Gravedancer

12. YOU CAN ALSO TRY OUR SIGNATURE ALCHEMY.

It is, probably, unjust to accuse the alchemists generally of

dabbling with attempts at magic in the common sense of the term.

-The Alchemists, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1818.

Bev was apparently tied and gagged in the office motel, and she didn't look good.

Heather agreed to taking Bev to the shelter and even signaled me to come, but I reminded her that I needed to find Emma Warren at Minerva. We had a short argument about her guarding me until Cora suddenly burst into the office.

"There you are," she said. Then her eyes turned to Bev. "What happened to Bev?"

Hmm. Maybe I really could use some socializing.

"Monster attack," Heather said. Cora's eyes dawned to understanding.

"I saw a lot of them on my way here," Cora said. "They wandered around just like that. That's pretty bold."

"Wandering around in broad daylight among magi? Yeah, that's pretty bold," I said. "Are they still kidnapping people?"

"That's the weird thing, Alden," Cora said. "They didn't attack or anything. They just wander and look around. Sure, it's pretty disturbing, but...well, observation says nonmagi can't see them. What do you think would happen if they attack the nonmagi?"

Flashes of what happened at the Witch House waiting party played themselves in my head. Not good.

"And the magi did nothing?"

"Old lessons," Cora said. "The Self-Defense principle. Do not engage in things that lead to harm to those who harms you not."

"Told you we Covens take the matter of honor seriously," Heather said. "So, uh, since Cora's here, I think I'm relieved off duty, then. I'll take Bev to the shelter." She beckoned at Cora. "Watch the big guy."

"No problem," Cora nodded as Heather walked past us holding Bev. Heather bothered to manage a small nod at me and I nodded back. I had no idea how she would carry Bev all the way from here to the shelter in that corner, but I figured that there had to be a way. The Covens were pretty resourceful.

"Let's go to Minerva," I said. "Or, um, I think I'd go home and take a shower. All this running and fighting and being gagged in the woods didn't exactly make me smell...desirable."

Cora laughed. "Alright, I'd be waiting in your living room and pressing your mom to tell me your deepest embarrassment as usual."

Your mom. I could feel my eyes twitch a bit, but I tried to ignore it. "Okay. Wanna lead the way?"

"Nah, I'll do just fine following you," she said as she showed the door. I walked out the office and Cora followed suit, locking the door with a spell before catching up with me.

"So how did you find me?" I asked. Cora shrugged.

"Well, it's actually not that much of a story. Woke up just an hour ago or two. Naturally, I checked your house first, but you weren't there. Your dad, however, found your note. I was just wondering where you'd be strolling until morning, but then I remembered the whole thing from last night and I figured that Morgana would've known that Heather knows you, so if anyone in the Covens is active at the time to help guard you, it would be her. So I went to her house."

"But she wasn't there," I said. Cora nodded.

"I do, though, know that there's a motel owned by the Covens near her house. So, out of options, I checked there. You know, just in case. Turns out you were there." Then she looked around. "And what happened to you? I thought the monster attack last night was bad enough."