Throughout the whole long song none of us moved. Lisabelle reached out to touch one of the bubbles, but Sip snatched her arm back.
Finally the last note ended and the music corps lowered their trumpets. The courtyard was silent. I didn’t even dare to look at Zervos.
“Lest you ever forget,” Sectar intoned. All the students repeated what he said. “Lest you ever forget, this is what happens when darkness comes. We will not have darkness here. Only the golden light. We must remember.”
I glanced from Sip to Lisabelle. Sip looked fretful again as she had after Dove’s death, while Lisabelle’s face was closed.
“I don’t know that I agree with his methods,” said Lough, “but we certainly need more light in our lives instead of darkness.”
After that there were several more welcoming marches, although no others were gruesome like the bubbles. The sun was high overhead when Sectar called a halt.
“Come in and feast,” he said, throwing his arms wide. “It is joyous to have you here at Golden Falls University.”
And so the night began. It turned out that when Sectar said come inside, he was inviting us into a courtyard that at the back of the massive golden castle. I had never seen so many jewels in one day. There were rubies fixed to wall tiles, massive pearls for doorknobs, and black jewels interspersed throughout the floor we walked on. I found myself openly gaping.
First, though, we got to walk through lavish rooms with gilded framework, far more elaborate than anything at Paranormal Public, including the Astra ballroom. The floors were all marble or covered in thick, plush carpets. The windows were massive, so as to take advantage of the stunning view of the mountain, and trimmed in gold. Adding to the richness of each room, plush velvet curtains hung thick, tied open with gold brocade.
All this was to say nothing of the waterfall or the courtyard itself. It felt like entering another world.
“Wow,” breathed someone behind me. “Wow.”
Chapter Thirteen
Stepping into the courtyard felt like stepping into a perfume shop. It was filled with flowers and plants, so fragrant I felt like I was inhaling whole roses, and daisies, and all kinds of flowers I could not name. I stepped onto the flagstones and looked around. There were greens and blues, bright yellows and pinks, and every shade of purple I had ever imagined.
“Why didn’t I apply here for college?” I breathed.
Sip smiled. “Because that’s not how it works?”
“Well, it should be,” said Lough reverently.
“Oh, right,” I said, smiling a bit myself. “Well, maybe it should.”
None of us bothered to see how Lisabelle was feeling. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she clearly didn’t care about the fragrances.
There were cheese platters and crusty-looking bread. There were chocolate fountains and the most deeply red strawberries to dip them in that I had ever seen. But that was only the beginning. There were baked goods, from stuff that was easy to recognize like mint brownies and chocolate cake, to stuff I had no idea about. There were tiny bowls of some sort of mousse swirl that was every color of the rainbow. There were chocolates in the shape of hearts and stars. There was every type of berry crumble and there were vanilla, chocolate, and sugar cookies. Those were just the types I could easily see.
I saw punch bowls in crystal and large bottles of colored liquids, from orange to brown, from magenta to teal.
“Bye,” said Lough, and he hurried to the nearest stack of pearl-colored plates.
“I’m surprised he even said that,” I muttered.
We were about to disperse and find food when Lisabelle held up her hand. “I want to say something to the two of you first,” she said, tugging us out of the way of stampeding students. As they passed us on their way into the courtyard, the Golden Falls students didn’t look anywhere near as impressed as we did by the spread before us, which told me they were probably used to this sort of thing.
“We need to be careful not to be deceived, and we need to do something about our own situation even though we’re not at Public,” said Lisabelle urgently to me out of the side of her mouth as we walked inside.
I nodded, a little puzzled by what she was focused on at this moment. “We will.” I tried to be reassuring, but I really wanted to get over to the cheese platters before Lough finished them off.
Lisabelle raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Oh? Like what?”
“We’re going to find the objects on the Wheel,” I said. “We’re going to find Malle, and we’re going to destroy her. I don’t want all these pretty things to distract from that.”
