“Please, let me take her home — these fiends aren’t to be trusted. They’ll taint her, they’ll bring about the end—”
Cutting off Cordelia, the nurse raises her hand in a powerful move for such a peaceful woman. Suddenly she is cold and devoid of emotions. And people say we demons are unpredictable, I muse.
“Leave. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from her from now on,” the nurse says.
I’m not the only gratified person in the room as that wretched Cordelia starts to leave; it’s been a long time coming. Yet, as she leaves, I’m filled with sorrow at what it means if Cordelia didn’t plant the apple. If it’s not one of us, and it’s not her, then who the hell is trying to undo all our hard work?
Cordelia’s sobs can be heard as she makes her way up the winding staircase back to the main body of the school. The flagstones amplify her wails as she goes. None of us are particularly heartbroken by this, though I can’t help but note how Lucien looks especially pleased now that she’s gone.
“It’s a shame, you know,” I say without thinking, my mouth running away with itself. They each turn to me, the nurse included. “Someone close to Ebony is the traitor, and none of us have a clue who it is. The wheels have started turning, things have been put in motion: the demon Queen will return once more.”
None of them know how to respond. In truth, I don’t know how to process it — this is a lot to take in. That being said, how none of them saw the inevitability of this is strange to me. Given how powerful the Queen still is, even in her weakened state, it makes sense that she’d return. Vigilance can’t stop a hurricane.
Seth looks set to reply, but I shush him quickly. “Be quiet, she’s waking up.” I hiss as Ebony’s eyes flutter open.
7
Ebony
Sore isn’t the way to describe how I feel when I open my eyes. I feel drained like my blood’s been replaced with lead. It takes a moment for the room to come into focus. When it does, I see two figures in my peripheral vision. I recognize Gabriel, but I don’t recognize the woman sitting beside him.
It’s impossible to determine her age. She could be anywhere from forty to seventy. Depending on which way her head turns, her hair is silver, white-blonde, or pale gold. She’s stunning. Her skin looks soft even from here. She’s speaking to Gabriel in a hushed tone. I can’t make out the words, but her voice sounds so kind and inviting. She must be an Angel.
I try to talk, but nothing comes out. Gabriel’s head snaps to me. Our eyes lock. I think he’s going to say something. Instead, he turns to the woman and gives her a curt nod before leaving the room. I follow him with my gaze.
“Hello, dear,” the woman says with a kind smile.
“Hello,” I rasp. “What happened to me?”
“We think you might’ve had an allergic reaction to something,” she says. “What do you remember?”
I try to think back. All I remember is taking a bite of an apple. Then nothing.
“I ate an apple.”
“That could be it. Let’s avoid those from now on until we know for sure, okay?”
“Do you need to run tests?”
“The nurse already ran her tests while you were asleep,” the woman explains.
“So you’re not the nurse?”
“Oh! My goodness, how rude of me. I’m so sorry. I’m Professor Glaw. I teach as well as monitor the girl’s dormitories.”
“Nice to meet you.” My voice grows stronger with each word. “I’m Ebony.”
“Ms. Black, I am very familiar with you, my dear. I’m the one who assigned you to your room.”
“Oh.” I scramble to think of something else to say. “I like my room a lot.”
“I’m glad.” Her smile makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It’s what I imagine a mother’s smile to feel like. On the rare occasion that Cordelia smiles at me, it doesn’t feel like that.
“Did I miss my classes?” I ask, suddenly worried. It’s the first day. I don’t want to become known as the girl who missed the first day.
“No, but I wouldn’t worry about that right now.”
“What if I miss something important?” My brows draw together, even though the small movement makes my head ache.
“It’s only orientation day,” Professor Glaw soothes. “All of your teachers have been notified of your condition. They should be able to catch you up in no time. I could go over some of the general things if you like?”
“That would be really helpful.” I relax against the pillows.
Most of what Professor Glaw tells me are things I already know. She goes over the rules of practicing magic on school grounds. We’re only allowed to practice pre-approved spells unsupervised. Each Professor has their own way of doing things, but all of them expect professional and honorable conduct in their classroom.
Once I’m feeling stronger, Professor Glaw helps me out of bed. She supports me as I test my strength. As soon as I can walk without feeling weak or disoriented, she signs me out of the infirmary.
“I recommend that you return to your room and rest for the remainder of the day,” she says.
“Is it alright if I sit outside for a while?” I ask. “Fresh air might make me feel better.”
“Of course.” With a final smile, Professor Glaw takes her to leave, removing all the warmth in the room with her.
I should’ve asked for directions before she left, but I don’t mind figuring out my own way around. I’ll have to eventually, right?
I pass classrooms and labs as I walk down the corridor. I come to a room that I can’t discern its purpose. It's entirely empty. A practice space, maybe?
From the window, I see a greenhouse that looks like it houses a small jungle. I take a staircase down three floors and go out the first set of doors I see. It takes some time, but I find the greenhouse once again. It’s positioned so that one end opens towards the school and the other opens out to an expansive garden.
I think I’m alone when I enter the greenhouse, then I hear a voice.
