Omnibus Three: Magical Arts Academy ~ Books 9-13

by Ashta, Lucia

  “They’ll come through,” I said as much to myself as I did to her.

  “I know they will,” she said, but she didn’t take her attention from the portal.

  “They have to,” I whispered.

  “They must.”

  When the portal crackled loudly, she and I leaned forward, still out of the way, but so near that we’d be able to dive into their arms the moment they passed.

  The light shot brighter. Like firecrackers, the spinning wheel of light flared... but still there was no Nando or Brave.

  Wildly, I turned. My focus landed on Grand Witch Tillsdale first. “Grand Witch, what’s happening? Where are my brother and Brave? Are they in danger? Are the goblins still attacking?” I asked in rapid fire. I could tell I was coming off as unhinged, but I couldn’t begin to care.

  Grand Witch Giselle faced me, squaring her shoulders toward me, and moved closer, partially blocking my and Gertrude’s view of the portal. When she placed a hand on my shoulder, I stopped breathing entirely.

  “Isa,” she said, and by the way she said it, I wasn’t sure I’d survive this day. Not if she had bad news to tell me. Not if... Isa, remember what Arianne taught you. Nando is fine. But I was having trouble holding onto my belief when the portal spun uselessly at my side.

  “Look at me, Isa,” Giselle said, and I struggled to meet her request. “Take deep breaths.”

  I shook my head, my wild hair scattering all about my face. I didn’t want her to tell me to breathe, I wanted her to answer my question!

  “Where are Nando and Brave?” Of course I wanted Brave to be well also, but I mostly asked about him because I didn’t want to be callous and reveal that my thoughts centered almost entirely on the brother who protected me always, and whom I loved more than anything.

  Giselle was shorter than I, but she brought two firm hands up to either side of my face and forced me to look at her. “Your brother and Brave are fine.”

  My heart thumped painfully in my chest before relief swooped in.

  “The goblins are all dead. Marcus’ hellhounds dispatched the ones we hadn’t gotten yet.”

  I flicked my gaze over to Wizard Meedles. Even with Giselle holding my head in place, I noticed a green substance coating the hair around the hellhounds’ mouths and paws. Did goblins have green blood?

  “Focus, Isa,” Giselle said, drawing my attention back. “They’re fine. You need to calm down before you pass out or something.”

  Given how everything swirled and spun and pressed in on me, that was a real possibility.

  “Breathe,” she said again, and this time I resisted the impulse to scowl at her when she said it. “They’ll be through in a minute.”

  Gertrude leaned over and asked, “Why haven’t they come through yet?”

  Giselle’s eyes flashed. It only lasted a fraction of a second, but it was enough to tell me that Giselle didn’t know. So I resumed my panicking.

  Giselle noticed. She dropped her hands from my face and threw them into the air, resigned, then moved to my side to watch and wait.

  The portal crackled especially loudly and a dusty boot stepped through.

  Gertrude gripped my hand painfully tight.

  The boot materialized into Brave, who was clutching at one of his arms, it and his sword dangling at his side.

  Gertrude gasped, drawing Brave’s focus right to her. She was frozen for a moment before she ran to him. “You’re hurt!” she accused.

  “It’s not too bad,” he said, although he seemed to be in pain. Blood dripped down his arm and hand to land on the ornate rug of the parlor. Not a single person or creature cared about the mess.

  Everyone crowded in on him, inching forward to check on the well-being of one of our own.

  But what of Nando? I wanted to scream. They were blocking the space in front of the portal. “Make room for Nando!” I yelled, and magicians shuffled obediently out of the way, the mass migrating along with Brave.

  I flicked my attention between Brave, with Gertrude running her hands across him to check his injuries, and the portal.

  “Come on, come on, come on!” I whisper shouted.

  Trust, came Elwin’s sage voice. I felt his comforting presence at my back and forced myself to stop freaking out. I wasn’t helping things, and I seriously might pass out if I wasn’t careful. I was worn to the bone. I’d mostly lost my mind under Maurisse’s spell, then used more magic than I ever had before, and killed a man. Add to that the fact that the day had held more terror than it had right to, if a gust of stiff wind blew through here, it might knock me down.

