“We’re here to talk to you about an article we’re writing for the paper,” I said.
Brittany scrunched her nose. “Paper? Who reads on paper?”
“It’ll appear online, too,” I said. “Lots of links for social media.”
That piqued her interest. She left her sunglasses on top of her head and eyed me curiously. “What’s the article about?”
“Karl Muldoon’s disappearance,” Gray said, swaggering forward. The three young women noticed him at the same time. I could practically feel their heart rates increase, not that I blamed them. I had the same reaction every time he walked into a room.
“What would you like to know?” Brittany asked in a sultry voice. “I’ll tell you anything.”
Stab me with the pointy end. Now I was going to have to endure his inflated ego all the way back to the academy.
Gray gestured to the end of her lounge chair. “May I?”
Brittany tucked her bronzed legs to the side to make room for Gray. “I insist.”
“We understand you hosted a party recently,” Gray said.
“I host parties all the time,” Brittany said, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder. “You’re welcome to come to the next one. We love meeting new people.”
“And Karl attended this last party?” I asked.
“Yes, technically, it was a charity fundraiser, but that’s just an excuse to dress up and spend money.” Brittany barely glanced in my direction. Now that she’d set her sights on the hot vampire, I was persona non grata.
“We understand that he may have met someone new at this event,” Gray said. “Someone not in your usual social circle.”
The young women looked blankly at each other.
“Someone who seemed a little off. Talked about immortality, maybe?” I prodded.
The redhead snapped her fingers. “That’s right. Karl and Christopher were having that funny conversation, remember?”
Brittany frowned. “I only heard part of it. Christopher was monopolizing Karl. It was annoying.”
“Who’s Christopher?” Gray asked.
“We met him a few weeks ago,” the redhead said, angling for Gray’s attention. “He was at another fundraiser that most of us went to.”
“Like a car wash?” I queried.
Three sets of eyes narrowed at me.
“A charity auction,” Brittany said haughtily. “To benefit the local museum.”
Ah, more rich people stuff. “Is there anything you can tell us about Christopher?”
“He seemed really smart, but also kinda dumb,” Brittany said.
“In what way?” Gray asked.
“He knew all about stuff like chemistry, but he didn’t even know what FaceChat was.” Brittany grimaced. “Not that I’d want him stalking my profile anyway. He gave me the creeps.”
“Did he give Karl the creeps, too?” I asked.
“No,” Brittany said. “Karl thought Christopher was super interesting. Every time one of us tried to rescue him from the conversation, he waved us away.”
“Any clue what they were talking about?” Gray asked.
“Cooking, I think. I heard Karl ask him something about a succubus,” the redhead said. “I’m pretty sure it’s some weird type of food.”
I strangled a laugh. “Can you describe Christopher?”
“Brown hair and brown eyes,” Brittany said.
“No,” the redhead objected. “Blond hair and blue eyes.”
I shot Gray a quizzical look.
“I thought he was half Asian,” the third young woman said. Her first words in the entire conversation, and they made no sense. Christopher’s appearance couldn’t possibly fit all three descriptions.
“I haven’t seen him since Karl disappeared,” the redhead said. “I thought he’d show up at the midnight vigil we held for Karl.”
“Has anyone contacted him?” I asked. “Maybe he doesn’t know Karl’s missing.”
“Then he’s living in a cave,” Brittany said. “Karl’s face is plastered everywhere.”
“I don’t have a number for him,” the redhead said.
“Me neither,” Brittany added.
The third young woman sipped her iced tea, but it was clear she had nothing to contribute.
“Another question, if you don’t mind,” I said. “What do you think happened to Karl? You must have a theory.”
Brittany leaned against her chair. “I wish I knew. He’s so much fun to have around. Summer won’t be the same if he’s off in the jungle or something.”
“Yeah,” the redhead agreed. “He has this boundless energy. He’s always the first one in the pool.”
“With or without clothes,” Brittany said with a laugh.
“Do you think he’s off on an adventure?” I asked. “Like in Japan?”
Brittany’s cherry lips formed a pout. “No. I know that’s what his parents want to believe, but it isn’t like Karl to leave without telling anyone.”
“And there’s no trace of him at any of the nearby airports,” the redhead added.
No, there wouldn’t be. Whoever this Christopher was, he likely escorted Karl straight to the paranormal world for his alleged gift of immortality. Now that we knew more about Karl’s personality, the odds were that he went willingly.
“If you’re going to quote me in the article, you should probably take a photo,” Brittany said, smoothing her hair. She practiced a mournful expression. “Is this good?”
“Perfect,” Gray said, and snapped a photo with his phone.
“If that’s no good, I can send you a better one,” Brittany said. “I have loads.”
No doubt.
Brittany took Gray’s phone and quickly added her number. “In case you want to get in touch.” She winked.
Gray slid the phone back into his pocket. “I’m sure this photo will be fine.”
“Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to speak with us,” I said. I received one demure smile in response. The other two remained expressionless behind their sunglasses. In light of the broken water heater, I was tempted to use my magic to heat the pool, but I didn’t dare risk it. Not for a frivolous reason. It wasn’t like these young women were interested in getting their hair wet anyway.
