Shifter's University 2: Forest of Lost Souls

by K. R. Thompson

  “Wait a minute, you said shifter schools…as in plural. There are more places like Imperium?” The thought of more places like this was mindboggling.

  “Oh, sure. From what we found in the first journal, I think Imperium must have been the first school of its kind, though. But there are several scattered about. The headmistress had actually been visiting the one up the coast when she heard about me. She decided to stop and see if the rumors were true, but she took me to Isle’s Edge before I ended up here.”

  “Isle’s Edge?”

  “Yeah, sorry,” she said, giving me an apologetic smile. “Isle’s Edge is the school on the coast. While Imperium is full of mostly woodlands, the Edge is composed primarily of water shifters and only a handful of others. I wasn’t there but for a day or two when the headmistress decided I would probably do better away from the ocean, so she brought me here to Imperium. Sometimes, I wish she hadn’t. It would have been nice to try to figure out who I was before, you know? I don’t even know my real name.”

  I reached over and squeezed her arm. I knew more about my history than she did. Found abandoned at the door of a fire department as a toddler, then tossed from one foster home to the next until now. It was true I had some pretty horrific memories of those years, but I had some great ones, too.

  Lacy didn’t have either one, and my heart broke for her.

  “One day, whenever we graduate Shifter’s, we’re going to go back and find out everything about who you are,” I promised.

  Tears filled her eyes, and she brushed them away. “You’re a great friend, Claire. But something tells me I’ll never know.”

  “Don’t say that. You have to be optimistic. We’re going to do it. You and me, as soon as we graduate. Deal?”

  “Okay,” she conceded, ducking her head to try to hide the tear that rolled free. She flipped the page in the book, wanting to change the subject, and she managed to do exactly that. “Look, it’s mentioning the role of the witches in this.”

  Sure enough, it did. I quickly read about the university’s agreement to pay the local coven for whatever magical spells the school required, including but not limited to shields, protection, and the force field around a section of forest that was to be kept in place at all times for the safety of the students.

  “That’s got to be the Forest of Lost Souls,” Lacy pointed out. “Too bad they don’t call it that. It’s just ‘a section.’”

  I kept reading, found the agreed-upon amount the school paid the coven, and whistled. “It’s no wonder the school still has to have humans pay tuition to attend. That’s a hefty bill.”

  Beneath the price were the names of the coven leaders. One of them popped out at me. Elvyra Rose. “That has to be one of Hadley’s ancestors. She’d mentioned that the magic around the shields was old. I wonder if it has weakened any over the years?”

  “I don’t know a lot about the magic the witches have, but I suppose it would be possible, especially if they’ve been concentrating on keeping the shields around the school strong enough to keep the Watch out. If there is a weak spot, we’d just have to find it, then slip in, get Logan, and then get out,” she concluded. “Sounds easy when it’s put like that, doesn’t it?

  “For real.”

  We flipped through the next pages, hoping to find something else useful. I was ready to give up when we reached the end. A map showing Imperium’s grounds and beyond was sketched into the last pages.

  “Look, here are the boundaries of the forest,” she said, tracing the dark edge that separated the Forest of Lost Souls from the outside world.

  I recognized the spot Lacy’s finger had stopped at. It was the place where Logan and Victor had entered the forest. A short distance above it, farther up the mountain, was the lookout, and the Mill Mountain Star. The forest was shaded darker than the rest of the map, showing its boundaries to the north and the east of the school’s grounds.

  “I think I could test out the shields for weak spots all the way around the perimeter,” I said, feeling excited as I memorized each and every curve that stretched across the paper. “Practical shifting is my first class tomorrow. My fox is pretty quick. I think I could check the border that runs through the woods.” I tapped one section where the shaded spot extended near one of the main roads, out of the safety of the trees. “I’ll probably have to walk that part.”

  “I can do that for you. I’m free in the morning, then I have class at the lake at noon. We can compare notes tomorrow evening. But let’s make a deal, Claire. If we do find a breach in the shields, we don’t go in until we tell each other.”

  “Okay.”

  “I mean it, Claire. I know you love that hotheaded dragon, but you have to promise me that if you find a weak spot, you won’t go in. You have to come and get me first.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was the matter-of-fact way she told me about my feelings for Logan, or the fact that she cared enough about me to make me promise not to go in alone. Either way, I felt my eyes get misty and my voice sounded scratchy when I said, “I promise.”

  “It’s going to be all right, Claire,” she said, completely misunderstanding my emotion. “I don’t know how or when we’re going to get him out of there, but I have a really good feeling that we will.”

  “I know,” I managed. “Thank you for helping me, Lacy. It means more to me than you know.”

  She lifted a shoulder in a small shrug, smiling. “What are friends for?”

  The first thing that I saw when I opened my eyes was Toad’s face.

  “Hey,” I managed to say. My face was so swollen that even my lips felt tight.

  He let out a slow, uneasy breath. “You had me worried. When they dragged you in here, I was sure they’d killed you. Whatever it is you told them, you definitely gave them the wrong answer.”

