a body inside the vines. I mean, I dunno what else we could say it was, but I guessed we could pretend it was a severed Dragon dick or a roll of Griffin turd or a giant tampon.
"Do you think this will be enough to stop King from performing that ritual on the next full moon?" I asked hopefully as we walked across campus, just three assholes covered in muck and blood and dragging a body along behind us. Nothing to see here.
"I think so," Gabriel agreed with a smile but Ryder didn’t seem too happy about that.
"Even if it is, it doesn't help us figure out how to get rid of him for good," he muttered.
"And I still don't know what happened to Gareth," I sighed, the joy of our victory wearing off as I thought about that.
Besides, after Roary getting arrested and the price Lionel wanted Dante to pay for his and Rosa’s freedom, it was pretty hard to smile about anything for any length of time. I refused to accept the idea of him having to father children he wouldn’t have anything to do with, but as it stood I had no fucking idea of how we were going to get him out of following through on it.
"We can use the spyglass to read the rest of the Magicae Mortuorum," Gabriel said with a determined look. "If there's a spell in there that shows you how to steal the magic from other Fae then I'm hoping there's one that tells us how to undo it too. And I’m willing to bet that without all of that stolen magic, King really isn’t all that scary at all."
"Do you really think so?" I asked hopefully.
"Either that, or there will be some dark spells in there that we can use to really fuck him up," Ryder suggested and I wasn't even as against that as I should have been.
I might not have had the exact story about what had gotten my brother killed, but I knew for a fact that King and his cult and his fucked up magic stealing ways were to blame somehow. Gareth was too caught up with them for it not to be. So for now, my focus was clear. I was going to do whatever it took to bring King to his knees, unmask him and avenge my brother's death. If it took dark magic to do it then so be it.
There was no price too high to pay for my vengeance.
The night of the Solarid Meteor Shower…
I ran back through the trees and up the hill towards the main campus, leaving the sounds of the party behind me at the lake as I spotted the Cafaeteria up ahead. I'd wasted time down there, but in a way I was glad to have had a final moment to see the people who I'd once been able to call my friends. It was a quiet kind of goodbye with a finality to it which made my heart twinge with regret. But really, I'd always planned on leaving this place and forgetting about this city. So in the long term, I doubted I would have stayed in contact with anyone I'd gone to school with here. But the definiteness of knowing that I really was cutting these ties for good made me kind of sad.
I’d always wanted to escape this place, but I could admit that it wasn't all bad here. I'd had friends for a while and there were good memories from my time at Aurora Academy which I would carry with me wherever I ended up.
I started jogging as I passed the Cafaeteria, heading towards the Rigel Library and cursing to myself as I looked at the huge clock which hung on the side of it. It was almost ten o'clock and I needed to set up my 'death' and get the fuck out of here well before midnight when King would summon me to take part in his fucked up ritual in the woods.
I had everything I needed hidden in the Dead Shed, concealed behind some old boiler parts that didn't look like anyone had touched them for years. It had taken me weeks to construct everything I needed, my 'body' taking the most time and effort.
I'd managed to talk my way into an advanced healing class and I'd studied with the dedication of a bitch in heat as I learned how to do all kinds of things like re-grow limbs and replenish blood.