by C. A. McHugh
The corners of her mouth twitched. Then the laughter she was trying so hard to contain burst out. “Who was he, anyway?” she asked.
“That’s Naisibus Kalmoon,” Leandros said, mimicking the boy’s nasally voice. “He’s the nephew of the Duke of Sauvengy and acts like he’s better than most of the students here because of that.”
Seroney wrinkled her brow. “I don’t see how a remote relation would grant him such a sense of entitlement.”
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten the history between the royal family and the duchy of Sauvengy.”
Leandros opened his mouth to continue, but Aerrin jabbed his friend in the ribs to silence him. Of course, part of that history included the fact that a civil war had erupted in the kingdom because Aerrin’s father had fallen in love with the young wife of the Duke of Sauvengy—the woman who would eventually become queen, after King Brendon killed the former duke on the battlefield. The civil war was too fresh, too recent for the kingdom’s citizens to forget about it. Its end should’ve bought peace and prosperity back to the kingdom, but instead, it marked the beginning of the Raven Bringer’s reign of terror. But for Seroney not to understand the animosity between the ruling family and Sauvengy seemed odd.
A dozen older students filed in from their challenges, and the common room filled with the sounds of lively chatter and celebration, ending the conversation. Quinn, a gawky seventh year who was Leandros’s cousin, approached Seroney and whispered something in her ear. She nodded, and his ears grew red. When he returned to his group of friends, there was loud cheering from the boys in the group, and several gave him a congratulatory slap on the back.
Nyssa watched the exchange with obvious curiosity. “What was that all about?”
“Oh, nothing really,” Seroney nonchalantly replied as she closed her book and rose from her chair. “Some of the seventh year students are celebrating the lunar eclipse with a small bonfire tonight, and Quinn invited me to join them. I said I might come if I wasn’t too tired.”
“There’s a lunar eclipse tonight?” Nyssa asked. “How could I forget about something like that?”
“How could I have not heard about the bonfire?” Leandros wedged his way into the group of seventh years and joked around with his cousin, attempting to secure his own invitation to the bonfire as well.
While he had the chance, Aerrin pulled Seroney aside. “I wanted to thank you again for helping me with the spell. I really appreciate it. It came in handy with the dragon challenge.”
“You’re welcome, Aerrin.” Seroney started to leave, but he cut in front of her.
Now that the challenges where behind him, he could focus on trying to figure her out. Ceryst’s advice rang in his ears. “We—Nyssa, Leandros, and I—are going into Gentilmead tomorrow to celebrate the end of the challenges and see what’s happening in the market. Would you like to join us?”
He didn’t miss the confused look Nyssa gave him, but he was too focused on gaging Seroney’s reaction to acknowledge it.
An unreadable expression flickered across her face. He couldn’t tell if she welcomed or regretted his invitation. “Of course,” she finally replied.
She didn’t say no, which eased some of the tension knotting his gut. Perhaps she was still hiding something, but once he gained her trust, there was a better chance he could coax her secrets from her.
And if nothing else, he could learn how to make Naisibus bray like an ass the next time the duke’s nephew insulted his friends.
But before he could ask her any more questions, Leandros returned, his expression a disappointed pout. “Quinn said I couldn’t come because it was a party for seventh years and their guests. He’s my cousin. You’d think he’d invite me.” He shook his head and slumped down in the chair Seroney had occupied. “Seventh years get to have all the fun. I can’t wait until I reach that point.”
“As if you have a chance, the way you’re going,” Nyssa muttered under her breath. “Besides, neither Aerrin nor I were invited. You’d think they’d have the propriety to invite the king.”
“I’m not the king here, Nyssa. I’ve made it very clear that I’m just another student.”
“But still, she has a point, Aerrin. They should invite you. And while they’re at it, they should invite me and Nyssa as well since we’re your best friends.” A hopeful look flickered across Leandros’s face as he waited for his reply.