“Can’t they distract us a little?” Sip asked longingly, staring at a silver platter of what could only be cherry tarts with whipped cream on top.
Lisabelle nodded approvingly. “How are we going to do that?”
I shook my head. “If we have the objects, she’ll come to us. It’s too much power for her not to come after it. All she’s ever been is power-hungry.”
“Why are the demons after the objects on the Wheel?” asked Lough, who had come over to us holding two plates, both piled high with food. “I’ve never understood. Why can’t they just let us have them?”
“Because controlling the Power of Five is to their benefit as well. If they have it, it’ll be easier for them to attack us and take down some of our age-old protections, like the ones around Public. It will also mean that we don’t have them,” said Lisabelle.
“Exactly,” I said. “They might also just destroy the objects like they’re trying to destroy me.”
“Then all the paranormals will be unprotected,” said Lough. He had two plates stacked high with goodies. “They’ve wanted that all along.” He handed me one of the plates and said something about getting a drink, then disappeared. Lisabelle and I exchanged grins.
“Maybe we can share them,” said Sip hopefully. “It would be the mature thing to do. Now, I’m going to get some of this scrumptious-looking food.”
We stayed in the courtyard for several hours, and many Golden Falls university students came up to us to chat. One girl introduced herself as Jewel. She had a bright smile and piles of red hair. Other Golden Falls students wanted to meet the last elemental, and they seemed to be doing it despite Lisabelle’s presence. Luckily, Lisabelle was too busy examining a stone sculpture of a goddess to care much.
Finally, Sectar gave all of us permission to disperse. We were led to our suite by a faery, which was more than a little shocking. I had had no idea that faeries worked for other paranormals, and that they were employed at Golden Falls. This particular faery was dressed simply in white and never made eye contact with us.
At this point I had pretty high expectations for our suite, and Golden Falls didn’t disappoint. The place was unbelievable.
When you entered our “digs,” as Sip affectionately started to call them, there was a sitting room nearly the size of the Astra ballroom. The shelves were lined with richly bound volumes of books on either side of floor to ceiling windows that opened on the stunning view. The velvet drapes were a midnight blue, in perfect contrast to the gold carpet. The light and mirror fixtures were also gold.
That was only the first room. There were many others, mostly bedrooms. Sip, Lisabelle, and I had decided to share one. The place was so big you could start to feel lonely otherwise.
“Who cleans this place?” Sip had wondered.
“They probably need a small army,” Lisabelle mused. “Servants? Those faeries?”
Sip grimaced at the mention of faeries, but didn’t say anything.
“Think we could live here forever?” Vanni asked in wonder.
“You can,” Lisabelle generously offered. “I’ve heard the academics here are tough, though. Not for the faint of heart.”
“I don’t care if I can sleep in a bed the size of a lake,” said Vanni.
“Why is Nolan staying with the Public students?” I asked Keller, who had come with us to check out our rooms. He wrapped his ar
m around my shoulders and I lay my head on his chest.
“They wanted to have one of them with us at all times to make sure we were comfortable,” Keller explained. “We’re already comfortable with Nolan, so that made sense.”
Sip rubbed her hands together. “Good. It will be easier for us to discuss the Sign of Six that way. That should help make me feel better.”
Last semester, when Nolan had been at Public, he and Sip had started what they affectionately called the Sign of Six. Since Caid was not fighting the demons, as far as we could tell, Sip had thought it was important to have an organization that would stand against darkness. She had told me to keep me out of danger, but now she was spearheading the fight against the Nocturns. She showed no sign of slowing down, having written a long missive about paranormals coming together and battling as one combined force instead of as uncooperating, separate parts. Lisabelle had helped her.
Sip sighed and plopped onto one of the blue couches. Keller and I sat together on another.
“Sip, are you okay?” Keller asked. He too had noticed that she’d been acting strangely on and off since we escaped the latest demon attack.
She shook her head. “No, I’m not okay, not really. I watched a committee member die, then had a bubble shoved in my face about it. That doesn’t qualify as okay. Not all the good food in the world will make that loss of life alright.”
