Chapter Thirteen
I don’t know how long I slept, but I habitually opposed anything that tried to wake me up even in normal times. At Astra, Mrs. Swan would only wake me when she knew I had an early class (something I generally tried to avoid) and I hadn’t appeared downstairs for breakfast early enough.
“Get up,” came Sip’s familiar voice. I felt a shove at my shoulder and rolled away from her.
“More hummumdgud,” I grumbled into my pillow. “Go away.”
“I’ll get Lisabelle,” she threatened, half jokingly.
“I’m not afraid of her,” I said bravely into my pillow.
“That’s because I like you,” came Lisabelle’s groggy voice from somewhere nearby. We each had a separate bedroom, sharing a common living room and bathroom, so if Lisabelle was in my room it meant that she was also wide awake.
I rolled back toward Sip’s voice and opened my eyes to glare at her.
“Well, if both of you are up then I guess I should get up too, but this better be good,” I warned.
“Oh, it is,” said Sip. “And you would be more ferocious if your hair were not in your eyes.”
“What is it, then?” I demanded.
Sip handed me a Tabble. I hadn’t looked at one at all during break, because I had gotten tired of hearing what a horrible paranormal I was in rants written by a paranormal who had never met me. The Tabble in Sip’s hand was bone white and looked brand new. In fact, everything in our rooms was brand new and very nice.
“Is all of Locke this cool?” I asked in wonder.
“No,” said Lisabelle. “This is the new wing. It was just renovated. I think Lanca had to fight to stick us here, because we’re just students, but it’s close to her own personal rooms and I think she also feels like there’s less chance of bugs.”
“Oh, no,” said Sip. “We were too distracted last night to check for them. Lisabelle?”
I frowned. Distracted was not the term I would use to describe Faci’s effect on all of us. For Faci himself I would use a term like dangerous. Or crazy.
Our darkness friend nodded. “I’m still tired,” she said. “I could use a little help?” I nodded and Lisabelle came to sit on the bed next to me. Before the three of us joined hands Lisabelle shoved her sleeves up, revealing the long black tattoo that snaked up her arm.
Deep within me I felt my magic rise with glee. Except for that brief moment after the accident on the way to Locke, I had not used it at all over break, because my elemental powers called so strongly to the demons, but now that I was “safe” at Locke I felt comfortable dipping into the warm pool of power that I always felt flowing comfortingly through my veins.
“Pity you don’t have a ring,” Sip muttered, her eyes still closed. I opened my eyes a crack to see Lisabelle’s smirk.
I had only seen her “wand” a handful of times. Last semester Sip had called me to Airlee in a panic when Lisabelle had tattooed her wand into her flesh, so that she would never be without it. She had kept it hidden, mostly - as she explained - because she had no intention of telling any other darkness mage how to do it.
“What did Risper say when he saw that?” I murmured.
Lisabelle shrugged. “He hasn’t seen it yet. It will probably be a while.”
“Not at the rate you get angry,” Sip muttered.
Our magics pooled among us. Mine was a sparkling silver and blue while Lisabelle’s was black and Sip’s was a furry sort of brown.
I saw, fascinated. We had been given lectures about how mixing different magics, when not under the rules governing the Power of Five, was a very bad idea, but we never seemed to have a problem. Our powers amplified each other. Lisabelle had once lent me strength to save Lough from a burning tower.
“That’s a lot of power,” said Sip. “It’s as large as Lisabelle’s head.”
“Not as pretty, though,” I said.
“On three,” said Lisabelle. My eyes returned to focus on our magics streaming together, black and silver tangling, being surrounded by brown and tangling again, but always staying tightly together.
“One,” Lisabelle said, taking a deep breath.
“Two,” Sip said. I shut my eyes tightly.
“Three,” all our voices chorused together as our powers did the same. I felt the whoosh as our ball of magic expanded and burst and a slight prickling on my skin as the spell Lisabelle cast blew through me.
