I had to orchestrate a third walk for Chaos today just so I could lug this thick book out from under my bed—keeping it stored far away from Mom’s ashes. Sydney and Viv protested at having toflyhim a second time in the cold, but I told them I had wanted some alone time with Ender and that Chaos was restless despite his walk with me earlier.
Only one of those was a lie.
After some more digging and translating, I found that The Dark Circle had a leader who appeared to be immortal and the dark mages of the clan could all possess immortality. They were basically dark demon witches.
The hatch to the west side dorms creaked, and I pushed a little bit of air magic to send the grimoire skidding behind a nearby vent, the magical cloth resting over it. Unsure of the sudden increase in my heart rate, I waited to see who was intruding on my alone time. The tension in my shoulders released when Ender emerged through the hatch, climbing onto the roof with ease.
“Hey.” He sat down next to me, not bothering to wipe away the snow. His joggers were about to get soaked, but I don’t think he cared. He pulled me into him, wrapping both arms around me.
A sigh of contentment slipped from my lips. Today, I had learned Aura was created by Mom, the clan after me were basically deranged immortal demons, Chaos was an ancestral familiar, and David’s training after my meeting with Priscilla and John had been more tiring than I liked to admit. David, too, looked exhausted, but I hadn’t thought I had been pushing him too hard. He hadn’t wanted to miss his training session with me despite the fight a few days ago.
Ender rested his head on mine. I hadn’t actually expected to see him tonight, and despite not being able to learn more from the grimoire, I welcomed his intrusion. He was warm, and his arms around me … It just felt right.
It almost warded off the haunting images of the dead flowers in the forest, and I couldn’t shake that there was something wrong with me.
Was it safe for me to be touching him? Was there darkness inside me?
Chapter Forty-Nine
Selene
Ihadneverseentheinside of this classroom until the start of the semester two weeks ago. It was triple the size of the other classrooms. A little otter swam in lazy circles through his 500-gallon glass tank. He also had a hollowed log that sat upon a rock slab and other toys for his enrichment, including an area with real grass.
I’d seen the little otter swimming in Crystal Lake out—
“Selene Thomas?” Professor Dickson’s voice snapped me out of my daydream.
“Yes?” I sat straight in my chair, lowering my hands from the stone table—no doubt used in this lab to prevent workstation fires.
“Ah.” He dipped his head in disapproval. “Olive is a thing of beauty,” he gestured toward his familiar, “but we cannot be distracted. What can distractions lead to, class?”
Everyone’s gaze fell on me, and their apprehension was almost tangible.Great. Instant frustrated heat crawled at the base of my neck. No one spoke because the question was correlated withmyactions and not another student who wasn’t an ether mage.
“A failed creation,” I answered.
“Worse.” Professor Dickson had creases forming at the corners of his brown eyes. “A travesty. A dangerous creature that will flout all the creator’s intentions.”
Professor Dickson finally took his assessing gaze off me and paced the front. “Now, gather the supplies in front of you. Level ones and twos, work on constructing an inanimate object. Level threes and higher, work on creating a small sentient creature.” His momentary pause when he saidhigherdid not slip past me. “Remember, creatures are typically short-lived, depending on the amount of magic woven into the spell and based on the creator’s intentions. Emotions factor in the outcome of the temperament your creation will have.”
I stared at a large bowl of water at the front of my desk and looked over at Mara next to me. She had a pile of sticks.
“Must be they don't trust her with solid objects,” a girl snickered behind me.
I stiffened and did my best to brush off the comment, but anger got the better of me and I turned in my seat. The girl, whose name I didn’t even know, snapped her mouth shut and sank in her chair. If she could sink any farther, she’d be lying on the ground. I took in quick breaths, letting the simmering anger show in my glare, then turned back around.
After all, I had been thinking the exact same thing.
Mara offered me a pity smile before bringing her attention back to her contents. I might not have any of my friends in this class, but at least my lab partner wasn’t malicious, just quiet. The only times I truly held a conversation with her was when I was checking out a library book. Now that I had answers aboutMom and her sister, I hadn’t been hunting down Mr. Hastings and saw Mara less.
Bringing the bowl closer, I dipped one finger in the room temperature water. Something still didn’t sit well with me, and my emotions started to bubble.
“Focus on your intention. Calm your inner voice. Use the enchantment.” Professor Dickson clicked the chalkboard where the enchantment was written. He had started teaching us this enchantment on our first day and now, two weeks later, we were implementing it.
I narrowed in on the bowl, focusing on my intent to create a palm-sized water horse—something I’d done before, but in a bigger form, matching the size of a small horse that my mother had taught me using salt water. It wouldn’t last more than thirty seconds but was incredible. The enchantment started flowing effortlessly from my mouth.
The water began to ripple. Sizzling warmth sparked in my chest, a fluttering that wasn’t the normal heat that pooled there during enchantments. The ripples turned into miniature waves and sloshed over the sides. Someone said something to my right, but I was drawn to the vibrating bowl in front of me.
Dark edges formed around my vision, blurring out everything else around me. The bowl kicked out, clattering to the floor, the water remaining suspended in the air, aggressively revolving. The torrent began expanding, lashing out in violent whips as wind swirled around the room.
