Penelope
"And that's how we took out the group of vampires in Prague," Nicodemus finishes.
"Fascinating!" Shepard says next to him in the backseat.
I try to catch Baz's eye next to me to give him a 'What the hell is happening right now?' look, but he's too focused on the road ahead, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so hard.
We're only minutes from Watford now. Shepard has been talking with Nicodemus (who he himself now calls 'Nico') almost the entire way here. He's gotten him to basically recount the last year of his life hunting down international vampires with Baz's aunt. I could have done without some of the gorier details, but I suppose it's been informative if we face any tonight.
"Crap!" I exclaim as I see the front gates of Watford in the distance.
"What?" Shepard asks, putting a hand on my shoulder from the seat behind me.
"I forgot to look up how to make Watford visible to you today. I was so focused on fighting spells, but how are you going to defend yourself if you're blinded to the magic around you?"
Nicodemus picks up his staff and points it at Shepard. "Seeing is believing!" he calls out. Then he says calmly "That should do it."
"Woah," Shepard starts to say as he leans over to look through the windshield between Baz and I as the school buildings come into view.
I stare back at Nicodemus in surprise. "What did you just do?"
"Ebb and I came up with that spell when we were sixth years. I used to bring back some of the girls I met in the city when I wanted to impress them." He pauses for a second and then adds "And I suppose I was trying to make Fi jealous."
He continues. "The spell makes something visible to the person that they can't see otherwise- but the intent has to be there from the one who casts it." When I just gape at him he rolls his eyes. "I spelled them to forget when they left. It was just a bit of fun."
Baz finally speaks. "Do you have a spell to make our parents more accepting of bringing you and Shepard tonight?"
"Fi said she'd warn them about me ahead of time," Nicodemus says as he reaches over and takes the sword from Shepard. He says the spell to enchant it before handing it back. Shepard completes the spell with "I can do anything better than you!"
"And parents usually love me," Shepard says as he winks at me. I groan as Baz parks the car. Shepard and Nicodemus get out first leaving Baz and I alone for a moment. I feel the reality of everything start to set in and I can't seem to move my legs.
Baz puts his hand on mine. "Once we rescue Snow today, do you want to yell at him first or do I get the honor?"
I try to smile but my eyes are fixed on the sun going down on the horizon. I turn my hand up to hold Baz's and squeeze it tightly. After getting some sleep, we spent the whole day talking through fighting and defensive spells. I'm not sure what else we could have done to prepare since we don't know what the Mage will use against us to see his plan through.
I let out a shaky breath. "Let me yell at him first," I finally say. "Knowing Simon, he'll probably just try to snog you to shut you up and you'll let him."
Baz lets out a small laugh, but he's looking at the horizon now, too. "Deal," he says, and then he lets go of my hand and exits the car.
Baz
Our parents aren't thrilled that they'll be fighting alongside another vampire tonight, but my aunt must have said something to them ahead of time because they seem to at least tolerate Nicodemus as he gathers with the rest of the group. Wellbelove moves to stand closer to him in what I believe is an act of solidarity, but he casually shifts away from her under Dr. Wellbelove's glare and positions himself closer to my aunt.
When Bunce introduces Shepard to the group, she explains that he helped us in America and that he was integral in translating the Mage's spell and communicating with Simon. She left out the part about him telling Christopher all of Snow's secrets, but we only have minutes left before we start so I don't correct her. Bunce assures our parents that Shepard can defend himself, and they reluctantly agree to let him stay.
Bunce's dad hands me a small knife as we make our way over to the Weeping Tower. He's explained to me already that all I have to do is cut my hand and place it against the base of the building where the outside entrance of the nursery used to be. If it works, the door should reveal itself again.
The grounds are eerily quiet as we approach the tower. The Headmistress sent everyone else away so it's just the eleven of us standing between the Mage and his plan to rewrite history. Dr. Wellbelove is casting shielding spells on all of us as we walk. His defensive magic is impressive, but I'm not sure how strong he'll be in battle.
I reach the stone wall of the Weeping Tower just as the last rays of sunlight disappear from the lawn. The Bunces, my parents, Dr. Wellbelove, Nicodemus, and my aunt spread out behind me, facing away from the tower. Bunce has her amethyst tightly in her fist and aims her arm at the wall on my right, while Wellbelove has her wand outstretched on my left. Shepard crouches slightly with the Sword of Mages firmly in his grip, ready to lunge forward beside Bunce.
I swiftly cut my open palm and hold it against the wall while I close my eyes and will Simon to be on the other side.
The wall begins to shift under my hand. The stones begin rearranging themselves to form a large archway with a heavy oak door. I hear Wellbelove gasp as the four of us take a few steps back.
Once the stones stop moving, I look over at Bunce. She gives me a firm nod to show she's ready, and I reach for the door. My fingers have just grazed the handle when a voice booms across the grounds.
"Fish out of water! Fight to the death!"
"What was that?" Shepard asks, lowering his sword and turning around.
At first I hear splashing in the distance. My eyes focus as I stare across the grounds and see small shadows dragging themselves out from the moat surrounding the school. Nicodemus and I share a fearful glance because we know we are able to see them before the rest can hear their strangled barks. The merwolves have been transformed and now have back legs on either side of their tail, allowing them to gallop towards the Weeping Tower. Towards us.
The second sound I hear is closer. We all see the door to the White Chapel slam open as a group of about twenty vampires comes pouring out, running at us on the right. Their fangs are bared and glimmer in the firelight from the lampposts on the pathways.
