“I can’t believe Keller didn’t even talk to us,” Sip said for the millionth time, as the three of us sat in the Astra sitting room. The weather was still terrible. It was raining harder than ever, with what seemed like egg-sized drops pounding against the window panes. Lough sat huddled under a blanket, his eyes filled with concern. They’d left Airlee the minute they’d been allowed, while I had just stayed in Astra, not wanting to miss Keller if he came.
Over the past three years Sip had become friends with Keller too. His ignoring us in favor of Malle had hurt her, but she masked her pain with anger.
I stared hard at the fire, wondering how much more I could take. Even the end of the semester wasn’t going to offer any relief. I missed Keller and I missed Lisabelle, and it hurt me deep inside that they were so close and yet unreachable.
“We should have our own hybrids,” she said, “that would show all the darkness mages.”
“Someone doesn’t want to talk to you, so you invent evil monsters to have them killed?” Lough said. “Sounds about like a girl.”
Sip took a sip of tea. She’d been furiously boiling water, letting the tea steep, adding honey, and pouring it for the last twenty minutes. Now she sat on her sofa, cradling the steaming mug and glaring ferociously.
“We’ve now lost both of them,” said Sip sadly. “I never thought Keller would go over to darkness.”
I spun around.
“We haven’t lost either of them,” I said. “Keller was only doing that because he had to. He’ll come!”
Sip looked troubled, and Lough didn’t say anything. “He’ll come,” I insisted.
“Charlotte,” said Lough quietly, “they already left. Malle’s delegation. It was only a handful of Nocturns and they didn’t stay very long. They talked with Goffer, Oliva, and Caid, and then they left. Once they knew Oliva didn’t have the key, they didn’t wait around.
I swallowed hard. I felt like there was a massive hand pressing down on my chest and keeping me from breathing.
“What about Dobrov?” I asked. “Have you seen him?”
Sip’s face got even darker. “Not since the end of Tactical.”
I had told my friends that I’d given Dobrov the Key. At first Lough been appalled, but he quickly realized that I had had no choice.
Now, though, Dobrov was nowhere to be found.
“Charlotte?” Sip asked. “Keller will come back. He didn’t go over to darkness. It’s just that he didn’t have a choice either.” She looked at me pleadingly, so I nodded, feeling numb.
Lough looked at me with worry in his eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked.
I looked at my two friends, the only two friends I had left in the world, or so it felt.
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “No, I’m not.”
By the end of the week it was clear that Dobrov wasn’t going to come either. I had risked my life for the Key of Light for nothing.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The end of the semester was near. I would have thought that the ache of missing Lisabelle and Keller would have eased with time, but it hadn’t. Instead it was getting worse, and Lisabelle’s absence was feeling less and less like she was taking an extended vacation and more like it was permanent. Seeing Keller had done nothing to help my sleeping, or my mood.
We had one more strengthening task to carry out for Dacer, and he had decided to let us risk it. Over the course of our previous excursions, Sip and I had become more efficient at putting the Power of Five into effect and then returning to Public, and it seemed to make sense for us to try this last one.
I was having a hard time concentrating on anything, including schoolwork, so I was relieved when it was time to leave campus. Public had become stifling. Everywhere I went the students either ignored me entirely or gave me dirty looks. I didn’t much care, but it made for very unpleasant classes.
We didn’t think it was a good idea for Sip, Lough, and I to all just disappear for the weekend, but when Lough grumbled, we got Rake to look after Astra and the three of us set off together for our last mission of the semester.
The house we were assigned to this time was unlike the others. Dacer had mostly sent us to clusters and families where there were lots of children with unusual talents, like the Tempest, or rare and special animals at risk of going extinct at the hands of the demons.
But this house was on a hill far out in the middle of nowhere, and it was too small to contain any children. Dacer said that an old woman lived there alone, and that she had once been a professor at Public. Maybe that warranted protection, but I wasn’t completely convinced, and neither was Sip.
“It feels like a waste,” she complained, “to go to all this trouble for one paranormal. Is it someone who’s important to Dacer?”
“Maybe,” I said. I honestly couldn’t figure out what Dacer wanted. He had been strange about it since he had told me about this latest mission. “She was a professor here, so he probably knew her, or maybe his mother did.”
Sip nodded. “What’s the name?”
“He didn’t tell me,” I said.
If it had been anyone but Dacer, that would have made me nervous. But I had forgotten to ask at the time, and Dacer, who was usually very forthcoming with information about these missions, hadn’t offered.
We took brooms. Sip, who hated flying, and I, who hated heights, were not happy about it, but there was no quicker way to get there.
Lough had his own broom and was having a delightful time zooming around and laughing.
“Lough, if you can’t be serious you shouldn’t be here,” said Sip irritably. Lough ignored her.
We left just as dusk arrived on Saturday night. We usually worked through the night, missing the massive parties that were now commonplace at Public.
“I can’t believe Oliva lets them happen,” Sip had said the last time we passed a group of Starters carrying what I was sure was alcohol.
“He’s always with Caid,” I said, frowning, “looking for the Key.”
