Chapter Fifteen
After spending the morning studying, I was ready to get out the door. It was the first time all semester that I had bothered to get any work done. Given the dire situation with the Counter Wheel and the Hunters, writing about fifth century wand use didn’t feel all that important.
The snow had stopped coming down, but there was a good two feet on the ground. I went to put boots on, plus my snow pants, gloves, and coat, and I was ready to go. There was no sign of Sigil.
A bitter wind hit my cheeks as I stepped outside, but the rest of me was pretty warm. There was no sign of any other students wandering around campus as I made for the treehouse.
I sighed and bent my head against the cold.
Climbing up the ladder was going to be a hoot in this weather, but just getting to Keegan’s tree proved challenging. He had stamped down a bit of a path, but a lot of snow had fallen on top of it since the last time he’d tracked it.
That meant that my heavy-booted foot sank several inches into the snow every time I took a step.
It was slow going, but I finally saw the treehouse in the distance. It was entirely covered in snow. I could hear a scraping noise echoing off the trees, which turned out to be Keegan’s shovel as he tried to clear his large deck.
He had gone to some trouble—well, the whole place had required going to a lot of trouble, but this had been even more so—to install two telescopes out there. At first I had wondered who and what he wanted to spy on, but given that Paranormal Public was the epicenter of the Hunters’ search for artifacts, I had eventually decided that he wanted to spy on everyone.
As I got closer, he looked up. When he realized who was coming, he gave me a jolly wave with one mittened hand.
“How you doing, Ricky?” he yelled, his voice echoing off the tree trunks.
I waved back. “Oh, you know, just thought I’d come out for a casual blizzard walk.”
“All the better. It means the campus is quiet,” he yelled back.
“You intentionally moved away from campus,” I pointed out.
I had reached the base of the treehouse, and he was peering at me over the railing. “I brought the ladder inside so it wouldn’t freeze. Just be careful climbing up if your boots are slippery,” he called as he tossed the ladder down. I grabbed it and started to climb. His warning was justified. My boots were slippery, and care was needed. But the wind had died down for the moment, so at least I didn’t have that to contend. Even so, by the time I reached the top of the ladder my arms were screaming. I flopped onto the platform, then hauled myself into a sitting position.
“Want to help me shovel?” asked Keegan brightly, as if making me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
“Oh fine,” I said, not refusing.
I grabbed the shovel he held out, and we spent the better part of the hour clearing the snow off of his treehouse. He even climbed onto the roof and shoveled up there.
Once that was finished, we went inside. I had been wondering how Keegan was keeping the place warm, and now I found out. A large, circular ball made of clear glass held what looked like fire. Keegan had placed it in a grate, where it glowed warmly.
“Where did that come from?” I asked.
“Tree sprite tricks. We might have been forced into hiding, but that has made us resourceful. I’ve tried a number of ways to warm the place and this works best,” Keegan explained.
“Nice,” I said.
We spent the afternoon hanging out. Keegan had food, so we didn’t go hungry. He also loved making hot chocolate, which I especially appreciated given the snow outside and the work we had done clearing off the deck.
As dusk was falling I started to consider heading home. I didn’t really want to be out in the woods at night.
When he saw me getting itchy to leave Keegan asked, “Should we use the telescope today before you go?”
“What do you think we’re going to see?” I asked.
“There’s only one way to find out,” he said with a grin.
We bundled up into our warm weather gear and headed back outside.
We each took hold of a telescope and started looking around. In one tree, a squirrel was running up and down in the snow, in another a bird sat on a branch. The wind blew and sent puffs of snow into the air. I felt the cold bite its way under my collar and into my shoulders.
“See anything interesting?” I called out to Keenan.
When he didn’t respond right away I glanced over, only to see him still peering intently into the distance. His telescope was pointed further into the woods, away from Public.
“Keegan?” I asked again after a little more time had passed.
“I think I see something,” he said.
“What?” I abandoned my telescope and went right over to his. Impressing Keegan in the woods was very difficult, given that he was a tree sprite.
“Look,” he whispered, making way for me to peer through his telescope.
I looked. Dusk was just disappearing and night was solidifying. Soon I’d be walking home in the dark no matter what I did.
“I don’t see anything,” I told him.
“Look between the tree trunks. On the ground,” he said.
I looked again. For a few moments I saw nothing but shadows and more snow.
Then I saw what he was looking at.
“Those are fresh footprints. They’re human,” I said hoarsely.
“Yup,” said Keegan. “I have to talk to whoever they belong to. These woods are mine. No one else should be out here without my say-so. And I’ll say no.”
“Anyone from school can walk out here,” I told him.
“Way to be supportive. I suppose technically they can, but they shouldn’t,” he grumbled. “How am I supposed to get my peace and quiet?”
“Whoever it is hasn’t disturbed you,” I pointed out.
“No, but we’re going to disturb them! Let’s see if we can’t follow those footprints,” he suggested.
