“Worse from there? What does that mean?” I demanded, feeling panic starting to well up inside me.

  “Kids are resilient. They can hold on to their belief through things that would destroy an adult,” Andre continued as he neared me and then paused, standing so close to me, I could smell his unique scent. It seemed to overwhelm my senses and, in doing so, also helped calm my frantic heartbeat and allowed me to actually breathe in deeply.

  “But take hope from them long enough,” he continued. “And they’ll start losing their will to live. Violence and mood swings are pretty common in ‘the Magicless’, and it’s going to be particularly bad for Finn.” He gave me a look full of sympathy.

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s got the gift—the gift for making magic.”

  “And this… Ms. Rose… she knows that?”

  He nodded. “Thus, she’s bound to see him as a threat.”

  The Druid’s Curse potion crested and crashed through my body like a lightning storm in a jar. Everything felt sharper, but further away, honing my focus to a knife edge and letting me think more clearly… if not for the potion railing through me, I was sure panic would have swallowed me up at Andre’s words.

  I watched his face, the muscles beneath his skin, the silky rasp of stubble and the twitch of long black eye lashes that shielded his bright blue eyes. I didn’t think he was lying to me, in fact, I’d never felt more certain that I could trust him, this man, this familiar stranger.

  “What will she do to Finn?”

  Andre’s face settled into grim lines. “At first, Regina will do her best to turn him dark, like her. If that doesn’t work…” The muscles in his jaw tensed, like he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

  I could guess what he was going to say, though. And I suddenly wanted to scream, to throw something, to pull my hair out at the roots, to punch through a wall. The Druid’s Curse roiled within me, thunder echoing the pound of my heart and the drumbeat of panic in my head. The potion crashed over my fear, pushing it to the back of my mind, and I could take a full breath again.

  We had to go. We had to find Finn, immediately. Before he got hurt, turned dark, or worse. The thought of my son hollowed out into a hopeless, joyless monster that lived for nothing but to destroy the lives of other children, to steal their dreams before they’d even had a chance to grow. No. I wouldn’t let that happen, not ever.

  I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, trying to calm the twin storms raging inside my chest. The Druid’s Curse settled a little, laying in my veins like tamed lightning. The fresh taste of mint in my mouth was refreshing, clarifying. My breathing slowed, iron determination replacing blind panic.

  I met Andre’s eyes, and whatever he saw in my face caused him to straighten up, away from the counter.

  I yanked the strap of my bag up onto my shoulder and headed for the door.

  “I have to find my son.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was a convoy of three cars that pulled into the parking lot at Haven Hollow Middle School.

  Andre and I had stopped along the way to collect Wanda and Astrid, as well as a few things from the house. And Roy brought up the rear in his big pickup truck. With two witches, a magician, and a Sasquatch as back up, I felt fairly sure I could handle whatever Regina Rose could throw at me.

  It would have helped to have had the entirety of Wanda’s new coven, of which I was a member, including Maverick, Olga and Betanya, but apparently, the three of them were traveling to Portland in order to obtain a charter for our new coven.

  The rest of us had figured out as much of a plan where Finn and the other children were concerned as we were able to, given the time constraints. And the majority of us didn’t have any clue what a ‘Magicless’ was even capable of. Andre helped as much as he could, but like magicians, ‘the Magicless’ tended to be unique unto themselves. He’d never met Regina Rose personally, so all he had to go on was rumor and some educated guesses as to what she might be up to.

  As for our group, Wanda and Astrid would be doing a locator spell. They were the best chance of us finding out exactly what Finn’s location was, and Astrid’s help would be especially vital. At seventeen, she was still technically a child by witch standards, so she’d be more sensitive to a ‘Magicless’s’ presence than anyone else in our group.

  We’d picked the school grounds as the place to start. A locator spell didn’t work well over long distances, and since Finn and the other kids who were missing all seemed to be going home each night so as not to raise any suspicions from the parents, Regina couldn’t have been keeping them far from the school.

