No, I didn’t want to rely on him. His assistance always came with a price. He might not have asked for anything in return, but he would be involved in my life and that cost too much. I had seen how he had solved my problems in the past.
Since the summer, I had stopped going to him for advice. I would be stronger if I learned to get by without his meddling. Even so, there was a void inside me that I couldn’t explain.
The principal’s office resembled one part wizard study, and one part Old West parlor with Victorian settees and a full bar of liquor most high school students would give anything to pillage. To the left of the desk, a fireplace sat between columns of bookshelves. Various other items were stashed on the shelves haphazardly: kerosene lamps, candles, and other fire hazards among them.
What I’d first taken to be a cow skull—but I now suspected might be otherwise—decorated the wall between paintings of men wrangling cattle-sized dragons. From the amount of clutter piled into every corner, the room looked like it doubled as the storage closet for extra supplies.
The principal sat behind his mahogany desk. He leaned back in a century-old chair that creaked under his weight. “There’s somethin’ mighty serious we gotta discuss.”
“Okay,” I said.
Jeb gulped down his whiskey. All the buttons on his denim shirt were misaligned, the right side higher than the left. Because of the bandana covering his collar, I wouldn’t have noticed if his shirt hadn’t been partially untucked at the bottom. His eyes were red, and purple crescents sagged under his eyes. He looked exhausted—and possibly hungover. I waited for him to break the news to me that I would be fired, but he just stared into the distance.
Finally he said, “What was I sayin’, darlin’?”
“Why have you called me here? What did I do wrong?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you. Prince Elric of the Silver Court has made some mighty serious allegations that I was hopin’ you wouldn’t mind clearin’ up for me.” The principal chewed on one end of his curly mustache.
“About me? He said I did something wrong? You know we were dating. He would say anything to get—”
Jeb held up his hand. “Hold your horses. I ain’t sayin’ he accused you of nothin’.”
I sank back into my chair in momentary relief only for him to go on and dash all hopes that I might survive this meeting unscathed.
“He alleged that our Professor Felix Thatch has been using sex magic and pain magic on you while you were in his charge. Only he says you won’t come forward and admit it because Mr. Thatch intimidates you somethin’ fierce.” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “As your administrator, I’m required to investigate all claims of magical misconduct among my employees.”
Oh really? Magical misconduct? But not sexual misconduct, as in Julian Thistledown’s case? Instead he’d tried to hush up the matter. I pushed my fury down. Now wasn’t the time for that. I needed to keep calm and come up with a reasonable explanation.
“Well, is it true?” he asked. “I know you stopped goin’ to him for magic lessons—Felix told me that much himself months ago. He wanted me to order you to go back, but I told him if you preferred to learn from that fairy prince, that was your business, not ours. Now I hear this story, and I’m left wonderin’ if this is why you stopped attendin’ lessons here at the school. Did Felix use forbidden magic on you?”
I raised my chin, trying to project calm. “He didn’t use pain magic on me.” My lip trembled as I said it.
Jeb grimaced. “And the sex magic, darlin’?”
“N-n-no.” My control betrayed me, and I burst into tears. I hurriedly went on. “It was all in my head. It was part of the meditation to draw out my fears, but it wasn’t a fear. These were fantasies. But it was me, my subconscious, not Thatch. I shouldn’t have told Elric. He can be so jealous. He thought Thatch was trying to seduce me.” I wanted to believe this anyway.
Jeb removed his Stetson witch hat and rubbed at the bald spot on the top of his head. “But this has all stopped because you ain’t carryin’ on with lessons?”
Except for the dreams. My answer lodged itself in my throat as a lump I couldn’t swallow.
“Has he done somethin’ untoward?”
I shook my head.
“Prince Elric told me Felix kissed you at some dance club and you slapped him. He said Felix tried to take liberties with you on multiple occasions, even though you had refused his advances, but he was still able to make it appear as though you loved him as part of that bargain he made to save you. Apparently, this is why he thinks he resorted to forbidden magic. Is this true?”
