“So, we’re dating?” I asked, and was relieved to see a smile light his face.
“So, we are.”
I left a long time later. Keller wasn’t happy about my going to the Long Building, but he knew he couldn’t talk me out of it. We had spent a long time talking about what his family’s—his aunt’s—reaction to our dating was likely to be. She wasn’t going to be pleased, to say the least. I was worried that she would insist on the deans doing something else horrible to me, but there was no sense in worrying about that yet. I’d just add it to my list of problems and try to forget about it until it mattered.
“Lisabelle and Sip are going to think this is hilarious,” I said. “They’ve thought we’ve been dating for a year.”
“In my mind we have,” Keller had told me quietly, filling me with warmth. “Now be careful.”
I had promised to go back to Aurum when I was finished at the Long Building, and Keller would take me back to Astra. We had a better chance of not getting caught if he was there, even with the vampires roaming campus.
I felt the cool air on my hot skin as I headed out into the night. I had a boyfriend, and it was Keller Erikson. This semester was not all bad after all.
I made it to the Long Building without any trouble. I didn’t see any professors or vampires. It was still early for them to be out. Periodically, as I walked, I would glance up at the sky to examine our protections. Bursts of color flashed as I watched, and I was glad to see the night sky instead of countless bodies of demons, but I was sure they were still around somewhere, lurking, biding their time until they could attack.
The Long Building was dark. Sip and Lisabelle had offered to go with me, but I had refused. The more of us out when we weren’t supposed to be, the more likely it was we would get caught. Besides, there was nothing they could do anyway. I had left them in Airlee to bicker about what movie they were going to watch. It had become a nightly ritual between the two of them.
Around the Long Building it was totally dark. The inky shadows stretched to cover the sides and roof, like a great black blanket. The grass, which despite the fact that the Building was almost entirely ignored by Public staff was perfectly cut, looked longer and more grasping in the night, like rows and rows of black spikes sticking up out of the ground. A shiver went down my spine. This might not have been the best idea after all.
“Just keep going,” I muttered to myself. “You have to practice.”
The reports of demons were getting more frequent, and I had to be ready. I still didn’t know much about my powers, and if they were going to send me outside the protections of Public for a night I would need all my abilities. We still didn’t know who we were teamed with this semester for Tactical; I just had to hope that I was with Keller again, and maybe Dirr, even though she was a Starter. Oliva was out of the question, because he was a dean, but there were a lot of other capable pixies that didn’t go by the name Camilla that I could be teamed with.
I pushed the door of the Building open. The creak sounded loud, contrasting with the quiet outdoor night that I was leaving behind. I just had to hope it was equally quiet when I went back to Keller’s, then home to Astra. There was nothing scarier than running into a pack of vampires outside at night.
I didn’t dare turn on any lights when I walked in, so I had to creep along the hall, and even the creaks under my feet made me jump. The halls that I had walked down so many times since the Museum had moved to the Long Building looked smaller, the dark corners growing larger as I moved.
I didn’t even know how to get down to the catacombs under the Building, but just knowing that they were there added to my unease. Anything could be lurking down there and I would have no idea.
Suddenly I heard a creak. It seemed to be behind me, but I wasn’t sure. Pausing, I glanced into the darkness in all direction, but I saw nothing but shadows.
Get it together, I thought fiercely. How could I be the only elemental if I was afraid of being in a dark building?
I had already decided which room I was going to work in. It was near the Museum, and it just so happened to be the workroom that Artle had used when he did his experiments.
Shaking off my nerves, I headed for Artle’s workshop.
The door wasn’t locked, because no one thought anything in there was worth stealing. The handle was old brass and cold to the touch. It felt loose and jiggled under my hand as I opened the door.
Artle’s workshop, according to Dacer, hadn’t been used since the blast, and it was basically just a charred out hull of a room. There was a massive hole in the floor where it was assumed that Artle had been standing when the explosion consumed him. The walls at one point might have been painted green, but under the grime and blast residue there was no telling.
