by Lily Webb
“Why?”
“It didn’t feel right to me, and it never has. It’s like reading someone’s journal,” Victor said. “I didn’t want to know what was in people’s vaults because I didn’t want it to change my relationship with them.”
“Fair enough. Did anyone besides Xander know who could open the vaults?” I asked.
“Like who?”
“Plenty of people come in and out of this place every day, and plenty of people work here with you — or at least they used to. Word spreads. What about Selena, Percy’s wife?” I asked.
Of course, she was with me when the bank was robbed, so she couldn’t be directly implicated, but that didn’t mean she was completely innocent either. It would’ve been easy for her to conspire with someone outside the bank — and she definitely would’ve known that Percy was literally the key to the kingdom.
“No, not a chance. Selena worshiped Percy, though it never made much sense to me why,” Victor said. “I guess it’s all a matter of perspective. Anyway, she’s been completely distraught since Percy’s death yesterday. I’ve heard she won’t even get out of bed. Besides, I’ve never known her to hurt a fly, much less do something like this.”
“I had to ask. Do you have any idea where Xander might be now?” I asked.
“No clue, frankly,” Victor said. “I haven’t seen him since this morning when we called a staff meeting to talk about the robbery and announce the layoffs.”
“Did he seem angry?”
“Definitely, but I can’t blame him for that. If I were in his shoes, I would be furious too, but I couldn’t take the risk to keep him around,” Victor said.
“What happened? Did he leave?”
“Yeah. He didn’t say much after I broke the news to him, but he didn’t stick around either,” Victor said. “He didn’t make a scene or anything like that, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Good to know. I’m so sorry about all of this, Victor,” I said. “I can’t imagine what you must be going through trying to balance it.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Victor said. “It won’t be easy, but it’s not the first time someone in my family has passed away and left chaos for me to manage.”
“If it means anything, I think the bank is in good hands,” I said. I wasn’t sure that I meant it, but figured it would help Victor feel more comfortable around me — because I had a feeling this wasn’t the last time we would speak to each other about the robbery.
“It does. Thanks again for coming back in, Zoe. Maybe once all this is sorted out we can try to do business together again,” Victor said as he stood from his desk, calling an end to our conversation, but he’d already given me more than enough to chew.
“I hope so,” I said as I stood and offered a hand for him to shake, which he took with a smile.
“Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help. Short of telling you all the bank’s secrets and vault contents, I’ll do whatever I can,” Victor said. “My brother will haunt me for the rest of my life if I don’t.”
It would haunt me for the rest of my life if I didn’t get to the bottom of the bank heist and Percy’s death. I needed to find Xander and I needed to do it fast, but I had no idea where he might be.
Chapter Six
Later that night, with my newly-repaired wand ready to go, I made my way to Veilside Academy of Magic for one of my first night classes since being allowed to return to the school — a long story if there ever was one.
Mallory Crane, my best friend and partner in crime, sat waiting for me on the railing of the grand stone staircase that led to the school’s entrance. Her wild, frizzy brown hair shook in the breeze like a tumbleweed as she gazed at the stars.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked, startling her. Her oversized glasses made her beady brown eyes look four times larger than they actually were, which I assumed was a direct result of all the time she spent with her nose in a book.
“Uh, excuse you, my thoughts are worth much more than that,” Mallory said as she hopped off the railing, smiling. She threw her arms around me. “I’m kidding. I’m glad you’re back, Zoe. It hasn’t been the same around here without you.”
“Me too, but I’m more than a little worried about how things are gonna go tonight,” I said.
“Are you kidding me? You’re like the golden child around here. You could sneeze and people would think it was a magical miracle,” Mallory said.
“You’re just saying that,” I said, waving her away, but she shook her head.
“No, I’m serious. Ever since you figured out it was Aurelia who killed Professor Frost, people have been talking about you like a living legend. Wait until they find out you don’t know your wand from a broom when it comes to practical magic,” Mallory said, her eyes twinkling.
“I’m sure you’ll be there to egg them on when they do,” I said and rolled my eyes. “Come on, let’s get inside. I’m already gonna draw enough attention to myself, I don’t need to make things worse by stumbling into class late.”
“Yeah, plus we need to get a good seat for Professor Tempest’s class,” Mallory said.
“Are they Professor Frost’s replacement?”
“Yup. I haven’t met her yet, but from what I’ve heard, Bella Tempest lives up to her name,” Mallory said.
“No one could hold a wand next to Professor Frost. She was one-of-a-kind,” I said, my heart falling as I remembered her. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get to spend much time with her before the vampire-witch was killed by another student about two months ago.
“True,” Mallory said.
“What else have you heard about Professor Tempest?” I asked as we made our way up the stairs and through the gigantic double doors into the cavernous salon of the school, where dozens of fires raged in their pits, the only light in the space.
“She’s demanding, to say the least,” Mallory said. “She doesn’t give anybody a free pass, and I’m willing to bet that’s going to be true for you too, wunderkind.”