  Elwin placed a wing on my back, and I allowed his presence to calm me. I was failing Arianne’s dictates splendidly.

  When Wizard Meedles whistled, Marcelo cheered, and Clara laughed, I whipped my head around.

  Gertrude was on tip toes, her lips pressed to Brave’s. Blood continued to drip down his arm, but the drip was gradual, and from the way his face was all lit up, I’d say he didn’t care.

  He released his hold on his injured arm, sheathed his sword without looking, and wrapped both arms around Gertrude’s waist, pulling her flush against his body.

  In any other parlor, this kind of behavior between two unmarried people would be frowned upon, but here it was celebrated. Wizard Meedles whistled again, the sound piercing, and Marcelo started clapping.

  I wondered who’d kissed whom first for a second, wishing I could celebrate that they’d finally recognized their feelings for each other. But I couldn’t celebrate a thing yet, though I desperately wanted to.

  Come on, Nando, I prayed, even as the hoots and hollers continued. It seemed that Brave and Gertrude were making up for lost time.

  And then my heart was finally rewarded.

  Nando walked through the portal, its sizzling hisses and popping sounds dimmed by the din. He was dirty, and shadows lined his face. He was weary and tired. His hair stood on end in places, and his sword, which he continued to grip, dripped green goop onto the rug.

  But he looked to be whole and well. I didn’t notice a splotch of crimson anywhere on him.

  His attention went straight to me. My brother would find me anywhere.

  “See,” Giselle said from my side. “I told you he’d be fine.” But I barely heard her over the tears I was furiously blinking away.

  I ran and launched myself into his arms. He dropped his sword, the one precious to him, on the floor so he could wrap his arms around me.

  Giselle closed the portal behind him right away, to prevent anything unwelcome from passing through I presumed, but I didn’t watch the fascinating process of a portal narrowing and shrinking before entirely disappearing from sight.

  Nando was all I wanted right then. “Hermana,” he whispered into the crown of my head.

  “Hermano,” I said back. Sister and brother. Our relationship was the foundation of everything I was, and everything I was now certain I’d become. My future involved lots and lots of magic. But I only wanted to move forward with the love and support of my brother. And finally I had something to give back. I had big plans for my magic, even if I wasn’t at all sure what they looked like yet.

  I pressed my face into his chest, ignoring the grime and possible goblin bits stuck to his clothes. I was washable. I smiled. “I’m so relieved you’re all right. Te amo, Nando.”

  “Te amo, Isa. And I’ll always love you.”

  I took in the deepest breath of my life and allowed myself to calm to the tune of Nando’s heartbeat.

  Chapter 11

  “Have the others arrived?” Nando asked before I was ready for our shared moment to end.

  I pulled back in his arms enough so that I could look at him. “Yes, everyone is here or almost here. Sir Lancelot spotted Nicholas arriving with the horses. Albacus and Malachai should be with him, and Sir Lancelot confirmed that Trixie was among the horses.”

  “Good. And the others?” He scanned the parlor with the efficiency of someone trained for battle. “I don’t see Morde
cai, Marie, or Walt. Or Holly, actually.”

  “Holly’s fine. She had her pups and is resting. Mordecai, Walt, and Marie are on the rooftop with Humbert and the rest of the firedrakes. They only just arrived.”

  His attention landed on Gertrude and Brave, who were still kissing. “To the rooftop then. I need to see Marie.”

  I smiled before I could stop myself. “I bet you do.”

  He chuckled, as if we hadn’t barely survived the most gruesome day of our lives and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I have the feeling you might want to come with me.”

  I looked at him suspiciously but nodded just the same. “Yes, I do want to check on Walt, now that I know you’re all right. Mordecai said he’d bring him down, and he should have by now.” Although I knew next to nothing about magical healing and floating and whatever else Mordecai was doing to help Walt, it did seem like it’d been too long.

  Nando flicked another glance at Gertrude and Brave, then at me. He waggled his eyebrows. “Come on, let’s go check on them.”

