Time Academy

by Kelly N. Jane

  “Enough!” Professor Myali’s voice boomed through the air.

  17

  All around the grass, my classmates began to rise to their feet. I saw Sabra wobble, then steady herself. Her hair was a mess of tangles, and grass littered her clothing.

  My hearing was fully restored. It sounded like everyone was accounted for, and there weren’t any serious injuries. I let out a deep exhale against the restraints still holding me in place.

  “Agree to a truce,” Professor Myali demanded.

  When I turned my head in her direction, she glanced from me to Carlos. Obviously, she expected both of us to agree simultaneously, but there was no way I’d give in before he did. He’d used his powers against all of us. That was against the rules.

  I laughed, a small sarcastic huff.

  I was angry over his lack of adherence to the rules? Even in my discombobulated state, the irony was not lost.

  “I will if you do,” I called to Carlos.

  He smiled a crooked grin that usually made him look like a cute kid, but I saw it in a different light.

  “Yeah,” he muttered.

  Whatever restraints held us melted away, and I had to catch myself as I stood on my own again. I used the back of my hand to wipe away the blood under my nose. I had to do it three times, but I could tell that it had stopped running.

  “Carlos, in ordinary circumstances, you would not be allowed to pass this level, even though you demonstrated considerable skill. Because you used your power against the class, you would be expelled for one month. However, I insist that you speak with Danú about your behavior and she will decide,” Professor Myali said.

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Donovan interrupted.

  I twisted in his direction and stared. Why not?

  From about five steps away, I could see the sneer on Orsika’s face as well.

  “There was another disturbance this morning, and I’ll be leading an investigation team. I’ll need Carlos to come along.” Donovan said this with a peaceful expression on his face, as if the entire second level novitiates class hadn’t just been assaulted. “That is, if you’d like to accept my offer,” he said to the boy.

  I snapped my attention to Carlos.

  “Yeah, I’ll do it,” he answered with a shrug, as if what he’d just done wasn’t anything.

  Donovan was going to choose him to help, and they’d walk away leaving the rest of us to carry on as if nothing happened? No, that wasn’t right.

  “How can you reward him like that? You saw what he just did,” I called out.

  “I saw what you did as well. Your skills have improved considerably. Keep working on them, and you’ll pass soon. There will be other missions, Niasa. Your time will come.”

  Donovan turned away from me and gestured for Carlos to follow him.

  “What were—” I choked on the words I was going to say.

  It wasn’t the time to ask about the other night. Whatever they’d been doing in that workroom, I’d have to learn later. I didn’t want to expose myself in front of everyone and risk being expelled myself.

  A smile slid onto Donovan’s face as if he knew what I was going to ask. My skin prickled. He turned and sauntered out the door with Carlos in tow.

  When the door closed behind them, no one spoke or moved for several heartbeats. Then Professor Myali commanded everyone to regroup and begin training.

  How were we supposed to just move on? Didn’t we deserve an explanation of what had happened? Carlos had used a form of air that was more powerful than I’d seen anyone else conjure. Luca had done well against it, but hadn’t come close to stopping the blast.

  I sighed and shook my head as I stomped away.

  “Niasa,” Luca called.

  I turned around but kept walking backward.

  “Thank you,” he said, then nodded and left for his own area.

  If nothing else, he and I had both used our skills in ways we hadn’t been able to before. Maybe it was worth having our butts kicked.

  It had to be near lunchtime, I was starving. Since I hadn’t had breakfast before I came to class, my stomach rumbled like a herd of oxen storming the field. The more I practiced, the worse my mood became as I thought about the fact that Carlos had hidden how powerful he was. Now he was on a mission.

  Before the trials have even begun!

  The hedge of mulberry bushes that I’d grown sank back into the ground. It had been too complicated for me to form a glamour. The spindly branches were too intricate for me to match. Instead, I watched as an oak rose and spread its branches over my head. When the trunk was wide enough for me to stand in front of with some room to spare on each side, I stepped closer. Mentally imagining the rough bark, I watched as it stretched and wrapped around me.

  When I opened my eyes, I slowly spun so I faced the rest of the class. From my perspective, everything appeared normal. Then I noticed the faintest haze, and realized I’d accomplished my goal.

  But how could I get anyone’s attention to know if I was truly hidden from view?

  I smiled.

  Sabra practiced twenty paces away. I watched as a vine grew up out of the ground and wrapped around her leg. She squealed as it startled her, then spun in my direction and stopped. Placing a hand on her hip and cocking her head at a questioning angle, she peered at the oak tree.

  “I’m guessing you are glamoured by that tree, Niasa. Let go of my leg!”

  I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself. She couldn’t see me. It was the first time I knew for sure I’d made a glamour work without the air rippling to give me away.

  Since I didn’t know if I could move away from the tree, I thought this would be a good time to test it.

  Walking in a straight line, I moved in slow, measured paces. I’d made it five steps before the haze in front of me wavered.

  “Ha! I see you,” Sabra called.

  I let the glamour drop and grinned. “Good to know.”

