“Which is ridiculous,” Leia cut in, throwing her hands up in frustration. “There’s no way that a wolf kills a second-year Martial Magic student, especially not a guy who was near the top of his class. He probably already had enough defensive wards mastered to withstand an assault from a human S.W.A.T. team. I’m pretty sure he could’ve fended off a single semi-domesticated wolf, especially one that probably would have been more concerned with fleeing into the woods than attacking his liberator.”
I tilted my head at Leia. “So, what do you think happened?”
“Well,” she lowered her head, speaking quietly and glancing around to see if she would be overheard, “his roommate last year was Braden Thomas.”
“Oh?” I felt that the information should’ve meant more to me than it did. Then I remembered something Wallace had said. “Wait, Wallace said the other Proteus was named Braden. The same one, you think?”
“That would make sense.” Her eyes went wide. “Braden’s family is pretty notorious in the witch world. They’re criminals, mostly. Conmen, thieves, even killers. They’re descendent from a long line of incredibly powerful and morally questionable witches. They’re probably one of the most dangerous magical families in the world.”
I raised an eyebrow at her, skeptical. “And you think this Braden killed his old roommate?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. That, or maybe the guy pissed off someone in his family. I’m just saying, it seems like a strange coincidence. A student turns up dead, and it just so happens that he used to be roommates with someone from that kind of family?” She raised her eyebrows, inviting agreement.
“Hmm.” I turned to Oliver. “Does seem like an odd coincidence, no?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But I also think Leia’s especially reluctant to admit that her sweet, cuddly wolf might have torn out a guy’s throat.” He sneered at her. “They do that, you know.”
Leia stuck her tongue out at him, but I interrupted before they could continue their bickering.
“Have you guys met him?”
They both arched their brows in unison. “Who, Braden?” Oliver asked.
“Duh.”
“I haven’t, have you?” Oliver turned his attention to Leia.
“No.” She broke into a sly grin. “But I hear he’s pretty hot. Got the whole bad boy, potential-murderer thing working for him, I guess.”
“Yeah, great.” I rolled my eyes. “I only ask because I think I’m supposed to meet up with him in about ten minutes, and it’d be nice to know if I should bring a weapon or something.”
“Man, you have just about the best luck, don’t you Meena?” Oliver’s tone was sarcastic. He chuckled, apparently amused by my misfortune. “Why do you get to have all the fun?”
Leia shot him a dirty look before turning to me. “All this stuff is just rumors. I wouldn’t worry too much about Braden. Just because someone’s family is messed up doesn’t mean they are.”
“That’s true.” I looked hopefully at my new friends. “Do you think they’ll figure out what really happened to this Lucas guy?”
They exchanged a doubtful glance and shrugged.
“Honestly, if they do, we’ll probably never hear about it.” Oliver gave a feeble half-smile. “My understanding is that student deaths aren’t that uncommon at Broken Wand. But usually it’s magic gone wrong, someone pushing themselves too far. Or suicide. A lot of people just can’t take the pressure.”
Leia gave him another sneer. “Don’t listen to him. The college will investigate, and if there’s something we need to know, like a threat or something, they’ll notify us.”
“So you guys don’t want to know what happened?” I couldn’t believe they could be so casual about a student death.
“Of course we do.” Leia tipped her head in sympathy. “But what can we do?”
“We can go Nancy Drew all over this place.” I glanced to my potential partners for backing. They both stared at me vacantly. “You know, investigate? Like detectives?” My attempt to marshal support for the cause appeared to be failing miserably.
“Oh, uh. Yeah, I don’t know.” Oliver drew his eyes to the ground. “I can’t really afford to get in trouble here. My mom would kill me.”