“No! Yes—only the kissing part.” I didn’t want to discuss any part of the bargain Thatch and Elric had made. If Jeb was still beholden to King Viridios, I didn’t doubt he would report that Thatch hadn’t succeeded in making me love him. So long as Jeb could extort money out of the Fae king, he would hand my soul over on a silver platter.
“Then he didn’t use no pain or pleasure magic on you to control you and subvert your free will?” Jeb asked. “Even though you agreed with Prince Elric that he might have been? Even though you let that prince come onto our campus, glamoured invisible to spy on Thatch durin’ one of your lessons? Even though Elric caught Thatch in the act right then and there?”
“No!” I gulped in air, trying to gain control of my breathing. “I thought Thatch might have at the time. But I was wrong. Elric was wrong. He’s just trying to stir up trouble.” I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.
“You don’t sound mighty convincin’. You know that, right?” Jeb tugged at one of the curls of his mustache. “I’m gonna have to follow up with a formal investigation.”
“No, you don’t. I’m not accusing him.” Though part of me still hated Thatch for what he’d done, I didn’t want anyone to find out about his affinity and punish him for something he couldn’t help.
I didn’t want anyone to punish him for trying to help me control my magic.
“Miss Lawrence, you don’t understand. A damned Fae prince has done the accusin’. That’s all it takes. You just confirmed his allegations that you were afraid your coworker did something illegal.”
My heart plummeted to my stomach. “That’s not what I said. I said ‘at the time’ I was afraid Thatch might have done something. But that’s because I let Elric convince me. I told you I was wrong.”
“It ain’t gonna make a lick of difference whether he did or not. You got royalty involved. If princey-boy reports it to his sovereign, it becomes a Fae matter.” Jeb shook his head sadly. “By the looks of it, I’m going to lose a damned fine teacher.”
I didn’t doubt Elric would tell his father if he thought it would help. And if he didn’t, Khaba would.
Jeb stood. I took it our meeting was over.
I rose as well. “Let me talk to Elric. I can see if I can get him to stop.”
“You go ahead and try. He’ll be here tomorrow after school for a meetin’ about that blasted fundraiser he wants to help organize.”
I would make Elric see reason.
Jeb smiled, his eyes crinkling up with kindness like a grandfather’s. “One more thing.” He shuffled around the desk.
I waited for him to impart his wisdom on me. As usual, his words fell short of making anything better.
“If you don’t mind, partner, I’d like to keep this little matter quiet. It’s poor public relations for a school that is already sufferin’ from low test scores and a bad reputation. I reckon all it’s gonna take is one more scandal. If one teacher chooses to report this matter to an outside source, rather than allowin’ us to handle it internally, we’ll lose the donors we have. Not to mention, the school board is likely to close us down for negligence or some other infraction.” He sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It weighs heavy on my heart when I think about this school closin’. There ain’t another charity school for those students who can’t afford to control their magic.”
His words jolted through me. “Where would the students go if the school is closed?”
“I don’t rightly know. Some would probably choose to be drained of their magic. Others might go beggin’ for someone to cover their tuition elsewhere.”
“And the rest?”
“I reckon they’d try to get apprenticeships. But most will be snatched and drained of more than their magic by unscrupulous Fae.”
Tears filled my eyes. “That’s horrible.”
“It’s a mighty fine pickle we’re in. The weight of the school rests on your shoulders. Don’t go blabbin’ to Miss Kimura and Mr. Khaba about this, or those two gossipmongers will spread this like wildfire.”
“Not tell Khaba? But he’s an administrator. Doesn’t he already know?” How could I not tell my friends? I didn’t want to keep yet another secret from them.
