Aurie managed a crackle of lightning from her fingertips, an over-the-shoulder Five Elements spell, knocking the woman off. Aurie rolled half onto her side, right as the woman leapt like a cougar, teeth bared, fingers as claws.
It was Misses Butterton, the woman who had sold them goods for their journey.
Aurie's second spell was interrupted by Misses Butterton's punch. She was covered in blood, which made wrestling with her difficult, as her limbs were hard to grab. Aurie took two punches to the jaw as she scrambled to defend herself.
Before Aurie could stop her, Misses Butterton pulled a dinner knife from a pocket of her dress and drove it into Aurie's shoulder. Aurie screamed herself hoarse as Misses Butterton pulled it out and jammed it in a second time, the tip entering the spot between her shoulder and arm socket, driving them apart.
Through the pain, Aurie could see the woman's crazed face. It was the mask of a demon, every muscle straining with hate.
Misses Butterton brought the knife down a third time, aiming for Aurie's chest. Aurie got her arm in the way, deflecting it to lodge in her ribs beneath her right breast.
"Defiler. I see you, Defiler," said the woman, slaver dripping from her lips.
Aurie tried to form truth magic, but she had no air in her lungs to form the words, no energy to resist.
Misses Butterton wrestled the blade from Aurie's ribs, yanking it high into the air, ready for the down strike. Aurie's world was black with pain, spots forming at the edge of her vision, rapidly connecting as her world dialed down to a pinhole. In the last moments before Misses Butterton drove the knife into Aurie's neck, a glowing sword came soaring out of the darkness, lopping off the woman's head.
Chapter Thirteen
The stone island at the center of the undercity lake was more comfortable than Pi expected. Jade's gang was more resourceful than she'd initially given them credit for, building a brick oven that doubled as a heat source, since the chilly water made the air in the cavern late-fall cold.
There were six small buildings made of wooden pallets, lashed together and covered in tarps. There was no weather to worry about, but the tarps provided privacy. The insides of the crated homes reminded Pi of a sheik's tent in the desert, with luxurious bedding strewn about. Each one was filled with personal items, which included a generous number of books. There was no internet access to distract them.
Jade was applying a fresh shade of purple to the tips of Pi's hair, while Sasha was grilling steaks and fresh asparagus, and the others were seated on camping chairs. The whole thing felt like she was at a women's camp.
"Those steaks smell amazing. I'm so hungry I could chew my arm off," said Nancy, fake biting her stone arm.
"I can't remember the last time I had steaks," said Bethany. "I could kiss you for them."
Pi was sitting still as Jade applied the coloring paste, fingers dutifully separating strands, pulling them away from the ear. Though the others couldn't hear it, Pi caught snatches of humming from Jade, along with buffets of minty breath against her neck. It was terribly distracting.
"You're welcome," said Pi. "I'm happy to help."
They'd treated her coldly on previous visits. Pi'd hoped the offering of good food might smooth the way to better relations. They ate the steaks earnestly, washing the meat down with beer from a magically cooled bucket.
Sisi belched like a fog horn, bringing laughter from the group. Bethany and Yoko tried to match Sisi's volume, giggling between tries, until they gave up and crowned the blonde waif the winner.
After the belching contest, they talked about which Halls they'd placed on the Tome of Selection before the Merlins. Pi sat quietly, nursing her third beer, since finishing the second had made her light-headed, and listened to their conversation.
Though she was the youngest of the group, Pi felt significantly older, and not just because of the soul fragments. Everyone was at least twenty years old, but they sounded like they were still teenagers. Maybe she was being hard on them, she decided. Not getting into the Halls had left them always wondering what might have been.
Pi was lost in her thoughts when she realized the whole group was staring at her.
"Yes?"
"Which Halls?" asked Nancy.
"Oh. Coterie and Arcanium."
"Jesus," said Sasha. "Only two, and both major Halls. You're one cocky bitch."
