Someone touched my chest, right above my heart. “He’s alive,” Neil sighed.
“Of course he’s alive. I’m not letting one of my students die in front of me.”
Footsteps approached. “Is he awake?”
Was that Nurse McKay?
My throat burned dryly, demanding relief. “Water,” I croaked. This time the word actually escaped.
“I’ll get it,” Neil said.
“No,” Elsie snapped. She took a deep breath. “You sit and rest. Nurse McKay can get it.”
The promise of the cool water gave me the extra strength I needed to crack open my eyes and meet the worried blue ones gazing at me. “Hey, bro.” I coughed.
Neil, always the multi-tasker, accepted the cup from Nurse McKay and held it to my lips. “Don’t ‘hey, bro’, me. You’re in serious trouble.” The cup trembled in his hand.
The cool liquid slid down my throat, easing the dryness. I turned my head to face Elsie. “Can you hold off on the Light Magic for now? I think my body just needs a little time and my own should kick in.”
She nodded and took a step back.
The tinkling chime of glass in the wind drew my attention to where Miss Ventor stood in a whirlwind of papers, wood, and something that shimmered like glass but could have been ice. Next to her, Mrs. Terrel righted the bookshelves with her Earth Magic. The shelves leaned against each other haphazardly, ready to collapse if someone looked at them too hard.
One bookshelf smouldered, smoke drifted toward the ceiling, spurring Mr. Mizuno into action. He stepped forward, hands raised and face pale. A bubble of water about the size of a tennis ball appeared in his hand. It grew larger, sucking the moisture from the air as it traveled through the air. Instead of bursting open on impact, it absorbed the shelf into it, flames and all. The fire hissed out and the bubble splashed to the ground.
Nurse McKay knelt and gently probed my head.
Pain pulsed through my skull. I grimaced and brushed her hands away. Why was I still in so much pain? Normally, my magic would have taken care of it by now. “Why does everything still hurt?” My voice was rough, like I’d been smoking toadberry mushrooms my whole life.
Next to me, Elsie leaned back on her heels. “We believe you were hit by Dark Magic again.”
Nurse McKay tsked as she checked my head for injuries but didn’t interrupt the conversation.
Neil sighed, and I could practically hear what he was thinking. 'The chances of the same person getting hit by Dark Magic twice have got to be at least as rare as getting struck by lightning. Leave it to my little brother.'
“When foreign Dark Magic enters a Light Magical’s body, it obstructs their ability to self-heal. It’s fatal more often than not.” Elsie watched me with narrowed eyes.
Did she expect me to keel over at any moment or something?
“I don’t feel like his Dark Magic is still inside me.” Something was different with my magic, but there wasn’t any trace of foreign magic inside me anymore.
Nurse McKay moved to examine the rest of me.
Neil chewed on his lower lip and hovered too close, smothering me with his worry. He was worse than a mama whale otter with a new litter.
Neil. He was alive! Giddy from relief, my hand trembled as I reached for his and squeezed.
He returned the gesture with the lightest of pressure and a small smile.
He was really back. Everything would have to be okay now.
Elsie gave a crisp nod. “I shared my Light Magic with you so we could destroy the Dark Magic in your body. I wasn’t sure how the process worked exactly, but it seems to have turned out fine.”
I shuddered. That explained the horrible pain.
I held a hand to my forehead. That hadn’t happened back when Emmie healed me. I shook my head. Or had it?
Finally, my Light Magic rushed through me, healing the aches, and the relief started near my center and spread outward with an icy hot tingle. At the release, a knot of tension in my shoulders slipped away.
“What do you mean you weren’t sure how the process worked? Weren’t you the one who healed him the first time?” Neil’s fingers twitched, and he clasped his hands together while his gaze flickered between me and Elsie.
He had missed so much while trapped in that stupid Arresting Crystal.
My stomach dropped, and I let go of Neil to bury my face in my hands.
Neil put a hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong? Are you still in pain?” His voice was taut.
Elsie cleared her throat. “By the time I made it back to Ackley Institute, Gray was already out of his coma.”
Neil’s grip tightened. “How did you do that? I thought you couldn’t use your own Light Magic to heal from a Dark Magic attack?”
Nurse McKay moved from me to Neil. His face was almost unfamiliar with dark bags under his eyes and cheeks thin from weeks in the crystal.
But he was out. Finally.
Now that Neil was here, we’d be able to figure out how to save Emmie and Ivy. I sucked in a deep breath and pushed myself up until I was sitting straight and could look Neil in the eye. “Emmie healed me the first time. While you were…” I coughed. How do you bring up someone losing three weeks of their life? “Out, she entered the Light Academy.”
The only sounds were that of the other Head Teachers cleaning the library. Neil glanced at me, over to her, and then around the room before his gaze settled on the door. “That explains it.” His voice was flat.
I tilted my head. “Explains what?”
Neil turned to me, his expression full of self-loathing. “It explains how she knocked me out.”
My eyes widened. “Emmie knocked you out?”
