Tower Of Bones

Chapter 12: Calmer Days

Word of the party got around fast and when Alice and I made it back home that night, Dex was on me in two seconds. Asking me if I was okay, what happened and if I needed anything. Seeing Luke drunk and stumbling out of the backseat of Alice's car, however, made him scowl.

Dex decided it best to drive the drunk boy home, all while promising to give him a stern talking to.

Once the cop car vanished, Alice turns to me, from her spot perched on the curb.

"Are you okay?" She asks me, eyes jumping back and forth between mine, like she was trying to figure out if I was gonna pass out or not.

I thought about it, that's for sure.

"Yeah, I think so," I said. "Are you?"

"Yeah."

I let my hands drop to my side and I chuckled breathlessly. "Guessing that bracelet you gave me only works with elemental magics, right?"

"Unfortunately. It's harder to find an enchanted item that works against magic of the mind."

"What... uh, what happened? I mean, I just felt better all of a sudden."

Alice falters, letting her jaw fall open to answer, but no words come forth. She just froze up.

"Alice?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what happened. I've never heard of a non Arkan that could break a mental attack from an Arkan master."

I got the sense that maybe this was a question for someone like Dex or Varyn, so I thought it best to let it be for now.

I nod my head, more to myself and drop the subject. "So that candle… you say there has to be more, right?"

She nods, running a hand through her messy blonde curly hair. Sweat dripped down the side of her neck. "I believe so. It's the only way someone could summon anything. But Max, with that guy out there and those wolves, it's incredibly dangerous to do this with no magic."

I waved my hand at her, hoping to seem confident. "Don't worry about me, I'm already working on that."

"How?"

"I'll figure it out, don't worry about me, seriously. Thanks for coming with me tonight and saving me from that creep. I'll, uh, see you around?"

She nods, but her eyebrows are drawn in deep concern as I begin to walk away.

Before I could find my way inside the house, Alice calls out for me.

"Yeah?" I call back.

"If you go back out there, let me know."

I smile and nod.

---

The very next day, I found myself at the foot of one of the giant statues that had opened the gates for me and Ms. Frost when I first arrived. I had to pull my neck all the way back just to find the top. I couldn't figure out why Dex had sent me here of all places.

This morning, Dex had been running late and asked me to run an errand for him, since he couldn't get around to it. He was going back out into the woods with David and the Mayor to search for the Guardians.

All three of them have been very on edge about it since my appearance at the police station.

So he sent me away with a bag that pinched into my shoulder.

I tilted my head in mild confusion for a moment, then spotted the indentation in the cement, where it appeared a door was stationed. There is an intercom by the cement door, so I pressed the button and it reminded me of the city when I pressed it.