Part of me wanted to refuse; I still had more homework to complete back at Astra. Another part of me wanted to know just as badly as Keegan whose footprints those were. That part won out.
“Let’s go,” I said.
We headed for the ladder. Keegan let me go down first and followed right behind me. He was much better on the ladder than I was. When he reached the ground, he placed his hand against the tree trunk and the ladder started to pull up.
“Geared to my touch. Now no one can get up there but me,” he said in response to my questioning look.
“Eighellie and Ostelle will be devastated. They’re going to wonder where we are,” I said.
“That or they’ll be happy they’re finally rid of us,” said Keegan. “Most likely doing all sorts of girly things instead of being out here on an adventure hunt.”
After that we moved methodically and quietly amongst the trees. Keegan found the tracks quickly; they weren’t far off. I stayed behind him as we went deeper into the woods.
“What do you suppose someone was doing out here?’ I said.
“I don’t know. That’s why I intend to investigate. It doesn’t make sense. Do they walk past the treehouse and not say hello?”
“I’m shocked that they don’t say hello, given how friendly and welcoming you are,” I said dryly.
“Sorry. Couldn’t hear you,” Keegan said, then started walking faster.
The footprints were easy to follow even as the woods got thicker. I continued to think that we were about to run into someone or something, but the forest was quiet.
Maybe too quiet.
My ring was warm underneath my glove. It now looked like a midnight rainbow, as if all the strands of elemental magic were achieving more parity with the essence magic, to which Lisabelle had done . . . whatever she had done.
The footprints eventually disappeared into a section of woods so thick we couldn’t get through.
So how, I wondered, did the person we were trailing get past?
“Footprint
s are definitely male. Or maybe a female Oggle, but they tend to walk more clearly,” Keegan commented. “Very large, distinct feet.”
“An adult male is out here?” I muttered. Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck started to rise.
Could Horveth be out here? Were other Hunters lurking as well?
“Well, three if you count us,” said Keegan. He didn’t appear as fazed by all of this as I expected him to be.
“Maybe it’s Rake or Trafton,” I said.
“More likely a Hunter,” said Keegan, confirming my guess.
Keegan’s legs were in a wide stance and his shoulders were squared. “Because this is my territory. They’re going to regret coming in here and messing with me.”
“No one is messing with you yet. We’re following them. Remember?”
We examined the thick brush between us and the footprints. I reached out to touch it, but all I felt was cold. It was a real plant and not just a magical mirage.
“It must move somehow. The footprints didn’t just go through here by themselves,” I muttered.
Keegan took off his glove and reached out his hand, his green skin clear. “It’s real, but tree sprite magic and scraggly bushes like this are not terribly similar.”
We were both so preoccupied with continuing on our mission that at first I didn’t notice the air change.
Then the light changed.
Even the clear, crisp smell of the forest changed.
My friend and I realized at the same moment what was happening. Keegan went still, listening, while I readied essence.
Or maybe fire.
Suddenly a pattern of darkness enclosed us. Like a spider’s web, shadows came at us from all sides.
Keegan took a slow breath.
Suddenly, the darkness snapped out at us, as if great jaws were opening and closing. I fell backwards just as I pulled my glove off and let my ring blast as much power as I dared.
I knew Keegan was doing something as well, because his hands were ringed in a green warmth.
But the dark air just kept coming.
“What is this?” Keegan cried, dodging away from it.
“No idea.” I had never seen anything like it before.
The net-like attack kept closing on us. I sent another blast of essence and the magic recoiled.
“We must have triggered something,” said Keegan, fighting his way free.
“Go!” I yelled. “Get help!”
For a second he hesitated. He didn’t want to leave. Then he made a decision and careened away into the forest.
I wasn’t worried about him running through the woods; if necessary, the trees would rise up to protect him. If necessary, in fact, they might just do worse than that.
But now I was all alone. Keegan’s footsteps had receded. The figures hadn’t chased him.
It wasn’t the tree sprite they wanted.
Which was saying something. Tree sprites were still valuable to Hunters. As rare paranormals, sprites were routinely picked off and stolen away. That’s why Keegan had been in hiding before he came to Public.
Then the net touched my skin.
An endless black power flared around me, making me dizzy. I felt it slither along my feet, then my legs, continuing upward through my body. A serpent rising.
My essence tried to put a protective ring of its own around me, but it was useless in the face of whatever evil this was.
A spiraling figure, tall and powerful, flashed out of the darkness. I gasped and fell backwards as the black serpent reared and receded. A blade swished through the night, chopping downwards in the cold evening. The serpent wiggled and writhed and then went still in the dirt.
I stared upward, amazed at the man standing over me.
Then I stared down at the darkness that had come at us from all sides, that now looked like old rope coiled uselessly on the ground.
Wide shoulders turned and I caught a glimpse of the tall figure’s face. Shock raced through me. Breathing hard, Lough said, “Are you all right?”
At first my throat didn’t really work, but eventually I managed to say, “Never better.” I scrambled to my feet, intending to be upright if another attack came at me.