“I’m not going to abuse my power just to get us an invitation to a bonfire. Besides, we can have our own little party up on one of the towers and observe the lunar eclipse without the firelight getting in our way.”
Nyssa grinned and nodded eagerly at the idea. “And I can see if I can procure some of those lemon tarts you love so much.”
“And then there’s always the Gentilmead market tomorrow,” Seroney added.
Leandros perked up. “You are coming with us?”
Seroney nodded.
“Good, because I heard there’s a hot new barmaid—”
Aerrin clamped his hand over his friend’s mouth. “Don’t give away all our secrets,” he scolded. “We have to have some sense of decorum.”
“Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear about it.” Nyssa linked her arm with Seroney’s and led her towards their room. “I’ll leave you two delinquents to your trouble making. Seroney and I have much better things to do.”
Once the girls left the common room, Leandros pulled various scraps of paper from his pockets and began working on his best lines. But Aerrin’s mind was only halfway engaged with his friend’s desire to grab the attention of the ladies. The other half recalled his frustration with the secrets everyone was keeping from him, and he began to wonder if his best friends sensed the same in him. He’d worked so hard to keep the news of the Raven Bringer’s return quiet. But if he wanted to have any hope of defeating him, he needed allies.
People he could trust.
People like Nyssa and Leandros.
They needed to know. And tonight would be perfect opportunity to tell them, especially if there was any truth to what the Raven Bringer had revealed.
Leandros snapped his fingers in front of his face. “Aerrin, are you even listening?”
“I—” He glanced around the room, wondering if the Raven Bringer’s spies were there, then rubbed his forehead to clear the thought from his mind. These were all students. None of them would be a threat to him.
Unless they had a knowledge of, say, poisons.
“I got sidetracked for a moment.”
Leandros studied him with slightly narrowed eyes. “Spill it.”
“I will. Later, though.”
“Later?”
Aerrin glanced around the room one more time. “This is…” He searched for the right word, finally settling on, “Important.”
His best friend leaned back with one raised brow. Then his gaze slid toward the hallway the girls had taken. “Does this have to do with your ‘study sessions’ with Seroney?”
He winced at the innuendo the question contained. “How did you—”
“Oh, please. You’re the king. If you so much as sneeze, the whole school knows about it.”
“It’s not what you think.” He pressed his lips together to signal that he refused to elaborate any further until they were alone.
Leandros nodded and went back to plotting his next conquest with the ladies.
It wasn’t until night had fallen and he was sitting with his friends on one of the Academy’s open turrets that he finally felt safe revealing the truth. Despite the crisp fall nights the rest of the kingdom was experiencing, the evening air in Arcana remained warm and scented with spring flowers. Such was the enchantments on this part of the kingdom, a remnant from the homeland his ancestors had come from.
He breathed in the night and waited until after the moon had started to darken, haloed red by the eclipse. He hoped the red wasn’t an ill omen for what he needed to explain to his friends. “I have something to share with you, but I need you to promise
not to let this get out to anyone.”
Leandros rubbed his hands together. “Finally. I’ve been waiting to hear all the juicy details between you and Seroney.”
“What?” Nyssa paused with a lemon tart inches from her mouth. “I didn’t know there was something going on between you two.”
“That’s because there isn’t. She was just helping me prepare for the challenges.”
Leandros snickered and bumped Nyssa with his shoulder. “Like we believe that.”
“Shut up!” Nyssa shoved Leandros back hard enough to knock him over. “Seroney’s my roommate, and I know for a fact she has no interest in any of the guys here.”
A momentary pout flickered across Leandros’s face.
Aerrin refocused on the news he was about to drop on his friends. “Seroney may or may not have something to do with what I’m about to tell you, but I’d feel much better knowing I have your promises to keep this a secret.”
His best friends exchanged glances before each nodding in turn.
Aerrin glanced back at the eclipsing moon as he gathered his courage. A swarm of what appeared to be ravens passed in front of it, their caws driving icy fear into his heart. According to the Raven Bringer, his servants were closer than any of them imagined.
