A Curse of Flames (Fae Academy Book 2)

by Sophia Shade

  “Okay,” Ella says gently. “What do you think we should do?”

  An exasperated breath leaves me, and I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

  Ella and Dannika exchange a glance.

  I roll my eyes, then shove my book into my bag. “Okay, fine. We can talk to Erick.”

  Class isn’t officially over yet, but other students are also picking up their books and heading out. Professor Evanthia doesn’t stop them. She just sits there with a worried expression. Ella, Dannika, and I leave out, too.

  “I think I’ll go find Erick,” Ella says, turning to us as we follow her into the hall. “Find out when he wants to meet with everyone.” She glances at her watch and adds, “It’s his free period, so he’s probably in the library.”

  I hadn’t pegged Erick to be the bookish type, so I’m a surprised to learn it’s how he spends his free time. It also makes me realize I don’t really know him all that well. I can’t let myself feel jealous again about Ella knowing him better than me, though. Erick’s not my boyfriend. He’s not even my friend.

  I shouldn’t even be thinking any of this, because Caleb is my boyfriend. Erick shouldn’t be on my mind at all.

  “I have to make a locker-room run,” Dannika says. “I left my book for my next class there.”

  I shift my backpack on my shoulder. “That’s fine. I’m going to stop by the cafeteria for a bite to eat. I haven’t eaten anything today.”

  “We’ll all meet up for Fae History?” Ella asks.

  Dannika and I nod.

  “Okay. See you both later.”

  “Later,” Dannika says, glancing at me as if for confirmation I’ll be okay if she leaves me alone.

  “I’m fine,” I say. “Just hungry. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  After an uneasy smile, she heads out.

  I peek in the classroom before heading out. Professor Evanthia is still at her desk. When she looks up, I give her a small smile and wave before starting down the hall. But as I take my first step, I stumble. Suddenly, I’m falling…

  A bright light nearly blinds me, and I hear screaming. There’s blood, and I see someone’s arm on the ground, but my vision is too zoomed in to see whose arm it is. A charm bracelet lays slack against the wrist. This time, the charm is much clearer—it’s the symbol for the Moon Festival. A crescent moon with intricate swirling designs inside it. From the very top tip of the crescent, a citrine gemstone dangles, filling the moon’s crescent, creating a perfect circle. Thunder booms, and a strong wind knocks me off my feet. I fall to the ground.

  My eyes shoot open. I’m on my knees, gasping for breath. A hand drops onto my shoulder.

  “Imogen,” Professor Evanthia says, sounding desperate. “Are you all right?”

  The fear in her eyes when I glance up shocks me back to my senses. For some reason, she’s terrified.

  “I’m fine,” I say, not wanting to worry her further. “I just tripped. I’m such a klutz!” I reach for my bag, scooping up the books and papers that have spilled out. I’m so grateful I left the notes about the professors in my room.

  “Are you sure?” she asks. She helps me collect myself and get to my feet.

  “Yeah, totally,” I say. “I just need to find a bathroom.”

  “It’s right down the hall,” she says, pointing to where I already know it is.

  I nod and walk toward it, willing my heart to slow and my hands to stop shaking.

  Once in the bathroom, I rush over to the sink. I’m going to be sick. Why would I have the vision again? Now? Here? And so much more detailed than before? It has to be a message. I need to find out who the girl wearing the bracelet is. She must be in danger. I have to help her.

  “Ah-hem?” Someone clears their throat behind me.

  I turn around to see Ferria.

  Why does the universe hate me?

  “Excuse me,” she says.

  I realize I’m blocking both sinks. Ferria’s squad stands behind her, eyes pointed at me like daggers.

  “Oh, sorry,” I say, moving out of the way. Once inside one of the stalls, I lock the door.

  “That girl is straight mental,” one of Ferria’s friends says. The sound of running water doesn’t hide her disgusted tone.

  If they only knew the half of it.

  I wait until the water stops running and the bathroom door open and shut, then I come out of the stall and stand in front of the sink again. I’m glad they’re gone. I don’t feel sick anymore, but I do feel hot, anxious, and nervous. After twisting the knob to turn the sink water on, I splash my face and neck.

