The Skinwalker's Apprentice Read Online Free PDF

mouse. The Priestess’s gaze snapped back into focus,  and she looked at Margo proudly. It was only the first of many lessons, as Margo began to spend five, six, sometimes seven hours of her day practicing magic. Some days The Priestess worked her to the bone, making her conjure and enchant over and over again until her voice was raspy and her fingers were numb. Other days Margo would sit in silence and watch The Priestess brew potions masterfully, her wand swirling above the cast iron cauldron as she poured ingredients and chanted spells.
    The Priestess was as brilliant as she was kind. She was strict but taught her lessons patiently, and she encouraged Margo even as she made mistakes. She was, Margo thought, the best teacher she’d ever had. But she was also extremely curious. She sometimes spoke, it seemed to Margo, to herself. Whenever she did this, she looked startled, with her pale eyes wide open. Margo had never seen her relax or even sit. She always stood up straight, as if invisible marionette strings controlled her every move. Once Margo had thought she’d seen, briefly, small stitch marks on the sides of The Priestess’s face but they were gone the next moment, and Margo was unsure whether she’d imagined them. When it came time for meals, The Priestess would always have them in her chambers, with the door shut. She never brought food in with her from the kitchen, which made Margo wonder if she ate at all. When she spoke a spell or enchantment, her usually gentle voice boomed with the force of a thousand baritones. Margo worried the villagers could hear them, but she was sure the purpose of the enchanted forest was to protect them from any busybody eyes or ears. She was right, of course. Had The Priestess not put an enchantment spell on her house, villagers would have seen explosions of purple, black, and green high above the trees. Margo was not sure why her teacher was so strange, but she supposed that it was just the way powerful witches behaved.

Chapter 5
    New York, New York
    October 5, 1984
    It had been an hour and a half since the senior prank that Emerald and her friends had planned had gone horribly wrong. Emerald’s butt hurt from sitting in the hard wooden chair in her principal’s office. In ten more minutes it would officially be the longest lecture he had ever given her. Usually Emerald got in trouble for trivial things; she had never damaged anything of Principal Grossman’s or worse, hurt anyone. Poor Sheryl had to be taken to the hospital for whiplash and was most likely in shock. Emerald had never remembered feeling so bad about anything she did wrong. She had never meant to destroy the principal’s brand new car or hurt his kind old secretary. Worst of all, her Aunt Nora was on her way to the school, and a tag team berating was sure to follow. They were completely alone in the school building. The odor of skunk and pig had become so overwhelming, students had begun to get sick, and everyone else had to be sent home.
    “You could be expelled for this,” said Principal Grossman angrily.
    How is he still sweating? thought Emerald to herself. It was about negative twelve degrees in his office. He must have been so mad he’d given himself a fever. It wouldn’t be the first time.
    “I really am sorry. Things really got out of hand.”
    Emerald’s face was red with shame. She could be a lot of things, but she wasn’t a bad person. She was a little rebellious and plenty mischievous sure, but somewhere, deep down inside, she did mean well.
    “We’ll see how sorry you are once your Aunt Nora gets here,” said Principal Grossman with a satisfied smile.
    Emerald sank further into her chair. She was, predictably, alone. Although Seneka and Jackson had volunteered to join Emerald, taking full responsibility for their part in the scheme, Emerald had told Principal Grossman that her friends were only innocent bystanders. Seneka had almost punched her when she said this, but it was what the