by Evie Wilde
Edius swooped in and laughed, turning his attention to Ruby. “Hello, my dear,” he said. They locked eyes, and he seemed to have the same expectation of her that he had of me. Ruby raised her hands to cast a spell but stopped. I watched, and waited but she did nothing.
“Ruby,” I said. “Take him out.”
Ruby did nothing, only stared at the man.
Oliver, Kyler, and Braeden cast a spell at the old man, but he blocked the spells with ease, sending the spells crashing against the crystal buildings. We were screwed.
“Fools,” Edius chided. He turned to Challis. “Finish off the students, but leave that one to me.” He pointed at me. “I’ll need her later.” He glanced at Ruby again and at that moment, I knew they had met before. He could have killed her where she stood, yet he left her alone.
Edius flew away, disappearing into the clouds. Challis cackled and fired a fireball in our direction. The fireball missed its mark, and I realized it had been a joke, taunting us. She then went after the other students, creating chaos and confusion.
“Here!” Nicolette called to everyone. She created a spell-blocking shield big enough to hide our small group. The others stepped beneath the shield. I didn’t. I stayed in full view of Challis. Daring her to attack me. Remembering what Edius told her. “Dispel her!” Nicolette yelled at me. “Use your fire magic!”
I stared at Nicolette and then looked at Challis, a smile working across the witch’s lips. She cast a fireball at my feet, but I refused to move. Ironic. I couldn’t destroy her, and she couldn’t destroy me. We were at a stalemate. I could hear the others yelling for me to run or take cover, but I knew I was safe for now.
The guys stepped from Nicolette’s shield and began casting spells, firing ice, fireballs, and tornadoes at Challis. Using his earth magic, Kyler tossed a slab of the sidewalk at Challis. But one by one, Challis brought the others to their knees. I thought for sure I was about to lose three of the men I cared for the most.
“Attack that bitch!” Nicolette screamed once more. But I couldn’t. And for a moment I considered Challis was actually using my powers against everyone, the powers she’d stolen from me.
“Challis!”
I turned on my heels to see Aurelius approaching, a spell already forming in his hands. He wore a magnificent robe with adorned shoulders. His hat was covered in half-moons. For the first time since we met him, he looked like an actual wizard. He cast his spell at Challis, hitting her and sending her backward. Challis composed herself and fired back. Aurelius easily defended himself, catching the spell and dropping it to the ground. He stepped on the spell with his large foot, smiling back at Challis.
Incensed, Challis screamed in defiance and prepared her next spell. She pulled a wand from her belt and twirled it in small circles.
“Challis,” a sterner voice called. I turned in the opposite direction to find Headmaster Eliphas Eliphas entering the courtyard. He had also donned his official wizard attire. Challis moaned. An opponent she had no power to defeat.
Challis moved away quickly but found the wherewithal to attack one last powerful instructor. She sucked the power from the woman and the woman collapsed to the ground. And then she turned a trick I’d never seen before. She brought her hands over her head and chanted, pulling moisture from the clouds. She cast the spell quickly, avoiding Aurelius' attempt to stop her, and froze every student and teacher in the courtyard. The courtyard looked like a winter wonderland.
Seeing the ice had no effect on Headmaster Eliphas or Aurelius, Challis flew off over the buildings, her cackling like nails on a chalkboard. With Challis gone, Aurelius and Headmaster Eliphas broke the spells holding everyone in ice. The two men stared at the devastation around them.
“This has to stop,” Aurelius said to Headmaster Eliphas.
“I’ve done everything I can,” Headmaster Eliphas replied. The two men obviously disliked each other.
I looked around the courtyard at the damage and the people struggling on the ground. Students helped teachers and teachers helped students. Everyone but me had been hit by a spell, and I was the only one unable to fight back. The witch who had been called the chosen one had been defenseless against Challis and Edius. I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact with anyone.
“You did everything you could,” Kyler said, which was untrue. I did nothing and could see I did nothing based on Braeden’s disappointment. It was beginning to look like old times.
