Misfit Witchcraft (Misfits Book 2)

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘He lives on the top floor. There’s a door up onto the roof, so if we keep low, we can be a couple of streets over before anyone on the ground could figure out where we are.’

  The red dragon smiled. ‘I know you’re just humouring me really, but… Thanks for humouring me.’

  ‘You’re a misfit, Mona. The misfits stick together, so we’re either going to prove you’ve nothing to worry about, or we’re going to nail the son of a sandwyrm.’

  ~~~

  ‘We’re supposed to hunt down someone trained in spying?’ Charlotte did not sound especially hopeful.

  Ramona sagged a little on Krystal’s bed. ‘I think he might be watching the school. I think he spotted me leaving with Trudy, and followed us to Cragscales’.’

  ‘Still, the guy’s been trained to hide, and we haven’t been trained to find. We don’t even know what he looks like.’

  ‘Oh! Well, he’s about my height, maybe a couple of inches taller. He’s got quite pale skin, red eyes with orange in them, red hair… Uh, not red like mine, more like copper-coloured. He’s good-looking, straight nose, quite thick eyebrows…’

  ‘That’s wonderful, darling,’ Felicia said, ‘but it probably describes half the city.’

  ‘Oh, less than eight percent,’ Krystal corrected. ‘Uh, that’s still about seventeen thousand people. Flis is right, Mona. We have never seen Darawen Scarlin. The chances of us spotting him outside the school are slim.’

  ‘If something’s getting in and eating your chickens,’ Xanthe said, ‘there’s no point in going out and hunting for something with chicken feathers stuck in its teeth.’

  ‘Uh, that’s interesting, Xan,’ Trudy said.

  ‘Point is, if you want to catch the critter, you figure out how it could be getting into the henhouse, and you set traps.’

  ‘We, uh, don’t have a henhouse to–’

  ‘Mona’s the henhouse!’ Xanthe glanced at her roommate. ‘Uh, no offence, Mona. I just mean that you’re the bait. Uh, that’s not really better, is it?’

  ‘I get it,’ Ramona said, giving Xanthe a smirk crossed with a look of horror. ‘Darawen is following me around, so I go out and we see if we can catch him at it.’

  ‘Yes, but we’ll probably need to watch for someone following you. If we’re lucky, your description will help, but mostly we need to spot someone who looks right and seems to be trailing behind you.’

  ‘That… actually sounds like it might work.’

  ‘We can’t send you out alone,’ Krystal said. ‘Trudy and I will take you for a walk, tomorrow, after lunch. Everyone else will be on lookout duty. Charley will take the overwatch position, I’d imagine.’

  ‘Of course,’ Charlotte said, grinning.

  ‘I’ve another favour to ask, Charley,’ Ramona said. ‘I’m supposed to be going out tonight. I’m meeting Azuria at Sirens. Can you get over to her apartment and tell her I won’t make it? I can give you the address.’

  ‘Sure. I can be anywhere in the city in a couple of minutes.’

  ‘That’s what I figured. Just remember, I know she’s pretty and blue, but I saw her first!’

  Charlotte grinned. ‘I’ll try to remember that.’

  20th Day of Springgate.

  ‘No one sails on Royalday,’ Trudy said as they walked through the docks. ‘There are probably a few ships in.’

  ‘Huh, I think I had enough of ships on the way here,’ Ramona replied, but she followed along anyway. ‘I mean, there was just nothing much to do. I ran out of books to read after a week.’

  ‘Ha! Krys would’ve thrown herself overboard.’

  ‘On the contrary,’ Krystal replied, lifting her nose disdainfully. ‘First, Thoughts on the Nature of Magic would have kept me busy for the entire voyage. And second, I’d have been spending all the time I could finding out how the ship worked. I’ve never been on a ship.’

  ‘I’m not sure it’s that exciting,’ Ramona said.

  There were a couple of larger vessels pulled up against the stone quays at the far end of the dock, their sails furled. Krystal stood with her hands on her hips looking up at the nearest, a three-masted, full-rigged vessel. ‘Are you kidding? Just look at that thing. I mean, there are all those ropes. What are all those ropes for? Do you really need all those ropes?’

  ‘You’re excited by the ropes,’ Trudy said. ‘We get it.’

  ‘What can I say, I like ropes. But aside from that, how is it stable with that great big back end? Why doesn’t it just fall over? How do the sails work?’

  ‘I think that’s wind.’

  ‘Ah, but they don’t just go where the wind pushes, do they? Otherwise no one would ever be able to get back from where they were blown to. So how does that work? I’m sure I could have kept myself interested through a long sea journey.’

  ‘Got it. So it’s the crew who would have thrown you overboard.’

  Krystal turned and gave Trudy a look. ‘I believe my answer should be “Humph”’ Her eyes flicked past Trudy and down the docks, and then narrowed slightly.

  ‘That’s a good answer,’ Trudy said. ‘Let’s head up toward the palace. Lots of long, straight streets from here up to there.’

  ‘That sounds like a wonderful idea. Don’t you think, Mona?’

  Ramona jerked at the use of her name and turned haunted eyes on Krystal. ‘Yes. Sure. As long as there are a lot of people around us, I’m good.’

