Arcane Dropout

by Edmund Hughes

“Oh, right. Well, anyway…” Eliza cleared her throat. “I just feel like, well, the two of us… We get along so well, you know?”

  Tess’s mouth moved as though she was in a race against time. Lee jerked, causing Eliza to tense slightly.

  “I wanted to let you know that, um…” Eliza seemed to stumble over the sentence. “I really… I have…”

  “Oh!”

  The moment came, and so did Lee. He gripped Tess’s head and thrust forward, while simultaneously keeping his expression as neutral as he could and nodding along with what Eliza was saying.

  “I... wanted to…” Eliza was blushing so deeply that for a moment, Lee thought she’d found him out. “I wanted to let you know that, uh, I’m just glad that we’re friends.”

  He nodded, still feeling dazed from the insane, lingering pleasure. Eliza being there only made it more intense, as did the fact that he’d made an absolute mess of his sheets in the heat of the moment.

  “I’m awake now,” muttered Lee. “Let me get dressed and I’ll come talk to Toma with you.”

  “Sure,” said Eliza.

  She smiled at him as she stood up, but then furrowed her brow.

  “Uh, Lee,” she said, blushing even more than she had a second earlier. “There’s... a wet spot on your sheets.”

  It was Lee’s turn to cringe. “I, uh, spilt some water?”

  “…Right,” said Eliza.

  She nodded, though the focus of her eyes stayed on the spot as she hurried out of the dorm room.

  CHAPTER 29

  “Keep your focus on the effects of the light, rather than visualizing the source,” said Instructor Constantine. “Casting an illumination spell is about seeing the results before you see them.”

  Lee was already in the illusion casting stance, each hand on either side of his face. He slowly exhaled, focusing his will and trying to visualize it in the way the instructor had suggested.

  A ping-pong ball-sized sphere of light appeared in front of him, briefly flickering with blindingly bright intensity before disappearing. Lee let out a triumphant laugh and turned to grin at Tess over his shoulder.

  She grinned at him and clapped her hands together. Eliza and Toma, who were sitting on either side of him, offered their own congratulations, though Toma’s was just a few tired, mumbled syllables.

  It had taken Lee ten minutes to calm him down during his drunken escapades the previous night, and he knew that his roommate was probably suffering from the worst hangover of his life. Eliza had shown up at the dorm early that morning with an offering of eggs, sausage, and orange juice, and Toma had managed a single bite before excusing himself to the bathroom for an involuntary purge.

  “If you focus, you can move illumination spheres around, too,” said Eliza. “Like this.”

  She furrowed her brow in concentration and proceeded to cast her own version of the spell, sending the sphere to circle Toma’s head, which he was resting on his arms against the desk. Toma muttered something and tried to swat it away.

  “I feel like dying,” he said. “Bright lights only make it worse.”

  “Maybe you should take my advice next time, instead of ordering more cinnamon shots when you can barely walk?” said Eliza.

  “Yeah, because you have such good judgement about when the best time to stop drinking is,” muttered Toma.

  Eliza looked visibly hurt by his words. Lee set a hand on her shoulder and winked at her.

  “It sounds like Toma could use another demonstration of your spell,” he said. “Didn’t you say on the way to class that you’d gotten to the point where you could form two of the illumination spheres at once?”

  “Don’t be mean!” groaned Toma.

  “Let’s pair up,” said Eliza. “You cast your spell to send at him, too.”

  “Ah, I think I should take a break from casting, for now,” said Lee.

  He shot a sidelong glance at Tess, who seemed content to sit at one of the empty nearby desks and watch from a few feet back. He was well-aware that whenever he used magic, it drew from her essence as a source. If he ever pushed her past her limit, the effect would be far more severe than a human pushing their casting in a similar manner.

  “I’m okay, Lee,” said Tess. “Thanks for your concern, though. I’ll let you know when I start to reach my max for the day, okay?”

  Lee nodded. “Maybe one more.”