“You two,” Headmaster Eliphas said to Braeden and I. “In my office.” He then turned his attention to Aurelius and the others. “Clean this disaster up while I talk to these two.” Aurelius obviously didn’t like being told what to do by Headmaster Eliphas, and I wondered how long it would be until the two had a battle of their own.
The faces around me told me everything I needed to know. Challis and Edius had attacked because of me. But it made no sense that Edius left me behind, knowing I had no power to stop him from taking me if he wanted. It also made no sense that he was within feet of Ruby and let her retain her powers.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Cassandra
I sat next to Braeden in Headmaster Eliphas office as he paced the room. He dressed differently than the others at the academy while he was in his office, opting for a business suit rather than the robe he’d worn while fighting Challis. His office also looked different, modern and nothing giving away his hierarchy in the world of magic. The man reminded me a lot of Kyler, hidden secrets and keeping to himself for the most part. I hated not being able to read him.
None of the other students ever talked about Headmaster Eliphas. It was as if I were the only one ever brought to his office. If and when things calmed down at the academy, it would be time to do a little snooping into Headmaster Eliphas’ life and background.
“Can you explain to me what in the hell happened during the field study while you were away?” Headmaster Eliphas asked. “This entire thing has been one big clusterfuck! I’ve got The Council all over my ass. They’re threatening action against me!” His assistant walked in and got his wrath. “Out!” He then pointed at me. “You are becoming a pain in my backside. What am I supposed to do?”
“Challis attacked while we were training,” Braeden said. “Wasn’t anyone’s fault. We were doing what we were sent to do.” He glanced at me. “I thought we did well considering it was a surprise attack.”
Headmaster Eliphas turned and pointed his finger. “Shush,” he said. “I want to hear what you have to say.” He pointed at me and then closed his office door. His energy filled the room and made the hairs on my arms stand up. But I still didn’t understand why he didn’t go after Edius. The archmage was the cause of the attacks. When Headmaster Eliphas returned to his desk his face wasn’t quite as red.
Before I spoke, I noticed a picture of him, Aurelius, and a man I didn’t recognize hanging on the wall. I wanted to ask if it were Edius, but I wasn’t exactly sure how much trouble I was in. Pissing him off any more than I already had would probably mean being sent home. I made a mental note of the picture and planned to ask Oliver for help.
I explained what happened in the clearing, how Challis had appeared out of nowhere and attacked Barbarus. I then explained how the guys saved me after she stole my powers. “You really need to speak to Dash,” I finally said. “He knows Challis.” I didn’t feel like I was throwing Dash under the bus, but Headmaster Eliphas needed to understand there was a history between the two. “We had nothing to do with her being there.” I motioned at Braeden. “He’s right, we held our own.”
He stood and began pacing the room again, shaking his head and chewing on his thumbnail. He stopped and sighed. “I don’t have many choices, Cassandra. You have lost your powers and therefore offer no value to the academy. You are a distraction. I've seen how the other students react to you, and even some of the instructors are afraid of you whether you have power or not.” He stopped pacing and took his seat. Clasping his hands together, he rested them on the desk.
>
“Don’t,” I said. “I have nowhere else to go.” Terrified, I looked at Braeden for help.
“You can’t,” Braeden said. “She’s worked too hard to leave now. And the students and instructors who are afraid of her just don’t know her well enough yet. That’s on them. You can’t do this.”
But Headmaster Eliphas could. He’d been looking for a reason to rid the campus of me, and now he’d found one. Maybe it was a punishment I deserved, but it was not a punishment the academy deserved. Sending me away would cause more problems than it would solve.
“You are no longer welcomed here, Cassandra. I’ve arranged for a transport back to your guild. I will contact Guildmaster Ren in the morning.” The disappointment in his voice for having to remove me from the academy actually gave me hope. Maybe I was wrong about him. Or maybe the whole fucking mess was driving me insane. He didn’t really want to send me away. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.” He started looking through a stack of papers.
