“Because just this morning he said he was immune. So how could he be dead from poison?”
Maybe he was wrong. Nine went back to grooming his tail.
Tap, tap. The sound came from the door, and my heart leaped. I shot a look to Merrygold, but all she did was mouth the word “sorry” and vanished.
Nine lifted his head and narrowed his eyelids to slits. Under the bed for me again.
“Who is it?” I called in a small voice, hoping it would just be Emiko or Aspen.
“Josy. I must speak with you.” The voice belonged to Professor Magnolis.
I raked my hand through my loose hair and stood. I had no desire to open that door, so grabbing my desk chair and shoving it against the handle had been a tempting idea. Then again, my running away from the crime scene had made me look guilty enough. Barricading myself in my room probably wasn’t the smartest of plans.
I pulled at the hem of my shirt and straightened my back, then walked to the door and opened it to the professor.
She stood in the hall wearing her typical dark suit jacket and skirt, face solemn. “We need to speak with you.”
“Am I in trouble?” My voice squeaked.
Her forehead formed stress lines. “No, but I’m sure you have heard the news by now, and all of Professor Lakeshore’s students are being questioned.”
“Especially the one rumored to be interested in using poison plants during class this morning, right?”
Magnolis licked her lips and placed her hand gently on my shoulder. “Yes, but I’m sure that is all complete nonsense. Speaking about poisonous and non-poisonous herbs is nothing out of the ordinary in a class concerning such things. But every lead must be followed up on.” She glanced behind me and then back to my eyes. “Can you come with me now?”
I nodded and allowed her to lead me from my room. “Where are we going?”
“The chancellor’s office.”
I flinched. “But what about the scene? Out front of his building is where everything happened.”
“Using magic makes it fairly quick to clean up these unfortunate situations. But the investigation will take up to several days.”
As we exited the building, I spotted Aspen walking toward us with a paper sack in his hand. He held it up slightly to me. It was likely a to-go bag from the dining hall. My stomach growled, and by the quickly darkening sky I realized that it must be getting late.
“I brought you some dinner; mac and cheese okay?” Aspen handed me the bag and gave me a slight smile despite the worry in his eyes as he flitted his attention to Magnolis.
“Thank you, it’s fine.” I took the bag from Aspen, and he tipped his head to the professor.
“They are just asking questions,” she said as if to answer his unasked question and placed her hand on my back. “But we must go.”
I mouthed a thank-you to Aspen and continued to follow Professor Magnolis to the chancellor’s building.
“Silverware is in there, too,” Aspen called from behind.
Wordlessly, Magnolis led me through the front door, and this time the receptionist’s desk was empty; she’d apparently gone home for the evening. I expected to go into Chancellor Sterling’s office, but instead, we passed it and took a right at the end of the hall. We stopped at a door with a brass plaque reading “Conference Room.”
Professor Magnolis inhaled deeply and held it for a second before releasing the breath. The action didn’t instill the confidence I’d have hoped for at that moment. She placed both hands on my shoulders and turned me toward her.
“Just tell them everything you know, the best you remember it. Don’t leave anything out.”
My heart thudded so loudly that I was positive the professor and anyone else in the vicinity could hear it. “Them?”
“Yes, Josy. The Directorate needs to speak with you.”
Chapter 5
I had no idea what to expect with the Directorate. Just hearing that they were beyond the door sent a chill down my spine.
“Doesn’t The Side of Magic have some kind of police force to deal with this type of thing?” I asked Magnolis before we entered the room.
“Yes, and they’re involved, too, gathering the evidence. But with the increased tensions between us and the Morelli, the Directorate are taking no chances.” She gave me a once-over and nodded as if my appearance was acceptable. “Now, like I said, just give them any information they want, and you should be fine.” Her expression grew grave.
Before I could ask any other questions, she reached for the door and turned the handle. The door flung back. Inside the wood-paneled room was a long conference table with twelve chairs. Chancellor Sterling and four others sat at the end farthest from Professor Magnolis and me.
The Directorate, at least the members who were here, consisted of two men and two women. All of them were considerably younger than most leaders I knew of. Each couldn’t have been older than their late forties to early fifties.
One of the women, who appeared to be of Asian descent, stood at the head position at the table. “Josy Barrows.” She wore a long, black robe and smiled warmly while extending her hand to me as if we were old friends, not here for questioning in a murder investigation. I flicked my attention to the others. Their expressions were not as friendly as hers but seemed pleasant enough. Sterling, as per his usual demeanor, sat up straight and his face gave little sign of emotion.
Professor Magnolis gave me a gentle push toward them. “May I stay for the questioning?”
The standing woman turned her attention from me to Professor Magnolis. “Thank you for escorting Miss Barrows to us, but we will not need you to stay.”
The professor flared her nostrils slightly—a barely noticeable amount.
“I’ll be fine,” I reassured her. I wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but so far this wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I’d tell the truth, and I’d be on my way. “Do you mind if I eat my dinner?” I held up the bag that Aspen had delivered to me.
The woman smiled again and gestured to the spot at the other end of the table. “Please have a seat and enjoy your meal. Full stomachs often make for clearer thinking.”