“Girl, you know I’m down for the cause. I’m the first one to be right there with you protesting racial injustice, animal rights, you name it. But I’m also a passivist. Like, very nonviolent.” Leia winced and shrugged apologetically. “I don’t want to end up in a situation that invites conflict, you know? Not even in self-defense. And I think you ought to tread really carefully here.” A small line formed between her brows, and she held my gaze to emphasize her message. “This place is not your typical human college. People go inexplicably missing all the time. The witch criminal justice system isn’t exactly flawless.”
“Or even functional,” Oliver added.
“Fantastic.” I glanced up at the clock, which said it was twenty after one. “And here I am, off to meet up with a witch-mobster.”
“Ah, you’ll be fine.” Leia waved off my concern. “I didn’t mean to freak you out with that stuff about Braden and his family. In all honesty, it was most likely a suicide or a spell gone wrong, like Oliver said.”
Oliver’s jaw pulled with tension. “Yeah, but be careful anyway.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you later?”
“You know where to find me, roomie. You’ll have to let me know if he’s really as hot as they say.” Leia gave me a broad, wicked smile, but I was still uneasy as I left the dining hall and headed toward Merlin Hall.
I wandered down the grand building’s hallways until I came to room 109. I took a deep breath and knocked. My blood rushed, nerves taking hold as footsteps approached from behind the door. The door swung open, and I drew back in surprise, glaring at him in disbelief as heat rushed to my cheeks.
“You’re Braden?”
He smirked down at me. “I am.”
“Of course it’s you. How could it not be you?” I blew out a long, exasperated sigh, thinking back to Oliver’s comment about my luck.
His features were a little sharper without the thick fog enveloping us, but the tousled hair and short, sandy beard left no doubt that he was the gruff witch that had given me his shirt in the dining hall yesterday.
Chapter 9
Braden held the door open and stepped aside, ushering me in. I stepped across the threshold, eyeing him as I passed. The room was similar to the shared common space in Leia’s and my dorm, but grungier. Tapestries covered both the windows, dimming the light in the room and giving it a cave-like atmosphere.
He closed the door and looked me over with his lips pursed, one eyebrow raised. “So you’re Meena, huh?”
“How did you know that?” The closed door quickened my pulse, and I narrowed my eyes at him, already on guard.
“Oh, I have my ways.” He tapped his finger to his temple, his mouth pulled into an arrogant smile. My suspicions concerning his over-inflated ego were confirmed.
“What, you read minds?” I rolled my eyes. “Are you hearing me mentally gagging right now? Or is the eyeroll enough to give away how I feel about your smug attitude?”
He chuckled and held up his hands. “Hey, I was just kidding. Wallace told me you’d be coming by. Of course, he didn’t mention it was you.” He walked over to his mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. “You want one?”
“Um, no.” I raised my eyebrows at him, annoyed.
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and popped off the dark bottle’s top as he moved toward the couch. He slunk down onto it, taking a long pull from his beer.
“You do realize it’s not even two o’clock yet, right?” I wrinkled my nose at him. Several empty beer bottles littered the low table in front of the couch, and I wondered how many of them were from today.
He scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. “Relax, will you? It’s the day before classes start. After today, we won’t have another chance to day-drink for the rest of th
e semester.” He took another pull from the bottle. “Well, not during the week, anyway.”
“Yeah, wow. When you put it like that, better give me one.”
He perked up, his eyes going wide. “Really?”
“No.” I scowled at him. “This is ridiculous. Why did Wallace even send me over here?”
Braden frowned, apparently disappointed that I wasn’t going to be his drinking buddy.
“Well, probably because we’re going to be training a lot together. Once you catch up a bit.” He flashed me that careless smile again. “Wallace is my advisor, and he’ll be yours, too.”
It pissed me off, especially because, despite his obnoxious arrogance, his good looks were hard to ignore.
“And how would he feel about all this?” I gestured toward the empty beer bottles on the table. There were several half-burned candles in addition to the bottles, and I noticed that there were quite a few dirty clothes strewn about the room as well.
