Arcane Dropout 4

by Edmund Hughes

  He split off from Harper and headed for the dormitories. Almost as soon as she was out of earshot, Tess appeared in the corner of his vision. He slowed his walking pace and pulled her into his mystic stream, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “You don’t have to hide when Harper is around, you know,” he said.

  “I wasn’t hiding, I was just…” She scrunched her lips to the side and shrugged. “I wanted to give the two of you some time together. A chance to have the same kind of reunion that we had.”

  Lee put an arm around her and gave her a small sideways hug. “That was nice of you.”

  “I thought so.”

  He frowned, hearing an undercurrent of worry in her voice. “That’s not the only reason, is it?”

  “Well…”

  “Talk to me, Tess,” he said.

  He checked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone on campus and then faced her directly, brushing a few strands of unruly brown hair from her face.

  “I wonder about what will happen when she finally finds out,” she said. “About you as a mystic, and me as your loyal ghost and… lover.”

  “You think we should have tried to explain the truth to her back in the cabin?” asked Lee.

  “Heavens no!” said Tess. “That’s just it. I feel as though she’ll react badly to the truth, maybe so much so that it sours your relationship. But it seems like it only looms larger as she places more trust in you. The lie is like a snowball going down a hill, slowly getting bigger.”

  “Leave it to you to explain things in terms of a snowball analogy.”

  “I’m being serious!” She crossed her arms and looked downward. “We need to think about how to handle this, Lee. She might end up feeling betrayed on multiple levels. Not just due to you hiding your true nature, but because of you, um, hiding me. Another woman.”

  He chewed his lip, wishing he could dismiss her concern but knowing he couldn’t. There were no good options either, no easy solutions. He could tell Harper the truth. He could keep lying to her. Or…

  Don’t fall in love with her. Anyone but her.

  CHAPTER 30

  The dormitory common room was much the same as Lee remembered it, if a bit quieter. He felt another rush of memories as he slowly walked across the carpet. Studying with Eliza. Arriving back late at night stumbling drunk alongside Toma. Watching Kristoff in the aftermath of one of Tess’s pranks.

  He was aware of the fact that Harper would be expecting him, so he hastily made his way to his dorm. The door was unlocked, and he headed straight inside, smiling as he considered the state Toma likely left the room in prior to leaving for vacation.

  He walked into a hospital room, which gave him pause, for obvious reasons. The exam table was lined with a thin sheet of sterile paper. A wooden bench sat along the back wall, and a desk with an office chair was tucked into the corner. It was identical to the hospital room where he, as Eldon, had arrived for his appointments in the TBI ward.

  “Ah, good timing,” said a familiar voice. “Take a seat, Eldon.”

  Dr. Constantine entered the room behind him. He was thin and bald with a pale complexion, as though he had a fractious relationship with the sun and the outdoors in general. He smiled warmly at his patient and gestured toward the exam table, pulling the office chair out to serve as his own seat.

  Lee was feeling charitable, so he decided to go along with it, despite seeing the obvious rough edges of the illusionist’s work. The window should have peered out into an active courtyard full of patients, rather than the currently empty one. Easier to maintain that way, he figured.

  If he wanted to, Lee could have simply narrowed his eyes and dismissed the entire affair. He’d never been especially susceptible to illusions as a mystic. He was surprised that Constantine was even attempting to fool him, given how much difficulty he’d given the man while he’d undergone the Cropping.

  “Doctor,” he said, feigning confusion. “Wait. How… did I get here?”

  “Your brother called us,” said Constantine. “He said you’ve been experiencing stronger symptoms over the past few days. Hallucinations and delusions of grandeur. It’s perfectly normal for someone who has suffered an injury like yours.”

  “Hallucinations,” mumbled Lee. “Yes, it all makes so much sense, now. You can help me, though?”

  “Of course!” Constantine grinned. “It’s why I’m here.”

  “Lee, I’m starting to get worried,” whispered Tess. “You’re not seriously falling for this nonsense, are you?”

