Reluctantly I turned around to look. The same brown-haired girl from the first night, who had spoken up in my defense, stood there now. Already tears streamed down her face. Her right cheek had a deep gash that was oozing a little, and the tears streamed into it, causing blood to drip onto her white shirt.
I gulped and looked back at Ms. Vale. Her eyes burned.
“She’s performing a spell,” Lisabelle muttered. “It’s not like any I’ve ever seen before.” I looked back at the brown-haired girl. More tears were pouring from her eyes. I flinched.
“Poor Nina,” Sip said sadly. “This is not going to end well.”
My stomach turned and rolled, but I kept my eyes on Nina, out of respect for her. Bloody tears poured from her eyes until she was screaming. Some of the pixies were laughing, but otherwise the room was silent. My fingernails dug into my palms until I felt the skin tear. Fury pounded at my temples. Nina’s yells echoed off the hall. A few paranormals covered her ears. Eventually Nina collapsed.
A few of her tablemates just stared at her. I wanted to yell at them to pick her up, carry her to the infirmary and help her, instead of letting her lie in a pool of her own wet blood, but, probably smartly, her friends waited until Ms. Vale nodded at them. Waving her hand she said, “Clean that mess up. I want it spotless.” Then she went back to eating her lunch and talking to the Baxter brothers. None of my friends said a word. We didn’t even look at each other. We didn’t have to. This was not going to last the semester, one way or another.
I spent the afternoon reading some of the books that Sigil had given me. The wealth of information about elementals was astounding. The first book I chose, Royal Element, was about the history of the royal families of elementals. As I had noticed from my first day in Astra as a Starter, the ballroom had a throne and a chair for a queen, and now I was going to learn about the people who had once occupied those spots.
The royal family of Nascaro is the only one to have ruled the elementals. This is a testament not only to their staying power, but also to the ability of the elementals to overcome adversity and disagreements. The elementals have always been a proud house, and one of the main attributes of such pride is the breadth of their powers. Earth, air, fire, and water cover almost everything in the known universe, meaning that elementals are at the forefront of change and act as the backbone of progress. Obviously, the ruler of the elementals, be he a king or she a queen, is at the apex of such power.
I skimmed down. There were long periods of good relations between elementals, punctuated by kings and queens who had more trouble ruling. One king that stuck out was King Ashmonth, who ruled in the eighteenth century for a brief period. Unlike the kings who had come before him, his power lay only in fire. But all the other members of the royal household had the rare talent of having power in all four disciplines of elemental magic, so King Ashmonth found his rule challenged from the beginning. Unfortunately for him, his father had died young, making Ashmonth king at the young age of eighteen.
It was too young; he hadn’t learned enough to know how to rule properly. Royal Element implied that Ashmonth had started out with the best of intentions, but as it became increasingly clear that he was unfit to lead, his rule was challenged. At the age of twenty-five he lost his mind and burned half of Astra down. He was sentenced to drowning, a horrible fate for a fire elemental.
As it happened, King Ashmonth had sired a daughter, who, having been sent to live in the country where she knew nothing of her birth, was brought back to rule at the age of twenty-five. Her name was Queen Ashray. Her mother had been forced to marry King Ashmonth and the union was an unhappy one. Queen Ashray, after hearing of her mother’s fate, refused to follow the same path.
She proceeded to be the longest-ruling monarch to date, living to the age of ninety-eight. She died with her mind still sharp, beloved by all who knew her. It was she who had presided over the great changes experienced by Astra. She had commissioned the creation of the library and insisted that the powers of Astra be placed in the Mirror Arcane, to be used should the unthinkable befall the elementals. She also promoted the use of the Power of Five as a way to nurture cross-paranormal relations. If the paranormals were strongest together, there would be less fighting and less war.
She had even founded a university, suggesting that its name be Paranormal Public.
The only break I took was when Ricky e-mailed me. He started the e-mail with, “Don’t be mad,” and went on to tell me about the first B+ - he always got As - he had received on a homework assignment. But it was a stupid homework assignment, he insisted, about how logic was law and there was no room for creativity.