Sip nodded. “Does Oliva really think that if Faci finds it, he’s just going to turn it over to the paranormals?”
“As far as he’s concerned, Faci is just a student at Public,” I said worriedly. “There’s no reason for him to believe Faci wouldn’t.”
Sip snorted. We all knew that Faci was a Nocturn. We also had reason to believe that Dobrov still had the Key, though we hadn’t seen him since the night of Tactical and we couldn’t even hazard a guess as to what he intended to do with it.
We were soaring high over the treetops. It was nearly December and the air was cold, but it had yet to snow. With winter coming and the days getting darker, I was glad Sip and Lough had moved into Astra. Lough had claimed his own apartment right off the kitchen and said that he never planned to leave, while Sip had taken the bedroom across the hall from mine. She had left the room as it was, decorated in patterns of fire. She said that when Lisabelle came back they would both return to Airlee, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I didn’t think that was ever going to happen.
We landed on a dirt road halfway up the mountainside. I wasn’t sure Dacer had informed the professor that we were coming; he usually gave the people we were scheduled to visit a warning, but he also didn’t always tell us whether he had or not, and I didn’t want to give the old woman a fright.
Sip, Lough, and I started to trudge up the dirt path.
After what felt like hours of walking, Lough said, “There,” and pointed to a cottage nestled in the trees. There was smoke coming out of the chimney.
“How idyllic,” Sip murmured. Although it was long past the season for a garden, there were flower beds and a perfectly tended vegetable patch out front. The cottage was painted white with brown shutters and blended well into the side of the mountain. I’d kept my eyes out for any signs of demons, but there were none. We were in a very remote area. Why, oh why, would Dacer want us to come here?
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Come on,” said
Lough, stepping up to the front door. He had just raised his hand to knock when it swung open to reveal an elderly woman. She might have been about the age of Dacer’s mother, but she didn’t look anywhere near as agile.
“If you’ve come to kill me, you might as well get it over with,” said the woman in a raspy voice. She didn’t look the least bit afraid.
We exchanged glances and I stepped forward. “We aren’t here to kill you,” I said.
The woman’s face instantly brightened, but I thought it was from the sound of my voice more than from what I had said.
“Ah, Charlotte,” she murmured. “You sound just like your mother. I knew Dacer would get you here eventually. How did he manage it?”
I was too stunned to speak. It was only now, in the dim light, that I realized that the woman was half-blind.
“Did you think we were demons?” Sip asked.
The woman chuckled. “No, I knew you weren’t. I could sense you from a mile away, but I didn’t know you were friends, either. I can’t get news up here, but Dacer promised to send Charlotte when he could. I had started to think he had forgotten about me.”
The woman was dressed simply, all in black, as if she were in mourning, with a sheer black veil covering her gray hair. Her wrinkled hands were laid over a black cane, and she was so hunched over that she was nearly as short as Sip. Clearly, though, her mind was still sharp.
“Dacer said you were a professor at Public at one time?” I asked.
The old woman nodded, still eyeing me strangely.
“For many years,” she said.
“What were you a professor of?”
“Inter-paranormal relations,” she said dryly. “Speaking of which, are you here to fix my Power of Five or aren’t you?”
I nodded. “We are.”
“And you’ll stay for dinner afterward?” she asked crisply, ushering us in.
“I suppose,” I said. I wasn’t sure that had been the plan; it was already late, and I didn’t want Rake to be at a loss as to what to do about our absence. But she seemed insistent.
“I’m Evellin Earls,” she said. “Professor Earls. Don’t bother introducing yourselves. I know who you all are.” She waved Lough’s outstretched hand away. “Very good,” she said. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
She moved slowly, using her cane. Unlike with Dacer’s mother, she seemed to need it. It wasn’t just for show.
Her tiny cottage was spotless. There was a worn blue rug just inside the door and a crackling fire in the sitting room.
“Where do you need to be?” Lough asked me, looking around skeptically.
“Anywhere,” I said. “The magic of the Power of Five is all around the house. If the shield were operating, it might be better if I touched it, like when I strengthened the shields around Public. But here I’ll just sit in the living room.”
“I like it better not having to sneak in,” Sip commented, pacing around the room and looking at all the pictures.
“I have a feeling we couldn’t sneak up on her if we tried,” I whispered.
Sip grinned and nodded. “I wonder why Dacer sent us here.”
I shrugged. “I’m going to strengthen the Power and then figure it out.”
“I’m going to go help her with dinner,” said Lough thoughtfully. “She shouldn’t have to do it all on her own.”
“By ‘help’ you mean see if she has snacks?” Sip asked sternly, fixing him with a purple-eyed stare.
“Yes,” said Lough. “That too.”
He disappeared through the door to our left as Sip and I made our way into the living room. We sat in front of the fire, figuring that we might as well be warm while we worked.
Sip grabbed a book from one of the side tables and started to flip through it, while I closed my eyes and tried to relax, checking for the interconnected stream of magic that told me the Power of Five was present.