“Great, just what I needed,” I sighed as we walked down the shadowy hallway to the right, the so-called Hall of Kinesis where dozens upon dozens of paintings of the school’s best in brightest in the study of Kinesis hung on the walls.
Candles danced magically in the air above us to light our way. We reached the end and came to a circular room that wrapped around one of the five towers of the castle and made our way up the spiral staircase.
At the top, we walked out into a landing ringed with classrooms, each of them numbered accordingly. Mallory led the way into classroom K–104, Professor Frost’s old room, and sat down at one of the desks in the center. I plopped down next to her and slung my bag on the desk.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been here that I’ve almost forgotten my way around,” I wheezed.
“Oh, if what I’ve heard about Professor Tempest is true, you’re gonna get whipped into shape fast,” Mallory said.
“Thanks for the encouragement.”
“Come on, Zoe, you and I both know you don’t have anything to worry about. No matter what Tempest throws at you, you’re going to pass with flying colors,” Mallory said. “Take it from one overachiever to another.”
I never got the chance to respond because a thin, severe-looking witch stomped into the room in high heels, their click-clacking drowning out everything else and snapping everyone to attention like some sort of drill. Her black hair was streaked with white and she wore it in a tight braid that crowned her head.
Her flowing silver robes shimmered in the light as Professor Tempest set a tome of a book down on the podium at the front of the class and stood staring out at the rest of us expectantly. A storm had blown in, and her name was Tempest.
When no one said anything after a few moments, she cleared her throat and linked her hands together in front of her.
“Good evening, everyone,” she said, her voice much quieter and higher pitched than I would’ve guessed. “As I’m sure you’ve no
doubt figured out by now, I am Professor Tempest, your new Professor of Kinesis.”
No one answered and Professor Tempest smiled.
“Come now, there’s no need to be bashful. Though I expect nothing but the best from my students, I’m here to support you in that endeavor in every way that I can,” she said.
Crickets.
Tempest frowned but charged onward. “I understand there has been a gap in your education this area and that we’ve got a lot of ground to cover in order to catch up. To that end, let’s dive right in to today’s lesson: levitation.”
“Levitation?” I hissed to Mallory, but she slapped my wrist to quiet me.
I barely knew how to tell which end of my wand was the correct one, much less use it to make myself float. What had they been doing in this class in the time I’d been gone — which was less than a few weeks?
“I can tell from the looks on some of your faces that you might not be ready for this, but don’t worry, there’s nothing to it,” Professor Tempest said and pulled her wand from her robes like a sword from its sheath. It was as slender as she was, and as reflective as her robes — clearly, she had a favorite color.
“Here, allow me to demonstrate,” Professor Tempest said. She aimed the wand at her heels, twirled it in a leftward spiral motion, and said, “Volito.” Though at first nothing happened, a moment later her heels left the ground, followed by the tips of her toes, and before I registered what was happening she stared down at us from three feet off the ground.
“See? Nothing to fear,” she said. Right, nothing at all — save for the potential to send myself soaring through the ceiling and into the next dimension. “The levitation spell is quite versatile. It’s similar in magic to the summoning spell, Devoco, which I’m sure you all know by now, so this should come easily to you.”
“I’m doomed,” I whispered. The only reason I knew the second spell she mentioned was because I’d recently seen a masked bank robber use it — but I had no idea how to cast it myself.
“No, you aren’t. You’ll be fine. Take a few deep breaths and everything will work out,” Mallory said.
“It looks like we have our first volunteer,” Professor Tempest said as her feet returned to the floor and all the blood drained from my face. She smiled at me, her eyes twinkling, and beckoned me forward. “Don’t be afraid, we all have to start somewhere.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Professor. Forgive me, but I’ve been absent for a while, so I’m more than a little rough around the edges,” I said.
“I know exactly who you are, Zoe, and if half of what I’ve heard about you is true, I highly doubt a simple levitation spell will be much of a challenge,” she said. “Now please, join me at the front of the class.”
As much as I would rather have jumped out the classroom window, I knew Tempest wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I yanked my wand out of my bag and stepped to the front of the room with my head hanging.
“See? It’s not so bad, is it?” Professor Tempest asked as she patted my shoulder and waved over the heads of my fellow students, none of whom I recognized. She might change her mind about me when I attempted to cast something.
I nodded and waited for her to tell me what to do.
“Well, go on, let’s see what you’ve got,” she said and stepped back to give me space. Already imagining every possible way this would go wrong, I pointed my wand at my feet and tried to swallow back my fears — but it didn’t work.
“Do you remember the incantation?” she asked.
“Yes, volito,” I said.
“Good, and the wand motion?”
“Yeah, it’s like this,” I said and replicated the counter-clockwise spiral she’d demonstrated.
“Exactly. Now put it all together and take flight, my little bird,” Professor Tempest said, but the several steps she took further away from me didn’t make me feel any better about my chances.
