by Nika Gray
“Keep focusing on that conduit ring. Whatever magic comes from you has got to be channeled through that ring,” he reminded me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
I nodded and placed my hand on top of his. The moment our skin touched, electricity shot up my arm and stars exploded in the back of my eyes.
What the ever-loving fuck was that?
I snatched my hand away from his. His breathing had quickened like mine had. He'd felt it too, I was sure of it.
My head snapped forward at the sound of my name. Professor Krysz was calling me to come up front. Were we taking these tests in front of the class?
“Mage Sadie Bishop, please come down to the front,” Professor Krysz said again. I stood up on shaky feet.
“Mage Cole Trahern, please join Mage Bishop. You’ll be sparring together.”
Ice filled my veins as I willed my legs to move. How in the hell was I supposed to spar with Cole and not touch him? There was no way our magic wouldn’t show. I shot a glance back at Declan for any sort of guidance. He shrugged. He didn’t have anything, either. I was on my own.
“Focus on the ring,” he mouthed as I stepped down the first stairs and stumbled. That was easy for him to say. I made it down to the front, Professor Krysz eyeing me warily the entire time.
I stood in front of him not wanting to look at the rest of the class behind me. I could already imagine the looks on Kyna’s and Sonia’s faces right about now.
And then I felt the pull of Cole. He was standing right behind me. His unique scent of vetiver enveloped my senses and all I wanted to do was step back into him. I inhaled and exhaled before turning to see his chiseled face staring down at me. His expression was unreadable but, his blue eyes flashed with that electrifying light. That wasn’t encouraging.
“Looks like it’s me and you, Sadie,” he said.
Professor Krysz waved his conduit ring and created a portal into the mirror world. I stepped inside. Cole Trahern followed me.
“How are we supposed to spar,” I whispered to him. I knew the whole class was watching us through a magical screen that took up the entire wall in front of the auditorium. The one good thing was the sound wasn’t perfect and we’d be able to whisper to each other without anybody knowing what was said.
“Try using one of the skills. Like the professor said.”
My cheeks flushed. “Right. I know that. But we can’t touch.”
“No, we can’t,” he said, a smile tugging on his lips.
I stepped through the portal and followed Cole into the mirror world and held out my conduit ring. I closed my eyes and willed water to come bursting out of the ring. A few little measly drops dripped onto the floor in front of me.
Cole created a circle of orange flame with his conduit ring and stepped through it. He teleported right next to me.
The shock of his suddenly appearing so close to me caused me to lose balance and I fell right on my butt. My cheeks burned red. The mean girls would never let me live this down. My sparring skills were nothing but crap.
Cole stared down at me.
“Strength,” he mouthed.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Magic built up in my core and I held my conduit ring out towards Cole.
The power surged out of my arm and the air shifted around me. My eyes flew open to see the six-foot-four Cole Trahern flying across the room. His back hit the wall with a thud.
He was right. I had the power of strength. I pulled myself up to my feet on shaky legs and walked over to Cole who was struggling to get back on his.
“I guess now we know what you have,” he said with a wry grin as the portal opened for us. We stepped back inside the auditorium and Professor Krysz nodded.
“Brute strength,” he said.
“Teleporter,” he said to Cole. “All right, next up is Mage Kyna Bloodstyne and Mage Declan LongBane.
I willed my legs to take me back to the seat that I had occupied next to Declan before the test. I had kept my secret for another day.
5
Fergus
My vivid dream from the night before came back to me. I was in the middle of a battle at the Borderlands. Mages were throwing magic bombs at each other all around me. There were arcing shafts of red, blue, and green with mages popping in and out, teleporting on the battlefield.
The earth underneath me shifted as magic seeped into the ground below us. Smoke filled my eyes and I could barely breathe. And then just like that the battle around me stopped as if I had been in the middle of a movie and somebody had pressed pause.
I was the only one awake and not frozen. Sadie's face floated into my mind. I had to find her.
I needed to find her right now.
I searched the faces of the mages around me, frozen in mid-fight. I looked everywhere but I could not find her.
I checked every face. She wasn’t on the battlefield. Fear blossomed in my chest. I closed my eyes to feel her presence, to connect to her in the special way.
She wasn’t on this battlefield. Her presence was gone.
My father’s voice pulled me back into reality.
“Here's your coffee,” he said and placed a mug of coffee in my hands. I could still smell the smoke from my dream as the study around me came back into focus. This had been my third lunch with my father, Gregory. I’d set a new record. Dearest Dad and I had never spent this much time together before.
He was staying at Pemberley Cottage, three doors down from Headmaster Hotchkiss’ manor. Gregory had demanded that Hotchkiss find him a cottage to live in while he was teaching this semester. Hotchkiss didn’t have any open cottages, but Gregory insisted and so had Leonora Trahern. I was sure it was a power move on their part. He finally relented and asked Professor Marily Dobbs of Herbology move in with Professor Lark Tremaine of the Healing Arts. The women did and I was still surprised they hadn’t complained. I also still couldn’t believe he would be here for the next three months.
