“No. It’s…” Zoe held up a hand to stop Annmarie.
“I’m on my way to see Dr. Wardmaster. Why don’t you two come along with me,” she said in a normal tone of voice.
“Okay.” Annmarie and Josh fell in beside her and they all headed across the quad towards Harrison Hall, detouring around the invisible, but nasty, cloud surrounding Shelby Hall. A nervous silence enveloped the little group.
Zoe mulled over the situation. She didn’t want to keep the two students in the dark about what she, George, and Mark suspected was going on in Shelby Hall. Meredith Cruickshank had for some reason taken a strong dislike to both of them, and this likely put them in some danger. Both students were mages, but she didn’t think they were up to taking on an adult mage, never mind a full coven of witches, on their own.
“Okay, guys. There a few things you need to know, and I have some questions for you. First though, stay away from Dr. Cruickshank. She does not like you two for some reason, and she’s actively trying to undermine you to other faculty. Is there any way she could know you are mages?” Zoe was grasping at straws, but every possibility had to be explored.
Annmarie and Josh looked at each other. “I don’t think so, she’s not a mage,” Annmarie said. She glanced at Josh again. “I’ve never had a class with her, have you?”
Josh nodded. “Yeah, I took Intro Sociology with her my first semester.” He turned to Zoe. “But that was two years ago, and I obviously didn’t use any power in class. And like Annmarie said, she’s not a mage so I don’t know how she’d figure out I’m one.”
Zoe filled them in on what the faculty mages suspected. On the one hand they were surprised and a bit frightened. On the other hand, students always seemed to believe that faculty and staff were capable of almost anything, so finding out that there was a real coven functioning on campus fit right in with other general student myths about the lives of faculty and administration.
They reached Harrison Hall and went in. They were nearing George’s office when a student coming from the other direction darted into the office. Zoe stuck her head in the door and caught George’s attention.
“Hello, Dr. O’Brien,” he said. “Give me a minute,” he nodded towards the student.
“Of course, no problem,” Zoe said.
She stepped back into the hallway and, pulling out her phone, leaned against the wall with Josh and Annmarie. She stared at her phone without seeing it. The three of them waited in silence. Time slowed to a crawl, but it was only about five minutes later when the student came out, and nodding to the three of them, headed down the hall.
They walked into the office and Zoe closed the door behind them. George raised an eyebrow and said, “I’m guessing you all are not here to talk about advising or course schedules.”
Zoe smiled. “Sadly, no. I believe you know Josh Shelford and Annmarie Johnson?”
George nodded at the students. “Yes, I do. How are you two?”
“Hi Dr. Wardmaster. I’m good, thanks,” said Josh.
“Hi, Dr. Wardmaster,” Annmarie said.
“So,” George looked at Zoe. “What’s up?”
“Well, these guys found me as I was on my way over here. I was escaping Meredith, actually. Josh and Annmarie have been keeping an eye out for anything strange going on among the students, and they have something. I haven’t heard anything yet. I didn’t want to risk the possibility of anybody overhearing us as we walked over here. Plus, I happened to overhear a phone conversation of Meredith’s, or at least her half of it and it was interesting.”
George nodded at the two students. “Why don’t we start with what you have?”
“Well, last night we were going back to the dorm from the library, where we’d been working on the project for your class, Dr. O’Brien. We were crossing the quad towards our dorm when we saw some weird pulsing lights in a couple of the windows on the third floor of Shelby Hall. It was about midnight…” Annmarie trailed off, her face going slightly pale.
Josh picked up the story.
“When we saw the lights, we could also feel the strangeness that’s been around Shelby, even though we weren’t that close, and we could feel it getting worse.” He looked at Zoe and George. “I’m an Air mage. I’m still figuring a lot of it out, but I can tell when air is being manipulated and there was a feeling that the air around Shelby was being controlled, like bad air was being pushed out to cover more of campus.”
