“I don’t know,” Sigil murmured, “but these designs are very unusual, and I’m thinking that the mask was probably built in cooperation with the pixies. Let me see what our books will tell us.”
He had taken to calling the books in the Astra library “ours.” I liked that. Somehow, if Sigil thought Astra was mine, then in a funny sense it must be.
I nodded and left, happy to have Sigil’s help in unlocking yet another elemental mystery, no matter how small. I was feeling the weight of the paranormal world on me, and it was a relief to have some help, even if it was from a ghost that almost no one knew existed. There seemed to be too many old artifacts to keep track of, from the six objects on the Wheel, to elemental heirlooms like my ring, plus maybe my mother’s locket, and now this mask.
I sighed and headed for class. I needed the fresh air, just like all the other students who were getting sick of being cooped up in their dorm rooms all the time.
I was no longer a welcome visitor in Airlee, and even Dacer had ordered me not to shirk the rules.
“You can’t just go around doing whatever you want,” he had scolded me. “You have to listen to Oliva.”
“I don’t go around doing whatever I want,” I argued back.
Dacer had just shaken his head at me. “It’s for your own safety, so stop arguing with me,” he said sternly. I glared at my mentor. Oliva was standing nearby and I could tell the president of Public was listening to every word.
“How can you say such things to me?” I asked desperately. Was even Dacer going to put on a show for Oliva? Was he in that much trouble as the supposed leader of the Sign of Six that he would throw me to the wolves, or in this case the pixies, to remove suspicion from himself? I felt betrayed on every level.
Oliva, appearing satisfied, moved away, while I stared hard at the floor, unable even to look at my mentor. Anger boiled through my veins and clouded my vision. If I couldn’t trust Dacer to be on my side, I really couldn’t trust anyone. It was a lonely feeling.
Then, leaning down to whisper in my ear so that only I could hear, he said, “Do you still have the mask I gave you?”
I smiled a little.
“Of course,” I whispered back. I watched Oliva’s back, but the pixie was still walking away. Returning my attention to Dacer I said, “Why?”
“Just making sure my gift is being . . . appreciated,” he said, and winked at me before he disappeared.
The very next thing I did was find Sigil.
“Sigil?” I yelled, racing up the stairs to the top of Astra and dashing into the library. “Sigil?”
“Ah, there you are,” he said. “What’s taken you so long?”
“Sorry,” I said. “Classes.”
“Well, I know what’s so special about this mask,” he said, handing it to me. It looked exactly the same as when I’d given it to him.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Put it on and you’ll see,” he said, smiling. He walked over to one of the windows, which was covered by a heavy drape. He pushed back the drape and threw the window wide. It was nearly dusk, and the cold air of early winter flowed into my face.
Dacer had told me not to unless I had to, but I needed to know. I put the mask on. I trusted Sigil, and I had grown tired not trusting other paranormals. Sometimes trust was a choice, and in this case they had both earned it.
The instant Alixar touched my skin I felt air flow around my face and body, pouring through the now-open window and rushing around me. I heard the rustle of books and smelled the dust kicked up in the room as the mask tightened its hold, molding to my face. I found myself smiling as I stretched my arms out wide. Now I too knew what the mask could do. Carefully I opened my eyes. The world looked the same, and yet entirely different. I could see the wind.
Moreover, I now knew there was something else I could do because of the mask. Sigil watched the realization dawning, clasped his hands, and nodded gleefully as I walked to the window. I looked down, but for the very first time I wasn’t afraid of heights. Of course, I had long trusted that Keller could hold me up as we flew, because I had complete confidence in his strength, ability, and good heart. Now, I also had complete confidence that when I was wearing this mask, I could fly.
I stepped onto the window ledge, took a deep breath, and launched myself.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t really thought about exactly how to do it.
Cold air rushed into my face as I tumbled downward. My mouth opened in a soundless scream.
I felt like a rock hurtling toward Earth, and I flailed my arms uselessly as I rushed to splatter on the ground. But right before I had reached the moment of my death, I felt a surge of wind catch me. With my upper body I redirected myself upward until I was nearly in a standing position. My fall slowed and finally halted. I was still about five feet off the ground as I took in a great big breath of relief.
Then the wind took me again.
I soared high overhead, through the evening sky and up to the clouds. I wanted to whoop and yell with pleasure, but I didn’t dare. Instead, I just grabbed the winds and flew. It was like I had totally forgotten that I was wearing the mask. I didn’t even feel it, I only felt the wonderment of a time when elementals and pixies worked so closely together that they could create something as mesmerizing as my mask.
Deciding I should show Sip and Lisabelle, I headed for the bright lights of Airlee. I had never come to their room from the sky before, not even with Keller, so it took me a minute to figure out which window was theirs.
Sip probably wasn’t even there, I told myself as I got nearer. We had barely seen her as the gala approached, because she was always in this or that meeting. Once, Lisabelle had gotten to the point where she couldn’t take it anymore. She had marched right up to the werewolf and demanded that she take a night off. Sip had blinked at her, shocked, and then continued her planning with hardly a pause.
