by John Corwin
Ambria shuddered. "What sort of family problems does a giant spider have?"
"More than you'd suspect," Galfandor replied. "I know you remain alert for danger, Conrad. After all, few students have parents who wish them dead. Until I discover more about these people, you should not go anywhere alone."
Max snorted. "Too late for that."
I gave him a sharp look, but Galfandor's eyes narrowed. "I take it you've encountered them?"
"Oh, just tell him, Conrad." Ambria huffed in exasperation. "Someone kidnapped him, Galfandor. They locked him in a dungeon and he barely escaped with his life."
The headmaster's lips and eyes tightened. "Is this true, Conrad?"
"Yes, it's true." The tension in my chest deflated. "I really don't have time to talk about it now. We're already going to be late to potions class."
"I'll walk with you and explain your tardiness to Professor McTrask." Galfandor turned and led us down the hall. "Tell me what happened."
I told him what I'd told Esma, leaving out the parts about the dossiers. His relationship with my mother was a subject for another time.
"The people who took you are called the Seers," Galfandor said. "What I find most troubling about this incident is that they rarely, if ever, interfere with what they perceive as the natural progression of events."
"Is there something we can do?" Max said. "Arrest them?"
"I can speak with the Templars," Galfandor said. He looked down at me. "Was the blood on your shirt in a pattern?"
"No." I didn't even have to think about it. "It looked as if they poured it on me."
"A ritual of some kind." Galfandor tapped a finger on his chin. "What I wouldn't give to have that shirt for examination."
McTrask's Irish lilt drifted out of the doorway ahead. Galfandor seemed to steel himself before stepping inside. "Good day, Professor."
"Can't you see I'm in the middle of class, Galfandor?" McTrask said.
The headmaster cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I inadvertently delayed three of your students, Professor."
Her sharp eyes settled on us as we stepped through the door. "I don't appreciate this interruption one little bit. Perhaps the next time you have cause to delay my students, you'll do me the favor of advance notice!"
"Yes, yes, of course." Galfandor bowed slightly and backed out of the door. "Carry on." Before she could respond, he vanished around the corner.
Max snorted, drawing a glare from McTrask.
"I won't repeat what I've already said, so you'll just have to catch up on your own," the professor said. "Now find a table!"
Ambria and Max took one empty lab table. Since each table was designed for only two people, I had to look around for one with an opening. Liana waved me over to her table. I crossed two rows and joined her while McTrask droned on about the day's assignment.
"There are no shortage of spills and messes that must be cleaned while learning potion making," McTrask said. "Ordinary soap won't do the trick, so you must create a magical cleaner using the ingredients written on the board." She turned an hourglass on its other end. "Begin now."
I noticed Jessica and Liana's other female friend, Gertrude, partnered at the table behind us. "Did your friends leave you?"
Liana shook her head. "I wanted you to be my lab partner."
Any other time I might have been flattered. Considering what Max had told me about her family, I felt suspicious instead. "Why is that?"
"You're an interesting person, Conrad." Liana pointed to a black cast iron pot. "Can you start some water boiling?"
I hefted the heavy pot and took it to the water pump on the other side of the room to wait my turn. I filled it and placed it over the magical heat rocks Liana had already warmed with her wand. An uneasy silence took over as we waited for the water to boil. I didn't know what to say, and Liana seemed content with crushing ingredients with a pestle and mortar.
"Can you hand me the toasted slugs?" she said.
I opened a drawer. "How many?"
"Four."
I removed the crispy slugs and handed them to her. She dropped them in the water and stirred. Liana continued mixing ingredients, pausing only to consult her notes. She seemed sure of herself and there was an easy way about her that I admired. When we poured the mixture into the strainer, a thick milky liquid dripped from the other side.
Before long, our glassware was filled with magical soap.
Liana bit her lower lip and smiled. "Want to test it?"
Professor McTrask had stained a cloth with potions and cut it into pieces. I took a strip and rubbed the slick soap on it. Liana dipped it into water and the stain lifted and peeled away like a sticker.
