by Sarina Dorie
At that point I only had a few more minutes.
I went to the conference room where we held staff meetings in the admin wing at exactly three twenty-nine, trying to give myself as long as possible to think of something to say. The other teachers sat around the table, conversation ceasing when I walked into the room. Their expressions were grim. All chairs were taken.
Josie stood in the back against the wall. She waved to me. Her smile was infectious. I found myself cheering up at the idea of being near a friend during my “inquisition.”
Thatch stood when I entered the room. “Miss Lawrence, I imagine you must be quite fatigued from the events of last night. Please, take my chair.”
“That’s all right. I’m fine.”
“I insist.” He tilted his head to the side, his eyes daring me to refuse him.
Reluctantly I sat down in his seat. “Thanks.”
“You are most welcome,” he said, a little too graciously. Craptacular. Probably I owed him a favor now. I needed to untrain my Morty manners and learn to be rude like Vega. She never owed anyone anything.
I didn’t see Khaba. Our meetings were so much smoother when he facilitated the agenda.
Principal Jebediah Ebenezer Bumblebub pushed himself up from a chair. “Let’s get this rodeo started, y’all.”
Jeb leaned on his staff at the head of the table, looking like something in between a cowboy and a wizard with the brim of his hat resembling a Stetson and the conical point closer to a witch’s. He’d double curled each side of his mustache today, and his long snowy beard almost hid the red bandana around his collar.
The old man smiled, giving off a friendly demeanor. I didn’t trust that façade for a second. After the way he’d exploited my bargain with the Silver Court and struck up his own deal, I knew he was just as cunning as a Fae.
Jeb cleared his throat. “After last night’s incident, we’ll be luckier than a fox in a henhouse if the parents paying for their students to go here don’t switch schools.”
Yes, of course. His motivations typically were driven by funding. It was the same reason he’d tried to silence teenage girls about Julian Thistledown magically coercing them into sex. He hadn’t wanted parents to know he’d accidentally hired a predatory Fae.
Jeb started us off with a recap of the previous night’s fiasco. Pinky and Pro Ro both came in late, standing in the back next to Josie and Thatch as Jeb was wrapping up the summary with the finale of lightning striking me.
“How did this happen? Were one of the students horsin’ around?” Jeb asked. “Some student playing with storm magic?”
Over a dozen faces turned to me.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember a lot before it happened.” Ignorance would be my excuse. It had worked for me thus far at Womby’s.
“Right,” Vega snorted. “Or maybe you just don’t want to remember.”
“Like you would know anything,” Josie said. “You weren’t even supervising the students. You were too busy lazing around.”
Vega stood, pointing an accusing finger at Josie behind me. “How dare you suggest I was neglecting my duties! You were the one who was up on the roof when she shouldn’t have been. You were supposed to be down at the greenhouses supervising the Amni Plandai students.”
“Ladies,” Jeb said, a warning in his tone.
I glanced over my shoulder to find Josie’s face blotchy and red.
Josie lifted her chin. “I was on official school business.”
“Whining isn’t official school business,” Vega said.
“Ladies,” Jeb said, this time louder.
It didn’t surprise me both Vega and Josie ignored him. He wasn’t the wizened wizard I had once seen him as.
“Maybe you’re the reason the lightning storm happened in the first place.” Vega glowered. “You set your spiders on me to distract me, and then you started up a storm out of spite because you didn’t like me sending you away.”
“What spiders?” Pinky asked in his high, nasally voice.
“I’m not an Elementia,” Josie said. “I don’t do storms.”
“What’s that about spiders?” Jeb asked.
Vega seated herself in her chair, lounging in it as though it were a throne. “A swarm of spiders flooded the roof, set off by someone petty and jealous.” She cast a disdainful glare in Josie’s direction.
“I wasn’t jealous!” Josie said.
“Lemme see if I got this right, partner,” Jeb started. “A herd of spiders attacked you right before this incident started up? Like maybe someone had been tryin’ to distract you before wranglin’ up a storm to attack Miss Lawrence with lightnin’?”
I hadn’t seen the spiders close up, but I remembered Vega screaming about them. Students had been screaming too. I’d been so focused on the commotion, I hadn’t noticed the vortex of lightning opening up in the sky until it was right on top of us. Spiders had seemed like a more trivial detail compared to the lightning.
At least until now.
I suspected no one had meant to attack me. It was possible Imani had drawn in the storm, her affinity wanting to fuel itself on electrical magic. On the other hand, that whirling eye of storm had been unnatural. It had been full of such power it would have taken a powerful Witchkin or Fae to manifest that. I didn’t think she could have created all that on her own.
What if it had been meant as an attack? Was it meant for me? Imani? As I’d discovered, the lightning didn’t necessarily have lethal aftereffects on us Red affinities. The true danger had been that it had almost exposed us… .
Had that been someone’s intention?
Vega waved the principal off dismissively. “Let’s not forget I was also struck by a smaller arc of lightning. Are we going to say I was attacked as well?”
This caused teachers to stir and murmur. The announcement that Vega had been struck by lightning was new to me as well. She hadn’t mentioned it before. She’d said no one had been directly struck. Though her hair looked especially frizzy, like she might have been shocked. I wondered if she was hurt.
