Dr. Cohen keeps her office tidy. Her desk is free of papers. Her books are sorted on her bookcases. Only two things give the office a touch of character. The first is the wood plate with her name, Asenath Cohen, carved in a style that mimics magical patterns.
The second is the bookcase of jars with specimens in luminescent liquid.
A cross between a squirrel and a lizard floats in one, its double-pupiled eyes staring at nothing. Another holds a creature that looks like a rat made entirely of tongues. The jars are a good measure of Dr. Cohen's skill. Summoning creatures challenges even the best practitioners.
Darcy picks up a jar containing a fist-sized brain with finger legs. She shakes it. The finger legs undulate. The flesh on your neck tingles, and not in a good way. "Look," she says. "This one says Abby Normal."
"Don't drop it!" Manish says, so of course Darcy pretends to. The brain looks like it's waving hello at you with its creepy, creepy fingers. Either that or it wants to crawl out of the jar and clamp onto your face.