"We did it!" Liana held up her hand and I high-fived it.
I didn't want to like her or trust her, but the look of delight in her eyes lightened my heart. I felt the soft skin of her hand close around mine for all too brief a moment, and then she let go. The rest of the room fell out of focus and all I could think about was touching her hand one more time.
Chapter 9
A surprised shout from Max told me he and Ambria weren't doing quite as well. In fact, the situation quickly went from bad to worse. Black liquid bubbled and frothed in their pot. Max tried to turn off the heating stones, but the potion boiled over, spilling down the table and onto the floor.
It spread quickly, raising cries of alarm and sending students scattering in all directions to avoid the dark tide. Rory didn't move fast enough. The moment the inky potion touched his shoes, he fell and slid across the floor as if it was made of ice.
Professor McTrask glared across the room. "What's the meaning of this, Tiberius?"
"I don't know!" Max shouted as he ran from the spreading slick.
Students climbed atop their chairs and tables to escape. Others joined Rory on their backsides, sliding across the floor and desperately grabbing for something to anchor them. Anything coated by the potion was too slippery to hold onto.
I grabbed our potion and poured it on the oily slick. The magical soap cut through the grime, dissolving it into a dark puddle. Others who'd successfully made the cleansing potion followed our lead and soon the floor was covered in foul-smelling water.
Professor McTrask twirled her wand and a small funnel of air formed. It whirled across the liquid like a mini-tornado, sucking it up and pouring it into a large kettle at the front of the room. When it was done, the floor practically sparkled.
"I don't know what I did," Max groaned.
"You added peppered snails instead of toasted slugs." Ambria hid her face behind her hands. "Our grade is ruined!"
Rory squeezed water from his shirt and walked over to Max. My friend backed up a step, wary of the larger boy. I stepped between them, ready to help if Rory wanted a fight. Instead, he looked at the oily substance on the lab table. "The only thing you did differently was add peppered snails instead of toasted slugs?"
Max's forehead wrinkled. "Uh, yeah. The second I added the crushed ingredients, it boiled over."
Rory nodded and went back to his lab table where he scratched out something in his notes and wrote something else down.
"An interesting concoction," McTrask said. "While you and your partner receive a failing grade for the day, you can take some comfort knowing that you just discovered an unknown substance, Tiberius."
"Unknown?" he said. "B-but it was just one ingredient."
"A failing grade?" Ambria's lips trembled. "Oh, Max, how could you?"
The professor handed Max a piece of parchment with a wax seal on it. "This is your certification of authenticity. Take it to the Department of Magical Verification and have them make sure this potion recipe has never been filed."
Max's mouth dropped open. "You mean, I invented something?"
"Perhaps," she said. "I suggest you have it verified first."
"Yes, Professor." He tucked it into the folds of his potions book, a stunned look on his face.
Liana clapped her hands. "How exciting!"
>
I didn't know if I felt more excited for Max or sad for Ambria. Then again, a bad grade for one assignment wouldn't cause her to fail the class.
When class ended, Max could hardly wait to go to the verification office. "I'm going to run it by before I report to detention," he said, and raced away.
I patted Ambria on the back. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
"He can be such a moron, Conrad." Ambria's shoulders slumped. "Liana, would you like to swap Conrad for Max?"
Liana laughed. "Maybe you should keep a closer eye on your lab partner."
We gathered our belongings and went into the hallway. "I have to report to Professor Emoora," I told Ambria.
"Lucky you." She shivered. "I wish I could go with you instead of reporting to Professor Grace." Her eyes narrowed with suspicion when she looked at Liana, and I could tell she wanted to warn me away. Her lips pressed together in an obvious effort to keep her mouth shut.
I waved. "See you later."
"Bye." Ambria slowly turned and walked away.
"Why do you have to report to Professor Emoora?" Liana asked, pacing me down the hallway.
