Mimic Arcanist [Chapters 27-29]

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Shami

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

IN MY SKIN

I dropped the second red mushroom and stood. The mushroom exploded into a puff of ash, but I barely saw it. My hands shook as I turned them over and over, examining every inch of my skin.

With panicked movements, I rubbed at my fingers, right where I had touched the fragment. Had I seen that correctly? Had the gate fragment sucked itself into my flesh?

No.

I had to be mistaken.

Headmaster Venrover had picked up a gate fragment with his bare hands, and nothing had happened. Why would something strange happen now? But I already knew the answer. It was because I was an older twin. The fragments reacted to my presence, not the headmaster’s.

“Gray?” my eldrin asked. “What happened? You dropped the shroom…”

“Did you see that?” I whispered.

“See what? The shroom? Because I saw how klutzy you were.”

“No. The fragment. There was one here. Right here.”

Twain hopped over a group of mushrooms and glanced around the nearby area. “Wait, you saw one? Here? Where?”

My eldrin searched around my feet, but when he came up empty handed, he stopped and stared up at me. I knelt again and showed him my hand.

“I touched it,” I muttered. “And it went right into my body.”

Twain’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t sound good. Aren’t those fragments connected to the abyssal hells? We should speak to Professor Helmith.”

“Yeah…” I grabbed a blue mushroom and a red one. When I squished them together, the icy shroom started to melt, but it kept the fiery shroom cool enough to hold. “Let’s go.”

I ran with the mushrooms back to the spiderwebs. Twain ran by my side, frowning the whole way. Once we arrived at the webs, I tossed the red mushroom at the bottom. The puff of embers, ash, and smoke seemed harmless at first, but a few seconds later, the web caught fire.

Flames licked at the obstacle, quickly consuming the sticky webbing.

“We should just teleport,” Twain said. “We don’t need to keep doing the assignment if you think something serious is going on.”

I rubbed my palms along the sides of my trousers. “I don’t know. Maybe I saw things. I didn’t even sense the fragment until I was inches from it. I mean, how did it even get in here? I’ve felt paranoid lately.”

Twain tilted his head. “Do you feel different?”

“No.”

“Hm… Well, maybe, then… But I’m worried about you.”

The two of us watched the fire demolish the spiderwebs. The second I could get through without touching a single thread of webbing, I hurried through the cave, another glowstone in my hand to help light the way.

Twain stuck close. He kept glancing up at me, his concern evident. I tried to focus on the task at hand. Everything was fine. Nothing was wrong. There was no need to be so fearful.

Up until I half-tripped on something I couldn’t see. I stumbled, and when I tried to put my weight down on my left foot, I couldn’t find the floor. I angled myself to the side and slammed into the wall. As soon as I had my footing, I scooted backward. Twain meowed, his voice echoing throughout the cave. With my heart hammering against my ribs, I glanced around.

“Twain?” I called out.

“Help! I fell into a hole!”

Where was he? No matter where I glanced, I couldn’t see him or a hole. I closed my eyes and searched through the nearby threads of magic. I felt Raaza’s kitsune, and Ashlyn’s dragon, but the instant I sensed Phila’s coatl, I tugged on that string of magic. The mark on my forehead burned as it rearranged itself.

“There,” I called out. “You can fly now.”

The flap of wings sounded throughout the whole cave. Then Twain—in the shape of a winged snake—burst out of the floor. He had flown straight out of the stone as though it weren’t there. Was it an illusion? Had Professor Ren set up pit traps to stop us from getting out of the cave?

Twain fluttered his wings, landed next to me, and then coiled his serpent body around one of my legs. “There are holes in the floor, and caterpillars at the bottom of those holes. I think they’re making illusions to hide their little nests.”

Ah. Another “learn about magical plants or animals” lesson. With gritted teeth, I tried to think of a quick solution. Professor Ren probably wanted us to coax the caterpillars from their holes, but I didn’t have time for that. If I could just avoid their nests, I’d be able to continue on.

“Wait here,” I said.

Twain nodded, and also flicked out his tongue like only a snake could.

I dashed back to the area with the webs. The ground was covered in piles of glowstones. I grabbed an armful of the bright rocks and then headed back toward the area of the cave with holes. Instead of slowly feeling my way through the cave, carefully avoiding the bugs, I threw all the stones forward.

Not only did the glowstones illuminate the cave, but they also either landed on solid rock—a walkway for me to use—or they fell through the illusions and into pits, showing me where notto step. Now I had a pathway.

I scooped up Twain. “C’mon.”

He grunted something as I leapt from one stone to the next. I picked up a single glowstone as I went, to have light for the remainder of the trek. The cave wasn’t long, and we reached the next turn without incident, but I had a feeling there was at least one other obstacle in our way.

