Page 81 of Echoes of the Banshee

Magical object involved.

Should I go to Professor Tennant or Professor French for a quiet chat?

Zair:

Tennant.

French is good with objects, but she’s a gossip.

Perfect. That’s what I thought too. I don’t hesitate before typing a quick thank you and slipping my phone into my pocket. I grab the bag I placed the bracelet in and head toward Professor Tennant’s office, hoping she’s still there. The necklace presses against my skin, but I force myself to ignore it. I need answers, and she’s the one who can help me get them.

As I step into Tennant’s office, her warm smile greets me. “Thea, what brings you here?”

“I need help with something,” I pause, fingers tightening around the bag in my hand. “But it’s sensitive.”

“I understand. I promise I won’t tell anyone what we discuss.” She gives me a reassuring nod before casting a soundproofing charm with a swift flick of her wrist. The hum fills the air as she shuts the door behind me. I pull the bracelet from my bag, its twisted remains wrapped carefully in cloth.

“A witch in my coven gave me this,” I explain.

Tennant examines the fragments with a careful gaze. “What happened to it?”

“I took a goblin blade to it.” She looks up at me with an assessing glance before reaching behind her to pull out some tools.

“This is a magical cuff of sorts. I can’t tell you much more than that with it broken.” Her fingers tracing the runes. “The bracelet was crafted to drain power, enough to control it, but not sever it entirely. Are you feeling any compulsion toward…?” She leaves the question hanging, her eyes searching mine for an answer.

I shake my head. “No. Should I?”

Tennant nods thoughtfully. “Yes, it seems to have a type of devotion curse built in. It makes you want to please them, to stay close. As well as something that makes you almost unnoticeable to others. No student made this.”

I feel like I missed a step as the realization rips the rug out from under me: they drained my power, stole my free will. It was their magic making me into Adora. That’s why she feels like such a stranger. She is.

“So these are… like a leash?”

Tennant doesn’t look up. “Exactly. A leash that keeps you under control. Goblin blades are one of the few things capable of cutting through these types of enchantments. That shouldn’t have been possible alone. You must’ve had immense willpower.”

The necklace seems to pulse, prepared to test it.

Profesor Tennant’s frown deepens. “Whoever made these underestimated you. How long had you been wearing it?”

“Since I was a kid,” I admit quietly, feeling the weight of it all pressing in on me.

Tennant’s expression tightens. “That’s why you have so little control over your magic. Your magic didn’t just grow, it exploded, from a creek to an ocean.”

I glance down at the fragments, the broken pieces of my past.

“That’s what happened at the park? You removed the bracelet,” she asks, though it’s not a question. I nod anyways. I show her the fake bracelet on my wrist and then drop the illusion.

“I think she’s noticed I’m not weak anymore, she brought me this tonight,” I explain, showing her the necklace. “I can’t take it off.”

“Why did you put it on, Thea?” she asks, a note of disappointment in her voice as she examines the necklace. “I thought better of you.”

“I knew I could handle it,” I say quietly. “Is there any way to break the curse without destroying the object? I still need her to think I’m wearing it.”

Her eyes soften, though her tone remains practical. “I’m afraid not. The curse is bound to the object itself. You’ll have to sever the connection completely to free yourself. But… if you need something similar for deception, I could enchant a replica.”

I nod slowly. “So what now?”

Professor Tennant exhales. “First we get this necklace off you. Then we work on protecting you from anything like this in the future. Do you have the goblin blade on you?”