We were still discussing where Keller might be when there was a sharp knock at the door. Lisabelle got up to open it and we saw Leonie standing there, leaning on her cane and looking grim-faced.
Behind her stood two Golden Falls Happiness Enforcement Officers. My heart sank.
“I’d like to register my disagreement with this process once again,” Duchess Leonie said to her escorts, glaring upwards at their tall forms. The one nearer to her nodded, but he didn’t say anything.
“What’s happening?” Lough asked nervously.
“We have come for Ms. Quest and Ms. Verlans,” said one of the Enforcement Officers. “The President’s representative would like to speak with them.”
“About what?” Lisabelle demanded. “All the Public students are failing their classes. It’s not just Sip and me.”
Sip shook her head. “Don’t make trouble,” she ordered our friend. Lisabelle gave her a disgruntled look, but quieted down.
“It also has to do with the matter of the murder on our grounds, the first in three hundred years,” said the Enforcement Officer. “Also, Ms. Quest’s extra-curricular activities.”
“They mean your crazy writing,” said Lisabelle. “Calling it extra-curricular activities is extreme.”
The Enforcement Officer’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing.
“Lisabelle’s being accused of murder again,” Sip sighed. “I was so hoping for a semester without that.”
“At least I didn’t do it,” said Lisabelle. “That has to count for something.”
“It didn’t first semester,” Sip pointed out.
“They haven’t done anything wrong,” said Duchess Leonie. “I expect them back by dinner.”
Lisabelle eyed the officers. “Don’t worry about it,” she said calmly. “The only reason they think they can fight darkness is because they’ve never had to. I’d be happy to disabuse them of that notion.”
The Officers shifted uncomfortably as Duchess Leonie gave a razor-sharp smile. “I can see why my son likes you,” she said. “You have our support. Make sure you use it. And just remember: next week we will be returning to Public.”
Sip nodded. “They can’t get mad at me for my writing about the Sign of Six. It’s in the Free Paranormal Accords . How do they suppose Mound can spout off all that nonsense?”
“He isn’t at Golden Falls,” Lough pointed out. “I told you to be careful.”
Sip rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you all at dinner.” With that she allowed the Officers to lead her toward the door.
Right before Lisabelle stepped through the door she turned back to look at us, meeting my eyes.
“Charlotte?” she called. I raised my eyebrows as one of the Happiness Enforcement Officers started to force Lisabelle through the door.
“Loyalty is the most important thing,” she said, and disappeared into the corridor.
Duchess Leonie sat with us, not saying much. Eventually she took Bartholem away, explaining that she wanted to Contact her son without being listened in on. I kept glancing at my friends’ beds, telling myself that they were okay. Lisabelle was not going to be accused of murder and they would look at Sip’s writings as those of a harmless college student.
We spent a nerve-wracking day waiting for Sip and Lisabelle to come back. Golden Falls had started to feel like the most beautiful and lush prison in the world. I knew Sip and Lisabelle were innocent, at least of any real crimes, but I didn’t know if Golden Falls would see it that way.
Leonie tried to distract us. She told of us Dacer’s early years and what a troublesome boy he had been, more interested in fashion than his homework. She had thought there was no hope for him, until as a teenager he’d visited a museum (more like been dragged to one) and seen masks. That experience had changed everything for him.
She knew that if he could just study his passion he would find a niche, but he had found more than that. He had become one of the most respected authorities on paranormal masks in the world. Of course I knew that, but it was fascinating to hear the background from his own mother.
At one point she asked us if we’d made any progress in our investigation, but to be honest we hadn’t. I had barely had time to think about who had murdered Kia and Marcus, let alone investigate it.
“Did any of you see anything strange when the demons attacked?” Duchess Leonie asked.
I shrugged. “Golden Falls students were running away. The demons were attacking, but they weren’t that serious about it. I mean, they didn’t kill any of us. Marcus died from. . . .” I stopped. There was something niggling about that at the back of my mind, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Duchess Leonie saw that I was lost in thought and started talking to Lough about dream giving. He was only too happy to expound on the subject.