  He grabbed my hand and tore through the parlor, pulling me along. “Nando,” I protested, but he ignored me, as if he realized as well as I that I didn’t wish to be left behind.

  It was just that I had a feeling I knew why Nando wanted to see Marie, and he probably thought I had the same reason to want to see Walt. But even though I’d promised myself to live to the fullest, I still hadn’t built the courage to follow through on it.

  I mean, yes, I’d told myself I wanted to kiss Walt. That was all fine and dandy when I wasn’t actually considering doing it as soon as I reached the roof.

  Never mind. Don’t worry, I told myself. Walt will be sleeping anyway, so it’s no big deal.

  That’s when I remembered Elwin. I’ll be back soon, I told him. Just wait for me there please.

  I didn’t need an audience for... whatever was about to happen.

  Live life like you mean it. Elwin’s immediate response wasn’t nearly cryptic enough this time.

  Nando pounded up the stairs, and for the second time that day I bounded up them. He must really be in a hurry to get to Marie. He hadn’t even retrieved his sword from the floor, and Papá, the father we might never see again, had given that sword to him.

  It seemed Nando was all too ready to follow Elwin’s silent advice.

  Far too quickly, he crashed through the door to the roof, pulling me behind him. I lunged to the top with him, my breath coming heavily. Immediately, the crisp air of the deep night hit me and cleared my mind. Now that Nando was safe, and the day’s dangers were finally over, a surge of energy pumped through me.

  Right away, I noticed why Mordecai had delayed. Walt was awake. They’d moved him so he leaned against a chimney and sat upright.

  Marie met my eyes first, a smile of relief gracing her face, but then she saw Nando, and she forgot about me entirely. Her eyes grew dreamy and a small cry escaped her lips.

  Nando squeezed my hand and let go. In efficient strides, he closed the distance between Marie and him. She was, of course, at Walt’s side. But when Nando reached her, he leaned over, scooped her up, and pulled her into his arms.

  Faster than I could believe it, he kissed her.

  And she kissed him right back.

  Mordecai was startled at first, but a smile soon shone between his bushy mustache and beard. Walt watched them... until his eyes settled on me.

  I couldn’t look away from those eyes I’d longed to see again.

  I gulped and took timid steps toward Walt.

  “Go on, child,” Mordecai said to me, not helping things one bit.

  My cheeks erupted in a furious blush, all but announcing that I was considering kissing Walt.

  But he’d only just woken up from the sleep of near death, and he was still gravely injured. I wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to bring levity to that. Walt needed care and rest to recover.

  By the time I reached him, I’d convinced myself that I’d be open to whatever might develop between us... over time, and that was still living life to the fullest. After one more timid glance at my brother, who was happily kissing away, I settled at Walt’s side.

  I cleared my throat and forced myself to meet the gaze that was waiting for me. “I’m so glad to see you’re feeling better.” I cleared my throat again. “And that your leg will be fine with time.” I fidgeted. “I was so worried.”

  Walt started to smile, and I suddenly felt as if I didn’t deserve it. I hurried to say, “It’s my fault your leg was crushed. You wouldn’t have been back in that blasted castle if I hadn’t gone in there to get Sir Lancelot. If you hadn’t followed to help, y-you wouldn’t be in all this pain and—”

  “Isa?” he interrupted.

  “Y-yeah?”

  “Just shut up and kiss me.”

  “W-what?” I sounded like a stuttering dummy but I couldn’t help it.

  “You heard me.”

  I had, of course I had; I was frozen in place.

  “I can’t move very easily,” he said. “Will you kindly lean in so I can kiss you?”

  I couldn’t think, couldn’t move or do a single thing... even though I desperately wanted to.

  Then Walt’s eyes lowered as if I’d caused a bout of sudden embarrassment, and it was all because I couldn’t get myself to do what he asked of me.

  He addressed me while looking at his lap. “I thought... I like you, Isa. But if you don’t like me in the same way, it’s all right. I have to recover anyway and—”

  I swooped in and kissed him.

