A Curse of Flames (Fae Academy Book 2)

by Sophia Shade

  “Well,” Caleb says when his laughter subsides, “it could be residual. If you were concerned about your mom, your mind could have been overwriting the vision. Putting her where someone else was in the vision. Maybe that could be a clue.”

  I purse my lips. That makes sense, but I don’t think I have time to revisit the vision again. I’d need Goodkind’s help to do something like that. If she thought it was a possibility, she would have brought it up.

  “I think I need something else,” I say finally. “Something tangible.”

  Caleb nods. “Yeah, sure. But how are you going to do that?”

  “I could just get him to confess?” I ask in a small voice, knowing how unlikely it sounds.

  “Yeah, right,” he scoffs.

  “Hey, this is a world of magic,” I say, feeling a little defensive Caleb didn’t at least consider the possibility. Erick would have. Immediately, I shake him from my mind. Thoughts like that are what got me and Caleb where we are now, which is nowhere good.

  “I guess you’re right,” Caleb says. “It’s worth a try, anyway.”

  I go back to see Ella. It’s later now. The sun has risen, but it’s still early. When she cracks the door open after I knock, sprigs of ivy fall out the opening.

  “What the…” I ask, stepping back.

  “Ugh, sorry,” she says. “It’s just Oria, my roommate. The ivy is just drawn to her, even when she sleeps. We wake up with a room full of it every day.”

  “How annoying,” I say. Nose scrunched, I watch a few more vines creep out the door.

  She shrugs. “We’ve just gotten used to it. What’s up?”

  “I need your help…again,” I say with a pleading look on my face.

  “Sure,” she says. “Let me get changed and I’ll meet you in the library.”

  Half an hour later, we are once again perusing the walls of books in the dark recesses of the library.

  “I don’t know of any concoctions that can make someone spout the truth,” Ella says. “If there was one, I’m sure the ministers would have just used it themselves.”

  “That’s a good point,” I say. I pull out and flip through random tomes, hoping the thing we need will just stand out.

  “There’s a flower that might be the closest thing,” she says as she pulls down a book of rare flora. “It is the closest the Fae have to a drug, I suppose. When ingested, it makes the Fae feel drunk, and then they will sometimes reveal things about themselves they normally wouldn’t.”

  “Like weed?” I ask, not that I would know personally.

  “I suppose,” she says thoughtfully, turning the pages. “But weed doesn’t work on Fae. Oh, here it is. The ebrius flower.”

  “Ebrius?” I ask, looking at the book. “What does that mean?”

  “Drunk flower,” Ella says with a smirk, and we both giggle. “It has a light violet appearance and a sweet taste and aroma. Can induce a feeling of euphoria and safety, resulting in a loose tongue,” she reads from the book.

  “Sounds perfect,” I say. “Where do we get it?”

  “I’m not sure,” she says. “It’s hard to get. Well, more expensive than anything. My mom doesn’t even have any. Oh, but I know one person who does. Professor Elliot Mitah. He likes to smoke it in his pipe in his office to unwind.”

  “So all I need to do is steal some,” I say.

  Ella closes the book and puts it back on the shelf. “Oh, is that all? And how are you going to do that?”

  I reach into my pocket. With a flourish, I pull out my lucky paperclip I was able to get back from Erick. I wink. “Thank the brownies.”

  She laughs. “See! I told you the brownies give you what you need.”

  By now, it’s late enough in the day that classes are in session, so Professor Mitah shouldn’t be in his office.

  Ella stands watch at one end of the hallway while I sneak down to the professor’s door. Unfortunately, we have no one watching in the other direction, but I can see that way, so hopefully if anyone comes, I will see them in time.

  I slip my paperclip into the keyhole and fidget around. Some of the pins start to move, but then I hear voices coming from the end of the hall. I try to pull my paperclip out, but it’s stuck. It’s do or die time. I keep fidgeting with the lock.