  He was lifting his hands into position when the door to the illusion classroom opened, and Lead Instructor Mattis strode in. Lee winced as he saw her eyes scan across the students before finally coming to rest on him.

  “Initiate Amaranth,” she said. “Come with me.”

  A hush fell over the class as Lee stood up. He saw Kristoff whispering something to one of his friends, though he still seemed chastened enough from the duel to keep his remark quiet. Lee followed Mattis out into the hallway, trying not to let his anxiety get ahead of him.

  “What’s this about, Instructor?” he asked.

  Mattis didn’t answer him, and she walked quickly, staying a few feet in front to keep him from seeing her expression. Not a good sign.

  They left the Seruna Center and headed along the path toward the First Tower, which was another bad sign. Lee had long since assumed that any meeting involving him that required the Head Wizard’s direct opinion would usually end badly.

  His fears were all but confirmed when Lead Instructor Mattis led him into the First Tower’s entrance hall. Head Wizard Odarin and Instructor Harper were both standing on the dais in the far back of the chamber. Lee hesitated, feeling a pit form in the depths of his stomach. Harper had told them everything. They were finally going to expel him and force him to undergo the Cropping.

  “Come along, Lee,” said Mattis. “Right this way.”

  The only reason he continued to follow her was because he doubted he’d be able to run even if he tried to. His only hope was to stay calm, hope for the best, and wait for a chance to surprise them with whatever he could improvise.

  “Relax, Lee,” whispered Tess. “I don’t think this is what it seems like.”

  He took her advice, but only because it was all he had. Nobody said anything until Lee and Mattis had joined Harper and Odarin up on the dais. Lee did his best to keep from looking at Harper, as it felt as though making eye contact with her would only get him in worse trouble, somehow.

  “Initiate Amaranth, I’ll get straight to the point,” said Mattis. “Part of the reason why we’ve been honored with Instructor Harper’s presence these past few days is because she’s been encouraged by her superiors in the Order of Chaldea to take an apprentice.”

  Lee stared at Mattis, and then finally looked over at Harper. She met his gaze in a way that she never had before, neither smiling nor scowling, but rather, searching across his face with her eyes.

  “Uh, what?” said Lee.

  “Lee Amaranth,” said Harper. “I would like to officially invite you to become my apprentice.”

  He blinked, trying to catch up with the situation and fit together the pieces he’d missed. Harper had reacted to his photo of Zoe the previous night, but he’d been so caught up with the implications of the pact he’d made with Tess that he hadn’t given it much consideration. What was the connection there?

  “I…” Lee shook his head, more out of disbelief than in decision. “Hold on a second. This is too sudden for me to decide on the spot.”

  “Your presence here is more of a formality than anything,” said Mattis. “The decision lies with the Head Wizard, as all of the students at Primhaven are technically his charges until he advances them to magehood or passes them off to another.”

  Mattis looked over at Odarin, who seemed to be totally zoned out of the conversation.

  “Hmm?” Odarin blinked and looked around. “Oh! Right. Initiate… Amaranth, isn’t it? Harper wants you as her apprentice, you’re her new apprentice, serve her well, blahblahblah… are we done here?”

  Mattis shot Odarin a glare, and he seemed to wilt
under its intensity.

  “This is a serious duty, Initiate Amaranth, but also a great honor.” Mattis stepped in close to Lee, surprising him by taking both his hands. “Trust me. I’m aware of some of the friction that exists between you and Harper, but you couldn’t ask for a better master mage to study under. It’s no exaggeration to say that she’s one of the most talented of her generation, and more importantly, she has a good heart, underneath it all.”

  Harper seemed to bristle slightly at the qualifier on the end, but she stayed quiet. Mattis stepped back and moved to stand behind the Head Wizard.

  “You will still be attending your regular classes, but Harper’s training has priority,” said Mattis. “She now has authority over your time and permission to excuse you from any lessons that get in the way of her instruction. You will also be allowed to go with her on any excursions she deems appropriate to take you on outside of Primhaven’s campus.”

