Shifter’s University

by K. R. Thompson

  “What I learned the day Paul showed me this book was that shifters have been given a choice. All of us have a choice. Dragon, Wolf, Yokai…they are all just words meaning the same thing—that you have been given the gift of magic and power. How you choose to use it is what makes you who you truly are.”

  When we left the library, it was clear by the thoughtful expression on her face she was still thinking of the book. “There is one more thing I want to show you,” I said, leading her back to the courtyard. “Okay, I’m going to shift to dragon and I want you to hop up on my back like before, all right? When I get above the clouds, I want you to open your eyes.”

  She winced, obviously getting ready to object, so I added, “I want to show you what makes me calm. Just trust me, Claire…please?”

  She closed her mouth on whatever words she’d been getting ready to speak before giving an uncertain nod. I shifted, then leaned close to the ground to help her get up. Once her arms were firmly around my neck, I flew into the sky.

  The grip she had on my neck told me how nervous she was, so I took care not to make any sudden moves and concentrated on getting us to our destination. On my first flight as a dragon, I had envisioned clouds as feeling like soft tufts of cotton. And they did have a feel to them, but more of a damp one with a slight change in the air temperature.

  The evening sun colored the billowing white blanket below us in shades of pink and orange. Other than the wind catching my wings, all was silent. Claire had forgotten her fears, it seemed, since I felt her weight shift as she leaned out. I glanced back enough to see one hand reaching out to touch the wisps as we passed through them, while her other arm stayed firmly looped around my neck.

  This is my place, I wanted to tell her. This is where I go when life down there gets to be too much.

  While we soared above the clouds, I wondered if Claire truly was a Yokai. If so, she should be able to tap into my magic and shift into a dragon at will.

  That wouldn’t be a bad thing, I decided. Not at all. It would be nice to have another dragon to fly with. With my parents and brother living a few hours south of Roanoke, I had felt alone more than once.

  Claire leaned her cheek against my neck, and I felt her warmth through my scales.

  Then again, this isn’t a bad thing, either. I could definitely get used to this.

  We flew until the last traces of the sun disappeared, and the clouds below us turned to a shroud of darkness. It would be time for me to stand guard soon. As much as I hated leaving, I dropped down and landed in the same place from where we’d taken off.

  I waited until Claire hopped off and then shifted back.

  “That was beautiful,” she said. “Thank you.” A soft breeze caught her hair and blew a few strands across her cheek. I reached out and smoothed them away.

  “Any time you need to escape, let me know. The sky is always the best place when down here feels like too much.” I offered her my hand, my stomach clenching when she wrapped her fingers around mine, and then I walked her to her dorm.

  “Thank you, Logan…for everything,” she said as she opened the door. She turned to me, her lips parted just the slightest bit. I wanted to kiss her. I leaned toward her, wanting to bridge the gap between us, but for some reason I couldn’t explain, I stopped short and took a step back.

  “Anytime,” I said as the door shut. “Good night, Claire.”

  “You’d better be careful. Dragons are hotheaded and only look out for themselves,” Lacy advised the next day when she saw how happy I was. I’d made the mistake of telling her about my evening with Logan—not all of it, but enough she was now eyeing me with a doubtful look in her eyes. “I’m not joking. You’re new to the shifter world, Claire. There are things about each of our kind that you don’t know yet.”

  “Like what?” I prodded, hoping to get her off the subject of Logan. No way was I going to tell her I knew quite a bit about him now—possibly more than she did.

  “You’ll find out in just a bit.” We were on our way to the first class of the day. Mythological Beings.

  I nodded.

  “This class is a fun one. Aeolith is a good teacher, even if she is a bit of a cold fish,” Lacy said.

  Still, I wanted to know more about the shifters—just not Logan. “What other things should I know about shifters?”

  “All right. For example, me. Mermaids are known for being able to enchant humans. We don’t really care about their well-being. That’s why there are so many sailor tales about sirens luring fishermen and such to their deaths,” she said, lifting a brow as if just saying those words would give her a tougher reputation.