Keller nodded sympathetically. I could see he was quietly trying to check her vitals. When he was satisfied, he sat back on the couch and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“Classes start for us tomorrow,” said Lisabelle quietly. “We can’t have a meeting of the Sign of Six before then. In fact, we might want to keep that organization under wraps this semester.”
Sip looked aghast. “It’s the one thing that will help me heal,” she protested, glaring at Lisabelle, who leaned against one of three mantels in the room. “I’m not going to keep my head down and hide like I’m afraid. The Nocturns would love that.”
“Do you think Faci will try to attack us this semester, with Golden Falls being so opposed to violence?” I asked.
“I think Faci will get someone else to do his dirty work if possible. Isn’t that the Nocturn way?” said Lisabelle bitterly. “If that doesn’t work, then maybe he will. I think Golden Falls will have to kill him to keep him from doing violence, and since they aren’t willing to use violence, well, it gets complicated.”
“He’s perfectly happy to hurt innocent creatures in the shadows. Let’s see how he feels about fighting something that knows how to fight back in the light.”
“Are you going to be okay here?” I asked. It was something I’d been worrying about since we arrived. I hadn’t realized how much Falls disliked darkness, and Lisabelle was chock-full of it.
Lisabelle looked at me sharply, her face taking on the now familiar unreadable mask. “What do you mean?”
I looked away, around the beautiful suite we’d be calling home for the next few months.
“Darkness calls to darkness,” I said. “Golden Falls hates darkness. I’m just worried that they’ll try to trap you, or something will happen with the little darkness around us.”
Lisabelle nodded. “You’re right to be worried about it.” Her concession surprised me. “Golden Falls is a dangerous place for any darkness mage. My plan is to just keep my head down and not draw attention to myself.”
“My plan is to be five feet taller by Friday,” Sip muttered. “You know what they say about the best laid plans. . . .”
Despite our worries, we all went to sleep with high hopes for Golden Falls.
Chapter Fourteen
Our first day at Golden Falls wasn’t an unmixed pleasure.
First, I didn’t see Keller at all, not once, not even at meals. He had said they would keep him busy learning the ropes, but I hadn’t realized that he would be so busy he wouldn’t have time for lunch. Second, all the students stared at me. I had forgotten that that was likely to happen. Third, Faci. Enough said. Fourth, Golden Falls was like the twilight zone. I had seen incredible things since magic became a part of my daily life, but nothing like the splendid castle of Golden Falls. It wasn’t bad, but it was an adjustment. And lastly, something very strange happened with Kia.
As we headed to breakfast, the small pixie was nowhere to be seen. The rest of us filed quietly out of our suite, having bathed (no showers, just, yes, you guessed it, gold bathtubs) in piping hot rose water. Both she and Camilla had been gone when we got up in the morning.
“Can you believe we’re sharing a suite with Camilla?” I muttered, glad that Cale’s former girlfriend was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m just impressed she lasted the night,” said Lisabelle. “All this happiness must really get under her green skin.”
“What, were you going to kill her?” Sip demanded. “She’s just a poor, innocent, crazy pixie.”
Lisabelle and I exchanged worried glances. Then Sip guffawed. “Gotcha there, didn’t I? I’m not completely crazy!”
Lisabelle rolled her eyes. “If she talks crazy and she acts crazy. . . .”
“Although if you keep hanging out with those two you might be,” said Nolan smiling, joining us in the walk down the plushly carpeted halls. His hands were tucked into his pockets and he whistled while he walked. “I thought I’d help you find your way to breakfast.”
“How are you, Nolan?” I asked the werewolf.
He smiled brightly.
“I’m good,” he said. “Glad to see the Public crowd again.”
“Did you read my latest missive in the Tabble?” Sip asked curiously.
Nolan laughed. “All business, huh? As a matter of fact, I did. Very well written.”
