“I know you’ve been listening in on our conversations,” Stewart said.

  Dale sighed. “I’m sorry, sir. I just… I wanted to know and felt like I needed to know. Something big is going on and I want to help.” There was silence for a moment. “I was wary of Lewis, but it was because I only knew the chimera was something dangerous, and knew nothing more. Now he might not even be a mage anymore. Even so, I respect him for all he did to protect Birch Hall. He carried out your duties and learned how to use his magic even after finding out what it would do to him. I’m sorry I doubted I could trust him, and I’m sorry I doubted all of you. The Elder Mages and the High Mage are people I shouldn’t be questioning.”

  “Dale, we are only people,” Stewart said. “We’re not infallible. As much as I wish I could say otherwise, we don’t have some grand plan to stop Esther. Though I am very relieved Lewis is out of her reach, I can’t say I’m not worried about what that will mean for him. Even if it’s selfish of me, I don’t want to lose him, even for the protection of this world.”

  Lewis opened his eyes. He was lying on the bed in the room he shared with Dale. Someone had taken his boots off, but he still wore his brown Apprentice robes. He sat up slowly, a little stiff, but otherwise fine. The shallow cut from Esther’s dagger was gone, and there were no bruises despite how close he’d come to becoming the chimera. He felt something all around them. Something he thought might be magic.

  “Are you alright?” Dale asked. He and Stewart had stopped talking.

  “I think so,” Lewis said.

  “Something happened in the forest,” Stewart said. “Curtis suspected you might have called on the spirit again. Did you make another pact?”

  “There wasn’t enough left of him for that.” Lewis hesitated, looking at Dale.

  The other Apprentice’s face turned red. He looked away. “How much did you hear?”

  “Just the end of it,” Lewis said. “I knew things were awkward between us, but I didn’t know what to do about it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Dale said.

  Lewis shook his head. “You had plenty of reason to doubt you could trust me. If I had fully become the chimera, I would have spread a blight that might have killed everyone around me, and I would have become the old god’s vessel.”

  Dale shuddered. “And now?”

  “It’s not possible anymore,” Lewis said. “Amnis gave me the last of his essence.” He hesitated again. “I’m not a mage anymore, and I’m not human.” He looked away from the two of them.

  Stewart sat next to him on the bed. “But you’re safe and you’re yourself?”

  Lewis nodded. “I am.”

  Stewart smiled. “For now, that’s what matters. We’ll figure out how your magic has changed later. You may not be a mage, but you must have magic if a spirit gave you his essence.”

  “It became a part of me entirely,” Lewis said. “I still have an affinity for water, but I don’t know what all it means. Now I just have spirit magic, not water magic how you do.”

  “We can figure that out later,” Stewart said.

  Dale sat on his own bed. “Esther doesn’t know?”

  “Not yet,” Stewart said. “We may be able to use that to our advantage.” He frowned. “Unless the old god has some way of sensing it and a way of communicating with Esther. We can’t know for sure.”

  Lewis told his father everything Esther had said, about her plans for the group Tanya was with.

  Stewart let out a long, deep sigh. “I’ll inform the Elder Mages. It’s late. We should all get some sleep.”

  Lewis was still weary from all that had happened and slept deeply. At breakfast, Miriam glanced at him curiously. Maybe Stewart had already told her and the others what had happened. Since no one told him to do otherwise, Lewis went to class with Dale and Priya. After the morning lesson about gardening, taught by Lorna, Lewis headed for the library. His father found him on the way.

  “Come with me,” Stewart said. “We’re going to find out how your magic has changed.”

  Lewis wasn’t sure if he should be excited or dreading it. He followed his father to the room where he had trained with Miriam. There was water in the basin at the center of the room. Lewis focused on the water, but his magic wasn’t something he could reach out to it with. What else did he feel? He closed his eyes, feeling the magic all around them. He’d felt that when he woke up yesterday, after Amnis gave him his essence. Was this what spirits felt? Lewis opened his eyes, staring at the water again. The water also had its own magic.

  Lewis reached out to the magic with his mind, feeling his spirit magic stir as he did. The water in the basin flowed upward suddenly, all of it forming a ball in the air. The ball broke apart with the slightest thought, the water moving through the air like some sort of sea serpent. Lewis fought back his panic, willing the water to return to the basin. It slammed back into the basin with a splash, sending water across the floor. He caught sight of salamander skin returning to human on his hands and arms.

  Stewart was frowning at the basin. He looked at Lewis, then he nodded slowly. “I think it’s safe to say your new magic is much stronger.”

  “It’s going to be harder to control it,” Lewis said.

  Where the water had splashed on him, his skin was still that of a salamander. Maybe it wasn’t just using magic that would make his spirit characteristics surface, but touching water as well. He had a lot to learn about himself and his magic. For the most part, he would have to figure it out on his own. This wasn’t the same as the magic of mages. Lewis tensed as a thought crossed his mind. One he should have thought of sooner.

  “What’s wrong?” his father asked.

  “When Esther finds out I can no longer be her master’s vessel…” Lewis hesitated. “She’ll use Tanya and the other mages she’s gathered to bring him back. She’s going to sacrifice them.”

  “It hasn’t happened yet,” Stewart said. “I won’t lie and say I know a way to save them, or that we’ll save them for sure, but we will do everything we can. Blake’s former student is still searching for more about the group.” He glanced at the basin. “I think that’s enough for today. I’m sure you’re still tired from yesterday, and distracted with everything that’s going on.” He smiled, but it didn’t hide his worry. “Perhaps some fresh air would help, but keep an eye out. I don’t think Esther would return so soon, but be careful.”

