The Uncanny Raven Winston

by Tammie Painter

  Also, this test was about proving I could rein in my magic. No lashing out, no slapping my opponent with whatever happened to burst from me. I had to win by using the spells I’d practiced the previous day and by using them with finesse and control. A nice concept on paper, but so is nuclear fusion.

  Theoretically, I knew I didn't need my hands or arms free to do magic. I only needed to focus on the spell. But you try being tightly bound with magical ropes then forced along like some sort of prisoner puppet and see how well you can concentrate on the task at hand.

  What made all this a million times worse was the look on Alastair’s face. It held a wicked amount of concentration. None of the gentle charm. None of the shy pride. None of the warmth that had slowly been thawing my icy little heart. He also appeared stronger, more robust. And I don’t mean it looked like he’d suddenly packed muscle onto his lithe frame, but the way he held himself, the vibrations thrumming off him were as though he’d gotten a vitamin boost that made him radiate strength.

  Then it hit me. What if this wasn’t Alastair? What if the Mauvais had regained his strength and was morphing again? The realization made me stagger. I fell to my knees. Thankfully, the arena was authentic and the fighting surface was cushioning sand, not concrete.

  Angry fear roiled in me and I later realized — because right then deeper thinking wasn’t going to keep me alive — that the fear hadn’t been for myself but for Alastair. If the Mauvais had morphed into him, where was the real Alastair? Was he even alive?

  The only way I could be certain would be to detect Alastair’s scent. Even the best Magic couldn’t fake that because everyone’s smell was slightly different to the smeller. I inhaled deeply through my nostrils, begging my brain to find the familiar chocolate-raspberry scent.

  The ropes pulled me, dragging me along through the sand. I inhaled more deeply, but it did no good. We were still too far apart and with dozens of other Magics in the confined space, their excitement was pumping out scent like a sales girl forcing you to sample Calvin Klein’s latest perfume. It was impossible to pick out any one odor. I couldn’t risk it. I had to fight. If it was Alastair, I hoped I wouldn’t hurt him. But just in case this was the Mauvais, I had to give it all I could.

  Despite everything, despite the tugging, despite my knees burning from the sand, despite getting lightheaded from all my sniffing, I dug my toes in and used every fiber in my thigh muscles to pull back and get to my feet. The audience cheered and the bonds cinched tighter.

  I inched back, my steps felt like walking the wrong way on an escalator made of mud, but once I’d managed three steps, the tugging gravity of Planet Alastair weakened.

  This tiny respite gave me the head space to find the balance, to form the membrane. Again, I wanted to yank my magic back out of Alastair, and had to remind myself this wasn't allowed. I wouldn’t fail this test on a technicality.

  Speaking of technicalities, no one said I couldn't give.

  The moment the idea flashed into my brain, the binding on my arms lessened ever so slightly. Just at the second Alastair's face registered surprise at the change, I walloped him with that magic head butt that had worked so well on Rafi. Alastair staggered back, my arms came free, and the arena floor shook with the crowd’s stomping cheers.

  29 - SHOOP SHOOP

  IT TOOK ME a moment to catch my breath. I felt dizzy. I felt betrayed. My arms felt like they might float right off my body. I hunched over like a runner, hands on knees, sucking in air. I craved candy, cakes, cookies, cannoli — dear Merlin, why did so many sugary snacks start with the letter C?

  Hands still on knees, I glanced up at Alastair. Had he enjoyed doing that? Did he like pulling power from me? No, that wasn't fair. Surely, it had been what he was required to do as part of my test. Still, that look of triumph that had been on his face.

  You're being ridiculous, I told myself as I stood up straight. You're letting that idiot Tobey spend too much time in your head.

  Just as this thought came to me, Alastair rushed over, threw his arms around me, and was congratulating me with pure enthusiasm in his voice. He eased back a bit. His eyes shone with delight, relief, and something more, something that made my heart swell like a dried up sponge that had been tossed into a bucket of warm water. And then his lips went to mine.

  I instinctively jerked back. I was angry over how vicious he’d been during the test. I was confused. And I was more surprised than if I’d woken up to find I’d grown a tail. But he slipped his hand around to the back of my head. His fingers combing up through my hair sent a wave of calm through me that had nothing to do with a spell, a trick, or any magic. My neck muscles relaxed, and we fell into a full-on, damn-why-we-do-have-clothes-on kiss. As his tongue said, "How do you do" to mine, happy waves washed over me.

  From somewhere very distant I caught the sounds of shocked murmurs and someone shouting my name. Then I remembered we weren’t alone. I tightened my lips, breaking off the kiss.

  Alastair pulled away, looking mischievously pleased. Something in my face wiped all the pleasure from his.

  "I thought you were trying to drain me."

  Even though my heart was racing and I desperately wanted to latch onto him again, there was no coyness or playfulness in my statement. The words were blunt. They demanded a response. As the song promised, that kiss told me a lot about Alastair’s feelings, but I had to know what game he’d been playing during my test. I guess the "Shoop Shoop Song" didn’t apply to such a cynical heart as mine.