But how close? Were they here within the walls of the Academy?
He shivered and turned back to his friends. “It’s about the Raven Bringer.”
Nyssa turned as white as a ghost, and Leandros gulped. Such was the power the name held over them, even though neither of them had any memory of the man.
“He’s back.”
“B-b-but how?” Leandros stuttered. “He’s dead. Your uncle killed him.”
Aerrin shook his head. “No, the Raven Bringer was behind that assassination attempt a few months ago. The weekly reports of demon sightings that I’ve been getting only seem to confirm his return.”
Concern overcame the fear on Nyssa’s face. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“Because…” He could’ve given the same reason Master Binnius asserted—that chaos would erupt through the kingdom if word got out—but these were his best friends, and if he couldn’t be honest with them, then he couldn’t be honest with anyone. “Because part of me didn’t want to want to acknowledge the news. If I did, then it would become my responsibility to defeat him, and I’m so scared I’ll fail, just my like father.”
Aerrin turned to Leandros and saw the same doubt in his friend. Leandros’s father might have been a minor noble before the civil war, but he’d earned the title of earl by being a valiant general, playing an instrumental role in the defeat of Sauvegny’s forces. Yet neither one of their fathers could stop the Raven Bringer.
Nyssa placed a hand on his shoulder. “But this is different, and you know it. Master Binnius will know how to defeat him this time.”
Aerrin shook his head. “No, the only person who had any success in defeating the Raven Bringer was my uncle Rythis, and he’s dead, too.”
“But he proved that the Raven Bringer had a weakness.”
Aerrin welcomed Nyssa’s calm intellect. Bit by bit, her reasoned arguments soothed the irrational fear that seemed to choke him. He managed to take a deep breath and shake the last bit of it off. “You’re right, Nyssa. He has a weakness. And everything I’ve seen and heard so far indicates he’s still weak.”
“Which means we have a better chance of cutting off the dragon’s head before he sets the whole village on fire,” Leandros added. He gave Aerrin a goofy smile. “What? I had to include a dragon reference after the challenges today, right?”
Despite the gravity of the conversation, Aerrin found himself laughing. “What kind did you get?”
“A Volcanus.” Leandros wiped his brow as though he were still battling the dragon that spewed magma instead of flames. “You?”
“A Ferrous Verro.”
“Ooh, harsh!”
Nyssa snapped her fingers. “Focus, boys. Aerrin’s news is far more important than some conjured representation of a dragon.” She focused on Aerrin. “What can we do to help?”
“I’d feel a lot better if I knew how to vanquish a demon.”
“On it.” Nyssa pulled out a slip of paper and whispered a spell that added the task to her to-do list. “Anything else?”
“And I suppose I could brush up on my sword skills.”
“You’re in luck because I happen to be the best swordsman in the school.” Leandros’s boast earned a snort of disdain from Nyssa.
Aerrin explained, “We’ve learned that he’s recruited apprentices and is positioning them in places where they could get to me.”
Both is his friends snapped their attention to him.
“You don’t think he’s planted any here, do you?” Nyssa asked.
“I’m trying to believe that we’re safe here, but I have no choice but to assume the worst.”
Leandros face twisted in a brief scowl, and he shook his head. “Master Binnius wouldn’t let something like that happen. He probably has the place completely demon-proofed.”
“Maybe, but what if the apprentice isn’t a demon. What if she is just like us?”
“She?” Leandros leaned forward and lowered his voice. “You think there’s a girl here working for him?”
Nyssa gasped. “Seroney?”
Once again, just knowing he wasn’t alone in his suspicions eased some of his fears. “Possibly.”
Leandros rolled his eyes. “Enough already. I know Nyssa might have it out for Seroney because she’s more talented, but I expected better from you, Aerrin.”