  “Okay, I won’t let you get me in the water,” I joked. “What else should I know?”

  She rolled her eyes at my sarcasm and continued, “Water serpents are like the vampires of the water. If they decide not to kill you, their bite can either poison you just like a snake’s, or they can enthrall you to do whatever they want.” She scrunched up her nose. “They don’t do that often, though. From everything I’ve heard about them, they are more likely to kill you outright. They’re like dragons, in that way—not all that patient. Luckily, their bite is only poisonous when they are in the water.”

  “Yeah, that is lucky,” I agreed. Victor was bad enough without giving him the power to poison people on land.

  Lacy changed the subject, somewhat abruptly. “I’m surprised they haven’t had you for an actual shifting class yet. So far, only history, and today, mythology? They aren’t doing great with your schedule, if you ask me.”

  I didn’t dare tell her about what had happened after history class yesterday, so I only shrugged. “I guess they’ll make up for it today. I have practical shifting this afternoon.”

  “Ah,” she acknowledged with a nod.

  In all truth, I was supposed to have had that class yesterday, but didn’t go. I was more than surprised that none of the teachers had asked me why I hadn’t followed the schedule. At the very least, I’d expected some sort of reprimand from the headmistress. Maybe she’s been too busy fixing the shields to worry about me. Maybe that’s why they didn’t notice that I hadn’t attended. I followed Lacy into the enormous room that was the school’s library, lost in my thoughts.

  “I forgot to mention that Aeolith is rather…unique,” Lacy hissed in a whisper. “She’s not one I would want to be on the wrong side of.”

  “What you are trying to say, Ms. Jennings, is that I am a Spriteblood, one of the last of my kind, and we do not tolerate tardiness, for a start.” A voice that sounded like pattering raindrops came from beside the door we just entered. We whirled. At first glance, I got the impression of a woman with dark hair that fell to her waist in waves, but a closer look told me she wasn’t human…not by a long shot.

  Her eyes were black voids. Endless, bottomless…and when she noticed I was staring, she bared her teeth. They were extremely sharp and pointed.

  Definitely not someone I want to tick off, I decided, agreeing with Lacy’s warning.

  “If you are finished gawking, the other students are already in the classroom,” the teacher said, indicating the doorway at the other side of the library with a pointed finger. “Go and find your seats.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” we said in unison, scurrying to the door where we found everyone else seated inside.

  “Just Aeolith? Doesn’t she have a last name?” I whispered to Lacy as we grabbed two empty seats near the back.

  “Nope, she’s fae,” was the answer, as if that, in itself, would be self-explanatory. I didn’t get to ask anything else, because Aeolith glided into the room and everyone’s attention focused uneasily on her. It wasn’t hard to see why. She’d made it a point to show off those razor-like teeth before she spoke to begin her lesson.

  Each of us had a thick blue tome on the desk in front of us, the title embossed in a golden script. Mythological Beings.

  “Turn to page eighty-three,” Aeolith instructed, without giving her class so much as a greeting a
s she took her place at the front.

  Faerie godmothers? I thought, dumbstruck, as I stared at the heading over the picture of a popular animated film that involved pumpkins and the stroke of midnight. My mind vaguely registered the fact that Aeolith was reading it aloud.

  “This is bullshit,” a very familiar voice said. I looked up to see Victor across the room as he slapped his book shut, crossing his arms over his chest. He fixed the librarian with a narrow gaze. “We’re supposed to be learning something in here. Not reading about imaginary characters from a nursery rhyme.”

  Aeolith didn’t answer at first, only lifted one perfectly arched brow. “Mr. DeVenoss, this class is titled Mythological Beings for a reason. Some are true, if you hadn’t noticed, by the evidence of your classmates here in attendance.” She gestured to Benny, who sat in the front of the class, and to us, at the back, no doubt at Lacy.