Wildly, I looked around the woods. To my surprise, there was nobody there. Ringing silence surrounded us, punctuated by the slight stirring of the dead serpent’s tail.
Lough’s breathing was slowly returning to normal. “You did well,” he said.
“Yeah,” I agreed, my voice hoarse, my knees were trembling a bit. I ordered them to hold still.
Lough’s cheeks were hollow where they used to be round, but he was the same Lough nonetheless. He was no longer young and boyish, though. He had seen too much, lived too much, risked and lost too much.
“I have to go,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “Nobody can see me with you. Nobody can know that I did. You have to promise me, Ricky. Nobody.” He took a step toward me, his eyes serious and troubled.
I nodded my head. This would not be the first secret I had kept for Lough, and I felt reasonably certain it wouldn’t be the last.
“How is . . . everyone?” His words were careful.
“My sister is safe and happy with Vera and Keller. She doesn’t care that President Yeast is starting to make statements against elementals. I guess she’s only worried for me. Lisabelle is torturing all who come near her, so everybody is good and normal.”
Lough’s lips twitched. “Good. I have to go. You won’t see me here again. Be careful getting back.”
I started to say something more, but he was already gone.
Just then there was a crashing noise through the woods. I tensed, then relaxed when Keegan came stumbling into view.
“You all right? What happened? I guess this whole searching for the Hunters in the woods at night thing is a bad idea. It’s the fastest thing I could think of,” he said breathlessly. He was holding several packets that I knew were magical. They would explode on command. When time was of the essence, they were his version of getting help.
“I’m fine. Yeah, it’s a bad idea,” I said. We both surveyed the black coils lying on the ground.
“Nice work,” he said.
I didn’t respond.
Lough was definitely no longer the same dream giver my sister had always known.
Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning my friends and I walked to breakfast together. Eighellie had been waiting for me at Astra when I’d finally gotten home the previous night. I had been exhausted, but she wanted to hear everything anyway. I told her as much as I could before falling into an uneasy sleep.
We were eating in the dining hall more and more often, in order to keep an eye on our fellow students. Tension had become thick in the air, even in classes.
That’s what the world had come to.
As we walked, my mind was on Lough, who had disappeared before I could talk to him. No doubt that was intentional, but even so I needed to know where he stood, and he was making it awfully hard to find out.
My decision to trust him was unconditional. Or so I had thought.
Could that trust be broken? Even among my sister’s old friends? Lough was playing a dangerous game, walking a fine line that could end in glory or tragedy, and given the amount of tragedy I had already seen, I wasn’t going to bank on one over the other.
Along the path in front of us as we walked was a small cluster of students standing around a built-up snow pile.
At first we were going to just walk on by, but something told me to go and see what they were looking at.
Turned out, they were standing around a hole in the ground.
Someone was digging.
My friends didn’t understand my shock. Since I hadn’t had a chance to tell them what Sigil had relayed to me the day before, they thought I was simply surprised that there was magic powerful enough to eat through so many layers of snow.
T
hat afternoon, President Yeast came to campus to see the holes that had been dug in the middle of the night. Her presence in itself created a large stir among students, faculty, and staff. As always, she came with a large entourage that made you wonder who she thought was going to attack her.
Also it made it clear that she had been in the neighborhood to begin with. When she’d gotten a call about digging on campus, likely from Dobrov, she had come right over.
Now the whole area was roped off. Most of the student body turned out to see it, all the more curious because we were forbidden from going there.
“How did they manage to dig in frozen ground?” Ostelle asked. She was standing right behind me, and I jumped at the sound of her soft voice. From my other side Eighellie muttered, “Magic. Duh.”
Ostelle’s eyes narrowed, but she kept quiet.
“It just seems like they’d be better off doing the digging in the summer when the ground isn’t solid.
“Maybe they didn’t know anything was here in the summer,” Keegan murmured. “They just found out recently and they couldn’t wait for the spring thaw, so they started creating havoc now.”
“Maybe,” said Ostelle, giving me a sidelong glance She had realized that something was up when she joined us at breakfast. Averett had given me a strange look and come over as well. I kept trying to shake the feeling that at any moment Hunters were going to come running through the woods to attack us.
Easier said than done.
The night before, Keegan and I had run into a web of darkness the likes of which I had never encountered. The only thing that had saved me was Lough’s magical appearance.
But at what cost to himself?
I had no idea.
“Hello?” Eighellie snapped her fingers in front of my nose.
“What?” I asked.
“Where’d you go?” she asked.
“Nowhere,” I told her, and glared.
The one part of the story I hadn’t relayed to my friend was the bit where Lough saved me. I had just told her I’d gotten away. If she had any suspicions that I was holding back on her, she wasn’t letting on.
A group of vampires and pixies were standing near us. Palmer was at one edge of the group, even though he was a fallen angel. Beatrice was also standing within view, but not with the pixies and vampires.
Elemental Unity Page 11