  Her eyes widened as she saw me clearly. “You’re closer than I expected. Nice job. Now call off your dog.” She glanced down at where the vine was still wrapped around her leg.

  I laughed, and the vine slipped into the grass.

  As she sauntered closer, the ground shook, and we both fell to our knees. I twisted around and noticed that the rest of the class was affected too. The quartz flared in my pocket, making me flinch. It didn’t hurt, but it was pulsing with an uncomfortable vibrating heat.

  I met Sabra’s wild stare, then we rose to our feet and raced to the center of the field, where Professor Myali had just landed and released her bubble form.

  “No one leaves this room until I return. I will check on what that was and be back,” she said, staring at me a heartbeat longer than the others.

  When she had gone, everyone began to chatter and speculate what had happened.

  “Whatever it was, these events can’t be natural.” Luca offered.

  The quartz had not let up with its annoying vibrations, but I didn’t dare remove it from my pocket. No one knew I had it, or what it had caused when I’d used it.

  I shifted from foot to foot, impatient at standing around and doing nothing.

  “We need to prepare ourselves,” Orsika said as she moved to my side. “If they send more investigation teams, I’m not getting left behind.”

  Sabra stood on the other side and glanced between the two of us. “What do you suggest we do?”

  “Maybe we should go check,” Luca offered from where he stood a few feet away. “Professor Myali was powerful enough to bind Carlos and Niasa this morning. She would be out and back in a heartbeat if she could. Why is it taking so long?”

  I’d begun to wonder that myself. We’d been gathered like this for at least ten minutes, and it seemed odd that the professor had not returned.

  “She seemed adamant that we stay,” a girl named Misty answered. Though she directed her statement to everyone, she watched Luca for his response. I’d seen them flirt with each other befor
e, and she would clearly follow his lead. He had similar mannerisms as Gus that made others look to them for guidance. I bit my lip as I had an urge to go check on him.

  “I say we give her a few more minutes, then go check for ourselves,” he answered. “All of us.”

  There were still sixteen of us in the class. That was a lot of bodies to cram their way through the halls. But if something had happened, it didn’t feel right to leave anybody behind.

  The buzzing in my pocket grew more intense. Hoping to keep the motion from notice, I slid my hand down and wrapped the stone inside my palm. Pressure built in my chest, and I struggled to breathe.

  The air swirled around me, and my vision darkened. Then, as if I was hovering in the air from a distance, I saw three demons enter the courtyard from a portal that closed behind them.

  I jerked my hand out of my pocket leaving the crystal behind. Suddenly the image vanished, and I was once again staring at the faces of my classmates. I couldn’t help the rush of air that left my lungs, and my reaction drew everyone’s stares.

  “We have to go. There are demons in Breasal,” I said to no one in particular. As I spun to leave, a hand wrapped around my arm.

  “How do you know that?” Orsika stared intensely into my eyes.

  It was unnerving and locked me in place.

  “I don’t know exactly,” I said. Then I darted glances around to all the others staring at me.

  With a sigh, I pulled the quartz out and opened my palm so everyone could see. Nausea rattled my insides as the blue crystal pulsed from bright to dark in a heartbeat-like rhythm.

  “I think it has to do with this.”

  “Where did you get that?” Sabra asked as she leaned in and peered at the stone.

  “It was given to me. I don’t know why it’s vibrating or flashing, but when I touched it just now, I saw three demons in the courtyard. We don’t have time to debate.”

  “Let’s go,” Luca said and jogged toward the door.

  I shoved the quartz back into my pocket and headed after him.

  All sixteen of us moved as one unit through the halls. We weren’t that far from the courtyard, so it didn’t take long to arrive. There was shouting, and the ringing of metal denoted weapons in use around the last corner as we waited, plastered in a line against the wall.

  “Can you see what’s happening through that stone?” Luca asked me.

  We were the first two in line, and closest to the courtyard.

  I inhaled deep and exhaled slowly before I held the stone again.

  Nothing happened.

  I was about to shake my head, when the air swirled, and my vision went dark. A vision of the courtyard opened before my eyes.The demons battled against the High Council; no one else was present.

  I released the crystal and Luca came back into view. My knees shook, but I wasn’t sure if it was from channeling the vision, or from the fear of what I’d seen.

  “The fighting is contained. We should head back the other way and move to a safer location until the Council can take care of the intruders.”

  I wasn’t ordinarily one to run from a fight, but this wasn’t an ordinary battle. I’d fought a demon before with Gus, so I knew it wasn’t something to take on lightly, and there were three of them out there. The Council members were all full druids—they would be able to fight better than a group of second level Mystics.

  Luca nodded his agreement at my proposal and motioned for the line to turn back. A few rumbled in protest, but Sabra and Orsika helped to turn them around.

  We made it to the dining hall doors and stopped to regroup and think of a plan. While we gathered, one of the hall doors flung open, and a red-haired battering ram charged into the group, knocking into Sabra.

  She growled and grabbed Georgia Anne’s shoulders before she could charge again.

  “Oh! It’s you!” Georgia Anne cried. “I didn’t know where to go when Professor Liber left me all by myself. Then I heard noises out here and decided I’d rather fight than wait.”