  ~~~

  The castle walls stood, tall and very white, above them, but Ramona was not looking up at them. She walked with her shoulders hunched and her head down like a woman under a heavy burden.

  ‘He was just standing there,’ she muttered, ‘right beside one of the guards on the gate. It was like he was taunting me. “See? They won’t stop me.”’

  ‘The guardians don’t know to look for him,’ Krystal replied.

  ‘Not that they’d probably do much about a royal following a trio of girls,’ Trudy added.

  ‘Not helping. I’ve seen enough. We’ll head back to the school.’

  Ramona looked up eagerly. ‘You’ve seen him?’

  ‘I saw someone matching your description,’ Krystal replied. ‘I want to hear what the others say.’

  ‘I don’t know whether to be happy or terrified.’

  ‘I’d suggest cautious optimism. If we’ve evidence to take to Dean Scintilla Rainshadow, the city guardians will be looking for him. I assume the dean knows why you had to move here?’

  ‘Of course,’ Ramona said. ‘I was transferring mid-year and she needed to know why.’

  ‘She takes her duty of care to her students very seriously. I don’t think she could forgive herself over what happened to Glinda.’

  Trudy was frowning as they set off toward the school. ‘That might be enough. It’s not the dean that concerns me. She does seem to care and she’s got Celestina standing guard over her to keep the politics off her back. But when it comes to the guards, the Scarlins have a lot of influence.’

  ‘The Scarlins don’t want the scandal any more than Mona wants Darawen following her around,’ Krystal pointed out. ‘They’ll want him caught. Maybe quietly, so no one finds out about it, but they’ll want him caught.’

  Trudy gave a shrug. ‘I guess we’ll see.’

  ~~~

  ‘I saw him,’ Charlotte said. ‘He was playing games! I saw him step into view on the docks right when Mona was looking the right way and you two weren’t. He’s trying to spook her, make her doubt her senses.’

  Krystal nodded. ‘Felicia?’

  ‘I’m fairly sure I spotted him at least once, probably twice,’ Felicia replied. ‘He was outside the castle for certain and I believe I saw him again on the way back to the school.’

  ‘I did,’ Xanthe added. ‘Positive I saw him following you back to the school.’

  ‘Jesse?’ Krystal asked.

  ‘I spotted him.’ The green dragon frowned, drawing her shoulders in. ‘On the docks, on the way to the castle, and outside the castle. I didn�
�t like him and you’re right, Mona, there’s something about him that reminds me of Theodore Marin.’

  ‘Right,’ Krystal said firmly. ‘Mona, we’ll go see if Dean Scintilla Rainshadow will see you today. I know it’s Royalday, but this is urgent. I’ll go with you.’

  ‘Thanks, Krys,’ Ramona said. ‘You’ve no idea what this means to me. All of you, really, thank you.’

  Felicia flashed Ramona a smile. ‘You’re a misfit now, darling. As I was told when I was… unceremoniously inducted, us misfits stick together.’

  ‘Do you think we need an induction ceremony?’ Trudy asked.

  ‘Perhaps for next time, when we have to book a hall for meetings.’

  ~~~

  Krystal was not entirely surprised that the dean was willing to see them on her precious day off: teachers, she suspected, were never entirely off-duty, especially when they lived in the tower over the school. That Scintilla Rainshadow took the meeting in her private rooms, above her office, was more of a shock.