  Wanda was an experienced witch, and even with her powers being a little unpredictable and leaning towards death magic, she could still sling a spell or twist a hex with the best of them. She wasn’t taking any chances, though, and she’d pulled out all the bells and whistles for the locator spell she and Astrid would cast. If they couldn’t detect Finn, it wouldn’t be because the spell hadn’t been up to the challenge.

  With careful precision, Wanda wrapped the fine blonde hair we’d grabbed from Finn’s brush around a small piece of what looked like quartz, suspended on a silver wire. She and Astrid cupped the quartz and the hair in their hands as they spoke their commands aloud, Wanda’s deep red power twinning with Astrid’s silvery green. The crystal shone with their combined spell, glittering like a frozen rainbow as it rolled through every color I could name, and some I couldn’t.

  My pulse was thick in my mouth, like it was a piece of candy I was rolling over my tongue. Roy stood at my side, one huge hand on my shoulder. Andre stood on my other side, just far enough that we weren’t touching, as if he wasn’t sure I’d welcome it or not. Or maybe because Roy was there—I wasn’t sure if Andre thought Roy was the boyfriend I’d mentioned earlier…

  At the thought of my boyfriend, of Marty, I was shocked as I suddenly realized I hadn’t even thought to reach out to him to tell him what was going on, or to ask for his help. It was a shock I’d have to register later. For now, my sole focus was Finn.

  My emotions were a mess, crashing all over the place like a messy, wind-tossed ocean. Without Druid’s Curse to keep me afloat on the tide, I wasn’t sure if I would have been able to keep it together. As it was, I’d take any ounce of comfort I could.

  So, I gave into that little part of me that had locked eyes on the street with a fascinating stranger—gave into that part of me that had said, ‘oh, there you are’, like I’d been waiting to see him coming around the corner towards me for a long time. I took a step nearer Andre and the backs of our hands brushed together, just a tiny nudge he could ignore if he wanted to.

  He didn’t ignore it.

  Andre’s hand closed around my own, giving mine a firm squeeze. The heat of his skin, the strength of his hand, it made it a little easier to just breathe. To keep my head above water for just a few minutes more. I didn’t miss the glance Roy gave our clasped hands or the surprise in his eyes as his met mine. But he didn’t say anything and neither did I.

  Andre leaned down, so he could speak without talking over Wanda and Astrid’s spell. He smelled like cinnamon and clove, something warm and spicy and comforting.

  “It’s going to be alright, Poppy.” His eyes were serious, determined, and so, so blue. “We’ll find Finn, and he’s going to be okay. I will make sure of it.”

  I couldn’t quite bring myself to smile, so I nodded firmly, like his words were a deal we’d just agreed on.

  Finally, both witches chimed out, “So mote it be,” in unison, and the silver wire snapped taut in Wanda’s hand, dragging her arm up like the crystal had become an excitable pet on a leash.

  “He’s this way,” Wanda said, taking a firm grip and wrapping the end of the wire around her fingers. “And he’s not far.”

  Relief coursed through me that the spell had worked, but right on its heels was another surge of desperation. It took everything in me not to snatch the crystal away from Wanda and go running off to find wherever my son was. It was only fear that the spell wouldn’t work for me, and knowledge of exactly how badly Wanda would hex me if I tried it, that kept my arms at my sides. My bag of potions was a comforting weight on my shoulder, the bottles clinking lightly every time I shifted my weight. But even the weight of my potions wasn’t as calming as the feel of Andre’s fingers wrapped around mine.

  My anxiety started anew though when I realized the spell wasn’t leading towards the school, but towards the wooded lot behind it. Where in the world had Regina Rose taken the kids, and what was she doing with them?

