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“Yes, the Seer Wand is there. You must find it before Professor Leto does. Find the Wand, and find the person who banished him previously… before it’s too late.” Angelica’s form flickered, and she disappeared before our eyes.
Talia was the first to speak. “How do we get through the Vanishing Stairwell safely?”
“I don’t know if we can,” Miles said.
Grant frowned. “The best we can do is hope we get lucky and that it doesn’t disappear while we’re inside.”
“It’s too risky!” Miles protested. “Is this Wand really worth dying for?”
“Yes,” I answered automatically. “These Wands are the key to ending the Waning and the entire Miriamic Conflict. If we don’t find them, the coven will destroy itself. I’m willing to chance the Vanishing Stairwell for a Wand.”
Lucas squeezed my hand. “I’m in.”
“I’d feel better if we were prepared,” Talia said.
“Agreed,” Grant added. “We might want some food and water in case the entrance vanishes and we’re stuck for a few days. Everyone needs to understand the risk.”
“I’m talking more sure than that,” Talia said. “What if we can stabilize the staircase, so it doesn’t vanish anymore?”
Miles looked skeptical. “And how exactly do you suggest we do that?”
“Space-bending spells are complicated and require a lot of power, so you need a member from each Cast to complete the spell,” Talia said. “The Vanishing Stairwell exists in the first place because some students screwed up their spell. They didn’t have enough people. But we have witches and warlocks from all the Casts now. We can shift the power of that old, glitchy spell that causes the stairwell to vanish. We could fix the Vanishing Stairwell and ensure our safe return.”
My heart surged in excitement. “Talia’s right. All we have to do is iron out the spell the students screwed up, and we’ll be safe.”
Miles looked uncertain. “How do we know the spell will hold?”
“I’ve done space-bending spells before,” I pointed out. “And I’ve transformed curses into other spells. Changing this spell should be simple.”
“We need one person from each Cast,” Lucas said. “I say we find Chloe and get ourselves a Wand.”
Grant nodded firmly, indicating he was in. “Let’s go.”
We left the astrology tower and found Chloe sitting near the big window at the top of the grand staircase, working on a paper for her Mentalist class. Marley sat in her lap, purring. She must’ve noticed the urgency in our expressions, because she slammed her textbook closed and immediately subconjured it.
“Something’s wrong,” she said. It wasn’t a question.
“We need to talk,” I told her in a low whisper. I glanced around the hall, but no one passed by. I explained everything we’d learned from Angelica, along with our plan to get in and out of the Vanishing Stairwell safely.
“Will you help us?” I asked once I’d finished.
“For a Wand? Hell yeah,” Chloe said.
We started down the hall, our cats following. I buzzed with energy, knowing the next Wand was so close. To my relief, I could see the gray stone walls and the twisted iron railing beyond the arched doorway. The stairwell was unpredictable—we never knew when it’d appear—but as luck would have it, it was open for us. I steeled my nerves and stepped through the doorway. My friends followed close behind.
Miles curled his hands around the railing and looked down the winding staircase. “Not gonna lie. This place gives me the creeps—”
He turned around, and all the blood drained from his face. A scream tore from his lungs, echoing down the stairwell. Miles stumbled, like an invisible force had shoved him. The cats spooked, and they all went racing back into the hall. He landed against Chloe, and she tripped through the doorway, screaming as she stumbled forward. Miles toppled over, but he didn’t reach the doorway before Chloe’s screams stopped abruptly. My guts sank as Miles slammed into a solid wall.
He frantically ran his hands over the flush wall. “No, no!”
Panic rippled through me as I stepped forward and pressed my palms to the wall. I had to see for myself that it wasn’t some kind of illusion.
The wall was solid. We were trapped.
“It was a ghost,” Miles said, his tone shaking. “He pushed me!”
Talia conjured her phone, and her features paled. “No service.”