Pi couldn't tell if the "bitch" was an insult or compliment. And there was no way she was going to tell them that she had originally planned to only put Coterie. "I was seventeen. I had more chances if I failed."
"How'd you even get in Coterie?" asked Jade, a level darkness in her gaze. "Bethany told us you have to get sponsored."
Everyone leaned forward to hear her answer. "I...I did something to impress an alumni, and he sponsored me."
It didn't appear Jade believed her.
"Who was it?" asked Bethany.
"Eugene Hickford," said Pi. "He wasn't very popular with the other alumni. Having him as my sponsor was a disadvantage."
"That's what all the rich kids say," said Jade, frowning.
The rebuke stung. Pi didn't know what to make of Jade. One minute she was flirty, the next cold and angry. Pi liked her, but the wildly swinging feedback was giving her whiplash.
"Why did you want to join Coterie?" asked Bethany. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't seem like the type."
Pi sighed with relief. This was the kind of question she felt comfortable answering. "I wanted power. My parents were killed by another mage when I was a kid. They were good people, trying to do right by the world. If they were free to get murdered, and no one would do anything about it, then what protections would I ever have? So I wanted to make sure that never happened to me."
The others nodded in agreement, except for Jade, who was staring directly at Pi with a fierceness that bordered on anger.
"So rather than fix the system, you decided to join the very people that killed your parents?"
"You can't fight them from outside the system. They wield too much power," replied Pi.
"Unless you can't get in," said Jade.
"But you wanted to. You tried to join the Halls. Look, I get the frustration. I really do. But I wanted to protect myself."
Jade slammed her beer down. "So it was 'I got mine, screw the rest of you'?"
"Hey," said Pi, "that's not fair. We were orphans. Getting into the Halls, and especially Coterie, was never a done deal. I made sacrifices. It's not like I knew you all then."
"But by joining them, you propagate the very system that oppresses those who cannot," said Jade. "They use the Merlins to justify manipulation of who gets in and who doesn't. The powerful get more powerful, keeping out those they don't like, maintaining a stranglehold on their position."
"The Merlins require skill. Not everyone should be a mage. It's dangerous to give that much power freely." Then Pi saw the looks on their faces. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that. You all should have been in the Halls. For sure. But you have to admit that not everyone deserves it. There has to be some minimum."
Sasha crossed her arms. Her afro danced as she spoke. "Why should someone else get to decide if I'm ready to learn? And it might be acceptable if it was done fairly, but it's not fair. Look at who gets into the top Halls, and who doesn't. You have to have money or connections."
"Arcanium doesn't do that," said Pi.
"And look what happened to Arcanium," said Jade. "The Halls maintain the illusion of being a meritocracy by allowing the people they don't like to join Halls that don't matter."
"They matter to the people that get in," said Pi.
"Exactly," said Jade. "Those people are just happy to be allowed a taste of power. Subservient to their masters, who give them a little more leash room than the rest."
Pi thought of her friends in the lesser Halls. "Not everything is about power. There are a lot of happy people in those Halls, many of them my friends. And they provide a service necessary to society."
; Jade stood up and stalked away, before turning back around. "Wake up, Pi. Why can't you see it? The Hundred Halls controls how much"—she made air quotes—"power gets doled out to the masses. Why do you think there's no Hundred Halls anywhere else in the world? They have a monopoly on teaching magic. Anyone that allowed a school to get set up in their country would get cut off, probably invaded. Back when magic was still in the shadows, Invictus cut deals with the major world leaders, giving them access to his power in exchange for control. Think about it. The patron system could work anywhere, but it's only legally valid here in the States, and specifically in the Hundred Halls. If you take a student outside of the system, then you're illegal and subject to fines, jail time, and removal of your abilities."
"It's not a perfect system," said Pi. "I'm not trying to defend it."
"It certainly sounds like it," said Jade. "I thought you hated the Halls?"
