by Lucia Ashta
“But they won’t be able to hold out for long,” Mordecai said, lips pressed into a tight line. “The situation is escalating more quickly than any of us would like.”
“This is what your secret meetings have been about?” I asked. “The one I showed up at with Sadie there?”
Sir Lancelot nodded somberly. “Yes. The Enforcers of course are prepared to battle alongside us, but as we’re all painfully aware, their numbers are quite low after Rage decimated the vast majority of them in their sleep.”
“No honor,” Albacus fumed, nostrils flared.
Mordecai clenched the fingers wrapped around the pocket of his robes.
“Fury seemed to want to help me,” I told them.
“Yes, he’s on our side now.”
I narrowed my eyes at the owl. Just last term he’d been telling us how peace was at last arriving, and how talks of a long-lasting peace were underway.
“He is,” he told me as if he read my mind. “Laredo too. They’ve proven their loyalty.”
“How?”
“With information—”
“That isn’t ours to share quite yet,” Albacus interjected. “We have many more findings to reach before we can be certain of our conclusions.”
“He’s right,” Mordecai said, chuckling at a private joke I wasn’t following. He clapped his brother on the back, his hand half swiping through Albacus’ shoulder. “We have to look into the determinator, the pendant, the power structure of the Voice…”
He rubbed at his beard until Albacus did the same thing, saying, “And we have to follow up on rumors of Clara.”
“Clara?” Sir Lancelot asked on a gasp. “Wh-what of her? Is she … alive after all?”
The brothers’ mouths beamed an eager smile.
“Perhaps,” Mordecai said. “Perhaps after all this time, we’ll discover her alive. Wouldn’t that be something?”
Clearly I was out of the loop, because the two wizards and Sir Lancelot had grown misty-eyed.
“And where Clara goes, Marcelo is sure to follow,” Albacus added.
“Along with their kin.” Sir Lancelot’s words were a breathy hope he appeared barely willing to voice.
“Who is Clara? And Marcelo?” Adalia finally asked. I wanted to high five her. I was dizzy with all the questions burning the tip of my tongue.
“Clara and Marcelo are two of our most formidable students,” Mordecai said. “They disappeared during a battle decades ago. After searching endlessly, we presumed them dead.”
Presumed dead seemed to be a theme here.
“Will finding them help Jas?” Ky asked. “And Selene?”
“There is little that couple isn’t capable of achieving when they set their mind to a problem,” Albacus added, suddenly jovial. “And if their kin turned out anything like them, then yes, they could very much help. Either way, we must find them.”
“I understand, but if they aren’t going to keep me and Selene alive, could you put that on hold for a bit until you figure out how to get this pendant off me?”
Swiping my hand from Ky’s, I tugged on it again. The silver chain stretched indefinitely, refusing to snap. I let the necklace drop with a loud exhale.
Mordecai smiled at me, but his thoughts seemed to be far away. “Marcelo is like a son to us, and his wife Clara has also become quite dear. We cannot abandon them now that we’ve heard news of them.”
I opened my mouth to protest, as did Ky, Adalia, and Roberta.
“But,” he continued, bringing his attention back to the here and now, “I promise we will not abandon you in our desire to find them.”
“They’ve survived decades without our help,” Albacus said, before the hope dropped from his face. “Assuming the rumors are true and they’ve survived at all.”
Mordecai patted him on the back, his hand not going as far through his brother’s shoulder this time, though I suspected it was at least partly because Mordecai had held back. “This is more than we’ve had to go on than before, and that’s something to hold on to.”
“Right you are, brother.” Albacus chuckled, and Mordecai joined in on whatever private joke they shared.
The brothers nodded their heads at precisely the same time, making them seem more like twins than just siblings.
But before they could hover away, Roberta whirled on them. “Now, I hear ya sayin’ that you’re gonna prior’tize my girl here, but I wanna make sure ya will.”
“Roberta,” Fianna hissed, “you’re an employee of the academy. You can’t talk to them that way.”
