Crystal Wing Academy- The Complete Series

by Marty Mayberry

  If only I could remember that far back. But my only solid memory including anything vaguely resembling magic happened that day at school with Tristan. He’d returned to school a few days later, his eyes shooting hatred at me. But he’d stayed away, left me alone. The bullying had stopped.

  Then Mom brought me here.

  Eyes opening, I’d started to rise—to leave the auditorium—when hushed voices from down below reached me.

  Three people entered the auditorium, each from a different door on both sides of the stage. I recognized Cloven right away by his robes, but not the others. They settled close together in seats in the middle of the front row.

  Not sure why I did it, but I slid down until my eyes could barely peek over the chair in front of mine. I drew up my legs and wrapped my arms around them.

  “No one saw you coming here, did they?” the one on the far right said, the higher pitch suggesting a woman. An older woman, if I guessed right.

  “I was careful,” Cloven said from the middle.

  “I took the long route coming here, as well,” the other said. A guy, if the deep voice was anything to go by. He sat on the left. Wait…Professor Mealor? It sounded like him. “No worries. I don’t believe we were followed.”

  “Good. No one can know we’re connected in this.”

  Connected in what?

  Their backs facing me made it impossible to identify the woman, though I was convinced the other man was Professor Mealor. The lights were dimmer down there, cloaking them in shadows. They must’ve thought they were alone in the auditorium.

  If I was lucky, they wouldn’t realize I was listening. Why did they need to keep their meeting secret?

  “There can’t be another,” Professor Mealor said. “It was…horrifying.”

  “To think someone would harm a student.” Anguish came through in Cloven’s words.

  “You’re right,” the woman shook her head. “The shell left abandoned in the deep grass. The frozen expression of terror on his face.” A quiver sunk into her voice. “He arrived early, yesterday, his parents dropping him off. We…had to involve the Council. They notified the parents.”

  “Bad news all around,” Cloven said. “The reputation of the Academy means nothing compared to the life of a student.”

  “That face…I’ll have nightmares for years,” Professor Mealor said.

  Whoa. What was going on here?

  “But it’s not just that,” Cloven said. “There are ramifications, as always. If he takes another, we’ll be dealing with a wide-spread panic.”

  “Which we need to avoid at all cost,” she said.

  “What can we do?” Professor Mealor said. “While he wasn’t the only early arrival, and we’ll carefully question everyone, hoping someone saw something we can use to solve this before it leaks out, the odds are slim anyone will be able to contribute useful information.”

  An incoming student had been murdered?

  The woman shifted in her seat. “As long as we’re harboring a—”

  “Don’t name it out loud,” Professor Mealor said with true terror in his voice. His head pivoted to each side and his back stiffened as if he expected to see some kind of fiend swooping down to eat him.

  Creepy thought on my part.

  My feet dropped to the floor softly and I leaned forward, not wanting to miss a single word.

  He continued, “Somehow, they always hear if we talk about them. At this point, they’re—assuming we’re dealing with more than one, though that’s not even clear—anyway, they’re hoping to remain hidden. Whoever it is may not know we’re on to them. But if you say their name, you’ll call them to us. Put us in their sights.”

  “That’s an old wives’ tale,” she scoffed. “There’s no data to support that claim.”

  “Yet,” Cloven said.

  She shrugged. “No harm in being careful, I suppose. And please don’t suggest we’re dealing with more than one. Since they came forward to claim their place in our world, we’ve been careful to conduct a full barrage of tests before granting admittance to the Academy. Each of them is then suppressed with bonds. The odds of one or even two rogues slipping past the barriers are practically nonexistent.”

  “You’re right. I need to think about this rationally,” Professor Mealor said. “But can you imagine being on the receiving end of the soul-wrenching horror they inflict on their prey?”

  My heart, already flopping around in my chest, shoved itself against my ribs. I slunk lower in my seat, convinced I needed to remain hidden. I couldn’t let them know I was here.

  “I wouldn’t send them after my worst enemy, that’s for sure,” she said. “But we’re not defenseless. I’ve placed extra wards.”

  “Which are never foolproof.” Cloven sighed.

  Professor Mealor fidgeted in his seat. “They…the, well, the you know, can slip past most wards.”

  “My wards are more sophisticated.”

  Cloven patted her arm. “It is your specialty.”

  A wizard could specialize in creating wards? That could be her skapti. And by ward, I assumed they meant some sort of protection, like a charm against whatever they were afraid of.

  Were they talking about a human or a wizard or something else? After learning I’d lived for years with a half-troll and that the fae existed, I wouldn’t be surprised to meet up with a mermaid. Which probably also existed. Hopefully not hanging out in the moat. Because…yucky water.

  “Wards are our best defense for now,” she said. “With help from a few others, I’ve warded the entire school.”

  “How far out did you place them?” Cloven asked.

  “From the road to the end of the back pastures. And on each side, all the way to the edge of the forest.”

  “Which, yes. I understand why you couldn’t go farther than the edge. We’re not allowed to place wards there.”

  Why not?

  Professor Mealor turned to face Cloven and the woman. “You don’t think a student will—”

  “No one dares go there. You know what happened…back then.”

