“Allow me to do it for you.” He runs a hand through his hair, then smiles, but it’s not exactly a happy one.Resignedis the word that comes to mind. “That Casey woman is Kirin’s sister.”
Ten
KIRIN
It's funny the things you remember about a person you spent years trying to forget.
There's a soft knock on my office door, three short taps, and I know immediately it's her. Just like I know she’ll barge right in here before I can even—
“Kirin! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Casey,” I say cautiously.
Her wheat-colored hair is pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail, and her pale green eyes, so like mine and our father’s, shine in the dim light. Ten years later, she still looks exactly the same.
I take off my glasses and rub my eyes, telling myself the sudden sting is from the long hours at the computer screens.
“Can I… Are you busy?” she asks.
“Yes. I mean I’m… Come on in.” I maneuver around the front of the desk and clear a stack of books and papers from one of the chairs, gesturing for her to sit.
“You look well,” she says stiffly as I retreat back to the relative safety behind my desk. “Academy life suits you, then?”
“It certainly keeps me occupied.”
“Never a dull moment, right?” Forcing a smile, she glances around at my disheveled office—hundreds of books lining the shelves and spilling out of cubbies, papers and folders stacked on every flat surface, index cards stuck to a bulletin board I haven’t used in years, a collection of unwashed coffee mugs holding court around my monitor. I can’t help but wonder what she sees. An academic scholar? Her less-than-perfect baby brother?
Or just a washed-out mage whose career ended long before it even began?
“Where are you staying?” I pick up the worn stack of Tarot cards I keep on my desk and shuffle—a nervous gesture my inquisitive sister doesn’t fail to notice. “Trello didn’t tell us she’d called in the calvary. I didn’t even know you were coming until you stepped out onto that stage this morning.”
Casey lifts her brows. Seems I’ve surprised her, too.
“I would’ve called ahead,” she says, “but I don’t have a working number for you.”
Ah, passive aggression. There’s the old Casey I know and love.
“Anna put us up in Red Sands Canyon,” she says, and I let out a low whistle. Red Sands Canyon is an exclusive community of well-appointed houses owned by the Academy, used primarily to house visiting dignitaries and wealthy Academy donors. It’s not on campus and is only accessible by a portal, tucked away in a small desert town on the Arizona-Mexico border and hidden from outsiders by magick.
“But,” Casey continues, “I asked to be transferred to campus housing. Eastman and Quintana took the Red Sands deal, but I’ll be staying in a suite at Breath and Blade. I wanted to be closer to the action, so to speak.”
I open my mouth to tell her I live there too, on the graduate floor, but there’s no need. She already knows.
With Casey, nothing ever happens by accident.
“For how long?” I ask instead, still shuffling my cards.
“As long as it takes to figure out what the hell is going on here.” Her eyes ignite with passion and determination. “To ensure students are safe.”
I set the Tarot cards on the desk between us. “Any leads yet?”
“Just got here, Kirin. Still getting the lay of the land.” She reaches out and takes the top card from the deck. Her eyes widen just a fraction when she looks at it, but she doesn’t show me her card. “I’ve never been on campus before, remember?”
Casey studied at the Paris campus, but that’s not what she’s talking about. Her subtle dig was about me—about the fact that I’ve never invited her here. Never even told her I’d taken the research position.
Clearing her throat, she says, “Anyway, I spent the day with Dr. Devane, observing his mental magicks classes.”
I’m about to ask if she learned any new tricks, but instigating her will only make things worse. “He’s a great professor. We’re lucky to have him on staff.”