I was so absorbed in my reading that I almost forgot about the “big” announcement. Remembering just in time, I threw down Royal Element mid-sentence and dashed out of Astra, thinking as I ran that Queen Ashray sounded amazing. No wonder the elementals had always been so respected.
By the time I reached the center of campus most of the other students had gathered. I made my way to Sip and Lisabelle, who were standing out the corner of the hospital building, eyeing Ms. Vale and her two cronies, the Baxter brothers, suspiciously.
The clearing was lit mostly by Fire Whips, which cast a shadowy glow on the rest of us. But on the edges I could see moving shadows that could only be hellhounds. Cale and Camilla stood toward the front. I could see the back of Camilla’s long blond hair swishing as she giggled. She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world. I shifted uncomfortably, unable to still my fears entirely.
Wearing the same purple and blue outfit she’d had on at lunch, Ms. Vale came to the center of the clearing. I now saw that there was a raised dais set up there, right where the pen had been not a week before. The pens had been moved to one side but were still within sight, probably to make sure we never forgot where we could end up if we disobeyed one of the Nocturns.
Ms. Vale paced back and forth, looking like she was in fine form. Her hands waved and her eyes sparkled. If I hadn’t known better I would have thought she was about to perform a jig.
“I’ll keep this brief,” she said, “since above all I want you to get back to your studies.” I looked around for Nina, but there was no sign of the Starter. She was probably still in the infirmary. If it had been allowed I would have visited, but I knew I would get in a world of trouble if I tried, and just make things worse for Nina as well.
“We have heard that you have something called Tactical here,” Ms. Vale went on.
I groaned inwardly. I was not a fan of the violent game, which had invented as a practical way to get us to practice our magical skills. Last semester my roommates and I had nearly died when we were sent into the woods and demons had attacked us.
“This semester,” said Ms. Vale, “I would like to have the ultimate Tactical challenge. There will be two teams, a fight to the death if you will.”
At the murmur that went up around us Ms. Vale twittered with laughter. “Not a real death, at least not on my watch. Of course, if one of you should inadvertently die. . . .” She held her hands wide. “There won’t be anything I can do about it.”
I felt cold. This was another layer I had not been expecting. Sip leaned into me. “Of course she’s going to do this,” she murmured. “She needs the school free of students so she can look for the Mirror Arcane.”
I thought of my Mirror lying safe in Astra. Now that she was forcing me to leave Astra, I would not be there to protect it.
“I will choose the teams,” Vale went on. “Three times you will compete. The rest of the school will watch. Best two out of three will win.” At this she smiled, and it wasn’t a comforting sight. “The loser . . . I will decide the punishment for losing.”
Lisabelle looked over at me and sighed. “What do you want to bet that I’ll be left out of this one?”
“Almost 100%,” I murmured back.
But we were wrong. Ms. Vale, for reasons all her own, had decided to form two super teams.
“On one side, Da
isy Validification, Dobrov Validification, Camilla Van Rothson, Faci Decimatar and Adver Allston.”
She immediately started reading the names of the second team’s members, but there was such an uproar as Faci Decimatar stepped through the crowd that her voice was drowned out. As students pressed forward, mostly looking furious, I saw that many of the vampires’ faces were masks of hate.
Cool as could be, Faci stepped through the crowd. His strangely shaped face, complete with sunken eyes and pale skin, was filled with amusement. He was enjoying himself.
“What is he doing here?” Sip hissed. “Is Locke alright?”
Realizing that she should address the uproar - and appearing to relish it - Vale said, “Mr. Decimatar was cleared of all charges over the death of Princess Dirr, and as he had finished his high school studies, I suggested to his father, a dear old friend, that he join us here at Public. He has only just arrived, but I feel certain that he will catch up admirably.” Not giving us a chance to protest, or really say anything at all, she returned to reading the second list of names. I had thought I couldn’t be in for any more shocks, but the list quickly turned my attention away from Faci.
