Chapter 75

Screams echo in my ears and all around me. Burning stench fills my nostril and I cough, choking on my blood. Then just as fast, the blinding pain vanishes.

I sit up, panting, with my stomach in knots. My muscles ache from the tension of trying to hold back the attack.

“What happened?” Sam wheezes.

“I’m not sure.” I glance back at the angel statue that the top half is missing. Only her legs and the pedestal still remains. I don’t think Jacques has anything to do with this. I think Gwen is trying to one-up me for punching her and humiliating her at the game.

I stand and hunch over as a pain hits my side. A wedge of granite is embedded in my skin. My shirt is soaked with blood.

“You’re bleeding.” Sam’s brown eyes darken, and he shakes his head. “Can you walk to the infirmary?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

He swallows, his skin looking ashen. “Here. Put your good arm around me and I’ll help carry you.”

“Are you sure?” I can see the bloodlust waring in his face as a coat of sweat coats his brow.

He nods but doesn’t say anything like he’s holding his breath. I place my arm over his shoulder and he half carries me inside.

Several students are sitting or lying on the floor like they felt the attack too. Geesh, is Gwen’s aim off or what?

Sam sits me on a gurney inside the infirmary and the nurse rushes over to me, examining my wound.

“Um… Jezza is your friend, right? I’ll let her know what happened.”

“Thanks, Sam,” I say, but hiss out a curse as the nurse’s fingers probe my wound.

He takes off out of the room.

“What blood type are you?” the nurse asks. “You’ve lost a lot of blood and might lose more when I remove this before I can do a healing spell.”

“I-I don’t know.” I close my eyes from the pain of just breathing.

“We’ll have O-negative on standby then.”

“What happened?” I open my eyes, licking my dry lips.

“I’m going to dull the pain with a charm, but you’ll need to be as still as you can. All right?”

I nod, looking away. Never been able to even watch nurses draw blood or anything or it makes the pain worse. She whispers a charm, then starts to pull out the piece of granite. All I feel is a tugging sensation.

Then she says, “Tgnisha Mux Incante.”

Which doesn’t sound like the magical languages I’ve heard. Pinpricks dot along my side following a cool liquid sensation seeping into my flesh.

I turn my head. “What language is that you said?”

“An arcane medical spell.” She smiles. “Now don’t move so I can stitch you up and wrap a bandage around you.”

Ben and Kiarr pop into the room and I jump.

“Please be still, Brene,” the nurse chides me.

“Are ye okay, Brene? What happened?” Kiarr asks.

Ben looks ashen if a ghost can look paler than see-through.

“I don’t know.”

“Brene, please stop moving.” The nurse keeps sewing my side.

“Was the whole school attacked?” I ask. “Everyone?”

“I’ll double-check.” Ben bows his head and vanishes.

“Who are you talking to?” She touches the back of her hand to my forehead. “Are you delusional? You don’t feel feverish.”

“Sorry. I’m fine. Just… I like to talk to myself to get my mind off the pain.”

She gives me a look that says she doesn’t believe me but goes back to her sewing. “The healing will continue over the next few days. Don’t do anything too strenuous and the stitches should hold everything together in the meantime.”

“Can’t you just heal me all the way right now?”

“This isn’t the movies.” She shakes her head. “Lots of students need my help and magic comes with a price. If I heal everyone a hundred percent, then I will only be able to heal a fraction. Do you understand?”

I bite my lip, concentrating on what she said. “So, you only have so much per day to be able to use?”

“Exactly. And this will be sufficient. If you like,” she cuts the medical thread and leans back. “You can come back tomorrow, and I can weave a bit more healing for you. But I hesitate to do more when we don’t know what attacked the school or if it will happen again.”

She is right. We need to get the grimoire back from Gwen and make her stop.

The nurse places a bandage over my wound, then wraps gauze around my side to hold it in place with two metal prongs.

“Brene,” Jezza says as she comes into the infirmary. There’s a red gash across her forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I wince as I sit up. “What happened to your head?”

She waves a hand. “I was in the library and a book with silver edges slammed into me. I’m fine, it’s just a flesh wound.”

The nurse hands her several butterfly bandages. “You can apply these yourself. I’ve got more patients to see.”

When I look at Jezza questioningly, she shrugs a shoulder. “I helped out for two summers as part of my degree for magical medical school.”

“Ah.” I nod and wait for Jezza to use the small mirror on the wall to place her bandages over her cut. “We need to check on Nora and Melanie in case they’ve been able to narrow down who is doing this.”

“My money is on Gwen.” Jezza made a face.

“Me too, but we have to have proof.” And with me in detention, I can’t risk getting caught leaving campus right now. “Accusing her without evidence will just get me—and us—into more trouble.”

She sighs, brushing back her brown bangs. “You’re right. Let me send Melanie a text.” Her thumbs flash over her phone at lightning speed.

“Ladies, I need this gurney,” the nurse says gesturing to the one I’m on.

I ease off the bed and wince as a ripping sensation snakes up my side. But when I check the bandage and wrapping, there’s no bleeding seeping through.

“Do you need help with the students?” Jezza asks.

“Yes, that would be wonderful.” The nurse helps a young boy with his leg twisted the wrong way lay down on the gurney.

“Catchup to you later?” Jezza gives me an apologetic look.

I nod and move out of the way.

Ben waits in the hallway and my heart does a little flop at seeing him.

He drifts over to me, his green eyes pinching at the corners. “We need to talk.”