I sipped the strong, harsh brew and let the smell of the coffee bring me fully out of my memory. Gregory looked as ferret-like as ever as he plopped down across from me in a large leather chair. He was five-foot-seven and the leather chair looked like it was about to engulf him.
“You’re very distracted today,” Gregory said.
I knew all his tells. The squint in his eyes gave him away every time. He was fishing for information.
“I'm concerned about what's happening on the Borderlands,” I said.
“It's disturbing how easily our defenses can fall,” Gregory admitted.
“What is the Magic Council doing about that?” I asked.
Gregory huffed and slurped up more coffee.
“Bringing more of you out there to fight the good fight,” he said.
Judging by his tone, he didn’t believe it was a good idea. “You don’t agree with your boss then?” I asked. That was the ultimate sin. Going against Leonora Trahern.
Gregory's face screwed up with a scowl. “Leonora is always right, of course. We do need more bodies out there. I don’t believe we stop the inflow of Fae magic into this world that “way,” he said.
That perked up my ears because I hadn't heard about Fae magic coming into this world. As far as anyone knew, the veil was locked in a spell that could never be broken. No portals could be opened to the Fae world without the veil. At least, that’s what the Magic Council had told us all these years.
No mage believed the Fae could come into our realm again. Because the spell is too strong. But is it failing now? Could that be why I have Fae magic coursing through me?
“I spoke to your brother Anand this morning. He’s thriving at Brandenburg Academy,” Gregory began.
I sat back and let the warmth of the mug seep into my hands as Gregory droned on about how well my brother was doing, what powerful friends he’d made, and the amazing leadership qualities he was already displaying.
Of course, I was doing none of those things. I was sure Gregory had already laid the groundwork for Anand
to take his place on the Magic Council when the time came. It definitely wasn’t going to be me, even though I was the older brother. I doubted I was even still in the family will.
Gregory never believed I was his and, to be frank, I understood why. My mother was petite, olive-skinned, with dark brown eyes and only five feet tall. Gregory also had dark hair and eyes, a scrunched-up face, and was maybe five-foot-seven. On a good day.
My brother Anand was the striking image of Gregory. I, on the other hand, was six-foot-four with golden skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. I never fit in with the Mathonwy family.
One Christmas, Gregory got pissed drunk and admitted he knew I wasn’t his son but would treat me like one anyway. Of course, he said that while in a jolly mood but never followed through.
“We need to talk about Sadie Bishop,” Gregory said.
He had a way of startling me out of my thoughts. There was no reason Sadie’s name should come up in our conversation. I’d successfully kept my distance from her, however much it pained me to do so.
My absence was hurting her. I felt it every time we saw each other, but I couldn’t allow Gregory to find out there was something between us. He would make it his mission to destroy it. I hoped I’d played the good son long enough to trick him into trusting me. Would he be so foolish as to give away the plan so easily? My father wasn’t known for his brilliant strategy.
Gregory was never sneaky. I could always count on him to tell me exactly what was on his mind.
“What about Sadie Bishop? I don't know her very well,” I lied.
“I saw you standing with her during the assembly. I fully endorse your being friends with Cole Trahern and Declan Longbane. They’re from the elite Magic Council families. I didn’t know about Cole, but I salute you in cracking that cold nut. I approve of Kelly Hotchkiss but Sadie Bishop? Why was she there?”
“She's new this year. She’s made friends with Kelly actually. I don't really know her besides that. She was there with Kelly. It was only an assembly, Dad,” I said working hard not to grit my teeth.
The man was so condescending and smug. Keep it together, Fergus. You are here for a purpose, I thought. My shoulders tensed and I had to focus on relaxing them. I didn’t want Gregory thinking he had something over me.
“Why are you so interested in Sadie Bishop anyway? I thought she was like a nobody scholarship student,” I said.
“She is a nobody. Stay as far away from her as possible. I can see that she’s an attractive girl, but she would ruin our good name,” Gregory said.
I suppressed an eyeroll. The family name was already squandered by what most everybody thought of Gregory Mathonwy. No one took my father seriously. He was Leonora Trahern’s sniveling lapdog. That was the extent of it.
“I don't understand how a nobody could ruin our good family name,” I said, pushing him further.
He set his cup down and cocked his head at me. “Well, why are you now so interested in Sadie Bishop all of a sudden?”
“Are you surprised? Out of this entire school, she's the one you're telling me to stay away from? That doesn't make her a nobody, that makes her important.”
“She's dangerous. The council is investigating the disappearance of one of your classmates,” he said.
“Alexis Schoenberg? I thought that girl ran away,” I said, hoping my look of confusion fooled him.
“Oh, I’m sure that's the gossip around the school, but we know she was attacked by somebody here. She’s in a safe location now as we investigate her story. We hope to bring the responsible party to justice soon,” Gregory said.
And there it was.
Good old dad couldn't keep his mouth shut. Ever.
“Alexis Schoenberg was hurt by someone here?” I asked. “I find that hard to believe. Alexis is so nice. Why would anyone attack her? I doubt Sadie Bishop was involved. She has no idea how to even use her magic. She’s not doing well in her classes from what I’ve heard,” I said.
