by Fiona Starr
That my sister Eliza blames me for everything, is insane. I couldn’t have done any of it on my own. I was a baby, and her reaction is so out of proportion, but that hasn’t made a difference to her. I try to be gracious about it. See things from her side. I know it has to be hard for my sister, too. Her parents are imploding. Her family is not what she thought it was. I get it… I’m reeling too. But I don’t understand her anger toward me.
At least Kate doesn’t seem to harbor the same hatred for me. She hasn’t been openly supportive. Like Eliza, we haven’t been close. But, I always thought the distance between us had more to do with the fact that I was a non-mage. Maybe now that I’ve shed my nonner status, and we have more in common, things will change with us.
When the bell rings, I remember that I need to stay after to talk to Professor Fester. I walk with Roz to the front of the room.
Roz turns back at the door. “Winter and I are going to Maurice’s to look at some gowns for the Samhain festival. Catch up with you for dinner?”
Mention of the Society’s Samhain festival catches me off guard. I’ve been so caught up, so focused on the guys and my own problems that I’d forgotten all about it. When I first got here and learned about all the events and parties I’d be going to, I thought it was going to be so amazing. Dressing up in formal gowns, all the men in tuxes and tails, mingling with the elite of magical society—I told myself it was like something from a fairy tale. But I guess that’s more true than it seems, right? I mean, aren’t most fairy tales actually pretty dark and grim?
I nod. “Dinner, okay. See you there.”
“Miss Everstar. Thank you for waiting.” Professor Fester leans against her desk. “I wanted you to meet someone.” She waves at a student sitting in the front row.
I hadn’t realized anyone else was here. He stands up as I approach.
“Sebastian Allbright, this is Joelle Everstar,” Professor Fester says. “Sebastian is in my mentor program. He’s one of my most gifted students. He’s agreed to tutor you, to help you improve your potion-making skills.”
“Joelle,” he says, offering his hand. Sebastian Allbright has brown eyes, shaggy blond hair, and a cupid’s bow mouth that softens his otherwise angular face. He holds my hand a little bit too long, and watches me as if he wants to say something else.
“You can call me Joely,” I say, and I find that I have to force myself to look away.
The professor hands me a textbook with a colorful, childish cover. The title, Potions for Young Mages, is written in all the colors of the rainbow.
Fester taps the cover. “I know it’s a primary school textbook, but there are some fundamentals I think you could benefit from. I understand that you’ve been thrust into your magical education and it’s clear to me that you have missed out on some important basics.” Her tone is sincere and kind. She’s not trying to insult me; she really wants to be helpful. Nonetheless, I feel my face flush with embarrassment.
Sebastian smiles and leans in as if he’s sharing a secret. “Don’t feel bad. I have my own copy back in my dorm. Professor Fester gives them out like candy.”
“It’s true. I have boxes of them.” Professor Fester grins. “All right, off you go. I have to prepare for my evening lecture. You’re in good hands with Bas here. I’ll see you next week.” She shoos us away from her desk and watches us go.
Sebastian and I walk out of the building and follow the path to the quad. “So, you’re Joely Everstar, Katie’s sister.”
“Yeah,” I say. I still find it weird hearing my sister referred to as Katie when she’s been Kate all my life.
“She told me that your magic just sparked. That has to be bizarre. I mean, spending your life as a nonner, and then this?” He shakes his head as if he can’t imagine.
I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that my sisters are telling people about me. I mean, having my magic spark at age twenty is kind of unheard of. But then again, Daria told me that it had been suppressed. That someone had blocked my power on purpose. That some of it was still blocked. She said my power had been violated…
I shake off the thought. I can’t swell in any of that right now. I try to smile but my face feels stiff and awkward. “You know my sister well, then?”
He laughs. “Clearly she’s told you all about me.” He winks and then beams a huge smile that incorporates his entire face. “Katie’s my girlfriend. We’ve been together since last year.”
Wow. Suddenly Kate feels like even more of a mystery to me. “Oh. It’s good to meet you, Sebastian. Thanks for agreeing to tutor me. I hope it won’t be too much of a burden?”
“Not at all. It’s part of the deal with being in the mentor program. You know, sharing the knowledge and all that. Besides, I like doing it.” He pulls out his phone. “Can I have your number? We can figure out the best times to meet and all that.”
“Sure.” I take out my phone and we add each other’s contact information.
“Great. I’ll check with the lab to find good times and we can go from there. But in the mean time, read up on everything in that book. Cover to cover. You won’t regret it.” He turns and backs away, heading down the path.
Chapter Eight
JOELY
I cross the quad and follow the path around the lake to Rubydown dorm, where the members of the Society of Ancient Magic live. Like everything about the Society, it’s a perk of membership. The super fancy building is nestled into the woods on the far side of the lake. The rest of the dorms are on the campus side of the woods, facing the quad.
The path to Rubydown winds through the trees and then around the lake. There’s a sense of distance from the rest of the world that grows with every step. Rubydown is only a few hundred yards away from the quad, but it feels secluded and quiet, peaceful.