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  The two left the training room. Lewis went out to the garden, realizing when he saw she wasn’t there that he’d hoped Lorna would be there. He went up to the infirmary, where Lorna was changing the bandages on Blake’s wounds. After he helped her with that, the two stood in silence. Blake’s eyes were still closed, his breathing deep and steady.

  “The wounds have finally stopped bleeding,” Lorna said.

  “Did anyone tell you what Esther said about the group?” Lewis asked.

  Lorna nodded. “Miriam told me. I haven’t told Priya yet, and it’s best if we keep it to ourselves for now. Until we hear back from Blake’s former student. I don’t want to make her feel even worse.”

  “You don’t want to tell her until there’s hope we can do something,” Lewis said.

  Lorna smiled briefly. “Yes. Maybe that’s wrong, but…”

  “It’s a good thing we have hope to give her,” Stewart said, standing in the doorway. How long had he been there? “Blake’s former student sent us a letter. He discovered the location of the group of mages. They’ve been gathering at an old house in Palegrove that was thought to be abandoned.” He looked worried. “Hopefully the group hasn’t noticed him watching.”

  “He always tries to be a hero,” Blake said, opening his eyes. “I’m more worried he’ll try to handle this alone and confront the group by himself.”

  “Even if he’s outnumbered?” Lorna asked. “It’s an entire group. Even if it were three mages, he would be outnumbered.”

  Blake frowned. “If he sees young students among them, I fear he will try to save them.”

  “Then we’ll have to hurry to Palegrove,” Stewart said.

  Blake tried to sit up, breathing in sharply and grimacing. He laid back down carefully.

  “You’re not going with us,” Stewart said.

  Blake sighed. He looked at Lewis. “Does this at least mean Esther didn’t get what she wanted? You came back from becoming the chimera?”

  “Amnis gave me the rest of his essence,” Lewis said. “I’m not an Afflicted Mage anymore.” Or a mage at all.

  Blake smiled briefly. “Good.”

  “Thank you for stopping her,” Lewis said. “If you hadn’t held her off…” He shook his head. “We’ll do everything we can to stop her and free the mages. If your former student is among them, we’ll free him too.”

  Blake laughed quietly. “You’re a lot like your father.” He closed his eyes. “Maybe that’s a good thing.” His breathing deepened. He’d gone back to sleep.

  Stewart was grinning. “I think that’s the nicest thing I have ever heard him say.” His grin faltered. “We need a plan.”

  “I’m going with you,” Lorna said.

  Stewart nodded. “We’re going to need as many of us as possible. Meet me in the library.” He left the infirmary doorway.

  Lewis and Lorna weren’t waiting in the library long before Stewart, Miriam, and Curtis joined them, closely followed by Dale and Priya.

  “We’re going too,” Priya said, looking more determined than Lewis had ever seen her.

  “We don’t know how big this group is,” Curtis said. “Or how hard it will be to sway them from Esther’s lies.” He looked at Stewart. “But as you said, we may need all of us.”

  Stewart nodded. “I don’t want to bring the two of them into danger, but we need to be prepared, and both of them can use their magic well.” He looked at Dale and Priya. “You are only to deal with the mages. Leave Esther to me, the Elder Mages, and Lewis.” His brows furrowed. “Her attention will no doubt be focused on Lewis at first, even if she already knows he’s no longer an Afflicted Mage.”

  “We’ll leave tomorrow morning,” Miriam said.

  They spent the rest of the day preparing. Miriam had another magic lesson with Dale and Priya, to get them as prepared as they could be to fight other mages. Lewis went to the training room with Curtis, but he couldn’t stop throwing water all over the room when he tried to move it.

  “Do you think you could blast water at Esther hard enough to slow her down?” Curtis asked.

  Lewis nodded. “Definitely. I can direct the water, it’s just hard to put less force behind it.”

  Curtis smiled. “Good thing we need more force and not less.”

  The bell for dinner rang. No one spoke much during dinner, a tense, weary silence hanging over the table. Lorna had already brought dinner up to Blake in the infirmary. Lewis slept better than he’d thought he would that night, but they all left Birch Hall before sunrise. Blake was up and about and promised he could take care of himself while they were gone. His wounds had closed entirely. On the way through the forest, Dale and Priya kept glancing at the trees around them, as though the group might be attacked at any moment.

  “I believe we’ll be safe until we reach the city,” Stewart said. “And if anything does come after us, I and the Elder Mages can take care of it.”

  Priya looked reassured, but not Dale. Even Dale had calmed down by the time the sun was setting. It was clear he and Priya hadn’t done a lot of long distance walking. They were both asleep as soon as they finished eating.

  “We should trade off keeping watch in pairs,” Miriam said quietly. “Just in case.”

  No one protested that. Lewis and Lorna took the first watch. A warm breeze blew through the trees, owls hooted in the distance, and the bushes rustled. The forest was never silent, even at night, but Lewis only heard the sounds he should hear.

  “I’m glad you’re free of the possibility of becoming a chimera,” Lorna said, keeping her voice low. She hesitated. “But what does it mean? Now you only have spirit magic?”

  Lewis nodded. “I don’t know what it means beyond that, but I’m not a mage anymore.”

  The two sat in silence for a while.

  “I’m worried about Dale and Priya fighting the mages,” Lewis said. He’d been worrying about it all day.

  “So am I,” Lorna said. “I know we couldn’t have convinced them to stay behind, and this is personal for Priya.” Her shoulders tensed. “I just hope we’re not too late.”