And I wasn’t wrong.

I stutter-stepped to a halt right before I went straight into a bramble patch. Well, it wasn’t a normal bramble patch. The thorned bushes had the metallic sheen of smooth iron, and they were at least three feet in height—too tall to step over, but short enough that I could see afternoon light shining down the tunnel.

We were almost out.

“What are these?” Twain asked. “We’ll be ripped to shreds if we climb over these.”

The thorns on the bramble bushes were the size of my thumbnail, each sharp and curved like fishhooks. It hurt my skin just to look at them.

Maybe they were also illusions?

I slowly reached my hand toward the nearest steel bramble patch.

Once my palm was mere inches from the thorns, the bush moved. It moved!

The bush screeched slightly as the metal scrap on metal. It cut me—one of the thorns hooked my palm—and I had to jerk my hand away. That was the second time in this cave I feared for my hand’s safety. The pain was intense, but it quickly faded. I stared at the cut, watching my skin knit itself back together thanks to the magic flowing in my veins.

“What was that?” Twain cried, his voice echoing around us.

“That was the bush reminding me I should’ve read that damn book,” I said through gritted teeth as a few scarlet droplets of my blood hit the floor. “Who makes gauntlets like this?”

The professor didn’t want us to use our magic to solve this series of obstacles, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out of here. I closed my eyes and felt for threads of magic. Professor Ren’s spider, Nasbit’s golem… Then I felt Piper’s rizzel. I tugged that string of magic.

Twain shifted and contorted, his snake body shifting into a ferret with white fur and silver stripes. He squeaked once he was done transforming into a cute little rizzel.

“There,” I said with a huff.

“The last time you teleported, it didn’t go so well,” Twain muttered, his brow furrowed.

“We’ll try again.”

“In a cave tunnel full of metal thorns and brambles? Seriously?”

His comment caused me to hesitate. I glanced at the metallic bushes, my heartrate increasing as I thought about the possibility of teleporting right above them and falling in. Then I glanced at the totality of the bushes. There weren’t a lot of them… A few feet of bushes at the most. If I had a short ladder, I could probably get over them.

“I have another idea,” I whispered.

“Anything is better than teleporting,” Twain whispered back.

I closed my eyes and went straight for Nasbit’s golem. When I tugged that thread, my forehead burned, and Twain leapt out of my arms. His tiny body exploded outward into a stone form, the sandstone boulders popping into existence as Twain became a golem.

“There,” I said with a sigh. “Now… lie across the brambles. I’ll crawl over you and get to the other side.” I patted Twain’s stone body. “The metal won’t hurt you, right? And once I’m over, you can just crawl to me. Everything will be fine.”

Twain said nothing.

He stomped over to the brambles and fell forward. He basically slammed into the metal bushes, the cacophony of metal screeching and twisted iron filling the whole cave. I cringed as Twain settled over the bushes, leaving only a few feet of clearance between his back and the ceiling of the cave.

I carefully crawled onto the back of his sandstone legs, and then across his back.

The bushes moved as I scooted across Twain, but they couldn’t reach around the golem body. What were these things? Why would the professor want us to learn about them? I shook the thought from my head as I made my way to the end of the bramble patch. Then I slid off Twain’s stone golem head and stumbled forward.

“Okay,” I said.

Twain pulled himself forward, the shriek of metal scraping stone worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. I gritted my teeth and tensed as he scraped his way over the bushes. Once he was on the other side, he bubbled and shifted, returning to his kitten form.

I scooped him up. “Good job, Twain. You’re the hero of this story.” Then I dashed for the cave entrance. We had done it—we had come to the end.

“That wasn’t too hard,” I said as I jogged toward the end.

“I think we didn’t handle the last obstacle as intended.” Twain twitched his ears. “It seems like maybe we should’ve found a way to calm the bushes or something…”

“This worked, didn’t it? No complaining.”

Twain didn’t say anything after that.

We dashed out into the daylight, and then went up to the stone platform. Due to my speed, I thought I would be the first one there, but that wasn’t the case. Nasbit and Brak were in the middle of the platform, and so were Ashlyn and Ecrib.

Ashlyn’s presence wasn’t a surprise, but Nasbit?

“You’re done already?” I asked as I faced him.

With a deep frown, he replied, “I was the first one here.”

“Really? But… how?”

Nasbit held up the professor’s book. “The solution to all three problems was clearly outlined within the first fifty pages. It wasn’t a difficult adventure once you read the chapters on element-shrooms, mind grubs, and deep blackberries. I’m surprised it’s taking the others this long for them to return.”