He licked his lips nervously. “That air…it…tasted? felt?...so bad, like poison. I slammed up a barrier, kinda like I just pushed the bad air back, between me and Annmarie and Shelby Hall. I told her to run towards the dorm. We got to the entrance to the dorm and I looked back, but the lights were gone by then. We went inside and decided that we would find Dr. O’Brien as soon as we could today.”
George nodded. “You did the right thing. Let’s hear what you have Dr. O’Brien. Then maybe we can start connecting some dots.”
“Okay. I was working in my office just now and heard Meredith, Dr. Cruickshank, on the phone. I started concentrating on listening to her and I’m pretty sure she was talking about me.” Zoe repeated what she had heard of Meredith’s conversation. She wrapped up her story and George’s face took on a slightly bemused expression.
“You said you felt like you willed yourself to hear her?” he asked, ignoring everything she’d said about Meredith and Sarah.
“Yeah, why? Like I told you, a couple of words caught my attention and I realized it was about me, so I started concentrating. My door was open, and I think hers was too, although when I left, her door was closed. Why are you looking at me like that?” Butterflies invaded Zoe’s stomach.
George turned a quizzical face to Josh, who nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”
George grinned at Zoe.
“I think you have power over Air and Fire and in all likelihood that means you are an Elemental mage with power over all four Elements,” he said quietly. “I think you used the air currents to carry the sound of Meredith’s voice to you. That’s how you were able to hear her through a closed door. I am certain she would not be taking a phone call like the one you just heard with her office door open so that anybody walking by could listen in.”
“What? How do you know? Why am I just now figuring this out? Why didn’t I know earlier? What the hell is going on?!” It was well past time for this weird dream to end. Now she had power over two Elements and possibly four? What next? She ends up saving the world? She didn’t want any of that. Her life was supposed to be nice and quiet and academic. Do research on a small historical niche, teach classes, get tenure, enjoy the so-called “life of the mind.” Real-life magic and witches and Elements were not a part of that plan.
“I’m not sure. But I do know that it’s a part of you; it’s built in. I only ever knew one other Elemental and he was an old man when I was a child; maybe the ability to control all four Elements takes longer to appear. A few days ago you said you had an idea as to why I couldn’t fully detect your power. Did you ever follow up on that?”
“No, not yet. It involves my mother and that’s…well, that’s going to be difficult. But…what do I do now?” Zoe tried to stay calm.
George gave her a sympathetic look and then glanced at his desk.
“Here. Try to make this piece of paper fly around. Josh, when she does that, see what you can detect.”
Zoe looked at the two of them and at Annmarie. They were all smiling at her as if she had just accomplished something unexpected. It was like being back in grad school with indulgent professors looking on as she stepped up to give a presentation.
“Okay. Here goes nothing,” she sighed and focused on the piece of paper. A movement at the very edge of her vision caught her attention. She flinched slightly as the air currents in the room became visible. They were very similar to the threads she had seen in the fire at Mark and David’s house. She stared at the currents and thought two of the smaller ones could be shifted and moved under the edge of the p
aper. The thought crossed her mind, the air currents shifted, and the piece of paper floated up into the air. Locating two slightly bigger currents, she moved those under her piece of paper and flew it around the room a couple of times and back onto George’s desk. Releasing her breath and concentration, she looked up and discovered the other three staring at her in astonishment.
Josh commented first. “Dr. O’Brien, that was really smooth. Especially for somebody who just figured out they’re a mage. How did you do that?” Zoe stared at him and shrugged helplessly. The knowledge that she was the student in this situation just added to the surreal feeling.
George just picked up his phone and dialed. “Hi, Mark. It’s George Wardmaster. Are you busy right now?...Yeah, can you come over to my office as soon as you can? Bring Kieran with you…Great…Good-bye.”
He hung up the phone and smiled at Zoe. “I think Mark and Kieran definitely need to know about this newly discovered additional talent of yours.”