  “I still call bullshit,” Victor replied stubbornly.

  “It’s not bullshit,” Lacy said, her normally meek, soft-spoken voice becoming shrill. I glanced over at her, shocked. Never in a million years would I have pegged her for standing up to anyone, much less Victor.

  “It is,” Victor insisted, his eyes narrowing further when he noticed who had dared to speak up. “It’s a bunch of malarkey. Learning this is a waste of time.”

  Aeolith looked as if she were getting ready to speak, when Lacy continued. “It’s not,” she insisted. “When I was two, I fell into the river in front of my house. My gills hadn’t fully formed then, so I couldn’t swim. The water rushed over my head. The last thing I remember seeing in the bubbles that spiraled upward was a bright light, then I felt it tug me out of the water. Fairy godmothers and godfathers are real.”

  A few people cleared their throats at this story. Victor looked triumphant as he shot us a sleazy smile and leaned back in his chair.

  “It’s true,” Lacy swore, muttering under her breath as Aeolith picked up where she left off, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

  When class was over, I followed Lacy out of the library. As soon as we cleared the door, Victor pinned her against the wall, forearm against her throat. “I don’t appreciate being made to look like an idiot, little mermaid,” he hissed.

  If anything, Lacy was the one who looked crazy, not you. Unfortunately. The unkind thought flitted by as I stepped up to him.

  “Leave her alone, Victor,” I said, pulling at his arm. Lacy’s face had turned bright red, and she was gasping.

  “Leave her alone or what?” He sneered. “What are you going to do about it, fox girl?”

  “I’ll do something that will make you wish you had listened to me,” I threatened, feeling the pulse of magic come off him feeding my own. I knew I could shift and become what he was—but I didn’t know what I’d do afterward.

  Victor let Lacy go and she slumped forward, taking huge gulping breaths.

  “Prove it,” he said, giving me a push that made me angrier. “Fight me.”

  “Not here,” Lacy managed in a raspy voice. “At the Peak. Tonight.”

  Instantly, my bravado wavered. I didn’t know what “the Peak” was, or what exactly I had been pushed into as my reward for saving my friend, but as I watched something dark slither beneath Victor’s eyes, I began to worry.

  “Fine,” he said in a quiet, still voice that made him even scarier without him even trying. “I’ll see you there at nightfall.”

  “Okay.” My voice sounded stronger than I was.

  “And you’d better be there.”

  “I will.” What in the world have I gotten myself into? I watched him saunter off. Better yet, what have you gotten me into? I thought, whirling around to stare at Lacy, who was looking as if she completely regretted having spoken at all.

  “Well?” I asked, waiting for an explanation. “What on earth is the Peak and why do I have the feeling that this might be my last day on Earth?”

  Lacy winced. “I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think of. I had to stop him from fighting you now. The headmistress is strict on the no fighting on school grounds. I didn’t want you to end up on Purgatory.”

  “Sorry…what?” I asked, taken aback. Never had I thought the headmistress to have enough power to send me to Hell. Maybe I’d been wrong in how powerful a griffin really was.

  “Purgatory Mountain,” Lacy explained. “It’s in the Forest of Lost Souls, where they send the students who can’t be saved. Fighting can be dangerous when it comes to shapeshifters. Fangs, claws, and all, you know. If you break Imperium’s rules, you get a one-way ticket to Purgatory.” Her shoulders dropped, and she looked at the floor. “I’m sorry, Claire. I was trying to help you since you helped me.”

  No one other than Blake had ever stood up to someone bullying me, and I was touched, but I still worried she had done more harm than good. “What is the Peak?”

  “The Peak is a cliffside, about a mile away from school. It’s shielded with magic, so isn’t visible to humans, but the teachers never go there since it doesn’t fall within Imperium’s borders. It was the first place I thought of to make him leave you alone now,” she admitted. “I’m really, really sorry, Claire.”

