Improbable Ally (Magical Arts Academy Book 4)

by Lucia Ashta

  Copyright 2018 Lucía Ashta.

  All rights reserved.

  Published by Awaken to Peace Press.

  This novel is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and incidents described in this publication are used fictitiously or are entirely fictional. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, except by an authorized retailer or with written permission of the publisher. Inquiries may be addressed via email to luciamashta@gmail.com.

  Cover design by Mirela Barbu.

  Edited by Elsa Crites.

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  Back cover copy

  When your adversaries are masters of illusion, keep your team close, and your enemies as far away as possible.

  New students have arrived at the Academy, and unlike Isadora and her brother, they were raised with magic. But even their knowledge of the craft might not be enough to save them from the unrelenting Sorcerers, who will stop at nothing to take down anyone who opposes them.

  Will Isadora and her friends avoid the traps in their midst? Or will Isadora be forced to fight for their lives with magic she never realized she possessed?

  For Nadia, whose depth of imagination is magical

  Magic is as light or dark as the heart of the person who wields it.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Questionable Rescue - Book 5

  Make a difference

  Acknowledgments

  Read more by Lucía Ashta

  About the author

  Chapter 1

  Never before had I attended a dinner so rife with tension. But there was no place else on the estate I would have rather been.

  All of us, save for the dozen firedrakes we’d adopted from the Sorcerers for Magical Supremacy sect (the dreaded SMS), were in the dining room. It was a large, high-ceilinged room, with a table long enough to seat many more. For the first time since I arrived I understood a bit about what the magicians who’d recruited us might have envisioned for their Magical Arts Academy.

  As far as I could tell, we were a distant representation of what they’d pictured. For one, there were only a handful of students, and few teachers—nothing like any academy I’d ever heard of. But there was little about this academy that was familiar to me.

  I desperately wanted to learn more, especially when it was clear that the stakes were as high as they came. The SMS was out to kill us—including Nando and me, who’d only been at the academy a few days, and not nearly long enough to be a threat to anyone in the magical world.

  So when Gustave spoke, I froze. “The pupils shouldn’t be witness to our discussion,” he said. “This is for the staff to figure out, not them. They shouldn’t be listening in.”

  “I agree,” Vlad the vampire said. “We’ll just frighten them, nothing more.”

  “We’ll be more frightened if we don’t understand what’s going on.” It took everyone’s attention turning toward me to realize I’d been the one to say it. Now I pursed my lips shut, unnerved by all their stares.

  “Not just that,” the new boy, Walter, said from across the table, and I breathed a sigh of relief as attention was redirected to him. “You owe us that much. We should be allowed to know what’s going on. You dragged us here, against our will, into obvious danger. The least you can do is let us in on what’s happening.”

  I froze again, almost as nervous for him as I’d been for myself. That was quite impertinent of him to say, considering he appeared to be maybe seventeen years of age, and a new arrival. Besides, from what Mordecai had said, no one had been dragged anywhere. Walter had decided to join his sister when she was leaving without him.

  Several of the adults opened their mouths to speak. I was especially worried about Madame Pimlish, who was red in the face, as if Walter had somehow offended her in particular. I’d already seen how she behaved following a perceived offense, and I chewed at my lip.

  Arianne spoke first, and I felt that was best. So far she’d proven herself to be firm and strong, but equally kind and gentle when the circumstances warranted it.

  She put a hand up to stop the others from speaking before she did. “Walter doesn’t seem to think much before he speaks, but—”

  “I do too!” he interjected, and she shot him a warning glance. Didn’t he realize she was helping him?

  “Again, Walter doesn’t think before he speaks, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some good points I think we’d be wise to consider.”

  “You can’t mean we should allow them to be part of our deliberations at a time of war?” Gustave said. “Because no matter how strongly we’ve opposed it, war is at our door, and they’re only pupils, most of them novices.” I assumed he was excluding Brave and Gertrude, who clearly possessed magical skills.

  Arianne sighed and leaned back in her chair, hands falling to her lap. “I won’t deny that nothing about this is ideal, but think about it. How would you feel, Gustave, how would any of you feel if you’d been recruited from the safety of your homes and delivered to a magical war?” Her gaze traveled the table. “Wouldn’t you want to know what’s going on? Wouldn’t you need to?”

  “It’s a fair point,” Clara said. She’d discarded her riding clothes for a clean dress, and her hair was up in intricate plaits. If I hadn’t seen her riding a dragon just earlier that day, I would’ve guessed it impossible that this woman would ride such a monstrous beast. “It might not be information normally reserved for pupils of an academy, but I dare suggest that nothing about our academy is normal.”

  I almost chuckled. That was one big, fat understatement.

  Marcelo turned to his wife. “But what could be gained from their knowledge of what we face, beyond night terrors?”

  “Peace of mind.” It surprised me to hear Nando’s voice. He was normally careful to respect authority and hierarchy. Clearly he thought speaking up was important at a table where we were supposed to accompany our seniors in dining—quietly.