I opened my eyes and snapped my neck around, craning to see, but still keeping hold of Sip and Lisabelle.
Once the power was released it swept through the room, almost invisible. I heard a pop, a smack, and then several more pops, quickly followed by the smell of smoke.
“That can’t be good,” said Sip. “Does the smell mean there were bugs in our room?”
“I mean, bugs is such a rudimentary term for paranormal listening devices,” said Lisabelle, releasing our hands and getting off the bed.
“So, that’s a yes?” Sip pressed.
Lisabelle disappeared into the other room as Sip rolled her eyes at our friend’s back.
“Let’s check that out,” she said, pointing to my dresser. The third drawer from the bottom was smoking.
“I might have seen it if I had had any clothes to put away last night,” I said.
“There’s no way you would detect a listening device without an advanced spell,” said Lisabelle, coming back into my room.
“How did you know how to do it then?” Sip said. “I had no idea.”
“Risper,” said Lisabelle. “We should try it in Lanca’s room.”
“Don’t you think she has people to do that?” Sip said.
“Do we trust them?” Lisabelle countered, still out of view in the other room. “And no, not according to what Lanca told us last night.”
“We trust Vital,” I said. “At least I do.”
“Agreed,” said Sip.
Lisabelle’s silence spoke volumes.
“We have to trust someone,” said Sip. “He found Lanca’s hiding place and didn’t tell on her. That has to mean something.”
“Sure, whatever you two say,” said Lisabelle. She was pacing around the room, examining every nook and cranny, even those that were obviously too small for listening devices.
“Can I get that in writing?” Sip asked dryly.
“No.” Lisabelle paused to look at something on my shelf, then continued her examination of the room.
“I didn’t think so,” said Sip, carefully opening the drawer. The release of smoke into the air made us both cough.
“Careful,” Lisabelle called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the main room again.
“Thanks,” said Sip, her voice sounding hoarse and strangled.
“Let’s see,” I said, peering inside once enough of the smoke had cleared. All I could see was a tiny scorch mark on the bottom of the wood.
“Is that it?” I asked. “I didn’t look in these drawers last night, so I don’t know if it was there before.”
“Yeah, I think that’s it,” said Sip, leaning closer. “The spell totally destroyed it.”
“The spell did no such thing,” said Lisabelle, coming back into my room. Her face was grim as she braced her fists on her hips.
“What do you mean?” Sip asked. “I can see the scorch mark, and there was a pile of smoke.”
“I mean the spell was supposed to find the listening spells,” Lisabelle explained, patient for once. “It was not supposed to destroy them.”
“So, the listening spells destroyed themselves?” Sip asked. “Fascinating.”
“Yes,” said Lisabelle. “Someone really didn’t want to be caught spying.”
“If I were spying on you, I wouldn’t want to be caught either,” said Sip.
“You live with me,” said Lisabelle, rolling her eyes. “Pretty sure when you forced that to happen I surrendered all hope of privacy.”
“I remember the course of events very differently,” Sip sniffed.
“Besides,
” said Lisabelle, “you are also a formidable opponent. It’s Charlotte over there who doesn’t scare kittens.”
“Thanks, Belle,” I said jokingly, but I knew it was true. I was small and shy. I tended to blend, and when new students or paranormals learned that I was the only living elemental, I could sometimes see the disappointment register on their faces. In that I was totally unlike both Sip and Lisabelle, who burned brightly no matter what setting they were in.
“How many spells did you find?” Sip asked. “We just had the one in Charlotte’s room, but I’m sure it was enough to do damage.”
“It would have done damage if we hadn’t found it,” said Lisabelle. “As it is I think we’re okay.” Her lips set back into a thin line, as if she was thinking over what to say next and it troubled her.
“So,” Sip prompted, “how many were in the rest of the rooms? Three? Four?”
“Nineteen,” said Lisabelle, her face grim. “At least I found nineteen places that were smoking.”
