by C. A. McHugh
“But from what we could see, there were some beautiful pieces,” Aerrin continued, his voice too carefully modulated to be genuine. “I’ll have to ask him to come to Dromore the next time I’m at court.”
Seroney took great care to mask her emotions. It was obvious that they were lying to her. All she could gather is that the boys were not at the master weaponsmith’s tent, and they were doing something that involved a “lone wolf.”
And obviously, they still didn’t trust her with the truth, which only made her mission more difficult. If she’d known what a pain in the ass these kids were, she would’ve stayed in Oudesta. But more than just her pride was on the line. The Oracle has seen a reason for her to be here in this backwards kingdom, and she reminded herself of that to cool her frustration. She had a mission, a purpose, and she refused to fail.
Chapter 13
The next morning, the results of the challenges were posted in the Great Hall. Every student in the Academy huddled around the scrolls. Some were just hoping to see their name on the “Pass” list, whereas others were more interested in how they’d done compared to the rest of their class. Seroney stood back in a nearby corner, watching the pandemonium and quietly stroking Bhasha.
“It’s quite a mob, isn’t it?” Aerrin was standing by her side, his arms crossed over his chest.
“It is. Why aren’t you up there with the rest of them?”
He shrugged. “I could ask you the same thing. But I guess it’s for the same reason as you. We both know we passed, and neither one of us is too concerned about where we stand in our class.”
“I find that a little hard to believe.”
He shrugged again. “You’re entitled to your own opinion. As for me, I’m a bit wary of crowds. Especially ones like this.”
Leandros emerged from a hole in mob of students and came running up to them, his face flushed. “I passed!” he gasped. “I really passed. Barely, but I passed!”
Seroney smiled and offered her congratulations as Aerrin shook his hand and slapped him on the back. It was good to know Leandros would remain at the Academy, even if it might be only until the next challenge. It made her task easier.
“I promise I’m going to study harder for the next set of challenges!”
“You say that every time,” Aerrin replied, rolling his eyes.
“And I barely pass every time, so I must be doing something right.” Leandros gave them a carefree grin, but pride still glowed in his eyes.
“If you need any help,” Aerrin said, “Seroney’s an awesome teacher. I don’t think I would have made it through these challenges if she hadn’t helped me out.”
She had the good grace to blush at Aerrin’s compliment. “Nonsense. You had it in you the whole time. You just needed someone to help you find it. All I did was sit back and watch you do all the hard work.”
At that moment, Nyssa scurried though the doorway, clutching three of her new books close to her chest. She squealed when she saw the lists and shoved her books into Leandros’s arms before racing to the back of the crowd.
“Wait a minute!” he called after her while struggling to keep the heavy volumes from falling. “What do you expect me to do with all these books?”
She glanced back at him. “Hold them.”
Aerrin strolled over to Nyssa, who was anxiously trying to wedge herself through the rest of the student body and gain a glimpse of her name on the lists. “Why do you even bother to see the lists, Nyssa? You know you’re going to be at the top of the class, as always.”
“And believe me, as long as you keep reminding us, we aren’t likely to forget it,” Leandros added.
Nyssa snapped her head around and scowled at him.
The horde spit out Quinn like the pit of a cherry. He took a moment to smooth his unruly hair before approaching Seroney. Poise, however, was not with him, and he tripped over his large feet, knocking Bhasha out of her arms. The cat leaped for Leandros, causing Nyssa’s books to go flying.
The cat responded with a hiss and pranced out of the Great Hall with both her tail and her nose in the air, muttering all kinds of insults that only Seroney could here.
Quinn’s face rivaled a ripe tomato as he stuttered, “C-congratulations.”
“For what?” she asked, honestly confused.
“For scoring the highest on the fifth-year challenges. You got a perfect score!” He gave her goofy grin, his ears still slightly red, and joined up with his friends waiting by the door.
Guilt tugged at her conscience. She knew she was years beyond her classmates as far as her skill with magic was concerned, so she had a very unfair advantage.
Nyssa had already stopped trying to force her way up to the lists. She blankly stared off into space, completely stunned that Seroney had replaced her at the top of the class.
“Well, well, well,” someone sneered beside them. The disdainful expression on Naisibus’s face matched the tone in his voice. “It seems dirt from the Craigers is not as smart as we thought she was. But don’t worry, Nyssa. I’m sure you’ll fall back to the rung of society where you belong—at the bottom. You should be used to it, after all, considering where you’re from.”
Aerrin looked like he wanted to give Naisibus the tongue lashing he deserved, but Leandros placed his arm on his shoulder. “Allow me.”
Then he delivered a solid right hook squarely on Naisibus’s chin.
The smaller boy was knocked off his feet and skidded across the floor. When he lifted his head, two trails of blood trickled from the corners of his mouth and down his chin. He looked down and began to wail hysterically when he saw the red drops spilling onto his fancy clothes. His wailing continued as he ran out the door, closely followed by three members of his entourage.
Seroney was about to congratulate Leandros for his well-placed punch when Nyssa wordlessly gathered her books from the floor and brushed past them. Tears gathered in the corners of the girl’s eyes, but Seroney knew she was the type who refused to let them fall. At least, not in public. Nyssa moved quickly towards the nearest door, burying her face behind her books.