The farthest side of the room had somehow been spared. This was something of a mystery, since the blast had not only blown Artle to smithereens that couldn’t even be scraped off the floor with a spoon (Lisabelle’s charming phrasing), but also destroyed the floor so completely that there was nothing left but a gaping brown hole. All this destructive power had somehow managed to spare the far wall.
Against that wall, probably untouched since Artle’s day, was a long work table, pushed up against the one window. Empty open cubby holes covered the rest of the wall space. The long work table was blanketed in dust and instruments that looked as if no one had touched them since Artle’s death.
I took a deep breath and went over to the work table. The stools Artle had sat on were still there, pushed out as if someone had just gotten up a few minutes ago, looking not at all as though they had been empty for decades.
I dusted one off. It was so unsteady that it rocked back and forth gently at my touch, but when I sat on it the legs held.
Collecting myself with a deep breath, I pulled out the list of elemental spells I wanted to practice. I had been keeping a list ever since I had learned I was an elemental, and although Dacer might think I possessed powers in all four disciplines, I wasn’t sure myself.
Yet.
Another creak behind me made me spin around in fright.
There was still nothing there. I stared into the darkness, looking for movement. The hair on my arms stood on end and I felt hot and cold at the same time.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all, I admitted to myself. Maybe I should have let Keller come with me when he had asked, instead of leaving him in Aurum for Vanni to come back and flirt with in his bedroom. Not that I was bitter or anything.
I just had turned back to the work table and my list when yet another noise behind me made me jump. This time, when I spun around, two figures stood there, cloaked in black.
Chapter Fourteen
“Sip!” I cried. “Lisabelle!” I clutched at my chest, sure that my heart was about to burst. “Couldn’t you have SAID something? I thought you were DEMONS!”
Sip and Lisabelle, both dressed in dark clothing, came forward.
“Doesn’t she look great?” said Lisabelle, gesturing to Sip’s dark clothing. “Had to do something about that glow stick she has for hair, though.”
Sip pulled her black hat off and glared at her roommate. “Just be grateful I let you come along. Charlotte, we are way too cute to be demons. At least I am.”
Lisabelle snorted and turned to me. “You didn’t think we’d just let you do this all by yourself, did you?”
“This is dangerous!” I sputtered. “You could get caught. I’m only here because I have to be. The vampires could see you, and you know how much they like catching students breaking the rules about being out past curfew.”
“First of all,” said Lisabelle, stepping forward and holding up a thin white finger. “Vampires do not mess with me. It is the other way around. Second, Lanca would never let anyone harm you, and lastly, the vampires only catch us if we let them.”
“Are you saying that we are better than the vamps?” Sip asked. She was wandering around the room, examining everything Artle had left. “Th
is is so sad,” she murmured, more to herself than to us.
“Yes,” said Lisabelle. “They might be faster and stronger.”
“So, we’re smarter?” Sip asked. “Not to toot our own horn or anything. . . .” She gave me a crooked smile. Sometimes Lisabelle didn’t realize just how bad she sounded.
“No,” said Lisabelle. “It’s not even that. We’re just more creative.” With a grin she sat down next to me and pulled my list over.
“Keller didn’t want to come?” Sip asked.
“I told him it wasn’t worth it,” I said. “He offered.”
“Of course he did. What are you doing about that bubbly minx Vanni, by the way?” Lisabelle asked, reading over my scribbles.
“She’s harmless,” I said, shrugging as I fiddled with a stray strand of my brown hair.
“Sure she is,” said Lisabelle dryly.
“I agree with Lisabelle,” said Sip. “You can’t let her just hang off him all the time. Especially with you two not being official. You need a concrete reason why he’s yours.”
“Well,” I said, looking down at my interlocked hands. This was harder than I had thought it would be. “As far as being official. . . .”
“NO WAY!!!” Sip squealed. She bounded up to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Sip was big on hugging these days. “You have a boyfriend! Aww! You make such a cute couple. Aww.”
