The Undying Illusionist

by Candy Crum

  "Exactly!" Arryn exclaimed, her hands going out to her sides. "Don't you think I know that? That's why I need to get into Adrien’s stuff. I need to find out what that secret was. Maybe he was sending money or gifts or other stuff that could tell me something. There has to be something somewhere. I just need to talk to Amelia."

  Cathillian nodded, his expression telling her he thought she was nothing shy of insane at the moment. "If it’ll make your ass a little less nuts, then go see Amelia. I’ve been up for about an hour and already you're driving me fucking crazy. Also, I may have burned the eggs, but I'm pretty sure you’re burning water."

  Arryn rolled her eyes as she crossed the room, taking her pot off the fire and pouring the hot water into a mug. She'd let it get too hot, but it wouldn't take long to cool off. Then, after tea, she planned to go see Amelia.

  ***

  Amelia had been fighting the need to work all day. Everyone was gone from the Academy and there was no one in the Capitol Building, so she didn't want to be there either, but she couldn't get her mind off recent events.

  It was hard for her to stay at home when everything was so close to coming together. Plus, she was still having a hard time with the Doyle episode. Nearly dying had affected her more than she'd like to admit—she'd never come that close before.

  There was a knock at her door, interrupting her thoughts. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Arryn standing there. They had spent quite a bit of time together after everything that had happened, going over all that Doyle had said.

  Finding out if Doyle had been telling the truth had become priority number one for Amelia, but Arryn had been suspiciously obsessed with it as well.

  "Hey!" Amelia greeted her with a smile. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying your day at home?"

  Arryn stepped inside. "I had another one of those dreams last night. They’ve been less frequent since the whole raid thing, but they're still happening, so I couldn't rest. I decided to come see you instead."

  Amelia nodded as she made her way over to the couch. She sat down and patted the cushion next to her. Amelia decided it was time to find out exactly what was going on. She needed to know why Arryn was so interested in all this.

  "Even though I know you can sense me doing it, I'm not going to look inside your head." Amelia looked at Arryn, who nodded. "That being said, I want you to tell me the truth. I know something's going on."

  "Okay, ask away. I'll be honest."

  "I know you have the sense of duty instilled in you by your parents. But Adrien is gone. Even with him gone, however, you're still obsessed with finding the person Doyle was talking about. I know I probably sound paranoid, but why are you so obsessed with it? You haven't even been here for ten years. This isn't your problem to solve."

  "I can see why you would think that," Arryn replied, "but it's not true. I always thought my vow was to avenge my parents, but once I got here, I realized it wasn't. Now that the city is safe, or at least safer, I feel the need to make sure it stays that way. I still have to find my dad, but if there's a possibility some psycho is going to come and try to tear the city apart, then I need to make sure that doesn't happen first."

  "Dreams are often our mind’s way of telling us there's something we need to do. It's our own stress weighing on us. Protecting the city is literally invading your sleep. That’s obsession if I've ever heard it."

  Arryn rolled her eyes. "Damn, now you sound just like Cathillian. I told you I’d be honest, and I'm gonna be. The reason I'm here is because I need you to help me find Adrien’s things. I need to go through them. I need find out who this person might be. I know you don't wanna hear it, and I don't even wanna tell you, but the moment I met Talia my gut rolled over—and it wasn’t the shitty Arcadian food. I don't like her. I sense something about her that just isn't right."

  Amelia laughed. "Well, the funny thing is the day I told her about you, she suggested you might be the one who had kidnapped Amos. She had a point. You were brand-new to the city, and that was about the time he disappeared."

  Arryn's jaw dropped, her expression revealing her shock. "Of course, she would say that! Why the hell else would she immediately start blaming me? Probably because she's guilty!"

  "Relax, Arryn." Amelia reached over and gave Arryn's hand a quick squeeze. “I told you that only because it shows that we aren’t the only suspicious ones around here. Talia is worried, too. If I choose not to trust her, I have to choose not to trust you either.”

