“We don’t have all the magic. We don’t have all the power. Other countries still have abilities that we do not. We continue to search for that power.
“We continued to cultivate strong ties. That is why there is nothing more important than this academy. In order for the kingdom to thrive, this academy has to succeed.”
I took a deep breath. Everyone was staring at me. I hadn’t lost the audience yet, I told myself. Nobody had walked out or was falling asleep like during Clouda’s first class.
Somebody raised his hand and I called on him.
“How do you explain that the academy doesn’t teach anything? We’re still fighting with wooden swords . . . What do you think that’s about?” he said.
Before I could say anything Esmeralda cut in.
“What about the waterfall jump? That’s something,” Esmeralda said, eager to defend the school.
“The waterfall jump is actually a relic of past generations when the academy used to be strong and powerful and teach fighting skills and the rest. Now the place just teaches philosophy. It teaches the basics that nobody is ever going to lose after they leave here,” the guy argued.
“We have to learn philosophy to be able to make good decisions. We don’t know what challenges we’re going to face in the future. Our education is our best bet,” said Batham.
The debate continued for a while. Some students didn’t care about the topic of war and power, but others were interested. The problems of the kingdom had permeated the academy. Many students were dissatisfied with how the academic year was handled. They wanted more education more quickly.
Batham got up and talked next. He was animated and amusing. He gave a better speech than I did. Vayvin clapped loudly and whistled. “Nice job,” she called out.
He grinned at her and sat down. Esmeralda was about to speak next, but before she could even stand, the air suddenly shifted. At first I didn’t notice, then I thought maybe I was imagining it. Finally I realized it was the same sort of strange cold I had felt before.
I went still. I had taken the seat next to the prince, and Batham was standing protectively behind him.
Feeling something strange happening, Prince Reidar turned to me and whispered, “Is everything all right?”
Colly heard the question and glanced in my direction. He usually didn’t react to conversations, or when other students spoke, unless it involved the prince’s safety.
With my hands digging into my chair I said, “I’m not so sure it is.”
Colly stiffened and shook his head slightly, while Batham was still laughing with Vayvin, seemingly oblivious.
“Do we need to get out of here?” Prince Reidar asked.
Colly tipped his head forward only slightly. Yes, we needed to get out of there, I thought. But would we be able to?
“You go first,” said the prince to Colly.
“He’s guarding you,” I whispered to the prince.
Colly’s eyes burned at Reidar.
“I’ll tell Vayvin we need to go,” I whispered. “They can finish their band practice, or whatever.”
I was just about to stand when the cold got much worse. Before anyone could react, the room was plunged into black night.
Chapter Thirty
Despite the fact that we were powerful and well-trained fae, chaos ensued. I heard screams of surprise, then I heard and felt shifting bodies as everyone tried to find a way out of the meeting room. But the lack of light was depthless. Not a sliver of color glimmered anywhere.
I felt somebody take my hand and knew it was Prince Reidar.
“We leave together or not at all,” said the prince.
“I’m afraid that’s not an option,” came Batham’s voice from over my shoulder. “We have to get you out of here. You’re the only prince in the room. He’s coming for you.”
I stood up, sure that someone must have the power to get a light going. And indeed, just at that moment there came a flicker.
I turned to look. Somebody had lit a candle, which briefly illuminated a girl’s face. But it also lit up what was behind the girl’s shoulder.
Others saw too, and screamed. The girl turned and looked, then dropped the light. I heard a sound of metal scraping and knew it was a sword being unsheathed.
The sword glimmered in the light of another candle someone had managed to light, while someone else was desperately trying to create a path out of the room. I felt fae pressing around me. Prince Reidar was still holding my hand, but someone else was trying to rip us apart.
The second candle went out and I couldn’t see the prince, even though our hands were still touching.
Then a voice in the distance said, “You have to let go of her.” Prince Reidar ignored the voice.
More lights were being lit, but each time a candle flared, the Shadow appeared and a moment later the light was snuffed out, usually accompanied by a scream.
Steel flashed as a blade slashed at a glimmering candle. Another slash came, and another, accompanied by more screams. Then a scream was cut short, and I knew what that meant.
The prince melted away from me. With him headed to safety I started to run and immediately collided with Esmeralda, who grabbed me and squeezed. “I’m going to get him,” she said.
I felt her pelt away, then saw glimmers of magic around her hands and shoulders. She had always been one of the most skilled students, but usually she kept her power well under wraps, not because she was afraid of the Shadow but because that was her nature.
Several other students joined her in attacking the Shadow, who was defending himself with both his blade and his powerful magic. Vibrations of color and power glimmered from the center of the room.
Six or seven students had surrounded the Shadow, and the vibrations were getting stronger. I didn’t know what that meant.
My eyes sought the prince and his bodyguards again, but I couldn’t pick them out in the darkness, so I made for Esmeralda instead. I had almost reached her when I tripped and went flying. I crashed through several chairs and landed hard on the floor.