“Are you all right, dear?” Grandmother Bluehorse asked.
Jasper Jang shouted across the table with the projection of a drama teacher—which he was. “By Nimue! Did the lightning drain you?”
“I’m a Merlin-class Celestor. I’m perfectly fine.” Vega crossed her arms. “My point is, it’s unlikely anyone was trying to attack Clarissa or me. I was only struck because I rushed over to help and a small arc left her body and hit me. Clarissa only got struck because she pushed that student out of the way.”
Vega was helping me? My moment of gratitude quickly left me at Jeb’s next words.
“Which student?” Jeb asked.
I shrugged, feigning ignorance. “It was dark. And then it was bright because of the lightning.”
“Imani Washington,” Vega said.
Craparoni. Now she’d done it. How was I supposed to protect Imani now? When ignorance didn’t work, I had to use Plan B: lie. “No. It wasn’t Imani. All the girls were holding hands in a circle. That storm started up right above them. I think the first blast hit the center of the circle, knocking most of them over. I pushed Imani over to keep lightning from striking her in case it was going to come again.”
“So noble,” Vega said, unsmiling. I had a feeling she didn’t buy my story.
“All things being considered, Miss Bloodmire,” Thatch said. “I didn’t see you rushing to the aid of students before any of this happened. You were busy slapping yourself in the face, trying to smash spiders. Miss Lawrence kept a clear head and saved a student from certain death. I’d wager she rescued that group of female Celestors from an attack by Fae storm furies.”
With his eloquent wording he had both managed to make Vega look like an imbecile and me like a hero. He’d taken the focus off Imani and placed it on all the Celestor girls. If I had been on speaking terms with him, I might have applauded his brilliance and felt gra
titude. Part of me did admire his quick thinking. Another part of me resented his assistance. I wished I’d been that smooth.
Then again, from the venom in Vega’s eyes, I had a feeling she might have hated him enough for the both of us at the moment.
“Fae lightning furies are practically unheard of these days,” Jackie Frost muttered.
“What would Fae elementals be doing here at our school?” Grandmother Bluehorse shook her head, moss and ferns swaying on her green witch hat. “They’ve never given us trouble before. They stick to victims in the Morty Realm.”
“Any Fae can be bought for the correct price,” Thatch said.
I wasn’t sure whether Thatch truly believed this theory or he was an opportunist and a quick thinker, using Jeb’s suspicions of an attack to his advantage.
Thatch went on. “We are fortunate Miss Lawrence is here with us after all that happened last night. If there hadn’t been a Merlin-class Celestor nearby who had been trained in all magics and accomplished enough in lightning and storm magic—a Celestor not distracted by trivial matters such as spiders—Miss Lawrence might be dead. She is quite fortunate I was able to subvert a majority of the lightning away from her and from Miss Bloodmire. Even so, I had to make a number of healing tonics for Miss Lawrence, Miss Bloodmire, and myself to renew our vigor. I am quite certain I will be back to my usual strength in a few days, but I would advise Miss Bloodmire not to overtax herself with too much usage of magic. Miss Lawrence, I’m afraid might never fully recover from this incident.” He sighed despondently. “Alas, I fear Miss Lawrence is drained.”
Gasps came from all around the table. Josie’s eyebrows furrowed. Pinky crouched down and whispered something to her. I prayed no one would notice my affinity had been restored. Right now the magic dwelling inside my core felt pretty silent. As long as I didn’t think about sex and imagine what Thatch’s lips tasted like on mine, I would be fine.
I pushed the thought away and tried to imagine rainbows and unicorns instead.
Vega’s eyes narrowed. She knew I wasn’t drained, but she kept quiet.
I glowered at him. One way or another, he was always looking for a reason to keep me from using magic. Probably he would try to drain me again in the future. When he did, I would not allow him to use my magic against me. I would kick him in the crotch.
Let him sort out his pain magic for that one.
Thatch placed a hand on his heart as if he truly was pained by his words. “I will endeavor to help Miss Lawrence renew her magic, but I fear she will need to cut back on her magic lessons and spend time recuperating after school until she is better.”
I didn’t mind cutting back on torture time with him.
“Do you want me to cover your duty for you, dear?” Grandmother Bluehorse asked.
It was the first time anyone at the school had offered to do anything nice for me. I smiled. “That’s very nice of you, but I’m sure—”
“She’d be delighted,” Thatch said.
I didn’t want to make an elderly woman cover my duty when I was perfectly healthy. She probably needed the rest more than I did.
Jeb clapped his hands together. “Well done, partner! We couldn’t have done it without our Merlin-class Celestor!”
Thatch inclined his head in acknowledgment. He had managed to make himself appear the hero. Doubt painted across Pinky’s face. He wasn’t the only one. But it was Jeb’s verdict that mattered, and Thatch had conned the old man into believing him. I crossed my arms.
“In the meantime,” Thatch said. “I suggest we remain vigilant against Fae should they sense a weakness in our wards. Already the Silver Court has created holes in our defenses. For all we know, they might have been instrumental in the plague of spiders in order to distract the teachers from noticing the storm building.”
