The Curse Begins

by Abby James

  “Thanks, Bailey. I may see you around.”

  Only now did he snap out of his stupor. “Oh right, yeah. I’ll see you ‘round.”

  “Bailey no longer attends classes here,” Ms Rhinecroft said, guiding me away. “He’s our bus driver. And sometimes he works in medic.”

  “Medic? Like a hospital? You have a hospital here?”

  “For when experiments turn out wrong.”

  Great thing to say to a newbie. “Does that happen often?”

  “When the students don’t listen.”

  Which had to mean often.

  “Am I supposed to know what…faction I belong to.”

  She stopped in her steps. “Oh, my dear. You don’t know?”

  “Should I?”

  “Mercy. It’s lucky you are here.” Her smile turned kind, motherly. I warmed to her instantly.

  She clipped along at a brisk pace leaving the echo of her heels to bounce off down the hall. The fresco continued above our heads but was overshadowed by the large chandeliers that hung low from long gold chains.

  “Why is there no one about?”

  “The students are all in class. And here we are.”

  She paused outside an ornately carved wooden door. The center inlay was in the shape of a serpent, or was it a dragon? A myriad of other complex designs splayed out from the center, joining into yet more forms, none of which made any sense.

  “You may go inside.” Ms. Rhinecroft interrupted me.

  I reached out for the door handle, but before my hand touched the metal, the handle turned down and the door swung open. I hesitated in the entrance.

  “In you go. Mr. McGilus won’t bite.” Her voice held a smile.

  The room was crowded and messy. Behind the large wooden desk at the far end of the room was an even larger leather chair. The desk surface was littered with papers and books. A computer took up the only spare space. I crossed the worn circular carpet, which was covered in an intricate design similar to the wooden door minus the serpent in the center.

  “Take a seat, Miss Wright.”

  I spun in the direction of the voice. Dean McGilus stood in one corner of his room, a large book in his hand, reading glasses halfway down his nose. Without looking up at me he instructed me again. “You can grab a sweet from the bowl if you like.”

  He continued to read from the book he was holding, so I did as instructed and took a seat opposite, but ignored the bowl of candy.

  “There it is,” he exclaimed then strode over to the desk, book in hand. “I knew I had seen a description somewhere.”

  He slammed the book down on top of everything else and a couple of pages wafted from the desk to the floor. One exhale and he leaned over the desk, extending his hand. “Dean McGilus, but I’m sure you already know that.”

  I took his hand, then was catapulted backward, my chair going with me until I lay on my back, legs splayed either side of the seat, air punched out of my lungs. My hand throbbed like I’d wrapped my fingers around one hundred volts of electricity.

  “Good god, girl. Are you all right?”

  His bearded face appeared above me. “Can you get up?”

  I coughed what was left of my air, then took a huge gasping gulp and clumsily turned onto my side to heave myself off the floor. “What happened?”

  Dean McGilus crouched down next to me. “That’s a very good question. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I should touch you again. Just to be on the safe side. Are you all right to get yourself up?”

  “Sure. I think so.” My head swam and it took some effort to fight through the spins to see the ground as stable. I tried once to get to my feet but stumbled sideways, tripped over my fallen chair and landed on my ass.

  “I’ll get a healer.”

  “No, I’m all right. Just a little woozy. I was recently catapulted through time and space. Maybe the effects of that are still lingering.”

  “Bailey cleared that from your system. This is knew. And puzzling.”

  The spinning rolled to a stop, and I looked over at Dean McGilus still crouched on the ground, his frown so deep his eyebrows had practically knitted together. I pushed to my feet, wanting to get away from his intense gaze. Although his eyes were an insipid gray, which on most looked flat and boring, they reminded me of a multifaceted crystal.

  “I think it would be a good idea to get one of the healers to look at you.”

  “I feel fine.”

  “Healing is not all a healer can do. The more powerful healers can detect symptoms and the root cause to any illness or affliction you may be suffering.”

  Great I had an affliction now.

  “It’s a painless procedure.”

  It sounded like I didn’t get a choice. I shrugged my agreement.

  “Good.” He headed around his desk, then started pushing paper aside until he found his keyboard. “We’ll get you settled in first,” he said as he sat in his large leather chair and pushed his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I believe Ms Rhinecroft has already assigned you to a house. Let me see.” He stayed silent as his eyes scrolled the screen. “Yes, here we go. You’re in Nylph house.” He shuffled more papers and books around his desk until he found his phone. “Ms Rhinecroft, can you send Amy to my office, please.”

  Summons over, he pushed his reading glasses down his nose and focused on me again. “I realize it’s all been a bit of a whirlwind for you. But you’ll find your feet quick enough. They all do. Amy will show you were you are to go and help you settle in. She’s a second year so will likely be able to answer any questions. If not, you can ask your teachers or make an appointment to see me. I will be happy to answer any queries you may have.”

  “Do you know what ability I have?”

  “No. I have my suspicions given your parents—”

  “You knew my parents?”

  Dean McGilus took off his glasses and reclined in his chair. “I did. Your father and I were good friends.”