  ‘Your name does carry some weight in this school, Krystal Ward,’ Rainshadow said. ‘I believe I can trust one of the girls responsible for saving us all from disaster. And the seats are more comfortable here.’ She indicated a sofa for her visitors to sit on while she took a large, well-padded chair.

  The room was cosy. Dark wood gave a warm, rather than dim, feel. There was a large, stone fireplace in which firerock was burning. The carpet was thick and a rich burgundy colour. There was a second sofa, a bookcase stocked with various magical texts Krystal recognised, and two windows, one of them with a loveseat beneath it. All the furniture had that aged quality which suggested that it had been made by a craftsman determined to make something which would outlive him.

  ‘Thank you for seeing us anyway, Dean Scintilla Rainshadow,’ Krystal said. ‘The matter is quite urgent.’

  ‘Since Ramona Rose is here, I must assume that this concerns… the reason she is here in Concord City.’

  ‘I told Krys and my other friends about Darawen Scarlin,’ Ramona said. ‘They were worried about me and they said they would keep it a secret. A-and I really needed to tell someone.’

  ‘Understandable,’ Rainshadow said, nodding. ‘And your choice of confidante was a good one. Krystal and her friends have proven themselves quite capable of keeping confidential information to themselves.’

  Ramona nodded. ‘Darawen is here in Concord City. I’ve seen him outside the school and a few other places.’

  Krystal saw Rainshadow frown and stepped in to add her two cents. ‘We were concerned that Ramona was worrying over a phantom, Dean Scintilla Rainshadow, so we arranged to go out today with the intention of seeing whether she was followed. While we were working only from a description Ramona gave us, we were able to spot the same man, matching that description, following behind us at various points. Charlotte Cloudborn watched from the air…’

  ‘Such a surprise,’ Rainshadow said.

  ‘Yes, but she said that the man following us seemed to be doing his best to let Ramona see him, but avoid Trudy and me doing so. It was as though he was trying to disturb Ramona while making everyone else believe she was just seeing things.’

  The dean shook her head slowly. ‘So, the one thing the Scarlin family said they would do most assuredly is the one thing they have failed to achieve. To be expected, I suppose.’ She glanced up at the two students. ‘You didn’t hear me say that. I would, of course, never make such a comment or allow you to come to your own conclusions regarding my thoughts on the matter from never having heard me say that.’

  ‘Of course,’ Krystal said, almost managing to keep an entirely straight face.

  ‘I’ll contact the city guardians immediately and we’ll take matters from there. I’ve a picture of Darawen Scarlin which will be circulated among the staff. If he sets foot on the grounds, he’ll begin to regret not taking his magic studies more seriously. Still, for the time being, Ramona Rose, I suggest you keep to school grounds and try not to move about without an escort.’

  Ramona’s shoulders sagged a little, but she nodded. ‘I don’t usually go anywhere on my own anyway,’ she said.

  21st Day of Springgate.

  Ramona was frowning as she sat down to lunch after the first lecture of the week. She had not looked especially happy all through Royalday evening, but she seemed to have settled down in the morning. Now she was frowning, and the change seemed to have happened while walking between the lecture hall and the refectory.

  ‘Something wrong, Mona?’ Krystal asked.

  ‘No,’ Ramona replied.

  Krystal raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

  ‘It’s nothing. I just… When I arrived in the city, there were some Scarlin representatives here to meet me. To… make sure I was okay, familiarise me with the city…’

  ‘Make sure you didn’t blab why you were here to anyone?’ Trudy suggested. She was always ready to ascribe poor motives to royals. Unfortunately, it seemed she was often right.

  ‘Mostly that, yes. I saw one of them in the courtyard outside the lecture halls. He was trying to look casual and unobtrusive.’

  ‘Huh. Anyone noticed an increase in the guards around the school?’

  ‘No sign of anything when I was out flying this morning,’ Charlotte said. ‘I didn’t see Darawen Scarlin either. Now that I know what I’m looking for, I figured I’d keep an eye out while I’m up there. Not that I’m especially hopeful.’

  ‘The Scarlins are trying to handle this in the family,’ Trudy stated flatly. ‘They’re watching the school and hoping to catch him since he’s watching the school.’

  ‘If he’s caught,’ Jesse said, ‘does it matter who gets him?’

  ‘If the Scarlins get him, they’ll probably send him back to Scarlin Cantervale with a rap on the knuckles, and then suggest Mona moves to Umbral Crown or something.’