“I’ll go after her, make sure she’s alright,” Leandros volunteered.
Aerrin nodded and turned back to Seroney, a mix of emotions playing out across his face. “Congratulations,” he said under his breath before rushing to follow Leandros.
Seroney wondered if she should follow too. She remained in the Great Hall, surrounded by the other students. Some came up and congratulated her. But oddly, even though she stood at the center of a crowd, she’d never felt so utterly alone.
Things between the two girls remained strained for the next few days.
Once word spread that Seroney had gotten a perfect score on her challenges—which was apparently a very rare occurrence—she became the new shining star of the school.
And she hated every moment of it.
It was embarrassing having students come up all the time to ask her to perform a spell as though she was some sort of sideshow monkey. Worse, she had to take great care to only perform spells a normal fifth-year human student would know.
She would gladly trade her newfound fame for successfully completing her mission. Once again, she was on the outside, looking in, and feeling like a complete failure for erasing what progress she’d made with Aerrin and his friends.
And all because she’d never considered the consequences of her actions. Even something as simple as getting a perfect score on her challenges—tests that were irrelevant to her—impacted others.
Especially the girl who shared a room with Seroney. Nyssa had had her greatest source of pride taken away from her. Seroney awoke many nights to hear her roommate sniffling in her bed. When she was awake, Nyssa spent most of her time with her nose in a book and made it very clear that she did not want to be disturbed by anyone.
And it was all due to one great big lie.
But Seroney had made a vow to accept this mission and see it through to the end. Too much was riding on her sho
ulders, and her pride refused to allow her to quit and return home with her tail between her legs. She knew the consequences of her failure.
Instead, she doubled up her efforts to keep an eye on Aerrin, to track his every movement until she became his shadow, even when it required means that prevented him from noticing her. Her days fell into a predictable pattern of monotony that strictly adhered to the king’s schedule of classes.
It was during one of those mundane days that she half paid attention to what was being taught in alchemy class. As she listened to Master Philgus list the ingredients of one of the stronger healing potions, she quickly realized that he had the ratios wrong. If the students followed his instructions, they’d end up with a potion that was a tenth of the strength of the properly made recipe. Plus, his version would make the injured person vomit, possibly negating any good the healing potion might provide.
“Excuse me,” she said, interrupting him, “but you have the recipe all wrong.”
Master Philgus curled his upper lip into a snarl. “Excuse me, but I’m the one wearing a master’s robe here, not you.”
“You may have passed your master’s trials, but that doesn’t make you infallible.” She listed off the proper ratio of ingredients, ignoring the way his face turned purple with each correction she made. “And if anyone wishes to verify this, check Pawsley’s Potion Primer, chapter sixteen.”
Which, of course, Nyssa happened to have in her ever-present stack of books. A few flips of the pages later, she nodded. “Seroney’s right. It’s all here.”
At least Nyssa had come to her defense. Perhaps things weren’t as strained as she’d imagined.
“How dare you disrespect me in my own class!” Master Philgus choked on the words, each syllable quivering with ire.
“How dare you teach us incorrect information! If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect you wanted us to cause more harm than good, especially with side effects your recipe would induce.”
“Get out of my class,” Philgus ordered, pointing to the door, “and report to the headmaster, where you’ll be properly reprimanded for your insolence.”
“But not before I give a full report on your incompetence.” She gathered up her books, feeling every inch a Meritis for the first time since she’d arrived in Elgeus. “I have half a mind to start my own little study group and teach some of these kids real alchemy.”
Inky blue magic swirled around his fingers. “Get out!”
“With pleasure.” She traipsed out of the classroom with her head held high, ignoring the whispers that followed her.
But once she rounded the corner, the implications of her actions hit her with full force. She’d just made an enemy of the master mage, and that might jeopardize her mission.
Worse, she might have revealed that she wasn’t exactly what she pretended to be.
But the more she thought about it, the more she acknowledged there was more to the exchange that just calling an idiot out for misinformation. She realized she wanted to teach. She’d grown fond of some the students, even goofy Quinn. She wanted to them to succeed, to pass their master’s trials and become the best mages they could be.
Maybe she’d stumbled upon her calling.
But she couldn’t escape the nagging suspicion that Master Philgus had purposely given the wrong recipe.
***
Seroney’s actions had not gone unnoticed by Aerrin. He looked to Nyssa and then Leandros and sent an unspoken message. They needed to discuss what just happened, preferably in private.
That night, he joined them in the library where Nyssa had a large tome open in front of her. Leandros sneezed from the rising dust with every page she turned. Finding what she was looking for, she leaned closer to read the faded writing, her finger following along on the yellowed page.
“I’m glad none of us followed Master Philgus’s instructions,” she murmured. “Seroney was right about the side effects.”
Leandros sneezed again and waved dust particles away from his face. “I swear I have an allergy to books. So, what are the side effects?”
“Intractable vomiting.”
Leandros winced. “That’s horrible. Let me heal your stab wound. And oh, by the way, here’s a bucket for all the puking you’ll do after I save your life.”