Just as I landed, the glimmers of light in the room flared brighter. Then there was an explosion. At first I didn’t understand what had happened, then I realized that the Shadow had released the vibrations of power he had been gathering.
My own inner wellspring of magic flared in response, and I felt a wall of shear magic rise between me and the attacking shadow. In the light, I also saw that he had obliterated the whole room, his shockwaves of incredible power knocking over everything within reach.
Chairs crashed into the wall, and the table at the front of the room went flying. The band’s musical instruments were crushed. Several fae slammed into walls with sickening thuds, then went silent. All the light was extinguished again, and a black darkness ruled.
I had managed to cover my head as the explosion took place, so although I felt a chair scraping over me, that was about it. That I was already on the floor was probably a good thing. I hadn’t had anywhere to fall.
In the black darkness I crawled up from the floor to my hands and knees. I couldn’t see around me, but I pushed myself to my feet anyway.
Cool senses washed over me as my body swayed. The Shadow was right in front of me.
For all I knew he was about to kill me. I reached my hands out blindly, then closed my eyes, relieved to feel the wellspring of beautiful magic jumping and dancing and clawing inside me.
When I opened my eyes again, my whole body was shimmering.
The wellspring had spread.
This was first time I had really used my magic since that day outside. I looked all around for the Shadow, but he was nowhere to be seen. There was only destruction.
I swayed a bit, suddenly feeling exhausted, but my wellspring of magic continued to prop me up. I stumbled toward the door, searching for the prince. Had the Shadow gotten to him? What about Colly and Batham? What would I do if they weren’t all right?
But I couldn’t allow myself to think that way.
I reached the entrance and blindly grabbed for a torch to light some candles with. Once the torch was bright in my hand, I turned back to the room and saw many of the students I’d just been meeting with lying motionless on the floor or slumped against the wall. We were melting in black heat and blind panic.
Help had taken too long to come.
Chapter Thirty-One
Hours later, cold terror had settled over all of us, but I was thankful to find that the prince had escaped, and so had his bodyguards. A student I didn’t know well had been slashed, but she was going to be okay.
The next day, new rules were instituted. Organizations had to have a guard present during meetings, specifically to protect all students, not just the prince. Around campus, it was otherwise business as usual.
Esmeralda and Vayvin were both quiet during meals. I thought Esmeralda was quiet because she had confronted the killer and was still processing it. If there was more to it, she wasn’t saying.
“I can’t believe he came after the band,” Vayvin muttered.
We were sitting at lunch at our usual table, with Nerys glaring at us from nearby.
“At least the attacker didn’t kill anyone this time,” said Esmeralda.
“Especially you. What were you thinking going after him?” Vayvin demanded.
Esmeralda shrugged. “I thought someone had to challenge him. If we don’t defend ourselves, where does that leave us?” she whispered.
Vayvin shook her head. “You have a point, but I don’t like it. You shouldn’t have put yourself in harm’s way,” she said.
Esmeralda moved her food around on her plate. Clearly she didn’t like being talked to that way by Vayvin. She had a rebellious streak that shone through in the most dire of circumstances. Plus, despite the fact that she was small and quiet, she was a great fighter.
“Why do you think he went after the band?” I asked.
“Probably because the prince was there,” said Vayvin. “I can’t think of any other explanation. I wouldn’t have thought the killer would even know about band. Hardly anyone here knows or cares. I have trouble enough getting any new members.”
I thought about that. The killer had known we were meeting jointly, but I hadn’t seen anyone new come into the room. What did that mean?
“Do you want to do some studying tonight? I have some work to finish up,” Vayvin said to me.
“Meet in the library later?” I asked.
We agreed on that. No one else could make it because of other commitments. Still tired after her ordeal the night before, even Esmeralda wanted a night to rest. That that would leave just Vayvin and me at the library that evening.
The two of us were the last to leave lunch, joining the flow of students at the end of the rush toward the door.
Other than our conversation about the attack, Vayvin too had been unusually quiet. As we left the atrium she said, “How do you think the killer knew we were meeting?” she asked.
I was wondering the same thing and told her so.
“The killer can’t possibly be one of the riders. I know that theory was considered, but it has to be someone inside the castle, someone who’s close to the students,” she said.
“Do you have any theories?” I asked. She glanced at me, then looked away. I realized suddenly how tired and drawn she looked.
Vayvin looked thoughtful. “I’ve been formulating a couple. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m pretty nosy, and I’ve been gathering all the information I can, both last year and this, and I think I might have something. A sort of pattern. I know you’re curious as well, because you were brought here to be a target. Good job surviving this long, by the way. We can talk about it tonight at the library,” she whispered.
“Don’t you want to just tell me now?” I asked.
She glanced around furtively. “I don’t think so. Not in this crowd. I’ll tell you tonight. Knowing what I know will only put you in danger. It’s a good thing there are so many guards around and we’re never alone. You’ll be fine in the library. Besides, I might not even know what I’m talking about,” she said.
I bit my lip as I followed her down the hall. Vayvin wasn’t one to get worried needlessly. That meant that whatever she was worrying about was probably very dangerous.