  “I don’t have a choice, then?” asked Lee. “That’s it?”

  Mattis gave him a small smile that stopped short of reaching her eyes. “That’s it. I think in time you’ll come to see the wisdom of this pairing. I’m holding out hope that I will, as well.”

  She gave Harper a similarly constrained nod and then fell in step alongside Head Wizard Odarin as they both headed for the elevator. Lee glanced back and forth between them, and then finally to Harper. She didn’t look at him. She started heading for the door.

  CHAPTER 30

  “Hey!” shouted Lee. “I feel like some explanation is warranted here.”

  He followed Harper, lacking any other option that made much sense. She led him back to her office in the Seruna Center, unlocking the door and bringing him inside without ever saying a word.

  Her office was small, with just a desk, a computer, a couple of bookshelves, and a supply closet in back. There weren’t any personal trinkets of hers that Lee could see on display, but it was hard to tell whether the spartan décor was a result of her decorative choices or simply a lack of time spent within.

  She took a seat on her desk, rather than behind it, forcing Lee to stand instead of taking the chair intended for visitors. She crossed her legs, leaned back slightly, and met his gaze.

  “Eldon,” she said, carefully enunciating both syllables. “Your name is Eldon.”

  “I go by Lee these days,” he replied.

  “I noticed. If you’d enrolled under your real name, you would have saved both of us a great deal of time.”

  Lee folded his arms, doing his best to keep his own reaction in check. “What do you know? What’s your game, Harper? Were you friends with my sister, or…?”

  “We were friends,” said Harper. She closed her eyes for a moment and straightened the lower half of her black and gold robe. “We were... close friends.”

  “You went to Primhaven too, then?” he asked. “That’s surprising.”

  “You know almost nothing about me. Why would that surprise you?”

  There was a challenging edge to Harper’s tone that instantly brought him back to their earlier, more confrontational encounters. Lee opened his mouth to snap back a response when he felt a small prickle of cold on his shoulder. Tess was standing next to him, and she gave him a small shake of her head, warning him off from doing or saying anything rash.

  “Fair enough,” he said. “So why did you take me as your apprentice?”

  In truth, he had far more pressing questions than that one, given what Harper had just revealed. It seemed easier to start with a question that he already suspected he knew the answer to, however.

  “I did it because it’s what Zoe would have wanted,” said Harper. Her voice sounded tired, almost wistful, and sad.

  “You’re talking about her like she’s dead,” said Lee.

  Silences could be painful, and this one certainly was. Harper said nothing, and each of the empty moments wrenched at Lee’s heart. He suddenly felt as though she had even more power over him than she’d had at any other point during his time at Primhaven, and the feeling was only amplified as he watched Harper reach into the pocket of her robe and pull out the spent glowstick.

  “I want to help you, Eldon,” she said, locking eyes with him. “But that’s not something I can effectively do if I don’t fully understand your circumstances. Why did you fake your spell shield in class?”

  He had only a split second to decide how much trust to place in Harper, but it was enough time to make up his mind.

  “I never planned on coming to Primhaven,” he said. “I wasn’t like Zoe. I didn’t have the kind of talent that she did. You saw me during the admissions exam, Harper. You know how outclassed I was compared to the other students when I first arrived here. I faked that spell shield because, at the time of that class, I couldn’t cast it, and I was worried about what the consequences would be.”

  It was a creative version of the truth, an explanation that omitted the single most important detail. Lee wished that he could be completely open with Harper, but he wasn’t an idiot. She was a member of Primhaven’s faculty and one of his sister’s old friends, two facts that would likely mean that her first reaction if she learned that he didn’t have the Potential would be to express concerns for his safety.

  “You used a spell you could cast—your telekinesis—to spin glowsticks in a manner that mimicked one that you couldn’t—a spell shield.” A thin-lipped smile stole across Harper’s face. “Clever. But also foolish. Always mind the consequences of deception, Eldon.”

