AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, miss.”
“Good.” She pushes the velvet pouch out of the way with her pinkie to point at lines further down the paper. “Mr. Lords told me you plan to try to restore the wild magic to that abominable circle of Dantel’s and DeWinter’s. And believe me, that’s something I will be discussing with them in the strongest terms. I can’t imagine what they were thinking with such an experiment—”
The coldest, dampest chill I’ve ever felt rushes straight up my spine. Colder and wetter than February in Manchester. “No, miss, you mustn’t.”
“What is it, Teddy?” Her voice drops to a gravel register. “What are you seeing?”
I shake my head. “I’m not a Seer like Charlie.”
“First of all, you’re part of a natural quaternion with Mr. Miller and I’d be very surprised if you don’t start channeling each other’s magics, if you’re not doing so already. Second, we understand the tiniest fraction of the grand mystery that is magic. Forget Elements and magickal disciplines. Trust your instincts. What are your instincts telling you?”
“That you shouldn’t talk to Professors Dantel and DeWinter, miss. Something bad will happen.”
Doctor Prince nods slowly, her dark eyes holding mine. “Very well. I’ll bide my time. Mr. Lords discouraged that course of action in any event, and although I sometimes find The Mr. Black too cautious for my tastes, given how dangerous this has become, maybe a little caution is warranted. Getting back to your proposed restoration of wild magic, I’ve given you what I hope is a leg up in your research.” She splays her fingers to bracket four titles. “Look at these four sources, paying particular attention to theActa Capricornis. Bevington is privileged to have one of only a half-dozen surviving copies of that Arcana. It’s part of aZodiaci Primus. I don’t believe they were written by Circe as some claim, but there’s no doubt they’re very old, very powerful Arcana. I ask that you limit your reading of the Acta to an hour at a time. Take a break between readings and spend some time with your young men to refill your well. Like all very powerful Arcana, the Acta takes a toll on the mind.”
That gives me another cold shiver. None of my teachers have warned me a textbook could scramble my noodle before. “Yes, miss.”
“Finally, I want you and your young men to wear these.” She nudges the velvet pouch toward me.
I pick it up and tip the contents into my palm. There are four thin rings inside. The rings are plain silver, with four silver beads inset in the band, like those anxiety rings I see some of my classmates wearing.
“Thank you, miss. What do they do?”
“I’d rather not say for the moment. Will you give me that? I won’t ask you to trust me, Teddy. I have no doubt the last few weeks have rattled your trust in all around you. But will you have faith in my methods? I promise I’m still leading you up the mountain.”
I meet her eyes and firmly squash any cold flutter down my spine. This woman has more than earned what she’s asking for. “Yes, miss.”
“I anticipate you may want to remove the beryl in your arm, as Mr. Lords tells me that Mr. Dùbhghlas has joined your quaternion. That’s completely understandable and I won’t ask you to be on guard against him. The ring isn’t a substitute for the beryl, but, well, let’s think of it as insurance.”
“Insurance against his glamor?” I ask.
She tips her head. “Not exactly, but I’d rather not say more just yet.”
“Darwin doesn’t always have control over his glamor, miss. That’s something I learned in the future. It’s so much a part of him that it just reacts when he feels threatened.”
Doctor Prince steeples her hands in front of her and watches me with those cold, black eyes for a long moment. I try to sit straight in the chair and not sweat under that gaze, but it’s double-tough.
Finally, she sighs. “Teddy, I’m going to say something, and I hope you will take it in the spirit it’s intended.” She takes off the reading glasses she’s wearing and rubs the bridge of her nose with two fingers. It’s the first sign of tiredness I’ve ever seen out of her.
“Both you and the Dùbhghlas prince drew the short straw when the Mother handed out fathers,” she says. “Whether the abuse you suffered caused your powers to ripen early or whether you come by your magickal strength naturally, you’re both substantially more powerful than we’d expect of freshmen. The abuse you suffered also caused you to develop mechanisms, both offensive and defensive, that are usually seen in battle-mages, not academics. This is not a criticism, Teddy. You’ve done what you’ve needed to do to survive. But I caution you that if you don’t focus on those elements of your magic that you and Mr. Dùbhghlas lack control over and harness them, you’ll regret it. In the short term, the resentment you’ve already created among the faculty here will end your academic careers prematurely. In the long term, when you come up against a greater force, you’ll be crippled or killed.”
I swallow hard at that grim prediction. “Yes, miss.”
“One more thing, Teddy.” She replaces her glasses and looks at me steadily. “It’s not your fault.”
I twist my ring on my finger. “What’s not my fault, miss?”
“Any of it. What your father did to you. What Mr. Dùbhghlas’s father did to him. How your magic reacted. When you face ignorance, resentment, and fear because of the strength of your magic, I want you to remember that. It is not your fault. You did what you had to do. You survived. Sometimes, that’s all we can ask of ourselves. But now you have a chance to tread a different Path. You’re safe here, Teddy. Both of you. And at Madavar, if you choose to spend your summer there. I and others are watching out for you. Use this time of safety to master your powers so you never have to sit in front of a less friendly audience and tell them that your Time-Walking or Mr. Dùbhghlas’s glamor got away from you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, miss.”
“Excellent. Your young man’s been very patiently waiting for you, but I think his bladder’s about to get the best of him. Go and put him out of his misery. And remember what I’ve said, Teddy. None of it was your fault.”
I swallow against the thickness in my throat. “Thank you, miss.”
She nods as I rise shakily, gather the paper and velvet pouch, give her an awkward curtsey, and flee her office into Charlie’s waiting arms.
When the tears break free, Charlie tucks me tight against his warm, firm chest and tells me he loves me. I Earth-Walk us back to our suite where two more warm, firm chests join our circle. And if the tears I cry into those warm, firm chests are still sharp and jagged with painful memories, they’re also soothed by Doctor Prince’s understanding and promise of safety.