“It worked fine in Battle Magic today. Apparently, she’s an enormously powerful strength mage. She threw Cole Trahern across the room with a flick of her finger,” Gregory said. “As soon as we uncover enough evidence, she’ll be formally arrested.”
My stomach suddenly churned with stress. They wanted to get Sadie in their clutches a legal way. If she was arrested, the Magic Council could do whatever they pleased with her. Who was going to fight for a powerful mage who’d used her magic on another mage?
“What kind of evidence are you looking for?” I asked. “Maybe I can help you with this. If she’s so dangerous, she doesn't belong in the school.”
If I stayed in the loop, I could find a way to hinder the investigation. It would mean a longer separation from Sadie but if it kept her safe, it would be worth it.
“I’d need to discuss that with Leonora. Our investigation is highly classified. Leonora, me, and now you are the only ones who know of its existence for now. So, keep your trap shut, or I’ll know it was you if anyone else finds out about this.”
It was as if he suddenly remembered I was the son not to be trusted. Had he put something stronger in his coffee? If this was such a secret, he should never have spoken about it to anyone, even me. Those loose lips could cost my father so much more than just the job of being Leonora’s lackey.
“Of course, I won’t say a word. I want to find a way to help you though,” I lied, a smile plastered on my face.
My heart thrashed in my chest as I sat as still as a sphinx, my body relaxed and my smile calm. I pretended to not have a care in the world as I played the part of the good son just looking to help dear old dad ingratiate himself with the Magic Council. At least, that was the effect I was going for.
As if I could give a shit what he or the Magic Council thought of me.
“Let me talk to Leonora first and then we’ll find something for you to do. Aidan has been so helpful in keeping us apprised of all the goings on here. He’s been invaluable as eyes and ears for us on the ground. I assumed Cole would be helping his mother, but Aidan is doing splendidly in that position.
“Why is Alexis Schoenberg so important to the Magic Council?” I asked.
“With all these things happening in the Borderlands and the Fae magic leaking through, we need the Protectors Academy to have mages who are fully approved by the Magic Council. We need to trust they will be on the right side of this. Someone like her could really put into question where loyalties lie.”
“Loyalties to the Magic Council?” I asked.
“Exactly. Only loyalists should be at the school and she's not one of us,” he said with a finality signaling the conversation was over.
I wasn’t going to get anything more out of him. In truth, I had gotten exactly what I wanted. At least now I wouldn't have to spend all my meals with him, hearing him talk about Anand.
My next goal was to ingratiate myself with Leonora Trahern. Whatever evidence they found I would make disappear. No one would be arresting Sadie. I would make sure of that.
The smell of smoke and the faint screams from my dream filtered back into my mind. Now if only I could figure out what these dreams were about.
They felt like prophecies and that worried me even more. Because it was one thing for the Magic Council to be coming after Sadie, it was another thing if there were mages in our midst ready to do the Magic Council’s darkest bidding, like killing Sadie Bishop at the winter trials.
6
Sadie
The blood red sky darkened as the storm clouds rolled in,
I sprinted forward, my labored breathing the only sound I could hear.
I burst out of the forest and sprinted towards the thin membrane of light.
I pushed through an unseen mass as a thousand whispers exploded all around me.
Something shook the veil violently.
Fear exploded in my chest. I was caught. I couldn’t get out.
I thrashed around trying to get to the other side.
I was too late.
&
nbsp; A crackling light blinded me.
A woman’s heart-wrenching screamed filled the void.
Then nothingness. A strange peace filled me as a gentle breeze pulled me forward.
A clearing came into view. White-trunked birch trees surrounded it. A large rock outcropping glinted in the sunlight.
My eyes flew open. My fingers clutched my comforter as I fearfully looked around my dorm room. The pain still throbbed in my chest and my throat was hoarse from screaming. I dragged myself out of my sweat-drenched covers with a groan. I needed a good night’s sleep and this awful dream wasn’t letting me have it.
I swallowed the last of my eggs and finished my lukewarm cup of coffee. Another lonely breakfast at Gallagher Hall.
I’d had a crappy last two weeks. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, really. Or rather, I blamed no one. It just was what it was. Kelly and Marcus Holloway were getting more serious every day and spent all their free time together.
Fergus was keeping his distance from me. I’d seen him earlier in the hall eating breakfast but hadn't bothered to go up and chat with him. Fergus was on a mission to make his father trust him, and I didn’t want to mess that up.
Declan told me Fergus had all but succeeded in that and was now actively spying for us and the resistance.
Fergus had already uncovered one reason behind the Magic Council’s decision to infiltrate Protectors. Gregory was secretly investigating what happened to Alexis Schoenberg. His main suspect was me, of course.
According to Fergus, the Magic Council had Alexis somewhere safe and were looking into her story of the attack. I was sure Alexis wasn’t telling them the whole story. She surely wasn’t mentioning that she’d spelled me, kidnapped me, and taken me away from the school grounds to do who knows what to me.
Somehow, Fergus would make sure Leonora and her minions wouldn’t implicate me, and the truth would eventually come out for what happened. I had no idea how he would accomplish that, but that was his plan. To say it was a nerve-wracking situation was a major understatement.