  “I do appreciate everything you have done, Ministers.” Headmistress Shadowburn’s voice carries down the hall. “We have something special prepared…”

  “Come on,” I whisper. “Open already!”

  Finally, the last click sounds. I open the door and slip inside, right before the headmistress and the ministers come around the corner. I’m not able to finish closing the door without risking them seeing, so I kneel as they continue.

  Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me, I beg silently. When I think they’re gone, I peer out the crack in the door.

  Outside the room, the headmistress pauses for just a moment. As she turns toward the room, I press my back against the wall again, hoping my legs are out of view from where she stands. I hold my breath, and my blood turns to ice. After half a second that seems like an eternity, she starts along with the ministers again. Once she disappears, I let out a painful breath. I thought I was a goner.

  Jumping to my feet, I know I need to act fast. Professor Mitah’s class is scheduled to end soon. He’s been known to keep students late chatting—and now I think I know why—but I can’t bank on that.

  My hands won’t stop shaking as I open drawers and cabinets, looking for the flower. Finally, in a small bureau, there are several small boxes with a picture of the ebrius flower on them. I don’t need a whole box, since a pinch of flower petals will do the trick, but I don’t have time to waste, so I just grab a container and close the doors to the bureau.

  I rush to the door. As I open it, Ella rushes by, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hall. I barely manage to snag the handle to close the door behind me before Professor Mitah comes down the hallway and enters his office.

  “That was too close,” Ella says breathlessly.

  “But worth it,” I say, showing her the small box in my pocket.

  “You are so going to get caught,” she says.

  “Let’s just hope it’s after we get our confession,” I say while we make our way down to the kitchen.

  When we arrive, I put in an order with the brownie cook, but she doesn’t look too pleased with me.

  “You want what?” she asks me, her arms crossed.

  “Twelve cupcakes with lavender flowers on the top,” I say.

  “Cup…cakes?” she asks. “What the heck is that?”

  “It’s…like a sweet bread with frosting,” I try to explain. “Very common in the human world.”

  “Human food is garbage,” she says with a shake of her head. Seeming to dismiss us, she goes to stir something in a pot.

  “I just wanted to make something nice to thank the ministers for all the hard work they did finding Professor Crowsfly’s killer,” I say.

  “Maybe Miss Cook has something in mind she’d like to prepare,” Ella says helpfully.

  “Aye,” she says. “Mistress Shadowburn has already ordered a large spread for the thank-you dinner. Desserts included.” She points over to a large table where many platters of delicious foods are already laid out.

  I go over to look at them. There’s a pastry with a cream top among them. It would be easy to sprinkle the flower petals on it; they would be sure to stick.

  “Can I deliver this one to them?” I ask. “I just want the opportunity to thank them personally. You know, after what happened last year, I’m glad they caught the killer so quickly.”

  Last year, the cook and I caught Myra in the kitchen, and that was how we discovered she had been poisoning the students, but not before two of them died. I’m hoping that by recalling the incident and reminding her I was there, she will feel a sense of comradery and give me what I want.

  She sniffs, beginning to plate another yummy-looking dish. “Well, I suppose there isn
’t any harm in it,” she says. “Go ahead.”

  “Thank you,” I say, fighting the urge to hug her. Carefully taking the tray of pastries, I head up to the common area where everyone has gathered.

  The room is decorated with lights and streamers, and there are dozens of tables set up. Headmistress Shadowburn is sitting at a table along with the twelve ministers, right next to Minister Demis.

  Sweat breaks out on my back, nervousness making my hands shake when I start down the row, but I do my best not to show it by talking animatedly.

  “Thank you to the brilliant ministers,” I say with a bright smile. I hand the first one a pastry. “We never would have solved the case without you. Cheers to you for preventing possible further sadness here at Callador!”

  “Hear, hear,” someone says, and applause rings out.

  As I get closer to Minister Demis, I reach into my pocket and pull out just a pinch of flower petals.

  “Oops,” I say as I feign tripping over my shoelaces.