Jeb coughed. “Our Mr. Khaba . . . has suspicions about Felix Thatch. He’s already biased against him cuz of his past with the Raven Court. I don’t need him puttin’ the horse before the cart and makin’ a big to-do about this if I can clear the matter up in a more hushed-up manner.”
“Right.” I said with the enthusiasm of someone about to go to the gallows. “Anything for the good of the school.”
“There’s the spirit!” He clapped me on the shoulder jovially.
I considered going to Thatch and warning him, but the truth was, I didn’t want to be alone with him. It wasn’t that I thought he would molest me. More I didn’t want to burst into tears and for him to hug me and for me to try to kiss him and for him to accuse me of trying to take advantage of him.
Instead I wrote him a note in the privacy of my classroom after school.
FYI: Elric told Jeb that you used forbidden magic on me. Jeb interviewed me and now has to investigate what kind of magic you used in our lessons.
Afterward, I realized I’d used the teacher-themed stationary he’d given me in the summer with the border of apples, crayons, and ABCs. It only made me feel worse.
I took the note to the teachers’ mailroom in the admin wing. I left the note in his box, but two seconds later, I decided against it. Leaving a note like that where anyone could find it felt too risky. I dug out the solitary note from his box. As I scrounged around for an envelope in the drawers of detention forms and positive-behavior reports, the paper tingled between my fingers. A faint purple light sparkled around the stationary. I opened it. My note was gone. Replacing my writing was Thatch’s elegant cursive script.
Pray, what did you tell the principal that he should feel the need to investigate this matter?
I didn’t understand what kind of magic Thatch had used to answer my note like this. It had to be like instant messaging, only a Celestor version of it. My momentary awe was stolen away by irritation. How had he known I had a note for him? Why did he have to invade my personal space with magical spying? As for his accusatory tone, I didn’t think it deserved a reply.
I tore the note into shreds and placed that in his box.
That night as Vega and I readied ourselves for bed, she boasted about the chalkboard Elric had purchased for her classroom—Her old one was etched with scratches that magic could only do so much for. I pretended to listen. My mind strayed back to what Jeb had told me.
He’d specifically insisted I not tell Josie or Khaba. He’d said he didn’t want the entire school knowing. He hadn’t said I couldn’t tell Vega. I yearned to unburden myself with someone, even if it was her.
“Can you keep a secret?” I asked her.
“I can . . . when I want to.” She didn’t sound particularly interested in anything I had to say. She ducked behind the changing screen in the corner, silk pajamas in hand.
“Has Elric told you anything about trying to get Thatch fired?”
She tossed her blouse over the top of the screen. “He may have mentioned it in passing. I suppose it would be a loss for the school, but I would probably be promoted to department head, so I have nothing to complain about.”
“Jeb told me not to tell anyone about what Elric is accusing Thatch of, not even Josie or Khaba, but Elric told you?”
“Yes, well, I execute a little discretion now and then. Those dimwits don’t have two brain cells to rub together between the two of them.” She tossed her skirt over the screen next.
“Does discretion mean not mentioning it to me?” I asked.
“Probably.”
“Thatch is a jerk, but he doesn’t deserve to be fired.”
“Maybe. Or maybe not. But you don’t really know, do you? You won’t know unless someone uses a spell to find out if he’s used sex magic on you. Then you’ll know his true character, won’t you?”
“I don’t care what his true character is. He isn’t my friend anymore. It’s not like that’s going to redeem him or make me hate him more than I already do.”
She stuck her head around the screen. “So you’re telling me that he could be a total creep like Julian Thistledown? And you wouldn’t want to kill him for that? Huh. You’re a bigger loser than I ever knew.” She ducked back behind the screen and resumed dressing for bedtime.
I slumped onto my bed. She didn’t understand. Thatch was trying to help in his manipulative and misguided way. Unless he only pretended to be helping and really everything he did was out of motivation for the Raven Queen. If only I knew what actually went on in his head.
“Does Thatch still pay you to spy on me?” I asked.