By dinnertime it was clear that Sip and Lisabelle weren’t coming back any time soon. We waited as long as we could, but Lough was hungry, so he and I went to find some food.
With a deep feeling of foreboding we made our way to the courtyard and the feast we knew awaited us. We were so close to going back to Public, how could I have lost everyone? I clung to Lough, refusing to let him out of my sight, even to gather food by himself.
The other Public students, including Rake and Trafton, hung in a corner. We had all started to feel nervous. I still believed Faci had killed Kia and Marcus, but without proof it didn’t matter. Faci was strutting around like he owned the place. The fact that Golden Falls would rather have murders swept under the rug or blame Lisabelle than confront the real problem disgusted me.
Happiness for some was not happiness, and I refused to let it come at the expense of my friends.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Lough asked, biting into a chicken leg. “You still have to eat.”
I shook my head. “No, I want to be ready in case Sip and Lisabelle need help.”
“Suit yourself,” said Lough, shrugging. He took another bite of chicken. “Golden Falls might be stupid and they might put a lot of emphasis on peace, but that just means they aren’t going to hurt Sip and Lisabelle. They will probably just want to talk to them forever.”
“They were willing to hurt Vanni for peace,” I pointed out. “What else are they willing to do?”
“Lisabelle isn’t Vanni,” said Lough. “She pointed out to them that she’s darkness and they shouldn’t mess with her.”
I tried to let Lough’s words sink in, but I still wasn’t convinced. I wouldn’t be convinced until Sip and Lisabelle joined us at dinner. What did they care what Sip wrote anyway? She was just trying to stand up for paranormals everywhere, of which they were some.
I took a deep breath as Rake and Trafton joined us.
“Where are Sip and Lisabelle?” Rake asked, looking worried.
I explained in great detail. They could see how angry I was about it.
Sectar was roaming the gathering, talking to students and shaking hands with teachers. As I had all semester, I felt out of place at such a rich party.
He came up to my group and smiled.
“How are you enjoying your final weeks here?” he asked me. “I know it must be a strain, being the only elemental.”
“I’m used to it,” I said bracingly.
He nodded, still smiling.
“I realize that all the Public students have had difficulties with their studies. I just hope you can take better habits back with you to Paranormal Public.” His tone was gracious, but his words were something else.
All I could do was nod.
“Will Sip and Lisabelle be joining us?” I asked. Sectar’s mask of politeness didn’t slip. He must have expected me to ask about them.
“They’re being . . . interviewed,” he said, keeping his tone light. “Ms. Quest has to answer to several activities relating to a war group known as the Sign of Six.”
“It’s not a war group,” I said. “She started a group to help protect paranormals.”
Sectar shrugged.
“She
advocates coming together to fight. It sounds like a war group to me.”
I clutched at my silver goblet. Golden Falls thought so well of itself, but the problem was that it put its desire for peace ahead of having a heart. I said as much to Sectar. As I expected, the man threw his head back and laughed.
“I am sorry you feel that way,” he said amiably. “You of all people, having lost your mother so young, I would expect to think differently.”
“My mother died protecting me,” I said. “I don’t know what would have happened if the demons weren’t trying to start a war, but I certainly don’t think she could simply have avoided dying by living ‘peacefully.’”
Sectar sighed and shook his head, as if he was talking to an errant child. “I see you maybe haven’t learned as much this semester as we would have liked.”
The party continued, but I didn’t feel like it was a party. Keller, Sip, and Lisabelle were all gone and I was having a very hard time remaining calm about it.
The evening came to a head when Lough was ordered not to take any more food. When we’d first arrived we could each take as much as we wanted of whatever we wanted, but now one of the Enforcement Officers had taken notice and told Lough to calm down.
“It’s just a shame,” said Pearl, coming up to me. She held a small plate with several pieces of cheese and a green glass of liquid.