“Wait,” I said and stood. “You have to let me help the academy. That’s why I’m here. That’s why they are here.” I motioned at Braeden. “Please, Headmaster Eliphas. Challis has made this personal, and I swear to you I will help fix this and take her down.” I looked at Braeden. He had no idea this was coming.
Headmaster Eliphas let out a loud groan and then sat back and loosened his tie. He studied us and then shook his head. “The Council will have my ass if I don’t send you home. What is it you expect me to do? Go against their wishes?”
Braeden stood and put his hands on the desk, surprising Headmaster Eliphas. He leaned forward. “You can’t do this,” he pleaded. “Guildmaster Ren told her if she returned without having control of her powers she would be banished from the guild. She has nowhere else to go, Headmaster Eliphas. You’ll be sending her to her demise.” He looked back at me. “We can’t beat Challis without her. The academy can’t beat Challis without her.”
“Sit down, Braeden.” Headmaster Eliphas stood, and he suddenly seemed taller. Anger crept across his face. He didn’t like students addressing him the way Braeden did. He wasn’t going to change his mind.
Braeden returned to his seat but scooted forward, almost falling off the edge. “She belongs here where there are people who care about her. There's nothing back there. This is where her support system is. This is where she means something to people.” He shook his head in frustration. “You let her leave this campus, and we have no hope of stopping Edius.” He said it slow enough for Headmaster Eliphas to understand every word.
Headmaster Eliphas nodded in agreement with everything Braeden said. “You understand all our asses are on the line now?” he said. “You make one little screw up, and I'll have you and them removed. Have I made myself clear?”
I nodded and stood. “Thank you, Headmaster Eliphas. I won’t disappoint you.”
He shook his head. “I hope not because I’m getting too old for this shit. Out, both of you. And close the door behind you.”
Shaking, I followed Braeden from the office, making sure I closed the door, and I snarled at the assistant before leaving the suite and leaving the suite door open. “I didn’t think he would give in,” I said. “I thought I was going to have to leave without even packing. We need to get Challis before she gets us!”
“I thought he was going to send us both home.” Braeden stopped and took my hands in his. “I wouldn’t have let you go home alone,” he said. “I knew exactly what I was getting into when we came here together.”
“I’m not sure that makes me feel any better,” I said.
“We still need to figure out a way to get your powers back,” Braeden said. “I think we rally the guys and see what we can figure out. I’m not buying your powers are totally gone forever. We’re missing something important.”
I raised my hands and tried to create a fireball. Nothing happened.
We crossed the courtyard on the way back to the dorm; the grass and much of the sidewalks were still full of holes. I stepped over a pendulant that belonged to one of the teachers and decided to stop and pick it up. Aurelius’ name was on the back. I stuck it in my pocket. We entered the dorm where things were quiet.
“You think we could talk for a bit?” Braeden asked. He held my hand, and our fingers instantly intertwined. “There are a few things I’d like to say. Just some things that have been on my mind about us.”
I hugged his arm. “Of course,” I said. “I hope you know you mean the world to me and always have even when we were kids. I know you’ve spent most of your life protecting me and, at times, keeping me alive. No matter how much I screw up you are always there to fix things.”
He kissed me on the cheek, and we took the stairs to the dorm rooms.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Braeden
I sat next to Cassandra on the couch while the others chatted around us. The conversations were all over the place: Challis and Edius, what to do on spring break, how to cast a shapeshifting spell, even some talk about dark magic. Headmaster Eliphas had been insistent, and we both knew he would send Cassandra away if anything else happened. I couldn’t let Casandra go. We moved as a team.
“I'm sorry,” Cassandra said and leaned her head against my shoulder. Her hair smelled of strawberries, and her breath was warm and enticing. She laid her arm across mine, feeling her touch nowadays so much different than it had been in the past. “I never meant for you to be involved in the trouble I get into. Headmaster Eliphas should not have spoken to you like that. You were only trying to help. I don’t want things to be hard on you because of me.”
