Vesalius’ eyes lost focus, he moved his gaze to the levitating scrambler. We stayed like this for a long minute, until silence itched like Brazilian ants’ bites.
“So? Are you on board or not?”
“Of course I am,” Vesalius replied offhandedly. Something was not right. I squinted at the Dragon Soldier who was near the entrance. I’m becoming paranoid.
“Okay, but?” I prompted him to speak.
When his gaze fell on me I realized what was going on. Vesalius Black didn’t trust me.
“Challenging Fargo makes zero sense. He’d never accept my challenge nor anyone of my level of power. You on the other hand… I don’t even know how strong you are. Anyway, challenge someone like him and he’ll find a way to make you pay for it. Official ways are a waste of time. He did nothing wrong and so there is nothing against him.”
“What’s the third option?” Because it was where his monologue has been leading me.
“People like Tristran Fargo thrive on their reputation. They do everything to keep it intact and better from others. He’ll do anything to be perceived as superior. This is his weak spot.”
Okay. That was a good starting point. We were going to stab the bastard in the back, something I despised. But if this was what it’d take to save my stupid older friend, I was ready for such sacrifice.
“What’s the plan, then?”
Vesalius has tapped his thin lips with his finger. He gave a vibe of a thinker, which I didn’t buy. He maybe was a fairy like Ignelion, but not some Socrates from the ages long forgotten – yes, I’ve recently been learning about Ancient Greeks.
“We tarnish his reputation, but there is a tiny problem. Only the closest of his followers know his weak points. We must kidnap one of them and ask a few questions. Unfortunately, with all that military presence and runes at every corridor. It may be a bit hard. I need to speak to Oceania—”
“Wait,” I cut in. “Wait. Before you involve her, I have a better plan.”
Sounds from the other side of the common room drew our attention. The two dragon students frustrated with their board game stood up. They weren’t the first-years. Too much of their rage was gone. I’d be pissed off. They merely packed the game and left.
Chapter 16
The Academy had a common canteen where students from different Houses could meet. For over a half a year I’ve had no idea. And now, standing before the enormous chamber I understood why. Almost no dragon or unicorn students were around. Ninety percent of tables were packed with supernaturals, fairies, and elementals.
Vesalius Black planned to come here to meet Rust. We wanted to keep it all in secret from Simona. She was the rational girl, but I feared that her contest with Fargo escaped boundaries of common sense.
For the first time, I saw Vesalius in the proper academic uniform. Black pants and, a white shirt and a crimson tie. He approached from my left.
“Oceania finishes her class in thirty minutes. We have to be done with it by the time.”
“What about Simona?” I asked.
The black-haired Fairy smoothed his tie. “Why should I know?” He might pretend to not be interested, but his eyes have flashed each time our conversation involved Simona. I fisted his arm, softy, and it was a surprisingly tough arm.
“Let’s find a spot and wait for Rust.”
Meeting after the classes posed too many problems. Houses forbade entrance after 6 pm. And of course, Simona would follow Rust anywhere. We couldn’t meet him on his own.
Some heads turned. Most ignored us. It was a good sign. I’d rather keep my presence here unknown. Fargo wasn’t the only supernatural who despised dragons. It seemed that the entire Academy saw the worst in us. I was not going to gripe because of that. In fact, I couldn’t care less.
I spotted a free table far to the right, near desserts that looked appetizing. Dragons had their own canteen and still, most of them chose to order food to their rooms. Were the other powers not allowed this?
We zigzagged between the tables and students who thought they can push their chairs as far from the tables as they wanted. As we meandered toward the empty table, my rage slowly trickled back. It made me happy, but I wished to smash someone’s face.
One of the chairs scraped the floor in front of me barring us a passage.
“Where do you think you’re going?” A blonde asked, not looking up.
Okay, I boiled by this point.
“It’s not your business, bud,” said Vesalius from behind.
“Everything to my left is my business. And I’m not your bud. That part of the canteen is off the limit for you.”