  Amelia understood Arryn's hesitation. Her paranoia. Amelia felt same way. Still, she couldn't go around pointing fingers at anyone who was new in the city, because there were quite a few. It would take time, and she needed proof. She didn't want to alarm the city any more than she wanted to frighten off the new teachers at the Academy by accusing them.

  "I don't believe her worries about you being a murderer any more than I worry about her. It's my job to make sure I investigate everything; even Doyle's claims, which I’m almost positive were ripe bullshit. I'm not even sure he said those things, let alone that I heard them correctly. Or possibly they just aren’t true. Talia helped save the city, so maybe she's not as bad as you think."

  Arryn sighed. "No, you saved the city. She’s just doing some supplying because she wanted to look good."

  "And you saved my life," Amelia argued. "Were you just trying to look good, too?"

  Arryn sighed again, leaning back against the couch. She seemed exasperated, but she nodded. "I get it. And that's why I need to prove it. Right or wrong, I just want to get past this. Nature magic lets a person sense the overall intentions of the individual. It's not flawless by any means, but most times you can get a good sense of a person from it. Talia was just wrong. So, if you have anything of Adrien’s, I'd love the chance to go through it, just to ease my mind."

  Amelia understood that. It wasn't that she didn't believe Arryn; it was just that Talia had been such an asset and Amelia had spent so much time with her that if she was bad, then anyone in the city could be.

  She didn't want to think about that possibility.

  But if there was something to find, there was a chance Arryn would find it.

  Amelia stood, went to her bedroom, grabbed a large box, and brought it back to Arryn. "This was Adrien's. I gathered these things myself out of his office in the Academy tower. I'm sure there's more in his old house, but this should get you started. I've looked and looked through here, but I can't find anything. Maybe you’ll have better luck."

  Arryn stood, taking the box like it was a delicate piece of glass. "Thanks. I'll start going through it tonight. I'm sorry to be so pushy. I just need to know if I should get along with her or kick her ass."

  Amelia smiled. "Don't worry, I understand. I guess I'm no different because I’ve been tearing up everything in hopes of finding evidence that will explain things. I just don't have a suspect. That's the difference between us—you do.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Things had been going great. The students had all fallen in love with Talia. The Chancellor had fallen in love with Talia. The city had been told of the things that Talia had done to speed up the rebuilding, so they loved Talia, too.

  Everything was exactly the way it should be. Everything had been perfect.

  Until that bitch Arryn showed up.

  Ever since the day Arryn arrived at the school and Scarlett had informed her that she was someone to worry about, Talia hadn't been able to think straight. Arryn was everything Talia was afraid of.

  She was from out of town, supposedly very skilled, smart, and—most importantly—on a mission.

  But that was okay… She could now focus on Arryn even more now that Amelia was preoccupied with the murder of yet another student.

  The body of Dallas—the boy who led the group that had attacked Jackson and who had soon met an untimely end at Talia’s hand—had recently been found and there was no lead to what happened.

  The only clue available came from a frightened best f
riend that had hid in his house for two days because of the mysterious woman in a cloak that had come for Dallas and threatened him as well.

  Scarlett’s magic had worked perfectly. The boy had seen a feminine figure clad in a cloak but with no other discernible features. The Academy was in an uproar over it all, terrified of what another murder meant.

  But things within the group were going perfectly.

  Toward the end of the first meeting Talia had with Jackson’s group, she found a rather interesting piece of the puzzle.

  After perusing through the home while the others listened to Scarlett’s grand tale about the ancestors and their bloodlust and consequent increase in power, Talia found another painting, one of a small girl. A small girl that looked incredibly familiar.

  Looking more closely, Talia found a familiar name on the gold-plated tag at the bottom.

  Arryn.

  Jackson and his group had inadvertently held their very first meeting in none other than the house Arryn had spent the first half of her life in. At that moment, Talia made it her goal to figure it out exactly who Arryn was and why she was back in the city.