“Shit. It’s not supposed to bubble like that. What do you think you’re doing?” The voice is high, like a bell. I move beyond a cluster of towering blooms to find a petite girl with glowing wings protruding from between her shoulder blades.
A fairy.
She stands over a cauldron filled with bright pink liquid that bubbles furiously.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She jumps, hovering off the ground for a few moments as her wings beat frantically.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” I say.
She tips her head back and lets out a peal of laughter.
“Don’t be sorry! I was too into my potion. Do you need something from the greenhouse?”
“No, I’m just exploring. I’m Ebony.”
“I’m Ivora. Can you do me a favor?”
I nod.
“Grab a clipping of Everlasting Heartweed?” She tosses a pair of clippers in my direction. I barely catch them.
“Yes, if you tell me what they look like.”
“White leaves that are shaped like hearts. Ripe ones have a little red dot in the center. Can you grab two handfuls?”
It takes me nearly ten minutes to locate the correct plant. The greenhouse is huge. I can’t imagine what the gardens must be like.
“Thanks.” Ivora grins when I return. She drops the leaves into the cauldron turning the color to sea-shell pink. She looks back to me and gives me a strange look. “Have you been practicing fertility magic?
“What?” I blurt. “No. What a strange question.”
“Oh, I’m sorry! Was that rude? Some people think I’m too direct.”
“It’s okay,” I say slowly. “You just caught me off guard.”
“So, no fertility magic?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“All the flowers came into bloom when you walked by them. Didn’t you notice?”
I hadn’t. I turn around and, sure enough, all of the sleeping buds I
walked by were now wide open.
“I didn’t do that,” I say.
“You did something,” Ivora shrugs. “I have to go find some Crystal Dew Petals. Want to come with me?”
“Sure.” If I’m with her, I won’t get lost in the garden. “What are you trying to make?”
“A potion of my own invention” She sounds proud. “If I can get it to work right, it’ll help with clarity.”
“For vision?”
“Emotional clarity,” she explains. “It’s supposed to help people understand their actions and thoughts better. It doesn’t violate the free-will law. I checked.”
The free will law prohibits someone from taking control of another through magic.
“Not even if you slip it into someone’s drink without their knowledge?”
“I like the way you think,” she giggles. “But no. This potion doesn’t take away control from the drinker.”
We step into the garden. Herbs, flowers, and other plants are organizing into neat plots. The whole garden looks like an uneven, technicolor checkerboard.
“Have you been to the castle yet?” Ivora points to a towering structure on the horizon. Looking at it makes me feel strange. I look away after a few seconds.
“No, why?”
“Apparently, the bloodiest battle in our history took place there. People still won’t move into the houses in the village. No one dares to retrieve the bones of the fallen either. It’s basically a giant graveyard with the castle as the tombstone at this point.”
“Then why would I want to go there?” I shudder.
“Some of the upper students sneak in on a dare. They say it’s insanely haunted. Bad energy all over the place.”
“That’s not a selling point.”
“I plan to do it before I graduate,” Ivora declares.
“Good luck,” I laugh.
I listen to Ivora as she chatters on about the school, classes and the students. She knows just about everyone to some degree. My mind wanders back to the boy I saw earlier, the one sitting under the apple tree.
I think back to what Professor Glaw said about a possible apple allergy, but those apples on the tree weren’t the same as the one I found in my room. Besides, I didn’t even know that boy. Why would he put an apple in a stranger’s room?
A gentle breeze caresses my skin, and the boy's name floats into my memory. Lucien.
“Can I ask you something random?” I ask.
“Sure. I love random.”
“Do you know anyone named Lucien?”
Ivora stops walking and gives me a knowing smile.
“Wow. You’re already ensnared in the Lucien trap? That must be a personal record for him.”
“Excuse me?” I tilt my head in confusion.
“You’ve already seen him, right? So, I don’t need to tell you that he’s the most gorgeous person here. Never keeps a girl for longer than a week but they all adore him anyway. He draws people in.
“I’m not ensnared,” I say defensively.
“Then why ask?”
“I met him briefly when I first arrived. He seemed nice.” But if he goes through women like Ivora says he does, I might be better off avoiding him.
My logical thoughts do nothing to stop my mind as I recall his strong jaw, perfect mouth, and penetrating gaze. I wonder what it would feel like to touch his skin. Hold his hand. Maybe even kiss him. What would it be like to feel his hands on me?
We pass under a slumbering pear tree. While we’re beneath its umbrella of branches, they begin to tremble. We pause and look up just as every single sleeping bud on the pear tree bursts into bloom. The tree’s now covered in silky white flowers.
“You definitely did that,” Ivora laughs.
“I swear, I didn’t mean to.”
Flower petals rain down on us like soft snow flurries.
“Do you know how rare it is for someone still in school to have this much power?” Ivora’s tone turns serious.
“I don’t even understand what I’m doing. Are you sure I did this?”
“I’m positive. You need to start learning about your power as soon as possible. This much power has to be controlled. What if it’s not flower petals next time?”
Deep down, I know she’s right. There’s a hum in my blood I don’t understand. I think it’s the hum of power.