  As I try to calm down, I stare at my reflection, but the mirror starts to move. No, ripple. Like someone dropped a pebble in the middle of a still pond. Freaked out, I take a step back, but then someone appears in the mirror. I lean forward for a better look.

  It’s Erick.

  Oh my God. Why am I hallucinating about Erick?

  But then I realize it’s not a hallucination. It’s a vision. I’m having another one, and this time it is about Erick. It’s night, and he’s slipping out of his dorm. He’s looking around, as if trying to make sure no one sees him. He crosses the quad, past the tree I burned down last year. He heads into the woods. There’s someone waiting for him. A woman. She turns, and her face is clear. It’s Professor Crowsfly!

  I gasp, and the vision disappears.

  What. The. Hell?

  Last night, Erick met with Professor Crowsfly before she was killed. Why? Did he… Did Erick kill her? No. No, no, no. There’s no way. And I don’t need to jump to conclusions. It was night—but that doesn’t mean it was last night. I can’t stand the guy sometimes, but there’s no way he’s guilty of murder.

  But what about my vision? The two must be related. Why else would I have the two so close together?

  Was the bloody arm Professor Crowsfly’s, or someone else’s? And even if I don’t want to think Erick is a murderer…what if he is?

  Shit. Ella’s on her way to talk to Erick right now. What if the arm in my vision is hers?

  Chapter 7

  Rushing out of the bathroom, I start to run all the way to the library. When I throw the doors open and rush inside, panting, Ms. Hara shushes me harshly from behind her desk.

  I look left and right, up and down, for any sign of Ella before giving up and hurrying to Ms. Hara. “Have you seen Ella and Erick?”

  “Yes,” she says. “I think they are in a study room on the third floor.”

  “Thanks,” I yell as I bound up the stairs two at a time.

  “Quietly, please,” she whisper-yells at me.

  “Sorry,” I yell-whisper back.

  By the time I get to the third floor, my heart is beating so hard I think it’s going to explode. I need to work out more.

  My side is cramping from exertion, but I press my hand to it and continue to sprint around the third floor, throwing open the door to room after room. Most of them just have other students inside studying alone or in small groups. I open one on a couple of students who are making out. Grimacing, I offer quick apologies and slam the door shut.

  Finally, I open the fifth door, and there are Ella and Erick.

  “Imogen,” they both exclaim when they see me.

  Ella stands and comes over to me, her eyes wide. “What’s going on?”

  Erick’s a few steps behind her. “Are you okay?”

  I can’t talk. Too out of breath. Grasping Ella’s wrist, I nearly faint when I see she’s wearing a bracelet like in my vision. It is her!

  I pull her toward the door, but she yanks free and plants her feet. “Imogen,” she says sharply. “What the hell is going on?”

  I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ella sound annoyed before now. She’s the epitome of calm. I always assumed it was an earth Fae thing. Like maybe all earth Fae were as grounded. Clearly, though, my erratic behavior is pushing some people past their limits.

  “Can’t talk,” I gasp. “We have to get out of here. Your bracelet…”

&nbs
p; “My bracelet?” she asks, holding up her wrist. “Yeah, they were handing them out in the quad. I just got mine. Here, I got one for you, too.”

  She takes my hand, turns my hand up, and places the bracelet in my palm. The one she is wearing and this one are identical. Erick raises his arm to scratch his cheek, and he’s wearing one, too.

  Oh, for the love of Pete!

  The blood rushes from my legs to my head as my body starts to calm down.

  “I…I need to sit,” I say.

  Erick holds out a chair for me. “Please,” he says. “And tell us what’s going on. You’re scaring me.”

  I wave him off as I plop down. “Nothing,” I say, rubbing my forehead. “It’s just been a weird few days.”

  The doors open again. This time, Dannika, Finch, and Caleb walk in with Driftblossom flying behind them.

  Driftblossom flits up to me and holds out her dainty wrist. “Can ya believe it?” she asks. “They even made little wee folk bracelets this year. Do ya think it clashes with mah coloring?”