  He turned away from Constantine and winked at her. Two steps forward, three to the right. The examination table was more or less in the same spot as his bed was in the real world. He sat down on it.

  “Of course I can help you, Eldon,” said Constantine. “I brought some medication with me for you to take, for starters.”

  He passed Lee a small paper cup with several brightly colored pills inside. Lee nodded gratefully and brought the cup to his lips, then hesitated without actually tossing them down the hatch.

  “Is it ever hard for you to do this job?” he asked. “Do you wonder sometimes if it’s fair, or right, for you to dictate what someone’s experience should be?”

  Constantine chuckled. “That’s quite the question. I see what I do more as helping people find themselves. Who they really should be. The version of ‘them’ that integrates best with society.”

  Lee tapped his finger on the edge of the cup. “I can almost believe that when you say it with such confidence. Who knows? Maybe it’s true. Maybe Eldon would have gone on to live a productive life. Have you been back to Seattle in the past few days?”

  “Ah… We’re in Seattle currently, Eldon,” said Constantine. “Please, if you would? Take the pills.”

  “I plan on going back,” said Lee. “Eventually. It’s funny, so much has happened over the past few days that I haven’t thought about it… but I really do miss the friends I made there. Tim, Alex… Laura, for sure. She’s such a sweet girl.”

  Constantine narrowed his eyes and stood up. Lee held up a finger and made as though he was finally going to take his medicine.

  “The thing about illusions that I’ve always found so funny is how it seems like they fool both parties involved,” said Lee. “I guess that’s due to the level of belief and confidence… vision, if you will, needed to maintain them. Take this exam table, for instance. In reality, it’s my bed, in my dorm room. Do you know what I keep in my dorm room, under my bed?”

  Lee reached down and felt for the grip of the Walther P99 pistol that Kei had given him shortly before his departure from Primhaven. He mimed surprise as he pulled it into view, mirroring the shock he saw on Constantine’s face.

  “Oh?” said Lee. “What’s this?”

  He chambered a round, though it was just for show. He’d used up all the pistol’s ammunition during his fight with the lich and never got more bullets to reload it with. The intimidation effect was still real, even if the danger wasn’t.

  Constantine fell out of his chair, though to his credit, he reacted well after that. A green alteration barrier cut through the room, which had abruptly snapped back to resemble the dorm Lee had been expecting, as Constantine cast his defensive spell.

  Lee shifted the pistol to his left hand as he ran forward, extending his right palm. He focused on his breathing, exhaling slowly as he used dispel to melt a hole through the barrier like a hot iron pressing through a thin layer of ice.

  Constantine backed away from him, almost tripping over an ottoman as he entered the common room. He snapped his arms into an x-shape across his chest, casting another alteration spell that sent a pink magic missile hissing through the air toward Lee’s head.

  Lee ducked and rolled, not interested in testing his reflexes when it came to his dispel usage. He aimed the pistol at Constantine again, though he had no real intention of firing it. He wanted to take the illusionist alive.

  “Tess,” he whispered. “Can you trip him, or tie his sh
oelaces together, or something?”

  She didn’t get a chance to try. The common room’s main door slammed open and Head Wizard Odarin charged inside, snarling like a madman. Odarin was tall with a muscular build, though he’d let himself go a tad over the years. He sprinted at Constantine, deflecting another magic missile intended for him with a spell shield, and launched forward with a flying tackle.

  Constantine let out a few less than dignified noises as Odarin punched him repeatedly in the face. The Head Wizard was shouting something too, though the words were almost lost in his fury, flecks of spittle flying loose from his mouth.

  “You no-good, traitorous, rubber necking… er… craven! Yes… You craven, filthy, worthless piece of human garbage! Selling the school out to lycanthropes! RRRAAGHHH!”

  Odarin was a terrifying sight, and so was Constantine’s face when the beating finally ended. The Head Wizard stood up and ran a bloody hand through his blond hair, unintentionally leaving streaks of crimson in the wake of his fingers. Harper slowly made her way into the room behind him, frowning as she looked back and forth between the Head Wizard and the former instructor.