“Dunno.” He shrugged. “He’s pretty cool, in his own weird, nerdy way. Probably wouldn’t care.”
“I somehow doubt that.” I wasn’t sure, though, given what I’d seen of the Academy so far.
His nostrils flared. “Oh, yeah? That’s funny, because from what I can tell, you know pretty much nothing about this place or anyone here. Even though you seem to think you already know me.”
“I know you left me stranded in that tub in the middle of a foggy room yesterday.” I was going for outraged, or at least annoyed, but I came off weaker than I intended.
“Is that the thanks I get for saving you?” He scratched at his jaw, anger creeping in. “I literally gave you the shirt off my back.”
“Yeah, well, you certainly didn’t hide what an inconvenience it was to you.” I was surprised to find that I felt hurt by the memory of his dismissive attitude toward me. A blush crept up my neck, and I tried to work up my own anger in self-defense.
We gazed at each other intensely, our faces tight with resentment. I could feel the tension in the room. Fear replaced some of my anger as I remembered what Oliver and Leia had told me about Braden’s family, and I worried what he would do next. But his features softened, and the tension dissipated.
“Whatever.” He glanced off toward the window as he swigged his beer. “Everyone thinks they know me already. Lucas was probably the only one who kind of did, and look where that got him.”
Braden crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his chin, and I thought with astonishment that he was about to cry. But he set his face in a scowl again. Despite my frustration, I recognized something in his expression. The pain of having lost someone close.
“Were you guys friends?”
“Nah.” He refused to meet my gaze, and I suspected he was holding back. “He was just my roommate. But you do get to know a guy, living together and all.”
I was hesitant to bring up the rumors, but I needed to see his reaction. Especially if we were going to be studying together. I couldn’t spend time with a suspected murderer and not at least ask him about it.
“You know, some people think you killed him.” I watched him closely. For what, I wasn’t sure.
“Yeah, well, people are stupid.” His even tone and stoic gaze toward the windows gave nothing away.
I scrutinized his every movement, searching for the slightest sign of guilt. “They also say you’re from a family of criminals and killers.”
He turned his cool gaze on me, and a shiver ran through me as my pulse quickened. “You believe everything people say?”
“No.” I willed myself to keep a steady composure.
“So, what do you think?” He cocked his head, absently turning the half-empty bottle in his hands.
“Well, to be honest, I think you might be kind of a jerk.” I held his gaze and focused on my breathing in an effort to calm my thumping heart.
He raised his eyebrows as a faint smile flickered across his face. “Oh yeah?”
“Yep. And probably full of crap. But I don’t know that I get a particularly murderous vibe from you, either.” I wondered if my bluntness was finally going to do me in this time. “I think you might have a slight drinking problem, but you don’t strike me as a killer. Besides,” I nodded toward the messy room, “you’re clearly way too messy to get away with murder.”
He laughed, fixing me with an amused smile. “But you’re not sure?”
“Of course not.” I turned my eyes away, uncomfortable under his gaze. “I don’t know you.”
“Huh.” He gave me a once-over. “Maybe you’re not as stupid as the rest of them.”
I rolled my eyes. “Gee, thanks.” Just when it seemed like we were having a semi-civil conversation, he reminded me what an jerk he was.
He drained the last of his beer and raised off the couch, moving back toward the fridge. “So, Wallace said you’d have some questions for me. About being a Drifter?” He pulled out another beer and popped off the cap as he turned to face me, leaning against the large desk next to the fridge.
I did have questions – so many questions – but right then, I only cared about one thing. I wanted to know what had happened to Lucas Billings. If I was going to stay at Broken Wand Academy, I needed to know why a student had just died.
“I can find out all that stuff from Wallace. I’d like to talk more about Lucas, if you don’t mind.”
His smile fell away as a flash of grief cracked through his charming exterior. “Okay.” He regained his mask of indifference as he spread his arms in invitation. “What do you want to know?”