  The rain from the night before had left the ground wet and muddy as we tromped as silently as we could through the trees—trees which should have been bounteous with newly sprung leaves since it was now June, but there was nothing but bare branches above us, clicking together every time the wind gusted. I had to wonder if Regina had something to do with that. Regardless, the hollow sounding clacks sent a shiver up my spine.

  Most of the woods around Haven Hollow Middle School were full of squirrels, and birds, and even some deer had been spotted in the more remote areas. Never mind the racoons that came out to help themselves to the trash buffet every garbage day. Skunks, crows, song birds, every green space was occupied by some kind of critter.

  But not here and not now.

  The woods behind the school were empty. Not a single chipmunk, no cheeky blue jays, not even a robin. Not a single animal stirred out there in the trees, nothing but the whisper of the wind and the dull ticking of twigs rattling in the cold wind that had seemingly started up from nowhere. I glanced up at the sky as the clouds darkened further and then completely obscured the sun.

  I clutched my bag of potions to my chest and hurried on.

  My foot came down on a soggy patch of dead leaves and went shooting out in front of me. I only had a second to gasp in surprise before I felt myself falling. A second later, a strong arm caught me, wrapping around my waist and keeping me from hitting the ground.

  I grabbed a handful of soft fabric out of instinct, looking up. It wasn’t Roy who had grabbed me, like I’d assumed since he’d been walking beside me. Instead, I stared up into Andre’s face as he eased me back onto my feet.

  I huffed a laugh, embarrassed. “Thank you.”

  He only gave a quick smile before releasing me.

  “Alright, Poppy?” Roy’s voice rumbled from behind us.

  “I’m fine. I just wasn’t paying enough attention to where I was walking.”

  I just wanted to get to Finn.

  Wanda led the way, following the pull of the spell, letting the crystal tug her in the right direction. Astrid stayed close behind her. Andre and I were next, with Roy bringing up the rear. I always forgot just how quiet Roy was in the woods, especially for such a big man. I had to glance back over my shoulder a couple of times just to make sure he was still there. It must have been a Sasquatch thing.

  The walk felt like it took forever, every step an hour, but the trees made it a little deceptive. We didn’t move very far from the school at all before I looked up and saw a small building through the bare branches.

  It looked like once upon a time, it had been a little one-room schoolhouse, probably from decades back when Haven Hollow was barely more than a farming community, before the population had grown with supernaturals flooding the area.

  The whitewashed walls of the little shack had grown dingy over the years, and it obviously needed repairs. The windows were smudged, and some of the spots looked like little hand prints. There was even an arch that had probably once held a bell to be rung. A couple walls looked like they were starting to sag, huge chunks of shingles fallen away, leaving bare wood to the mercies of snow and rain.

  I was surprised the shack hadn’t been demolished years ago, or maybe it was still standing for historical reasons. It might have even been charming, if my son wasn’t being held captive inside it.

  Roy’s hand dropped back to my shoulder, as if he was worried I’d bolt for the building as fast as I could. He was right to be worried, but it still bothered me because his touch—it felt all sorts of wrong. Yet, when Andre touched me… no, I couldn’t go there. I didn’t want to think about who Andre was, and what it meant that he’d wandered into my life.

  As we moved closer, I caught the sound of voices inside the building. The voices belonged to children, and I could tell from the cadence and the tone that they were nervous. There were definitely kids inside the old hovel. My heart clenched inside my chest when I realized at least one of them was crying. It was a soft, hopeless kind of weeping, and I never wanted to hear anything like it ever again.

  “Careful,” Andre cautioned.

  I hated it, but he was right. We couldn’t just burst in there, spells blazing. There were children inside the building, children who could be hurt. Regina had what was effectively, a room full of hostages. Even if it physically pained me not to kick my way through one of the rotting walls to get to Finn, I had to be smart about this.

  We finally made it close enough that I could stand up on tip toe to peer in through one of the dirty windows. I had to press close, squinting to see through the fog of decades of grime.

