by Marisa Mills
The door to the infirmary opened before we reached it. Dorian’s sister Eleanor emerged, immaculate as ever. Her dark hair fell in glossy, smooth ringlets over her bare shoulders and spilled towards the black lace of her dress. Her eyes were bright and clear, but her lips curled into a frown when she saw me. “Oh. It’s you.”
***
Eleanor was the most striking woman I’d ever seen, and she’d disliked me from the start, believing I posed a threat to Viviane’s relationship with Alexander. I felt a sharp spark of guilt. Back then, the idea of Alexander and I together was ridiculous, but now, I wasn’t so sure. He had kissed me in the library, but that was when he still thought I was a rich mage from Argent. Although her features were harder, I realized that Eleanor looked a lot like the vision I’d seen of Gwen in the forest, except for the subtle lines around her mouth and eyes that no amount of magic could conceal.
Probably from all the frowning, Lucian said.
I realized I’d been staring and looked away quickly.
“Isn’t that wonderful?” Dorian asked, his excessive enthusiasm clearly meant to torment his sister. Before she could answer, a man came behind Eleanor, who shifted awkwardly away from the door. I’d never seen him before, but he was tall and very broad. Something about his face was vaguely hawkish, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. Perhaps, it was his beak-like nose. his wide brown eyes or the reddish hue in his hair. Although he was also wearing black, a tailored suit that didn’t quite hide his gut, his warm smile made a stunning contrast standing beside Eleanor and Dorian, who’d always seemed cold to me.
“This must be the famous Wynter!” the man exclaimed. “Alexander was just telling us all about you!”
“Wynter,” Dorian said, “this is Frederick, Baron Sherrinford.”
Eleanor’s husband, then. I frowned and tried to remember how the nobility worked. Who was higher—a count or a baron? I curtsied and smiled. “A pleasure, my Lord.”
“The pleasure is all mine!” Frederick replied. “Viviane will be thrilled to see you. She’s been so worried about you and Alexander!”
Worried? Lucian muttered. An hour ago, she thought she’d murdered two of her classmates, and that’s the greatest emotion she can summon?
I bit my lip to stop myself from responding.
Dorian edged closer to his sister and whispered something I couldn’t catch. Eleanor murmured something back. It was strange to see them whispering together; I thought they hated one another. I wondered if they were trading secrets, or insults.
“I’ll be happy to see Viviane, too,” I replied, trying to focus on Frederick, even though it was really hard not to be interested in what Dorian and Eleanor were talking about.
“You know; I think it’s great that Viviane has a friend like you,” Frederick said.
With friends like that, who needs enemies? Lucian quipped.
“I think it’s good for a young lady to have strong female friendships.”
Was Frederick teasing me, or did he legitimately believe that Viviane and I were friends? Viviane hadn’t liked me from the beginning. Even my fake background as a lady of Argent hadn’t been good enough for her blue blood, and now she knew I was a fraud and a thief. Which was more than Alexander knew about me.
I glanced into the infirmary and saw Alexander and Viviane talking alone. My heart pounded in my chest. Alexander knew I could hear demons, and that I freed Lucian. Viviane knew I was stealing for Dorian. Together, they had more than enough information to destroy me. Dorian nudged my elbow and I realized Frederick was staring at me expectantly.
“I do think it’s good to have friends,” I said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have my classmates’ help with work and other things.”
“I don’t imagine you’d need much help,” Frederick said. “I’ve heard you’re very gifted.”
“Only with fire,” I said. “I’m hopeless at everything else.”
“Still, your father must be very proud of you,” Frederick said. “To have such a powerful mage in the family.”
It seemed strange that he’d specifically mentioned my father.
Maybe he doesn’t care for women, Lucian offered. This is boring, anyway. I don’t suppose you’d let me liven this up?
Definitely not.
I nearly gasped as Lucian appeared behind Frederick and pantomimed kicking him in the rear. I knew the others couldn’t see or hear him, at least I didn’t think they could, but I was pretty sure he’d feel a kick in the pants. I wondered how much Lucian could actually do now that he was free. We’d have to have a talk about boundaries.
