by John Corwin
The girl nodded slowly, eyes darting back and forth between me and Ambria. "I understand."
"It's why we're changing our last names," Ambria said. "We don't want to be judged by what our parents did."
"I promise I'll keep it all secret," Blue said.
I leaned back against a chair and decided on where to begin. "It all started in an orphanage."
The story took a while to tell, and by the time I was finished, it was past bedtime.
"This is unbelievable," Blue said. "And now your parents have broken through the barrier between this world and whatever is on the other side of the rift?"
"It seems so." I stood and stretched. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Goodnight, Ambria and Blue."
Blue kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you for the hug, Conrad. It was sweet."
My face suddenly felt very warm. "Um, okay."
Ambria looked at the other girl for a moment then came over and kissed my other cheek. "Yes, thanks, Conrad, for being a good person."
I almost rubbed the moisture from both my cheeks, but decided the girls might take it as an insult. I backed out of the room, then quickly headed upstairs and closed the bathroom door. I touched both of my cheeks and stared blankly at the mirror for a moment before shaking off the strange feeling the kisses had left in me. Girls make me feel funny.
You're almost a man, Vic said.
Della scoffed. He won't survive that long.
Chapter 6
Ambria and I woke up early the next morning and ate a quick breakfast. Blue came downstairs as we were getting our brooms.
"You're up early," Ambria noted.
Blue nodded. "I'm going to take the entrance exam too."
I blinked a few times. "You can do magic?"
She shook her head. "They have courses for shape-shifters like me." A hopeful smile lit her face. "Maybe I'll find other lycans there. If they like me, I can join their pack."
Ambria smiled at the other girl. "That's a wonderful idea, Blue." She looked around. "Unfortunately, we don't have another broom for you to use."
Blue stretched her arms over her head. "That's okay. I'll take the sky car."
"We'll see you there," I said.
Her face flushed. "See you there, Conrad."
Ambria and I flew across town to the small house near the western cliff where Max's uncle lived. Our friend was already waiting outside on his broom. He flew up to meet us and then we continued onward and upward toward the university on the towering cliff ahead.
"I can't wait to get this over with." Max dodged around a flock of geese and groaned. "I'm so nervous I could hardly eat breakfast."
Ambria laughed. "You know something is serious if it keeps Max from eating."
I grinned. "How much did you eat, Max?"
He shook his head. "I only managed four eggs, some pancakes, bacon, and toast."
"You call that hardly eating?" Ambria rolled her eyes. "You've probably eaten your poor uncle out of house and home."
"People who eat a lot are smarter," Max said. "It's a proven fact."
"In that case, you must be the smartest boy in the world," I said.
Ambria sniffed. "The only proven fact is that you'll eat anything and everything."
The sight of the university ended our conversation in a nervous silence. We landed just outside the main gate where guards in dark blue robes renewed our weekly security charms, and allowed us into the main entrance. People of all ages crowded the large hall. A teenaged boy stood with a group of his peers, laughing as they frightened small children with fireworks spells. A group of girls in bright pink robes looked Ambria up and down before sticking their noses in the air and giggling. Parents kept their young ones close to them, eyes watching an empty podium expectantly.
The roar of conversation and press of bodies was overwhelming, but I saw nowhere to seek relief.
"This is awful," Ambria shouted.
I nodded. "I didn't realize there were so many Arcane kids."
"This is way more than last year," Max said.
Ambria looked around. "I wonder if any of the children from Little Angel Orphanage are here."
After we'd rescued our fellow orphans from the Goodleighs, we'd soon discovered most of them had been abducted from their parents and were not orphans after all. In fact, they'd all been taken because their parents were skilled Arcanes. Apparently, children with good magical pedigrees could be sold for quite a profit.
I shrugged. "It's impossible to tell with so many people."
Something swished past my arm. I looked up and saw an old woman in a gray robe march past and up to the podium. The moment she stepped onto it, the hall went absolutely quiet.