I almost told her about the private tutoring, but switched to a half-truth. "She didn't tell me exactly. Some sort of alternate detention."
"Interesting." Liana tapped a finger on her lower lip, eyes lost in thought.
I stopped outside Esma's office. "Why are you so interested?"
She seemed caught off guard, and stammered out a reply. "There's something different about you."
"I'm the son of two murderers," I said more harshly than intended. "My parents were evil, and half the school hates me. Why do you want me around you?"
Her eyes grew very large, shimmering pools of innocence. "I don't hate you, Conrad. I think you're very interesting."
Don't be a fool and make her angry, Della said. If you want help finding the relic, remain on good terms with her.
Why do you care? I asked.
Relics of Jura are powerful, Vic replied.
I should have known they'd only care about power. They were right, though. If I wanted a chance at finding the Broken Relic, I needed Liana so I could meet her sister. I adjusted my attitude with a fake smile and a nod, as if accepting her reply at face value. "Thanks." I waved goodbye and left her there. Maybe Max was right and Liana was just playing games with me. Maybe she couldn't be trusted. Even if that was true, why did I feel so dirty for going along with it?
I had to protect myself. The only people I trusted not to betray me were Ambria and Max. Esma looked up from her desk when I entered and smiled. It occurred to me that I trusted her nearly as much as my best friends. She was a hard teacher, but that was only because she wanted us to learn.
"Was that your girlfriend, Conrad?" The professor looked delighted. "She's very pretty."
"Uh—" I tugged at the collar on my shirt. "She's just a friend."
Esma tried to sit on the corner of her desk, but her legs were too short to make the attempt look dignified. She scowled and leaned on the desk instead. "Has anyone spoken to you about girls?"
My throat felt tight and my palms felt damp. "No. Is it really necessary?"
"It is," she said with absolute certainty. Esma crossed her arms. "First, you must never let a girl keep you from your dreams. They will try to lure you, and make you their little manservant." She waggled a finger. "Girls possess a particular magic boys find very hard to resist."
I wanted to disagree, but thinking about the way Liana's simple touch made me feel, I found myself nodding in agreement. "She just touched me," I said. "All I wanted to do was touch her hand again."
"Precisely my point, Conrad." Esma squeezed my shoulder. "You are a genius with great potential—the sum of powerful parents. If you do not learn how to govern your feelings, you may be diverted from the path of greatness."
Her high praise made me feel uneasy. "Am I really a genius?"
"I have seen it in you before as I saw it today." Esma smiled at me tenderly. "If you ever need advice about girls, ask me. I was once a girl myself after all." Tears pooled in her eyes. She stiffened and wiped them.
I took her hand. "Are you okay, Esma?"
She slipped her hand away, a cool mask replacing the warm vulnerability. "Quite." She glanced at the time on an antique wall clock. "Let's go. We don't want to be late." She opened a broom closet and removed two high-performance brooms, one of which she handed to me.
I wanted to tell her that she didn't need to hide her feelings around me. I wanted to hug her and tell her that everything was okay and that I wouldn't judge her for whatever hid behind that mask of hers. But the moment was lost, so I followed Esma and kept quiet.
"Are we going into town?" I asked when we got outside.
Esma climbed on her broom and shook her head. "No, we're going across the valley."
I looked out over the valley toward the shining chrome buildings of Science Academy. "We're going over there?"
"Have you never been?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"Well then, you're in for a treat." Esma watched as I hopped on my broom. "Have you been practicing your flying?"
"Every day." It was one of my favorite pastimes.
"Excellent, then you should have no trouble beating me in a race." She leaned forward. "Ready, set, go!"
She streaked forward and I jetted in pursuit. Delectra had once been a broom racer and her soul fragment had imparted skills and knowledge that might have taken me years to master otherwise. I hugged the broomstick to lower wind resistance and positioned myself directly behind Esma and into her slipstream.