  “Is he conscious?” she asked. “It would be convenient for our purposes if we could question him.”

  “Question him.” Odarin frowned. “I, uh, didn’t consider that, really. I think he’ll wake up eventually.”

  He gave Constantine a small kick. The illusionist didn’t stir. It was only then that Odarin seemed to notice Lee, his eyebrows rising with recognition and then darting to the gun in his hand.

  “Initiate Amaranth,” he said. “Nice gun.”

  “Thanks,” said Lee.

  “We don’t have any time to waste,” said Harper. “John, you’ll need to round up every last animal on campus, regardless if it appears to be one of Mattis’s bonded animals or not. Eldon and I will pursue Mattis.”

  “She’s with the initiates in Puerto Rico,” said Odarin. “I should go along with you.”

  “You’ll be needed here, both to ensure that the college is secure and to guard Constantine,” said Harper. “We can handle it on our own. If we move quickly, we can reach her and secure the situation without much trouble.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” said Odarin. “I have a tremendous amount of trust in your abilities, Instructor Harper. Bring Mattis to justice. I’m counting on you!”

  He reached his hand out to shake hers, the same one that was still covered in blood and bits of, well, Lee wasn’t entirely sure what. Harper winced and gave him a nod instead. Odarin blinked, glanced at his hand, and then sniffed it.

  “Ew!” cried Tess. “Why do boys have to be so gross?”

  Lee and Harper left Odarin, along with a few graduate mages who’d arrived on-scene, to handle imprisoning Constantine. He followed her out onto campus and suddenly had a thought.

  “We should make a quick detour to the alchemy lab before we leave,” he said.

  “You have some potions in mind that might help?” asked Harper.

  “Nope,” he said. “Summoning scrolls.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Instructor Escher was at her desk, reading a paperback romance novel with significant amounts of man-chest on the cover. She didn’t notice them immediately as they entered, flipping to the next page while simultaneously biting her lower lip, face flushed.

  She gave off the impression of a nerdy academic, and in Lee’s fairly short time knowing her as a person, he’d come to understand that she was exactly that. Her research, however, seemed mostly centered on the nature of feminine supernatural entities: monster girls.

  She had brown hair done up into a tight bun, and she wore horn-rimmed glasses along with a professional-looking blouse over a pencil skirt and pantyhose. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Lee and Harper as they strolled into her office, blinking rapidly in surprise as they recognized him.

  “Initiate Amaranth,” said Escher. “Do you recognize me? I suppose you couldn’t if you tried, after… Hmmm. Would it be appropriate for me to run a few tests on him while he’s here, Instructor Harper? If you don’t mind.”

  “I mind,” said Lee.

  “So do I,” said Harper. “More importantly, he hasn’t undergone the Cropping. That was simply a cover story we used while he was working with me on an undisclosed mission.”

  “Ah.” Escher seemed intrigued by that, but only for a moment. “Well, what is it that brings you to my office? I’ve had to suspend my research, given your absence.”

  “About that…” said Lee. “I could use some summoning scrolls, if you have any lying around. I feel like it’s safe to assume that you made one or two extras in anticipation of our ongoing partnership that were never given out.”

  “I only have one prepared,” said Escher. “You’re quite welcome to it, if you’d like.”

  Her tone was open and cheerful, like the prize on the end of a fisherman’s hook.

  “What’s the catch?” asked Lee.

  “You would owe me a small favor, in return,” said Escher. “To be redeemed at a later date.”

  “Eldon, we don’t have time for this,” said Harper. “Yes, he agrees. Now if you would hand over the requested item? I can’t understand why you’d use a scroll in the first place, rather than just learning the spell properly. Especially if it’s central to your strategy.”

  “Ah.” Lee shrugged. “It’s a tricky spell to cast. A bit beyond my limits.”