Magnolis squeezed my shoulder and turned to leave the room. The door clicked shut behind her, and I was left still standing and quite aware that the chair the woman had indicated was uncomfortably far away. But maybe the Directorate only wanted a good view of me—strange, but whatever.
I walked to the seat, pulled out the chair, and lowered myself into it. Other than a creaking sound the chair made when I sat, the room was silent.
“Thank you for coming, Miss Barrows. Since you are new to The Side of Magic and may not understand us yet, I will do my best to make you feel comfortable.” The woman laid her hand on her chest. “I’m the Directorate’s primary speaker, Minister Chen.” She gestured to a man with light skin and blond hair. “This is Minister Andersson.” He tipped his chin to me without a word. The other man and woman were olive-skinned with dark hair and eyes. They looked as if they might be fraternal twins. “And Ministers Russo and Romano.” They too did not speak and simply nodded to me.
“We are accustomed to communicating telepathically among each other, and the other ministers have chosen to allow me to ask all the questions today. We find that listening is a more important skill than speaking, and often when one speaks too much, they miss the most important details.”
The other ministers smiled at me—either as another greeting or in agreement with Minister Chen. I wasn’t sure which.
I pulled out the container of mac and cheese, along with the fork and napkin Aspen had packed for me. The crinkling paper broke through the silence, and I cringed while sliding the empty bag aside as quickly as I could. None of the Directorate gave any acknowledgment to the annoying sound. They only kept their still-pleasant expressions trained my way.
Minister Chen sat and turned to face the chancellor. “Chancellor Sterling has provided us with information on your background.”
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My heart sped up as she placed her hand on a file in front of her that was much thicker than I might expect. I’d only been here for a short time. How much could they know about me?
I took a bite of lukewarm cold mac and cheese. But eating worked to settle my nerves a little. Maybe it helped that Aspen was kind enough to bring it to me.
“We are, of course, quite aware of the Morelli attack on the campus only weeks ago. But can you tell us about that in your own words?”
I couldn’t understand why they were asking about this when we were supposed to be talking about Professor Lakeshore, but I told them what I remembered.
“And the ring that Professor Magnolis gave you. I see you still have it. Where is that from again?”
I peered down at the ring, and I realized that in telling my story, I’d left that part out. First that it was my mother’s and second that my uncle had claimed it as Morelli magic. I’d have to tell them about my enchantment and that Zayne Gabrick was my uncle. There was no way I wanted to do that, but Magnolis told me to be honest. I must tell the Directorate this, too. They have the right to know.
I opened my mouth to tell the story, but something slightly different came out— an admission that left out the important details I wanted to keep hidden. “When the professor brought me to her office, she gave me the ring because the magic inside it could keep the Morelli from seeing me as easily.”
“And it worked?” Minister Chen asked as the rest of the Directorate tipped their heads in interest.
“The magic worked until Gabrick somehow managed to see me and attacked me. Somehow my emotional response to the attack made my magic come alive, and I sent him and his army back to the Middle.”
Each member of the Directorate leaned toward the table in great interest.
My breath picked up for a second until a tingle of magic came from the skin under my ring and calm fell over my entire body. I took several more bites of my dinner, which was getting colder by the minute.
Minister Chen tipped her head. “But your display of powerful magic has not returned since that night.”
“No,” I answered, mouth full of noodles.
“I’m sorry.” Chancellor Sterling spoke for the first time since I’d arrived. “This has nothing to do with the investigation regarding Lakeshore. I don’t understand this line of questioning. We’ve already told you all of this.”
Minister Chen and the rest of the Directorate turned their attention to the chancellor. “Any questions the Directorate have are pertinent to the investigation at hand. We granted your request to be privy to student interviews, and I expect you to respect our techniques.”
Everything the woman said was voiced in the kindest, most patient way possible, but my gut told me there was something more beneath the words because the chancellor immediately closed his mouth and folded his hands in his lap.
As he obeyed, time seemed to slow and the table appeared to shrink, drawing me closer to the other end. My eyes widened because the Directorate men and women changed. In a split second, they seemed to age. Wrinkles formed on their faces and hands. My breath hitched at the sight. These people were not as they appeared. Why would they conceal their true identities?
Just as fast as the vision had come, time shot back. I found myself again at the end of the long table, staring at the much younger faces of the Directorate. Again, my heart picked up the pace, but magic from my ring calmed it.
“Um, is that it?” I managed to get out.
Minister Chen stood and stared at me for what seemed like too long. She then directed her attention to Minister Russo and back to me. “We have a further question.”
“Yes?” I gripped my left knee under the table.
“Do you have any involvement in Professor Lakeshore’s death?”
“No!” I blurted out as fast as I could. “This morning we did speak about two plants. One of them was poisonous. But that’s it.”
“The poisonous plant was what?” she asked.
I thought for a second. “Deadnettle, I believe.”
“And the non-poisonous?”
“Aestreadleaf.”
At my answer, she looked to each Directorate member. One by one they nodded, and she returned to me. “Thank you for your time, Miss Barrows. We have everything we need. You are dismissed.”