  I mustered a smile. “It will be okay. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  She didn’t answer me. If anything, she looked ready to cry, which made me worry even more. Once again, I wondered if maybe my life before Shifter’s University hadn’t been safer than it was now. At least there, I knew what to expect.

  “The key is control. That is the foundation for everything we teach in Imperium.” A teacher I hadn’t seen before spoke as she strode in front of us, hands clasped behind her back.

  We were in the forest for my last class of the day. Practical Shifting. My nerves were jumping. What if they realized I was a Yokai instead of one of the Woodland shifters everyone assumed I was?

  I could already feel the magic thrumming off the students on either side of me as we watched the professor pace in front of us. Luckily for me, Professor Elspeth’s magic outdid everyone else’s, and I was able to ignore them. At first glance, I would have pegged her for a biker. She was a tough-looking sort with spiked hair and a row of silver hoops in one ear that swayed as she walked.

  Not walked, I decided. Stalked. The way she moved was fluid, yet predatory. Graceful, yet dangerous. Lioness, I realized an instant before she turned and fixed me with her sharp green eyes.

  “Some of you shift when you feel frightened. Your spirit animal only comes to protect you…” I wasn’t the only one nervously shifting from one foot to the other at that fact. Our line was a nervous ball of energy now that we knew she’d pegged our problem. Her gaze left me and flicked over the other students.

  One corner of her lips barely moved upward, and I got the impression this was as close as she ever made it to smiling. “That’s why you are here. To learn how to control—and shift—at will. To accomplish this, you must accept who you are…to accept that you do not have one soul, but two, in a single life.”

  Everything was dead quiet around us but for the thrum of the magic in the air and the sound of my heart pounding. How could I accept what I was without everyone else knowing?

  “Just as you must feed and tend to your human half, you must also do the same for your animal counterpart,” she continued.

  Lovely, I thought, imagining her next words were going to be to shift right then and there. What am I going to do?

  “Now, I want you all to close your eyes and take a deep breath, then let it out slowly…”

  Everyone around me whooshed their air out on command.

  “Now, staying completely calm, concentrate on shifting.”

  Please don’t be far away, I silently begged my little red fox. I took another deep breath and focused inward. A couple of seconds passed, and I felt the familiar soft feel of fur as it slid toward the surface of my skin.

  When I opened my eyes, I was staring at Professor Elspeth’s black leather boots.

 
I looked up to see her lips quirk the tiniest bit again as she scanned the line of creatures that sat in front of her. Surprisingly, we all seemed to have shifted on command on our first try. “See there?” she said. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, we’re going to do the opposite and I want you to shift back. Same as before, only this time, I want you to concentrate on being your human selves.”

  I closed my eyes. This was typically not my problem area. Coming back to human had always been easy, once I had calmed down.

  In an instant, I stood, looking like myself again, several seconds before anyone else had managed to do so. The professor gave me a slight nod, which I took to be a compliment for being the first.

  Once everyone was human again, she had us shift back and forth several more times, and each time became easier than the last. This went on for quite a while before she changed things up on us.

  “All right. Now that you’ve all proven you have enough control to shift either way, we are going to spend some time as our animal counterparts. There are times in this life as a shapeshifter when you will need to either soar in the air as a bird, or run through the forest as a wolf, or do whatever it is the other half of your soul needs. Wildness is part of a shapeshifter’s life. To live and breathe as the creature you are born to be in the place you were meant to be is part of who you are. If you do not accept that part of yourself, you will find controlling your animalistic tendencies difficult, at best.”

  I bit my lip. I’d never actually enjoyed my time as my fox…never really let it out to run, per se. What did she expect us to do? Just run around for a while?

  Apparently, that was exactly what she expected. “When the sun falls over the east side of the forest, I’ll expect you all back here. If you feel uncomfortable running or flying alone, you are welcome to buddy up this time, and you can go alone the next. If you have any problems, I will be running along the path in the center of the forest, and I will check on each of you in turn. Any questions?”