I spell my hand "Get well soon!" to close the cut I used to open the nursery and am about to replace the blood with fire when I feel a sharp burning go up my forearms that makes me fall to my knees and drop my wand.
"Baz! What's wrong?" Bunce is hovering over me as I let go of my arms and turn them face up. Deep red scars extend down from both my wrists.
The group's attention is torn between me and the impending attack, but the Headmistress makes the connection.
"Davy's started the spell. You can feel it because you're the anchor. You all have to go get Simon. Now!" She looks at Bunce with fear in her eyes and then turns around to position herself next to her husband.
I stand up and look at Bunce, too. She's shaking her head and looking at her parents. "They need our help. They're too outnumbered." She looks back at me. "You have to go. You have to reach Simon. We'll hold them off."
I don't wait to be told again. I grab my wand, run for the door, and spell it open with "Open Sesame!"
Agatha
As we watch Baz disappear into the nursery, Penelope and I instinctively move next to each other. We turn to face the oncoming vampires.
"Just like the desert," Penelope says to me. Or maybe to herself. She doesn't sound very confident.
I bump her shoulder with mine. "Right, I'll conjure the fire and you aim it." We must be doomed if I am the one giving orders.
I start the sparks in my left hand and grip my wand tightly in my right. Shepard is behind us facing the other way as the merwolves approach.
"I got your backs," he says over his shoulder as he raises his sword higher. Seconds later, he plunges it into the neck of the first merwolf to reach us as Penelope launches my fireball right in the middle of two vampires running toward us so they both go up in flames instantly.
Penelope
Agatha and I make a good team, but our magic is draining. We've taken out eight vampires between us, but Agatha's fireballs are taking longer to form and using a couple "Off with your head!" spells has drained a large part of my reserves. Killing beings, even evil ones, takes a lot of power.
Baz's aunt is an expert fire wielder just like his mother was. She's burned down about as many as Agatha and I have on her own. Nicodemus has torn apart the remaining ones with his bare hands. He seems to favor using brute strength over his staff.
They are both fighting closest to us as we focus on taking out the vampires while our parents and Shepard focus on the merwolves. Shepard is still magnificent with a sword. In the few seconds I had to look back at him, he was standing between four slain merwolves as he swung and sliced off the head of a fifth. I winced at the sound it made as it fell, but they are truly fighting to the death as the Mage's spell insisted. And my dad is still convinced the merwolves were created in some experiment by the Mage and that they serve no real purpose in the magical ecosystem.
My parents seem to be fairing okay. My dad is shielding my mum and himself while she casts the spells to attack. She appears to be conjuring silver bullets that are deftly piercing the merwolves' chests as they spring forward.
Baz's parents are both on the offense, using similar tactics. Dr. Wellbelove is shouting out defensive spells to protect them both and himself as he stands next to them. He only seems to know basic fighting spells that fling the merwolves back, but it gives the Grimms just enough time to finish them off.
All of the sudden, I hear Shepard yell my name. I whip around and see one of the merwolves has knocked him to the ground, his sword laying a few meters away from his hand. I raise my wrist to try and take the merwolf out before it can finish off Shepard, but it spins abruptly and charges at Agatha.
"Agatha watch out!" I yell. I can't land my spell because the merwolf is moving too fast. Agatha won't turn around in time. She's too focused on finishing the last vampire with the sparks she's conjuring in her palm.
My whole body tenses when the merwolf leaps towards Agatha, its jaws open to clamp down on her shoulder.
"Nico!" Baz's aunt shouts, just as he moves himself in front of Agatha to take the bite instead. Nicodemus uses the last of his strength to swing his arm out towards Shepard who is back on his feet with his sword raised. The merwolf releases Nicodemus' arm and flies through the air. Shepard digs his sword deep into its back as it falls on top of him.
I rush over to Shepard to help roll the merwolf off his chest.
"Are you ok?" I ask, my arms shaking. He's covered in the dark brown blood of the dead merwolf now laying next to us.
"Yeah, I think so," he says as he gets to his feet. "But Nico…"
Fiona and Agatha are crouching over Nicodemus, who's bleeding badly from his arm. More merwolves are running towards the tower. They keep coming.
"Dad!" Agatha shouts, but Dr. Wellbelove must have seen what happened and is already running to her.
Shepard and I rush over and stand protectively in front of them to block any more attacks as Dr. Wellbelove kneels down next to Nicodemus. He quickly inspects his arm and starts performing spells to stop the bleeding. Nicodemus looks more pale than usual. If that's possible.
Dr. Wellbelove grabs Fiona's arm. "You got to keep fighting. I can help him, but I need time." She looks anxiously down at Nicodemus, but nods and rushes forward to stand next to Baz's parents. Agatha rises and stands on my other side. Her wand is shaking in her hand.
Shepard notices her fear and tries to lighten the mood as we see the next wave of merwolves approaching from the south. "I'll take the 15 on the right, and you girls take the 15 on the left?" he asks.
I'm about to respond with something witty when we hear someone scream "Noooooo!" from inside the nursery.
"Simon!" Agatha whimpers next to me.
But it's not Simon that I fear for. That was Simon's voice that was full of anguish. The only thing that would make him respond that way is…."Baz!" I whisper.
But I can't go help them. I can't stop and worry if my best friends are still alive. I can only buy them time as the merwolves keep coming.
I hold my wrist up with my gem at the merwolf running towards us. "Off with your head!" I shout. The spell works just as good as it did on the vampires.