"Welcome to Arcane University," she said in a mild Scottish accent. "I'm Professor Rhona Trask." She swept her eyes across the packed hallway. "Today marks the inception of another school year. Today, fates will be decided. Some of you will earn a place within these hallowed halls while other will fail." The professor's gaze seemed to catch on a few of the older children in the hall. "I wish you all good fortune, whatever the outcome."
She swung her arm to the left. "Neophytes report to Tiberius Hall for the early education entrance exam. If you haven't already, please place your registration forms in the box over there." She pointed out a large wooden crate in a corner.
The youngest children, herded by parents and other professors, did as instructed and moved in the indicated direction. Professor Trask waited until the last of them were gone. Ambria, Max, and I took the chance to drop our registration forms in the box. I'd kept the last name Edwards for my form. Ambria had chosen Smith, a common name she hoped would not draw questions.
I looked around and noted the crowd had thinned considerably.
Ambria nudged me. "Look, it's Stephan."
I spotted his tall frame in the hall opposite of us. Though he'd been grateful for us saving him from the Goodleighs, he'd never been nice to me before, and I didn't much care to say hello. "What about Alice or Catherine?"
"I haven't seen them." Ambria regarded me with a raised eyebrow. "I suppose all you care about are the girls."
Her strange comment brought a confused frown to my face. "Why would you say that?"
She didn't answer and nodded her head to the left. "And there's our neighbor and his friends."
Harris, Baxter, and Lily sat on a bench against the wall. Harris didn't look the least bit worried. I wondered if he placed too much faith in the prophecy about him. "They look bored," I said.
"Shh," Max said. "The professor is about to talk again."
I looked toward the podium and caught a hard look from the professor. She seemed to be waiting for us to be quiet. After a long uncomfortable moment of staring at us, she turned to the others and spoke. "Those of you who are here for the master's entrance exam will report to Colossus Stadium."
At this, the older children filtered away, leaving those who looked close to my age. Harris caught my eye and waved. I waved back. Baxter looked at his friend, then glared at me, as if I were a grave danger to their relationship.
Other children glanced from me to Harris, their eyes jealous. I suddenly realized how crowded it was near the other boy, as if he unconsciously attracted other people. I then noticed how other students tried to engage Harris in conversation, like fans trying to speak to celebrities they idolized. Harris seemed politely disinterested in whatever they said.
"That's Harris Ashmore," a nearby girl told her friends. "He is so cool."
"He's dreamy," said another girl. "Maybe if we stand next to him, he'll notice us."
Ambria groaned. "Well, we certainly know who the popular kid is."
A warm hand went over my eyes. "Guess who?" someone whispered in my ear.
"Blue, be quiet," Ambria hissed.
"Thanks for ruining it, Ambria."
The hand slipped away. I turned around to see Blue's sparkling eyes. "Did you just get here?"
She shook her head. "I couldn't find you in all t
hese people."
"If you would kindly remain silent," the professor said.
I gulped and gave her a sheepish smile.
Max nudged me in the ribs and hid a grin behind his hand.
"You're cute when you're embarrassed," Blue whispered from directly behind me.
I stiffened and felt my face turn red hot.
Professor Trask kept her eyes trained on me and made the next announcement. "Those here for the changeling courses, please report to the Burrows."
"Where are those?" Blue asked the professor in a panicked voice.
"If you cannot find your way through the university, then you have already failed the exam," the professor replied in a calm voice.
I looked around and saw a group of children heading down a hall. "Quick, Blue, follow them."
She followed my gaze and smiled. "My hero." With that, she bounded after the others.
When I turned around, I found the steely gaze of Professor Trask bearing down on me. She silently reached into the sleeve of her robes and withdrew a tall stack of yellowed envelopes.
A young girl wearing black clothes and a short pointy hat raised her hand. "What about the entrance exam for witch's school?"
The similarly dressed boy next to her thrust his hand into the air. "And warlock school?"