  So far, Scarlett had found that none of the students had any idea. All Arryn had told anyone was that she was once an Arcadian who’d left the city and ended up being raised in the Dark Forest.

  But who the hell would choose to be raised in the Dark Forest?

  There was much more to the story, and Talia intended find out.

  Talia sent a letter with one of the teachers in the group to give to Jackson. Talia wanted to meet with him and talk about the newest teacher on the block.

  It would take a hell of a lot more than just her wishing for it to get what she needed.

  Jackson was a very handsome guy, and she figured Arryn probably wasn't used to having guys falling over her. Perhaps Talia could teach Jackson to use his looks for her benefit.

  Having become impatient, Talia made her way out of her office and down the stairs, heading toward the classrooms. Unsurprisingly, she found Scarlett waiting for her.

  "Shocker. Am I going to have to tie a bell around your neck?" Talia asked.

  Scarlett smiled. "Kinky," she declared with a wink. "You can tie whatever you’d like around my neck. But that's not why I'm here."

  Talia rolled her eyes. "Well, it sure as hell isn't teaching. Do you even really have a job? Didn't I hire you for something?"

  "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't appreciate my help. I work so hard to avoid my classroom, and this is the thanks I get?" When Talia didn't respond, Scarlett just continued, "Ugh. I have them trying to turn wood into glass. I figured if they could learn how to do that you could put them to use on the rebuild and look even more like a hero."

  That earned a smile from Talia. "Now you’ve impressed me. Not just annoyed the piss out of me. Now, I assume you strained so hard to avoid your classroom to come see me for more than flirting, correct?"

  "Maybe. But since flirting isn't getting me anywhere, I was wondering if you'd found anything out about Arryn and her noble quest."

  Talia shook her head. "So far, all I have to go on is what you’ve told me, and I will never know if that’s true or not. Not exactly sure if I can trust you. I still think that fight with Jackson was a little too convenient…"

  "I told you I had nothing to do with it. I came across the fight, and I stopped it. Granted, I might've let him take an extra punch, but they were already trading blows."

  Talia trusted Arryn more than she trusted Scarlett, mostly because Scarlett had the ability to make people think whatever she wanted them to. Talia wasn't exactly sure how sensitive to mystical magic she was, though.

  Her father had taught her how to put up a barrier, but Scarlett had already been in her head once, though she'd been drunk at the time.

  "It doesn't matter. At this point, I don't know if I have a choice. I need eyes and ears, or, in this case, your powers. Jackson should be coming to meet me at any moment and I'm going to tell him that I'm transferring him into Arryn's class with another student, Maddie. She elected into the class. Only half the school so far is required to take the nature magic class. I'm moving him into it to get close to Arryn."

  Scarlett suddenly got excited, quietly clapping her hands. "Now, this is more my territory. Good plan. Would you like to know what I found out?"

  Talia sighed, closing her eyes as her head dropped a little. "Why didn't you start by telling me you had information? Must you always play with my head?" Scarlett opened her mouth to say something, but Talia put her hand over it. "And if you say that you'll play with whatever I ask you to, I'm probably going to punch you."

  Talia slowly pulled her hand away, revealing a devious smile on Scarlett's face.

  "Now who's the mind reader? You can punch me if you like, I don't mind. But my discovery! I found out that Arryn came here with another druid. Not a fake one, though, a real one. In fact, one of the girls in one of her classes that I spied on has a dad who is training with Cathillian. He was among the first group involved in the remnant attack. They’ve been learning how to grow trees or some shit. Anyway, apparently, he's pretty hot, at least if the girl’s thoughts were correct."

  "And? She has a hot druid friend? This is your big information?" Talia asked.

  "You mentioned using Jackson against Arryn. I assumed you meant having him flirt with her, act interested in her. What if you got close to the druid? He isn't gonna know how to deal with a woman quite like you. Use your charms on him, make him like you. I've been in Arryn's head. She doesn't like you. She definitely doesn't trust you. I'm telling you, you need to make a choice. Personally, I say just get rid of her."

