Arisa and Mason sat on the grass early on Monday morning and watched Felix prepare for his first sword lesson with Hana.
"Are you guys sure you want to watch?" Felix asked as he drew the sword from its scabbard.
"I figured I could help you out with ASL while you talk to Hana," Arisa said.
Mason whittled away at his cherry branch with a knife. "I'm here to see how good you are."
"Not very," Felix muttered.
"Then this will be fun to watch."
Felix sighed. "Great. I love embarrassing myself in front of people. Real cool."
Hana waved a hand. "Are you ready?" she signed.
Felix nodded.
Hana corrected his grip on the sword and walked him through a few basic swinging motions. Then, she had him repeat them until he thought his arms were going to fall off.
Just when he thought he couldn't go any longer, Hana decided it was time for him to fight her.
"Don't worry, I'll move slow," Hana told him. After she was done signing, she extended her hand out in front of her. Her shadow wavered, and darkness pooled in her grasp to form a sword of pure black. She studied it for a moment. It shifted from a dangerous sharp-edged weapon into something much duller, as if it were made of pitch-black cardboard. Felix wanted to be offended, but he was mostly relieved.
Hana swung at him, and he lifted his blade to meet hers. She sped up gradually. Felix managed for the first couple of minutes, but after that, he found himself frequently getting whacked by Hana's weapon.
"Move faster, Felix!" Arisa called.
"I'm trying!" Felix ducked to avoid the next swing of the blade. "I'd like to see you do better!"
"You think I haven't taken sword lessons from my sister?"
Felix held his ground for another minute before a blow to his ankle knocked him onto his back.
"You don't suck as much as I thought you would," Mason said.
Felix lifted his gaze to where Mason and Arisa sat behind him. "Gee, thanks."
"Good start," Hana signed, her expression encouraging. "Get back up and let's try again."
They worked for another half an hour. After that, it was time for Felix, Arisa, and Mason's session with Sebastian. Today, he'd asked them to meet in a classroom on the third floor instead of in the training yard.
Felix waved goodbye to Hana and followed the other two back into the castle.
"I'm just glad we're not doing much physical training today," Felix said as they approached the classroom. The muscles in his arms were getting sorer by the minute. "But I'm probably going to suck at tennis tonight anyway."
"Tennis?" Mason asked.
"You know, where you hit a ball back and forth across a net with rackets?"
"I know what tennis is, dumbass. Where are you playing tennis?"
"My hometown. Kendra's taking me tonight so I can hang out with a friend of mine."
"Ooh, Mister Popular over here," Arisa said. She opened the classroom door and groaned. "This is the mold room."
Felix followed her in and recognized the space from their tour. "I didn't realize they actually used this room."
Mason eyed the patch of mold in the back corner as he entered. "Lovely."
The three dragged chairs from the wall to the front of the room and sat down in front of the whiteboard.
Sebastian threw open the door a minute later and strolled in. There was a large bandage on the side of his face, and a couple of bruises on the other. "Felix, I have an answer to your question. Garlic salt will make both ghosts and vampires very angry at you." He paused. "Damn. This is the mold room."
"Why are we in here, then?" Mason asked.
"I asked them what classroom I could use, and they sent me to this one." Sebastian shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. "It's fine, we'll just stay away from that corner. All we're doing is reviewing sigils."
Felix glanced back at the dark spot. "Why not burn it away with fire?"
"Somebody tried that. It came back the next day."
"Is your face okay?" Arisa asked.
"Oh, yeah, it'll be good as new by this evening." Sebastian picked up a blue marker and began drawing widely spaced symbols along the bottom edge of the board, each made up of layers of geometric shapes. "Now, who all knows how sigils work?"
Arisa and Mason both raised their hands. Felix sank in his chair.
"Go ahead, Arisa." Sebastian moved to the right to continue his line of sigils up the side of the board.
"They channel magical energy into a force powerful enough to expel spirits and demons," Arisa said. "They can also generate barriers—wards—that keep out certain magical energy signatures."
Sebastian took a step back from the board. "Arisa's one of the best at sigils," he said as he turned around. "Even better than some of the adults around here."
Arisa folded her arms. "That's because they get so used to using their abilities that they get sloppy."
"And what do these ones do?" Sebastian gestured to the board with his marker. "Mason?"
"They look like magic nullification sigils," Mason said. "I'm guessing that's so you can draw sigils in the middle of the board that won't actually do anything."
"Correct."
"They're a bit messy, though."
Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. "You think?"
"Some of your shapes aren't as symmetrical as they could be." Mason shrugged. "They'll work, but they could be stronger. Draw too much in the middle and you'll break through them."