"I do, but you can't just tear it down and expect a better system to pop up in its place," said Pi, realizing she was sounding like her sister. "We need to improve the system, not destroy it. That was one of the reasons I joined."
Which wasn't completely true, but she found it hard to admit she'd fantasized about having a dragon or other supernatural creature as a patron. Illegally, of course.
"Then why are you here?" asked Jade.
Why am I here? she asked herself, but when she looked at Jade, she knew. "We can do both. Our choices don't have to be binary. We can damage the Cabal, keep them from consolidating power."
Jade narrowed her gaze. "You're still trying to save Arcanium."
"Those are my friends there. My sister, too. Look, I want a new system as much as you all, but there has to be more than anarchy," said Pi, getting up from the circle and stalking to the edge. "And it's not like you're doing anything about the Halls down here. You're barely surviving, stealing apples and living in a glorified cave. I've hit the Cabal where it hurts. I've survived their ambushes and outthought them. So don't talk to me about philosophy. It sounds great down here in the dark, but the real game is up there, and it's mean and nasty, and full of sharp elbows and deceit. At the end of it, no one says 'good game' or 'get 'em next time.' They're usually dead, or out of power. If you really want to do something, then stop worrying about what happened four years ago when you didn't get into the Halls, and start thinking about now. Because I know how to hurt the Cabal, and hurt them good. If that's what you want, then come find me in Big Dave's Town. If not, then good luck to you, because I didn't come down here to hide."
On the way to the rowboat, Pi wiped away a tear and had to fight to take a breath. She really wanted to blast a fireball into the lake, relieve some stress, but didn't want them to know how much she hurt.
She was so intent on leaving, she didn't hear Jade come up from behind and grab her arm.
"Let me be," said Pi, pulling away. "I get it. I'm a part of the system. You don't need me."
The look on Jade's face was somewhere between deadly serious and introspection.
"Hey, I..."
"Don't need me," said Pi. "I get it."
Jade wrinkled her forehead. "That's not what I was going to say. I'm good at being angry, but, what you said back there."
"I'm sorry, that was pretty rough."
"No. Not at all," said Jade. "I was being a jerk. We all were. I'm just so angry, and, well, you got into the Halls and I didn't."
"I'm sure it could have been the other way around. Anyway, we didn't know each other back then."
"But we know each other now."
Jade stared at her as if this was supposed to have meaning. She stepped closer. A warmth rose up in Pi's chest. The skin on her face tingled.
"What are you, uhm, going to do...?" asked Jade.
Before Jade's features had been angry slashes, but they'd rounded into a delicate softness. Her lips were bunched. Her eyes wide.
"I don't know. I didn't really have a plan when I stormed off."
Pi reached out to Jade, but as her hand crossed the expanse between them, she got nervous and put it back by her side.
"What about you?" asked Pi.
"I'm sure they'll stay up drinking," said Jade. "Not like they got much else to do."
At that moment from the other side of the island, a host of girlish laughter rose up like birds taking flight.
"Not them. You."
Pi moved half a step forward.
The too-tough Jade caught herself licking her lips and looked away, a smile hiding in her eyes.
"I'm free tonight," Jade said in a husky voice.
"What a surprise, so am I."
Pi brushed her finger against the back of Jade's hand, which quickened her breath.
"Do you...?"
Jade nodded emphatically.
"Where?"
"Not here," said Jade right away, then she added with a grin, "I'm loud."
"Oh, shit," said Pi, and not because the idea surprised her—she kinda assumed Jade was the talkative type—but more because it was really happening.
Jade floated near, her minty breath giving her the shivers. Pi curled her hand around Jade's mane of black hair, cupping the back of her head and pulling her so close there was barely enough room for a piece of paper between their lips. When the kiss finally came, it lasted until morning.
Chapter Fourteen
It'd been three weeks since Aurie had awoken in her bed at Arcanium, bandaged and in great pain. Professor Mali had been there when she woke, grim-faced and solemn, promising to explain what had happened at a later date.