  I closed my eyes as the kiss pulled me in, but I felt his smile beneath my lips.

  Walt, I thought happily, and then I really lost all capability for rational thought and action. I kissed him as if I’d died and come back to life, and as if I’d almost lost him today before we’d even gotten to share this first kiss. I kissed him as if we’d been to hell and back and somehow survived it, and as if we had cause to celebrate now that Maurisse and Miranda were dead, and the Sorcerers for Magical Supremacy were sure to disband.

  I kissed him and let him kiss me until he wiped clean the impact of all the terrible memories, until hope replaced them, and life seemed bright and full of potential again.

  We kissed until I heard Mordecai’s telltale voice rumble something, but the actual words didn’t permeate through the fog of happiness. Besides, I didn’t think they’d been upset words; perhaps they’d even been happy.

  But I did register Nando when he called out, “All right, you two. I think that’s enough.”

  It wasn’t enough, however. I was pretty sure all that Walt and I would come to share was only just getting started.

  When I finally managed to pull away, I discovered myself half sprawled across his lap, mindless of his severe injury. With an alarmed expression, I opened my mouth to apologize, but Walt claimed it in another kiss. “Don’t you dare apologize or worry,” he muttered against my lips. “Don’t ruin the best moment of my life.”

  He smiled fully, and I grinned back, and kissed him some more. Who cared what the others said or did? I was living life to the fullest, or haven’t I told you?

  Epilogue

  ~ One month later ~

  “Come now, pupils,” Sir Lancelot called, swooping overhead. “It’s time to return inside for your lessons.”

  Sir Lancelot had dutifully resumed his role as instructor of magical history, and he seemed to be enjoying the authority that came with the position.

  “Aw, come on, Sir Lancelot,” Walt said, leaning into his crutches, with me at his side. “Give us some more time in the sun.”

  “There is no more time to rest, Sir Walt. You’ve frolicked enough. We have work to do, and no time to spare.”

  “Isa killed Maurisse.” Walt beamed at me. “Surely that’s bought us a little time to relax.”

  Sir Lancelot swooped lower, flapped his wings rapidly so he’d hover above Brave, and asked, “Lord Brave, may I?”

  Brave inclined his head to the owl, who imm
ediately landed on his shoulder with a puff. He brushed his wings along his coat a couple of times, before addressing Walt again. “You heard Lady Arianne and Lord Mordecai as well as I did when they said we had to get straight to teaching you all there is to know about magic.”

  “Yeah, yeah. That the Sorcerers for Magical Supremacy might have disbanded, but there’s no guarantee that a new leader won’t fill the power void. That dark power draws magicians, and history has proven that there’s always a sorcerer willing to take the place of the last evil one who’s fallen. Did I get it right?”

  “You did precisely,” Sir Lancelot said, “which is why your recess is over.”

  “Surely we’ve earned a little time to enjoy each other’s company,” Brave said, making mooning eyes at Gertrude, who giggled in response. Those two had been more inseparable than usual this last month.

  “You surely have earned quite a lot of time to enjoy the leisure activities of youth, Lord Brave. However, our enemies might be gathering forces as we speak, and we don’t want to be caught unaware again, now do we?” Sir Lancelot stared at us with those big, serious, yellow eyes.

  He made eye contact with every one of us, skimming across Nicholas, Angelica, and Simon, and Nando and Marie, as well as my hellhound pup, before adding, “This trial with the late Duke Maurisse has revealed how many talents you all possess as a group, and I’m certain we have many more to discover.”

  His large eyes landed on me. “This is no time to rest on our laurels. It’s the time to train, to learn, and to become powerful, so that we’re fully capable of protecting the magical world, and all those humans who live outside of it.”

  He was right, of course. Still, it was glorious to be safe—or at least to feel safe—and to be in the company of loved ones. The sound of laughter had echoed throughout the academy all month. Even Count Vabu had made his peace, deciding Priscilla was better off wherever she was than living an eternity of gloom. I had no choice but to agree, because it was the better option than to regret what none of us could fix.

  “Can’t we have five more minutes?” Walt asked of the owl.