I shot forward and was about to slingshot around her, when she waggled the broom, disrupting the suction and causing me to lose ground. It was a maneuver few fliers knew, and even fewer could master. Then again, Esma had played Kabash and raced brooms as well. She looked over her shoulder, a smug look on her face.
The waggle maneuver might have cost me the slipstream and an easy way to pass her, but it also cost her some speed. I angled my pitch to match hers, rotating my broom back and forth each time she waggled, making it impossible for her to keep me from her slipstream. Before she realized what I was doing, I catapulted around her.
Now I was in the lead.
I looked back and offered a smug grin of my own, but Esma wasn't done yet. She rolled into my slipstream and began to gain. I didn't bother waggling, instead, veering side-to-side and up and down so she had to fight to remain behind me.
We were nearly to the other cliff when Esma gave up trying to stay in my slipstream and simply streaked past me. She held up her hands in victory when she crossed the edge of the cliff and hovered in place to wait for me.
"How did you do that?" I asked. "Did you cheat? Is your broom faster?"
Esma shrugged. "Perhaps I'm simply better than you." She turned and flew across campus.
I had my doubts about her claim, but the Science Academy campus was more than enough to take my mind off the race. The largest building rose from the earth at an angle, its sides flowing in liquid curves to a slanted dome at its peak.
Stainless steel towers rose nearby, thick metal discs segmenting them every few feet with shiny spheres perched at the tops. Blue electricity arced between the towers, snaking up to the spheres where the energy dissipated into the heavens. Next to them stood a glass building with a narrow base and a spherical top, resembling a massive lightbulb. Behind them stood a third building shaped like a twisting ladder of DNA. They looked so familiar, I could almost—
I stand on a floating platform gazing out at the two buildings. "Our father was weak," I say grimly. "How could he let Lab Edison sink so low?" The sound of my voice is deep and familiar. I looked down at the hands of a man. At my side stands a thin man with black hair and a pointed beard. He looks similar to Victus, and yet is not him.
"He had no vision, unlike you, Victus." The other man claps me on the back. "After what Tesla did to him, I will do anything to destroy t
hem."
I feel a grin stretch my face. "Then you're with me, Theodore?"
"I am, brother."
"You will not like this, but it is the only way to beat Tesla," I say.
Theodore sighs as if he knows what's coming. "Magic."
"Arcnology," I say. "Magic and technology are stronger together than apart."
I blinked and was surprised to be back in the present, my broom still gliding after Esma. I looked back at the buildings we'd passed. Tesla and Edison Labs. They were the Science Academy equivalent of keeps. The third building was Lab Curie, named for Marie Curie.
I trembled, my nerves still unsettled by the strange flashback.
Students riding moving sidewalks looked up at us, foreheads creased with confusion or mouths twisted into grimaces at the sight of flying brooms in this sanctum of science. Chrome-plated robots patrolled the grounds and more students perched on shiny rocket sticks flitted past, some of them slowing to watch us pass.
"Pay them no mind, Conrad." Esma made a shooing motion at two children who flew too close to us. "There is a mutual mistrust between those who respect only magic, and those who worship science."
The children zipped away when Esma drew her wand and aimed it at them threateningly, their eyes wide with fright. Esma laughed and tucked her wand back in her robes.
We continued on to the far back of campus where a plain rectangular building of gray stone sat apart from everything else. It stood out if only because it looked so mundane compared to everything else here.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"Something different." Esma glided to an easy landing and hopped off her broom.
I joined her on the ground and followed. A plain sign hanging above the door read, Arcnology Lab. The passage I'd read in Seer Plinth's essay flashed before my eyes. Was this a place that combined magic and technology? A breath caught in my throat as I wondered what marvels might wait inside.
The front doors slid open and we entered a wide atrium. Esma consulted a directory board on the wall and headed right. Pounding echoed from ahead. A metal door buckled and a spiked metal ball burst into the corridor. It rattled past us, swerving drunkenly around obstacles. Two students raced down the hall after it, one of them punching a red button on a remote control, all to no avail.