“I never knew my father,” I admitted. “He died when I was very young.”
“You should cast your net elsewhere,” Dorian cut in.
“Should I?” Frederick asked, grinning.
The two men exchanged a look I didn’t understand.
“Wynter,” Dorian said, “why don’t you go see Viviane? I’m sure you’d rather do that than listen to our gossip.”
I caught the implied dismissal. “I would,” I said. “Shall I…”
What was the proper phrasing to ask if I should visit him?
“Come to call? Once you’ve settled in,” Dorian replied. “Of course.”
Dorian really did make the politest demands. I considered, not for the first time, if Dorian really was that much better than Gabriel. Or maybe Dorian just articulated things better. At least he hadn’t tried to kill me yet.
“One moment,” Eleanor said, grabbing my arm and scrutinizing the black stitches Sterling had given me. “You look like a torn dress.” She lifted the lid from her silver pen with one hand, quickly sketching sigils around the wound. I felt a stab of pain, then a soothing coolness. She blew over the stitches and they untied themselves, before dissolving into dust.
“You’ll have a scar I think,” she said, frowning at the light pink line running up my arm.
“I don’t mind,” I said. It wasn’t like it was the first. I had several on the underside of the same arm, but Gabriel had always been careful to hurt me where it wouldn’t show. Eleanor looked at me like I’d said something very stupid, and dropped my arm suddenly, as if she could be contaminated through prolonged contact with someone from the Lower Realms.
Dorian pulled the door open and offered a mocking bow.
“Until next time, little mage,” he said.
He closed the door behind me, and for an instant, I just stood there. Slowly, I forced my feet to move across the room, between the rows of beds, covered in clean, crisp sheets. Viviane lay in bed, her dark curls stark against the white pillow. Her face was bruised and red in places, where the sigils had healed her wounds but left marks. Viviane’s arm lay upon the covers. The sigils were gone, but the lingering remnants of Lucian’s fire remained imprinted upon her flesh, a blistering wound. I tried to tear my eyes away, but I couldn’t. Alexander sat in a chair near her. They’d been talking when I entered, but their conversation died when Viviane turned her head and saw me. For a split second, her green eyes bore into me. Her eyes were blotchy and red; I wondered if she’d been crying.
Viviane heaved a sigh. “Hello, Summer,” she smirked. I couldn’t believe she was still teasing me, after everything we’d been through. Just as Alexander was always going to be the princeling to Lucian, I was always going to be Summer to Viviane.
There weren’t any other chairs, so I sat on the bed beside hers. This one wasn’t nicely made; the sheets were all crumbled. “Was someone sitting here?” I asked.
“Just my uncle,” Vivian replied.
She looked vaguely ashamed, like she’d caught herself in a lie. When I was injured, Gabriel never watched over me. He wanted me up and scavenging as quickly as possible. I pulled my feet up and let them rest on the edge of the mattress. “It’s nice that he cares so much for you,” I said absentmindedly.
“I guess,” Viviane replied.
There was an edge to her words that I didn’t unde
rstand.
“Anyway, I’m sorry I almost killed you.”
“You didn’t mean to,” I said automatically.
“I know that,” Viviane scoffed.
Well, it seems this did nothing to sweeten her attitude, Lucian said. Too bad.
Viviane had been forced to attack us, and we’d stabbed her. She was probably just scared and lashing out because of it.
“Wynter,” Alexander said carefully, “what do you think about all this?”
I frowned, unsure what he was implying. Alexander’s eyes met mine. Slowly, he reached between us and trailed his thumb over the crossguard of my sword. He was really asking whether Lucian had picked up anything.
Tell that princeling to keep his hands to himself, Lucian hissed.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Being from the Lower Realms, I don’t know magic well enough to guess.”