Chapter 6
I pushed out the exit door of the chancellor’s building. The sky overhead was dark, and my hands and feet were numb with shock.
“What just happened in there?” I mumbled under my breath.
“Josy!” a familiar female voice called.
I glimpsed up toward the voice. Emiko and Holly sat on a bench across the way.
“What happened?” Emiko jumped up and ran toward me while Holly trailed behind.
“How’d you know I was here?” I clutched my arms around my torso and realized that in my hurry to leave the conference room I’d left my half-eaten dinner and trash on the table.
“Professor Magnolis came to our room,” Holly said. “She was worried and wanted to make sure someone was here when you came out.” She stared intently at me for a moment and her brow furrowed. “And from the look on your face, she was right to do so.”
I wavered my attention between the two girls.
What had I seen in that conference room? The Directorate were obviously concealing their identities and must have been using magic to ask questions. Were they probing my mind or using some kind of truth magic? And should I tell my friends any of this? Did they know I lied about my ring?
Emiko’s mouth drew into a frown. She reached for my arm and tugged my body close to her. Immediately calmness trickled over me, and I knew the feeling was more than just having the comfort of a friend. The touch was magically infused—whether she was doing it on purpose, I didn’t know, but Emiko was using her empath ability to settle my nerves. “Let’s get you back to the dorm, and I’ll make you some tea.”
The trip to Holly and Emiko’s room was a blur, and the next thing I remembered was Emiko plunking down a tiny teacup with no handle in front of me. The two girls had a small café table in their room with chairs, and somehow they’d sat me down in one of them without my remembering. Holly was across from me, and Emiko was pulling up her desk chair beside us.
I returned my attention to the empty cup and stared into it. Emiko picked up a white teapot with a bamboo handle and poured tea with a greenish tint into my cup. “Is the tea magic?” I finally spoke again and wrapped my hands around the porcelain’s warmth. I honestly didn’t know if I wanted any tea that had magic in it.
Emiko chuckled. “My mother says that all tea has a little magic steeped in with the leaves—but no, this is regular tea.”
With a nod, I picked up the steaming drink and brought it to my lips. The brew was slightly bitter on my tongue, but not too much. I swallowed and the warm liquid traveled down my throat, spreading a similar calm as Emiko had used on me a few minutes ago, but this time it was natural.
Holly leaned her elbows onto the table while holding her own cup of tea in front of her. “What happened at the meeting?”
Emiko scowled at Holly. “Give her a few minutes.”
I bit my lip and placed my cup back on the table. “I think I’m okay now.”
Emiko arched her brow in concern. She must have sensed the tension still pulling at my chest.
“I thought you told me that you weren’t very good at using your empath magic.” Taking the focus off me for a minute seemed like a good idea.
Emiko sighed. “For some reason, your emotions are easier for me to read. I don’t know why that is yet.” She eyed Holly and sipped her tea. “I still have difficulty with others.”
“You want to tell us what happened at the meeting?” Holly insisted again.
My memory flickered with the events in the office.
“Take another sip of tea,” Emiko encouraged.
I guzzled the entire cup, not that it was a big cup. The second I placed the chin
a back on the table, Emiko refilled it nearly to the top.
“The Directorate was there.”
Holly’s eyes widened. “The Directorate? In person?”
I nodded.
“They rarely descend to a place like the Academy.” Holly downed her remaining tea as if it were a shot and slammed the cup on the table. “No wonder you looked like you saw a ghost or something.”
Not that seeing a ghost might give me the fright it once would have, since I’d seen a ghost every single day I’d been at the Academy. I lived with one!
Unlike Holly, Emiko remained calm. “Was it the entire Directorate?”
I didn’t know enough about the Directorate to be sure. “There were four of them.” I thought for a second to recall their names. “Ministers Chen, Andersson, Russo . . . and Romano.”
Emiko squinted in thought. “So Minister Alexander wasn’t there? He’s been part of the Directorate the longest. Minister Chen is new—maybe in for a few months now.”
The vision of the ministers suddenly appearing very old and wrinkled flickered in my mind again. But the whole thing sounded crazy, and maybe what I saw was just caused by stress. “They asked me a few questions . . . mostly about the battle, barely anything about Professor Lakeshore.”
“Well, Minister Russo is an empath, too,” Emiko said. “A strong one. So they would likely know if you were telling the truth. They wouldn’t need to ask you many questions before they were sure.”
My heart leaped, and I rubbed my thumb over the band of my ring. But I didn’t tell them the whole truth. I left out everything about being Zayne’s niece and who my mother was. Did the Directorate know? Or did my ring somehow shield them from seeing my half-truths? “Can they read minds?”
“Not as far as I know.” Emiko placed her hand on my arm, and my body instantly relaxed again. “What else happened in there, Josy?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” I pinched at the bridge of my nose. “Or I will be. It’s just that they had this thick file on me.” I held up my fingers about three inches apart to demonstrate the thickness. “Minister Chen said that the school had provided them with it. I’ve only been here a few weeks. How could there be that much to put in my file? Most of it had to be about how bad I’ve been at using magic, except during the battle.”
Spellcaster Academy: Episodes 1-4 (Spellcaster Academy Omnibus) Page 12