“I can do whatever I bloody well want ta—and I will. I don’t mess around when my bestie’s well-being’s at risk. And that other girl over there in the dark seems real nice too. I ain’t raised a horde of young’uns only ta have ta answer to someone else.”
The rabbit pinned Fianna in her glare until the fairy relented, suddenly extremely interested in the state of her teeny manicure—crimson red to match her hair and clothes.
“That’s what I thought.” Roberta was apparently as wild and crazy as I believed her to be. Though the fairy was hummingbird sized, she was plenty fierce.
Roberta whipped back around to face the wizards, who’d continued slinking toward the door. Even the bunny’s flopped-over ear somehow seemed menacing when her dark, pupil-less eyes narrowed to slits. She dragged her sharp, needle-tipped teeth over her bottom lip.
The room held its breath.
“No more wastin’ time, ya hear me? No more goin’ ‘bout things the long n’ hard way. No more waitin’ on dragons ta get back ta the school when a car coulda done just as well.”
“Wait.” I scooted up in bed to place my head higher on the pillow. “Are you telling me I didn’t make the whole dragon thing up? I actually rode a dragon?”
Dragons were beasts of legend. Even within the magical community, they were little more than rumor. I hadn’t believed they existed … until I enrolled at the academy and two majestic dragons entered the mountain so their riders could deliver urgent news.
Now I’d ridden one … and missed the whole damn experience?
“It was so cool, roomie.” Adalia’s voice was breathy with awe. “I’ll tell you all about it, you know, later.”
We studied the wizards, who appeared oddly sheepish.
“We totally forgot about the option of using automobiles,” Albacus said, a light pink flush coloring his cheeks. “We’re so used to using dragons.”
Mordecai nodded fervently. “It’s a hard habit to break. They’re just so magnificent.”
“And brutish.” Sir Lancelot grimaced as if the thought of dragons brought him real pain.
“We’ll endeavor to use more modern solutions in the future,” Mordecai solemnly announced to Roberta.
“All in the name of the advancement of magic,” Albacus added.
“And saving Jas’ life and Selene’s,” Ky commented in a steady, firm voice.
“Why, of course!” Albacus exclaimed with a sweep of his hands, his sleeves gaping open around them. “Don’t you worry, children, we’re on it. Between Sir Lancelot’s memory, our own, our skill with magic, and anything this Professor Hapblomb might contribute…”
“And don’t forget her guinea pig,” Mordecai interjected, and I forcibly swallowed a groan, rolling my eyes.
“Of course, the guinea pig, and my brother’s runes, we’ll get you and the sirangel sorted out.”
“And if we run into a nice bit of luck, we’ll also find Clara and Marcelo.”
The brothers sighed in tandem and I was suddenly ready for them, the headmaster, and his fairy assistants to leave so I could ask my friends—and boyfriend—the real questions.
“Are the dragons going to help us take down the Voice?” Adalia asked.
“Ooh, good question,” I blurted, realizing I’d spoken aloud. Oops.
Ky patted my shoulder and Why wagged his white, fluffy pom-pom in front of my face.
The wizards turned somber expressions on the lot of us. �
��As you must know,” Albacus said, “the dragons have relegated themselves to the shadows for many centuries. They don’t want to join the fight, but they and their riders understand that in order for us to win this war, they might very well have to.”
The wizards, the headmaster, and the fairies muttered get betters and farewells on the way out, but I barely heard them.
All I could think about was that the supernatural community was at war. And somehow I’d landed myself smack dab in the middle of it.
Even if they hadn’t said it yet, I had no doubt the new leader of the Shifter Alliance rebels would try to steal my pendant. Greedy motherfuckers always wanted what wasn’t theirs, and what would allow them to take from others.
From what the blond asshole would have seen, the pendant would have fit that bill.
Precisely.
The Voice would come after my pendant.
And I couldn’t take the damn thing off.
Shit.
28
The days spent in the healing wing under Melinda’s attentive ministrations passed with agonizing slowness. I could have grown a whole new leg in the time it was taking my injured right leg to heal. Hell, I could’ve grown two.