I sensed his elemental flavor. He was weaker than Vesalius Black, but he wasn’t alone. At least twenty other students glared at us. Cut and the material of their uniform were identical and they all had a tiny emblem on the left shoulder. The blonde in front of me sat with his right side to me and so I didn’t see it.
“Tell me your name and I’ll deal with you later, now get the fuck out of my way,” I snapped which was the dumbest shit I’ve ever done. Right now, every single head in the canteen, approximately three hundred students, swiveled in our direction.
“Nice one,” Vesalius noted behind me. Not sure if that was a compliment or not, I shrugged it off and focused on the bully in front of me.
“You must be new,” the blonde said. “That red emblem on our left shoulder means we belong to Red Mark.”
It was the moment Vesalius decided to step in and salvage the situation. In time because my fist itched to meet with the blonde’s self-satisfied face.
“Kirman, I didn’t know you have become a leader of Red Mark. Who’d guess? I remember you running around in nappies and now look at you!” He directed his speech to the people sitting around, though everyone in the canteen could hear him with the use of simple spells.
Kirman whirled on his seat, then jumped to his feet. He was taller than me and so his cold blue eyes glared over me at Vesalius. It took a titanic effort to not punch this asshole in the guts.
“Say it again, Black,” Kirman hissed under his crooked nose. Kirman definitely wasn’t candy for an eye. “All I remember is a fucking pussy that had had no guts to do what needed to be done.” His last words were so quiet I had to strain my ears to hear him.
Okay, this pushed me over the cliff and I shoved Kirman. I didn’t mean to do that. Just rage took a hold of me for a moment. Kirman had his chair behind him and so he fell flat on his back. Too many laughs exploded throughout the canteen for Kirman to let it pass. A sequence of faint runes came to life a split of a second before a blade made of sand shot toward me. The runes flared turning the sand into a smoke.
Kirman was on his feet. His ugly face enraged. I felt a tug. And instinctively elbowed the person who did it. Luckily, Rust knew my movements and he ducked it.
“Shit, sorry, Rust,” I said as Vesalius took my place. “We were trying to get an empty table when this happened…”
I sensed a lot of different energies rise at the same time. Red Mark’s boys and girls were getting ready. But we were in the Academy. The runes, the behavior points, the Dragon Soldiers. Oh, shit. I lost the soldier who had been posted to keep an eye on me. Now, I needed him.
Slowly, the entire canteen came to life. Elementals, fairies and supernatural, among them witches, shapeshifters and even some vampires. Unicorns present in the room remained stoic and calm. Strangely, I sensed them among the chaos of power.
“It’s bad,” Rust whispered. Everyone around us stood up.
“We’re in the middle of the Academy,” noted Vesalius, echoing my words. “If we fight here, our behavior points will plummet to zero. From Red Mark to the Slacker.” Exactly.
Kirman’s smiled. An ugly grin I immediately wanted to wipe out of my mind.
“Please, spare me. I have three hundred witnesses who will testify that
you attacked me, I defended myself, a spell backfired… eh, well,” said Kirman then added softly. “Do you think this is an accident?” I froze. As I slowly turned, I saw satisfaction in his eyes. They watched me.
This was impossible. It meant Vesalius Black betrayed me? He came up with the idea to meet here. I blinked, little panicked, three hundred students. Shit. Even if Vesalius was one… but I couldn’t rely on him anymore.
The black-haired fairy covered me.
“Your problem is with me Kirman.”
“Maybe.”
Rust’s grip on my wrist tightened and he pulled me away from Vesalius. “It’s looking ugly.” I agreed.
Immediately, a group of assholes and bitches blocked our way. Their neat row showed a surprising discipline. I snarled at them.
Rust tapped my forearm telling me to stand down. At the moment the entire place was in a standoff, but one spark and tempest would erupt here.
“This is a chance, Rust,” I whispered.
He frowned, naturally not understanding what I meant.
“I need you to join Fargo and his band and learn about his weaknesses before Simona picks a fight with him.”
