Part 17 (1/2)

Cale? she asked.

What about him? I picked up my m.u.f.fin and started to break off pieces of it to put in my mouth.

Did you see him?

Maybe I did and maybe I didnt, I said, meeting her angry brown eyes.

She leaned forward and I saw Sip s.h.i.+ft, ready to fight if necessary. I didnt move; I had no problem holding my ground in the face of Camillas anger.

You think youre so cool because youre the last elemental, she said, her voice hard. You arent. President Caid knows the truth and he finally called you out for what you really are, which is a danger to all paranormals. It wont take long for everyone else here to realize that.

She stormed away from our table and back to her own. I watched her go, mostly to see who else was at her table. Id be cool even if I wasnt the last elemental, I muttered. Sip and Lough grinned at me.

To my intense dismay it was exactly who I thought it would be: Faci, Daisy, and Dobrov.

Ah, home, said Sip, taking another bite of eggs. Lovely to be back.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

Our first cla.s.s of the day was Professor Eriksons Advanced Spell-Casting. As a fallen angel she was well versed in healing and flying spells. Fallen angels were also known to get along with most paranormal types and had therefore been exposed to many different types of magic. If ever there was a time when this cla.s.s was appropriate, that time was now, and I was glad we were in it. But I felt the stares of my fellow students as we headed out to the Dash field for this first cla.s.s session.

Theyll come around, said Lough, reading my mind. I wasnt so sure.

Caid said the exact same thing Malle wanted them to believe, I whispered, that if they just get rid of me theyll be safe. Its not true, and I dont know why they fall for it.

Theyre scared, said Sip. Most of the students are on your side. Remember everyone waiting for you in Astra last spring? If anyone tries anything, well fight, you can count on that.

Before we reached Professor Erikson, though, Dacer appeared. He slung his arm around me and bent down to whisper in my ear. We need to speak regularly, he said softly. Come to the tea room. We have much to discuss. I just spoke with Risper.

And with that he released my shoulders and was gone.

After he strode away Lough raised his eyebrows at me. Did you ask him why he didnt defend you to Caid?

I sighed. Not yet. Ive barely had time to think, let alone talk with him privately.

Meanwhile, Professor Erikson stood in the center of the field, her robes whipping around. Advanced Spell-Casting, she said, is serious business. All of you here are seniors, and I expect that by now you know enough to take this seriously. There are many different kinds of spells, but what I find most compelling about this group is that there are two dream givers in it. I heard what you did last semester at Golden Falls, dreaming back to a battle. She nodded at Lough and Trafton, both of whom were pink with pleasure at being recognized, until she continued with, If you do anything so reckless and undirected this semester Ill have you expelled.

Murmurs went up among the students as my friends faces fell.

In order to use power, you must control it, Professor Erikson continued. Without control you have nothing, which is why such unchecked displays of magic will get us all killed. Now, line up across from each other.

Sip and I moved to stand opposite each other, but Professor Erikson stopped us.

Do NOT line up across from a friend. In order to use an advanced spell, you must be detached. You cannot expect your friend to be forever bailing you out.

I couldnt be sure, but I thought her last remark was a shot at Lisabelle. Kellers aunt was tough, there was no doubt about it. This was going to be an interesting cla.s.s.

I lined up across from a student named Darrow, a quiet fallen angel who had always just gone about his work and returned to Aurum without socializing much. He nodded at me once, but otherwise said nothing. Both of our rings were pulsing.

Now, said Professor Erikson, her face stern, I want you to perform a lifting spell. You take turns. I want you to lift nothing but your partner. If your partner gets hurt while you try to perform this spell, you will each owe me a lesson on behaving responsibly, and you will also report to the Long Building for paint duty.

Im surprised that whole building hasnt been painted seven times over, given how often they use it for punishment, Lough muttered.

I nodded, watching Darrow closely. He was taller than Keller, but thinner and kind of gawky, with tawny hair and wide-set eyes. Sip had once said he was cute in a nerdy sort of way. Regardless of that, I was nervous. It was one thing to throw wind indiscriminately at the huge sails of a s.h.i.+p, but something else entirely to lift a specific object a specific distance, never mind a person.

My other worry was that Faci had lined up across from Trafton and was smiling cruelly, while Daisy had lined up across from Vanni and Rake and Dobrov were paired with each other. Sip was paired with a girl named Tissy, a vampire from Raor.

Begin, Professor Erikson cried.

We all failed miserably except for Sip. Then, when Daisy complained that the only reason Sip was able to lift Tissy perfectly into the air was because Tissy was a vampire who could already float, Sip lifted Daisy into the air. The hybrid screamed and cried and Professor Erikson informed Sip that she would spend the coming Sat.u.r.day painting the Long Building. The werewolf didnt argue, she just clenched her fists and studied the ground.

After that we kept practicing. By the end of the hour-long cla.s.s I had managed to make Darrows hair stand on end, but that was about it. I felt sweat dripping down the sides of my face as we trudged back toward the main part of campus.

Dont feel bad, said Sip. What she wants, the specific stuff, is really hard. Its much easier to just use power as a hammer.

Thats what the demons are doing, I said. Its exactly what we dont want.

Im hungry, said Lough, rubbing his stomach and keeping his mind on the essentials as always.

Its ten oclock in the morning, said Sip incredulously. We just had breakfast!

So? Lough asked. Come on, lets go back to the dining hall and get a snack.

While my two friends did that, I returned to the coffee shop in search of Dacer. I found him sitting in the same chair he had used a couple of months ago, sipping tea from a cup.

Good morning, he said as I slid into my seat. How was your first cla.s.s?

Professor Erikson is teaching us control for advanced spells, I said. Its hard.

Dacer nodded approvingly. Yes, he said. I can see how it might be, but it will prove useful in the end.

What do you want to talk to me about? I asked. Dacer glanced over his shoulder. Sabel had come out to give me coffee, then disappeared into the back.

I spoke with Risper, he said quietly. He told me youll be spending some time in the archives and that he knew where the Globe White was.

I nodded.

This is good, said Dacer, leaning back. This is very good.

Can you help with the archives? I asked.

Dacer shook his head. Im afraid not. I can help if it comes to masks, but otherwise I dont think it would be wise for us to draw attention to our mentoring relations.h.i.+p.