“You won’t stop until you ruin everything for everyone, will you?” Eliza’s voice is shrill and clipped. My sister appears from between a pair of trees, her face set in a sneer. “What is wrong with you, Joely?”
I take a step back and look around me, realizing that all the nice things about my dorm being set back and apart are both good and bad. We’re alone on the path, and if our recent interactions are any indication, I am not safe with her here.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Eliza.” I try to sound bored, but in truth, I’m on my guard, ready for anything.
“Oh please. I saw you flirting with Sebastian Allbright just now. It isn’t enough that you’ve ruined everything at home? You have to move in on Katie’s boyfriend, too? Someone should teach you a lesson.”
“Come on, Eliza. He’s been assigned…”
A zap of energy hits me in the face and knocks me off my feet. I land on my back, my bag with my books and all my stuff spills out all over the grass. Before I can move, Eliza lands on me, straddling me, pinning my arms to the grass under her.
“Look at you. You don’t belong here. This is a university for mages.” She flicks her hand in the air next to my cheek and the blast cracks across my face like being hit with a brick. Stars explode behind my eyes as the pain radiates over my jaw and down my neck. Blood fills my mouth from where I bit my tongue.
“I hate you for what you’ve done to our family. I wish you had never been born.” Eliza raises her other hand and makes like she’s going to hit me on the other side. The look in her eyes is one of blinding white rage.
Something inside me springs into action. I wrench my hands out from under her legs and grab both of my sister’s hands right as she flicks her wrist. The burst of energy from her gets drawn into my hand and then explodes outward, throwing my sister off me. She flies about ten feet in the air and lands on the stone path, her head slams into the pavement with a sickening crack.
I scramble to my feet in time to see Eliza charge at me. She throws her hands in the air toward me, but nothing happens. She glances at her hands, shocked, then tries again. Nothing happens.
“What did you do?” She seethes.
I shrug, becau
se honestly, I haven’t done anything that I know of. But that is clearly the wrong move because her face goes red with rage.
“You bitch!” She barrels toward me like a football player going in for the tackle. Her shoulder slams into my abdomen and we fall back onto the grass, punching and tearing at each other. Eliza’s got my hair in one hand, pulling as hard as she can while she positions her free hand to strike.
Eliza flicks her hand at my face again. I brace myself for impact but nothing happens. Her eyes go wide for an instant and she tries again, but there’s no spell, no energy exploding, nothing hitting me at all.
“Did you forget something?” I ask, as if I know what’s going on with her magic.
Her horrified face is the perfect reward. “What have you done to me?”
I haven’t done anything, but I won’t give her the satisfaction of knowing that. I just put on my most genuine nice girl smile and shrug.
“I’ll kill you!” She grabs my neck and starts to squeeze. I try to pry her hands away, using all my strength to dig, wishing I was better at defensive magic so I could conjure up the spells I could use in moments of need, like these that my sister seems bent on delivering.
“Enough!” A thunderous voice bellows from the direction of the lake. My sister is pulled off me by an invisible force that also picks me up and places me on my feet. A faculty member who I don’t recognize rushes toward us. “What the devil is going on here? Eliza Everstar, why were you attacking this student?”
My sister looks mortified as she points at me. “Professor Molis, she attacked me. I was defending myself!” She sounds wild and hysterical.
I rub my cheek, which I can tell is already bruising. “That’s not true and you know it! Professor, I’m Joely Everstar. I’m Eliza’s sister. I was going back to Rubydown, to my dorm. She was waiting for me. Like a coward.” I spit out a mouthful of blood into the grass.
Professor Molis’ eyebrows shoot upward in surprise. “This is ridiculous, ladies. You are grown women. We expect more from our students than to allow family squabbles to devolve into fisticuffs! Both of you, to the headmaster’s office.” With a swirl of his wand, the two of us are shoved onto the path and forced to walk back toward the quad.
Professor Molis pulls out his cell phone and makes a call. After a moment he hangs up and dials again. “Daria, forgive the intrusion, I am trying to reach the headmaster.” He pauses for a moment, listening. “I see. Well, I have an urgent matter. I wonder if you… No, it cannot wait… A pair of students fighting. Yes, I know. I said the same. Yes. Thank you. We will be there presently.”
Chapter Nine
VAN
I had hoped with Damon out of town that I might get some time in the Society house alone, but it’s like that woman just doesn’t want to leave. I’ve spent most of the past week sneaking around under a cloaking spell, but it’s wearing me out and I am worried I won’t be able to keep using it like this.
Something has changed, though, that much is obvious. And whatever it is, it’s got Daria North stressed out. She’s been running from the basement to Underwood’s private chambers, to his office and the attic over and over. She’s been talking on the phone with Underwood through it all. She’s looking for something, and he’s trying to guide her in her search until he can get back here.
I don’t know what to make of it yet, but I am pretty sure it’s got something to do with the Vessel of Truth.
The Vessel resides in the main chamber of the basement, where most of the rituals for the Society of Ancient Magic take place. Master Damon says that the Vessel unites the four lines of ancient power and helps us in the Society stay stronger together. When it isn’t being used in a ritual like the Confirmation of Power ceremony that sorted all the new members into their groups at the start of the year, it is usually pretty quiet.