  I bend down and fidget with them, then sprinkle the petals on the pastry. This would have been a lot easier to do in the hall, but I would have been visible from all sides. In this position, the table at least blocks most of what I’m doing. And this way, I can make sure the right person gets the right muffin. I’ve watched enough television in the earth realm to know if I’d done this sooner, the wrong person would have ended up drugged.

  When I stand back up, Headmistress Shadowburn is staring over the edge of the table at me, but she quickly turns away.

  I hesitate. Did she see what I did? If so, why doesn’t she stop me? She must not have seen me.

  Taking a breath to steel my nerves, I stand back up. I hand a pastry to Minister Demis.

  “Thank you for all your hard work,” I say with a smile.

  He grunts and doesn’t smile back, but he does take the pastry from me. He narrows his eyes. It probably does seem suspicious. He and I know I saw him in the human realm, and even if that doesn’t mean anything, the fact no one brought it up makes me think it does.

  “The cook asked me to bring these over,” I say, trying not to overdo it. “If you don’t like it, I could ask her for something else?”

  “It’s fine,” he mumbles, and I force myself to keep moving down the row so nothing seems suspicious.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch him taking a bite, and a sigh of relief escapes me. I work my way through the rest of the ministers quickly, then go and sit with Ella, Erick, Caleb, and Dannika. Ella lays one of her hands on mine to help calm me. There’s nothing I can do now but wait.

  “What’s going on?” Caleb whispers.

  I just shake my head and try to pick at my own food.

  Ella leans over and whispers something to Caleb, and then he leans over and murmurs something to Dannika.

  Dannika’s eyes go wide when she looks at me, and then she shakes her head, like she can’t believe what I’ve gotten myself into this time. I should have somehow involved her in my plan, sort of a goodwill gesture to let her know I do trust her…at least with this. But we are still strained, and I didn’t want to involve more people should it go badly.

  “The arrangement of this room is terrible,” Minister Demis says rather loudly to Headmistress Shadowburn. “It’s so crowded. Surely there’s a better way.”

  “Well, we have a lot of students to accommodate…” Headmistress Shadowburn tries to explain.

  “Yes, yes,” he says, waving her off. “So many students indeed. Too many. You don’t have to admit every street urchin who wanders in, you know.”

  Some people gasp, while others start murmuring. The minister sitting next to Minister Demis reaches over and sniffs his cup, as if checking to see if he’s been drinking. She shrugs at the person next to her.

  “It’s part of our mission of inclusiveness,” Headmistress Shadowburn says.

  “Humph. Inclusiveness,” Minister Demis says mockingly.

  I hold my breath, thinking he’s going to say more, something about his separatist views, but he just reaches for his cup instead. I exhale, trying to let go of my disappointment. The drug is clearly working, but he isn’t saying what I need him to.

  I’ll have to bait him.

  “The Unseelie and Seelie court members should be glad to have such a place as Callador to come together,” I say, standing up.

  “Only the Seelie court members benefit from such mingling,” he spits back. “We are strong; they are weak. We make them stronger while they make us weaker.”

  More gasps echo throughout. Professor Mitah rushes out of the room. He probably recognizes the effects of the flower better than anyone and is going to see if he’s missing any of his stash. I better work quickly, before he gets back.

  “Many of your fellow courtiers would disagree,” I say. Ella’s tugging at my hand, probably trying to get me to stop, but I step away from my group, closer to the tables where the ministers sit. “Professor Crowsfly was a strong proponent of unity.”

  “Frieda Crowsfly was an unfaithful, unreliable bitch who got what she deserved,” he yells.

  At first, the room goes silent, staring in shock at the minister. But within moments, other people in the room are starting to talk. Loudly. Some other ministers stand and start pointing fingers at each other.

  But this still isn’t enough. I need to keep going before he gets interrupted and I miss my chance.

  “Is that why you killed her?” I ask. “Because she betrayed your separatist agenda?”

  “And what if it is?” he says, storming to his feet and leaning across the table. “And don’t think I wouldn’t do it again, if I could! If you ask me, one death was too easy for her.”