  The shack was just as run down on the inside, with thick, clumpy cobwebs clinging to all the corners. A layer of dust choked everything, scuffed up by the passage of little sneakered feet. And the entire hardwood floor was pretty much gone, owing to centuries of termites, no doubt. Chalk powder hung in the air like the ghost of fog. It clearly wasn’t safe for anyone to be inside. Who knew what kind of mold or fungus was growing in it? It should have been condemned long ago, torn down and done away with.

  There were kids sitting in the old, creaky desks, about twenty-five of them. Most of them were just staring blankly ahead at what I assumed was a blackboard. There was no real expression on their faces. It was like they were sleepwalking, eyes glassy, not really there mentally. The girl sitting closest to my window, though, I could see the silvery lines of tear tracks down her pale cheek, and I had to grip the windowsill hard enough to turn my knuckles white before I did something foolish.

  There was movement up at the front of the room, but I couldn’t make out what it was or who was making it. There was just too much dirt covering the windows. I imagined the movement was probably coming from Regina, pacing back and forth at the head of the class.

  “Do you see Finn?” Andre whispered.

  I shook my head before moving to another window just beside this one and found it a bit clearer, though it was still difficult to see through.

  Then my eyes fell on Finn, and my breath seized in my chest.

  He was pale-faced, the dark circles under his eyes standing out like ink. He was partly slumped over his desk, leaning on his elbows. His brow was furrowed, eyebrows pinching together as his eyelids fluttered. It looked like he was trying to wake up from a nightmare, but couldn’t quite seem to shake it.

  As I watched, a desperate fear wrapped around my heart, beads of sweat forming at my temples and the hairline around my forehead.

  Andre put his hand on the windowsill next to mine, strong and grounding. He inhaled sharply through his teeth, eyes locked on Finn.

  “He must be strong if he can even partially buck Regina’s compulsion. She’s so much older than he is, and she’s very powerful.”

  My pulse was roaring, the Druid’s Curse rumbling like thunder in my veins, pushing me to go, to act, to face down the woman who was threatening my son and—

  My throat bobbed as I swallowed hard. “What do we do?” I whispered, afraid to breathe too loud in case it unleashed the storm inside me.

  Andre peered through the window for another moment, his face set in hard lines. Then he turned towards the others and motioned for everyone to step away from the old schoolhouse and into the line of trees just beyond it.

  We did as instructed.

  “Alright,” Andre started. “Astrid should take point. She’s still technically a child, and youth counts a lot in these kinds of fights. The young, and the young at heart, are the best counter there is to ‘a Magicless’. Astrid’s power will be stronger against Regina than any of ours will be.” He took a breath and faced our Blood Witch. “Wanda can back Astrid’s magic and make sure she doesn’t get overwhelmed or enthralled. Roy,” he said, with a nod to the man in question. “Can stop Regina if she tries to attack anyone physically. She has power, but she’s also still human, which means she’s limited. She won’t be a match for a Sasquatch’s strength.”

  I startled a little that Andre had clearly recognized Roy was a sasquatch because I couldn’t remember anyone mentioning as much. I certainly hadn’t. But it wasn’t the time to worry about something like that, so I shook it off to wonder about later—adding it to the list of questions I had regarding this strange but fascinating man.

  Andre turned back to me then, his face so close I could see the flecks of lighter blue in his irises. His hand moved to close over the back of my own, and lightning flared inside my body, the Druid’s Curse licking up my spine with power and potential.

  “Poppy and I will go get Finn.” Andre gave my hand another consoling squeeze. “Between the two of us, we should be able to help him shake off the thrall he’s under.”

  My heart was still jammed into my throat, and I couldn’t squeeze any words around it, so I just nodded. As a group, we crept towards the old wooden door. It hung crooked on its old iron hinges, looking like something from a haunted house.

  Astrid stepped up, taking point. She wiped her palms on her shirt, as if trying to wipe any clamminess away, and chewed on her lower lip. She looked even younger than she was, a little shaky and unsure.