“On the other side, Charlotte Rollins, Sip Quest, Lisabelle Verlans, Trafton Rook, Vanni Smith and Rake Hale.”
“What does the winner get, you wonder?” Ms. Vale asked coolly. Actually, I had wondered that. I knew this game had to be rigged, and by rigged I meant that Ms. Vale was probably going to try and kill my team “accidentally” while she searched for the artifacts.
We all stood stock still, waiting. But she didn’t answer her own question.
“Disperse,” cried Ms. Vale.
We all stood dumbstruck for a split second, until a Fire Whip cracked and students quickly started making their way away.
“Shouldn’t we have had a Demonstration?” Sip muttered. “For Faci?”
“No Demonstrations,” said Lisabelle. “No new students. Lough proves not even some old students were allowed back. Faci is getting special treatment. Shocking.”
“Yeah, one in a long line of shocking things tonight,” I said, as I trudged after my friends, thinking about how this semester was just getting worse and worse.
Lisabelle game me a meaningful look, but I couldn’t decipher her intent, so I just shook my head and hurried back to Astra. I needed to talk to my friends, but I had no idea how that would work. I wished there were catacombs under all of Public, but short of that I didn’t know how we could keep in contact.
I was so lost in thought about the ultimate Tactical and what it might mean for the semester, and my life, that I nearly forgot about the elemental books I’d been reading. Only halfway through my second one, I decided to talk to Sigil right away instead of waiting to finish the rest. If I had to be part of the Tactical Team, I wanted to make sure there were still eyes on the Mirror Arcane, and Sigil would be perfect.
I raced up to the attic, but before I got there I heard a muffled noise downstairs. Frowning, because I was already on the third floor, I hurried back down the stairs.
I kept the lights dim in Astra because I thought that would make it harder for prying eyes to see in. Now I crept downstairs as quietly as I could. All hope that it was Mrs. Swan returning was dashed when I heard a crash coming from the elemental fire sitting room, followed by a long string of swearwords and an annoyed second voice ordering the first voice to stop.
“Sip and Lisabelle?” I called quietly, rushing down the last several steps. My palms were sweaty as I gripped the banister.
The elemental fire lounge was completely dark. I hadn’t been inside it to hang out since the previous semester, although I had walked through it several times to get to the ballroom. In the opposite corner of the room from the doorway I could see my two friends.
“What are you doing here? You’re going to get into so much trouble,” I said, rushing over.
“We needed to have a chat,” said Sip, as if it should have been obvious. She was glaring at Lisabelle, who was bent over rubbing her toe.
“I agree,” I said. “We have to talk about how to get out of here and where the artifacts are and Tactical as a vehicle to kill us all.”
“You noticed that too,” said Lisabelle dryly.
I shook my head. “If Ms. Vale had been interested in setting it up so that her daughter was on the winning team, she would not have chosen us as the competition. Lisabelle is the strongest darkness mage this school has seen in generations. I’m an elemental, which is hard to defend against because I’m the only one, and the other candidates are strong too.” Sip gave me a crooked smile.
“It’s all a distraction to allow her to search for the Mirror Arcane, but even so, what I’m more concerned with is Faci’s presence,” I said, ushering my friends upstairs. “He’s only seventeen. He’s not of college age yet, and here Ms. Vale is forming a super team of the paranormal world’s future delinquents.”
“Yeah, right,” said Lisabelle, eyeing me. “Why are you out of breath?”
I brought my friends into my room. I felt safest there. Back when I had Mrs. Swan, she had assured me that there were very strong magics on the room and that no one could eavesdrop on me while I was in it. I had tried to perform the listening spell Lisabelle had done while we were at Locke and found nothing, but just for good measure I asked Lisabelle to perform it again as soon as we entered the room together. When nothing blew up I breathed a little easier.
“Why were you out of breath?” Lisabelle asked again. “Running stairs in your free time? Finally going to get in shape?”