“Wow,” I whispered. My eyes were still closed and I could feel my ring pulse, but this place was different somehow. The elemental power I felt was warm and familiar, almost like it was home.
Sip might have said something or she might have kept quiet, but I didn’t know, because at that point I wasn’t paying attention. Instead, I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus. I could ask this woman what the meaning of the magic was later, after I had done the strengthening.
I reached to my right, sticking my hand right into the fire. It was another trick I had learned, as a fire elemental. I couldn’t even feel the flames. When I wanted the warmth of the fire I could have it, but that isn’t what I was after now. I wanted its power.
“It’s getting colder in here.” Sip’s voice sounded different now as my magical self streamed through me, intent on joining the other Powers of the Five.
It looked like Professor Earls had already strengthened the other layers, making them into pulsing colors of strength, while the elemental thread was a dull brown, dead for many years now.
I reached out to touch it with my magic, prepared for the prick and the need to ask permission to let my own new magic flow.
But there was no permission needed. I felt no prick. The thread just burst to life before my eyes. It stretched to envelop the other threads, to connect with them and form an impenetrable wall.
“I can feel it,” said Sip, as I slowly started to come out of my magic. I had learned that murmuring helped the spells along. Spoken spells were considered lesser, because you might not have time to say the words, or worse, you might not be able to, but in this case it gave the magic added strength. When I wasn’t under attack, I liked to say the spells. Somehow it made me feel closer to my elemental essence.
“Come on,” said Sip, as I opened my eyes. She closed the book with a thud and placed it next to the once-again roaring fireplace. “Let’s go eat.”
I was instantly glad I had agreed to stay for dinner. First, I was famished. I hadn’t eaten before we left; I’d been too excited about leaving. Second, it smelled delicious.
“Are you two coming?” Professor Earls voice called out.
“Yup,” said Sip, nearly skipping. I followed at a more leisurely pace, still trying to examine the magic I had just put into place.
The kitchen was far smaller than the living room, and it felt like mere luck that all four of us managed to fit in there. As we entered, Sip clapped a hand over her mouth, and I immediately saw why. Professor Earls already had Lough in an apron, and it was pink. There was white and blue trim, but it was more like something Dacer would have worn, it was definitely not something I ever thought I’d see on Lough. Lough ignored our reaction and kept right on setting the table.
The stove was merrily piping along, and something was boiling on top of it.
“Wonderful,” Sip cried. “It smells delicious.”
Professor Earls beamed. “Stew,” she said. “Luc’s mother always thought I had the best taste in food. They loved to have dinners at my old house.”
“Not this house?”
She shook her head. “I moved here a few years ago.” Her eyes darkened. “Well, five, nearly six, to be exact.”
Lough glanced at me. “I’m starving, and this is just the half of it. It’s not even dessert.”
“Dessert,” she said, “is cookies.”
“See?” said Lough delightedly. “I love this place.”
He glanced at me, seeing that I was not as amused as he was. How could I laugh at a time like this? It was different for him. He had grown up with his parents. He could still Contact them and hug them.
I was staring at Professor Earls. I stopped when she noticed, but it was too late.
“You have questions,” she said. “I’ll be honest. Dacer knew nothing of why I wanted you to visit. I refused to tell him, which drove him crazy. His mother knew, of course, since I tell her everything; we are old confidants. But some things really are for your ears alone.”
“Sip and Lough can hear anything you have to tell me,” I said. I actually didn’t think I could be
ar to hear what she had to say without my friends there to support me, but I didn’t bother saying that out loud.
Professor Earls nodded and started to carry a steaming hot pot over to the small kitchen table. Sip rushed forward to help her, and received a nod of thanks from our hostess.
“Good,” she said. “It’s a long story and I need to sit down. Besides, your friends are hungry, and I would hate to keep them from their dinner.”
The table was handmade and sturdy, but well used. Four chairs barely fit around it. Lough had done a nice job of setting it, and once the platters and pots of food were added there was no room for anything more. I took a deep breath and sat.
“This smells wonderful,” said Sip, trying to break the tension.
Lough and I agreed, but all of a sudden I didn’t have much of an appetite, since I was now far too curious about the story Professor Earls had promised to tell. My appetite brightened up a bit when I smelled the vegetable soup; the aroma almost set me at ease.
Almost.
“All the veggies are homegrown, of course,” said Professor Earls, smiling a little. “I do love cooking for friends.”
“We aren’t friends,” I said. “We’re Dacer’s pupils. I’d really appreciate it if you started telling that story.”
“Very well,” she said. She wasn’t angry with my strong words, but Sip was offended on her behalf.
“You can’t talk to her like that,” my friend cried.
“I sensed elemental magic,” I said hotly.
“Yes, well, it is the Power of Five,” said Sip.
“It recognized me,” I said, glaring. “It knew me. It was like coming home.”
Professor Earls eyes shone. “I was hoping that would happen.”
“Why?” I demanded. I stood up, pushing my chair back so that it dragged on the floor. “If you don’t answer me,” I said as my ring started to pulse, “I’ll make you answer.”
Elemental Darkness (Paranormal Public Series) Page 23