“What is?” I asked.
“Lough,” she smiled sadly. “I really like him, but he’s leaving soon.” We had all seen that she really liked him. It had been especially interesting to watch Lisabelle’s reaction to a girl having a crush on Lough. She had ranted and raved, but Sip would hear none of it, explaining that if Lisabelle wasn’t going to date Lough than she couldn’t be mad if other girls wanted to.
“I guess,” I said. “We have to get back to Public.” I can’t wait, I thought, but I didn’t dare say it out loud.
“Jewel and I are really glad you came this semester,” she said. “It was wonderful to see an elemental in action. Just like in the stories. It’s just important that you stay safe.”
I tried to smile, but it was hard. Without Keller and my friends there I didn’t have much to be happy about.
“Is Lough single?” Pearl asked, finally coming right to the point.
I grinned and nodded. “Yup, he is.”
She smiled. “Maybe I should ask him to hang out.” She bit her lower lip. “I’d like to spend some time with him before he leaves.”
I nodded, not really paying attention. “Definitely.”
After Pearl wandered off I looked around again, and Lough came back and started talking about our tests and how hard they were.
Over on the other side of the courtyard Faci was smiling at us for the first time all semester. Come to think of it, ever since I had returned without Keller he had been pleased.
“Did you hear about Vampire Locke?” he asked, coming over to our table. He could barely contain his glee.
My mouth went dry. Vampire Locke was the home of the Rapier Vampires, Lanca’s stronghold and the location of Blood Throne, which she ruled.
“Heard what?” I asked softly.
“Well, you know, the darkness needed a place to congregate and call their own,” he explained easily. “My dad wanted to help them out any way he could, seeing as how the paranormals are dying off.”
“Because you’re killing us,” Lough said coldly. “We could get along if there weren’t vampires like you out there.”
Faci’s smile stayed firmly in place. He was still smiling. I wanted to scream and grab him. This had to be very, very bad.
“The darkness has overrun Vampire Locke,” said Faci. “Malle rules it now.”
But we couldn’t pursue Faci’s horrifying news right then, because something else claimed all our attention.
The very base of Golden Falls was shaking. Students - all the Falls students - were screaming. I watched in amazement as I felt the magical upheaval. Leonie, sitting next to Sectar, met my eyes. We were both thinking the same thing. Next to me, Lough clutched my elbow.
Lisabelle,” I breathed, slowly pushing myself into a standing position. “She’s furious.”
“That only means one thing,” said Lough, his eyes filled with panic. “They did something to Sip.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
There was a massive commotion as the earth started to heave and roll beneath our feet. Lough grabbed me and then grabbed the wall, bracing us. I felt as if the dirt under our feet was on fire.
“Where did they take them?” Lough yelled over the screams and shrill whistling that filled the air.
The Happiness Enforcement Officers were rushing away, probably to go help their friends with an angry darkness mage. But what about Sip?
“I have no idea,” I said, grabbing Lough’s arm, “but come on.” The two of us darted toward the exit, fighting through the throng of Golden Falls students.
“We’re all going to die,” one girl screamed.
Lough grinned at me. “I guess they aren’t used to being attacked. Weird.”
Rough hands grabbed my arm and I glared at Devlin. He was mostly quiet and had always been nice, but now his eyes were hard.
“Run!” he cried. “You’re the last elemental. Run!”
“You know,” I said, “people keep telling me to run and I keep avoiding battles, but I get into them anyway AND I still lose everyone I love. I’m done running.”
Devlin looked at me like I was crazy, but I brushed him off. The wind had started to whip around us as I searched for the source of the explosion.
Now, reversing what had been happening just a few moments ago, Happiness Enforcement Officers were streaming into the courtyard from every direction. The faeries, who mostly worked in the background anyway, had disappeared. Golden Falls students were trying to get away, but there weren’t enough exits. Another tremor shook the ground, causing Lough to grab hold of the nearest table to steady himself.