Aerrin leaned closer. “But why would he do that?”
“Maybe because he’s as incompetent as Seroney suggested. It’s not the first time I noticed he’s strayed from the potion primer. It would be interesting to know if it was intentional or accidental.”
Both Nyssa and Aerrin focused in on Leandros, who immediately backed away with his hands raised defensively in front of him. “Don’t look at me. I know nothing. I had nothing to do with any of it. I’m innocent, I tell you.”
“Of course we know you had nothing to do with it.” Nyssa flipped through the pages in annoyance, sending Leandros into another sneezing fit. “We were just wondering if perhaps you were able to read any of his thoughts during class.”
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his nose, stuffing it back into his pocket before replying. “I may have the ability to read minds, but it’s not like the thoughts just pop into my head. I have to concentrate really hard on them, and even then, I have trouble with some people. For example, I’ve never been able to read Master Binnius’s thoughts.”
“Didn’t you at least try to read Philgus’s thoughts? Or Seroney’s?” Aerrin clung to the hope that someone could figure her out.
“No. I mean, I was watching the whole thing, but I was paying more attention to Seroney than him. And I was watching her, not reading her mind. She didn’t even flinch when he threatened her.”
“Which means she’s either arrogant or knows more than the rest of us. And if it’s the latter, then why doesn’t she apprentice herself to one of the masters and leave our class?” Nyssa slammed the book, causing Leandros to sneeze several more times from the flurry of it stirred up. She returned the book to shelf and leaned against the table. “Any more ideas, Aerrin?”
He shook his head, even though something in his gut told him that this was connected to his other suspicions about her. There were too many things that didn’t add up. Her sudden appearance. Her knowledge of spells and poisons. She didn’t seem to be a normal student. What if she was one of the Raven Bringer’s apprentices? Worse, what if she was the one who was looking for those components Raimel warned him about?
“Did you ever have a chance to check her aura?”
Nyssa nodded. “I finally did the other night while she was sleeping and that blasted cat of hers was out roaming the hallways.”
“Was it blue or red?” Leandros asked, finally without sniffing.
“Blue, you moron. If it were red, she wouldn’t still be in this school.” She paused for a moment. “Although, there seemed to be bits of green and purple mixed in. And the aura was particularly strong around that pendant she never takes off.”
“Green and purple?” Aerrin’s puzzlement deepened. He only knew of three types of magical auras—blue, black, and red. He looked at Nyssa, who shook her head, indicating she was as lost as he was.
“I’ve never heard of a green or purple aura, either. I’ll have to do some more reading, obviously. At least it wasn’t red or black. Whatever she is, she’s not a necromancer, and I don’t think she’s in league with the Raven Bringer.”
“Shh!” Leandros glanced around the room to see if anyone overheard her. “Do you want to start a panic?”
“Over a simple name?”
“Stop bickering, you two.” Aerrin rose from the table and raked his fingers through his hair. “The fact remains we don’t know enough about her to make all of this fit together. And remember, you don’t have to be a necromancer to harm someone. Or be a spy for someone.”
“Are you sure you aren’t being a bit overly paranoid about her?” Leandros’s brows notched together in concern.
“I have to be cautious. Even if she’s not involved with him, there are
others that would like to see me dead purely for political reasons.”
Leandros nodded and then suddenly grinned. “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about your uncle wanting you dead. He’s made it very clear that he’s counting the days until you’re able to take over your royal duties and he’s free from his job as the Prince Regent.” Nyssa opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “And before you ask why I mentioned that, let me say that if we’re going to be forming a list of people who would like to see Aerrin dead, I thought we might as well make a list of people who would like to see him alive and would, therefore, not be suspects.”
“Your point is well taken. I seriously doubt Altos would want to do anything to harm me.” Aerrin was glad to have one more person he could trust in Dromore, but it didn’t ease his problems here. “It’s time we found out who Seroney is. Nyssa, you’re her roommate. See if you can find out more about her family.”
“We’re barely speaking.”
“Then do some research on Azheckborn’s poison and weird-colored auras. I’ve never heard of either before meeting her.”
Once she nodded, he turned to his other best friend. “Leandros, see if you can read her thoughts, especially when she’s alone. Perhaps we can discover something about her to determine if she’s a friend or enemy.”
Nyssa darted around the corner toward another aisle of shelves, but Leandros leaned back in his chair, propped his feet on the table, and crossed his arms. “And what are you going to be doing?”
“Keeping an eye on her. Helping Nyssa with the reading. I might even risk sending a letter to the Lone Wolf if we don’t get any answers soon.”
“You think it’s that serious? She’s just a girl.”
“You heard what they’ve discovered. He and Raimel have a certain knack for finding out about things before anyone else. But at the same time, I don’t want to distract them from their real mission if there’s something we can easily find out on our own.”
Leandros kicked his feet off the table and stood. “I just want to make sure we aren’t making this any more difficult than it has to be. I mean, it could be anyone at this school, and if you want to know my top suspects, I could give you a dozen names, none of which are hers. Naisibus Kalmoon, for example.”