Nyssa stiffened with outrage. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“As if that wasn’t explanation enough.” Leandros dismissed her and scooted closer to Aerrin. “Why would she have gone through the trouble of helping you master that spell if she truly was working for the Raven Bringer? I mean, she had the perfect opportunity to kill you—multiple opportunities.”
“True, but we all agree there’s something off about her. There are too many things that don’t add up. Does anyone here know her family name? Or where she’s from?” When both of them shook their heads, he continued to list the evidence. “And there’s that strange cat of hers. I’d bet money it’s more than just a simple cat.”
“Are you suggesting that Bhasha’s a familiar?” Instead of appearing frightened at the notion, Nyssa’s eyes lit up with interest.
“Have you ever come across a cat that could magically open doors?” Aerrin wondered how Nyssa hadn’t questioned this before. “Seroney also knows spells they wouldn’t dare teach us here—things like ghost walking. And when someone working with us was poisoned, Master Binnius sought her out for the antidote because she apparently is some sort of poison expert.”
“Working to fight the Raven Bringer?” Nyssa asked. “Who? Does this person suspect her too?”
“Are you listening to yourself?” Leandros grabbed his shoulder and shook him. “Master Binnius sought her out to help. If he even had the slightest notion that she was up to something shady, don’t you think he would’ve expelled her by now instead of coming to her for advice?”
Nyssa gave him a rueful grimace. “As much as I hate to admit it, Leandros has a point there, but so do you. I’ve listened in on some of her conversations with the seventh-year students, and she appears to know as much as a master mage.”
“If you want to make sure she isn’t some evil mage, just check her aura.” Leandros leaned back on his elbows. “With a simple spell, you’d be able to tell if she’s cast any dark magic, and you’re done.”
“And what if I detect any black or red in her aura?” Aerrin countered.
“Then you have your answer.”
“Not to mention losing any element of surprise we’d have over her.” A simple aura spell would reveal to Aerrin if her spell history included any death or demonic magics, but she’d also know someone had cast the spell on her. The glow of a magical aura was hard to miss. And then she mig
ht retaliate.
But if she was innocent…
“We could check her aura when she’s asleep,” Leandros suggested.
“That’s not a bad idea.” Aerrin sent a silent plea to Nyssa.
Nyssa rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll give it a try, but only when I’m sure that cat of hers isn’t around.”
“In the meantime, I invited her to join us in Gentilmead so we maybe can get a few answers from her.” Aerrin reached for one of the lemon tarts Nyssa had brought with her. “And if I happen to slip a little truth serum into her wine, all the better.”
“That’s crossing the line,” Nyssa argued, plucking the tart from him.
“Why? Just a moment ago, her name popped into your mind as your first suspect for being one of the Raven Bringer’s spies.”
“Yes, but a truth serum?” Nyssa chewed on her bottom lip and didn’t even stop Leandros when he snatched the tart from her hand.
As much as he hated to admit it, it was an underhanded plan that lacked any hint of nobility. But at the same time, it was something he was willing to do if it meant stopping the Raven Bringer. Before he could try to convince Nyssa that this was the best plan, a slip of paper appeared out of thin air and fluttered to the floor. His heart skipped a few beats. The last time that happened, Ceryst had been bleeding to death after an encounter with a group of demons.
He looked to his friends, daring one of them to pick it up, but when neither of them reach for it, he lifted the scrap up and turned it over to read the rough message scrawled in normal ink.
Need to talk to you. Will find you in the village tomorrow. LW.
“Change of plans for tomorrow,” he said, rereading the message once again. “This is from the man who was poisoned.” Something had to be very wrong for Ceryst to risk meeting him in Gentilmead, and that took precedence over interrogating Seroney.
And part of him was almost relieved to delay his plan another day.
Chapter 12
When it came time for the four of them to leave for Gentilmead, Seroney was in high spirits like most of the students, but for a very different reason. They were celebrating passing the challenges. She was celebrating her acceptance into the king’s tight-knit group.