There was only one way out of this, and that was through, so I twirled my wand and said, “Volito.” I must’ve said it incorrectly or too forcefully, however, because rather than gently lifting off the ground like Professor Tempest had, I rocketed off my feet and my back slammed into the nearby wall, pushing the air out of my lungs.
People laughed, but their voices were masked by the whooshing of my heart in my ears. Stars scattered and popped in my eyes as I reeled, and Professor Tempest dashed to my side.
“Oh, dear. Are you okay?” she asked, her words muffled as if I were underwater.
“Yeah, fine, just winded,” I wheezed.
“It was a good first attempt,” she said, clearly trying to help me save face — but there was no hope of that now. “In any case, it’s a good learning opportunity for the class, so thank you for helping.”
She offered me a hand and helped me stand, but I was still a little unsteady on my feet so she walked me back to my desk. Mallory was red in the face, and I didn’t doubt for a second she was one of the people laughing at me, but I would’ve done the same thing if the roles were reversed.
“Go ahead, get it all out now. I can’t wait to see you fall on your face when you try it,” I grumbled and Mallory snorted.
“I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t be laughing, but I can’t help it,” Mallory said.
“I hope you all enjoyed your little brush with comedy, because you’re all going to get a chance to try the same spell,” Professor Tempest said. “I want you to partner up and serve as spotters for each other as you each attempt it.”
I glared at Mallory and smiled.
“You know, it would be a real shame if I wasn’t there to break your fall,” I said and her mouth dropped open.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Mallory said.
“On purpose? No, of course not,” I said.
“Then I guess I’d better not fall,” Mallory said. When the noise of everyone buddying up died down, Professor Tempest snapped her fingers and all the desks vanished, leaving a wide, empty space for us to practice.
I chose a spot in the center in hopes that fewer people would notice us making fools of ourselves there, and braced myself to catch Mallory — though I doubted she’d need me. After a series of deep breaths, Mallory pointed her wand at her feet, spun it like a top, and muttered the word.
To the surprise of no one, least of all me, she lifted off the ground in one smooth motion and bobbed in the air like a balloon tied to a child’s wrist. She never quite reached the same height that Professor Tempest did, but I wasn’t sure if that was because she was inexperienced or afraid to go much higher.
“Show off,” I scoffed and Mallory cackled.
“At this rate, I’ll be flying for miles before you can even get off the ground,” Mallory said as she attempted to spin around in midair, but lost her balance and tumbled into my arms.
“Spoke too soon. That’s what happens when you get a little too close to the sun, Icarus,” I said as I shoved her back to her feet.
“Not that you’d know anything about that, right?” Mallory asked. I wrinkled my brows at her. “Come on, I heard about your close encounter at the bank.”
“Oh, yeah, that. Who hasn’t at this point?” I asked.
“And I bet you’ve already dived right into the deep end of the story, haven’t you?”
“I’m starting to think you might know me too well,” I said.
“Better than you know yourself. For instance, in about fifteen seconds, I know you’re probably going to send us both crashing to the floor,” Mallory said.
“Yeah, probably,” I agreed and my heart hammered as I took my position to attempt the levitation spell again. I’d survived an armed bank robbery, so there was nothing stopping me from learning to float.
Concern flushed Mallory’s face as she watched me. “So what have you learned so far, Nancy Drew?”
“Not much. Evidently, there are some sort of valuable items stored in the vaults of the bank, but no one wants to tell me what they are or who owns them,” I said.
“Me too. Anyway, here goes,” I said. I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and repeated the spell and wand motion.
With my eyes squeezed even tighter, I waited in panic for my body to go launching across the room — but instead, a weightless feeling not unlike the one at the peak of a roller coaster’s highest hill flooded me.
I peeled one eye open and gasped when I realized I’d done it. The ground was still there below me, but it was a little bit further of fall down than it usually was.
“Well done,” Professor Tempest said. I whirled in the air to find her standing behind me, her arms behind her back, a wide smile plastered across her face. “I had high expectations for you, Ms. Clarke, and you haven’t disappointed.”
“Hold your tongue. I still have to get down in one piece,” I said. I had no idea how to do that though, so I envisioned my feet touching back down — and gasped when they did.
“Now that, class, is how it’s done,” Professor Tempest said. The other students clapped for me.
“Teacher’s pet,” Mallory hissed, but I knew she was jealous, even if she’d never admit it.
We continued taking turns with the spell until Professor Tempest dismissed us with the homework assignment to continue practicing on our own — so long as we were careful not to break any bones or personal possessions, for which she wouldn’t be held responsible.
We poured out into hall on our way to our next class and Mallory stopped me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’ve been thinking about the bank,” Mallory said.
“Okay, and?”
“I can’t stop wondering if there really is something valuable or even dangerous inside. I mean, how could we even find out for sure without going down into the vaults ourselves?” She asked.
“Good question, but I know that’s not going to happen. You’re the research expert, Mal, so you tell me,” I said.