  I fought a grin at the way her eyes were so wide, the whites showed all around the brown, but I had to admire her tenacity.

  “So there’s no one else in there?” Luca asked, nodding toward the dining hall.

  “No, it was empty ‘cept for me,” she answered.

  “Let’s go. We can make a plan in there where we won’t be seen as easily.”

  Collectively, we were a strong-willed group, so I was glad when no one challenged Luca. He was a born leader and easy to follow—even for me. It was no wonder Gus had become friends with him.

  Gus! The situation was under control. It was time for me to go where I was needed most.

  Without a word to anyone, I spun and ran back out the door. They could take care of themselves and I didn’t want anyone stopping me.

  18

  I heard several pairs of feet running along the stone floors behind me, but I ignored whoever it was. Gus was unconscious, but I wouldn’t let him be unguarded. His first thoughts would have been for me—he’d proven that. I’d never be like him.

  “Niasa,” a whispered shout came from behind me.

  I recognized Sabra’s voice, but didn’t slow down. If she and whoever was with her wanted to follow along, they could. I’d stop when I was sure Gus was secure.

  We rounded the corner to where his room was, and I didn’t hesitate to see if anyone was there. I’d fight my way in if necessary.

  I finally stopped in front of his door and twisted my neck to see who’d followed me. Sabra, Orsika, and Georgia Anne all skidded to a stop.

  “What are you doing?” Sabra asked.

  She and Orsika were calm, but Georgia Anne was resting her arms on her knees, recovering from the exertion of the run.

  “This is where Gus is. He’s still unable to wake, and I won’t leave him alone.”

  “Let’s get inside, then,” Orsika said.

  All four of us hurried through the door and crammed into the small room. The single sconce still flickered, and incense of sandalwood and juniper lingered in the air.

  Gus still lay as he had before, not a hair different from when I’d been there earlier that morning. I breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the others.

  “Why did you follow me? Now you’ll have to go back again and risk yourselves.”

  “We’re here now. I’m not leaving until we all do,” Sabra said with her hand on her hip. She loved to take up that stance that made her look shapely.

  “We need to get him to safety,” I said, but I had no idea how we could do it.

  “Can you create a glamour? Either of you?” Orsika asked, flicking her gaze between Sabra and me. “I’ve seen you both working on them.”

  “Y’all can do that? I can’t wait to see it.” Georgia Anne clapped her fingers together while she held her palms together under her chin, a huge grin on her face.

  Before either Sabra or I could answer, the handle on the door twisted.

  Georgia Anne shrieked and jumped. Orsika shoved her behind the three of us, and I heard her fall against a chair. At least she wouldn’t be the first one to face what was about to walk through the door.

  When the door swung open, we lowered our hands. I cringed and heard Sabra suck in a breath with the briefest of whines. Orsika stood still, apparently even immune to the sight of Danú in front of us.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” she said to everyone, but directed her stare to me.

  “I wasn’t going to leave him unprotected.”

  “He has never been in danger. But we are evacuating Breasal for the time being, and you all need to head to the courtyard,” the high priestess said. “The threat there has been neutralized.”

  Her words carried so much weight, it almost felt that my feet would leave the room without my permission, though I managed to hold my ground. I saw Sabra lean forward and fight against the feeling as well. Danú stepped aside as Georgia Anne left the room.

  “Where will we go?” Orsika asked. “This is
the safest place.”

  “It always has been, yes. However, there has been a breach, and until we can ascertain how it happened, we need to disperse. The High Council will recall everyone once the danger has passed.”

  “I won’t leave him,” I said.

  “He is in a deep stasis that even I cannot draw him from. In order to allow him peace and freedom it is time for the Nicene King to wake him.”

  “Then what? How will he come back from Empyrean?” I asked. Something in her tone alarmed me.

  “Those from other realms that go to Empyrean do not return. Nor do they want to, it is a place of peace and rest.”

  That was unacceptable. Gus had more to do. I’d already ruined his chances for a glorious life in his world, I wouldn’t take away his chances again.

  “I will stay and protect him,” I protested. “I can create a glamour, and no one will know we’re here.”

  Danú smiled, soft and loving. “You are improving, that’s true, but you’d have to stay in this room, or the glamour would fall.”

  “Can you create one that would keep him safe?” Sabra piped up. “He deserves a chance.”

  Danú stared at Gus, then settled on me again. “I will contact Dagda before he is moved. The matter of his markings has not been discussed. Then once this trouble is behind us, we will decide on his future. But you have to leave with everyone else.”

  Sabra and Orsika turned to me, waiting for my decision. I was willing to stay with Gus whatever the outcome, but I didn’t want to risk their lives.

  “Will you promise me that he will be safe, and no one will find him while he is . . . like this?” I watched his chest rise and fall as I waited for her answer.

  There was a noise in the hallway, and all of us except Danú snapped our attention toward the door.

  “Your friend waits for you outside,” Danú smirked, then continued, “I will pledge to you that Gus will be safe. Now you must go.”

  I didn’t like the idea of leaving, but Danú turned her body to the side giving us room to pass and arched her brow. It was not a request.