Sebastian tossed him the marker. "Fix them."
Mason walked up to the board. He rubbed away lines with his finger and drew new ones in. After a few moments of consideration, he erased some of Sebastian's sigils entirely and replaced them with rounder, loopier ones. "The sigils you Guardians use are fine, but they're all hard edges. I'm guessing that's for strength, but it also means that when they break, they break hard."
"So, our weapons would explode less if we used different sigils?" Sebastian asked.
Mason nodded. "You might need to replace them more frequently, but they'd lose their magic gradually, instead of shattering all at once." He stepped back from the board and, apparently satisfied with his work, handed the marker back to Sebastian.
"Well, it will take a lot of convincing to get the old geezers to change the way they draw sigils. But if you want to show us a thing or two, I'd appreciate it." Sebastian returned to the board. "Today, though, we'll start by teaching Felix a couple of simple banishing ones."
Sebastian drew a row of sigils on the board and had Felix come up to copy them.
Felix mimicked the symbols with a fair amount of accuracy. After he'd copied the row a few times, he stepped back. "Is that good?" he asked.
"That's great," Sebastian said. "Now all you have to do is memorize them."
"Oh no."
After running through a few more examples of sigils, Sebastian dismissed the group. "Let's call it good for now and reconvene after lunch for target practice," he told them. "But Felix, I want you especially to practice drawing these. Ask those other two if you need help. And try not to blow anything up."
"Sure," Felix said, not bothering to hide his apprehension as he followed Arisa and Mason to the door.
Sebastian picked up the eraser next to the board. "You'll get it, Felix." He started wiping away the symbols in the middle. "I wasn't always good at this stuff, you know. All you need is to figure out a way to study that works for you."
Felix hesitated. "Thanks."
Felix spent his free time up until lunch attempting to memorize sigils. It went about as poorly as he expected. Target practice was more encouraging, though. Most of the bolts of electricity he fired off hit the bottles Sebastian had lined up. That is, until Sebastian told him to back up ten feet and try again. All Felix could manage in response was a groan.
He had never been more relieved to get in a car as he was when Kendra took him to meet Jace that evening. It would be nice to do something he was actually good at, Felix thought as he turned his tennis racket over in his hand.
Kendra pulled up along the curb. "Text me if you need anything," she said as Felix climbed out. "I'll stay close."
"Thanks." He closed the door and turned to face Maple Point High School. The light of the setting sun cast long shadows across the grass. It was a familiar sight, but after the past week, it felt like a completely different world.
Felix walked around back to the tennis courts. Jace was already waiting, bouncing a ball on his racket as he paced back and forth next to the net. A grin crossed his face when he saw Felix. "Ready to lose?" he asked.
Felix laughed. "Lucky for you, my arms are sore. You might actually have a chance at winning."
Jace served, and Felix dove to return the ball. Despite how much his body ached, he did pretty well. Jace got an early lead, though, and Felix couldn't quite catch back up.
As Jace prepared to serve again, he asked, "So, how's this new school of yours?"
"It's...big." Felix adjusted his grip on his racket. "And really fancy."
"Sounds like a private school."
"Yeah, I guess it kind of is."
They hit the ball back and forth a few more times before the ball sailed past Felix's racket and bounced off the ground just inside the court. He groaned.
"I heard some weird stuff happened at your house. I mean, around your...family." Jace cleared his throat. "I totally understand if you don't want to talk about it, but they were never clear about what happened in the news."
"It's complicated," Felix said. How much could he say without revealing that he'd gotten caught up in a world of monster-hunting magicians? His mouth opened, but he didn't get a chance to speak. A crash came from the bushes at the edge of the school's property, not more than twenty feet behind Felix. He froze. "Did you hear that?"
Jace nodded and leaned to the left to peer into the bushes behind Felix. "A raccoon, maybe?"
Felix's heart skipped a beat. He glanced back, realizing how dark it had gotten. The only significant light came from the posts along the edge of the school's property line. "It sounded bigger than that." He swallowed his fear and approached the source of the sound, reminding himself that he had magic now. Whatever it was couldn't possibly be stronger than him, right? His hand moved toward where Mom's ring rested against his chest.
Something exploded from the bushes and crashed into Felix. His back slammed against the ground hard enough to send pain shooting through his body. A weight pressed down on his chest, forcing the air from his lungs.
There was a crack, and Felix's attacker fell to the ground. Jace stood over Felix, clutching his racket. "What the hell is that?" Jace exclaimed, his voice shaking.
Felix sat up. He was pretty sure the thing next to him used to be a deer, but now it was barely more than a skeleton held together with shredded pieces of tissue. Slowly but surely, it climbed back to its feet.