“Enjoy the day, ladies,” Gray said, and stood. If he was reluctant to leave the pleasing scene, he didn’t show it.
Outside the gates, I turned to face him. “What do you think? Is Christopher a vampire? Did he glamour himself so that he looked different to each of them? You guys can do that, right?”
“A skilled vampire can heighten the power of suggestion,” Gray said. “So if Brittany preferred guys with brown hair and brown eyes, then that’s what he looked like to her.”
“They still thought he was creepy, though,” I said.
“True.” Gray appeared thoughtful. “Whatever illusion he used, he only used it to avoid identification. He obviously had chosen his target and didn’t care what the others thought of him at that point. He isn’t necessarily a vampire, though. There are many paranormals that can use magic to disguise their real appearance.”
“Why choose a rich guy who’d be missed?” I asked. “If this Christopher wanted to abduct someone, why not a person more under the radar that no one would miss?”
Gray pinned his gaze on me. “You mean someone like you?”
I bristled. “Icarus would’ve missed me.”
“I wasn’t saying it to hurt your feelings,” Gray said, with more tenderness than I would’ve expected from the vampire. “I just mean that…”
I held up a hand. “It’s fine. You don’t have to explain.”
Gray raked a hand through his blond hair. “We need to figure out why he wanted Karl. Maybe he didn’t mean to kill him. Maybe that part was an accident.”
“Strangulation and a stake through the shoulder at the bottom of the river doesn’t sound very accidental,” I said. “Whatever the reason, it sounds like Christopher lured Karl with the p
romise of immortality.”
“The ultimate adventure for a human,” Gray said. “Speaking of ultimate adventures, we should get you back to campus before dark. The tunnels are dangerous enough during the day.”
“We need to return the motorcycle, too,” I said.
“That’s our first stop,” Gray agreed. We headed down the block toward the borrowed motorcycle.
“You’re going to delete that photo of Brittany, right?” I said.
Gray gave me a look of mock innocence. “I can’t possibly destroy evidence, Morrow.”
“The only thing that photo is evidence of is her vanity,” I shot back.
He chuckled. “Get on the bike, Morrow.”
Midnight again and I couldn’t sleep. Images of Stormy and her mother flashed in my mind. I had a feeling that Stormy didn’t sleep well either these days. I pictured her in the cottage, playing video games in the middle of the night. I’d lived in the shadow of uncertainty, and it was a terrible place to dwell. I longed to bring the family peace somehow.
My roommates were sound asleep and there was no sign of Icarus, so I decided to head to the library and chat with Cato. Maybe he’d have some theories about Karl’s murder.
The moon peeked through the clouds as I made my way past Fred and George, the stone gargoyles that flanked the library steps. They appeared to be asleep, so I crept up the steps and stepped into the library through the transparent entrance. There was no door—just a huge transparent ward. It was almost like having an open-air library, a feat that would be difficult to accomplish in the human world. We’d be worried about exposing books to the elements, but the ward took care of that here.
The library was devoid of students, except for a handful of fourth years that appeared to be preparing for their AMF entrance exams. Exams were on a rolling basis, so not all trainees took them at the same time. Even though Robin was a fourth year, I knew that he wasn’t due to take his exam until later in the year.
“Bryn Morrow, my favorite future magus.”
“How’s it hanging, Cato?” Cato’s head hung on the library wall like a trophy. He’d once battled Mercer, the academy’s founder, and Mercer had respected the gryphon so much that he had Cato’s head taken to a necromancer and then mounted on the wall.
“Trouble sleeping again? There are potions for that, you know. I can recommend a few.”
“No, thanks,” I said. “Sleep aids make my head fuzzy, and I don’t want to be groggy tomorrow.”
“Too much critical thinking to do?”
I told him about Karl Muldoon and my findings.
“Not a lot of information to go on,” Cato said.
“No, but there has to be a connection to Spellslingers,” I said. “Otherwise, Karl wouldn’t have ended up on academy grounds.”
“The campus is hundreds of acres, Bryn,” Cato said. “Someone could have easily trespassed. You and I both know that academy security isn’t the best.”
“You would think they would have taken steps to improve it after Calvin Motley’s death,” I said.
“It’s been discussed,” Cato said. “You have to remember that change doesn’t come swiftly to institutions. It’s the nature of the beast.”
Pages rustled all around us as a breeze blew through the library. I turned in time to see a blue-grey falcon soar through the transparent entrance and morph into a familiar woman with white-blond hair. She clutched her usual wooden staff with blue-grey tips.
“Good evening, Chancellor,” Cato said.
“Good evening, Cato.” Chancellor Tilkin nodded to me. “May I have a word, child?”
Cato gave a low whistle. “I suspect she wants more than one, Bryn. Brace yourself.”
The chancellor escorted me to the far end of the library, away from the eyes and ears of the studious fourth year trainees.
“I take it you’ve heard about the new identification system the Order of the Edge is introducing,” the chancellor said.
I craned my neck to look at her, as she was a good six inches taller than me. “Alana mentioned it. Should I be concerned?”
She released a gentle breath. “It isn’t ideal. We shall have to find a way to circumvent the system.”
