by N. M. Howell
They continued walking and Andie contemplated what he said. She knew it to be false, but she pretended to go along with it.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“When I found you down there, you said something about voices, like there were other people down there, but that was impossible. The archive has a register for all visitors and there were no names on it that day.”
“You remember the exact page from the register from that specific day weeks ago?”
“Yeah.”
His voice had changed. He was on to her, just like she was on to him. She didn’t know if he wanted her to stop prodding for her own sake or for his. He sighed a little and spoke gently again.
“You didn’t hear anything, Andie. It was just your imagination.”
He seemed so genuine that for a moment she wondered if she truly had imagined it all. Like Raesh and Carmen had said, she was under a lot of pressure that day and the archives did have a weird vibe to them. Could she be crazy? Maybe what her professor had been saying about the dragonborn was right: maybe there was something wrong with their blood.
That thought hurt her, though, that she was like them and they may have been a demented and terrible race. If it were true, it meant she had inherited a broken mind and her entire life was futile. Maybe she really was losing it.
When they reached the offices, Andie waited in one of the empty ones while Tarven got his things. While she was leaning against the wall, she noticed a cabinet with names. Out of simple curiosity, she leaned over to take a closer look and nearly fell over when she noticed her own name. She reached out to take the file and saw that her father’s name was behind hers. Now totally obsessed, she snatched both folders from the cabinet and opened them.
“What the hell?” Her voice came out a whisper, but it echoed in the room all around her. Andie looked around the room to make sure no one had heard, and turned her attention back to the folders.
Inside was information about her father’s accident, that mysterious and terrible thing that had crippled him and changed the course of their lives forever. As she read on and looked at the various photos of the aftermath, she began to notice that it wasn’t adding up. What was in that folder didn’t match what she’d been told while growing up. It didn’t match anything she’d ever heard about what happened. If what was in the file was true, then it hadn’t been an accident at all, and the University had a hand in it. There were pictures of men in suits and the designation under them read “Searchers.”
It had been many years since she’d seen one, but she could never forget them. After all, they were the only ones in the entire region allowed to carry guns—the machines that fed off of their holder’s magic. Guns were the most dangerous and feared things since dragons; not only were they powered by the holder’s magic, they were also fueled by that person’s rage and hate. What happened when the trigger was pulled depended on the power and evil of the shooter.
The file also had several names, some of whom Andie knew were prominent politicians and high ranking officials. There were also several mentions of Taline, Arvall’s rival to the north, but in all the information, she still couldn’t figure out what happened.
At that point, she heard Tarven coming and nearly dropped the folders. She put all the papers and pictures back in order and only just managed to slip them back into their places in the cabinet when he appeared in the doorway.
“Come on, let’s get lunch,” he said. “There’s no telling what you’ll get up to if you’re left alone.”
Chapter Twelve
Days passed. Andie had grown more anxious and more frustrated. In all the days since she’d made up her mind to sneak into Leabherlann, she hadn’t been able to discover anything. A group of professors were visiting the University for research and they had been in the archives from before the school opened to after it closed, giving her no opportunity to go back there. She’d had even less luck with getting back to the offices where the files were, because there was no good reason for her to even be in that wing. Her patience was wearing thin and her mind was wearing out.
That day she was hanging out with Raesh in the restaurant. It had been a while since they’d really had a chance to talk and he’d been different with her ever since he saw her with Tarven. Andie didn’t like that he felt he had a right to judge, but in his defense, she had been spending a lot of time with Tarven lately.
“I’m glad you could find the time,” Raesh said.
As jealous as she knew he was, there was no hint of anger or contempt in his voice. He was honestly glad to see her.
“Me, too. I feel like things have been kind of weird with us lately. Which sucks because I miss hanging out with you and Carmen.”
“Well, my cousin’s a firecracker. Good luck getting her to stay anywhere. As for me… well, I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you. I was being a world-class jerk, but I’m ready to make up for it if you can forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Andie said, smiling. “Wait, does this mean you’re going to be your usual overwhelmingly annoying and flirty self again?” She winked at him as she said it, obviously poking fun at him. Perhaps even flirting a little bit, herself.
“Undoubtedly.”
They smiled and just like that the past few days were erased. Whatever he might feel about her or the company she kept, Raesh was proving to be a great friend.
“So, what have you been up to?” Andie asked.
“Helping out around the restaurant, going to the movies with Carmen, working out. The usual. And reading some really cool books, too.”
“You read an unhealthy number of books. And they’re huge. Regular people don’t read that much.”
“Regular people aren’t smarter than most of their teachers. Magic is your power, books are mine. If you describe to me what it’s like to cast a spell, I bet it’ll be pretty close to what it’s like to find a truly great book.”
“That’s really cool, Raesh. I never knew you were this passionate. You ever think of writing one?”
“I did. Two of them actually.”
“You’re kidding,” she said, sitting up straight in disbelief. “Where are they?”
