Arcane Dropout 6

by Edmund Hughes

  He picked the wrong moment to glance up and over at her, and their eyes met. He cursed under his breath as he watched recognition dawn on her face, and then she was moving.

  “Time to go!” said Lee.

  It was an easy conclusion to come to, but much harder to put into action. The cafeteria had filled with students in the time he’d been sitting down, and trying to get out through the nearest entrance was like swimming against the current.

  He glanced over his shoulder, spotting Willow closing the distance between the two of them. Lee had time to briefly consider slamming his force spell into the crowd to disperse it before accepting the inevitable.

  “Lee,” said Willow. “It’s really you, isn’t it?”

  He put on his best smile and aimed for amiability. “Willow. Long time, no see. How are things? Transferred schools, did you?”

  Her expression darkened. “I think you know why I’m here, and I rather think I can guess why you’re here.”

  “To learn geometry?”

  Willow flashed an overtly friendly smile as she leaned in closer to him, her eyes burning with a contrast of intensity.

  “Where’s Claire, Lee? What did you do to her?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t do anything to her, other than offer to tell her the truth.”

  “The truth?” Willow snorted. “How very noble of you. Tell me, what do you think the truth is?”

  “As always, the truth is complicated.” He shrugged, glancing past Willow and toward Tess, who gave him a small nod. “I think we can still find some common ground here. How about a peace offering?”

  He pulled out the beer from his lunch bag, shaking it up and making no attempt to hide what he was doing. Willow stared at him in confusion as he slammed it down hard on the lunch table and slid a finger into the tab.

  “What kind of game are you playing—”

  He cut off the rest of her sentence by opening the can and tipping it to explode onto her. Willow tried to take a step back, but Tess, faithful and ever-so-creative, had tied her shoelaces together.

  She fell onto her butt next to the table, beer continuing to spurt forth from the oldest carbonated trick in the book and onto her borrowed school uniform. Lee tried to act casual as he slipped away, knowing Willow would have to waste a nice chunk of time talking herself out of the situation he’d just placed her in once a teacher noticed her.

  The crowd around the cafeteria’s entrance had thinned and he broke into a sprint as soon as he was outside. It was close to the time he’d agreed to meet up with Claire, and he hoped she’d be there earlier.

  She did him one better as he ran out into the street. The engine of a shiny black pick-up truck roared to life next to the school, pulling onto the street and rolling to cut off Lee’s path. Claire was in the driver’s seat.

  “We have to get out of here!” said Lee. “The Order knows about you. They sent someone, an old friend of mine, and she’s here at your high school.”

  Claire didn’t say anything as he climbed in. Lee set his elbow on the back of the seat and looked out the rear window.

  “You have to turn around,” he said. “I’m with my sister. She’s on our side, but she’s back at the motel. We’re heading the wrong way.”

  “You don’t understand…” muttered Claire.

  Lee felt a prickle of premonition run up the back of his neck. “What don’t I understand? I thought you needed my help.”

  “I do.”

  She drove in silence until it became unbearable and then, rather than elaborating further, turned on the radio, blasting static-laden country music over the speakers.

  “Where’d you get the truck?” asked Lee.

  “It’s my dad’s,” said Claire. “He has several.”

  She wasn’t driving for long. The town was small enough for her to reach the outskirts within a few minutes, and she parked in front of an old abandoned construction site, a half-finished building next to an unfinished basement foundation.

  Claire kept her hands on the wheel after killing the truck’s engine. She took a slow breath and let it out shakily.

  “Someone came looking for me before you did,” she whispered. “A man.”

  “From the Order?”

  She nodded. “I didn’t understand. When I first discovered I could do what I do, I didn’t freak out. I thought I had a gift, that I was special, like in the movies.”

  “Mind me asking what it is, exactly, that you can do?”

  Claire licked her lips. She held her hands out, not in one of the normal casting stances taught at Primhaven, but still in a deliberate manner. One of the discarded boards on the ground next to the construction site flipped over and then lifted into the air.

  “Telekinesis,” he said with a smile. “That brings back memories.”

  “I didn’t try to hide what I could do, not really. Most of my friends thought I was doing it through some trick, like real magic, or fake magic. I don’t know what to call it now. I didn’t think anyone really cared.”

  “Somebody always cares,” said Lee.

  “He… said his name was Miles,” said Claire. “He was so nice to me. He told me he was from the Order but said he could only help me or tell me more if I went with him.”

  “Sounds like their usual operating style.”

  Claire was already shaking her head. “No, you still don’t understand. I did go with him. I wanted to know more. I was practically desperate to find out what else came with my power, and where it could lead me. I was… really desperate, Lee.

  “He told me it could put my family at risk if I didn’t come with him. He had me get in his car. He told me that the only way they’d take me was if he vouched for me and that he needed to know first if I was worth it.

  “He made me, um, do things… with him. He was around for more than a week, and each time we met, he was more aggressive, more demanding about how I needed to be. He brought me here the last time, and tried to…” Claire hesitated, closing her eyes. “He started…”

  She gave up trying to fill out the details and simply shuddered. “I threw a piece of wood at him with my power. It had a nail in it, I guess it just hit him wrong. It wasn’t what I was trying to do, I swear!”