Public students had started to look to me, of all the paranormals there, for some clue as to what they should do. Zervos was standing nearby, still nursing injuries from the last demon attack. He moved to stand in the circle that was forming around me.
The trouble was I had no idea what to do, and the chaos churning around us made it hard to think.
“Hey, she isn’t a cripple,” said Lough accusingly, as if his best friend had just betrayed him. I glanced in the direction where he was pointing and smiled.
Duchess Leonie had come sprinting out of Golden Falls, holding her jeweled cane like a mallet. She hit indiscriminately at all the Enforcement Officers in her vicinity. Now I saw why she had the title of Unforgiver.
“The earth is coming apart,” one of the Golden Falls students cried frantically. Indeed, it was true. I tried to harness the power, but my own elemental magic was being shoved away by something much stronger, and much more angry.
“Get back,” Lough yelled. He grabbed my arm and pulled me away. I protested all the way, but Lough was firm.
Glasses fell, tables toppled, trees swayed, and the sky drank in the screams of students and professors alike. Lough pulled me behind one of the decorative trees as the earth split in two. Brown dirt went flying everywhere, covering those standing nearest. Lough whimpered as I kept my eyes fixed on the new hole in the ground.
The sky had darkened to an inky black just as the torches that were always lit around the courtyard flared with angry light.
“Definitely Lisabelle,” I said. Lough still looked fearful.
Suddenly, with a great gasp of wind, out of the ground sprang my friend. Her hair flew wildly around her.
At the same moment a voice cried, “Enough!” This was Sectar, who had just stepped out of the castle. “I can see that Ms. Verlans didn’t like our line of questioning. All she had to do was say so, which of course her nature would not allow her to do.”
“Where’s Sip?” Lisabelle rasped. Her eyes matched the fires raging around us. I looked from her to Sec
tar and saw that it was true. Something had happened to Sip. I choked back fear. Keller was gone and there was something very wrong with my werewolf friend. Lisabelle would never have done something so drastic otherwise.
“We had further questions for the werewolf,” said Sectar dismissively. “As it happens, I do not owe you an explanation.”
“As it happens,” said Lisabelle, “I think you do.”
Out of the corner of my eye I watched Zervos. He stood with his hands at his sides, his red ring pulsing. I tried very hard to read his expression, but I couldn’t. His jaw was set and he looked worried, as much as Zervos ever did. But about what?
“Ms. Verlans,” Zervos started to caution, “now may not be the time. . . .”
The darkness mage ignored him. Igniting another large fire, she lashed it at Sectar.
“Lisabelle,” Duchess Leonie commanded, “enough. This will not help Ms. Quest. We can figure it out later.”
“No, we can’t,” I said, stepping forward. “I don’t think Sip should stay in the hands of the Golden Falls Enforcement Officers for a moment longer.” I gave Zervos a pleading look.
“Why is that?” Sectar asked quietly.
“Because you think darkness is bad,” I said. “It’s obviously not all bad.” I pointed at Lisabelle. “Good and bad isn’t a simple concept, and the paranormals around you will always get hurt if you can’t see shades of gray.”
“Hear, hear,” said Lough heartily.
Sectar’s face changed. He went from anger to thoughtful and from thoughtful to amused. “You’re going to leave without discovering what happened to your friends? Isn’t that why you snuck into the Medical Wing?”
The surprise was clear on my face, which deepened his amusement. “Oh yes, we knew about that. You almost disturbed some very delicate experiments.” I saw some of the other professors, Annabelle for one, come to stand around him.
“Did you know about this, Professor Zervos?” Sectar asked. “Their violation of the sanctity of the school?”
Zervos didn’t say anything. He had never asked us where we’d been that morning. We never told him that the Medical Wing was horrifying and that black ghosts were there to guard the doors. Keller might have told him if he were still there, but Malle had gotten him. I couldn’t even think about it without wanting to cry.
Elemental Earth (Paranormal Public) Page 22