  Talia sighed again. "I told you I can't do that. I made a huge mistake when Amelia first told me she hired Arryn. I freaked out when she said Arryn helped her figure out that Amos hadn’t been killed in the Boulevard and she might even be able to find the killer. I might have suggested in a very rushed manner that the new teacher might have been the one to do it, because the murder happened right about the time she got to town."

  Scarlett grimaced. "Yeah, that's no good. It doesn't help she's been telling her druid friend just how much she doesn't trust you. If she disappeared, I suppose it would stand to reason that you had something to do with it. Dammit. Well, I guess we’ll have to get rid of the nature bitch the hard way."

  Talia jumped, her eyes wide as she saw none other than Arryn rounding the corner to head down the opposite hallway. Arryn's eyes briefly met hers as she made her way toward her classroom.

  Talia turned cold, hateful eyes on Scarlett. When she spoke, her voice was low, barely audible, though the darkness in it could be felt. "Explain to me how in the hell that just happened. Explain to me how someone like you, a mystical magic user, could miss someone approaching, let alone the one person we are trying to get rid of."

  Scarlett looked just as shocked as Talia did. "I have no idea. I guess I just got distracted. It's really early, you know. I've been using my powers a lot lately, and not getting much time to meditate properly. It takes a toll. You try conjuring fireballs all day every day and not sleeping, and tell me just how well your abilities work! Simple mistake. Do not snap at me."

  Talia groaned as she considered the mystic’s words. Put in that context, she could understand how it could happen. Grudgingly, she decided she could let it go.

  Glaring at Scarlett, Talia said, "Don't let it happen again." Scarlett only nodded in response. Talia relaxed a little, crossing her arms.

  Scarlett cleared her throat. "I've been thinking. The remnant have been quite a distraction around here, wouldn't you say?"

  Talia snorted. "The kids are scared shitless of them. Don't get me wrong, they're scared of having a murderer on the loose, too, but the remnant seemed to be driving everyone absolutely mad, no pun intended."

  Scarlett’s expression turned thoughtful. Finally, she said, "Good. That's what I thought, too. Perhaps we should pay a little visit to the Madlands thi
s weekend. What do you say?"

  Talia’s eyes widened. "The Madlands? What exactly did you have in mind?"

  Scarlett smiled. "The remnant may be violent and seem stupid, but they aren't. They can even speak. I think it's time to pay them a visit, see if we might be able to strike a deal. If we can time their attacks and coax them a little closer to Arcadia, we might be able to control the city entirely. With everyone distracted, we can do pretty much anything we need to."

  Talia looked impressed. "That’s probably the best idea I've heard so far. It would divide the city between those who want to strike against them and those who want to stay inside the city walls and barricade themselves indoors. They're already arguing about it, and the remnant are as far south in the valley as they can go without running into the rearick. It's obvious they're only protecting their lands. But if we staged it that way, everyone would lose their minds."

  Scarlett nodded. "Then it’s settled. This weekend we’ll go to the Madlands and pay the remnant a little visit. You're gonna need to be rested up, and so will I. I’ll practice my meditation and rest my mind. You can use Jackson for information from now on unless you state otherwise."

  Talia nodded, stepping to the side to reveal the boy in question approaching from down the hallway.

  "Ah, Jackson." Talia beamed. "You have perfect timing. Come with me to my office, we have things to discuss."

  CHAPTER TEN

  Echo had just returned from the Dark Forest on an errand to deliver a letter from Elysia when there was a knock at the front door. Cathillian set the letter down on the table next to the couch and went to answer it.

  As he opened the door, his eyes nearly fell out of his head. There was a beautiful woman standing there, holding a rather large fruit basket and smiling.

  "Hi! Is Arryn around? I brought her a welcome present."

  Confused, Cathillian answered, "No, she's still at the Academy. She's a teacher there."