  "I was. A little," he said. We were still close, our toes nearly touching. "I wanted to hit you with the strongest spell I could muster without too much risk. I wanted them and I wanted you to see exactly what you could do."

  In his eyes all I could see was sincerity. So why couldn’t I just accept it? Because too many people who were supposed to care for me, who were supposed to be looking out for my best interests had been brutal to me. Plus, I was really stubborn.

  "And to see what you could do?" I snapped.

  He flinched like I’d just slapped him.

  "No, why would you say that?"

  I instantly felt like a heel, but that only made me angry with myself. And so, I lashed out again.

  "You lied to me about what type of Magic you are. You absorbed from me. Was that to help the Mauvais? Or were you getting back at me for what I've been putting you through these past few weeks?"

  Several Magics from the audience had stepped down from the arena seating. People who might have wanted to congratulate me or give me my magic diploma or whatever was supposed to happen next. They milled about just at the edge of being in earshot. Ours was obviously a private argument, which meant they gave every pretense of keeping a polite distance while still tilting their ears to catch everything we were saying.

  "You haven't put me through anything," Alastair whispered. "I don’t even know what that means. I’ve been happier since you came to Rosaria than I’ve been in a long time. And I haven’t been deceiving you about my abilities." He opened his hand to show a small capsule that pulsated with a faint violet light. "It’s an absorbing capsule. It takes in power just like an absorber. Empty it’s red, but when it’s full of magic it remains purple.

  "It was part of the test to prove what you were capable of. With this pulling away your power you’d be forced to control your magic. Which you did, otherwise it would be deep purple, not pale. It was my idea to show them what you can do, not some hidden power I've been keeping from you. And while it does allow me to hold onto your magic for a time," he dropped his voice to an even lower whisper, "I was hoping to return it to you later." He grinned and touched his lips as if I didn’t understand his meaning.

  "Oh," I said awkwardly, knowing I should say sorry, but my tongue seemed unable to form the word. I’d have made a terrible Canadian, eh?

  "You two," Olivia barked.

  Alastair and I both startled. We stepped away from each other
and faced her, shuffling our feet like two misbehaving school kids. Banna, who’d removed her sunglasses, stood a few paces behind Olivia, glaring at her with icy eyes. "My office. Now."

  Mr. Tenpenny tried to keep up with Olivia as she marched off on her shapely legs. I caught phrases from him like, "He really wouldn’t," and, "It’s not how it appears." I had no idea what he was trying to apologize for. Was using my giving side not allowed? No one had told me that rule, so if it wasn’t and I was being disqualified, they were going to hear a round of complaints from me.

  Regardless of his efforts, Olivia’s heels clicked away faster than Mr. T could keep up. Once she reached the entry to the arena, he gave up and headed back to us as Olivia disappeared into the hallway.

  "I can’t believe you’d try to do this," Tobey said, the sneer residing again on his face. Banna moved up to his side. "Of all the dishonest tricks."

  "Tobey!" Mr. Tenpenny said. "Enough of that. I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding."

  Exactly. As in I was misunderstanding what in the world was going on.

  "Give Olivia about fifteen minutes," Banna said consolingly. "She’ll have had time to cool down a bit by then."

  "Cool down from what?" I asked. "Did I pass or not?"

  "Let’s just see what Olivia has to say, shall we? Afterward, we need to chat." Banna glanced meaningfully to Tobey, then smiled at me. I think she intended it to be reassuring, but with her oddly tiny teeth and eyes as frosty as an Arctic winter, it made me shy away from her. I bumped into Alastair, who placed a steadying hand on the small of my back. The warmth of it soothed me and some of the tension fell from my shoulders

  Tobey threw another scowl at me and Alastair, then marched off. It did him no good. He ended up having to wait at the elevator where Banna slipped on her eye protection, took Tobey’s hand, and helped him through the portal. I didn’t understand why at first, then realized he was traveling from one magical spot to another and couldn’t do it on his own. His embarrassment at holding the tiny, ancient hand cheered me up immensely. Mr. T watched them, a strange look on his face. Perhaps he was envious of Banna taking his role away from him. Once Tobey and Banna had made their trip, Alastair and I stepped into the elevator with Busby joining us.

  "What’s happening," I asked, breaking the awkward silence.

  "Let’s wait to see what Olivia says," Busby replied, repeating Banna’s words as if no one dared cross the line until Olivia gave permission to do so. "You really— Never mind. I should have known. I shouldn’t have brought—"

  Busby had his back to us as he spoke these sentence fragments, giving Alastair the chance to slip his hand into mine. His touch was like a defibrillator jolt to my heart and filled me with the sense that I could get through whatever I was about to face.

