Hunt (Academy of Unpredictable Magic Book 5)

by Sadie Moss

  What?

  That makes my stomach heave. Roman, Dmitri, Cam, Asher—they’ve all graduated. I thought they were safe, that at least they’d be okay even if everything else goes to shit, but—if they’re going to round up all Unpredictables—

  “They can’t do that,” I burst out in fury. “Those people proved they can control their magic!”

  “The fear isn’t that they can’t control it,” Aurora says, her voice calm but sharp. “It’s that they can. People fear Unpredictables will choose to use their powers for evil, for disruption and destruction.”

  “Super,” I deadpan. “Is that why you called me in here? To tell me it’s going to be even worse for us than we feared?”

  “No,” Aurora says, with an edge in her voice that suggests she’s at the end of her patience. She looks over at Brodie again.

  The tall blond man twists the bottom of his plaid button-up shirt around in his hands. “So I’ve been doing research on Unpredictables for my division, because the Circuit needs to be prepared and needs to know where the Unpredictables are. And I was hoping that by tracking down more Unpredictables who’ve graduated and gone back out into the world, we could prove that most of us are really good people, not any worse than any other kind of magic user. I mean, we’re all human, but we’re not predisposed to be these angry, anarchistic…”

  “The point, please, Brodie,” Aurora interrupts, sounding tired.

  “Ah, right, yes. Well, so I’m doing my research, and I start to notice that I can’t really find a lot of Unpredictables. I mean, I know we’re in the minority anyway, there aren’t a lot of us to start out with—but, I mean, there really, really aren’t many of us around that I can find.”

  Brodie has this sort of energetic nerd vibe, as if his brain is constantly firing on all cylinders, and his poor mouth just has to try to keep up. I do my best to keep up too, leaning forward as if that’ll help me catch all the words streaming out of his mouth in a torrent.

  Because if I’m hearing right, what he’s saying is bad. Really bad.

  “It’s like after graduating from Griffin, Unpredictables have started vanishing,” he continues without pausing for breath. “So I start looking up names, and wouldn’t you know, I found a lot of ’em… in the obituary sections of papers. By my calculations—and it’s not one hundred percent accurate, it’s just me doing my best math on my own—but from what I can make out, the statistics are pretty grim. Out of all registered Unpredictables who graduated and passed their tests, seventy-eight percent of them have died or just disappeared off the face of the map since they got their diploma.”

  That makes a shiver run down my spine like a mouse with cold feet. “You… but… that’s a huge number. That’s more than three quarters of us.”

  Brodie nods. “Yeah, it’s pretty concerning that it’s so many of us, and it’s the ‘disappeared’ bit that really gets me. As for the deaths, a lot of times I couldn’t find a reason, but a good portion of ’em seemed to be accidents—and if you ask me, a bunch of people in a particular group dying from a series of accidents? That sounds like the plot to a murder mystery film.”

  “This went unnoticed for years,” Aurora says crisply, “because so many Unpredictables fade into obscurity anyway. Many are disowned by their families, they take up new names, move across the country, or to a new country altogether. Many want to retain their magic but will go somewhere else so they can pose as a normal magic user, or stay outside of most magical society altogether. Tracking down Unpredictables with newly sparked magic has always been the Circuit’s main priority, so monitoring them after graduation was simply not something our administration put much effort into. Why waste the resources? We assumed it was because they had drawn the short stick and were dealing with it as best they could.”

  “But now you’re telling me… it looks like someone’s been targeting us.” I speak slowly, feeling out the words even as I say them. “For years. And not one person investigating any of these deaths thought they were suspicious?”

  “Even if they did,” Aurora counters, “if you’re an officer investigating someone’s death, do you look for a country-wide conspiracy against them, or are you going to look for the jealous business partner, the spurned wife, the abused son? You’re going to look close to home if you suspect a murder; you’re not going to immediately jump to conspiracy theories.”

  “It only becomes obvious when you look at Unpredictables as a whole group and take the statistics into account,” Brodie puts in. “It wasn’t until I had a long list of dead or missing Unpredictables staring me in the face that I started to see, you know, that there was something wrong here.”

  “What do you want me to do about it?” I shake my head, blinking at the two of them as horror numbs my body. “What am I supposed to do with this knowledge?”

  Aurora holds in a sigh—I can tell by the way her chest goes still. When she speaks, her tone is careful. “I just want you to be aware. This situation is… nebulous and more dangerous than any of us knew, and we’re all just trying to stay ahead of the curve here. I want you to know this because nobody else is going to tell you. And because whether you like it or not, and you obviously don’t, Miss Sinclair, you are the person around whom everyone else seems to be rallying. So forgive me for wanting you to understand that our hands are rapidly being tied, and that we’re starting to realize there could be something else very sinister at play here.”

  “More sinister than a whackjob trying to kill us off for two years?” I shoot back.

  The blonde woman fixes me with a stern look. “I’d try not to be so flippant, if I were you. The Circuit is still deciding what to do with Unpredictables. There’s a ticking clock over all of our heads, not just yours, and if we don’t get the school reopened soon, the Circuit will have to act. I believe that action will be to take your magic. All of you.”