“Wow,” said Sip, her eyes flashing in concern. “That’s all kinds of bad. I’m not sure I even know how to express that kind of bad.”
“Lucky for you I’m here,” said Lisabelle quietly.
“Lucky is one word,” said Sip dryly.
Chapter Fourteen
Before we could get any further there was a knock on our apartment door. I jumped out of bed and the three of us raced out of my room.
“One guess as to who that is,” said Lisabelle, pretending to bat her eyes and swoon.
“One of your many suitors?” Sip said. “HA. Sorry. Forgot who I was talking to.”
“Keller!” I cried, and bounded past my friends into the common room. It was the first time I had seen the common room in the light, and though I was nearly frantic to wrap my arms around Keller’s strong chest, I did manage to register some details. The furniture was a muted brown, the rugs a blood red. It wasn’t a pretty space, but it was functional and comfortable and from what I could tell all the furniture in the room was the best possible quality. Sip threw herself on one of the couches while Lisabelle lounged against the jamb of my bedroom door.
There was another knock on the door and I nearly ripped it off its hinges to get it open.
My heart sank when I saw who it was.
Vital.
“Good morning,” I said, breathing hard from excitement and letdown all mixed together.
Where was Keller?
“Morning,” said Vital, nodding once. “Obviously I am not who you were expecting. Sorry to disappoint.”
“No, I mean, you’re fine, I mean, well never mind.” My face burned.
“Ignore her,” Lisabelle called. “She’s not a morning person.”
“What’s her excuse the rest of the time?” Sip asked.
I rolled my eyes at my friends and stepped aside so that Lanca’s bodyguard could come in. I was supremely conscious of the fact that if he wanted to move me, or even kill me, he could do it without much trouble. He didn’t look as tired as he had the night before, but there were still bags under his steely eyes.
“Thank you,” he said. “I came to escort you to breakfast.” Mention of our first morning meal brought the memories of the scene with dog in the night flooding back into my mind. I quickly shoved them away, not wanting to think about the tortured animal just then.
“What about Lanca?” Sip asked from the couch, where she had picked up a red-bound book and was randomly flipping through pages.
“She has been in meetings for several hours now,” said Vital. “I was with her, but I took it as a good sign that she entrusted her dear friends, and Lisabelle, to me.”
“You’re funny for hired help,” said Lisabelle, shoving away from the doorway and perching on the arm of the couch next to Sip.
“Lisabelle!” Sip cried, throwing the book down and glaring.
“What? He knows I’m kidding,” said Lisabelle.
“You don’t know what kidding means,” said Sip.
“Sure I do,” said Lisabelle. “I think of it every time you talk.”
“Did you know about the listening devices in here?” Sip asked. “See those scorch marks?” She pointed to the corners of the common room that were now marked in black, as if someone had taken a pencil and drawn lines on the walls.
Vital ran short, blunt fingers through his hair. “I worried about it, but my job is Lanca and she didn’t tell me where she was putting you three. She didn’t trust me to know, so I couldn’t check out the rooms before you arrived. You were also supposed to come by car. It is my understanding that that didn’t happen.”
“We had a minor incident on the road,” said Lisabelle.
“Just your run of the mill someone’s trying to kill us incident,” said Sip. “No big deal.”
“Let’s go,” said Vital, clearly in a hurry and uninterested in the banter.
But we didn’t actually leave for another ten minutes. None of us had really gotten ready, because the first thing we had done was to destroy the listening devices. I felt like we had stepped onto a roller coaster and I couldn’t get off. I just wanted an hour to sit in my room and think about everything that had happened. But I wasn’t going to get it.
“How is Lanca?” Sip asked once the four of us had stepped out into the passage.
The passage had only been lit by a lantern the night before, revealing a black carpet that didn’t really help with the lack of light problem, and walls that looked like black concrete but that Lisabelle said must be a kind of rock, since we were in the middle of a vampire mountain. The hall was devoid of any adornment.