I had a hard time concentrating during afternoon classes. I had the impression that the prince was angry at his guards. None of them spoke much or looked very happy. Ordinarily even Colly would let a facial expression loose now and then, but today his jaw was set and his eyes were hard.
Prince Reidar stared straight ahead without saying much. As soon as classes were over for the day, he was off like a shot. He left so abruptly, and in such a hurry, that his two bodyguards had trouble keeping up with him. I saw Batham give Colly a look that even I couldn’t interpret.
“Are you okay?” said Lewis, appearing at my side as I walked back to my dorm.
“Yeah, you missed a lot. I wouldn’t call it fun, though, “ I told him.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “No, I never know what to say in times like these. Sorry. Of course it wasn’t fun. I wish I had been there. Everybody else was,” he said.
“Yeah, including a crazy killer,” I shot back.
“They need to catch him,” Lewis said, gloom fighting urgency in his tone. “I can’t believe this has gone on as long as it has. There’s no way the best of the best shouldn’t be able to catch this killer.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Especially with the likes of you as bait. I’m surprised you survived this long,” Lewis observed.
“You’re not the only one,” I told him honestly.
He reached out and ruffled my hair. “Don’t worry. The year is almost over. We might all just survive,” he said. “This is the first time the killer has failed isn’t it? At least, it’s the first time he’s injured fae but not killed anyone.”
“Not really,” I said, hating to break his bubble. “My first day here, when he drew us all outside, he did fail entirely. His arrows didn’t hit anyone.”
“Of course, that’s right,” said Lewis. “I had forgotten about that. Well, I’m glad you’re okay, anyway. Let’s keep it that way.”
He wandered off after that, but I had just had two interesting conversations in the span of a few minutes, and now I had to go think them over.
Just before I reached the dorm, someone slammed into my shoulder. I turned around, only to be confronted with the sight of Nerys in her signature ruffles. She had worn them all year, and they had become so unremarkable that I had forgotten to ask anyone what the point of them was. I had not been offered a ruffled shirt.
“I hear the Shadow almost killed you. Again. It would be best if you just did your duty and died,” she said with a sneer. Without giving me a chance to respond, she stormed into the dorm ahead of me.
She wasn’t exactly being fair, not that I cared what she thought. But I was doing my best to cause a scene every chance I got. Not only that, but I was now not only in an organization, but the leader of one. At this point I would relish the Shadow coming for me. I could hardly wait.
The library was busier than I had expected that evening. Over the past few months students had taken to studying in their dorm rooms for fear of the Shadow. Despite all the security, they didn’t want to risk the hallways.
But I still liked studying in the library. I was able to concentrate better there, and I liked being around the books. Colly and I often studied together now. Or I studied with the prince and both his guards. Either way, we always met up in the library.
Vayvin and I alone had never studied there together before. Her request had been surprising, but if she wanted a secretive discussion about the Shadow, the library was a good choice.
After dinner we headed for the library together. Guards watched us all the way. There was no sign of any shadow.
“Let’s find somewhere private,” said Vayvin, wrinkling her nose at the full tables of students on the fi
rst floor.
“We could go upstairs,” I said. “That’s where Colly and I go.”
“Lead the way,” she said.
Vayvin hadn’t been upstairs before either, and she was as surprised as I had been the first time.
We sat down, but I could barely concentrate. Not long into the evening I leaned over and asked, “Who do you think the Shadow is? I had no idea you were trying to find out who it was.”
She glanced around, but as far as I could see there was no one else up on this floor. We would have seen anyone who arrived, and it had been silent since we sat down.
When Vayvin leaned forward to speak, I could see that she was still tired. But she was calmer than she had been at lunch.
“I don’t want to speculate and get someone in trouble. I’m going to do a little more research before I say anything,” she said.
Then she leaned back and kept reading, signaling quite clearly that that was the end of the discussion. I stared. It was such a change from what she had said earlier that I almost didn’t believe what I’d heard.
“Are you certain?” I asked.
She glanced at me and then away. “I’m not certain. Don’t worry about it. I think I was wrong anyway. I’ll let you know tomorrow,” she said.
I let it go for the moment. We continued to study, mostly in silence but sometimes chatting quietly. Through it all, deep down I was even more worried than I had been before.
“Are you excited to go home for the summer?” I asked.
And now she gave me a genuine smile. “I sure am. All my brothers are going to be home. I haven’t seen my younger sister since our break. It’s going to be amazing. Besides, it’s much warmer there. I can’t wait! This academy is cool, but my family likes to be home, and I’m no different. I miss them so much when I’m here! I’m looking forward to it.”
“Are they impressed that you lead the band? “ I asked.
She grinned at me and rolled her eyes. “Not as impressed as they should be,” she said.
I had just started taking slow and difficult notes on a reading assignment when Vayvin checked the time. “I actually forgot something I have to do for band,” she said suddenly. “I’m going to go do that and I’ll meet you back at the dorm.”
Noble Fae Academy: Year One Page 21