  That shuts me up. Stops me dead in my tracks. Sucks the air from my lungs.

  Well, shit.

  Chapter 10

  Okay. So, someone clearly has to do something.

  And… I think we all know where this is headed.

  If I knew someone else who could speak up, I’d ask them to do it… but who is there? Erin’s taking care of Tandy, Kendal’s too timid, Gwen’s younger than I am—and I barely know her—Tom wouldn’t know how to be articulate if a dictionary hit him in the face, and Roman and Hardwick are clearly already doing all they can.

  Maybe I could ask Tamlin, since she’s so put together…

  But that would mean I’d have to tell her what I just heard from Aurora and Brodie. And even though Aurora didn’t openly command me to keep it a secret, I can read between the lines. This isn’t the sort of thing I should blab about indiscriminately.

  She decided to reveal this secret to me for some reason, either as a sign of trust or because she wants me to do something with the information. But the worst possible thing I could do with it is stir up more panic and anger by telling everyone that apparently our kind have been dying off post-graduation and nobody cared enough to figure that out until now.

  I’m not just going to sit on that knowledge, though.

  If you ask me, I think it’s our favorite Unpredictable-hating nutjob who’s been making the Unpredictables disappear. If this has been happening for years, and the attacks on the school only started two years ago, that means he probably decided to up his game and just go straight to the source, attacking the very school where Unpredictables train.

  This all feels like a long con. Prejudice against an entire group of people doesn’t come out of nowhere. It takes time to build—time to twist people’s minds into hatred and suspicion.

  Maybe… if he started all this, maybe ending him will end this bullshit too. I know the anti-Unpredictable movement has grown beyond just one person now. But if you cut off the head of the snake, get rid of the leader, then the rest of it flounders. People won’t know what to do.

  At the very least, we won’t have this guy or
his minions attacking the school anymore, right?

  We’re allowed one phone call a day, and I use mine to call Maddy. She’s apparently already heard from the guys—they uploaded the video, just like I’d hoped.

  “The world is going nuts,” Maddy tells me. “We’re holding a protest. Justin’s leading it, and we’re doing it as a sit-in, taking over the dining hall. Are you okay?”

  “I’m all right. I’m holding up okay. Some others aren’t.” Glancing around to make sure none of the Circuit officers are within earshot, I lower my voice. “Hey, tell the guys—I’m not sure they’re going to be safe much longer, either. I want you to tell them to be on their guard. Can you do that for me?”

  There’s a long pause before she answers, and I can practically feel her unspoken fears beating at my eardrums.

  “I will. But, Ellie… you have to stay safe.”

  “Of course, Mads. Always. Someone has to look after your sorry butt, right?”

  She laughs and sniffles at the same time, and I promise her I love her and that I’ll take care of myself. She promises the same, and even though I’m pretty sure we’re both lying a little, it helps.

  When my phone call is finished, it’s only a couple doors down from the administration rooms.

  Which was exactly what I planned.

  The Circuit officers who are arranging these phone calls are busy at the moment dealing with a second-year named Chad. The guy is being a spoiled brat about his phone call—as if we couldn’t all get this privilege taken away if he doesn’t keep his shit together—and I take the chance.

  I make a break for it.

  One of the officers lets out a yell as he notices that I’m booking it down the hallway, but I reach the door to the administration area before he can stop me, shouldering it open.

  There are a few cubicles, and then a large meeting room a little farther on. I can hear voices coming from inside that room.

  Balling my hands into fists, I march toward the door, pausing only briefly when I reach it. I’m about to knock, but then I stop.

  You know what, to hell with niceties.

  Lifting a foot, I kick the door open.

  Hardwick and about a half-dozen Circuit officers gape at me while Roman smirks as if to say yeah, that’s my girl.

  “I demand a meeting with the Circuit representatives.” My voice is firm and strong even though my nerves are jangling. “As the student representative.”

  Everyone stares at me. “Are you… serious, young lady?” one of the officers finally asks.

  I stride forward. “Yeah. I am. My name is Elliot Sinclair. I’m a third-year student at Griffin, and I know you all probably saw me in the Trials livestreams representing the school. I’ve helped repel the attacks on our school four times now, every single time this person—the same person—tried to come after us.”

  The room is quiet. No one except Roman appears to be at all pleased that I’m here, but they haven’t kicked me out yet. Before they can decide to do just that, I forge ahead.

  “You clearly have no idea what to do with us, do you? If you really wanted to get rid of our powers, you would be lining us up right now for the magic wipe. If you wanted to keep us in school, you wouldn’t have shut Griffin down. But we’re here instead, and you’re in limbo just as much as we are, I’m betting.”

  A few people shift uncomfortably in their seats.

  Yup. My guess was dead on. All the attacks on Griffin have put a spotlight on Unpredictables, and the Circuit probably felt forced to take action. But now they’re stuck dealing with the consequences of that action, and there’s no easy answer.

  “Thought so.” I take another step forward, meeting the gazes of everyone at the table. “So while you’re waiting around and pulling your hair trying to sort out this mess, why don’t you let me go after this guy? He’s been a thorn in your side just as much as he’s been a threat to us, taking power from you, stirring up trouble, and turning two factions of our society against each other. He’s been the mastermind behind four terrorist attacks now—and don’t give me that look, that’s exactly what they are.”