There had also been no demon attacks since Oliva had restricted us all to our dorms. It worried me. We all agreed that it might prove that a student was the one letting demons onto campus, and not Dacer, but I still felt as if the professors were looking at Dacer as the likely culprit behind the Sign of Six.
Now, with less than a week to go before the gala, and Public no closer to finding any of the perpetrators of the attacks, I was starting to worry again. All those issues seeped away from my thoughts as I flew up to Lisabelle’s window and tapped.
I couldn’t see the darkness mage, because as usual she had drawn black curtains over the window. At my tap, though, the curtain went flying back as if it was on fire and Lisabelle stepped up to the window, looking barely surprised. She met my eyes, glanced down, and met my eyes again. I pointed to the window latch and she nodded, but she took her time opening the window.
“Was that really necessary?” I said, once the window was open and she had reached out and helped me in.
“It was amusing,” she said, shrugging. “Thanks.”
She eyed me up and down, not saying anything.
Growing self-conscious I said, “What?”
She grinned. “I love Public.”
“Ms. Rollins, Professor Erikson would like to see you.”
It was three days before the gala, and of all the summonses I might have expected, that was one of the last on the list. I had barely seen Professor Erikson all semester and now didn’t seem like a good time.
I had also noticed that when I spent the night with Keller I had fewer dreams, which meant that I had also not seen Malle in months.
I would have thought I would be grateful for that, but I wasn’t.
The quiet made me nervous.
I knew Malle wasn’t sitting idly while the world turned, especially after the conversation I had overheard her having with Caid. For all I knew she was having regular meetings with paranormals who were part of, or behind, the Sign of Six.
But I left class quickly and headed for the Long Building. It wouldn’t do to ignore Professor Erikson’s wishes.
<
br /> She had just finished a meeting with Dacer, and in her message she had proposed that we walk. I thought to myself that she was probably going to walk me into the forest and let the demons devour me, and the thought nearly made me smile. But I felt sure that if it hadn’t been for my relationship with Keller, Professor Erikson would have been far less tolerant of me.
I could see her waiting for me as I approached. She dressed all in white robes, which made her easy to spot. Now she stood alone outside the doors of the Museum of Masks, her hands clasped in front of her and her lips pursed.
“Charlotte,” she said, nodding to me. “How are you?”
Well, Public is on lockdown. Dacer is a suspect, my mom was murdered by my dad’s side of the family, and I’m expected to attend a gala in less than a week and be pleasant to President Caid when he is collaborating with the Nocturns. So actually, I’ve been better .
“I’m good,” I said out loud. “The semester is almost over, so I’ll be able to go visit my little brother.”
“Ah, yes, Ricky is his name? How is he doing? Has he shown any signs of magical powers?”
I was sure that if he had, Professor Erikson would have heard of it before me, but I just shook my head. “Not that I know of.”
“Well, there’s still plenty of time. When you showed signs, you didn’t believe your mother, is that correct?”
“I was skeptical,” I admitted.
Okay, I had thought she was crazy. Part of that was because we had lived only among humans, and I had never had the slightest contact with the paranormal world. Now I knew my mother had had good reasons for that: paranormals had wanted her dead. At the time, though, I had just thought she was a fruitcake. Not a day went by now that I didn’t feel sad about that.
“Well, anyway,” said Professor Erikson, clearly signaling an end to that topic.
I waited curiously for what she would say next; obviously she hadn’t called me out here to talk about my feelings upon finding out that magic was real. She herself had grown up as a fallen angel, so to her it had always been real.
“I’ve wanted to discuss something with you for quite some time,” said Professor Erikson. Her hands were now clasped behind her back and we were walking very slowly. I was relieved, and a little amused at myself that I was, to be walking away from the forest and toward the houses that edged most of campus.
“Okay,” I said, bracing myself. She was probably going to try yet again to convince me to stop dating Keller. Well, I wouldn’t do it. If he could withstand his family’s pressure to date a fallen angel in good standing, then I should certainly be able to stand up to his aunt.
“I wanted to discuss your plans for the future,” she said.
“If you mean when am I going to break up with Keller, I’m not,” I said, exasperated.
Professor Erikson sighed, and a small smile touched her lips.
“I don’t mean that at all. I thought you might not have thought about it, given your lack of parental influence at this point. And of course Dacer is a dear, but he has rather a lot on his plate at the moment.”
“So, what do you mean?” Now I was totally confused.
“What are your plans upon graduation?” she pressed.
“I, um, don’t really have plans,” I stammered. My mind worked hard to come up with a better answer, but the truth was I hadn’t thought about it at all. There was really no life for me outside Public, and given how many times Malle had tried to have me killed, I had never really envisioned growing old, except when I thought about this woman’s nephew. I knew better than to say that, though. She wouldn’t have appreciated it.
“No plans?” Professor Erikson sounded aghast, like she had expected any number of responses, but not that one; it was just too horrible.
“Is that bad?” I said in a small voice.
“My dear girl,” she said, “you are the only elemental. Granted, no one thinks you’re going to compete with the greats of your type, but we work with what we can. You can do any number of things. Consulting on the use of the Power of Five, traveling the world getting paid handsomely for your skills, teaching, the list goes on.” I listened attentively, trying to take it all in.