“I heard he was upset about the wolf they had chained up on campus.”
He shrugged as he sipped at his beer. “Yeah, so?”
“So, some people think the wolf might’ve killed him while he was trying to set it free.”
He laughed, but it was devoid of any trace of joy or amusement. “At least I’m in good company on the list of suspects, then.”
His casual tone unnerved me. I couldn’t tell if he was putting on a front, or just genuinely disinterested.
“You don’t think the wolf had anything to do with it?” I struggled to keep my tone even.
He shook his head. “No. I don’t think Lucas would’ve been taken down by a wolf, even if it did attack him. He was a pretty tough witch. Bested me in a few duels, anyway.” He looked off, and I caught another glimpse of sadness. Or remorse. Hard to tell.
“So you guys fought, then?” My pulse increased again as I studied Braden for any indication that he knew more than he was saying.
“You literally don’t know anything.” He rolled his eyes. “Training duels, dummy. It’s part of our Martial Magic curriculum. He was my sparring partner. You know, I’m actually partner-less at the moment.” His grin was full of mischief. “If you’re interested.”
“Yeah, no thanks.” I sneered at him, put off by his lack of grace. “Did Lucas ever actually fight with anyone?”
“No.” Braden set his beer down on the desk, his self-satisfied mask slipping away. “He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He was pretty quiet, but everyone who knew Lucas liked him.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you so interested in him, anyway? You didn’t know him. What’s it to you?”
“This place is obviously messed up.” I paced the room, emphasizing with my hands as I spoke. “I was brought here against my will, and then literally tortured within the first few hours. They were keeping a wolf chained up for entertainment, and now a student turns up dead, and people don’t even seem phased.” My frustration grew as I picked up steam. “There’s no vigil, no mourning, no announcement from the administration. Nothing. Everyone gossips about it like it’s some trivial thing and acts like everything is fine.” I ran my hands through my hair, my mind racing along with my pulse. “Am I the only one totally freaked out?”
“Probably.” He shrugged and flashed me a rueful smirk. “But you’re wrong about the mourning. What do you think I’m doing here?” He picked up his beer and cheered the air before ta
king a long swig.
“That is not mourning. That’s drinking.”
“Hey, everyone has their process.” He shrugged again as he took another sip.
I groaned in frustration. “Ugh, this is so messed up. This place is a nightmare.”
“Why stay, then?” He gestured toward the door with his beer. “Why not go back to your tidy little ‘normal’ life?”
It wasn’t the first time I had considered leaving. In fact, the thought had been at the fore of my mind since I stepped through the Quaker’s bathroom door and found myself in Wallace’s office. It had been deception that first brought me here, and I suspected that dishonesty would plague me as long as I remained at Broken Wand.
But the opportunity to discover this hidden world my grandmother had been part of was too great to turn away from. Something deep in my gut told me that I would always regret it if I left this place.
“I was planning to. Until Wallace called me for the Choosing. That feeling. That energy that rushed through me.” I closed my eyes, momentarily lost as I relived the inexplicable sensation. My fingertips still tingled faintly; whether it was a phantom feeling or leftover energy from the Choosing, I couldn’t say. I opened my eyes and found Braden eyeing me. His usual smug expression was replaced by a head tilt, and it threw me off. “It was the first time since my grandmother died that I felt at peace. At that moment, it almost seemed like I could feel her with me. I can’t give that up.”
Speaking it aloud for the first time made me realize the strength of my resolve to stay at Broken Wand Academy. It scared me, but my grandmother had always told me that the things in life most worth doing were the ones that scared us the most. I knew that I couldn’t leave. At least not until I found out what this place was really about.
To my surprise, Braden’s expression was sincere as he nodded his understanding. No snide comment, no sarcastic laughter as he stuffed his hand in his pockets.
“Well, I hate to cut short your little investigation here, but if you want the truth? He probably killed himself.”
A Curse of Magic Page 8