  30 - TEST RESULTS

  OF COURSE, ALASTAIR and I dropped hands the instant the elevator bounced to a stop, but that’s not to say our fingers didn’t brush together now and then as we followed Mr. T to Olivia’s office. Tobey had gone off to do, well, whatever it was he did all day. Which was good because I’d have hated for him to hear the tongue-lashing Alastair and I got from Olivia as she paced her office, her anger filling the room with her woodsy scent. The gist of her words: Apparently test givers are not supposed to lock lips with their test takers.

  "This is not a behavior we approve of," Olivia said, standing rigidly behind her desk where a plateful of cupcakes kept drawing my eye.

  "It was only a congratulatory kiss," I said, hoping to protect Alastair.

  "Ms. Black if that's a kiss of congratulations, I can only imagine how you must kiss in private."

  I was tempted to say how weird it was that she would be imagining me kissing anyone anywhere, but figured now was not the time for smart ass comments.

  "Cassie and I formed a bond before we came," Alastair said, making whatever we were sound painfully formal. "I should've informed you of that."

  "No, I should have made the rules more clear," said Busby.

  "Yes, both of you should have done exactly that," Olivia said. "As it is, Alastair, you are at risk of losing your teaching license altogether."

  "What's the big deal?" I asked. "We're both adults."

  "The big deal is that a teacher who is in a relationship with a student is more likely to falsify things. Alastair may have gone easy on you or used a weaker version of the Binding Spell to make sure you succeeded today."

  "Believe me, he was not going easy," I said. My arms still ached where the magical ropes had tightened against them.

  "Were you, Alastair?" Olivia asked crisply.

  "No, quite the opposite. I want Cassie to be able to fully protect herself. I always have, as you’ll remember from my trial." Trial? Wait what trial? Oh, okay, so yet again we’re not going to explain things to Cassie and just let Alastair continue blabbing? Guess so. "I used a harsher spell than I would have conjured for a final exam, let alone a placement test." Alastair paused, casting a quick glance at me before returning his focus to Olivia. "I care very much for Cassie. I would never make her feel stronger in her magic than she is. I want her safe, not overly cocky."

  "I'd like to believe that," Olivia said. Her voice was calm and sincere, but her face remained resolute as she sat down in her plush, leather chair. "But as it is, we can’t accept the results of Ms. Black’s test."

  "That's bullshit," I blurted. I kind of expected Alastair and Mr. Tenpenny to back me up, but they remained disturbingly silent. "Believe me, Alastair was not pulling any punches on that test." I pushed up my sleeves and showed her the rings of bruises on my upper arms.

  "Then you will do fine when you test again," Olivia said evenly.

  "Against who?"

  "We can't tell you that."

  "Is the—" Alastair began, his throat sounded dry. "Are the goals the same for the next test?"

  "Not exactly."

  "Would anyone care to explain what this test is for? It’s obviously not a placement test."

  "In a manner of speaking, it is," Olivia said apologetically. "It’s why I’m so angry with you two. Cassie, I wanted you to pass this test without any question of the results. Now another test is required. Likely within the week." I started to protest, but Olivia cut me off. "I’m sorry for the short time frame. I advised giving you more time. I think it only fair we provide you the training you deserve. But other… Well, there are higher ups who believe it’s safest to get you sorted before we allow you into more formal training."

  "Sorted?"

  Olivia took a deep breath and Mr. Tenpenny patted my shoulder. I didn’t like this one bit.

  "If you are unable to contain your magic, to prove you can control it—" I nearly burst out that I had just proven I could control it, but then decided that shouting an interruption wouldn’t be the best proof of being in control. "You will be drained and you will be asked to leave the magic community."

  "Draining? Expulsion? Just like that without even giving me half a chance to learn a damn thing?"

  "Cassie, that’s—" Olivia started to say, but I’d had enough.

  I got up and I really wanted to try out the magic head butt thing again, but instead I took my anger out on her cupcakes by turning them into a pile of Brussels sprouts. I then stormed out. Too rankled to think of what to do or where to go, I traipsed to the end of the hallway and stared out the window over the Green. From the office, I could hear Alastair offering an apology before saying a hurried goodbye. He came up behind me and I whipped around.

  "Of all the—" I started, but Alastair pulled me to him. The kiss was quick, but only because Alastair started laughing.

  "That, the sprouts, her face."

  "I have my moments," I said, and Alastair’s giggling fit ended up being contagious. It felt good. It certainly felt better than crying, which was running a close second in the race of my emotional reactions. After the intensity of the test, the stupid results
, and my doubts about Alastair crumbling by the minute, the laughter seemed to bond us back together. He took my hand, but he stepped back.

  "I do care about you, Cassie."

  "But…" I prodded.

  "We should be careful while we're here."

  "Are they really going to kick me out?"

  "Not if someone sticks to her lessons and learns to fully control her magic." He kissed me on the nose and I caught his chocolate-raspberry scent. I was hoping we could talk, that I could try to explain all the fears and suspicions that had made me keep him at a distance. And to remind him that since I was at risk of being booted out of this world, we had limited time and I wanted to get cracking on finding my parents.