  “I got away with it, didn’t I?”

  “Not getting caught isn’t the same thing as getting away with it, and in this particular case, I did catch you.”

  She turned the glowstick over in her fingers and then tossed it over her shoulder, sinking it into a small trash can in the corner of the room. She shifted, leaning back on the desk, watching him and seeming very purposeful in the way she held his gaze.

  “What happened to Zoe?” he asked. His voice broke slightly as he said her name, the same well of emotion that had pushed him to seek the truth threatening to overwhelm him.

  “I don’t know,” said Harper. “I’m sorry.”

  “You must know something,” said Lee. “Please, Harper.”

  “I graduated early, before Zoe did,” she said. “I left the school a few months before her disappearance and didn’t find out about it immediately. Since then, I have never truly stopped investigating what happened, much as you probably haven’t, either.”

  “It’s not as though the school’s entire student population and all of the instructors can just ignore the disappearance of a student,” said Lee.

  “It’s more than that,” said Harper. “I’ve spoken to our former classmates and teachers. They’re not ignoring Zoe’s disappearance. They don’t remember it... or her.”

  “What?”

  “Some form of dream weaving was used at Primhaven to obscure whatever happened to Zoe,” said Harper. “I can only assume it happened after I’d been recruited, and that’s why I still have my recollection.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Lee. “If you still remember her, why not just tell someone at the Order? Point out her disappearance to whoever has jurisdiction over the college.”

  “I’ve tried,” said Harper. “It’s impossible without providing records, and as you might have guessed, all of those have also been subtly shifted to erase her paper trail.”

  “It’s not just you now,” said Lee. “We can go together. If we both remember Zoe and insist that she was here at Primhaven…”

  “It is an option available to us, yes,” said Harper. “But not one we should exercise immediately. Tell me, Eldon. When was the last time you saw your sister?”

  The question shouldn’t have caught him off guard, but it did. It was a moment that Lee had gone over a thousand times in his dreams and memory, but never spoken of aloud.

  “At the train station,” he said, quietly. “Back when we lived in Montana. She had to take a train to reach the
city where she could catch her flight. I was 12, and she was… hell, she was younger than I am now.”

  Lee tried—and failed—to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

  “Zoe had worked out a way for me to stay on my own without ending up in foster care again,” he said. “One of our neighbors was a kindly old man who would pretend to be my grandfather when needed. She paid for four years of rent for the apartment we lived in, in advance. She left me with money, not a ton, but enough to buy food and clothing on a monthly basis until she…”

  He closed his eyes and looked away from Harper.

  “Until she came back,” he finished. “Anyway, that’s where it was. At the train station.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Harper. “Truly, I am.”

  Neither of them said anything for a time, and it almost felt as though Harper was joining him in mourning his sister. He shook the thought away, denying the possibility. Zoe was alive, and what she’d told him only strengthened his resolve to find her.

  “We may be able to continue the search for her in time,” said Harper. “For now, we’ll focus on your arcane studies. Your sister would not wish you to be struggling with basic spells.”

  Lee snapped back to the situation at hand. Harper wanted to take him as an apprentice, and if he allowed it, it was all but certain that his lack of magical aptitude would be exposed in time, even with Tess’s help. He might be able to fake the occasional minor spell, but he wouldn’t progress over time in the same way as someone with the Potential.

  “I appreciate everything you’ve told me, Instructor Harper, but I’m still not interested in being your apprentice,” he said. “Sorry.”

  “I thought Instructor Mattis explained it to you clearly,” said Harper. “You don’t have a choice in this matter.”

  “Of course I do,” said Lee. “Your office has a door, and I’m familiar with how to use one.”

  He laid the sarcasm into his words, hoping that he might piss her off enough to make her change her mind of her own accord. Lee turned around and was two steps into leaving when a wall of force slammed into his legs, flipping him upside down. He landed hard on his shoulders, with his legs and lower body awkwardly crumpled over him.