We passed several Golden Falls students. They dressed in gold every day, apparently, and each one we passed smiled brightly at all of us and nodded to me in particular. I blushed, feeling uncomfortable.
“Do you want to come over later and help me draft the latest round of plans?” Sip asked. “We have a whole suite to ourselves.”
Before Nolan could answer he scooted to the side of us, his eyes suddenly filled with worry. “Faci’s coming.”
Indeed, Faci was coming down the hall with Daisy walking next to him. We were heading right for them; there was no way to avoid an encounter.
Faci came to a stop in front of us and smiled. Well, sort of. It looked more like a cat about to eat a mouse.
“How are the newest Golden Falls students settling in?” he asked coldly. “You know, I like it here so well I’m thinking of staying on into next semester.”
“Bye,” said Lisabelle, crossing her arms over her chest and pointing in the opposite direction. Her eyes were pure steel.
Faci barely spared her a glance. “Of course, I’d hate to leave you all alone. What would you do for fun without me?”
“I’m sure we’d find something. Just leave a picture of yourself. We’ll use it for dart practice,” said Lisabelle, her jaw set as she lowered her hand.
Now Faci did look at her, but it was Daisy who spoke. “You think you’re so clever. Just wait until the semester is over, then see how clever you think you are.”
“Is that a threat?” Lisabelle asked quietly, her dark eyes flashing. Daisy stepped forward, but Lisabelle stood her ground, staring coldly at the hybrid.
“Maybe,” said Daisy. She gave a thin smile. “Maybe it is.”
“Golden Falls doesn’t condone violence,” said Nolan warningly. Daisy gave him a once-over with her eyes and sniffed disdainfully before returning her attention to Lisabelle. I saw Nolan pale from the hybrid’s attention.
“Well,” said Lisabelle coolly, “I’ve been threatened before.”
Daisy shook her head. “Not like this. Just watch yourself. You aren’t at a school anymore that will tolerate your antics.”
“News flash,” said Sip, “Public didn’t tolerate her antics either.”
“Daisy,” said Lough, stepping around us. “How is it that Dobr
ov is looking more and more like a paranormal and you’re looking more and more like a boiled sweet potato?”
Daisy lunged at Lough, but Faci caught her. “Don’t waste your energy,” he advised. “There will be time enough later to deal with dream givers who don’t know their place.”
“I have a pretty good idea of my place,” Lough gritted out. “You’re the one who’s confused.”
Now Faci really did smile. What passed for his lip curled back and his sunken eyes got smaller. His gums were black around the edges. “Let’s go.”
Once they had passed, Sip said, “Are those two dating?”
Nolan, who had flattened his back against the ornate wall as the duo passed, unstuck himself. Lisabelle gave him a bemused look. “Here I was thinking you were brave.”
“Ew, could they really be dating?” said Lough in horror. “I swear, if Faci has gotten a girlfriend before me. . . .” He just shook his head angrily as Sip gave him a sympathetic pat.
“Maybe he’ll stay here next year,” she said. “They can beat the darkness right out of him.”
“Not likely they’ll want to keep him,” said Nolan. His eyes were fixed and his voice shook.
“Still, maybe we’ll get lucky,” said Lisabelle. “Then again, he didn’t seem to think we were going to live until next year. We can’t die this semester. We have too much to do.”
The only reason I’d been worried about coming here this semester was because other than missing Paranormal Public, I felt sure that it would set me back in my efforts to find the objects on the Wheel. Despite my hopes to the contrary, it was probably also going to set me back in my attempt to understand why elementals had murdered my mother, who was the mother of her own elemental. But I was here now, and I had to make the best of it, starting with breakfast.
Breakfast was served outside in the walled courtyard we’d feasted in the day before. I expected a simple setup, with maybe some cereals, toasts, and jams, after last night’s extravaganza, but I was starting to find out that Golden Falls University didn’t do simple. They did spectacle, and they did it very well.
Elemental Earth (Paranormal Public) Page 8