Aurelie gave up on Mephisto and sat down next to Kiara, dropping her head into her hands. “It’s no use. Mephisto knows I’m trying toabandon it.” The demon, sensing victory, darted into the cage, stole the cockroach, and disappeared into a hole in the wall within seconds.
Kiara spread her hands apologetically. “To be honest, I’m not sure I would have been comfortable handling Mephisto on my own this week.”
“I know. It was too much to ask. I’m sorry.”
Kiara patted her on the back. “Maybe it’s safe here. If Des or Daisy had seen it, surely they would have turned you in by now.”
“Maybe, but the Iron Guard has been patrolling frequently around here ever since the attempted attack near the gates.” The malenatiathat escaped had been tracked down and killed before anyone was hurt, but Wisteria was on alert once again. She’d seen demon hunters patrolling the area more than usual, though blessedly never Des or Daisy.
“I can be a lookout, then,” Kiara said. “Besides, I can help you with the portal. Another set of hands can’t hurt, right?”
Another set of hands would be ideal. But she’d already gotten Kiara far too involved in her mess. “I just... I can’t risk it,” she said finally. “I don’t have a lot of people in my life, Kiara. But the ones I do mean everything to me.”
Kiara looked at her for a long moment as though she were going to argue, but finally she tucked her hair behind her ears and managed a tight smile. “All right, then. I suppose my parents will simply have to put up with me this week, without the cultured Aurelie Blake to buffer me.”
Aurelie managed a laugh. “Ah yes, I’m the pinnacle of proper womanhood.”
“At least you wear your hair tied back,” she said, pressing aquick kiss to Aurelie’s cheek. “Be careful while I’m away. And if at any point you change your mind...”
Aurelie nodded. “I know where to find you.”
When Kiara was gone, Aurelie moved to her desk. All her sketches and work on the portal were in her other workspace, and the thought of making the trek across campus to that old, lonely building made her want to cry again. But none of this was about her. It was about Uncle Leo. She changed into suitable work clothing, including her dingy gray bricoleur coat, and made her way through the snow. She had just entered the building when she heard a clanging from overhead.
Campus had cleared out last night. There was no reason for Professor Sheldrake to still be here. She climbed the stairs to his office and knocked on the closed door.
“Just a minute!” he called.
He opened the door wearing his magnifying glasses, which Aurelie now thought of as part of his face. It was almost jarring when he removed them, his eyes as small and blinky as a mole’s when emerging from the earth. “Aurelie! What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” she said as she entered the room. It was slightly less cluttered than usual, to her surprise.
“Oh, just packing up. I’m taking my wife to the country for a few weeks.”
“A few weeks?” Aurelie couldn’t disguise the panic in her voice. Professor Sheldrake was the only one who could help her with the runes, and with her new, impossible deadline looming, the thought of him being out of reach made her stomach churn.
“Not to worry. I’ll be back in mid-January to help you with your project. I expect you’ll have made good progress by then.”
By mid-January, Aurelie would either have completed the portal and freed her uncle, or she’d be dead. Once again, she felt a confession rising in her throat. She swallowed it before she could drag another innocent down with her.
“I do have one question before you go,” she said, sitting on the edge of one of the desks because the chair was covered in books. “What do you know about the demonic curse Florian put on Wisteria?” Sheldrake knew the history as well as anyone, and he was far more willing to talk. If there was any wisdom she could glean, any hole in Everard’s story that she could use to her advantage, she needed to hear it.
“Well, as I said, my grandfather was alive during Aciano’s reign, but I was still a child when he died. The curse has been as much a part of my life as it has yours.”
“What became of Revenin, the court mage?”
“Beheaded, if I recall correctly.” He scratched at his bald pate thoughtfully. “Or was it burned at the stake?”
Aurelie almost growled in frustration. “Was there no one else who could remove the curse?”
At that, Professor Sheldrake set down the pliers he was holding and looked up at Aurelie. “Curses aren’t so easily broken, young lady. And dark magic is nothing to mess with. Which reminds me. Have you finished your translation?”
“Nearly,” she said, trying to keep her tone light. “But surelysomeonemust want it removed. Someone with a vested interest in progress.”
He shrugged, lifting the pliers again before setting them in the same exact place. “Mages aren’t kept at court anymore. Unfashionable, you know.” He winked at Aurelie, as though the fashion amongst royalty was ridiculous. “No, no. Magic is all but dead, like my poor runic languages. I know little of curses, Miss Blake. I’m a man of science, not mysticism. My research in magic is purely from an outsider’s point of view. At any rate, it’s not something I’d go poking too deeply at. Some things are best left buried.”
Aurelie nodded. If only she still had that luxury.
“If you need me while I’m away, you can write to me at the Ivy Cottage in Bodlin.”