“I just vomited in my mouth a little bit,” Lisabelle groaned. “Congrats,” she said to me. “Don’t screw it up.”
“What’s his aunt going to think?” asked Sip. She was already puttering around the room straightening and organizing, as only Sip could.
“She’s going to be furious,” I said quietly. “But we’ll deal with it. Together.”
“Exactly,” Sip said, and hugged me again. “You have my support. Lisabelle’s too.”
I looked over at Lisabelle. One of the objects that had been left in Artle’s workshop was a rack of knives, mostly large blades with dark wooden handles. Although they were covered in rust, I imagined the knives could be fixed up nicely. Lisabelle had pulled the largest of them down and was examining it.
“Lisabelle,” said Sip, drawing our friend’s attention. “I’d like some tea.”
“You are obsessed with tea,” grumbled Lisabelle. “Her teabags are everywhere and our rooms smells of mint.”
“Why is she asking you for tea?” I asked, confused. “Can you heat water with that hot temper of yours?”
“Funny,” said Lisabelle. “She’s asking me, because with my wand I have the ability to conjure a teapot and heat the water.
Out of her large jacket Sip pulled a teacup, the tea bag already in it. “Sorry,” she said to me. “I didn’t think you would want any. Otherwise I would have brought a cup for you, too.”
I laughed. “That’s fine, thanks, Sip.”
The werewolf grinned at me, then handed her cup to Lisabelle. “Very hot, please.”
Ignoring Lisabelle’s muttering about bossy werewolves, I said, “You two shouldn’t be here. Really.”
“But Lisabelle is making tea,” said Sip, pulling off her coat and making herself comfortable on another of the stools. “Anyway, what are we practicing tonight?”
I looked at the first item on my list. What I wanted most was to be stronger with fire. I felt that if I was going to fight the demons I might as well use their own weapon. But Dacer had given me something to think about by giving me a lecture on air one day. I liked that it was so unpredictable and hard to defend against, so it was near the top of the list too.
“I need to learn more about advanced elemental magic,” I said, my voice uncertain. “That’s what that list is, so let’s start at the top.”
Lisabelle, who had pulled her wand out of her own jacket and was concentrating on heating Sip’s tea, said, “No, you need to learn how to win.” She looked up. “We can help with that.”
“Is my tea ready?” Sip asked, peering over Lisabelle’s shoulder.
Lisabelle handed her a steaming mug, then disappeared the pot.
“That’s impressive,” I said in wonder. “I wish I could do that.”
“Yes,” said Lisabelle. “I’m so glad that I can.” She glared at Sip, who had happily cupped the mug in her hands and was blowing on the top, watching the steam disperse.
I grinned, glad that my friends were there after all.
An hour later we stopped. I was exhausted, having practiced creating a wall of fire until I saw orange spots before my eyes. Sip and Lisabelle had worked to contain the blaze and then challenge it. I could create the wall with ease, but maintaining it, especially in the face of a counterattack, was much more difficult. Lisabelle would go after the fire while Sip went after me. Only at the end was I able to hold the fire in place beyond a few seconds, and at that point I was so tired I was staggering.
“You did well,” said Lisabelle, slinging her arm over my shoulder.
“Yeah,” said Sip, yawning. “You’ll be a dangerous elemental in no time.”
“Just what I wanted,” I said, taking a deep breath and trying to relax again after using my powers.
Just then, somewhere in the Long Building, there was a loud crash. I looked around, but of course from this secluded workshop nothing could be seen of the rest of the building. I looked a question at Sip and Lisabelle, but for some reason they didn’t seem alarmed. My mind went instantly to what Dacer had called Slime Dwellers—or whatever lived down below—but he had assured me that they couldn’t get upstairs, and there was no way I was going down to the catacombs.
“Probably just the wind,” said Sip, shrugging. “These old buildings can be creepy.”
“It really is a shame about this workshop,” I said. “Maybe if it wasn’t in the Long Building it would be used again.”