I rolled my eyes. “I was on my way to the attic.”
Lisabelle looked at Sip, her face filled with mock sadness. “Ah, it’s worse than I thought. She hangs out in the attic by herself now. Questionable.”
“Shut up, Lisabelle,” I said, giving my friend a playful shove. “I was going to the library to see Sigil.”
Sip’s ears perked up at that. She sat down on the couch and fluffed a pillow, then placed it behind her head and tossed her feet up on the opposite end. “You better explain yourself. We will wait.”
So I told them about my plan to visit the library and find out about my ancestry. Sip gave a pleased nod when she heard that, commenting that she had wanted to suggest I do as much, but hadn’t wanted to upset me. She was glad that I had gone and done it on my own.
“Wait, there’s a ghost in the attic?” Lisabelle demanded. “When are you going to introduce us?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s a little nuts, but I did want to ask him to guard the Mirror Arcane when I’m not here.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Sip. “At least he could alert you if a Nocturn tries to steal it.”
“Right,” I said. “But I don’t really know what powers ghosts have.”
“They are surprisingly powerful,” said Lisabelle. “And surprisingly rare. What did you find out about your family?”
I snorted. “Nothing yet. He told me to come back. I think he’s lonely and he just wants to make sure he’ll see me again. He gave me a lot of assigned reading, though.”
“Like a fifth class? Jealous! We should probably meet him another time,” said Sip. “If he’s shy I don’t want to scare him.”
“Great,” said Lisabelle dryly. “Let’s get back to talking about Faci.”
“How did he get free of Lanca?” I asked. “She wanted to kill him for killing Dirr.”
“His father took full responsibility for everything. There’s nothing Lanca could hold him on. Legally, he’s entirely innocent and free to go.”
“Do you think Vale will bring demons onto campus?” Sip said worriedly. “I hate demons.”
Lisabelle shook her head. “According to Vale she has nothing whatsoever to do with the demons.”
“Which is obviously not true,” Sip muttered. “Why are adults such liars?”
“It’s not adults who are liars,” said Lisabelle dryly. “It’s people.”
“That’s depressing,�
� I said. “What do you have if you don’t have trust?”
“Well,” said Lisabelle, as she wandered around my room looking in every nook and cranny, “We have loyalty.”
Sip popped up from the sofa. “I like that,” she exclaimed. “I like that a lot.”
Suddenly there was a scrape coming from somewhere below us. I frowned. Now what? “Wait,” said Lisabelle, moving to stand in front of me. “We’re here now. Don’t go opening doors unless we know what’s on the other side of them.”
I rolled my eyes. “Lisabelle, I spend most of my time alone. You can’t protect me all the time.”
“I can try,” said Lisabelle. “And we protect you more than you think.”
I didn’t have time to ask what she was talking about, because she was already out the door.
The three of us crept downstairs. Despite my protests, my friends made me stay behind them as we moved single file. When they had come upstairs I had turned all the nights in the house off, which I did every night when I went to bed anyway, so the Nocturns would not find it amiss.
“Maybe it’s just a little hellhound,” Sip whispered.
“Not sure turning the lights out was the best choice,” I whispered. My two friends were moving slowly, crouched low. All our eyes were trained on the door leading to the basement. It was the same one that Lough and I had come through first semester, when Malle had kidnapped Lisabelle and we were looking for her.
“Sure it was,” said Lisabelle. “Haven’t you noticed that most of the darkness forces require some sort of fire? Demons, Fire Whips?”
“You don’t,” Sip pointed out in a loud whisper.
“I’m special,” said Lisabelle.
“You sure are,” said Sip, her tone disgruntled.
There was one more tap on the door, then silence. Without warning Lisabelle sprang forward. I jumped backward, not expecting the sudden movement, but she wanted to take the intruder by surprise. I heard her yank the door open and then a muffled grunt. There were several choice words used that I could never have used in front of my mother, and the sound of a scuffle and whack.
Elemental Fire (Paranormal Public Series) Page 10