I doubted the Silver Court had anything to do with this. Then again, Elric had known what I was since the ball at the Silver Court. He’d claimed he’d been trying to keep my secrets from other Fae, but he might have told his father to spite me for breaking up with him. If it had been Fae who suspected what I was, they would have known they could have used lightning to try to out me. Perhaps they had meant to observe me and determine whether I truly was a Red affinity. That was more dangerous than an attack.
Imani had nearly outed herself in the process.
“This ain’t my first rodeo. I got this,” Jeb said. “I’ll be lookin’ for ways to reinforce the school to keep our students safe from Fae scallywags.”
“Of course,” Thatch said with a bow. “We shall rely on your steadfast determination and wisdom in such a delicate matter.”
“Are we done here?” Vega stood. “Or do we need to stay here another ten minutes and listen to you stroke each other’s egos?”
The moment the meeting was dismissed, teachers rushed out the door to get started on their weekend plans.
“A word with you, Miss Lawrence,” Thatch called after me.
I glanced around for Josie but didn’t see her among the teachers still in the room. I headed toward the door anyway.
“Might I make you another tonic for your health?” Thatch asked, his long legs catching up with me before I could escape.
“No. I’m fine.” I tried to navigate around Grandmother Bluehorse, but she shuffled along slowly and blocked the door.
“It will only take me but a moment. If you would just follow me to the dungeon, I’ll give you something to restore your energy after that draining experience last night.” He took hold of my elbow.
I shrugged him off me. “Don’t touch me.”
“I am trying to help you,” he said through clenched teeth. “If you would stop being so stubborn and listen, you might consider the weight of this situation.”
“I don’t want your help.”
“This situation is greater than you. It concerns others as well.” Thatch stepped into my path, blocking me from exiting. “What you want and what you need are two separate matters.”
“Yeah, you’ve told me that one before. Are you going to use that as an excuse to do something horrible to me like you did last summer?”
“Something horrible? No good deed I perform goes without its punishment when it concerns you.” Thatch tugged at the hem of his tweed suit jacket. “Had I not intervened on your behalf and struck an infallible deal with the Silver Court, you would not be here today. I saved your soul from the Fae, and the thanks I get from you—”
“You’re the one always telling me not to thank you.”
His nostrils flared, but his voice remained even. He spat out each word slowly with cutting precision. “The reward I received from helping you was being tortured and imprisoned by the Silver Court for a week.”
The surprise must have shown on my face.
The gray gloom of his irises reminded me of an impending storm. “I suppose you thought it would be funny to leave me in their dungeon to rot. Or were you so self-absorbed that you forgot about me?”
I stared at him in surprise. “Elric said he’d let you go after the jorogumo venom wore off.”
“He did let me go, but not after the venom wore off. He released me after he’d dosed me three more times with venom and he tired of . . . toying with me.” His face flushed pink, and each word dripped out like poison. “Do you have any idea what it is like being intoxicated with jorogumo venom? To be exposed to a powerful aphrodisiac like that and chained up without any antidote or opportunity for sexual release is enough to drive one mad. Once is torment enough, but four . . . times. . . .”
A chill crept over me. Elric hadn’t told me he’d done that. He had promised me he would release Thatch as soon as I’d left. I had been too angry with Elric to want to stay, and too angry with Thatch to care about his fate at the time.
Only now did I consider how my anger toward them both had resulted in such unnecessary cruelty. Unless Thatch was just making this up to try to get me to feel greater sympathy toward him. It
wouldn’t be the first time he’d told me a tall tale.
I lifted my chin. “I’m sorry if I neglected you and put you in harm’s way.” If I had, I was sorry. But I doubted I had.
For one thing, he didn’t look like he’d suffered a whole lot. His hair was still perfect. He looked unscathed by the incident. He was as snooty and overbearing as ever.
With visible effort, Thatch forced himself to calm. He waved a hand down the stairs. “If you would accompany me to the dungeon.”
I continued down the stairs to the main level. “I don’t want to be alone with you. I’m not going to let you use my magic against me ever again.”
Thatch clenched his fists at his sides, the only sign of his anger. “You will accompany me to the dungeon so we can speak in private. If you do not, I will hex your feet into walking there.”
Loathing boiled inside me. I was about to shout what I would do to him if he took away my free will.
Khaba’s cool voice came from the stairs below. “There will be no hexing of anyone on my watch.”
He marched up the stairs, glaring daggers at Thatch.
Thatch cleared his throat. “Miss Lawrence is being stubborn. She needs a healing tonic and she refuses.”
That jerk. He was always trying to spin things to his advantage.
I held myself taller. “No. I refuse to go down to the dungeon and be alone with you.”
Khaba looked from me to Thatch. “Leave the tonic in my box. I’ll make sure it gets to Miss Lawrence, and she drinks it . . . if it is in her best interest.” His distrust of Thatch’s intentions were evident from those words.
Thatch’s voice remained a cool monotone. “Very well, then. I shall put a note in your box with the tonic and instructions.” He turned away and stormed off in the other direction.
If only that was the last of Felix Thatch.