“Yeah,” said Sip. “The fallen angels who found the place said it was burning and smoldering and you could smell charred flesh. Not pleasant.”
“Did they ever find out what happened to the jewel he was working on?” Lisabelle asked.
“Nope,” said Sip. “They assumed it was incinerated along with Artle, and that the reason magic can’t be sensed here is because the powers were spread around by the explosion.”
“I wonder if it would have worked,” said Lisabelle, leading us into the dark hallway.
I wasn’t scared with my friends there. Having Sip and Lisabelle nearby was comforting, especially Lisabelle, who had no problem taking on a pack of demons or a hellhound.
“Someone will probably figure it out eventually,” said Sip. Then, pointing to a plain door off the hallway she asked, “Is that the Museum entrance?”
Dacer didn’t want it marked as the Museum, he said that this place wasn’t worthy of something as wonderful as the Museum of Masks.
“Yes,” I said. My shoulder brushed against the wall and came away dusty. It was like no one was ever in this place but Dacer and me. “Dacer’s been working on it constantly. I’m worried he’s going to work himself into the ground.”
“Not Dacer,” said Lisabelle. “He knows how to take care of himself.”
A rattling ahead of us made us pause. It wasn’t a noise that could be caused by wind or the creaking of an old building.
There was something—someone—else in the Building with us.
And he or she was trying to hide.
We weren’t alone.
I stepped forward, but Sip stepped in front of me, putting her own body between me and whatever was in front of us.
“Did you hear that?” Lisabelle whispered in my ear. I nodded, not wanting to talk. Sip’s purple eyes turned to hers in the dim light, silently asking what we should do.
Lisabelle pointed forward, but made a motion that we should move slowly. Sip nodded and the three of us stepped forward as one, our eyes locked in front of us.
The corridor in front of us was quiet, and not so much as a shadow moved.
“You don’t think anyone is here, do you?” asked Sip i
n a whisper, her purple eyes filled with worry.
Lisabelle nodded curtly. “I most definitely do.”
“Demon?”
“Can’t be,” said Lisabelle her voice low and hoarse. “How could they get on campus?”
“Who is sneaking around then?” Sip asked.
“Maybe one of the vampires?” Lisabelle murmured back, never taking her eyes away from the spot where the noise had come from.
“Or a pixie,” said Sip. “Damn pixies.”
“You can’t just hate all of them,” said Lisabelle.
“Humph.”
“Maybe it’s just another student trying to get Charlotte in trouble,” said Sip worriedly.
“Charlotte doesn’t need any help doing that,” said Lisabelle.
“Thanks,” I said dryly.
We moved forward again, achingly slowly, our footsteps silent on the carpeted hallway. My heart was loud in my ears and I worried that whatever waited for us ahead could hear it beating wildly.
Lisabelle reached around in front of me to pull me to a halt. “It’s too quiet,” she murmured in my ear. “Don’t move. I’ll go.”
But Sip wouldn’t let her, and after a fierce glaring contest, Sip won.
Our small friend took a deep breath in, and as she let it out she transformed. Her body as a werewolf was still small, and she still had purple eyes, but her teeth were sharp and her hair stood on end. Her legs looked wiry and strong as she crouched low to the ground, almost disappearing in the shadows.
Lisabelle pulled out her wand and mouthed, “Be careful.” The werewolf’s head bobbed.
Sip rammed her muzzle into my leg, pushing me back. I glared at her but took a step behind Lisabelle. I hated that my friends tried to protect me at the cost of their own safety. I often thought that cost was too high.
But Sip was right to insist on being the one to investigate. In werewolf form she could move quickly, in absolute silence. Her paw steps made no noise, whereas if I had tried to rush ahead I would probably have tripped and fallen.
“What’s up in front of us?” Lisabelle asked. This was her first time in the Long Building, so she had never seen it in daylight.
Elemental Shining (Paranormal Public Series) Page 11
