Twilit Mage

Chapter 32: The Demon's Snare

"Wait," Mercury whispered, stumbling back and knocking against Raoul. Fear and panic were returning to her body full force, seizing control of her and holding her in their grip so tightly she could barely move. "Wait, that was– what happ–"

"Enough!"

Ms. Solstice was shaking now, trembling with rage. "A spy...An infiltrator!" she hissed through her teeth, marching through the destruction to grab hold of Mercury's shoulders, her hands violent wrenches of steel. "I should have known. So your cluelessness and incapability was all an act, was it? Now it all makes sense!"

"No, I'm not, I swear I'm not– I'll explain everything, listen to me–"

"I've listened quite enough, thank you!" Iron fingers dug into Mercury's bones and muscle, making her hiss in pain. "No more excuses from you. I'll do what I should have done from the very beginning and send you to the authorities, and then–"

"Hold it!"

Ms. Solstice stopped mid-sentence. Mercury gave a gasp. Ringing from the doorframe, loud and clear and unmistakable, was the last voice she would ever have expected to say these words.

"I have never trusted these Twilit Mages," Georgiana said as she paced across the room, coming to a stop next to Mercury, "but I would like you to have a look at something, Ms. Solstice. Do you notice a smell coming from her shirt?"

Ms. Solstice leaned down, inhaling a breath of air, frowning and breathing in again. Her fury had faded into shock and surprise. "Essence of Demon's Snare," she muttered. "But that..."

"A strong hypnotic. I thought so," Georgiana replied with a nod. "There is a very good chance Mercury Day has been hypnotized. Especially considering how unlike her usual self she acted and the fact that she could suddenly use magic without problems."

The grip on Mercury's shoulders faltered for a second. Ms. Solstice turned to glance at Georgiana in unwilling disbelief, then she looked back at Mercury, staring deeply into her eyes as if they somehow held an explanation. Mercury shivered. Somehow that glowing, slit-pupilled gaze seemed to stare into the most hidden secrets of her soul.

"That is one explanation," Ms. Solstice said at last. "How do we know the weak, incapable Miss Day wasn't the drugged version?"

"In that case," Georgiana replied, "she would not have returned back to normal from this."

Something slid through the doorframe, a giant mass of shadow. Mercury gasped. It was the black dragon, Georgiana's familiar.

"Chinese dragon fire," Raoul whispered in awe, his eyes wide and full of incredulous realization when Mercury glanced at him over her shoulder. "Can cure every curse."

Ms. Solstice clicked her tongue. "You don't need to explain that to me, Mr. Warden."

"For once he is right," Georgiana said, raising an eyebrow that was half impressed, half distrustful. "Mercury Day returned back to her default state after being uncursed, so the one we see right now is the real her. So that means two things." She frowned. "One, she must have been sprayed with it at some point during this break-in. And two, one of the people standing around here–" she gestured at the crowd still gathered in the door– "must have manipulated her into saying all this. Someone who knew that she was hit with the substance."

Her eyes rested solemnly on Raoul.

"Hey," Raoul answered with an incredulous laugh. "What are you looking at me for?"

"You were closest to her when it happened."

"Maybe I broke a bottle or something?" Raoul's eyes deliberately avoided the now matted green puddle still resting conspicuously on the ground.