“So, we’ve got a few hours,” Marcus said with a nod.
“I planned on practicing for the assessment. It’s crept up on me, what with all the... shit going on.”
The smile faded slowly from his face. “I’m really sorry about your dad, Paisley. If it’s any consolation, I think this wasan unfair and out-of-line punishment, considering he wasn’t the only chaperone.”
I agreed, but as my throat grew tighter, I decided I really didn’t want to talk about this today. I had to focus on assessment,or I wouldn’t even be here next year.
“You up to helping me run through the affinities?”
Marcus smiled. “Absolutely! Lead the way.”
I nodded, before the niggling in my chest forced me to say, “Actually, would you mind terribly if I ran a quick errand first.I can meet you at the lake in, like, twenty minutes?”
His smile never wavered, and I wondered how we’d let this friendship crash and burn so fast. It would have been nice to haveanother ally here. “Sounds good. Take your time, I can wait as long as you need.”
He strolled off, and I changed directions, racing along the hall and down the stairs to the office. Barging in, three witches were behind the desk, including Ms. White. “Yes, dear?” she said, barely lifting her head. From a quick glance, she was filing assessment tests, and my low-level panic for the end of theweek flared, but I pushed it down. There’d be plenty of time to have a breakdown later.
“I need to speak with Headmaster Gregor,” I said, keeping my voice even.
This got her attention, as she peered at me over her glasses. “Regarding what?”
“My father.”
Everyone in Weatherstone was acting normal. There was barely any chatter even about the party and the fire, and outside ofthe charred remains of the chapel I’d spied through the window, you’d never know anything had happened.
And yet Dad was still at home, and I’d heard nothing about his fate. Had he already had his chat with the headmaster? I neededto find out.
Ms. White’s face softened a fraction, and she nodded. “I’ll see if he’s available.”
She disappeared from the office for a few minutes, and when she returned, I was disappointed to find her alone. “He’ll seeyou,” she said, shocking the shit out of me. “He’s in his office. You just take the stairs directly to the right of our doorand go all the way to the top.”
“Oh, okay, thank you!” I hurried out of the office, wondering how I’d missed the stairs all the other times I’d been here.
When I moved to the right of the door, there was only a tapestry depicting one of the wars draped over stone walls. Reachingout, I pressed my hands against it, and felt a swell of magic. Adding my energy to the magic, the stairs were suddenly visible,and I almost fell into them.
The headmaster used a concealment spell, and a strong one if it got around the natural ability witches and warlocks had to see through such spells. I hurried up the stairs, and was a little breathless by the time I reached the top. If this were oneof my training sessions with Logan, he’d be snarling at me for my lack of stamina. Hard-ass.
At the top, I crossed the small half-circle landing to reach the ornate brass-and-wood door. Lifting the tarnished knocker,I let it bang twice and waited.
“Come in,” Headmaster Gregor called.
The door opened quietly and then closed again behind me without me touching it at all. I stepped into a warm space. The officewas lined in dark timber and smelled of mahogany. There were a couple of bay windows, but every other surface was coveredin shelves, filled with ancient books. I wondered if the particular text I had been looking for was here all along.
Headmaster Gregor sat behind his desk, which was as ornate and dark as the rest of his room. He stood as I walked toward him.“Ms. Hallistar,” he said. “I’m happy you decided to check in personally about your father’s situation.”
“You are?” It had been a last-minute decision after talking with Marcus. I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. “I figuredyou’d tell me it was official Weatherstone business and to get back to class.”
“Not at all.” Gregor was always so magnanimous, while giving me the creeps. It was an interesting contradiction. “It’s terriblebusiness about Tom,” he continued, peering intently at me. “We’re doing everything we can to clear it up, but unfortunatelythe complaint came from a very highly ranked member of the community, and they’re pressing the issue.” He cleared his throat.“They’re asking for a lot more than just his termination as a professor.”
“Like what?” I asked, feeling chilled despite the warmth of the room. “Because I promise you, I was at the party, and thewitch wine was well concealed. None of the professors knew.” I’d lie all day if I had to for Dad.
The headmaster nodded. “I understand, and in all honesty, every single professor at this school has turned a blind eye once or twice to underage drinking, illegal spellwork—within reason—and other standard college behavior that might not always align completely with our rules. It’s just unfortunate in this situation that there’s more than just my judgment involved.”
This didn’t sound good, and my thrum grew too large to be contained by my internal box any longer. This could derail my parents’entire lives. “What was the extra they asked for?” I forced myself to ask, needing every bit of information, even if it wasbad.
“They asked for all Hallistars to be expelled from the college,” he said quietly.
I wrinkled my brow, trying to understand. “Why would they want that?”