The Vessel itself is tall and thin and made of some kind of gold colored material. It stands on a stone pedestal about chest-height. The top of the urn flares out like a flower and at any given time, a single colored light shines up out of it. Right now, it’s green, but it was blue for a long time before that.
The colors coincide with the four lines of magic, so it’s usually red or blue, green, or purple, and the glow floats through the air around the Vessel in a smoky cloud, twinkling and sparkling like fireflies and dust motes.
But this week, every time I have gone down there, the urn has been humming and flashing green. The sound is harsh and grating, like something metal is spinning around the inside of the urn, turning and turning, and giving off this deep resonant sound that makes it seem like it’s coming from a gaping cavern instead of this three-foot tall urn.
And the light coming from it is different. The way it pulses and sparks, it feels urgent and angry, like it’s counting down to explode or something.
Daria’s voice trails down the hall as I climb the stairs. She’s back in Underwood’s private chambers, talking to someone on speakerphone. She sounds even more upset than she did earlier, so I hurry toward her. Normally when she’s in Underwood’s rooms, she closes the door behind her, but she left it open today.
I cover myself in a concealment spell and slip inside, moving slowly, careful not to touch the door.
“It isn’t here, Damon. I have searched everywhere. I am telling you. You must have taken it with you.”
Underwood’s voice sounds tinny through the speakerphone. “Daria, you need to calm down.”
“Easy for you to say. I’m the one who has to listen to that blasted thing day in and day out. I’ve never seen the Vessel behave in this way.”
“That’s because I am usually on hand to take care of it. Now, if you would please try again. I know I have the spell written down somewhere in one of my offices. You’ll need to find it and—”
“Damon, no.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “There must be another way. I’ve searched everywhere for it, twice now. The constant ringing is going to make me insane. And when it gets really loud. Damon, I am beginning to wonder if there’s something wrong with the Vessel. If maybe the channeling spells are failing.”
“The spells aren’t failing,” Underwood says. “But you say the ringing has been louder recently?”
She nods. “It happened Saturday morning, and it’s repeated every night since. It is Thursday evening here and I’m losing my wits!”
“Damn it, woman.” He pauses and then starts again. “My apologies, Daria. I’ve been waiting for an audience with his excellence for so long to get the approval for our new school in Europe, I can’t leave until I speak with him. I do not have the luxury of privacy here. Give me five minutes. Go down to the Vessel and bring your phone. I’m leaving the ministry buildings now and will call you once it is safe for me to speak more freely.”
Daria closes her eyes and exhales, her relief obvious. “Thank you, Damon. I’m going now.” She ends the call and hurries out from behind the desk where she’s got all the drawers open and stacks of paper strewn about.
I take a step farther into the room so Daria can pass me as she leaves, and I follow her out the door, careful not to make a sound.
In the basement, the Vessel is practically screeching. Daria paces while she waits, her hands pressed over her ears. When her phone rings, it’s Underwood coming through on a video call. She taps the screen and turns it so Damon can see the Vessel.
I move so I can see the screen and his face.
“Sweet mother!” Damon shouts through the phone. “Why didn’t you tell me it was doing this?”
“What?” Daria turns the phone around. “I didn’t hear you with the phone turned.”
“I asked why you didn’t tell me it was behaving like this, Daria.”
She glances at the Vessel and then shakes her head. “It hasn’t been like this the whole time. It happened on Saturday morning, and then again Monday night, and once each evening this week. This is the first time it happened today. The first time it went on for hours, but the other times it wasn’t as long.
Maybe anywhere from an hour to ninety minutes at the most. Otherwise it’s been much calmer. The sound still happens but it’s much quieter.”
She turns the phone around again so he’s facing the Vessel. “They must be close. Very close, indeed,” he says, a wicked smile spreading across his face. “I knew it!”
“Sorry?” she says.
“It’s nothing. Turn me around again so I can turn this racket off and we can get to the business of the sacrifice.”
Daria holds the phone up as Damon begins reciting a spell in a language I don’t recognize. It doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard before. The words are choppy and guttural, but he’s clearly familiar as he’s able to speak the spell without any hesitation. After a moment, the screeching and the flashing stops and the Vessel is back to the softer noise, the metallic humming that it has been doing all this time, and the light coming from the Vessel makes the entire room glow a deep green hue.
Damon smiles. “Much better. And it seems we need to bring in a member of the Lupon Drago line. I assume you can handle that much without me?”
Daria turns the phone so she can see Underwood. She doesn’t register his slight at all. The look on her face is one of relief. “Thank you. I’ll see to it that the sacrifice is prepared for you. Where is your list of names?”
Damon laughs. “Oh, don’t you dare start another search after you’ve already torn my office apart. Just pick someone. How about one of the first years? There were only a couple. Shouldn’t be too hard. How about a male this time? The last few were female, and we wouldn’t want to play favorites. Take care of it yourself.”
“Good enough. Consider it done, sir. Though, I do have a question.”
“Yes?”
“Well, we’ve never had to perform the sacrifices so close together. We haven’t yet taken care of the girl.”