8
Ebony
After my disturbing introduction to school, I’m finally feeling like I’m settling in nicely. A lot of that is thanks to Ivora. I remember how embarrassed I was when she’d asked me about fertility magic, but that seems so silly now. When I think back on everything we’ve talked about in the last several weeks, fertility magic is one of our more tame topics of choice. We keep no secrets from one another. Having felt like an outsider from Seth and Gabriel most of my life, even in spite of them being there for me, it’s nice to have someone who I can bare my soul to. Plus, Ivora confuses me a hell of a lot less than they do.
Alongside the joy of having Ivora as a friend, there’s also the intrigue of our curriculum. Most of our classes are hands-on. The aim of the school is to promote practical magic wherever they can. As Professor Glaw is so keen to remind us: magic is meant to be utilized, not left to wither. While I sometimes feel I could do with a better hold of myself and my capabilities, I share her belief that we need to harness our powers and make use of them. They’re wasted if we don’t.
Trudging along to the Great Hall, I allow myself to take in the hustle and bustle of all the other students busily helping to move debris. Not everyone is enthusiastic about it — Dorian being one of the louder to voice his annoyance. But generally, everybody is enjoying getting stuck in. The plan the teachers have laid out for us is simple: complete the repair work first, then move onto placing new wards around the room. The Great Hall needs to be ready to withstand even the most deadly of spells.
Most of the repairs have already been completed, however, there’s still more to be done on the ground floor. For those of us up top, we’ve having to put our skills to the test with warding magic. It’s proving more tricky than we’d anticipated.
Working as a foursome, Ivora, Seth, Gabriel, and I stand on a balcony that is little better than a scaffolding at the highest point in the Hall. Three floors up, we’re trying our damndest to apply the charms correctly. Unfortunately, some of us are better equipped to do this than others.
“If you move your wrist like this, it’ll work better.” Gabriel groans at Seth. His eyes roll into the back of his head, the mock annoyance causing Ivora to giggle. Gabriel shoots her a daggered look. He’s always being so mean to her, yet I don’t understand why. Ivora is an amazing person — clever, pretty, fun-loving — why doesn’t Gabriel want to be around her?
Seth purses his lips. “Gabriel, stop talking to me like I’m an idiot,” He gives an aggravated sigh. “I know how to move my wrists, it’s just getting the timing right.”
“Your timing isn’t the issue, you’re just lazy.” The way Seth bores his eyes into Gabriel’s is adorably funny. I know Ivora and I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s hard not to see the comedy in how these two interact: they argue more like rivals than brothers.
Even though I find them amusing, it’s Ivora who gets the most out of this. She’s swooning over Gabriel now, her eyelashes fluttering wildly as she watches him. I can see his annoyance, it’s engulfing him the longer he has to listen to her giggles, and yet he never says a word to her. His fingers, however, speak volumes. They keep flexing as if he wants to swat at her like you would a pesky fly.
I suspect that Ivora has a crush on Gabriel. Going by the way she raves about him whenever we’re alone, and how excited she is when he’s near, I’d be shocked if she claimed otherwise. I don’t mind her liking him, it some ways, I find it sweet. Although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous.
There’s affection between Gabriel and me, the sort that doesn’t fit with the upbringing we’ve experienced. I don’t love him that way, but ther
e’s something more to my feelings than the simple pull of sibling endearment. Never have I mentioned this to anyone else for fear of sounding crazy or perverse — after all the lecturing Cordelia has given me, the last thing I want to do is add kindling to the fire. Nevertheless, as I look at him now, I know that I need to share my thoughts with someone. But is Ivora the right person? If she does like him, me mentioning a more intimate connection might make her uncomfortable. It’s a minefield I don’t want to tiptoe across right now.
“I’m not lazy, Gabriel.” Seth counters through tight lips, his cheeks glowing from both embarrassment and irritation. Gabriel gives another eye roll. The moment Ivora giggles, however, Gabriel immediately stops his kittenish behavior and returns to reciting charms. Surprisingly, she doesn’t notice — or maybe she just doesn’t care, I can’t be sure. There’s that age-old saying of ‘treat them mean, keep them keen,’ but I’m not sure if that’s what’s going on here.
Attempting to move on from his public humiliation, Seth gives another flick of his wrist as he utters another spell. Nothing happens. Next to him, Gabriel hardly bothers concealing his sniggers as he revels in Seth’s continued failure.
“You know what, Gabriel, you’re a real jerk sometimes.”
“I’m a jerk? Let me guess, you though, you’re an angel, right? No mistakes ever made… no naughty thoughts you shouldn’t have… hmmm?” This last jibe must hit a nerve with Seth because he goes pale, before turning a deeper shade of red, the heat rolling off of him. Both Ivora and I look at one another. Both of us want to ask the same question: what naughty thoughts?
“You shut your mouth right now, Gab—”
“Or what, you’ll hit me?”
“Don’t tempt me,” Seth growls. He’s furious, but I know he won’t act on his threats. After all the times Gabriel has been inappropriate with me, never once has Seth used force to solve the matter. He’s too sweet-natured for that.
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