of sealant. Each of them is big enough to hold a dozen people inside their borders, and they were painted with a careful hand.

I can't tell what they do, but of course that's the fault of the mages, who keep their secrets close at hand. It's a shock that they would even paint something like this on the floor of a school building. Headmaster Towers must have called in all her favors and connections to convince them to do this so openly. Anyone who memorizes the runes would be able to use them as well, if they can cast magic.

"Alright." Mage Auerbach steps into the room and clasps his hands in front of him. "I think we're waiting for three more, but let's get started. Ari, step into that black triangular shaped rune for me, if you will."

"What does it do?" I ask, walking closer warily.

"Connect you to the spirit realm." He notes my surprise, and adds, "You might be interested to find out that some of the rules governing mages have changed in recent years. Spirit magic is no longer as taboo as it once was, though of course we handle it with care."

"Of course," I echo sarcastically, "just in time to save the life of not a single witch your family cut off from magic."

Petra sighs. "This one is even more difficult than Dani."

"Fine, fine." I wave my hand at the mage before he can say anything else. "I'll do what you say. But if it goes wrong, I'm haunting you from the beyond. Witches can do that."

"Noted," he responds dryly.

The rune in question is in the middle of the room. It's a triangle shape that curves outward, with several overlapping circles inside its bounds. There are complex letters painted in brush script all along the edge, pictorial and strange in nature. Dozens of them form a complicated pattern.

I have to admit, I realize now why the mages decided it wouldn't be too risky to paint these runes here. I'm looking at one right now and I'm not sure I could draw it myself. It must takes years to learn them.

My feet reach the edge of the rune. I hesitate for only a second before reminding myself that mages must do this sort of thing all the time. There's no way I can be shown up by a mage. Even if he's only going to be my teacher for a hot second, I won't let Auerbach see me flinch.

So I force my nervousness down and step into the giant rune.

The first thing I see is my dead mom.

Chapter 13

I knowit isn't fully her. My naturalist senses tell me that right away. They tap into the spirit realm, and what I'm seeing is a spirit, not my mother in the flesh.

She's still dead.

A lump forms in my throat.

I can't look at her, but I also can't look away.

The rune increases my power in other ways. Usually I only feel the large prey animals and predators around me. With the painted lines beneath me increasing my power, I can feel the spirits of the little bugs around me: moths, little mosquitos, and tiny ants marching across the floor.

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