  “Yeah, they have no sense of humor whatsoever,” I said, wincing as I gingerly picked myself up from the floor to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “If I were you, I’d just tell them what they want to hear. I don’t think you’ll live through another of those interrogations.”

  He was probably right. I had places hurting that had never hurt in my entire life. Luckily, nothing seemed broken. “I’ll take that chance. I won’t help them.”

  There was something else he wanted to say. I could tell from the way he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  “What is it?”

  “One of them saw me watching through the hole in the wall. They wanted me to tell you when you came to that you wouldn’t be the only one to pay—that she would, too.” He paused. “Is there somebody else in here besides the two of us?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “I doubt it.”

  “Then why would they threaten you with something like that?”

  “Because they know how to get to someone I love…and they know I’d do anything to protect her.” I spotted the small hole beside my door. There were bits of dust and white stuff that hadn’t been there earlier, evidence my friend had been working on the way out while I’d been having the crap beaten out of me. I nodded toward it. “How much farther do you have to go?”

  “Not far,” he admitted. “Since they’ve been focused on you and not trying to drain me dry, it’s going a lot faster. I should be through in another hour or so.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? Get back to it,” I ordered.

  I leaned back on the bed and closed my eyes. A few seconds later, I heard gnawing as he worked on widening his escape route. Somewhere along the way, I drifted off into a fitful sleep, filled with faces. Claire, Lacy, and more from Shifter’s flashed in front of my face, followed by Roger, Christopher, and Victor as they literally pushed the images of the people I cared about away.

  I fought, trying to chase them away.

  “Wake up,” Toad hissed in my ear. “And quit trying to punch me. I’ve got our way out.”

  Not my way out, I noticed. Our way. I opened my eyes, then swung my legs over the si
de of the bed and stood up, only to sit back down as the world spun like a tilt-a-whirl.

  “Easy. I don’t think crawling out of here is an option,” he whispered.

  Once the room stopped circling me, I looked at the hole he had made near the door. I could see light on the other side, proof he had indeed made it all the way through.

  “What’s the plan now?” he asked.

  “The plan is that you’re going to shift and get out of here,” I told him.

  “But not before I go human and open the door for you,” he insisted. “You deserve to get out of here, too. Especially since they’ve taken a liking to you so much lately.”

  I nodded. “Okay, but first I need to ask a favor. They’ll be more likely to catch me than you. When you make it out, can you go to a place called Imperium University and warn a girl named Claire Pratten? Tell her everything you told me.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I can do that.” He glanced furtively at the door. “Do you think you can stand? My gut is telling me if we’re going to make a break for it, we’d better do it soon.”

  I stood up slowly, and gave him the go ahead. As quick as a flash, he shifted. The tiny brown mouse scampered through the hole. In the next second, I heard the bolt on the door move.

  Toad winced at the noise when he opened it. “Come on, let’s go,” he urged. He shifted again and darted down the hallway, sticking close to the wall. He was several yards off before he turned, waiting for me.

  I waved him on. He hesitated for the slightest second, but then scampered off, disappearing around the corner.

  I hadn’t wanted to tell him the odds of me making it out were slim to none. If I had a clue as to which direction to go, maybe…maybe…I’d have a chance.

  But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try.

  Taking the same path Toad had chosen, I pressed close to the wall and attempted to walk as quietly as possible, sneaking with all the stealth of a maimed ninja in a clown costume.

  Each step I took seemed to echo, no matter how carefully I moved.

  No one was more surprised in the history of the universe than me when I turned the corner into the room that had the map and found no one there.

  The map was still on the wall, though someone had taken down my pins. There were two doors, one straight in front of me, and the other near the map on the far wall.

  Which one is the way out?

  I looked at one, then the other. Which had Toad chosen?

  I headed straight, and was almost to that door when I changed my mind. That seemed to be a larger corridor. Maybe the other door would take me down a less-traveled route. I’d have a better chance of not being caught.

  As I opened it, adrenaline coursed through me. Unfortunately, it only pounded harder when I found myself inches from someone—the woman who had been there during my interrogation.

  “Well, well, Logan,” she said. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Ms. Pratten.” Those words made me freeze in my tracks. I’d already broken out in a nervous sweat in the time it took for me to turn around and face her.

  While I’d expected to see the headmistress standing there, I hadn’t expected to see Hadley, too. My witchy friend gave me a nervous little wave. I tried to smile in return, but it felt more like a grimace.

  “Ms. Rose has brought us the reinforced crystals for the houses. Would you be so kind as to accompany her and give her any help she may need?” the headmistress said. Her hands were clasped easily in front of her, but something in her posture put me on edge. Maybe it was from the fact I’d seen that picture of her from so long ago when she looked hopeful. There had been something in that photo that had made me want to trust her.

  Whatever it was, it was missing now, though. The only thing I wanted to do was bolt with Hadley in tow, which was pretty much what I did.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied, then scooted toward the door, gesturing for my friend to follow.

  The headmistress didn’t say another word, only watched us go.