  “Indeed. But while the students will be warned, you know how they are. Too damn curious.”

  “I’ll reinforce the rule tomorrow, during my welcome presentation. Make it completely clear.”

  Wait. This must be Justine, our Headmistress, since she was giving the presentation.

  Why wasn’t anyone supposed to go into the forest? Dark and beyond creepy, it still called to me on a deeper level. Otherwise, why would I keep feeling as if I needed to run into the woods to hide?

  “Perhaps we can hand out individual wards,” she said. “If we can figure out how to do it without raising suspicion.”

  Professor Mealor released a low laugh. “We’re talking teenagers here. Students trying to hone their magic. They’ll be so busy trying to locate a thread, let alone deploy it, they won’t suspect a thing.”

  I would. Especially now. But I came here under different circumstances than everyone else. And since arriving, I’d started putting my own internal, non-magical wards in place.

  “Perhaps we can incorporate a ward into their stones,” he said. “They carry them always. Practically sleep with them.”

  “How about in the setting?”

  “Ah, wonderful idea,” Cloven said. “I’ll speak with the jeweler. He can use something undetectable. Simple.”

  “Yet effective,” she said.

  “That should take some of the stress off us while we continue to look into this,” Cloven said.

  “If we’re lucky, this will work,” she said. “Everyone will be safe. The wards will do their thing and the…you know…will move on to something easier.”

  “Can’t blame them for trying,” Cloven said. “The concentrated power here must draw them in like flies to raw meat.”

  Professor Mealor shuddered.

  “Exactly,” Justine said. “And in between then, let’s bring in those we’ve recently admitted and question them thoroughly.”


  A gasp slipped from Professor Mealor. “Not with serum?”

  “No need to go that far,” she scoffed. “We can use Seekers.”

  “Yes, yes,” Cloven said. “No harm in asking them where they were and what they’ve been up to since they arrived.”

  “It’s not as if they dare protest,” the Professor said. “They know we’d send them home and no longer admit any of their brethren to the school if they refuse.”

  “Which we might need to do regardless,” she said.

  “You’re right.” Professor Mealor raked his hair.

  “One other thing before you both go. What about the outling?” she asked.

  Which outling? My breathing jarring to a halt, I bolted forward, gripping the seat ahead of mine tightly enough my hands blanched white. A big assumption on my part, but they could mean me.

  “Nothing we can do but watch her,” Cloven said. “Try to keep her safe.”

  “Do you think she’s…”

  Cloven shook his head. “Hard to know at this point. The signs…”

  “You read them better than me. What do they say?”

  “Not enough,” he growled out. “They’ve gone…elusive. As if they’re hiding something.”

  “From you?” She reeled back, facing him, revealing her profile. It was Justine. I’d never forget her face. “You’re the best. They wouldn’t…”

  “They do as they please, like most powerful beings, as you well know. But I’ll keep quizzing them. Perhaps, if I’m subtle, I can tease out a few more clues.”

  “Let me know if you discover something important. Anything. Who knows if one tiny detail could prove vital?”

  “Will do.” He stood, and his gaze slipped back and forth between Justine and Professor Mealor. “Until then, we’ll do as we have all along. Watch. Wait. And see if anything comes of it.”

  What did they expect to come from it, from me?

  “Yes. I’ll send a signal if I need to speak to either of you again,” she said, rising.

  “I’ll watch for it, as well,” the Professor said.

  Without speaking further—or thankfully, looking around the auditorium—they left the room through separate doors that clunked shut behind them.

  My mind brimmed over with details. I had no idea what to make of all this, but I cataloged everything in my mind to be pulled out and examined later.

  My research background was about to get a true workout.

  Standing, I crept to the auditorium door and carefully opened it. Prickles sped up my back, as if Justine, Cloven, and Professor Mealor had returned and shouted, stop!

  Time to bail on this show.

  As the door to the right of the stage opened again and voices echoed in the auditorium, I rushed into the hallway.

  I ran into someone outside the door.

  A yip burst from my mouth.

  Chapter 5

  “Yikes, Fleur,” Donovan said, reeling backward. “Sorry about that. Seems we keep bumping into each other in one way or another.”

  My pulse halved in one second. Donovan. Phew. I needed to stop being so jumpy.

  Although, talk of outlings being murdered, plus the conversation I’d overheard, would make just about anyone leap from their skin if startled.

  The half-grin Donovan shot me made my toes curl in a fantastic way but I tried to ignore it. I needed to remember he belonged to Alys.

  “Can’t say I’m sorry I ran into you, though,” he added.

  A glance around told me we were alone in the hall. As I left, someone had entered the auditorium from the doors adjacent to the stage. Had they seen me slipping out the door?

  Hold on. Focus on the conversation! Had Donovan just said he was glad he’d run into me?

  I blinked up at him, wondering if asking him to give me an instant replay would be considered weird.

  Probably.

  His fingers brushed against my forearm, and he gasped as if touching me burned him. His eyes…Whoa. Had they flashed another color? Golden. And, for a second, they’d appeared…slitted.

  I gulped. “What did you just do with your eyes?”

