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“I need Mortana magic.”
Nadine nodded like she understood. She splayed one hand on the ground, then placed the other on my chest. Charlotte had been right about the magic within the school. Magic from all Casts permeated these walls. It’s what kept the space-bending spell stable all this time.
Wisps of magic traveled up Nadine’s arms. My chest glowed as she channeled Mortana magic into me. We’d been so focused on our individual powers before that we’d forgotten what we could do together.
I felt a surge of power as the magic filled me up from head to toe. Lifting my hands, I aimed them toward the other students scrambling around the ballroom. Magic swelled in my chest.
Whoosh!
A portal bigger than anything I’d conjured before swept through the ballroom. An image of the abandoned mansion appeared like a hole had been punched through space. Rain pounded down on its rooftop, and trees nearly cracked as they bowed over in the wind. With a flash of lighting, I saw the welcoming front doors of the safe haven.
Students screamed as they were sucked into the portal, then appeared on the other side. I saw them racing into the safety of the mansion, before the portal reached the other side of the room and fizzled out completely.
The ballroom continued shaking, and debris came down in huge chunks from above us. The screams, however, had stopped. My friends and I were the last ones here.
“That was amazing!” Grant cried.
“Amazing, but can you do it again?” Miles asked.
I had to, whatever it took. I tried to create another portal, but only sparks appeared before us. I’d used up all the magic Nadine had given me.
“It’s not working!” I yelled over the groan of the building.
“I’m trying to give you more, but—” Nadine cut off.
“Try my magic,” Professor Warbright offered. He was behind us and hadn’t been swept up in my portal. “I’m Mortana. Whatever you’re doing will work—won’t it?”
Nadine reached for his outstretched hand, and I felt Mortana magic surge through me once again. I scrambled to make the magic work and quickly instructed the portal to take us to the mansion.
A portal bloomed beneath our feet, and my stomach flew to my throat as a falling sensation overcame me. We all went tumbling through the portal, our cats yowling as we came spiraling out on the other side.
I landed on a hardwood floor. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, but I was relieved to feel the ground was stable beneath me. Groaning, I lifted my head to see we’d all made it. Nadine lay beside me, with Oliver and Isa licking her face. Chloe and Miles were nearby, as well as Grant and Talia. Charlotte came to, and she pressed her palm to her head.
Professor Warbright trembled as he got to his feet. “Wh—where are we?”
“An abandoned mansion behind the school…” I trailed off, because when I looked around, it was all wrong. There was a big four-poster bed and broken furniture everywhere. The hardwood floor was heaved up in spots. A chill traveled down my spine, which had never happened in our mansion before. Our mansion lay forgotten, but it was a happy place—not a haunted one.
I’d meant to take us to the mansion, but I’d brought us to the wrong one.
I’d portaled us to Pinewood Manor.
CHAPTER 24
NADINE
Wind howled from outside, and thunder cracked. Rain pounded down so hard; I couldn’t even see outside. I’d never seen a storm this bad before.
Every inch of my body ached, but I managed to sit upright and look around. Pinewood Manor. Why had Lucas brought us here?
I got to my feet and steadied myself on the bedpost. As my eyes adjusted, I realized I recognized the room we were in. It was the bedroom where we’d witnessed the residual haunting—where Leroy chased down his wife.
Ghostly howls permeated the walls, and Grant shot a nervous glance around the room. “Guys, this isn’t good. We don’t have the magic to fight off ghosts.”
Lucas let out a pained groan, and I turned to see him clutching his head. I knew that look. Lucas winced as he lifted his head. “The Executors are still out there killing people. We have to break the demon’s spell controlling them, or more people will die.”
A scream tore down the hall, and we all jumped as the door burst open. Our cats scattered and ducked under furniture to hide. Two ghostly figures ran into the room. The haunting played out as it had before, with Cynthia throwing open the window, then Leroy grabbing her and pinning her to the bed.
“No!” Cynthia screamed.