  I squint my eyes, but sure enough, someone with incredible skill was able to fashion the bracelet tiny enough to fit even her wispy arm. As I study it, I think the arm in my vision could even be hers, if the image was just homed in enough, which it could have been.

  Dread sinks like a bowling ball in my stomach. The arm could belong to anyone. Guy or girl, Fae or wee folk. I’m never going to find the victim.

  “Are you okay, Imogen?” Dannika asks. “You look a little green.”

  “I just took the stairs too fast,” I lie. Damn it. I can’t even tell them what’s going on in case my mom is right about that whole Dark Blessed thing. “What are you all doing here?”

  “Classes were canceled for the rest of the day,” Caleb says. “The teachers are a wreck. No one can talk about anything but Professor Crowsfly.”

  At the mention of her name, my eyes dart back to Erick. His face is totally expressionless, as if he hadn’t just talked to the woman last night.

  “So what are you doing here?” I ask.

  “Erick asked us to come,” Finch says. “But we got delayed trying to find you first.”

  “Me?”

  Finch leans his shoulder against the wall and nods. “He thinks you should be the one to take the lead in finding out what happened to Professor Crowsfly.”

  If I hadn’t been sitting, I could have been knocked over with a feather.

  I eye Erick. “Is that true?”

  “Well,” he says, rolling back on his feet and staring at the floor. “Last year, your instincts were right on target. You found out who was behind the poisonings when no one else even thought it was poisoning.”

  “Even you,” I emphasize.

  “Yes,” he admits sheepishly. “Even me. I think you should take the lead now.”

  “But why?” I ask. “That’s why those Ministry of Justice freaks are here. They should investigate this.”

  “I think we all know those people have no idea what they are doing,” Caleb says. He tosses his backpack on the carpet by the door. “Do you know when there was last a murder in Callador?”

  I shake my head.

  “No one does,” he says. “This is Faerie, not Detroit. We don’t solve problems by killing each other. We have no experience in investigating murders.”

  “Neither do I,” I say. “I just watch a lot of TV.”

  Ella places her bag next to Caleb’s. “That’s more than any of us,” she says, her back to me while she rifles through her bag.

  Finch smooths his fingers over his eyebrows. For the first time, I realize how freakishly well-groomed he is. Where Caleb and Erick are more rugged, Finch is perfectly shaped eyebrows and preppy gelled hair.

  “I think we all know the ministers are looking in all the wrong places,” he says. “I mean, investigating Coach Thorne? That guy couldn’t hurt a fly. That’s why he teaches combat. He’d never lose his cool and hurt someone.”

  I have to agree with that. He’s a fire Fae who is the epitome of chill.

  “What do you want me to do?” I ask.

  Ella shoves her books back into her bag and sits on the floor, turning to face me. “You tell us,” she says. “How would you find the killer?”

  I gaze around at their hopeful faces. How can they put so much faith in me after the crazy way I’ve been acting? My gaze falls on Erick. He’s my main suspect, even if I don’t want him to be. I need to get everyone looking at him without revealing I’ve had a vision. If I can get them to either rule him out or find evidence against him, I can lead them to the answer without revealing my vision.

  “We start with the victim, Professor Frieda Crowsfly,” I say. “We need to find out who she was and if she had any enemies, anyone who would want her dead. Who was the last person she talked to?”

  Erick takes in an audible breath. Was it louder than a normal one? Or was it the sound of someone who’s shocked? I can’t tell. He might have been breathing normally, and I’m just paying more attention to try to catch a reaction. I can’t be sure.

  “Did any of you know her?” I ask, specifically to see if Erick will lie to me.

  Everyone, including Erick, shakes their heads.

  “Caleb,” I say. “She was Unseelie, right? What do you know about her?”

  “Not much,” he says. “I mean, half the Fae in the world are Unseelie. I don’t know everyone. But I can find out whatever you want to know. I have connections.”

  “Great,” I say, starting to feel hopeful and little lighter. Even though I didn’t tell them anything, it sort of feels like I did. Like I’m not carrying this burden alone anymore.