"Run," Felix choked as he jumped to his feet. "Jace, run!" He grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him toward the front of the school. His other fist tightened at his side. Should he reveal his magic to Jace and torch the thing? He glanced back. No, it was limping, now. They could probably outrun it—
"Uh, Felix?" Jace stopped, causing Felix to stumble. As Felix righted himself, he turned his attention forward. His blood turned to ice.
A line of creatures stalked toward them. Some were mostly bone, while others had retained considerable amounts of rotting flesh. Felix noted a couple more deer, rabbits, something that had to be a bear skeleton, a smaller creature that might have been a fox—
"What are they?" Jace asked. "Zombies? Is the zombie apocalypse starting?"
"I think they're being animated." Felix lifted a hand and aimed his palm toward the approaching beasts. He realized with a jolt that some of them were human skeletons.
"The cemetery's near here," Felix muttered. He pushed that unpleasant thought aside. At least none of the human skeletons were recognizable as much more than bones. Felix looked to the left, toward the woods next to the school. "That way. Let's go."
"What do you mean animated?"
"I'll explain later. Right now, we need to run!"
These skeletons were faster than the first. Felix threw a glance back as he and Jace raced across the grass. If he didn't do something, their pursuers would catch up before the two of them reached the tree line. He stopped and turned around.
Jace slowed. "Felix?"
"Hang on." Felix lifted his hands. Blue lightning jumped from his fingers and lit up the night. Bolts of electricity struck a few of the closest skeletons. The unpleasant scent of burning flesh filled the air.
"Keep going, some might get back up!" Felix gave Jace a push as he ran by.
"What was that?" Jace exclaimed. Felix didn't answer. Jace caught up with him. "Are you sure they're not zombies?"
This time, Felix managed a response through his heavy breathing. "I'm pretty sure they're not infectious! They're just being animated with magic."
"Okay, then what are they?"
They crashed through the tree line. "I don't know," Felix said. "But it won't matter what they're called if we're dead!"
They ran for another minute before Felix dared to slow down. He looked back. The skeletons were nowhere to be seen, but branches snapped and leaves rustled in the distance.
"Since when have you been able to shoot lightning from your hands?" Jace asked.
"Since my family died. Long story." Felix stopped and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hello? Kendra?" he yelled. "Can you hear me?" Maybe he should have tried to lead Jace back toward the street. But now he wasn't sure which direction that was.
Jace grabbed his arm. Felix turned his head as a tall, lanky figure stepped out of the shadows.
The man chuckled. "Felix Carver." The hood of his white coat hid his face in shadow.
"Dude, when did your life turn into a wizard quest?" Jace whispered.
"I'm not a wizard. I'm a magician." Felix lifted his hand and let it catch fire. The blue light offered a glimpse of the dozen or so pale scars cutting across the man's tan face, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Are you the one controlling those zombies?" Felix demanded, sounding braver than he felt.
"They're not zombies." The man sounded offended. "My ability is necromancy. They're undead."
"What's the difference?" Jace asked.
"I'm guessing if they bite you, you won't turn into one," Felix said.
"Correct," the man said. "Though there's more to it than that—"
Felix cut him off. "What do you want with us?"
"I don't give a damn about this human child." The man gestured to Jace. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Gideon Pollock. Maybe you could bring him out for me?"
"You'll never see him again," Felix said, eyes narrowing.
"I highly doubt that. I can sense his energy."
Felix's confidence wavered. "You can?"
The man laughed. "Oh, yes." He lifted a hand. "Along with that coward family of yours."
The rage that flooded Felix's body drowned out his pain and fear. Fire erupted around his fists. Lightning danced across his skin. Vines erupted from the earth beneath the man's feet and wrapped around his ankles.
The man reached into his coat and drew out a scythe. Sigils carved into the handle glowed briefly as the weapon grew in size. The blade easily sliced through the vines.
With a sigh, the man said, "I guess I'll just have to drag Gideon out of you myself."
Skeletons, animal and human, emerged from the undergrowth around them. Jace yelped and ducked as a half-rotted bird swooped down from the air and slashed at his head with his talons.
Felix tried to hit the bird with a blast of fire, but it flew out of the way with surprising speed. Before Felix could try again, the jaws of a wolf sank into his calf. He cried out in pain and dropped to his other knee. His jaw clenched. He lifted his hand and hit the wolf with all of the fire he could muster. Its bones collapsed motionless into the dirt.
The ground trembled. Felix thought it might be Ezra's power for a moment, but the sensation of his ability was gone.
"Damn it," the man hissed. "Not her."
Hundreds of beetles emerged from the dirt around them. Jace yelped and dropped to the ground next to Felix. "Zombie beetles!"