Dr. Fairlight had been brought in for healing, but Aurie's allergy to magic had reduced the effectiveness of the spells. So Aurie had to heal the old-fashion way. During her convalescence, she'd sent her friends for books from the library.
No one asked her about what had happened. Aurie assumed the professor had made them swear not to ask, and she wasn't about to explain, since she didn't know the real answer. Her selection of books did raise some eyebrows. She had them fetch books about time travel, which confirmed what she'd already known—it wasn't possible. The Engine of Temporal Manipulation didn't alter time, rather it transferred the dilation from one object to another.
Frustrated with her reading, Aurie had been relieved when Isabella appeared in her room. Her hair was pulled into her face, so she was looking at her through a curtain.
"Professor Mali wants to see you," mumbled Isabella.
"What happened to your eye?" asked Aurie, sitting up on the couch.
Isabella's chin dipped towards her chest. She reflexively fixed the strand of black hair, hiding the black eye.
"Jacqueline had a major freak-out Monday. She said spiders were crawling out of the walls. Wanted to burn the place down. We kept her from casting any spells, but I got this in the tussle."
"Is she okay now?"
"Mostly embarrassed about it," said Isabella. "But everyone's been on edge since then."
"Where is the professor?"
Isabella nodded upward. "In the greenhouse. Bundle up, it's not as warm as it should be."
Aurie threw on an extra layer and an Arcanium hoodie before heading to the stairwell. She ran into Xi along the way. When she passed him, he shied away from her as if she carried a communicable disease.
"Xi?"
He backed down the hallway, facing her, and when he reached the halfway point, he turned and sprinted into the next hall. Aurie thought about chasing him down, but decided that would only make him worse.
A freezing rain was tapping against the greenhouse. There was a strange humming that Aurie couldn't figure out until she saw the space heaters set up around the perimeter. Normally, they used magic to keep the vegetation humid and warm. The enchantments infused into the greenhouse seemed to be wearing off.
Professor Mali was sitting between the rows of cackleberry bushes. The bloodred fruits looked ready to ooze ichor, with white cracks forming in their bloated skins. They smelled like wet graves at midnight.
"How a
re you feeling, young lady?" asked the professor, putting Aurie on her back foot. She hadn't been expecting pleasantries from the normally grim-faced professor.
"Better than the rest of Arcanium, I think," said Aurie.
"And why is that?"
"Because I got to use magic in whatever place or time that was."
"Time travel is impossible," said the professor.
"Then what happened?"
Professor Mali absently stroked the long gray braid hanging over her shoulder. "I've been trying to figure that out. I don't have a good answer. It wasn't time travel, we can rule that out. And you didn't go anywhere. One moment you touched the Engine, and the next, you fell on your side with all your injuries."
"Could I have been teleported somewhere and back?" asked Aurie.
"And your body placed in the exact same position that you left in? That makes little sense," she admonished, then shook her head. "Magic is a strange beast, and we know so little about the Engine. The only thing I can surmise is that Semyon's life is being sped up, but you failed to give the Engine a proper outlet, so it created its own."
"It's not sentient," said Aurie.
"I never said that." The professor flashed a glare. "But a river constrained by a levee will find a way out. And magic isn't as simple as water. It looks for the lowest energy way to reach equilibrium. Satchel's Second Law," she added, as if it were a lesson in class.
When Aurie had first woken up, the professor had quizzed her about what had happened. Aurie had been working on theories of her own. "I thought the alternate reality might have come from Semyon's memory, but since he wasn't in it, and Bannon Creed was, I didn't think that was it."
The way the professor looked at Aurie told her that she'd struck close to her guess.
"What you may or may not know is that the original patrons are closely linked by the charter. It's more than a document. It's a binding–an enchantment—that keeps them as close to each other as Invictus, Merlin rest his soul. There is much we do not know about what they shared in those early days."
"Did Semyon tell you?"
Mali shook her head, looking away. "Nothing directly. But teachers talk. We piece things together."
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