Neil hung his head. “It wasn’t her fault. That man did something to her.” The venom in his voice was as unfamiliar as the trembling in his hands.
I shook my head. Focus, Gray. “His name’s Damon.”
Mr. Allen appeared beside Elsie. “We’re about done with the library. Is there anything else you need?” His voice hitched, and his eyes were glassy with unshed tears. As her tutor, Emmie’s disappearance had hit him hard.
She shook her head. “As soon as we’re done here, the boys will go to the infirmary. Please tell all the teachers we’ll have a meeting in my office tonight. We need to discuss what happened and figure out our next step.”
Mr. Allen nodded and walked off.
Nurse McKay stood. “I’ll head back and prep the room for the two newest patients.” She gave us a stern look. “The sooner they come and rest, the better.”
I groaned and looked at Elsie. “We don’t have time to waste in the infirmary. We have to find Emmie!”
“Thank you, Alia.” Elsie completely ignored me and turned back to Neil. “Then what happened?” With detached precision, she continued questioning him. She would have done well in the Koban instead of as Headmistress of Ackley.
Neil blinked and looked at me. “When I woke up, I saw you lying on the floor and crawled over. I noticed that man talking to Emmie, but it didn’t look like he was hurting her, so I focused on trying to share my energy with you. You were in bad shape.” His voice trembled and fresh concern rippled across his face.
Elsie glared at Neil. “Do you realize how dangerous that was, Mr. Mastiff? After being trapped in an Arresting Crystal for almost three weeks, you were in no position to share your energy.”
Neil’s mouth fell open, and he put a hand to his head. “Three weeks?”
Elsie put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s a miracle you’re both still alive.”
He shook his head and glanced at me. “I knew I was weak, but doing nothing wasn’t an option.” He cleared his throat and stared at the ground. “He’s my little brother.”
My teeth clicked together as I clenched my jaw. How could Neil have been so careless with his own life? I sighed and released the frustration. I couldn’t be mad at him for doing exactly what I would have done.
Neil growled softly. “But I was too slow to realize what Damon was doing
to Emmie.”
Elsie’s worried frown deepened. “What did he do?”
Neil shook his head. “I don’t know, exactly. She disappeared inside some sort of purple smoke, and when she reappeared...she was no longer Emmie.”
“What do you mean?”
“She stood and talked to me, but it wasn’t Emmie’s voice. And even though she looked at me and talked to me, it was like she didn’t recognize me.” He took a breath and shook his head. “Then she attacked, and that’s the last thing I remember before Headmistress Elsie woke me up.”
Neil’s hunched shoulders conveyed his guilt. He had always tried so hard to take care of everyone, he must feel like he failed Emmie. I wanted to comfort him and tell him that it wasn’t his fault, but a small seed of irritation unfurled inside me, stopping my hand.
I couldn’t contain the outburst, as irrational as it was. “How could you let him take her?” I hurled the accusation at him—he should feel as miserable as me. “Why didn’t you stop her from leaving?”
Neil’s eyes widened. “I-I tried. I wanted to.” He hung his head, and the darkness inside me rejoiced. “I wasn’t strong enough,” he whispered.
I scoffed. “You, the great Neil Mastiff whom everyone raves about, weren’t even strong enough to save your childhood friend.” The uncontrollable word vomit spewed from my lips. “Emmie’s gone and we don’t even know why Damon wanted her.”
Neil shrunk away from me.
“Gray, you’re way out of line.” Elsie’s sharp reproval snapped me out of my red haze.
One glance at the defeated slump of Neil’s shoulders filled me with immediate regret. “Neil, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of those things. I don’t even know why I said them.” I reached for him, but he flinched away.
“No, you’re right. It’s my fault. I was the reason he came in the first place, and I wasn’t strong enough to protect anyone.” He stared at the floor.
The library door closed with a soft click as the rest of the Head Teachers left the library.
“It’s not your fault.” Elsie’s frank admission drew both of our gazes.
“Of course, it is. He came for me.” Neil didn’t maintain eye contact for long before he dropped his gaze to the floor again.
Elsie shook her head slowly. “I don’t think he came for you this time.”
Neil cocked his head to the side. Then he glanced at me, eyes widening. “But that’s what he said before he trapped me in the Crystal.”
Elsie sighed. “Yes, it sounds like he came for you the first time.”
It was like her words unleashed my memories. Damon had yelled at Ivy for trying to hurt Emmie.
I sucked in a breath. “He came for Emmie.”
Neil’s head whipped to face me. “Why would he come for her?”
I shrugged, clenching my fists.
Elsie looked at the two of us and exhaled. “I think it’s time I told you boys a story.”
“You want to tell us a story now?” Neil elbowed me in the side, and I flinched, but Elsie was used to my comments.
“Yes, now stop interrupting and listen. It’s important.”
I closed my mouth and folded my arms, tucking in my elbows to protect my sides from Neil. I crossed my legs and Neil mimicked me.
“This is a story I heard from your father.”
Father. I sucked in another breath. Neil didn’t know Dad was missing!