“We’re a team,” I said. “Things that affect you affect me.” There’s actually more than us. “Things that affect you affect the four of us.” She smiled as if she was relieved to hear me say those words. “Headmaster Eliphas was only doing what he was told to by The Council. But we need to make sure it doesn’t come down to any of us, including him, being sent home.”
Though the chatting around us continued, I felt eyes bearing down on us, so I gave Cassandra a gentle kiss on the forehead and held her close. I seemed to be the one everyone had doubts about. The warmth of her next to me sent a tingling sensation through my body. Things were rapidly changing between us, and I was confused on how to deal with them. I’d honestly done everything over the years to help her understand her powers and to help her stay out of trouble. I thought about what happened in training and what happened earlier. What could I have done to stop the chaos? What could I have done to stop Challis from cursing her powers? In no way did I think Cassandra failed. We were supposed to protect her, and we didn’t.
“Look,” I said. “I’m going to fix this. We’re going to fix this so you can stay at the academy. This is on us as much as it is on you.” I nodded at the others in the room. “We live as a team, and we die as a team. I think what you need to do now is talk to Aurelius. He was at both battles. See what he has to say. He has to have some kind of insight into what happened. I’m not sure he’ll talk to us both at the same time. I think he likes you and wants to see you do well.”
Cassandra stuffed her hand in her pocket, and I could see the outline of her fingers grasping something. I assumed it was the pendulant. “You’re right, as always.” She nodded. A weak smile crossed her face. “I’ll see what he has to say. And, by the way, he loves you guys. We need to make sure he’s kept safe, and maybe we can get him put back on The Council.
“No, we’re right. A team, remember?” he said. “Talk to Aurelius. Take his advice, and we’ll figure out what to do next.”
Cassandra hugged me and then worked her way around the room, hugging the rest of the group. She was the common link between us. “I’ll be back.”
As soon as Cassandra closed the door, I gathered everyone around the table. The only way to fix what we had messed up was to do it as a group. I quickly went over what the headmaster’s plans were for Cassandra. Then I told them about Guildmaster Ren, emphasizing Cassandra would had no place to g
o if Headmaster Eliphas expelled her. “She’ll be absolutely miserable if he sends her away,” I said. But I also knew another failure would not only kill her dreams, but she would feel even worse that she made me a part of her failure. I didn’t want that for her.
“We need ideas,” Ruby said. “We can’t sit around waiting on the academy to fix this.” She looked around the table. “Say something, you guys. Don’t you have anything, Oliver?”
“Challis’ spell was wicked,” he said. “I need time.”
“Time we don’t have,” Ruby said.
I turned to Dash. “You and Cassandra both have fire magic,” I said. “Is it possible for you to transfer any of that power between the two of you? Not all of it, but enough for her to regain her confidence and be prepared the next time Challis or Edius attack?”
Dash shrugged. “I’ve never tried it before.” He raised his hands, and two tightly wound fireballs appeared above his palms. He juggled them between hands. “I don’t know.”
“It has to work,” I said. I dreaded bringing up what was going on between Cassandra and Dash, but I needed to do whatever in order to help her regain confidence. “What is the connection between you and her? I’ve known her for over ten years, and yet you have this strange tie to her. Why?” I glanced at Kyler and Oliver. “I can sense the anxiety in all three of you. Why is there this connection amongst us?”
“All we know is that when she arrived on campus, we were immediately drawn to her,” Oliver said. “Believe me, we’ve discussed this a dozen times, and none of us can figure it out.” He looked at the other two guys. “And it’s more than just a connection of magic.” He swallowed hard, and his face began turning red. “There’s an intimate connection as well. Like each of us is meant to be with her.” He turned red and looked away.
I sat back for a moment. I glanced at Dash who had been with her. I couldn’t deny I noticed the intimate connection between them and her. But I also didn’t want to discuss it right then. “What about transferring powers? If we all have a connection, surely one of us can?”