Vital grimaced. “She is alright. Last night Castov overstepped his bounds.”
”What is she going to do?” I asked quietly, wondering what exactly she could do.
“She cannot act until after the coronation ceremony. She must be queen and wield the power that comes with her crown in order to deal with Castov, Faci, or even Daisy,” Vital explained. “It will not be long now.”
“Aren’t they worried about her retaliating?” Lisabelle asked. She was walking next to Vital, while Sip and I followed behind.
“They probably think she will not have the guts,” said Vital. “But I think she will.”
“Once she’s queen she’ll be able to use the ancient powers of Locke,” Sip explained to no one in particular.
When Vital’s face registered surprise Lisabelle snorted. “Sip knows everything about everything. You’ll get used to it. Or just do what I do and tune her out.”
“You have to listen to me - we’re roomies,” said Sip, patting Lisabelle on the shoulder.
“Ah, the naiveté of the werewolves,” said Lisabelle, shaking her head sadly.
“Are the royal families of the other two sects here already?” I asked.
“Oh, yes,” said Vital, although he didn’t sound happy about it. “They showed up right after King Daemon was murdered and they haven’t left. They are power hungry, and now that the Rapiers are weaker . . .”
“You really think they’ve underestimated Lanca?” Lisabelle asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
“I know they have,” said Vital, his eyes steely. “Because they think she’s too young, and because she’s female.”
We didn’t go far before Vital stopped at another door. He rapped once and barely had time to put his hand down before the door was yanked open. There was Lough, his blond hair tousled and his eyes a little frantic. He wore a button down blue shirt that he was just finishing buttoning.
“Morning,” he said. “Dobrov stopped by.”
Dobrov Validification appeared behind him and lifted his hand in greeting. He wasn’t much of a talker, but after he had been on put my Tactical team last semester he had started to hang out with our group instead of his sister. After last night’s display by Daisy, I had to think his choosing to distance himself from her when he could was all to the good.
Dobrov’s skin was still a painful and burnt-looking red, while he was now missing a c
ouple of patches of hair. I was relieved to see that his eyes were clear, even if they were still mostly trained on the ground.
“Dobrov thought he would come say hi,” said Lough, sounding slightly strangled and very relieved that we had showed up. “Nice of him.”
I glanced at Vital, but he didn’t look the least bit fazed by the interaction.
“We were just discussing the other vampire sects,” said Lisabelle cheerfully. “Dobrov, which are you a part of?”
Dobrov raised one of his shoulders in a half shrug. “Raor.”
“Ah,” said Lisabelle. “They’re further south.”
“Warmer is better,” said Dobrov haltingly, his eyes cast to the ground. “All this snow is ridiculous.”
“Doesn’t it make your skin feel better?” Lisabelle asked.
“Pretty sure you should not ask stuff like that,” said Lough, shaking his head and trying not to laugh.
“Nothing makes my skin feel better,” said Dobrov quietly.
“Sorry,” Lisabelle murmured, actually looking apologetic. We continued on in silence until I saw two figures walking toward us down the hall.
“Oh no,” said Sip, wrinkling her nose like she smelled a rotting onion. “Incoming.”
“At least we have Vital with us, so if we need someone to restrain Lisabelle we have help,” said Lough, his voice ominous.
“What’s going on?” Vital asked, pitching his voice low. “All I see is a couple of pixie students.”
“A couple is two more than we’d ever like to see,” said Sip. “Those two particularly.”
“Cale’s not so bad,” I said, looking at my old crush. Red-haired Cale barely registered now that I was with Keller, except I felt a bit on edge and nervous because Keller hadn’t come around to our room first thing in the morning. I had thought I’d see him long before this, but of course I hadn’t known that we’d be attacked, that Lanca would show up to escort us personally into her realm, or that we would have more bugs than a beehive in our apartment.
Elemental Dawn (Paranormal Public) Page 10