Even so, the end of term finally dragged its way along and deigned to arrive.
I was the only one not celebrating. The festivities on the quad in the middle of the campus buildings were loud, and I could tell my friends were trying very hard not to appear pleased that classes were over. Dave craned his neck to get a peek through to the quad from where we were, partially concealed in a pocket of forest behind the healing wing.
I’d twisted Melinda’s furry arm until she’d agreed to let me out for some fresh air. I couldn’t take another moment of lying in bed inside; I didn’t care that this was the last day of school. I couldn’t stand the suffocating walls of the healing room, draped in pleasant colors meant to soothe and promote healing.
My friends’ visits were constant, as were their curious and concerned glances. Their intentions were great, but I felt like flicking every thoughtful gaze from their friendly faces. Shit was in the process of hitting the fan, and I was swirling around in the middle of the shit stew like I was stuck in a whirlpool, sucking me in ever deeper.
The moment Nancy, the staff witch, floated my bed outside, I felt like I could breathe again. I experimented with a smile. “You’re allowed to feel relieved, you know. Just because I’ve had the shittiest luck in history lately doesn’t mean you all should suffer.”
“We’re here because we want to be here with you,” Rina said. “You’re not making us. The ride’s been rough for all of us since we started at the academy. But through it all, we’re in it together.”
“That’s right, roomie!” Adalia exclaimed at me, far too fucking cheery.
“Okay, then distract me from thinking of what’s to come,” I challenged.
Wren chuckled. “You act like your parents are the boogie monster.”
“The boogie monster?” Dave arched his brow and then leaned in to rub his nose across hers.
They were so cute together it made my stomach churn. Another thing that made my stomach churn was the thought that I finally had Ky and I hadn’t managed to squirrel away any alone time with him, only a half hour here and there. Entirely too many clothes had remained on during said visits, and they hadn’t been private to begin with since Selene had her bed across the healing wing.
I longed to run my hands all over him.
Just as soon as I felt better…
Why seemed to notice the wave of exhaustion that swept over me and nudged my hand with his horn. As his horn swept downward, he poked a hole right through the sheet.
I didn’t even bother suggesting he not do it anymore. We had it nailed down to a routine.
Why wouldn’t leave my side except for swift visits to the bathroom. Otherwise, he remained with me. Which meant lots of holes in my bedding.
When Melinda stripped my bed of sheets, she handed them directly off to Nancy, who magicked them before they were sent on to wash. I presumed the laundry was done via magic as well, as my sheets appeared on my bed in an effortless flash, and sparkling butter-cream tinkles lingered on them for a few seconds before disappearing entirely, leaving behind the aroma of lilies and crisp spring days.
“Are you okay?” Ky asked as he tracked Why’s attention.
“Yeah, just tired and weak feeling. As usual.” Shit, did it suck to have to admit to it, but it was the truth. Since my friends had brought me here after I’d landed in the middle of Blondie’s secret, crazy cavern, my life force had continued draining. The wizards theorized that my magic was going toward healing my leg, which meant I lacked the buffer between my magic and my life force.
The pendant was draining my energy directly to fuel itself—eating me.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
Selene was faring no better. I could tell from the despondent tilt of Quinn’s shoulders when he passed my bed multiple times a day. I knew it from the way Liana’s bright smile lacked shine, and how Brogan constantly worried over her.
They didn’t need to say it in words. Selene was dying.
As was I.
Leo draped an arm around Rina, pulling her close. Dave continued doing that gross nose-nuzzling with Wren, and Adalia and Boone stood closer than friendship warranted, though they weren’t open with their affection, so much so that I wasn’t sure they were even together, and I’d been too tired to care one way or the other.
Ky stood at the head of the bed—his usual spot—rubbing my shoulder in soothing circles—his usual activity. He looked worried to touch me for fear I’d break.
I sucked in a heavy inhale and forced myself to erase the lines of discomfort from my face. “So,” I said, more upbeat than I liked to be on a good day, “any gossip to pass the time before the mother monster arrives?”