“Collecting dust in the attic. Maybe I’ll get them published someday.”
“You’re kind of amazing right now. And here I thought you were just an incorrigible flirt.”
“Only when I’m near a girl who’s worth it.”
He gave her that same warm look that had won her over the first night.
“Have I told you how stunning you look in yellow?”
“Easy, boy.”
“Sorry. You’re just kind of perfect,” he said, without flair, as if it were the simplest truth of all.
“Thank you, Raesh,” she said, resisting the urge to touch his hand. She could feel a blush creep up in her cheeks, and she turned away so that he couldn’t see. The last thing she needed was Raesh thinking that she was interested. “Now, for the real reason we came. Help with my magic.”
“Right. I’m ready. I closed down the restaurant a bit early so we’d have the place to ourselves.”
They stood and walked to the middle of the room. Andie held up her palm and manipulated the icon the way Carmen had taught her. The golden light in the center of her palm dimmed. With a wave of her hand she pushed all the tables and chairs away from them. Raesh grabbed the student grimoire and began reading off the difficult spells Andie had marked for practice. She practiced them quickly and with a growing skill she was becoming proud of. She still needed some work on the fluidity of her movements, though. Her professor said she lacked the grace that came with total confidence, but she had improved at a steady rate and her dragon magic hadn’t slipped in once since the morning she woke with the walls on fire.
She almost got Raesh once, while practicing an immobility charm. Luckily it was on his left leg and they both had a good laugh when he tumbled over. They were having fun and Andie was even flirting with him a little.
“You’re kind of hot when you fall flat on your face.”
“Does that mean you like the view of me from behind?”
“Neither view is so bad.”
After they’d finished, they sat down again. Andie was feeling more confident now that she and Raesh were back on good terms, and she wanted to tell him about the files she found in the offices. She waited until he wasn’t distracted and explained everything that had happened, up until Tarven had come back into the room. When she finished telling him everything she’d seen and read, he needed a moment to process.
“Andie, my first instinct is to ask you how you were feeling that day. I mean, are you sure you saw what you think you saw? If you say that it’s there, then I want to believe you, but that’s a huge accusation. Are you sure you didn’t misread it?”
“I remember it as clear as day. It was a file on me and one on my father. I didn’t have time to look in mine, but I went through most of his. I know what I saw. And I was feeling fine that day. I was a little frustrated, sure, but I’m always a little frustrated. It doesn’t mean I’m crazy.”
“Of course not. I would never suggest that. But if what you say is true, then this is big. Maybe too big for us. I’m trying to make sense of it. The University having something to do with your father’s accident? I can’t even imagine what it would mean for-”
The bell on the door rang and Andie turned around to see Tarven.
“Oh, I completely forgot.” She waved to him as he approached and she could hear Raesh huff behind her. But when she turned around he was at least trying to smile. He was a good friend.
“Hey,” Tarven said to Andie, ignoring Raesh completely. “You ready to go?”
“Sure,” she said, feeling uncomfortable to be literally and figuratively between them.
She stood and began to gather her things. She was having so much fun with Raesh, but she’d already made plans with Tarven and, somehow, she just felt she couldn’t give up the opportunity.
“Alright, I’m all set,” she said. “I don’t think you’ve met my friend Raesh. He’s really great.”
She emphasized the “great” and winked at Raesh. His smile then could have lit the night. Tarven mumbled something which might have been a greeting or a curse and then he turned to leave. Andie gave Raesh a hug and left, trying not to notice the disappointment on his face.
After spending some time just hanging out together and chatting, they arrived at the University’s Victory garden. Tarven was working on a special project that he wanted Andie’s help with. They were working diligently, laughing and joking as they went along, when somehow the conversation managed to turn around to Andie’s dad again. She became vague with her answers, even a bit defensive at one point, but the butterflies inside her kept her from getting outright angry with Tarven. Maybe he was just a curious guy. Maybe he just wanted to know her better.
“So, your dad must really miss you,” he said.
“Yeah. I miss him, too. We were always together before I came here. It’s like losing a piece of myself. But, luckily, I’m a little ahead in my work and I think I’ll be able to go home for a visit soon. Anything you want me to ask him, since you seem so keen on knowing everything about him?” She asked playfully, trying to lighten the mood and let him know she wasn’t upset. He seemed to understand.
“Ask him how he raised such an amazing young woman,” he said, smiling at her so beautifully that she had to catch her breath. “And ask him about his time on the council. That must have been spectacular.”
The last statement made Andie pause. She’d never told Tarven her dad was on Taline’s council. She’d never told anyone.
“What did you say?” she asked. “How did you know my dad was on the council?”
“Huh? Oh, you told me, remember?”
“No,” she said, dropping her tools and turning to face him. “I didn’t. That’s not something I would talk about with anybody, ever. How did you know?”