The point was driven home and Rust sagged a little. Gaining an enemy’s trust wasn’t easy. It required sacrifice. I had a plan, it was risky, true, but there was no other way to defeat Fargo.
“Joining them…” Rust’s voice trailed off.
“…as much as I hate you, Black, I have a deal to make. Now move away from the girl.”
Light flashed, my ears started to ring. Over the cacophony of discharged spells, I heard screams. Someone’s strong arms grabbed me and effortlessly lifted. All around me, chaos erupted. Everyone fought each other, why? I thought everyone was on Kirman’s side. Rage returned and I planned to slam my fire against the kidnapper when a gargantuan force hit us. I fell on the floor. Hard tiles cracked against my elbows and knees. It hurt like fuck. I wasn’t the only groaning person in the canteen.
As my head lifted, only ringing in my ears remained, and I noticed one more thing. I was wet. Everyone was.
Familiar elemental power.
At the entrance stood Watermane… and Oceania. Watermane wore her usual bronze armor, while Oceania’s clothes didn’t look much different from mine.
“Fighting in the Academy? Tampering with runes?” Watermane said with ardor in her gray eyes. “Everyone in this room is suspended.”
Oceania’s gaze found me but at the same time my kidnapper sprung to his feet, his academic uniform blurred, then the illusion fell off. I managed to gasp before his foot connected with my face.
Whoever was he, shaving and washing haven’t been his things. His long brown hair and beard were greasy, his face dirty. And the smell. I gagged even as I fell on my back.
Rage awoke power in me, but before I could use it, again, a sphere of water materialized around the man’s head. He clawed his long filthy fingers at it, but the water remained water. As he struggled, streaks of black water slowly reached the floor creating a dark puddles
She’s going to kill him. She’s… No one made a move to stop Watermane. Eventually, the man stopped fighting and a second later didn’t even twitch. The soiled water sphere dropped along his body.
“You have more luck than you think,” said Oceania from my left. Her usual blue color of hair turned into something that resembled denim. “A rabid werewolf on the Academy’s ground.”
“Why did she kill him?”
“He isn’t dead. Wild werewolves like this one are difficult to kill. If he got out and bit you, his poison would incapacitate your body in a matter of seconds.”
Shock gradually passed away. Faculty staff appeared to take note of every student.
Vesalius and Rust joined us. Oceania gave us three a dark look, then she pulled us away from the main gathering.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed with you, Flare. You don’t trust which I understand,” then her gaze moved onto Vesalius Black. “You, on the other hand, are selfish and stupid.”
“How did you know?” Vesalius asked.
Oceania turned away. She was a stubborn and tough bitch. Like me. It would take her time… never mind.
“Rosa,” Oceania answered. “Her contact said that Red Mark and Children of Entropy made a bet over killing her.”
Oceania pointed at me.
I shivered. “Children of Entropy. Those who want the end of dragons?”
“We have some evidence that Tristran Fargo is linked to them.”
A tug. I squinted at Rust who nodded toward the tables occupied by Red Mark. They were empty now. Not a single bastard with a red emblem in sight.
“Kirman!”
“Red Marks are gone. They must have been ready for this.” But Kirman was an elemental. How would that look like if he was charged with a murder attempt? Instead, there was a handy werewolf. Did Watermane tip him off?
“I knew she couldn’t be trusted,” I said when Oceania returned to Watermane. The water bitch didn’t even glance my way.
“I don’t like it,” Vesalius said. “Only three of us knew about the meeting.”
“Us and our personal assistants,” I chipped in. “Could someone get information from them?”
A murmur spread in waves. Then I saw what everyone else noticed. Nix with a group of the Dragon Soldiers, Lotian and that dragoness bitch Issa Verax. What was she doing here? This canteen was a shared ground.
“It’s possible,” Vesalius Black noted before Lotian reached us.
“Flare!” the demi-dragon’s embrace almost cracked my bones. He lifted me up ignoring shocked gazes. One that was going to follow me for the rest of my days, was Oceania’s. She looked hurt despite all her tough talk and posturing. Was she in love with Lotian, and was there really nothing between them? “Are you okay?”