  He stepped backward with his palms lifted. “What do you mean?” Half turning away from me, his gaze flitted toward the archway at the end of the hall.

  “Hold still a sec.” I strode around in front of him and studied his now blue eyes. Nothing unusual about those. Pretty eyes, with nice long lashes. And his chin. Lots of guys would kill for his jawline. Chiseled, I think everyone called it.

  “I got a zit on my nose or something?” His lips kept teasing upward. “You seem concerned about my face.”

  “No.” Stumbling backward, I waved my hands. Like that would impress him. “It’s, uh, nothing. Sorry.” Please stop acting strange!

  “You’re kinda early,” he said dryly.

  Caught again, I stared at him, admiring the way the cut of his dark hair lent him a bad boy look I found too appealing. I shook my head but the gesture did nothing to clear my mind, which was still admiring Donovan’s attributes. “What am I early for?”

  He nudged his head toward the auditorium doors. “The Headmistress’s welcome orientation. It’s tomorrow. At nine.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Caught. Did he suspect I’d been spying? “I was just…”

  “Reserving a seat?”

  A day early. Sure. “Yup, that was it.”

  “You save one for me?”

  Was he teasing me? Although his lips twitched upward again, I couldn’t quite tell. “Won’t you be sitting with Alys?”

  His brow narrowed. “Contrary to popular belief, we’re not always joined at the hip.”

  According to Alys, they might as well be. And that thought didn’t cheer me up. What was it about this guy that tugged me near when I knew I needed to turn and run in the opposite direction? “I should probably go.”

  He glanced left and right. “Where we going next?”

  We? Was he suggesting we walk together?

  “I need to get my uniforms then find my Coven room,” I said. “My roommate’s probably wondering why I’m avoiding her.”

  “Are you?”

  “No! I haven’t even met her yet. I’m sure we’ll get along fine. I’m usually an okay person. Can’t imagine she’ll have problems with…” Crap, I was gushing. Could I please stop behaving like I’d never talked with a cute guy before?

  When had I last talked with a cute guy? So long ago, I couldn’t remember. Actually, had I ever talked with a cute guy?

  Not one this cute. Ester had kept me on a tight leash.

  “Who’s your roommate?” he asked.

  “Patrice Elvin.”

  “Don’t know her.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “I’m going to the uniform shop, too. Want to go together?”

  A friendly offer. I couldn’t read anything else into his words. “Okay.” My heart still flipped around from what I’d heard in the auditorium. The close proximity to Donovan didn’t help slow it down.

  Projecting calming thoughts across my mind, I turned and started walking, but he snagged the back of my shirt. “Wait.”

  I pivoted to face him again. “What?”

  He tipped his head toward the other end of the hall. “It’s in this direction.”

  “Oh. Right.” My face overheating, I stomped past him. If only my brain—and tongue—wasn’t so scrambled whenever he was near. “I knew that.”

  The low chuckle he released tickled down my spine. “’Course you did.”

  I huffed but my smile leaked through my pretend frown. “You said it.”

  His grin just grew.

  Yeah, I didn’t fool him for one second. “So, maybe I’m a little directionally challenged.” Occasionally. Sometimes. A lot lately. But I refused to mention that it only happened when he was around.

  “Guess I better keep an eye on you, then. Would hate to see you get lost.”

  We walked down the hall.

  “Alys and I…,” he said.
/>   Here it comes. They’re engaged. They’ve been going out since they were ten. Their founding, ‘original six’ families had arranged a marriage between them on the day they were born.

  Did wizards do things like that?

  “We’re…complicated.” He raked his hand through his hair, leaving it standing up in places. On me, that would look stupid. On him? Upped his cute factor.

  “Complicated sounds tough.”

  “We have been friends for a long time.”

  We reached the end of the hall and walked through an archway, entering a corridor with classrooms on either side.

  “Alys made that perfectly clear.”

  “Yeah.” He sighed. “I’m sure you saw your class assignment in your orientation packet.” He nudged his chin toward a glass-paneled door.

  Still needed to check out my assignment. I’d been busy and hadn’t gotten to it yet.

  “All our classes will be held here.” He gestured toward the rooms in general. “You’ll go to some classes outside, though, particularly for those that involve environmental power.”

  Was I someone who used the environment for power? Hard to say. By now, I was praying I could draw in any kind of power. I’d hate to be kicked out of school and sent back to Ester. It was anyone’s guess if my mom would take me in, though she might if they assured her I’d no longer burn others.

  “Alys and I are nothing more than friends, however,” he said.

  I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Alys might think otherwise.” No, Alys had made it clear she very much thought otherwise, but vague worked best in this situation.

  “I say who I’m with, not her.” His tone was firm but not harsh.

  We continued to walk through the hall that curved slowly to the right.

  “Are you…” I couldn’t look at him, though his answer was important. “Are you with anyone else?”

  “Nope.”

  That made my toes curl in a good way.

  “Up here are the admin offices,” he said while my heart flopped around in my chest.

  Earth to Fleur. Pay attention to the conversation. Oh, yeah. Admin offices. Exciting stuff right there. But…