The Deceiver | The Magicians

Chapter 17

Seventeen | Goosebumps

"I'm sure by now you've realized that Brakebills teaches us to be arch and ironic about magic. But this one plays it serious." All the remaining students gathered around the various tables, listening intently to Margo and Eliot. Much to Lilly and Dani's relief, Alex had made it past the second trial. He had been in a group with Ava, who also made it. Lilly wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.

"You must bare yourself in the presence of another magical adept and expose your highest governing internal circumstance. Which is to say, your utmost truth." They all looked around at each other, uncomfortable with what Eliot's words implied. "You have till midnight." Margo and Eliot linked arms, laughing at the students troubled faces as they strolled out the door. They had been assigned to the same group they had been with for the last trial. Margo left a few copies of the spell they needed to perform on the front table and Lilly grabbed one along with Alice and Penny, reading through the steps and ingredients. Kady stood up, moving over to the table holding all the ingredients for the spell.

"Okay, it's a two person spell. Both must succeed to unlock it." Penny explained to Quentin, Kady, and Dani, getting up to join his girlfriend. "You bind your hands with this rope."

"How am I gonna survive?" Kady flirted and Dani fake gagged behind their backs, earning a giggle from Lilly."

"It'll fall off once you've reached transcendance."

"This has got to be some sort of scheme right?" Quentin thought out loud. Lilly was thinking the same. The last two trials had some sort of twist, surely this did too. "To record us playing naked truth or dare, so they can blackmail us or something."

"Unfortunately, Margo wasn't lying. It's arcane and a bit unorthodox, but secrets magic is a real thing." Everyone listened to Alice as she spoke, "Basically, there's no trick or cheat to this. It's kind of the exact opposite." 

"So we're just supposed to spill our guts to each other?" Dani asked, watching Alice warily.

"Pretty much." 

"Well then," Dani popped up from her chair. "While you guys brew up what we need, I'm gonna go grab us all lots of booze." No one complained that she was skipping out on the preparation of the spell. They all knew they would be needing every drop of liquor Dani brought back in order to make it through the night. 

The remaining five continued to examine the spell and pull together the ingredients for the body paint they would be needing. Lilly and Alice deciphered the spell ingredients and instructions, while Penny and Kady started to brew up all the ingredients. About half an hour later, Dani returned with six full bottles of alcohol in her arms. From the way she was acting, Lilly guessed she had already started drinking. 

They could each feel the nerves building up inside themselves at the prospect of having to share their deepest secret. Lilly snatched up a bottle from the table, taking a good and long swig. If she was going to pass this test, she was going to have to be completely out of it.

"I think we're all ready to go." Alice informed them all after scanning the instructions one more time. They all looked at each other in dread. They had each chosen their partners a few minutes prior. Penny and Kady obviously ended up together and after a moment of deliberation, Quentin chose Alice. His first choice would have been Lilly, but Dani barely knew Alice and therefore would probably end up failing the trial if they paired up. At least Quentin had some sort of relationship with her. Lilly gathered the body paint they had concocted along with her copy of the spell and the ropes. One of the requirements of the spell was that it must be cast outside and since they also had to strip naked, it took a little bit of scouting to find a suitable area to work.

The girls settled on a secluded section of the schools gardens. The tall vines and other plants hid them from prying eyes and it was very unlikely that someone would be out in the gardens at night. Lilly set to work using her magic to light the lanterns that lined the path while Dani layed out their supplies. 

"Let's get this s**t over with, shall we?" Dani spoke and proceeded to undress as required. Lilly took a steadying breath, before following suit. She gripped the hem of her top and pulling it over her head. Goosebumps formed along her exposed skin and she felt the urge to cover her bare breasts from the cool night air. Both girls were comfortable enough together that it wasn't awkward to see eachother so exposed, but the feeling of vulnerability had begun to seep in. They were stripped bare, both physically and emotionally for the other to see. That was the point of this spell. Lilly wished there were some loophole so that the walls she had built up over all these years could remain intact. But they both knew that the only way out, was through. They each took a long draft of liquid courage from their bottles. 

They followed the instructions for the spell, painting the correct markings on their partner's naked body. Dani's paint was white, Lilly's black, both made from a mix of crushed magical root and soft crystal. The colors contrasted against their skin colors in tribal patterns. They tried their best to make themselves comfortable on the cobblestone path, knowing very well that they would be there for a while. 

"My mom made me sing in our church choir when I was in highschool and in the middle of a service I messed up the words to a hymn and dropped an f-bomb into the microphone in front of the whole church. I blamed it on the girl next to me and everyone believed it." Dani confessed to break the ice. Lilly choked out a laugh.