  I see a few Circuit officers nod, the movements small. Maybe some of them have been privately thinking what I just said aloud.

  “Miss Sinclair is an admirable student and person,” Dean Hardwick says, surprising me by speaking up. “And she’s right. She’s been instrumental in stopping the attacks each time. If anyone has a chance of finding this man, it’s her.”

  Yes! Thank you, Hardwick.

  “You want this guy out of your way just as much as we do,” I point out. “If you let me try to find him and stop him, then it’s one of your big problems out of the way without you having to lift a finger—and if I fail, then it’s no skin off your back. On the other hand, if I defeat this guy, you’ve got a good rallying point to say that Unpredictables aren’t so bad, and you can re-open the school. If I don’t, then you can go back to your decision-making and nobody will be the wiser about what happened.

  “Without this guy on our backs, the school could re-open. I know you know he’s the one behind all of this. He’s the reason the anti-Unpredictable movement has grown so strong. He’s the reason for all the chaos on campus.” I put my hands on my hips. “If I can stop him, the chaos and the attacks will stop. You’ll be able to justify re-opening the school, and you won’t have to face the backlash that would come if you tried to wipe all of our magic.”

  “I agree with her,” Hardwick says, once again sticking up for me. I’m a little shocked he’s being so vocal about this, but maybe I shouldn’t be. When I first met Hardwick, I thought he was some pale, boring suit without a personality.

  But he’s really fought hard for all of us this whole time. I think maybe I should start giving him a lot more credit for that.

  “I can also vouch for her,” Roman adds. His tone is businesslike, and I know that right now, we have to pretend we’re no more than teacher and student. “You know how much scrutiny I was under in my younger years. None of you trusted that I could handle my powers, and I like to think I proved you all wrong. I hope that my word now means something when I tell you this is an offer we should take her up on. Elliot’s been the one to face this man down on multiple occasions, and she’s defeated him every time. That’s not something to dismiss lightly.”

  The officials at the table all hesitate, glancing around. It’s as if they’re looking to one another to see who will speak first, because none of them are sure what to say—and no one wants to be the one to give a wrong answer.

  Jesus, I’m surrounded by incompetents.

  “I did just kick your door down,” I add dryly. “Clearly, I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

  “Diplomacy is something she could work on,” Hardwick concedes, and I see Roman stifle a grin, “but I hardly think diplomacy is what’s going to be needed in dealing with this individual.”

  “We’ll discuss this,” the officer at the head of the table says. “If you three will please give us a moment.”

  Hardwick grabs Roman and me each by our elbows and starts leading us out, clearly thinking that if he doesn’t physically make us, we won’t be going anywhere.

  And, well, I mean, he’s not entirely wrong.

  Once we’re outside, the dean heaves a sigh, pursing his lips as he meets my gaze. “You couldn’t have been a little more humble and deferential?”

  “She’s got every right to be blunt,” Roman points out. “And now she’s shown them she’s the kind of person who doesn’t take shit, and that’s what they need to see if they’re going to believe she can take down this asshole.”

  “Who we still don’t have a name or identity for.” Hardwick runs a hand down his face before turning back to me. “Do you really want to be starting from scratch like this?”

  I swallow. No, I don’t. But…

  “I don’t see what other choice I have,” I tell him honestly. “Someone has to do something. They’re going to take away our magic; I ju
st know it. Maybe they don’t even know they’re going to do that yet, maybe they think they’re still deciding, but I know which way the tide is turning, and I bet you do too. I’m not going to stand for it.”

  Both men’s faces harden, worry glinting in their eyes. I’m not wrong about this, and they know it.

  A humorless chuckle falls from my lips. “What else do you want me to do? Lead a protest? People are already doing that. Beg and plead and ask nicely and hope that they listen?” I shake my head. “I’m going to go for the cause of all the trouble, and that’s this guy.”

  Hardwick sighs. “Well, you do seem to be our best hope for taking him down. Whoever he might be.”

  Before I can respond to that, the door to the meeting room opens, and one of the officers sticks her head back out.

  “If you three could please come back in,” she says, her tone betraying nothing.

  My heart hammers in my throat as I follow the officer inside. Roman and Hardwick are right behind me. If they’re nervous, they’re doing a good job of not showing it. I hope I look even half as composed as they do.

  “After some deliberation,” a broad-shouldered officer says, “we’ve decided that we will allow you to try to track down and defeat the source of this problem once and for all.”

  Holy shit. Really? I was honestly expecting to be told “no”. I was already formulating my next round of arguments and counter-arguments to try to force the issue.

  “But,” the officer continues, “we can’t allow this situation to continue as it is forever. We have to make a decision about all of the Unpredictables being held here, one way or another. We can’t hold them indefinitely, nor can we allow them back out into society without the proper training.” He presses his lips together. “And so we’re giving you one week. If you can find this person and eliminate him in that time, then we can allow the school to be re-opened, and nobody will have their magic taken from them.”