"No, these are living." Felix searched the trees around them, but there was no sign of Kendra.
The beetles quickly overwhelmed the undead attackers. The man turned and ran, disappearing into the black before Felix could even try to stop him.
"Your leg's bleeding," Jace warned as Felix climbed to his feet.
"Yeah." Felix took off his hoodie and tied it around his calf as tight as he could. He turned in a slow circle. Some of the undead were still struggling against the beetles, but the rest had been reduced to piles of bones.
A swarm of bees descended from above. When the swarm dispersed, Kendra stood just a few feet away from Felix and Jace.
"Whoa!" Felix took a surprised step back. "How did you do that?"
"I temporarily transferred my essence into a swarm of insects to transport myself," Kendra said. "It takes a lot of energy. Now, come on, we need to get out of here."
"Shouldn't we chase that necromancer?" Felix asked.
"The best thing to do now is to get you and Jace to safety."
Jace jogged at Felix's right as Kendra led the way through the trees. "Hey, uh, what just happened? Why can your teacher turn into bees?"
"I'll explain once we're out of the woods," Felix told him.
Streetlights appeared through the trees up ahead. The three emerged through a gap in the fence surrounding the woods and stepped onto the sidewalk.
"Jace, did you drive here?" Felix asked.
Jace shook his head. "I walked."
"Let me give you a ride home, then," Kendra said. "I don't think he would go after you, but I'd rather not risk it."
As they walked to Kendra's car, Felix tried to summarize the past week and a half to Jace. "Turns out my family was part of this magical organization that fights monsters, and I had this secret ability to absorb ghosts into my blood and use their magic, and now I'm learning how to use my powers so I can—"
"Get revenge?" Jace tried.
"Well, the guy who killed them is dead," Felix said. "And I'm carrying his ghost around, too. But apparently, he was working for someone, so I guess I'm trying to stop them. And kill monsters along the way."
"Who?"
"I don't know. No one has told me yet." Felix stopped next to Kendra's car and rubbed the back of his neck. "But I guess I'm dangerous to be around now."
As they got into the car, Kendra sighed. "I'm afraid you're right, Felix. I don't think anyone expected Gideon's friends to track you down." Her expression darkened. "It's concerning that they already know about your ability."
Jace moved his gaze back and forth between them. "Does that mean we can't hang out anymore?"
Kendra started the car. "I'll talk to the other Guardians and see if there's anything we can do. But I'm afraid you may need to hold off for the time being."
On the drive to Jace's house, he and Felix managed to have one last normal conversation. Jace talked about stuff that had happened at school over the past week, and Felix described his new room and how good the dining hall food was.
When they reached Jace's house, Felix walked Jace up to the front door, said goodbye, and watched the door close behind his friend before returning to Kendra's car.
"Did the necromancer talk to you?" Kendra asked as Felix buckled his seat belt.
Felix nodded. "He said he was looking for Gideon." He leaned against the window. "You mentioned they were friends. I'm guessing he's part of the Last Army, too?"
"Where'd you hear that name?"
Oops. "Someone mentioned it," Felix said vaguely.
"Sebastian?"
Felix sighed. "Yeah."
"I don't know how much I'm allowed to tell you," Kendra said. "Most students these days are too young to remember much about the Guardian Uprising, and we wait until they graduate to give them the full story."
"Why?"
"The council decided it wasn't relevant to their abilities to kill monsters."
"Do you agree?"
Kendra spoke carefully. "You saw today that the Last Army is far from done fighting. They won't rest until they've completed their mission. And if the students don't know that they're out there, it could put them in danger."
"And what is their mission?" Felix asked.
"Their leader wants to rule the Brightlands herself. And expand them into the rest of the world."
"Can you tell me more about her?"
"If the council hears that you even know the name of her army, they won't be happy." Kendra's hands tightened around the wheel. "Still, I don't think they have much of a choice but to tell you about her eventually. If she knows you have Gideon's soul, it's inevitable that she's going to make herself known to you. He was closer to her than anyone else."
"What would be the point of coming after me, though?" Felix asked. "He's dead."
"She might want revenge," Kendra said. "Or..."
"Or what?"
"Well, as long as his soul's still around—she might try to put it back into a body. Or figure out if he can use yours." Kendra shook her head. "I'm sorry, this is just speculation. I shouldn't be saying this. I'll tell the King's Council what happened today. Maybe they'll change their stance on telling you kids about the Uprising." Her tone suggested she wasn't confident she'd be able to persuade them.
Felix nodded anyway. "Okay."
Something Kendra had said nagged at him.
Souls can be put back into bodies?