  At this, the whole room explodes into yells and arguments. The other ministers grab Minister Demis by the arms and drag him away.

  Headmistress Shadowburn gives me a small smirk before she follows them out.

  Yeah, she saw what I did. I’m not sure if I’ll still get in trouble for it later, but there was no mistaking that this time, doing the wrong thing was the right thing to do.

  Maybe it was an Unseelie thing.

  But I’m not about to tell anyone about the other side of my magic. Not even if it saved everyone’s asses twice in one day.

  Chapter 26

  It’s a few weeks later, and the end of the school year is upon us. There is a big going-away party, but I’m not in a festive mood. These last few weeks have been a killer. I was behind and failing every one of my classes. My days had been full of nothing but working like mad to get caught up. I finally managed to pass everything, but just barely.

  I also still haven’t had any word on Mom. Headmistress Shadowburn said she would lift Damon’s bonds, but after everything that happened, he went to the earth realm to look for her himself. I had a feeling he was just avoiding being around to lift my bonds—and despite Headmistress Shadowburn’s best efforts, she hadn’t been able to.

  When she approaches me today, I try to rummage up some hope, but it’s obvious from her expression that, once again, it won’t be exactly the new I want to hear.

  “We have been doing everything we can to find her,” Headmistress Shadowburn says when she reaches me. “But so far, my men have been unsuccessful. I’m sorry.”

  I can’t help but let a few tears escape my eyes. “I should have been out there looking for her.”

  “Well, now you can,” she says. “We couldn’t find your mom, but we did find your rogue mentor.”

  “Hey there, kiddo,” Damon says, approaching almost tentatively. “Sorry I took off…I’d hoped to find your mom myself. And I never thanked you for getting me off the hook and finding Frieda’s real killer.”

  “You can thank me by releasing these bonds and letting me go home to find my mom myself,” I say.

  “Sure thing,” he says. He waves his hands over me, uttering an incantation. His magical signature sparks. “You are free to go.”

  I just grunt because I can’t say thanks. He never sh
ould have bound me here in the first place. And what am I supposed to do now, weeks after the fact?

  “Hopefully next year, we can start off on a better foot,” Damon says.

  “I don’t know if I’m coming back next year,” I say quickly.

  “Imogen,” Headmistress Shadowburn says. “I know this year has been difficult—”

  “It’s not about that,” I say. “I don’t appreciate being kept here against my will. I will not be imprisoned again. And I need to find my mom. That’s the only thing that matters now.”

  They stare at me, Damon’s feet shifting beneath him.

  Headmistress Shadowburn clears her throat. “Of course,” she says. “I can see why some of our polices may need to be updated.”

  “Can I get a list of these policies?” I ask. “I’m tired of not knowing the rules around here. I don’t want anyone else to be threatened with a head chopping just because I don’t know if something is or isn’t against the rules.”

  “Of course,” Headmistress Shadowburn says with a snap of her fingers. A book appears in her hands. She gives it to me. “Should make for some interesting summer reading. Be sure to let me know if you see anything else that should be updated.”

  “Thanks,” I mumble halfheartedly. “As a start, maybe make copies of this,” I say, waving the book by my head. “And give them to all new students.”

  “Sure,” the headmistress says. “We can do that.” With another snap of her fingers, another copy appears in her hands. She hands it to Damon. “I have some work for you this summer.”

  He grumbles but gives me a half-smile before walking away.

  “See you next year, Imogen,” the headmistress says with a small smile before making her way by me.

  After I open the book, I flip through it. A blank page catches my attention. I pause on it for a moment, wondering why it’s there, when words start to appear.

  Good job, Imogen.

  “What the…”

  Raising my head, I glance around. Minister Tempest stands nearby. Even though the murder of Professor Crowsfly was solved, they never did figure out if there was anyone else involved in Myra’s case—the original reason they came to the school—so a few of them stayed behind in case any additional information turned up.