  “Do you have any pictures of him?”

  “Somewhere I’m sure to. Have you none of your own?”

  “No. Everything was burned in the fire. I’ve never seen what my parents look like.”

  Dean McGilus rubbed his forehead. “That is grave news. I am sorry to hear it. I couldn’t put my hands on any right at this moment, but I will have a look for some. I’m sure to have photos of your mother as well.”

  A tickle in my throat threatened to thicken into a blockage, which would make its way into my eyes and blur my vision. “Thank you,” was all I could manage to squeak.

  “And I suppose you have no idea what abilities your parents possessed?”

  I shook my head.

  “Your father was an elemental manipulator, his aspect was fire. And your mother was an empath.”

  “Does that mean I could have either of those two abilities?”

  “That’s usually how it works. You’ve experienced some form of your ability, have you not?”

  I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to lie.“No.”

  “Hmm…that’s strange. The casters are alerted to your presence by the use of your ability. That’s how we know of those coming into their powers. To be here you would have triggered their net.”

  I had to be frowning, for he sat forward. “We have casters all over the continent combining their ability to create a uniform web. Think of it as a spiderweb. When new supernaturals appear and use their power for the first time it’s like an insect caught in the web. It triggers an alert that someone is active. We monitor the whole of the continent like this. Most casters monitor normal supernatural activity, that way we can keep an eye on what’s happening out there in the world, and some monitor the fringes for the newbies like yourself. You were registered at birth, so you have always been on our radar. It was just a matter of waiting until you showed some signs of your ability.” He sat back heavy into his chair. “But this is a mystery. You have not experienced your ability yet?”

  “No.” Yes had been on the tip of m
y tongue, but I wasn’t sure what had been going on these last forty-eight hours.

  Maybe I lied because I didn’t yet know who I could trust in this strange new world. Bailey seemed to think Dean McGilus was cool, but I did not have the benefit of years at the academy to make a sound judgement of my own. I’d never been one to trust easily, hence my lack of friends except Hack and Laya. The only other person I trusted was Nathan only to discover he’d been lying to me for all these years.

  “This is very unusual. We’ll see what the healer has to say.”

  I was keen to learn myself. And I was leaning toward an elemental manipulator, fire in particular. After all I had set fire to Massus’s shirt. But what had happened to the other guy in the toilet?

  “Can a person develop abilities other than their parents own powers?”

  “It does happen. Sometimes there is a strong connection that passes down through the generations, skipping a few as it goes. Why do you ask?”

  I didn’t like the way he was looking at me, like he knew I’d lied all along. “Curious. And I suppose all families know their supernatural family tree.”

  “Oh yes. It’s very important for the very reason of understanding one’s own ability.”

  “What happens if a supernatural and wissend have children?”

  “They don’t have mutants if that’s what you’re implying. The children will be either gifted or they won’t. But they look perfectly normal.”

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” the dean said.

  A small attractive freckled-faced woman walked in. Despite her diminutive size her fire red hair and deep green eyes shone with spark, which seemed to simmer below the surface.

  “You wanted me, Dean McGilus?”

  “Amy, this is Samara. She is joining your house.”

  Amy’s generous smile made me like her instantly.

  “If you could show her the way, make sure she is settled in and then, perhaps take her to the dining hall. Is breakfast still on?”

  “If we hurry we should catch the last of the pancakes.”

  The mention of pancakes and my stomach grumbled.

  “Oh, and after breakfast if you could point Samara in the direction of medic.”

  Amy looked at me as she replied. “Of course.”

  The small frown was replaced with a smile. “Come on, we’d best be quick.” And she lead me out of the dean’s office.

  At the door I paused. “Dean McGilus, is my case worker, Nathan, one of you?”

  “Did you work that out yourself?” McGilus said.

  There was my answer.

  6

  I thought we would be living within the walls of the castle, so when Amy led me outside into the gorgeously manicured grounds I grew wary.

  “I assume you’re not lost.”

  She giggled. “The houses are scattered all over the castle, Ragnot, Draak, Kishani, Shojo, Zaratan and Nylph. You’re lucky. Nylph’s location is the best. It’s hidden just inside the forest.”“So there’s nothing dangerous in the forest then?”

  “Everything within the grounds of Darkwells is safe. Nothing can penetrate the casters’ protective barriers. You don’t have to worry, except if you come across a shifter in form.”

  “You mean werewolves?”

  “And other creatures. Pop culture has a lot to answer for.”

  “What other shifter creatures are there?”

  “How long have you got?” she slipped a hand through mine as we wove around boxed hedges of rose and lavender. “Werewolves are the most common, some other forms are rare.”

  I slowed when I felt a gentle ripple of air were her hand touched my arm, so delicate it was easily missed.

  “What is it?” She followed my gaze down to where she’d wrapped her arm around mine. She dropped her arm. “Oh sorry, my personal boundaries are looser than most.”

  “No, it’s fine. I...” I’d not told the dean about my weird experiences, so I was not about to tell Amy. I grabbed her hand, “come on. I’m dying to see Nylph.”

