“Your candles are not lit with phantom fire,” I said.
He watched me as I put the pieces together, neither confirming nor denying my statement. I thought back to the lighter I had found in his desk many months ago. A fire mage would only need a lighter if they couldn’t create fire themselves, and if a mage were to control fire using a lighter, it could result in the soot I had seen on his hands. In case of an attack, phantom fire couldn’t be used as a weapon.
The almighty headmaster—my father—of the prestigious Fives Academy was a level one fire mage.
That was kind of awesome.
Chapter Fifty-One
Ender
Iwokewithajolt,sweat dripping down my back. The clock on my end table told me it was too early to be awake on a Sunday, yet, my nightmare had decided five a.m. was the time to wake me up. After a deep breath and a quick roll of my shoulders, shaking off the phantom decaying fingers of the dark mage who had paid me a visit in my dream, I lay back down.
After ten minutes, I decided I wasn’t falling back asleep even if I were to lie there for two hours. I silently climbed out of bed and dressed in joggers and a T-shirt, careful not to wake Nick, though I was positive Nick would not have woken up even if Chaos was in our dorm room, ping-ponging from wall to wall. There had been a large party in the forest last night, and Nick got in a few hours ago. Selene and I had a quiet Saturday evening and played Scrabble, winning one of three matches. It was rare that I lost even one match. In her current distress, she thankfully showed bits of her old self.
I made my way to the gym, the grounds silent other than the birds singing their morning songs. As I hit it, still trying to shake off the nightmare, the punching bag became the dark mage’s body from my dream. I haven’t been haunted in my sleep by the dark mages since I lost control in my training match, and I wasn’t going to let this one time get to me.
After a solid forty minutes of punching the bag, I decided to head to the cafeteria to grab food, expecting the doors to be locked. The main academy doors would still be locked at this hour, so I made my way to the cafeteria door from the courtyard. Peering through the glass, I could see a figure inside.
Looks like I will be getting in early today.
I knocked.
Clara, one of the cafeteria monitors, turned around. I could make out a smile before she masked it with a frown. As much as she said she detested me, it was hard love. She made her way to the door, heaving it open and leaving her hand on the glass and blocking my path. Wind blew through the threshold, tussling her wispy, short grey hair.
“The cafeteria isn’t open until seven.” She glanced at her watch. “Not for another hour.”
“Really?” I put on my best charming smile. “But when has that stopped us before? I’m just looking for an apple.”
I gestured to the table she had just come from. It was covered with an array of fresh fruit. She released a sigh and the corner of her mouth turned up.
“Fine.” She waved me through. “One of these times, I should turn you away. Or what if I don’t hear your knocking?”
“Then when the other students or staff arrive, they’d find me lying on the ground by the door, dead from starvation.” I turned to face her, placing a hand over my stomach like it hurt.
“Sounds very much like you.” She waved a hand in the air, brushing off the jokes. “Anyway, I don’t see any harm witha student getting fruit early, so long they don’t cause any disruptions.”
“You are my favorite cafeteria monitor.” I followed her over to the table, and I could almost feel her roll her eyes even though her back was to me.
She tucked a pair of tongs into her apron pocket and grabbed an empty basket. “Have a good day, Ender,” she said as she made her way back into the kitchen.
Examining the fruit spread before me, I decided to actually opt for an apple—like I had said I wanted—and a pear. I turned to head out the door and was about to take a bite of the apple when I heard footsteps from the hallway. Lowering my apple, I felt my magic simmer. Something didn’t feel right.
David appeared around the corner, his blond hair pushed back like he had been running all morning. Like he’d been doing recently, he wasn’t wearing his gloves. Selene and Trainer Murphy’s training had been helping.
“Ender.” He stopped at the entrance. “I’m glad that’s you. It’s Sal.”
He took off and I followed suit, dropping the apple and pear on a nearby table.
“What do you mean,it’s Sal?” I yelled after him and reached for the bond, but it felt the same—distant cold surrounding a fiery spark. That was how it had been the last month, the coolness growing around the flame.
I pulled out my phone, struggling to press the buttons as I ran. There were no unread messages or missed calls. I tried to call her, but it failed. I tried Headmaster John and then Priscilla. They all failed. I took deep breaths. I needed a clear head.
“Yeah. My phone isn’t functioning. I can’t make any calls or send any messages.” David glanced over at me as we ran. “I saw her this morning. Something seemed off, so I followed her. Once she made it past the doors in the library that headed to thebasement, I knew I needed to call for help, but my phone wasn’t working. I figured someone would be in the cafeteria, and then I heard voices coming from there. I’m thankful it was you.”
“Why would Selene go into the basement?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Her eyes. They were completely black.”
