16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The common room consisted of a couple of couches, tables, other seating, and a large TV and a whiteboard. Most of the recruits had already left for Commander’s Weekend when I pelted in so it wasn’t too busy – but I guessed it was busy enough for Petty.

Margi, Danny, George and Eben were in a maelstrom of flying chairs, couches, anything not attached to the floor, ducking and diving to try and avoid injury.

‘Petrovich Peril, I command you to stop,’ I said loudly. Hey, if it worked with Aoife, maybe it would work with Petty. I was proud of myself for the authoritative tone that snapped out; there wasn’t even a tiny little stutter to betray the grip of fear around my heart. These guys were my friends and they could be injured if I didn’t get the poltergeist to stop. Even though they were supernat, that could still hurt like a bitch. We were lucky that none of the human recruits were there.

Petty ignored my command and threw a chair in my direction. Sidnee grabbed my elbow and yanked me back. ‘Don’t step into the room,’ she said urgently. ‘It’ll trap you, too.’ She was clutching a bundle of what I assumed was sage. ‘I stole some sage from the kitchens earlier. I knew it was only a matter of time before we’d need it,’ she said grimly. ‘Do you remember the prayer of St Michael the Archangel?’

I gave her a flat look. Of course I did.

‘Right. You recite it while I cleanse the room.’ She pulled out a lighter and held it to the bundle of silvered greenery in her hand, then blew on it until the sage was putting out white smoke. ‘Now, Bunny,’ she snapped.

I nodded and pulled up the prayer from my memory. I hadn’t been raised religious but my mother, being who she was, had kept on good terms with the local Church of England diocese. Connor had written it down for me in his fifteen-page email but I already knew the prayer by heart.

I took a deep breath and chanted loudly, ‘Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.’

As I followed Sidnee as she moved around the edges of the room. I realised she was also chanting the prayer. When we reached the third corner the turbulence decreased. Sidnee was able to approach the recruits and bathe them in smoke as we recited the prayer one more time. The poltergeist gave up and fled, and the furniture fell to the ground with a resounding crash.

We all stared at each other. ‘Hey,’ I said into the stunned silence. ‘You guys okay?’

‘Holy smokes,’ Margi uttered. ‘That was scary as heck.’

‘I’ve been better,’ George agreed shakily. He had a cut on his forehead that looked nasty.

‘I’m okay,’ Danny said. He looked at George. ‘You’d better shift or that will scar.’

‘You keep watch?’ George asked nervously.

We girls took point along the corridor whilst George stripped and shifted. A few minutes later Danny called out, ‘You can come back in.’

George was pulling on his T-shirt. ‘Oh,’ said Margi with visible dismay. ‘I thought we were going to see him in wolverine form! Why, colour me disappointed!’

George winked. ‘I’ll shift for you anytime, Margilene.’ Then his smile faded and his face paled. He pointed at the whiteboard. ‘Look.’

You’re all going to die, the message said. It looked like it had been written by a shaky, uncertain hand; Petty must have written it before he’d become immersed in his fury. For whatever reason, it seemed like he was fixating on us supernats.

Boy, had he picked the wrong group to bully.