  With each step we took across the lush lawn I became aware of the feeling of the air around me, the way it rushed in and out of my nose on each inhale and exhale, the way it gently dusted the parts of my body that were exposed. There was no wind, yet I could feel the soft eddies that swirled around us as we walked, the minute turbulence created in front of my nose by my breathing. And on the wind I smelt the freshness of the forest like it was a perfume.

  I kept all this to myself in case Amy thought I was weird, or reported it back to the dean. Stupid of me really. In a world of werewolves, healers, zombies and castles in parallel dimensions what was weird? But strange things were happening to me that seemed to jar with the rest of the craziness that existed in this Darkwells freak show.

  I glanced back as we reached the forest and couldn’t help but catch my breath at the majesty of the castle. Massive was an understatement. There were five towers, the spire on the highest disappearing up into the cloud bank.

  “Neat, isn’t it?”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Neither had I when I first arrived.”

  “Did you know your ability before you came?”

  “Yes, I take after my mother. I’m an elemental manipulator and my aspect is air.”

  I felt a weird knotting in my stomach, which made it hard for me to swallow.

  “I’m pretty good. But it’s taken a lot of practice. Learning your craft is a lot harder than you think. How about you, what is your ability?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “But you’ve experienced something.”

  I shook my head. I didn’t feel guilty at lying to the dean, but I felt guilty now. Probably because I wanted Amy and I to be friends. She seemed nice. Lying was not a good way to start a friendship.

  “That is weird. Normally you end up at Darkwells once you’ve had your first experience with your ability.”

  “The dean couldn’t explain why the casters picked me up early.”

  “I’ve never heard of it before, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. I guess that’s why McGilus wants you to visit the medic.”

  “What will they do?”

  “Nothing much. Probably check to make sure there is no impediment inside that is blocking your ability from coming through.”

  “Will they be able to tell me what I am?”

  “No. They can only sense ailments, disease states, physical problems. Your ability is a healthy part of you. We have Ms Lane for finding your ability.”

  “Who is she?”

  “A great person. You’ll like her. She helps with people who are having difficulties adjusting to their ability.”

  “My mum was an empath and my dad an elemental manipulator according to McGilus.”

  Amy’s expression softened. She bit her bottom lip and placed a hand over mine. “Was?”

  “Both my parents died when I was five.”

  She patted my hand. “You’re in good hands with Ms Lane. She’ll help you find yourself. Come on, let’s see if anyone else is home.”

  I could smell the fresh, wild scent of the outdoors as we left the grass and headed into the forest. We didn’t have to go far in before I saw the wooden house peeking out from between the trees. Much like the castle, the house had been designed on a grand scale and seemed to be built around a large tree, its trunk running up through the center.

  The only thing that wasn’t wood was the metal door, criss-crossed by thick iron panels and large bolts. The window frames were made from carved wood, fashioned to follow the rustic, uneven flow of the wood. An assortment of wind chimes hung from a thick beam overhanging the porch.

  When we neared, a gust of wind rushed from up behind us and slammed into the wind chimes sending them into a musical melody.

  “It’s a habit I’ve developed whenever I return to Nylph. I love the sound.”

  “Nice use of your ability. Are similar factions housed togethe
r?”

  “Oh no. It defeats the purpose of Darkwells. Besides teaching us to perfect our abilities, Darkwells is a place for factions to learn to get along with each other, so it’s important that each house contains a healthy mix.”

  She led me toward the porch and again I got that funny ripple of air where our hands joined. “If you want a pancake we’ve got to hurry.”

  Wood. That was my first impression of the interior. Wood floors, wood ceiling, wood balustrade, wood furniture. The scent of pine reinforced my thought of standing in a hunting lodge. At least the couch cushions were fluffed and comfortable looking. The billowing of the long white curtains in the gentle breeze, which Amy may or may not be controlling, also added a soft feminine touch in an otherwise masculine room. The trunk of the giant tree, which the house had been built around, was the biggest feature in the room, extending up through the ceiling.

  “The fae favor Nylph over any of the others, but some have to miss out, which usually causes arguments.”

  “Fae?”

  “Oh Jesus, you are green. Don’t you know anything about this world?”

  “Up until two days ago I thought I was normal.”

  “Wow, head spin.”

  “You’re not wrong.”

  “You’re lucky. You’re in the best house and you have me as your guide.”

  Heavy footsteps on the porch drew our attention to the front door. My breath disappeared when a guy entered. The hint of delicious biceps poked out the bottom of the hem on his shirt, which also happened to hug his chest in a sinfully delightful way.

  He ran a hand through his shoulder length shaggy hair, pulling it back to reveal turquoise colored eyes. And I think I was falling inside. Hmm…I could dive in and swim around for awhile. My girlie bits sparked to life, sending delightful tingles around my body.

  “Emrol, what are you doing back so early?” Amy’s voice hitched up an octave. Sounded like I wasn’t the only one affected.

  “No classes until midmorning. So who’s this?”

  I was acutely aware of each step he took as he strolled toward me with that swagger few men could pull off successfully. I should speak for myself, give him my name, but I was too busy swallowing the building saliva in my mouth.