Part 20 (1/2)

As we left Sip whispered, We have to get back to that archive before we go.

I nodded. I want to see those rings again.

Definitely, Sip agreed.

We decided to try again the next night, but first we had to attend Olives introduction to this years Tactical.

Oliva was waiting for us at the field when we arrived. We broke up into our teams, which was hard for me because I didnt want to be anywhere near Daisy or Camilla.

Students, said Oliva, I realize that it is difficult to concentrate on school while were at war, but I want you to understand that were fighting a good fight, and the best thing you can do for the paranormals is to keep up with your schoolwork, and that includes Tactical.

The sky was cloudy and threatening rain. I wore a light jacket zipped up to my neck. Fall was coming.

This semester, we want the Tactical to be as progressive as possible, that is, we want it to be a little different from past years. Yes, there are still high value targets, and as in real life we expect you to protect the elemental.

I heard m.u.f.fled laughter around the field and wondered if Oliva was being ironic, since Caid had advocated handing me over to the demons to end the war.

Therefore, we want you to find an object that is hidden somewhere on campus. It is a Key of Light, and we want the Tactical teams to find it. Of course, you can attack each other while you do. We encourage all students to look, but only with your teams. To that end, if any student finds the object while alone, it will not count. We also encourage you to continue to make your fellow students targets.

I love this part, Lough muttered to me. Like fish in a barrel.

Do you think our teams will protect us? I whispered back.

Lough glanced at Daisy and Camilla, who were standing next to each other and glaring at us. Then he shook his head. What else is new?

Tactical had become dangerous. Or maybe I should say more dangerous. Stuck with Daisy and Camilla, I was probably in more danger than anyone else. Sip was with Dobrov, who still mostly hung around the Nocturns. Ordinarily he never went near Sip or tried to speak to her, which was probably for the best, because Sip was in no mood to tolerate people who talked to Nocturns.

I continued to sleep poorly, which only served to make the days harder and longer. We were all buried under our coursework. It was like the professors had decided that the only way we would be saved from darkness was to study as much as possible.

I dont see why this matters, Lough muttered. Im a dream giver. There are only a handful of us in the world. My destiny is to become sought after and rich.

You dont want to work in government like Kair? Sip asked. Kair was Loughs older sister, who was dating one of Sips brothers.

Absolutely not, said Lough, shaking his head emphatically. Too much work.

Sip snorted.

What do you want to do? they both asked me. I shrugged. As the only elemental Id been given countless lectures about how vital my role in paranormal society had become, but to be honest, I hadnt really thought much about my future. I didnt think of myself as a diplomat, and although I loved the idea of traveling around the world and using my powers for the protection of paranormals, I wanted to make sure I saw Ricky through college, paranormal or otherwise, first.

I think youd make an awesome professor, said Lough, beaming. You might not be as nerdy as Sip - he ignored her cry of indignation - but youre excellent at explaining things and wonderful in a fight.

What does being wonderful in a fight have to do with being a professor? Sip demanded, bracing her fists on her hips.

Charlottes just going to have a time of it, said Lough. It proves shes brave enough to cope with whats coming.

I smiled at my friend. At least he was on my side.

Thanks, I said. Well see.

I couldnt bring myself to tell them that I had secretly cherished the idea of becoming a professor. I saw how much Dacer enjoyed Public, how it gave him grounding for boundless opportunities, and I wanted that. I had also secretly wanted a future with Keller. Not that I wouldnt work, of course I would, but with Kellers life mapped out I had always thought of myself in relation to that. Without him by my side I felt lost and adrift. I didnt really want to commit to anything at all.

The archives were as dark and musty as ever when Sip and I reached the top floor. She hadnt wanted to bring me through the same window twice, so I had flown in through a window on the floor below. Alixar was as incredible as ever. I wondered why Queen Ashray hadnt made more masks.

I was very careful to keep Alixar hidden, not only in Astra - I had complete privacy there for the time being, but I didnt know if that would always be true - but especially when I carried it around campus. I was pretty confident that Dacer hadnt told anyone he had given his student one of the priceless masks in his care.

And there was no doubt that I would hate it if he got in trouble because of me. As it was, I only used Alixar when there was no other way to get the job done.

Lough had tried to follow Sip into the building through the front doors, and the magical protections around it had sent him slamming backward. He had flown a good twenty feet before he plowed into the ground.

That event had led to an argument between the two of them, something that had been happening more frequently this semester. They had always bickered, but we were all feeling the strain of not having Lisabelle there and not knowing if she was alright. I kept rea.s.suring myself that she was okay, because nothing would dare to hurt her. The Nocturns wouldnt have gone to so much trouble to get her on their side just to kill her, and if the paranormals working for the Police Academy had gotten to her we would have heard about it. If that had happened, Tabble would have gloated about it for months, if not years, and I probably would have had to take Sip out of the country. Sip was barely reining in her temper as it was, and her confrontations with paranormals like Camilla proved that she was still on edge.

Wait a minute, Sip said thoughtfully. We were in Astra, in the kitchen. Sigil had just appeared from the library to check on us. He had dropped something of a bombsh.e.l.l, observing that since there was a lot of mystery about the elemental royal family, and a lot of mystery about my parentage, perhaps the two were connected.

Nascaro is the only royal house ever to rule the elementals, continued Sip, with Queen Ashray as the longest serving monarch, but I thought she didnt have any children. So what happened? Did a cousin take over?

Ah, its a wonderful story, said Sigil, pus.h.i.+ng his gla.s.ses up his nose. It is one I would have thought Charlotte had read by now. Then again, I do not recall this particular story making its way into the history books.

I blushed. I had done a lot of reading, but it had all centered on the history and former powers of the elementals. Id been so obsessed with learning how to be a proper elemental that there were still gaping holes in my knowledge.

Um, err . . . I said.

Never mind, said Sigil, zipping through the air. You know how dearly I enjoy a good tale.

And with that he began.

Queen Ashray lived in the country, where her father had sent her, supposedly to keep her ignorant of her station as a princess and future queen. But in actuality thats not the only reason he sent her away. It was also partly to hide her love for a man and the fact that she was pregnant.

Sip and I exchanged glances. The royal family sounded complicated.

She had a child, whom her lover raised once she was called to duty as queen of the elementals, said Sigil. We are all fuzzy on the details, and theres a good chance even some of the history books have it wrong, but the point is that she did have an illegitimate heir. Once she died, at ninety-eight, that heir, her son, had long since married and had two sons of his own. This was not revealed until it was absolutely necessary, because it was clear that the elementals were already a target for darkness. It was equally clear that royal purists would not want an illegitimate king, even if he had all the incredible powers of his mother. Even so, one of those sons became king upon his fathers death, while the other son became the heir of the first.

I was staring at him like he was mad.

Did either of those sons have children? I asked breathlessly.

Sigil shrugged. Asher Nascaro was the younger son and the family rascal, but I remember a story that said that he did settle down eventually, finding a girl that knocked his socks off, so to speak. Sigil steepled his fingers. Lovely when that happens. Most young men come around eventually.

Was it even remotely possible that Queen Ashray was my great-grandmother?

Sigil, I said, why didnt you tell me all of this a long time ago? Wouldnt you think I would want to know?

Sigil blinked at me several times. My dear, its the royal family. He puffed out his chest and stared hard at me. When it was clear I still didnt understand, he said, One does not gossip about the royal family.

You have strange ideas, I muttered. He was right about one thing, though. I knew of the royal family and their rule. I had just never thought I was the child of a prince, or a king. It all sounded too dream-like to be true.

I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around it all.