  ‘I am not doing that,’ Ramona said. ‘I am not going to move again, not for them. I just found…’ She paused, frowning. ‘Ancestors take him! I am not going to lose everything again for that man.’

  25th Day of Springgate.

  ‘They’re still just watching the place,’ Ramona said, this time as she sat down for the evening meal.

  ‘Four days,’ Charlotte said. ‘I haven’t spotted him either, but you’d think they’d have more manpower than one airborne dragon. They could’ve searched every building with an overview of the school by now.’

  ‘That would make a lot of noise,’ Trudy said. ‘They’ll be trying to do this on the quiet. Preferably in total silence.’

  ‘Well,’ Krystal said, ‘we could try another trap. If we haven’t heard anything by Royalday, we could go out for another walk. If we can spot him, they should be able to.’

  ‘If he takes the bait again,’ Xanthe said. ‘My guess is that he’s seen these Scarlin people too, so he probably knows that he’s been seen.’

  ‘Also means the Scarlins probably knew he wasn’t in the south any more,’ Trudy said. ‘They knew he was here, but they didn’t warn Mona or the school.’

  ‘No,’ Krystal said. ‘Not that he was here, just not where he should be. They couldn’t know that he had a location for Mona.’ She frowned. ‘How did he find out where you were? No, never mind that. I think giving him something to chase is still our best plan, even if he won’t go for it. I can’t think of anything else to do. Anyone else?’ There was a collective shaking of heads. ‘Okay, we wait for Royalday.’

  26th Day of Springgate.

  Ramona’s eyes flickered open and she looked into darkness. Something had woken her, but it was obviously not time to get up. Had Xanthe… There was a shadow standing over her, currently blurred from the sleep still clogging Ramona’s vision. ‘Xan? What are you–’

  The shadow was too big for Xanthe, but that was made quite obvious as it clamped a hand over Ramona’s mouth. The shade loomed over her and she felt breath that had not seen a toothbrush recently on her face. ‘They won’t keep us apart, Ramona. No one and nothi
ng can keep me from you. You should know that.’

  Panic froze Ramona in place. Darawen. Darawen had got into the school. Darawen had come for her…

  ‘I’ll take you away. I know places no one will ever find us. You don’t need this place. You just need me.’

  Luckily enough for Ramona, Xanthe was not frozen in panic and she chose that moment to let out a shriek of rage and leaped onto Darawen’s back. The impact threw him across the bed and he lost his grip on Ramona, who let out a scream. There were golden sparkles in the air as Xanthe changed form while doing her best to cling to Darawen’s back. Ramona was trapped under the bedsheets and bodies, but she struggled in an attempt to get free and screamed for someone to help them while Darawen struggled to regain the advantage and get Xanthe off him.

  None of them noticed when half the room vanished into even deeper darkness than before. Darawen let out a roar of triumph as he pushed upward and whipped around. That turned into a screech of pain as, in throwing Xanthe off his back, her claws raked his cheeks.

  There was the sound of the room’s door slamming open and then a voice said, ‘Get away from my friends!’

  ~~~

  The scream pulled Krystal out of sleep like a slap across the face. ‘What…’

  ‘Mona!’ Trudy exclaimed, jumping out of bed and stumbling in the darkness.

  Yanking the covers aside, Krystal swung her legs out of bed, and there were already sparks of light shining around her body. ‘You’d better change too.’

  ‘You can’t. There are people on this floor who don’t know about you.’ Trudy’s change started, sparks of white shimmering around her body.

  ‘You’re right.’ Krystal got to her feet and started for the door. ‘You stay here.’

  ‘What?! What are you talking about?’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, but in a second or two, you won’t be able to see anything.’ Krystal’s rainbow scales danced in the light from the corridor for a second before the room was plunged into a darkness far deeper than the night.

  To Krystal, the blackout was daylight. She could see as well in the black as she could in the light and she marched down the corridor to the end and turned to Xanthe and Ramona’s door. It was ajar and she knew they locked it at night. Someone had opened it and Krystal had a pretty good idea who that person was. She kicked the door open and stepped through. Ramona was struggling to untangle herself from the bedclothes, hampered by the fact that Xanthe was sprawled over her legs. In the middle of the room was Darawen Scarlin, blood running down his cheeks as he turned to see who had entered the room.