“Your mom is not a monster!” Wren laughed and slapped at my thigh—my healed one, thank goodness. “She’s sweet and cares about you.”
Her green eyes grew so wide that I could make out the flecks of every shade of forest in them. “OhmygodJas, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t thinking.”
I shifted, swallowing the wince of phantom pain that invariably followed. Melinda had stopped dosing me with venom from the twelve-legged twisted spider a week ago; she didn’t want me to become dependent on the pain relief. “It’s okay. You didn’t hurt me.”
When Wren looked as if she planned to torment herself over it anyway, I added, “I promise you didn’t. No one should have to think about an injury for so damn long. You all treat me like I’m as fragile and elusive as the Bitchy Bunch’s virginity.”
“Jas,” Wren scolded around a comical grimace. My friend was conflicted between being horrified by what she did and horrified by what I said.
Might as well keep pushing…
“Speaking of the Bitchy Bunch, are they still at it?”
“At … it?” Ky asked, doing a remarkable job at hiding his smirk.
Ky, Leo, and Boone were usually quick to stand up for Stacy, Tracy, and Swan, saying they were nothing more than classmates who were just friendly with them. For a long while, I’d believed the guys denser than a pile of rocks—until I really started paying attention. The girls with their sights on our guys had honed their craft to an art form. The guys missed most of the nasty comments the bunch muttered under their breaths, and almost all of the bitchy glares and sneers that had earned them my fabulously point-on nickname for them.
But when I’d told them to go fuck themselves, and they … had, the guys had strained not to delight in Stacy, Tracy, and Swan’s mortification.
Or so I’m told. I saw too little of said mortification, which was a flaming shame. Of everyone at this school, I most deserved to witness the extent of their humiliation. Maybe Rina did too, as Stacy ran her hands along Leo as much as Tracy tried to sidle up on Ky. Adalia didn’t seem to mind what Swan did to Boone one way or the other. Damn annoying
cheery fairy and her ability to take everything in stride.
“Yeah,” I elaborated, “did they keep going at it? You know, up their skirts?” I tried not to grin, I really did—no, I’m lying. I totally didn’t. I had to get my jollies somewhere.
“No, that was it,” Rina said, looking as bummed about it as I was. “I finally cornered Marcy June to ask her about it and she says it stopped on its own. She thinks the spell just wore itself out.”
“But Professor Whittle is still as fun as a block party,” Dave said, a grin splitting his face plum in half.
“Yeah, I asked her about that too,” Rina continued. “Marcy June thinks it’s because when Jas told the Gropey Gaggle to, you know, it was a onetime action. Whereas with Professor Whittle, she kept it general.”
“He simply had to become fun, and that has no end to it.” Dave nodded. “I see. That makes sense, I guess. I’m certainly not about to complain. I’ve been seriously loving Advanced Creature History lately.” His gaze cast toward me in a quick sweep before he aimed it downward. “Sorry, Jas. I know it’s gotta suck for you.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I’m not gonna lie. It sucks a big, meaty one.”
Wren gasped, but Adalia shook her head at her. “She does it for shock value. Don’t react and she won’t say such crass things.”
“I do not,” I protested, though of course Adalia was right. Shocking Wren was half the day’s entertainment. Adalia stared at me, deadpan, seemingly defying me somehow. I still hadn’t gotten the bead on her…
Finally, I disengaged from the staredown since I didn’t have enough oomph in me to beat anyone at anything. “So Marcy June’s cool with leaving Professor Whittle the way he is?”
Rina smiled so big she showed teeth. “She says it’s an improvement, but made me promise not to tell anyone. I think she let it slip before she could catch herself.”
I nodded in approval. “A woman after my own heart. Hey, so, uh, about Roberta, have any of you seen her lately? I haven’t seen her all day.”
“I saw her headed toward the gate,” Boone said. “She must be supervising as everyone starts to leave for break. Do you want me to go get her?”