“You must have told me,” he maintained, failing to meet her eyes. “Or it must have slipped out. Come on, we have to get this finished before-”
“Tarven, why aren’t you looking at me? How did you know my dad was on the council? Who told you? What else do you know?”
“Look, Andie,” he said, finally putting his tools down, but still not facing her. “You got drunk that night at the bar, okay? You were spilling all of your secrets and this thing about your dad was one of them. I don’t ‘know’ anything, alright? Only what you told me.”
She just watched him for a moment. He couldn’t look at her. It told her everything she needed to know.
“I’m feeling sick,” she said, taking off her apron and tossing it aside.
She left without another word.
Chapter Thirteen
A couple days later, Andie had calmed some. She’d talked things over with Marvo and decided that Tarven couldn’t possibly be a spy. Marvo wouldn’t let Andie know everything he knew about the University and the things it had set in motion over time, but he said as far as he knew they didn’t operate like that anymore.
Andie spent some time away from Tarven, but somehow worked herself up to trusting him again, or at least wanting to trust him. If she was being honest with herself, she knew that she should stay away from him and that something wasn’t right; she knew in her bones that Tarven knew more than he was letting on and that he was either up to something or knew someone who was, but she really liked him. And she believed that deep down he truly was the honest guy she thought she knew. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to know more about her and her family. She was just as curious about him.
That day, she was sitting behind Carmen and Yara. When Andie registered for classes, she had decided to enroll in one class that was several stages ahead of a first-year course load. Luckily, Theory of Temporal Incantations had no prerequisites. So far, Andie had fallen somewhat behind, but the subject matter was finally starting to come together for her. Carmen and Yara were talking excitedly between themselves about the upcoming One Thousandth Winter Festival—it was actually the one thousandth and first festival, but the festival had been suspended the previous year due to concerns about an ancient curse that was supposed to manifest in the year 1,000. Of course, nothing happened, but it made for a good story. They chattered away while Professor Harrock proselytized about space-time meditation and inter-dimensional spell casting.
As it happened, Tarven had recently become Professor Harrock’s teaching assistant and, at the moment, he was sitting in a corner, behind and to the left of the professor, distracting Andie with a staring contest. His eyes were almost talking, taunting, teasing her with their depth and attraction. They’d been at this game for nearly the entire class. He’d win, then she’d win, then he’d win again. They were having so much fun that they’d completely let reality and time slip away. That was especially dangerous for Andie, because she’d become so comfortable there, watching him, that she let her dragon magic slip out of her control.
She was so immersed in the moment that she was being consumed by the thought of Tarven. His eyes. His lips. The way he laughed and the way he turned in the sunlight. Her concealment spell had already begun fading before she noticed. By pure luck, she happened to look down at her arm and see that the hairs there were turning a light, but radiant purple. She sat up as straight as a beam and closed her eyes to focus on repressing the magic. After that, she turned her attention away from Tarven, sending him one last smile.
She tried to pay attention to Professor Harrock, but she had missed too much of the lecture and she had no idea what the “paradigm shift of the temporal grimoire anomaly” was. Carmen and Yara were still chatting away, so Andie leaned forward to talk with them.
“So, I’ve been eavesdropping and I’m kind of interested in this Winter Festival business,” she said. “Want to fill me in?”
“Oh, so you mean you’
re done ogling Tarven?”
Carmen never beat around the bush; she spoke her mind unflinchingly. Andie knew she was only kidding with her, but still there was something almost bitter about it, something strangely cold. Andie had been suspecting for a while now that Carmen resented her a little for not dating Raesh. Or maybe Carmen wanted Tarven. That was most likely the reason.
“Well, yeah,” Andie said. “Sorry, couldn’t help it.”
“Don’t apologize to me,” Yara said. “That is one fantastic looking specimen. I’m kind of jealous actually.”
“The world is full of great guys and I know you’ll find one someday,” Andie said. “Now, tell me about the festival.”
“Well, it was supposed to have been held last year, but they thought a bunch of people were going to die and evil was going to rise, so on and so forth. Long story short, it’s the festival’s thousandth year and they’re saying it’s going to be the biggest celebration Noelle’s ever seen. They want to make the millennial an occasion that will never be forgotten.”
“Usually, they expect tens of thousands to come,” Carmen said. “But this year they’re expecting millions. It’s going to be the most spectacular thing of our lives. Can you imagine even being alive for this? Hundreds of years from now they’ll still be talking about this.”
“Sounds exciting,” Andie said.
“Have you never heard of the Winter Festival?”
“Sure. My dad always told me it was a really big deal in Arvall, but we never came because he said that people came in from all over Noelle and it could be potentially dangerous.”
“Andie, take it from me,” Carmen said, leaning in. “There is nothing like the Winter Festival anywhere in this region or even this hemisphere. It’s primarily for the University and its students, but over the centuries the whole city began to take part. You have no idea what you’re in for. Ball gowns, dancing, food, music, exhibitions of creatures brought from distant lands, magic you can’t even imagine...”