“I really hadn’t thought about it,” I repeated. “I guess I assumed I might have work to do fighting demons, or President Caid would want my help with something. . . .” But that sounded too vague even to my own ears, and Professor Erikson immediately shot down the suggestion.
“What could President Caid possibly want with you? And besides,” she said, waving a hand, “President Caid will not be president forever.”
I disliked change, and I especially disliked this conversation. Luckily, Professor Erikson seemed to be done with it as well.
“I hope you will think about some of what I have said,” she said as we looped back to the Long Building. “I would hate for you to be caught off guard, with your friends having plans while you do not.”
I stared at her again, my jaw hanging slack.
“Right, well, thanks,” I said. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
Professor Erikson patted my cheek, the first time I could remember her touching me. Her hands were soft, but I felt her strength even in that small contact. “You’re a good girl,” she said to me. “Don’t waste it.”
“I’ll try not to,” I said, and raced off.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I didn’t get a chance to talk to my friends for the rest of that day or the next. Sip was busy putting the finishing touches on the gala, while Lisabelle was tutoring other students in preparation for the end of the semester. Because they weren’t available to hang out with, I had to spend more time than I wanted (meaning more than none) in Astra. Luckily, Martha seemed pre-occupied as well. Sip had asked her to prepare some of the desserts for the gala since she liked to bake so much, and Martha had thrown herself into the task with gusto.
Excitement was in the air. Usually by the end of the semester students were beaten down and tired, preparing for exams, while Christmas break seemed far away. But this time it was different. Students talked of nothing but the gala. Rumors flew that the faeries would be attending and that Sip had gotten dragons to agree to come.
“No way she got dragons,” said one vampire.
“Sure she did,” said JJ, the Starter werewolf who had known Sip for years. “If anyone could, it’s Sip,” he finished confidently.
I had to agree with JJ. If any paranormal could get dragons for Oliva’s gala, it was Sip.
“Hey,” said a voice from behind me as I trudged back to Astra after a particularly unpleasant class with Zervos (really, was there ever any other kind?). The voice was Sip’s, greeting me as if after a long absence.
“I thought you had some gala meeting,” I said, raising my eyebrows. Sip shrugged.
“Yeah, but I forgot I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s okay if I’m a little late for the meeting.”
“What’s up?” I said, stopping. I didn’t want to get any closer to Astra than I had to, and Sip had to go in the opposite direction anyhow.
“I wanted to talk to you about Lisabelle,” she explained, twisting her hands in front of her.
“Are you finally going to talk to her again?” I said. It had been weeks, and Lisabelle still acted like she had no idea what Sip’s problem was.
“Oh, I don’t know that I’d do anything that drastic,” Sip scoffed. Then her shoulders slumped. “I miss her.”
“She misses you too,” I said. “Can’t you tell?”
“Have you ever tried to read a rock? Not exactly a clear dialogue,” said Sip dryly.
“What are you mad about, anyway, when it comes right down to it?”
Sip sighed and looked off at the forest. Public had beautiful grounds that were kept perfectly by it’s employees.
“I’m mad that she wants to leave me behind,” she said after a long pause. “She doesn’t care about me like I care about her. She said she might go study in Europe!”
I too paused before I said anything. I hadn’t expected this to be what Sip was upset about, especially because I thought the werewolf could not have been more wrong.
“You don’t think Lisabelle cares about you?” I said finally. “Really?”
“She wants to leave and do everything on her own,” Sip wailed in despair. “She just can’t do that. She doesn’t take good care of herself, like, she NEVER eats vegetables unless I make her. It’s just wrong.”
“I’m not sure she’d buy the argument that she should take you into danger because she doesn’t eat broccoli on her own.”
Sip gave me a dark look. “Thanks. DUH. I just mean I can help. I know stuff. I’m a good werewolf.”
“You’re the best werewolf here,” I said and I meant it. All the professors were impressed by Sip. She wouldn’t have been in charge of the gala preparations if they hadn’t been. “If you wanted to go to Europe you could.”
“I’m glad they’re happy with me,” said Sip, as if she knew what I was thinking. “Why isn’t Lisabelle?”
“I don’t think she’s going anywhere without you,” I said.
“But she said she was.” Sip threw up her hands as she said it.
“I don’t think she meant it,” I soothed. “You know how Lisabelle is.” I glanced over my shoulder, just to make sure the darkness mage wasn’t nearby. “She’s a lot of talk.”
Sip grinned ruefully. “Yeah, that might be true.”
“What do you mean by ‘when she goes off,’ anyway?” I said. “When did she say that?”
“She talks about joining Risper when we graduate and hunting down the Wheel objects,” said Sip. “Risper doesn’t believe that Malle has ANY of them, which means we still have a lot of work to do.”
I chewed that over. If Malle didn’t have any of them, and I knew where the Mirror Arcane and the Fang First were, then still, what of the others?
“And you want to go with her?” I asked, my heart sinking. My friends did have plans for after graduation and they didn’t include me.
“I mean, of course,” said Sip. “What else would I do?”
Elemental Air (Paranormal Public Series) Page 18