  Everyone starts talking among themselves, breaking off into little groups. I get out of my seat and check in with everyone, who all seem to be trying to find anything they can in our schoolbooks or library books that talk about previous murders of professors. No one’s finding anything, but I feel better knowing we’re in this together now. A sigh of relief leaves me, but it’s short-lived when Erick heads toward me.

  “Hey,” he says.

  “Hey,” I say back, desperate to not reveal anything to him.

  “What was that about the bracelet?” he asks. “You know, when you came bursting in here?”

  “Oh…uh…I just. Well, you know my bad feeling?” I ask. “I think it has to do with the Moon Festival. I get the heebie-jeebies every time it comes up. When I saw her bracelet, I just feared the worst.”

  He nods. “Well, trust your instincts. They haven’t led you astray yet. What are they telling you now?”

  That you’re not a murderer, I don’t say. But it’s the first thing I think. So that means I need to trust that instinct, right? After all, I didn’t see him kill Professor Crowsfly. She was just meeting him in the woods. Secretly. At night. Possibly right before her death. Nothing at all suspicious or sinister in that…

  Right?

  Oh crap, he’s waiting for an answer. What did he ask?

  “What?” I say. “Sorry, I just have so many thoughts in my head right now.”

  “What kind of thoughts?” he asks in a low voice.

  He surveys me with his deep, dark eyes, and butterflies erupt in my stomach again. This time, they don’t turn sour. I just wish I could be alone with him. Unburden myself to him. What I saw in that vision concerns me, but at the same time, I want to trust him. I want to tell him…

  “Hey,” Caleb says, stepping in and half-blocking Erick. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine,” Erick huffs before he walks away.

  Caleb gives Erick as a strange look before he sits on the table next to where I’m standing. “What’s up with him?”

  I just wave him off. “Nothing,” I say. “You know how he is.”

  Caleb shrugs and gives me a bit of a cocky half-smile. “I’ve missed you,” he says, grabbing my hands and pulling me closer. “I’ve hardly seen you since you got back.”

  “Yeah,” I say. I’m standing between his legs now. He places my hands
on his shoulders. I should feel something right now, but my mind is still on Erick. “I’m just having a tough time being back here. Everything has been so intense. I’ve kind of been hiding in my room.”

  “Well, you can always hide in my room,” he says.

  “Really…?” I ask, not sure what he means by that. I have to force myself not to remove my hands, because that would come across weird, and I’ve been acting weird enough. The pull to glance over my shoulder to see if Erick has come back to the room yet is strong, but I resist.

  “Yeah,” he says, his hands sliding to my waist. “We don’t have to be out all the time. We can chill alone. Just talk or…” He runs his finger up my arm. “Stuff.”

  My entire body breaks out in goose bumps.

  “Stuff?” I whisper.

  “Stuff,” he murmurs huskily. “I’m really looking forward to taking you to the Moon Festival.”

  My anxiety threatens to ruin the moment at the mention of the festival. “Me too,” I say. “Since I still can’t go to the Winter’s End Ball, I guess.”

  My mind is still racing about stuff. Am I ready for whatever that is? The women set the pace in female relationships, but that doesn’t mean the guy can’t give a hint to what he wants, and I have a feeling that’s what Caleb is doing right now.

  He chuckles. “Yeah. No, you can’t go to that. Not yet.”

  “Not yet?” I repeat.

  His lips press into a line. “Yeah,” he says. “Not for a long time.”

  Something about the way he says it makes it clear there’s more he isn’t telling me. Maybe he’s afraid of upsetting me.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “Look, Imogen,” he says. “I don’t want to lie or lead you on. I like you, a lot.”

  “Really?” I ask.

  “Sure,” he says. “What’s not to love? Your smart, kind, compassionate, strong.”

  Wait. Did he just use the L-word?

  “But…?” I hedge, sensing it was coming.

  He grimaces, his expression somewhere between apologetic and sheepish. “But my parents would flip if they found out I was courting a Seelie Halfling.”

  My face drops, belly bottoming out. “Like, how mad would they be?”