  There was a glimmer in Harper’s eye. She reached underneath her coat and robe and pulled off a thin, silver chain necklace that he hadn’t noticed she’d been wearing. It looked like a simple piece of jewelry, at a glance, but it sparkled like diamonds in the light.

  “Here,” she said, putting it over his neck. “It’s a basic spell chain, an enchanted arcane essence totem for heavy casting. It should allow you to extend your casting limitations, though it is a bit of a pain to recharge. Use it to start working on learning this summoning spell of yours.”

  Tess let out a delighted squeak. “Can you feel that? Incredible… I can reach into that essence, Lee, and use it as easily as I can use my own.”

  Lee glanced toward where she stood at his side. She was grinning, and it was infectious.

  “You’ll be up to five spells when both my essence and that of this enchantment are maxed out,” she explained. “Consider it your Enchanted Necklace of +2 Spell Power.”

  “In that case, do you still need the scroll?” asked Escher.

  “For now, yes,” said Lee. “When I have the time, I’m going to start practicing and learning the summoning spell.”

  “You’ll be coming back to Primhaven?” asked Escher.

  He hesitated, realizing that he hadn’t considered whether that would even be an option for him.

  “He will be,” said Harper. “He’s my apprentice, after all. I’m responsible for making sure he’s trained adequately. Field work is no replacement for a proper education.”

  The three of them made their way down into Escher’s private office. She still had the chart plots mapping out each of the monster girls’ abilities on her wall, and Lee began considering which one to commit the summoning scroll to. He was surprised when Harper began reviewing the charts and offering her opinion.

  “I doubt this yak monster would be especially useful in a hot environment,” she mused. “Spiders and sand also seem like a rather poor mix, don’t you think?”

  “Tell her that spiders with anything are a poor mix,” whispered Tess.

  A discussion was had, and Lee finally settled on Ophelia, the lamia, based off Escher’s assessment of her swimming skills and affinity for the heat. Escher drafted the scroll and handed it to him, flashing a smile that made him a little wary.

  “Be careful with her,” said Escher. “She’s been in a rather poor mood lately, though that’s true for most of my specimens. Your absence has been felt hard in my laboratory, Initiate Amaranth.”

  “I’m flattered,” he said.

  “Oh, I’m su
re I can think of a few ways in which you can make it up to me,” said Escher. “Let’s talk when you get back.”

  Lee and Harper made one last stop before leaving the college, both of them returning to their room to change into clothing more appropriate for the tropical weather. Lee also opted to leave his empty pistol behind, not seeing much use for it in relation to the murky legality of carrying it on his person.

  They met up near the statue of Shay Morrigan, and Harper wordlessly began leading him toward the First Tower. He walked a few steps behind her alongside Tess, his excitement fluttering as he realized they’d be taking the Arcane Way.

  They took the lift down to the tower’s sublevel. Harper waved him over to a Jeep with an open top and Lee climbed in next to her on the passenger’s side. Tess squeezed into the back while the door was still open, stretching out across the seat with no safety belt.

  “Ready?” she asked. “Remember, this can be somewhat unnerving. I suggest you close your eyes if you’re susceptible to motion sickness.”

  “I’m ready,” he said.

  She drove the Jeep forward, not slowing down as they approached the massive stone arch that marked the entranceway for the Primhaven side of the Arcane Way. Light flashed as the front of the car made first contact, and Lee felt a gut-wrenching mixture of dizziness and psychedelic flashing lights.

  The disorientation was a small price to pay for convenient, instantaneous transport, but it was a price, none the less. Lee took a grip on one of the Jeep’s handlebars and dangled out the window slightly in an attempt to get a breath of fresh air. No such luck. They were in a dark, dusty interior that smelled of ancient horse dung and rotting wood.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve been through this particular archway,” said Harper. “We’re in an old barn, in case you were wondering. Just outside a small town on the southern coast.”

  She climbed out to open the barn’s massive sliding door, letting the intense sunlight flood in to illuminate the space. It was early in the afternoon in Puerto Rico, which jived with Lee’s sensation of when his day had started and when it should be ending.