  “What the imagination can conjure is often far worse than reality, no matter how terrible.” Nando, the voice of reason. He always expressed himself more succinctly than I.

  “Well, the boy has a point there,” Mordecai said, leaning against the back of his chair, eyes tired but alert. He waved his hand. “Let’s move on from this debate and continue talking about what we really need to discuss. We have no time to waste. Once we’ve managed to recruit more staff and more students, they won’t eat alongside us.”

  “Perhaps we should arrange a different meal time for them already. Why wait?” Gustave suggested.

  I’d had no reason to dislike the red-haired man before, but I narrowed my eyes at him. I suspected he was trying to get rid of us because he believed it was for our own good, but still.

  From the seat next to him, Arianne patted his hand, which rested on the table. Was she dismissing him? I tried to keep my shock from showing on my face.

  “So what do we do now?” Arianne said.

  She did dismiss him! But her twin brother didn’t seem offended, and I wondered how much the elegant lady of the manor manipulated with her grace, easy smile, and lilting accent.

  “We know the Magical Council has been compromised,” she continued. “But they don�
��t know we have a spy in their midst.”

  “Which is as great an advantage as we can hope to have in this affair,” Gustave commented, all thoughts of our dismissal forgotten. “Especially when that spy is as skilled as Albacus.”

  “Absolutely,” Marcelo chimed in.

  “Without a doubt my brother will do everything he can to help us,” Mordecai said. “But we must remember, he works with two important limitations. The runes deal with abstract guidance. No matter how he directs them to display for me, we can only garner so many details from his communication.”

  “And the second limitation, darling?” Arianne prompted when he paused.

  “The fact that he’s dead, of course. My brother is as skilled a wizard as exists, even in spirit form, but when he can’t interact with the physical elements anymore, well, how much will he be able to do?” He shrugged, and I suspected he was working hard to keep the sadness from his expression. It seemed the old wizard didn’t go long without reflecting on the loss of his brother who, by all accounts, seemed to be as close to him as Arianne and Gustave are as twins.

  “Regardless,” Marcelo said, “Albacus is a fine wizard, with incredible skills. I suspect he’ll find the way to help us win this war.” Marcelo stared at Mordecai with intensity.

  “You’re right, my son, you’re right.” But I didn’t think Marcelo’s words had the effect on the older man as he’d hoped. “Albacus will pull through. He always does.”

  “What other information have you been able to gather from Albacus’ communication through the runes?” Count Vabu asked.

  Mordecai looked distracted as he answered. “Not much, really. I’ve gathered that they’re holding him captive, though I don’t know how, exactly. I’ve never encountered a spirit held to this world against his will. Sir Lancelot?”

  “Yes, Milord Mordecai?” Sir Lancelot was perched at the windowsill, looking out toward the entrance to the manor. It seemed lately he was always on guard, always watching for danger. I was aware that the SMS would try to infiltrate the grounds from any direction, if they could find a way past their wards, but knowing that Sir Lancelot was on duty made me feel a degree safer.

  Mordecai asked the petite owl. “Have you ever seen something like it before? Have you encountered a magician, who no longer occupies his physical body, being held against his will?”

  Sir Lancelot, who’d only turned his head from the window, not his body, cocked his head at an angle. Eyes big and yellow, he looked as intelligent and observant as he sounded. After some deliberation, he answered, “I don’t believe I have, but I’ll certainly continue to give it some thought. As you know, I never forget a thing. I’ll dig through my memories some more. If I’ve seen or heard of anything like it, I’ll find it.”

  “Excellent. Please do let me know.”

  “We have no idea how they’re holding him captive,” Marcelo continued, “just that they are. I have no doubt Albacus, who knows the specifics of whatever magic is keeping him in place, is working on a solution.”

  “He most certainly is. My brother never was one to rest until he solved a problem.”

  “And he’s given no indication which of the Magical Council members is the traitor?” Gustave asked.

  “Oh, I’m sure he has, but I haven’t figured it out yet. As I mentioned, the runes lack the ability to deal in specifics.”

  There was a pause in which I debated whether to speak up or not. Heck, why not? Life can’t possibly get more complicated than it already is. I leaned forward in my seat. “Excuse me, but I don’t understand something. If you say that these runes don’t give you specific answers, then how is it that you managed to find Nando with their help? And later Marie and Walter? Wouldn’t that require a great degree of specificity?”

  “Yes, child,” Mordecai said, seeming to come alive a bit at the explanation. “I’ve been using the runes for guidance for centuries. I understand their messages better than most, but even so, it wouldn’t have been enough to lead me straight to your front doors. I was able to interpret a direction, and as I drew closer to it, I stopped regularly to seek more guidance.”

  “So when you’re in physical proximity to the person, these runes can guide you with greater precision?”