"There is no separate exam for those minors," the professor replied.
"Minors?" The girl looked horrified. "I thought we could major in witchcraft here."
The boy's lips peeled into a sneer. "This blows."
The professor smiled pleasantly. "Well in that case, perhaps you'd like to leave." She pointed down the hall. "The doors are there."
The girl sniffed loudly and looked as if she wanted to cry. The boy threw his arm over her shoulder. She flinched and slipped away from him.
"Goodness, I hope they pass the exam," Ambria said softly. "They'll provide plenty of entertainment."
"Shush," Max hissed. "You don't want to get on Trask's bad side."
The professor waited for a moment, eyebrow raised expectantly at the hopeful witch, and finally returned her attention to the envelopes. "Malcolm, if you please."
Max glanced back with surprise as his uncle appeared pushing a levitating cart loaded with a large brass globe on a pedestal. The middle-aged man's lips curled back into what seemed like a permanent scowl, casting ugly wrinkles across his face. Frizzy white-blond hair shot in all directions from his balding head, and he walked with a discernable limp.
"Hey look, it's Cryberius's loser uncle," Baxter shouted.
Children burst into laughter. The scowl on Malcom's face deepened, but he looked at the ground and kept his silence.
Professor Trask's eyes hardened. "That is quite enough, Mr. Troy."
Max hid his face. Ambria put a hand on his back. "Don't listen to that loser, Max."
I glared at Baxter and wished the professor would punish him somehow.
Vic spoke in my mind. Kill the worthless wretch. His words sent a chill down my spine.
Our son is too weak, Della scoffed.
I tried to shake off the ill feeling those words planted in my stomach, but their voices seemed to be gaining strength in my head. When I'd been cursed, dark impulses seized me and foreign emotions invaded my mind. With the curse gone, my parents' souls were like having little horned devils on both shoulders. Thankfully, Cora was my angel. Memories of the love of my foster mother kept me strong.
The professor tapped her wand to the globe, and a round portal opened on the side. Malcolm placed the envelopes inside and the professor closed the hole. Max's uncle turned a handle on the pedestal. The globe spun. He released the handle and the contraption slowed to a halt. A bell rang and an envelope slid from a slit in the pedestal and hung halfway out.
Professor Trask pointed to the envelope. "The envelopes contain your exam instructions. You are not to discuss anything within the envelope with any other student. If you do so, you will be given a failing mark. If you decide to quit in the middle of an exercise, simply tap your wand against the top corner and say, 'I am a failure.'" Her lips flattened. "You may then drop your exam with me and leave." She pointed to the first envelope. "Now, which brave soul will take the first envelope?"
Harris Ashmore leapt to the fore.
"How appropriate." Trask smiled. "Good luck, Mr. Ashmore."
"Thank you, professor." He broke the wax seal on the envelope and withdrew a parchment. I found myself craning my neck along with the other students for a glimpse of what was on the paper, but from here, it looked blank.
"I'm going next," Max grumbled. He headed toward the globe, but Baxter beat him there and took the second envelope. Lily smiled at him as he reached for the third envelope. With a loud sigh, he motioned her ahead of him.
Lily curtsied. "Thank you, Max."
"Well, at least he was polite," Ambria said softly. She gripped my arm tightly. "I'm so nervous I want to throw up, Conrad."
I swallowed a hard knot in my throat. "Me too. I didn't think I'd feel like this."
Max finally got his envelope, opened it, and took out the letter. His face went pale. He looked at us and waved, before vanishing down one of the hallways.
Ambria's grip tightened. "He looked terrified."
I patted her hands, hoping she'd loosen the death grip on my arm. "You'll do fine."
"I can't bear waiting anymore. The suspense is awful!" Ambria rushed to the globe and took the next envelope just before Stephan reached it. He gave her a puzzled look as she ripped it open. Her mouth fell open as she read the contents.
I waved at her, but she seemed to enter a trance and stumbled down the opposite hall.