You’re going to break my bones, I told him in my mind because I barely could breathe.
Immediately, Lotian released me. I turned to check on Oceania, but she was gone. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you have him.
“Yes,” I answered despite a pulsing pain in my face. The werewolf’s kick was quite strong.
“I’ll do my best,” Rust whispered to me. “I’ll leave a note in the room where I told you about Simona and Tristran Fargo.” His words were like a breeze, delicate and soft. Not a chance that Vesalius or even Lotian could hear them despite standing next to me. It was a clear message. Vesalius couldn’t be trusted nor our personal assistants.
Nix’s soldiers put metal cuffs on the werewolf’s wrists and a spell lifted him up. Suspended in the air, he was taken away. I wondered if Nix would check on me. There were many witnesses here after all. His own soldiers. Rumors traveled very quickly.
Nix defied his own rules and touched my shoulder. “That bruise on your face…” he pulled a thin silver wrapping from underneath his red-gold armor. There was no logic to the color scheme here.
“It’s a salve that will get rid of it.”
He handed it to me and followed his soldiers.
In the middle of our conversation, Rust slipped away. His talents allowed him to shrug off most of the sorcery. Whatever enchantment or spell was put in place to keep all the students within the canteen, it wouldn’t work on Rust. Plus, he has always stayed in the background. He was easy to forget, exactly as he liked. I hope Simona will understand us. I don’t want to lose her over such stupidity.
Eventually, our turn came to write down our names.
“Flare,” Waterman said, her lips made a garrot-like line. “You’re always in the middle of something. I hope this Academy will make an exception and return you to the wildness where you belong.”
I felt the heat from Lotian’s hand on my waist. This entire situation put me on edge so it was only natural for me to lose it, too.
“Why don’t you ask about Kirm
an and his red band?”
Behind me, Vesalius twitched. As strong as he was, Waterman was on another level. It was strange that people like Ignelion or the water bitch were not referred to as demi-this, demi-that. I would ask her if my guts weren’t turning into the core of a volcano.
“Take her from my eyes,” she growled.
“I haven’t forgotten that you tried to kill me.”
I shouldn’t say that. Some of the faculty members paused, others exchanged glances. Lotian instinctively put his body between me and Watermane.
“We’re leaving.” I let him lead me out of the canteen, thinking of our primary goal. Did it actually work? My plan was to plant Rust into Fargo’s ranks, so he could find out about Fargo’s weaknesses, then return to me and use it against Fargo. Simple and elegant and it didn’t really require the involvement of Vesalius. I made a mistake of asking him to help. I should know better.
Chapter 17
Lotian brought me to my room where another Dragon Soldier awaited.
“Where is the one who supposed to follow you?”
“I found a way to lose him.”
“Flare!” Rebecca joined the conversation. “I’ve just heard about the incident. The Heads are going to meet to discuss it.”
The Heads could go fuck themselves.
“It’s impossible to lose him,” Lotian noted. He dropped on the sofa. It groaned under his weight. The entire furniture in the room was a standard issue. When I’d first arrived here, it’d seemed like riches, but after a mere six months, I couldn’t appreciate the beauty of it, because it had none. Colors, shapes and quality of the materials were poor. One could say how weird it was. In the age where anything could be conjured, why accept subpar choices? This probably has been caused by economics and politics. I gave up on delving any deeper into that subject.
In the room, that for some couldn’t function as a wardrobe or a toilet, and yet for the most it was more than they could have, I felt almost at home. Lotian smiled at me from the sofa. I didn’t know if the incident with Elleria and the Dual Mind spell had caused it, but I’ve started to exhibit the natural aptitude toward keeping my mind from leaking thoughts. It hasn’t worked every time, but often. With Rebecca, it was a little different, though if I truly concentrated I could shield my thoughts to some degree. Now, with Lotian we didn’t need this. I smoothed the rage that still prowled inside me and said in my head.
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