“No. He doesn’t ask about you anymore. And if he did, I wouldn’t tell him.” She exited from behind the screen, now wearing her silk embroidered pajamas. “Elric pays me too well to not share details about your activities with Thatch. And if I did tell Thatch, Elric would know I’d gone back on our bargain. It doesn’t do to double-cross a Fae.” She shrugged as if it didn’t bother her one way or the other.
I took my turn behind the dressing screen. “Elric pays you to spy on me now? With dancing and new chalkboards?”
“Pretty much. Aren’t you fortunate to have drawn the attention of a Fae prince?”
I considered telling her about his interactions with Imani, but decided there wasn’t a safe way to introduce the topic without also raising suspicions over why he would be interested in her. That and Vega was Elric’s employee now. She might tell him I was suspicious of him.
I hated sharing a room with Vega more now that she was his spy than when she’d been Thatch’s.
I tried to mine Vega for other information. “Do you think there’s anything I could do to get Elric to drop his accusations against Thatch?”
Vega snorted. “Yeah. You could marry him.”
That wasn’t happening. There had to be another way. He’d originally come to me about the auction and the art show, but I doubted telling him I’d be willing to convince Jeb to invite Fae into the school would be big enough. Nor did I think it was a good idea.
Then again, Elric’s true agenda probably hadn’t been the art show. It might have been for me to be his date and show me off. Or to try to use this as an opportunity for me to take him back and give him another chance. I didn’t think he deserved another chance.
I sat behind the dressing screen, arguing with myself over what I needed to do to fix this.
Vega was silent for so long I thought she’d left the room. I nearly jumped when she at last cleared her throat. “Elric is only dating me because he thinks it will make you jealous. You aren’t completely stupid, so I expect you’ve figured that out.”
“Yeah. It’s . . . sad.”
“For me, especially.” She sighed. “My endless supply of textbooks and school sundries will end the moment you come to your senses and take him back. For Elric, well, it isn’t sad. It’s pathetic. He’s a Fae prince, lusting after you, of all people.”
“At least you’re getting some school supplies out of it,” I said.
“Yeah, and dancing and orgasms. It isn’t bad while it lasts.”
The fol
lowing day I was on duty in the cafeteria at lunch when I spotted Thatch coming toward the teacher table through the sea of bustling high school students. He halted midway there upon seeing me. His eyes locked onto mine, and he lifted his chin. Fury sparked in his eyes.
I had a feeling Jeb had spoken with him.
I wanted to dive off the dais reserved for teachers and hide in the crowd. I didn’t expect Thatch to take it well that he thought I had accused him of molesting me. Probably tearing up the note hadn’t been the best idea either.
Stiffly, he made his way to the dais. I glanced around for the other teacher on duty. Our new foreign language teacher stood on the other side of the room, talking to students. Thatch stomped up the stairs. I knew it was better to get this meeting out of the way where there were witnesses. That way he couldn’t kill me.
He spat out his words, each syllable a miniature black hole threatening to implode and take me with it. “A word with you, Miss Lawrence.”
“Um. . . .” I glanced around at the students. “During lunch duty?”
“When your duty is over, then.”
“I have a class to teach.”
Josie walked in, talking to a group of freshmen girls. I waved to her. She didn’t see me.
“After school you will meet me in my office so we might speak privately. And don’t tell me you can’t leave your classroom unattended with Art Club in there. I know you do it all the time.”
“No,” I said, logic overpowering my cowardice. “I won’t meet you in the dungeon. You need to talk to me in a public area. Like this.” I gestured at the students around us. “I don’t want to be alone with you anymore.”
His eyes widened momentarily, perhaps in surprise that I would stand up to him or shock that I distrusted him. His resting bitch face smoothed out his moment of emotion. “Right. You wouldn’t want to be left alone with someone who has tried to magically assault you in the past.” He stuck his nose up in the air and left.
Hex Crimes Page 10