  “Exactly.” He lit up, surprising me.

  “So you could, in theory, use the runes as a sort of compass? They could give you a general direction, and once you’ve drawn closer, more specific instructions?”

  Mordecai stroked his beard, which was divided into several small braids, interwoven with beads that clinked when they brushed against each other. He looked like no other man I’d ever seen before—except for the ghost of his brother.

  “I like how you think, girl. Yes, they could work as a compass.”

  “I see what you’re thinking,” Marcelo said. “But, Mordecai, you can’t just traipse around the countryside casting runes. It’s too dangerous. We haven’t had the chance to tell you since you returned, but Clara and I almost didn’t make it back when we served as a distraction for you. Humbert was injured.”

  “Oh no! I didn’t realize. Will he be all right?” he directed his question to Arianne and Gustave. They seemed to be the magical creature experts.

  “I believe he’ll be fine,” Arianne said. “But that’s only thanks to Gustave’s high skill level with dragons. I might be good with lots of magical creatures, but there’s no one better than Gustave with dragons. If he hadn’t been here, I’m not sure Humbert would have survived his injuries. They were grave. That he managed to fly Clara and Marcelo back to safety is a testament to his inner strength, and loyalty to us.”

  My stomach sank. I hadn’t realized things were that serious with Humbert. No one told me. Even though he was a huge and terrifying dragon, whom I hadn’t connected with at all, I didn’t want to consider how close we’d come to losing him.

  “He can’t fly for a while,” Gustave said. “He needs plenty of time to heal without adding stress to his injuries.”

  “I thought dragons healed rapidly?” Gertrude asked.

  “They do, but his injuries were very serious.”

  Even Gertrude looked saddened by the news.

  “We can’t keep roaming in the open,” Marcelo said. “There are too many of the SMS out there, and even if we don’t set up ruses through the pocket watches, we can’t count on them not somehow finding out about our actions.”

  “But how would they?” Clara asked.

  “I don’t know, but they’ve managed it so far. They might not discover our actions before we complete them, but the risk is too great to take. If they find one of us outside the relative protection of the manor, we might not survive it. And I’m not willing to risk any of you.”

  It was clear he wasn’t willing to risk Clara above all. I didn’t blame him. I wondered what it would be like to love someone just as strongly. I’d never even really liked a boy. There’d never been anyone around me worth liking.

  “I agree,” Arianne said. “The risks are too high. Even if we control where they go by planting information through the watches, our force isn’t strong enough in numbers to take them on. Because they’ll definitely come.”

  “And shouldn’t we also consider that, before long, the SMS will regard the watches as compromised?” Brave said. “I mean, the sorcerers have proven themselves to be highly skilled. They aren’t beginners. Won’t they find it odd that they only hear our conversations when we’re discussing our next travel? Surely they’d expect to hear us having mundane conversations as well.”

  “That’s a very good point.” Marcelo looked proud of his nephew. “We might not be able to plant information through their devices for much longer.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it will matter much anyway,” Clara said. “If we can’t set off on recruiting missions, then there’s nothing that we’ll really gain by planting information.”

  “That’s true,” Gustave said. “We don’t have much of a plan at the moment.”

  “We don
’t, but we will,” Arianne said, and I liked her confidence. It almost allowed me to believe the odds were surmountable. How, I had no idea, but still, it was better to believe in our success than in its opposite.

  Arianne patted her twin’s hand another time. “We always figure things out, no matter how terrible the odds, don’t we?”

  “Yes, I suppose we do. But perhaps it’s time to consider abandoning the idea of teaching the pupils. The danger is too great, and too pressing, to divide our attentions.”

  “We can’t do that,” Mordecai said. “Besides, we don’t even have a concrete plan yet.”

  “Exactly. We need to focus all our attention on the most urgent matter at hand. The SMS won’t delay. They’ll pounce, assuming us weakened. And if they’ve figured out that our dragon was injured, they’re likely scrambling to get to us before we can amass all our strength.”

  I swallowed. That sounded exactly like what the SMS would be doing.

  “We have to attack them before they attack us. We need to use the element of surprise to overcome their greater numbers.”

  “I don’t know if that will be possible,” Count Vabu said. “What Clara and Marcelo told us indicates that they have hundreds of sorcerers working with them. That’s too many, even hoping we’d have the element of surprise. We need greater numbers and greater strength before attempting this, if not, it will be suicide. Even for magicians as capable as all of us.”

  Obviously he wasn’t including the trainees in his statement. I looked to Marie, the doe-eyed blonde farther down the table. I figured she’d look as frightened as I felt, but she didn’t. If anything, she looked determined, and I wondered what skills she’d bring to the team since the runes had chosen her. Her resolve was unexpected; it signaled a deep inner strength I’d rarely seen in a girl as young as her. She looked to be Nando’s age, perhaps eighteen or thereabouts, but her features were set in determination like someone who’d already survived battle. Hunh.