  “Well, that was intense,” Hadley said once we were in the safety of the courtyard, heading toward the houses. “And here I’d thought my bringing the crystals would be so much easier than her sending someone to collect them. Plus, I wanted to check on you.”

  “Everything is intense here lately,” I admitted. “I am glad you came, though. I need to ask you something.”

  “If it’s about the forest, I haven’t been able to find out anything,” she said glumly. “Aunt Sally didn’t know anything about it. When I asked Bronwyn, I didn’t get much of anything from her, either. The only thing she did tell me was that I shouldn’t be meddling in what wasn’t my business and I should be concentrating on making spells instead.”

  “It’s all right. The question I have is about the forest, but it’s more of a technical question. You mentioned the magic that keeps up the shields is old. Is there any chance there might be a weak spot somewhere we’d be able to push through?”

  “It’s possible, I guess. I don’t know what the magic was like when the shields were put up then, but I can tell you it’s strongest around Imperium from the ground up to twelve feet in the air. It’s still strong farther up, but the magic isn’t nearly as powerful there.” She shook her head. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Claire, but the odds of you finding a chink in the forest’s shield isn’t likely.”

  I sighed. “Thanks, Hadley.”

  Just then, I spotted Blake making his way toward the main house. He spotted us and kept walking, even though we’d both lifted our hands to wave. The look of disgust on his face was unsettling.

  “What’s with him?” Hadley asked. “I thought he’d at least say hello.”

  I shrugged, but made an excuse for him, even though I agreed with her. “Maybe he’s had a bad morning.”

  “Maybe.”

  We made it to Earth House. I pulled my medallion over my head, ready to stick it in the pad beside the door.

  “No, no. You don’t need that,” Hadley said as she headed around the side of the house. She held up an old set of skeleton keys. “We’ll use the service entrance.”

  “How did I never notice this?” I asked, staring at the small door that was partially hidden by the bushes in the dead center of the back of Earth House.

  “It’s spelled so you wouldn’t. Duh,” she joked as she slid the key into the lock and opened it. “Actually, I’m lying. I don’t know how you missed it.” She laughed. “All of them have back entrances that lead up to the room at the top of each house, or so I’ve been told, anyway. I’ve never been inside any of the dorms. Only the main house.”

  As the door swung open, I followed her inside and shut it behind me, then trailed after her as we went up a set of stairs so narrow I had to watch my footing.

  “Geez,” I complained. “Did they build these things between the walls or what?”

  “Actually, I think they did,” Hadley replied. “It’s not that bad, though.”

  “Says the one who is only four foot eleven.” I laughed.

  “Great things come in tiny packages, Claire.”

  When we made it to a small landing, I stopped. There were a few pictures hanging on the wall. They were old and yellowed, curling up at the edges, even in their frames.

  I leaned forward to get a better look, but could only barely make out various bits of each one.

  “Spooky, huh?” Hadley said. “Kinda gives off the vibe of a haunted house.”

  The stairs turned and went up another flight to yet another landing with a few more scattered pictures, then continued up to one last set of steps to a door.

  Twisting the knob, Hadley gave it a push. It opened to Earth House’s attic.

  “Someone lived here once,” she said, her voice a hushed whisper. “Look at this place.”

  From where we were standing, we could see all the way to the front of the house. Several hulking pieces of furniture were hidden beneath old sheets, and there was a layer of dust in the air so thick i
t told me no one had been in this place for a very long time. On the far wall, where the emblem of Earth House would be visible on the outside of the dorm, a green crystal glowed.

  “That’s the one I need to trade out,” Hadley said, leaving footsteps in the dust as she crossed the room. I followed her. While she carefully traded out the crystals, I found my attention drawn to the old books on a shelf nearby.

  “These are the journals of Buford Smith, one of the founders of the university,” I said excitedly as I wiped the dust off the tomes. I looked around a bit more, lifting a few sheets up to peek at the contents beneath. Then I peered at a picture, seeing much more in it than what I’d seen in the ones coming up the stairs. In the center of the picture was the man I’d seen in the photo from the headmistress’ journal. In this photo, he was surrounded by a combination of kids and wolves. “I knew Earth House was dedicated to him, but I think this actually was his house.”

  “I’ll go further than that and bet he oversaw everyone who lived in Earth House,” Hadley said after she finished with her crystals and took a look at the picture. “Wanna bet the other houses are like this too?”

  They were. We went from one to the next to find each of the attics similar to the ones we’d left. Each held a bookcase with journals from each of the founders.

  In Flame House, as Hadley exchanged the final crystal, I confided, “Lacy and I found the headmistress’ journal from back when Imperium was first opened. There was a fifth house—one for the Yokai—but we couldn’t find anything about what happened to it. I really wish it was still here. It would have been nice to be in a place where someone like me lived.”

  Hadley gave me a sympathetic smile. “I understand. I pull out one of my grandmother’s afghans to curl up in, and then flip through her old photo albums when I miss her. I know what it’s like to feel the need to be close to your tribe. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about the Yokai House, but I will tell you I consider you my family, Claire, and I always will. Whenever you need a place to feel like you belong, you’re always welcome at my house.”