"I once compared a famous painting to the work of a preschooler, only to find out that the artist was standing right behind me. My mom never found out why she couldn't make the deal." The girls shared their secrets and embarrassing moments in an attempt to ease into the more serious topics. Their confessions became funnier and funnier the more they drank and it was a wonder no one came to investigate the cackles coming from the gardens. But eventually the topics became more somber and the confessions deeper.

"I used to pretend to be really bad at Alchemy when I was little so my mom might give up on me following in her footsteps. I just ended up having to do extra practice so I'd get better."

"I used to party all the time in high school just to get attention. All it did was drop my grade point average. My mom figured it was the lack of a father figure but, it was really because I lost my mom the moment he left us." Dani nodded, understanding her friend perfectly. Both of them had complicated relationships with their mothers. 

"I've never actually been in love" Dani confessed, "I mean I'm obviously not a virgin or anything. I've just never felt that connection with anyone."

"Have you ever been in a long term relationship?" Lilly questioned. This surprised her a bit. Afterall, almost everyone had been in love at least once. Even if it was just a first puppy love kind of thing. 

"Yes, the longest relationship was six months, but something always felt wrong about it. He told me he loved me and I just laughed in his face cause I had no idea what to say."

"Maybe you just weren't right for eachother." Lilly suggested and Dani shook her head.

"No- I don't know. It's not just him though. Every time I get romantically involved, something just not right. I can't seem to let myself feel that way about someone. What is wrong with me? I mean, f**k!" There was a long silence, filled only by the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Both girls stared at each other until Lilly finally spoke up.

"I know how you feel." Lilly sympathized with her, "I never really let people in. I've been in love but I've always held back. From my friends, my family, boyfriends..."

"You let me in though." 

"Yes, but... not really. There's so much I never tell you, or Q or even Alex. Have you ever noticed that we never have a truly deep conversation?" Dani paused, c*****g her head in thought. "I mean, we never talk about our feelings, but it's because I can't. I'm so scared that if I show all my cards that you won't like what you see." The blonde's eyes watered, but she wouldn't allow them to spill over. 

She hadn't even noticed that Dani's ropes were gone until her own were sliping from her wrists and onto the cobblestones beneath her. They smiled at each other, though it didn't meet their eyes. Their hearts felt raw and heavy after everything that had surfaced. Everything was out on the table for the other to see. 

The echoing chime of the Brakebills clock tower drifted to them, signaling the end of another day and the passing of their allotted time. They were safe, but they could only hope that the rest of their friends were as well. 

"For what it's worth," Dani whispered, "I'm not disappointed." Lilly couldn't stop the tear that fell, but Dani had made it clear with those words that it was safe for her to do so. She wiped it away, before standing up and holding a hand out for her companion. She happily took it and pulled Lilly in for a hug. 

Dani flinched, crying out in pain. Lilly pulled back, startled by her outburst. She watched in fear as her friend doubled over in pain, her arms contorted at unnatural angles. Dani screamed and Lilly rushed towards her to help.

"Dani! What's happening? What's wro— Aghh!" Lilly's words were cut off by her own strangled cry as her body twisted violently against it's will. Excruciating pain shot through her entire body. She had the feeling of being stabbed by a thousand needles at once. It felt like something was trying to break through the skin of her back. She reached over her shoulder, clawing at her shoulder blades until she could grip whatever it was that was poking out of her skin. She ripped it out, pulling it to where she could inspect the object. Her vision was blurring from the pain, but she could make out what looked to be a bloodied feather clutched between her fingers. "What the f**k?" 

Her body contorted yet again and she was forced to succumb to whatever it was that was happening. She could feel her body changing, the feathers grew from her skin, her limbs fused into new shapes. It felt like hours before it finally stopped and she was able to move again. She was much closer to the ground than she was before and upon looking over at Dani, she found a Canadian goose standing where her friend had been. She yelped, but her voice came out as a honk. 

Her mind was working at twice the speed it usually was, probably due to extreme adrenaline and she was able to figure out what had happened pretty fast. Margo and Eliot had turned them into geese for some unknown reason. Maybe they needed to find out how to turn back? Maybe it's just part of the trial? Lilly's thoughts were interrupted however, by her legs breaking into a run against her will and flapping her wings until she was airborne. It was as if on instinct that she flew up above the school buildings and joined a flock of other geese flying by. 

Saying she was panicked would be an understatement. She had no control over her body and as she glanced around at the other geese, she had no doubt that these were the other students. After a while, Lilly had calmed down. The school was far behind them and rolling hills of green had replaced them. 

There was something freeing about flying and Lilly found herself thoroughly enjoying the experience. Setting aside the bizarre situation she was in, she let herself live in the moment, the wind gliding across her feathers. The view was spectacular from up above and the scenery changed drastically as they moved farther and farther away from the safety of Brakebills.