Now that I was alone, I felt rather eager to get started. Instead, I seemed unable to make myself move toward the globe. The crowd dwindled until I was the last person there.
"Well, I don't have all day, boy," Trask said.
I unlocked my limbs and headed for the final envelope. Anxiety wrapped its thorny tendrils around my chest. My heartbeat grew louder the closer I grew to the slip of paper containing my fate. Why am I so nervous? It made no sense at all, unless it had something to do with my parents. Then again, this was a milestone in my life. If I passed this hurdle, it would open me up to a world impossible to imagine just months ago.
Instead of being a nothing, I could become a fully functional member of society. Instead of relying on others for charity, I would forge my own path. Assuming my parents don't take over the world in the meantime. Thinking of that real and present danger melted the ice in my stomach, and killed the constricting dread in my chest. This exam was nothing compared to what I'd been through.
Pass or fail, I'll find a way to survive.
I snatched the envelope.
"I can tell you're a procrastinator," the professor said. "I doubt you'll pass with a lackadaisical attitude like that."
"Bloody good-for-nothing kids," Malcolm said.
A smiled tugged my lips. I looked at her and said, "Thanks, professor. I'll try to improve."
The rise of a single eyebrow expressed her doubt.
I walked a distance from the globe and broke the wax seal on the envelope. Heart racing, I peeled it open and withdrew the parchment. At first, the page looked blank. Suddenly, ink crawled across and just as quickly vanished. I was just about to turn around and ask the professor about it when a single sentence appeared.
Report to classroom XIII.
I had no idea where that was, so I walked down the hallway until I was out of sight of the professor. Digging in my pocket, I retrieved my arcphone and turned on the Arcane University map app. "Phone, where is room thirteen in Arcane University?"
"Please follow these directions," the phone said, and displayed a map of the interior. I followed a blue line on the map further along the hall, through a door, and down several flights of stairs. At least a dozen doors lined the sides of the corridor at the bottom. Though none had numbers on them, the phone seemed to know where to go. I stopped next to th
e door and opened it. Pitch black waited on the other side.
I stepped inside and fumbled on the wall for a light switch. The door creaked and slammed shut. Before I could cry out in alarm, a bright light blinded me. I staggered backward and felt cloth against my back. I grabbed at it, but it tore loose and I fell to the floor, the cloth falling over my head.
When I freed myself, I blinked in confusion. Beeps from heart monitors echoed around me. An old man in a rollaway hospital bed stared blankly at me. The cloth, I realized, was a privacy curtain.
I climbed to my feet and backed away. "Sorry, sir."
The old man didn't answer. A thin stream of drool hung from his open mouth. Though his eyes were open, he didn't seem to be conscious. I turned for the door and bumped into a man in a white coat.
"Ah, there you are," he said. "Follow me."
The man looked terribly familiar, but I couldn't place him. "Is this part of the test?" I asked.
He ignored me and continued down a hall, past rooms filled with patients. An eerie sense of déjà vu spread through me. Have I been here before? It wasn't possible, of course. I'd only barely seen parts of the university. The man stopped outside a door and pointed inside. "I'm afraid she doesn't have much time."
What I saw inside stole the breath from me.
Chapter 7
"Mummy?" I rushed to Cora's bedside.
She tried to lift a frail arm, but the effort was too much. Cancer had stolen her strength and the glow of vitality, leaving behind a shadow of the woman I'd known and loved as my only real mother. "My good boy is growing up." She smiled.
Tears blurred my vision. I buried my faced in the crook of her neck. "Please don't die, Mummy. Please don't leave me alone."
"There's nothing more we can do for her," the doctor said.
She's going to die. I stiffened. Wait, I can use magic now. I can save her! I stood and looked down at the phone. "Phone, is there a spell to cure cancer?"
The phone displayed a list of results and recited the top one. "A skilled healer is required to counteract serious diseases, including cancer."
"Where is the nearest healer?" I asked, thinking of the one I'd met in the healing ward.