Zoe gaped at him. “Wait. What?” She was pretty proud of herself for getting that level of coherence out of her brain.
“Remember when we first talked about mages? I think I told you there were a few individuals we call Elemental mages. Meaning they have control over all four Elements. Like I said a minute ago, I think you are an Elemental mage.”
Zoe continued to stare at him. “Holy crap,” was the most she could manage in response.
George stood up and pulled one of his many plants off the windowsill. He set it on his desk in front of Zoe.
“Without touching the dirt, can you tell me if this plant needs water or not?” he asked.
“Um…okay,” Zoe said, not quite sure what was expected of her. She concentrated on the plant and the dirt in the pot. She flinched again. Had the plant just moved? No. She was seeing the same types of threads she saw in fire and in the air. This time they were the threads of a living thing. They were moving and flowing through the plant and the dirt. She also recognized, without understanding exactly how, that the plant could use some water, but it wasn’t a desperate situation yet. She relayed this information to George.
He nodded and picked up a watering can from the bottom shelf of the bookcase behind his desk. Turning to Annmarie, he held out the can.
“Will you please fill this up?” he asked politely.
She nodded and left for the water fountain in the hall, returning in less than a minute. George thanked her and gave the watering can to Zoe.
“Water the plant without actually using the watering can,” he instructed.
Zoe stared at him in confusion. George turned to Annmarie. “Will you show her what I mean?”
Annmarie nodded again. “Sure.”
She looked at the watering can in Zoe’s hands. A stream of water came up out of the open top and neatly curved over to land in the pot on the desk. Without any dripping on the desk, the stream of water disconnected itself from the watering can and fountained into the pot.
Zoe stared at Annmarie.
Annmarie turned slightly pink. It wasn’t often that students got to teach their professors. “It’s easy, Dr. O’Brien. I think it’s a lot like what you did with Air. Just hold on to the currents in the water.”
“Um…okay.” Repeating the process she had used with the plant, Zoe concentrated on the water in the watering can. Once again, she found threads that she could mentally grab and use to manipulate the water. This time she controlled the urge to flinch. She maneuvered the threads and swirled the water around a bit and pulled it out of the watering can. A bit more concentration, and she was able to create an arc of water like Annmarie’s that poured neatly into the plant. She disconnected her arc from the water sitting in the can and emptied the remainder of her neat little water arch into the pot.
Holy crap. She had control over all four Elements. Magic really was real. She, Zoe O’Brien, Assistant Professor of History, specializing in Medieval Europe, was an Elemental mage. Zoe shook her head in bemusement. I guess it’s not a dream after all. This is weird. Kinda fun. But weird. Like stepping into a fantasy book.
The world had indeed turned upside down. The events and revelations of the last week or so had made Zoe give serious thought to why she had never known about her power earlier in life. She thought back to her more recent conversations with her mother. Why was she so adamant that there was no such thing as magic? Had her mother somehow blocked her access to the Elements? How had she done that? Why? As soon as she had a couple hours free, a phone call was in order. No more putting it off.
Strangely enough, even though she had a TON of questions, this new reality didn’t bother her too much. A lot of things clicked into place and she was suddenly more comfortable in her own skin than she ever had been before. This whole magic thing was still totally weird, and she needed to figure it out as soon as possible, but upside down was really the right way around.
“I know this is startling, but I’m also sure that there are others on campus who need to know this. We are well overdue for an information sharing and planning session with all the mages on campus, not just the few of us who’ve been talking,” George’s voice broke into Zoe’s musings about her mage powers. Faculty always need a meeting. He looked over at Josh and Annmarie.
“Do you two know of any other students who are mages?” he asked.
“Yes,” came the dual response. “We’ll get in touch with them,” added Annmarie.
Zoe stared at her hands searching for an explanation in them for the sudden appearance of mage power. She looked up at George and the two students. “One more question...did you guys always know you were a mage or was there something that happened?”