  “Claire,” said Lee. “What happened?”

  She wouldn’t look at him as she climbed out of the truck and led him over to the abandoned basement foundation. Amidst the damp soil was a patch of slightly drier earth that looked as though it had been dug out and refilled recently.

  “I killed him,” she whispered. “And now they’re here to kill me.”

  CHAPTER 9

  A gentle breeze blew through the construction site, stirring the top layer of disturbed dirt and eliciting a groan from the piles of abandoned building materials and stacked wood. Claire was clutching her arms around herself as though her body, her soul, would crumble from the slightest touch.

  “The Order isn’t coming to kill you,” he said.

  “How do you know?” snapped Claire.

  “The girl they sent isn’t even a full-blown agent, and she really isn’t the killing type. I don’t think they know about what happened to Miles, Claire. You’re probably safe as long as you’re careful.”

  She didn’t seem to be listening to him, and a look at where her attention was focused told Lee the reason why. Willow was jogging toward the construction site, sweat beading on her face, eyes narrowed into a determined glare. She slowed to a walking pace, panting as she covered the last few feet.

  “How did you find us?” asked Lee.

  “I watched you drive here,” said Willow. “It’s not hard to get a bird’s-eye view with my wind magic.”

  Her gaze shifted toward Claire and she held out a reassuring hand. “It’s okay. I’m on your side. Has he hurt you in any way?”

  Lee snorted, and Claire shook her head.

  “You should get back, Claire,” he said. “This is the Order agent I was talking about. I can beat her in a fight, but she’s
still dangerous.”

  “You can beat me in a fight?” asked Willow.

  “Did I stutter?”

  He made a shooing motion with his hand toward Claire, who took the hint and backed away. Tess moved to stand with her, and though there was little she could do to defend the girl, Lee was reassured by the idea of someone keeping tabs on her while he was distracted by the fight.

  Willow fell into the elemental casting stance. “I’m not going to hold back just because we were friends once.”

  “Not to sound condescending, but I probably will hold back,” said Lee. “I don’t need my full strength to take you down.”

  Willow shook her head, and it was hard to tell if the gesture was in annoyance or disbelief. She ground one of her toes into the dirt and exhaled sharply as she pushed her hands forward, sending a blast of wind toward Lee’s chest.

  He didn’t bother trying to dodge or counter. Lee simply relaxed his awareness and used his dispel ability, forcing calm onto himself and his direct surroundings. It was as though he’d become the eye of the storm, Willow’s wind blast wavering to either side as it approached him, barely ruffling his clothing.

  She blinked in disbelief, which was a fair reaction. She’d never seen him use his mystic abilities before, never suspected the depth of his true strength. Willow had found out about Tess, but seeing and forming pacts with ghosts was only the tip of the iceberg.

  Lee started walking toward her, closing the distance between them. Willow’s face twisted with anger. She used another wind spell, this one to lift herself into the air. She flung a barrage of red magic missiles at him with expert precision.

  It took a bit more of Lee’s focus and willpower to dispel those, and he opted to merely leap out of the way of the last one. The rest faded out before ever touching him, like the light from a firework, spent and useless.

  Willow let out an annoyed shout and tried a fireball instead. Lee dispelled it with a dramatic wave of his hand, waggling a finger at her as it dissipated.

  “Have a care, Willow,” he said. “Look at all this dry wood here. You’re going to end up starting a—”

  He silently cursed having drawn her attention to the piles of building materials as Willow cast another wind spell, this one whipping dozens of small pieces of wood and broken glass into a swirling tornado of sharp objects and tetanus.

  Lee took a hesitant step back. He could block her magic, but anything she sent into motion before he did would, of course, continue in motion. Willow seemed to relish that same realization as she flexed her fingers, pursing her lips with satisfaction.

  She flung her arm forward as though hurling a baseball, and the cloud of wood and glass shards whistled through the air, heading straight for him. He clasped his right wrist with his left hand and hurled his palm forward, countering with his force spell.

  A gasp came from his left, and he felt a surge of concern for Claire until he recognized that the noise had come from Tess. No time. His force spell hit the cloud of wood and glass, scattering it away from its intended target. A few bits of broken building rained down on his hair, but the sensation was more unpleasant than painful.

  He knew he couldn’t give Willow a second chance at the line of attack, so he sprinted toward her, closing the distance before she could cast again. He used dispel as he tackled her for good measure, turning the fight into a simple match of physical strength.

  “You bastard!” shouted Willow. “You’ll have to kill me!”

  “Who the hell do you think I am?” Lee pinned her arms and brought his face in close to hers, straddling her to keep her in place. “I’m not going to kill you, Willow. Quit being ridiculous.”

  Willow glared at him in defiance. Lee sighed, wondering if he’d ever have a simple conversation with the girl.

  “Look,” he said. “I haven’t joined up with the House of Shadows, despite what you may have heard.”