Alexander’s eyes narrowed. It felt like he was trying to force a confession. My heart pounded so loudly that I heard its echo in my head. He probably thought I could speak freely here, since both Viviane and Alexander knew I was a fraud, but neither of them had all the details. Maybe I should’ve told Dorian about them, but then, I wasn’t sure how he’d react to the news. Probably not well. And I couldn’t do anything that might risk Dorian going back on his promise to take care of my family.
“I see,” Alexander said. “Well. I think we have to figure this out. Together.”
“We?” Viviane asked.
Alexander crossed his arms and nodded. “The Council is nearly useless, and the nobility are too worried about their social positions to get involved. Plus, nobody has seen as much as the three of us. Whatever is going on, we’re already part of it. So it’s up to us to stop it.”
Viviane bit her lip and glanced away. “I don’t think you should,” she said. “We should leave this to people who can handle it.”
“But they aren’t handling it,” Alexander said. “That’s the problem with this kingdom. Everyone is too afraid to do what they have to in order to fix things. They ignore the problems until they’re too big. Sometimes, you have to ignore procedures and just do something.”
“And do you think any of us are going to be a match for whoever is controlling demons?” Viviane snapped.
“We’ve handled them before,” Alexander said stiffly.
“You, Summer, and Tatiana managed to stop one demon,” Viviane said, “and even then, Celeste and Delacroix had to come and finish it. I don’t remember what happened to me, but I do know that you and Summer fell from Reverie. And even though somehow you managed to survive the fall, I doubt you’ll be so lucky next time.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Alexander hadn’t told Viviane about Lucian, not yet anyway.
“This is dangerous, Alexander, and it isn’t about you. You need to stay out of it.”
Interesting. She said it isn’t about him. She didn’t say it wasn’t about her, Lucian interrupted. What does she know that we don’t?
Alexander snorted. “So you’re just going hope the problem goes away by itself? That whoever is attacking the Academy decides to leave us alone? Wake up, Viviane!”
“Alexander,” I put a hand on his arm, “after what happened to her—”
“I don’t need your pity, Summer!” Viviane snapped. “I’m managing fine. The only thing I need is my space and for my stupid family to…”
Viviane shook her head and rubbed her eyes roughly against her shoulder. Her eyes watered, and she looked like she might start sobbing. What had Eleanor and Frederick said to her? I exchanged a glance with Alexander, but he looked as lost as I was.
“How long are you going to be here?” Alexander asked, changing the subject. “We should…do something. Out in town. To celebrate.”
“They’re going to release me tomorrow,” Viviane said. “Du Lac wanted me to retake my exam, but Celeste convinced him I couldn’t. For now, the Academy is just keeping everyone—regardless of whether or not they passed their test. I’m grateful for that; I guess.”
That meant I would get to stay, too, without passing the semester final. I sighed in relief. After everything that happened, I didn’t want to have to fight Tatiana.
“I don’t know if I’m going to resume sigils, though,” Viviane said. “I’m really considering battle-magic. Then, I’ll be able to get out of extra lessons with Celeste.”
“Battle-magic might not be a bad choice,” Alexander said. “And you’re already good with swordplay. It makes sense.”
“I know,” Viviane replied.
“Why did you choose sigils, anyway?” I asked.
Viviane shrugged. “Mother wanted me to,” she said. “She and Celeste thought I’d be a natural because Mother and Guinevere were.”
“I wouldn’t call Eleanor a natural,” Alexander said. “I mean, she isn’t exactly a magical prodigy, especially if you’re comparing her to Guinevere and Dorian.”
“Really?” I asked.
Viviane sighed. “Ugh. Open a book, Summer!”
“Some mages are more powerful than others,” Alexander said. “We think it’s connected to bloodlines, but we’re not sure exactly how.”
I remembered Dorian mentioning how Guinevere’s suicide was considered to be the sign of a weak bloodline, but maybe that only referred to mental weakness.
“How powerful was Amelia?” I asked.
Viviane shrugged. “I don’t know. The woman always hated me, so I tried to avoid her. But then, Amelia hated everyone.”
It seemed like everyone hated her, too, Lucian said. Even her own children.
“There’s a picture of her in the library,” I said. “Isn’t there?”