Josh looked at her. “Um, I don’t really remember. I think I was about ten and I just started playing with the air. It seemed perfectly normal. But then, both of my parents are mages, so I saw them using their power.” He looked over at Annmarie and George.
“Me, too. I used to make waves in the swimming pool,” Annmarie said.
George laughed. “I created a small earthquake in the back yard.”
Zoe gritted her teeth. Thanks, Mom. You managed to cut me off from a part of myself. Why, why, why?
A quick knock on the door interrupted Zoe’s angry thoughts about her mother’s deceit. Mark and Kieran walked into the office.
“Hey all. What’s up?” Mark said. Kieran nodded at everybody. George smiled and glanced at Zoe. She drew a deep breath.
“I think we’ve just figured out that I’m an Elemental mage.” Zoe was relieved that her voice didn’t fully betray her shock.
“Wow!” Mark and Kieran said it almost simultaneously. Kieran looked at George. “Is this why you called us?”
“Yes, and you should meet Josh Shelford and Annmarie Johnson,” George introduced the two students. “Josh is Air and Annmarie is Water. But before we worry about Zoe’s newfound powers, Josh and Annmarie would you please tell Dr. Davis and Dr. Ross what told us?” George said.
As she listened to Josh and Annmarie repeat their story for Mark and Kieran, Zoe concentrated on controlling her wildly careening emotions. The weird dream was not, in fact, a dream. It was reality and it was her reality, now. She was so far out of her comfort zone it was laughable. If she started laughing now though, she’d probably become hysterical. That would undermine any credibility she might have as an Elemental mage. Holy crap. I’m an Elemental mage. What the hell does that even mean? And, now what do I do?
Her apprehension and fear were building. Instead of a bystander to whatever Mark and George were going to do about the poisonous cloud over Shelby Hall, she was going to have to help them with it…whatever that meant. She’d never faced any real danger in her life before, but this thing with Shelby was already shaping up to involve at least some level of danger. Life was becoming scarier. On the other hand, it was certainly going to be more interesting.
She idly followed the movement of Air down the door and out under the bottom. At the same time, Air was moving into the office f
rom the hallway. That must be how she had heard Meredith’s phone conversation. Air obviously carried sound, and she must have unknowingly manipulated it to carry the conversation from Meredith’s office into her own office. I don’t understand what’s so awful about this. Oh, Mom. What happened?
The others were staring at her. She pulled herself out of the whirlwind of questions in her head and back into the present.
“Sorry. What?”
“Okay. I think it’s safe to say that Zoe is an Elemental mage and, if I don’t miss my guess a powerful one as well. Mark saw her control Fire, and she has just shown us she can control Air, Water, and Earth,” said George. “We know we have a powerful coven operating on campus. I think what Josh and Annmarie ran into confirms that. Those lights mean it is highly likely that somebody in Shelby is drawing more and more dark power to themselves with the goal of increasing their own power.”
He hesitated, looking at the two students. “Josh and Annmarie, I would rather you two were not involved in this,” he held up a hand to forestall their protests. “But you are, and other students are too, probably. At least those working in Shelby Hall are. Additionally, from all indications you are being targeted by Dr. Cruickshank. The end of the semester is about a month off and campus will be closed for the Thanksgiving break between now and then. So, if you guys can get through the rest of the semester flying under the radar, I think that would be best. Quietly contact the other students who you know are mages and see what you can find out from your friends who work in Shelby and let one of us know what you learn.”
The six of them continued to brainstorm ways they could collect more information on the coven and what was going on in Shelby Hall. Zoe’s mind drifted back to examining her newfound power. Should I feel any different? I don’t. This is just crazy. If anybody had told her in grad school that her research into witches and magic would have real world applications, she would have laughed. Now, she worried that she didn’t know enough. On top of it all, the semester was almost over which meant that the grading was piling up.
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