“How is that possible?” I asked. “Fake blood?” Great idea for Halloween. Bad idea to try and fool the border patrol’s magical system.
“Not fake blood,” she said quietly. “But perhaps manipulated blood. There is an alchemist I sometimes call upon for delicate matters. He’s very discreet.”
“Will he need my real blood in order to manipulate it?” I asked. I didn’t love the idea of anyone having access to my blood. The more paranormals that knew, the higher the chances of my secret getting out.
“I shall make an inquiry,” she replied. “In the meantime, avoid Alana and her team of helpers. I believe they’re starting alphabetically with fourth years, so we have a bit of time.”
“Okay, thanks.”
The chancellor paused. “And how are you faring otherwise? Settling in?”
“I think so,” I said.
“Theo Armitage came to speak with me recently,” she said.
I rolled my eyes. “To complain that I’m not up to the usual academy standards?”
She gave me a pointed look. “He senses that you’re holding back. Like him or not, he’s a shrewd wizard. Sooner or later, he’ll figure out that you’re hiding something. You need to make more of an effort.”
“I can’t,” I said. “My magic is too strong. What if I get carried away and hurt someone?”
Chancellor Tilkin placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You’re here to train with us, child. If you don’t show the staff what you can really do, then they won’t be able to teach you. Remember, you’ve chosen the path of enlightenment for a reason.”
Yes, and that reason was so that I didn’t end up steeped in dark magic like my father. The more I let my powers flow freely, though—even under the guise of training—the more I worried about becoming like him.
“I’ll try to do better, Chancellor,” I said.
She smiled. “That’s all any of us can ever do.”
8
Where are we going? Icarus asked. It was bright and early the next morning, and I’d decided to follow the chancellor’s suggestion and make an effort to do better. Of course, for me, that involved digging deeper into Karl Muldoon’s murder.
Back to the forest, I said. To the part of the river where I found Karl's body.
What’s the point? Mourning him won't bring him back. You know that better than most.
I'm not trying to mourn him or bring him back. As far as I knew, necromancy was frowned upon. Cato was lucky it was still in vogue back when he died on the battlefield.
Then why bother?
No one is forcing you to join me, I said. If you have more important things to do, then by all means, go hunt a mouse.
Naturally, I'm going to accompany you, Icarus said. If only to tell you that you’ve taken the wrong path.
I thought you approved of me training here, I said.
I'm not talking about a metaphorical path, Icarus said. I mean the actual path. This is not the way to the river.
Whoops.
You distracted me, I said. I regained my bearings and turned toward the section of the river where I’d found Karl. Because of the continuous flowing of the river, I figured it was unlikely that I’d find any evidence still at the bottom where the body was affixed. Still, it was worth a look. No stone unturned and all that.
A deep growl stopped me in my tracks.
“I thought I told you to stay off this property," an ornery voice said.
Slowly, I pivoted to see William Fonthill, the groundskeeper. One of the hellhounds stood beside him, its sharp fangs evident.
“Isn't this forest part of academy grounds?” I queried.
The groundskeeper squinted at me. “Wait. You’re not Margaret."
"No," I said, keeping my eyes trained on the angry hellhound. No sud
den moves or I'd be a light snack. “My name is Bryn. I’m a first year here.”
"I can see that now," Fonthill said. He patted the hellhound on the head. "There, there, Princess Buttercup. She's one of ours."
I pulled a face. "The hellhound’s name is Princess Buttercup?"
Fonthill scowled. “What of it?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled. “Who’s Margaret? Is she dangerous?”
Fonthill spat on the ground. “Not dangerous, just a menace. She works with that blight on society."
"And which blight on society would that be?" I asked.
“Donald Thumpkin,” Fonthill replied. “The property developer. He and his folks have been skulking around here lately.”
“Why would a property developer be trespassing on academy grounds?" I asked.
Now that I’d been deemed harmless, Princess Buttercup seemed bored by the conversation and chased after a passing butterfly.
“Thumpkin’s a greedy goblin. Owns a lot of land around the academy and wants more. He thinks we don’t use all the acreage here and that somehow makes him entitled to buy it.”
“Isn't there a way to keep him from trespassing?" The low level of security at the academy definitely seemed to be an issue.
"I know the chancellor is speaking with Professor Langley and the Board of Regents about setting up a new ward," Fonthill said. “I’ve been asking for ages. I'm tired of finding kids in places they don't belong. Makes my job more difficult.” He whistled sharply. “Princess Buttercup, time to go.”
The hellhound returned to the groundskeeper’s side.
“I didn't realize they were so obedient," I said.
He rubbed behind the hound’s ear. "They’re not for everyone. I've raised them since they were pups. You always have to take care with hellhounds, though. They’re wild creatures at heart, first and foremost.”
“I’ll bear that in mind,” I said. It wouldn’t be too difficult. The memory of the hounds nipping at my heels was still fresh. “See you around.”
He grunted and carried on walking.
I finally made my way to the river, and Icarus perched on a nearby branch to observe me. At least here you can let your freak flag fly freely.
Outclassed: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Warden of the West Book 2) Page 6