  “Let me take her, then,” said Willow. “You don’t understand the situation. Her family is at risk. People with less scrupulous agendas might use them to get close to her or threaten them for the sake of controlling her.”

  “That doesn’t mean she should be forced into the Order against her will.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying!” Willow took a breath and looked over at Claire, instead of at Lee. “Listen to me, Claire. The Order of Chaldea is not evil. They’re the only ones who can help you and keep your family safe.”

  “Is that a promise or a threat?” asked Lee.

  “Depending on the person, it could be either,” admitted Willow. “Claire, if you don’t come with me, the Order will keep trying. They’ll reach out to your family and tell them the truth. Have you explained yourself to your mother and father, yet? Do you want them to hear it from your mouth or from mine?”

  Claire looked as though she’d been stabbed in the gut. She closed her eyes, clutching her arms around herself, and finally nodded.

  “…Fine,” she said.

  “Claire!” shouted Lee. “You don’t have to—”

  “I do,” muttered Claire. “She’s right. I can’t let my own problems affect my family like that.”

  For an instant, her eyes darted toward the patch of disturbed earth, toward where the body of Miles was no doubt buried. Lee considered what would happen if the Order’s focus on Claire revealed what she’d done, what it would mean for her and her family.

  “She’s made her choice, Lee,” said Willow. “Are you going to drag her off kicking and screaming?”

  He pulled back from Willow and stood up. “Again, who the hell do you think I am?”

  ***

  Willow spoke with Claire in hushed tones for a few minutes before taking the keys to the truck from her and sending her off to sit in the cab. She turned to face Lee afterward, her face bereft of visible emotion.

  “Tell me the truth, Lee,” said Willow. “What is it that you want?”

  “Are you asking me because you really want to know, or because you’re trying to pin down where my loyalties lie?”

  “After what Harper has told me, I don’t think you’re loyal to anyone but yourself.”

  Her words hit him hard and were every bit as gritty as the shards of glass and broken bits of wood.

  “She’s here with you, isn’t she?” he asked.

  Willow leaned her head to the side. “She’s here in this town, but I was infiltrating the high school on my own. I’m her new apprentice. With Primhaven still in demonic hands, we’ve been working with the Order of Chaldea directly.”

  “Are you going to tell her I was here?” he asked.

  “Do you want her to know?”

  He thought about it, but it didn’t take long to find his answer. “No.”

  “Neither do I. You hurt her, Lee, with all the lies. She still hasn’t recovered completely. I don’t think it would do her much good to have to start thinking about you again.”

  “Will you actually manage to keep it secret this time?” he asked. “I seem to recall it backfiring spectacularly the last time I trusted you to keep your mouth shut.”

  “I didn’t mean to tell her about your secret back at Primhaven,” said Willow. “Though I think it was for the best, in the end. She needed to know for her own sake. It was just too big of a lie.”

  “Not all of it was a lie,” said Lee. “Our relationship, the closeness we shared, that was real. I cared about her. I still do.”

  Willow took several steps forward, drawing almost too close to him.

  “Then stay away, as far away as you can get,” she said. “If you ever cared for Harper, you’ll let her heal.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Lee watched Willow and Claire drive away in the pickup truck. It left him knowing he’d have to walk back to the motel, but given where his mind was at, he didn’t necessarily see that as a bad thing. He needed time to think, time to process he’d just been told.

  A small part of him clung to the idea of accidentally running into Harper on the street, or in
a crowd, as though her sheer proximity might allow fate to put their relationship back on track, to give him a chance to apologize and explain, offer her a chance to listen and forgive.

  It was just a fantasy, a cruel one at that. Lee sighed and brushed a bit of dirt off the knees of his borrowed school uniform. Tess was watching him from where she’d been standing with Claire, and she flashed a reassuring smile when he looked over.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I guess,” he said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  He walked over and pulled her into his mystic stream, eager for her closeness and company. Tess let out a gasp and fell backward onto her butt.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  She didn’t have to answer, as he saw the problem the instant after he’d asked the question. Her foot, from the ball of the ankle down, was a wispy cloud of ethereal blue, as though it hadn’t been pulled into his mystic stream with the rest of her. It was more than that, even, more like the appearance of weaker ghosts he’d seen, ones that couldn’t fully manifest the outlines of their previous physical forms after death.

  “Whoops,” said Tess. “Looks like I got off on the wrong foot.”

  “Tess…” Lee crouched down in front of her, reaching forward to examine her leg with his hands. The change wasn’t abrupt, but more of a gradual transition beginning just below her knee, the imposed physicality of his mystic stream dissolving into tufts of blue at the bottom of her foot.

  “It’s no big deal,” she said. “I can still stand upright when I’m not in your mystic stream. Well, maybe stand isn’t the right word. Float?”

  “This happened during the fight,” he said. “Did one of the pieces of wood or glass from Willow’s attack hit you?”

  “Lee, be serious,” said Tess. “You’re a mystic. You of all people should know that ghosts don’t work like that.”

  He did, but he preferred it to the alternative theory.

  “Then it was the spell I cast,” he said. “I did this to you?”