Elsie watched Neil. “Twelve years ago, when the king and queen were murdered, the country was in a panic. No one was sure who killed them, what happened to the princess, or how the Delegation would function without the monarchy.”
“Damon took Dad, and I don’t know what he did to him,” is what I opened my mouth to say. But what came out was, “Headmistress Elsie, we already know the history lessons.”
She silenced me with a look.
I shook my head and tapped a finger on my knee, promising myself I’d tell Neil as soon as her story ended.
“Like the rest of the country, I did my best to try and live a normal life despite the instability. I was new to Ackley Institute and determined to do my best here. Though I was young, I had hopes of becoming the headmistress.”
Neil and I exchanged looks but didn’t interrupt.
“The cycle immediately after the assassination was the most chaotic. The Regions were in turmoil, each one suspecting the others of murdering King Donovan and Queen Ava. Just when it looked like the country might potentially erupt into civil war and splinter apart, the Delegation stepped up.” She took on her lecture voice, and I fought not to yawn. “Keep in mind that up to this point, the Delegation had only played a minor role in governing the country. They were clearly secondary to the monarchy.”
Neil leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm.
“The Delegation agreed to put its efforts toward searching for the assassin, and in the meantime, managed to get each of the Regions to calm down. But with each passing day, the citizens grew more and more anxious, for no one had heard any news about the princess.”
Neil sucked in a breath, and I straightened. Emmie and Ivy had been researching the connection between the princess and the missing girls, but I had brushed it off because the princess was assumed to be dead.
“Each day, the citizens grew more demanding, wanting to know the whereabouts of the princess. The idea of an empty throne was frightening. So, the Delegation promised that while they searched for the assassin, they would also search for the princess.”
“But the princess is dead, right?” Neil gripped his knees so tight his knuckles turned white.
Elsie nodded. “That’s what the Delegation announced after the first few years of searching. Even after deploying the Koban, no trace of Princess Nicola was found.”
The tension left Neil, and his hands relaxed, but I had been in too many of Elsie’s lectures. There was definitely a 'but' coming.
“With no reason to continue hoping for Princess Nicola to still be alive, the majority of the country accepted her death. By then, the Delegation had been ruling for three years, and people were becoming more accustomed to the idea of an empty throne. As long as things continued to run smoothly, there was no problem.”
“But?” I leaned forward and rested my elbow on my knee.
“Do you know the princess’s full name?”
The sudden change of direction completely threw me. My elbow slipped off my knee, but I caught myself.
Neil glanced over before returning his focus to her. “Nicola Trueheart.”
“You’re not wrong. In fact, if I asked almost any citizen of Andar, they’d tell me the same thing.” She shook her head. “It’s the same answer I would have given, if you had asked me a cycle ago.”
“What happened then?” Neil’s back was stiff.
“Delegate Howard visited Ackley Institute.”
My shoulders relaxed a smidgeon. “Dad visits us every year. Why does that matter?”
Elsie studied me for a few seconds, then turned to Neil to do the same. “Did you boys notice anything different about your father when you last saw him?”
Neil shook his head. “I was pretty distracted with the news of the nominations. I’m sorry I didn’t pay closer attention.”
I closed my eyes. “Dad asked to talk to Emmie alone, and when she came back, she was carrying a letter.”
“A letter? What did it say?” Neil asked.
I opened my eyes. “I don’t know. Emmie said that she wasn’t supposed to read it until her next birthday.”
Elsie cut in. “It was a letter from her parents.”
I leaned back and grimaced. “How do you know that?”
“When your father first arrived at campus, he came to visit me.” A line formed on her forehead. “I never expected him to go missing, too, though.”
I winced. That wasn’t how I’d planned on telling Neil.
Elsie frowned.
“Dad’s missing?” Neil’s face paled. “What happened?”
I
took a deep breath and turned to face him. “Dad never made it home after he left Ackley. Damon took him. He told me so himself during the attack.” The darkness inside me stirred. I stopped to take a deep breath. I wasn’t mad at Neil, but the feelings stirred vindictively, needing a release. I clamped my mouth shut before I could say anything else I’d regret.
“Rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to locate Delegate Howard, but so far, this man has been impossible to track. It’s like they disappeared into thin air.”
My fingernails cut into my palms. “But what does Dad’s visit, and Emmie’s letter, have to do with Damon?”
Neil sucked in a breath. “What did Dad tell you?”
Elsie straightened her bun in a move I had seen countless times when she was unsure how her news would be received.
I stiffened my back. “Just tell us.”
She looked me in the eye. “Princess Nicola’s full name is not Nicola Trueheart. It’s Nicola Emmaline Trueheart.”
What Now?
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About the Author
Laura Drake loves writing, reading, playing games and ultimate frisbee, and traveling. She recently moved back to America after two years in Tokyo, and when she’s not at home she’s traveling around America to visit her friends or checking out other countries. She’s a firm believer in finding your passions in life and pursuing them, and she’s a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Free bonus scene from Unexpected Magic.
Unleashed Magic (The Chronicles of Andar Book 1) Page 24