Viviane nodded. “She liked to donate money and put her face on things,” Viviane said.
Ask if she thinks your nobleman pushed the old bat down the stairs, Lucian said.
I feigned a yawn. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I think I’m going to sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“Tell me about it,” Viviane said.
“I’ll head out, too,” Alexander said, squeezing Viviane’s hand. “Get better, all right?”
Viviane nodded. Alexander and I left the infirmary, heading back towards the dorms. When we were halfway there, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an empty corridor. He was so close, my back touched the wall behind us. My breath came in an awkward stutter, waiting for him to shout or call the guards.
“We have to figure this out, Wynter,” Alexander said, his voice soft. “You know they aren’t going to be able to do it. And I’m not sure if we can trust Viv. Something else is going on with her. She’s too close to this.”
Did I have any choice but to agree?
“I know,” I replied, hoping it was the answer he wanted.
Alexander slowly nodded. “I’ll see you in class,” he said. “Get some sleep.”
He moved roughly away from me. For a few seconds, I remained against the wall and tried to calm my nerves and shaky breathing. No royal guards emerged to apprehend me. No king or princes. Alexander hadn’t told. Not yet.
But how long would my cover hold? I was walking around talking to a demon – a demon I’d freed. We knew that Viviane was being controlled by a rogue mage, and whoever they were, they were still out there. And whatever they were after, they were prepared to kill for it.
Eight
THE NEXT MORNING, I HAD a new schedule of classes. I’d taken the lesser exams before falling from Reverie, and it looked like I’d actually passed a couple. Unfortunately, my decision to skip the exam for Du Lac’s Introduction to Sigils meant I’d have to take the whole class again. I was still taking swordplay with Delacroix, although I’d been moved to more advanced class. I was in Introductory Battle-Magic with her, too. Conrad’s dance class was new; I’d never danced in my life. There was another class called Theoretical Applications of Magic, which sounded frightening, but it was being taught by Gareth, who’d always been very kind to me.
And one of these professors was likely attacking students. But who and why?
I went reluctantly to Du Lac’s sigils class, flipping my silver pen between my fingers as I walked down the familiar corridor. I didn’t really know where I stood with Du Lac. He knew something was off about me, but how much did he know? We hadn’t spoken since I’d given him the stolen tiara. I realized suddenly he still hadn’t turned me in, which could only mean there was something else he wanted from me.
It was strange to be back in the academy, and it wasn’t just the contrast between Claribel’s thatched hovel and the sweeping, marble hallways. People were happy to see me. The girls in my dormitory—Tatiana, Kris, Lily, and Jessa—had greeted me with hugs and screams of delight. They cared enough to be happy I was alive, but were also impressed by my magical prowess. I heard whispers in the hallways: Alexander was the prince who lived. I was the girl who’d fallen with him. Even though we stuck with our story of waking up in the woods, rumors were already spreading about what really happened between us.
It almost felt like I belonged here, but I knew that wasn’t true. It was only a matter of time before somebody turned me in as a fraud, and I didn’t know what would happen then.
If I had died, I didn’t think Gabriel would care that much at all. I had allies, sure. Maybe Alexander might protect me. Maybe Dorian would honor his word… eventually. It was more likely I’d be stuck under the thumb of my employer for years, trading illegal favors to maintain my fake identity. How bad would that be? At least I’d get to stay here at the Academy, which was hardly unbearable. But what would happen to Briar in my absence?
I have no home, I realized suddenly. Not anymore. I could never go back to the Scraps. Gabriel’s men would never leave me alone – not now that he knew I had real magic. He thought I’d been lying to him, all my life… keeping it a secret from him. Real magic. He was sitting on a gold mine and he never knew it. I’d seen it in his eyes just before he pulled the trigger. The betrayal had been too much. If I could just explain, maybe he’d forgive me, but he’d still expect me and Lucian to do terrible things for him. Only, of course Lucian would never let him. If he laid a finger on me, Lucian would roast him like a rabbit on a spit.