“Naz is right,” Ashlyn muttered. “If you read the book, this really wasn’t that difficult. I feel like the professor just wants to see who was following instructions.”

I walked over and set Twain down at my feet. Then I offered my teammates a quick shrug. “Well, I didn’t read the book, and I still got out pretty quick. The others will be here soon. Probably.”

Professor Ren and Piper stood near the bridge that led back to the Academy. While the professor gave me a thumbs up, Piper spent the whole time chatting at him. Not with him. At him. I wondered if Ren even heard half of it.

“—and that’s how I met Reevy,” Piper said. “Rizzels are quite fickle. Their Trial of Worth is quite easy, but having one as an eldrin can be difficult.”

Reevy crossed his little ferret arms. “Yeah, well, it goes both ways, ya know! They never tell us mystical creatures that you can get stuck with a cantankerous mortal as an arcanist. It’s just a gamble who comes to impress you for your magic. A terrible, bizarre gamble.”

“Shh,” Piper hissed.

I jogged over to them, and they both greeted professors with confused smiles.

“Wait with your fellow classmates,” Professor Ren said.

“I need to go back to the Academy.” I motioned to my hand. “Something’s wrong. I have to see the headmaster, or maybe Professor Helmith.”

“I think you can wait with the rest of the class. We’ll all go in together once they’re finished.”

Piper and Reevy both glanced over at him. With a tilt of her hand back and forth, Piper said, “Actually, I think you should just allow Gray to go. He has a lot of legitimate problems.”

The way she said that made it sound as though I were struggling mentally or physically. Which wasn’t entirely true, considering all the outside forces that were determined to get me.

Professor Ren motioned to the bridge. “All right. I’ll speak to you later about your performance, I suppose.”

I nodded and dashed past them both. In that moment, I didn’t really care what my performance was. I just wanted this fragment out of my skin.

***

I stood around the professors’ lounge in the middle of the Academy. The window faced the setting sun, igniting everything with a warm orange glow. The couches, desks, and artwork of gigantic mystical creatures were all bathed in the beauty of a dying day. I sat on the furthest couch from the door, my attention on the painting of a leviathan.

Twain sat in my lap, his ears twitching. “You don’t feel different at all?”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

“Maybe you did imagine it.”

“Yeah. But what if I didn’t?” And how had it gotten there? I still couldn’t stop thinking about that.

Professor Helmith and Headmaster Venrover stepped into the room from a side office. The headmaster wore a neutral expression as he walked over, the fingertips of both hands pressed together. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Gray.”

“Have you determined anything?” I asked. “Do you know if a gate fragment is in me or not?”

“I’m afraid we don’t have a method of determining that just yet, but we’ll work on it.” Headmaster Venrover frowned. “I apologize that you’ve had so many troubles while you’ve been here. It feels like Zahn’s plot to kill you still lingers.”

With a nervous chuckle, I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Gray, if you’d rather leave the Academy, and return home to the Isle of Haylin, where you feel safe, I would—”

“No,” I interjected. “No,” I said again, calmer than before. “I want to stay here.”

My home island was a small place. Not just physically, but in terms of education and understanding. My father and stepmother would have me work with the candles, or I would eventually just leave on a ship crew, wandering the seas, looking for a future.

I wanted an education. I wanted to learn all the mysteries of the world. I couldn’t do that on the Isle of Haylin.

And where was I most safe? Here, surrounded by expert arcanists? Or on my island, where there was onearcanist, and he loved farming more than anything else?

“The Academy might not be safe for you,” Professor Helmith stated. “From how you describe the story, I think someone might’ve placed the gate fragment there for you to find.”

“Who, though?” I asked. “Professor Ren?” That man didn’t seem like he was concerned with me at all.

Helmith shook her head. “I don’t know. But it’s something we’re going to investigate. Not only for your safety, but the safety of everyone here in the Academy. I just need you to be aware, so that you make appropriate choices.”

My gaze fell when she muttered those words. Helmith wanted me to stay out of trouble. I understood.

I glanced down at my palm. Hopefully this wouldn’t escalate any further.

“If you are determined to stay here, I’m going to assign a guardian for your safety,” the headmaster said in a gentle tone. “Don’t worry. He won’t intrude on your life in any way. He’ll just watch you from afar, and step in if ever there is trouble.”

“Who?” I asked. I glanced to Helmith. I wished she could be with me, like she had been in my dreams for so many years.

Headmaster Venrover motioned to the empty space directly beside him.

A man appeared out of nowhere. There was no teleportation, no rizzel glitter, or pop of air. The man had been invisible. He wore a long black cloak that fell to his ankles with a hood that covered most of his head and obscured the majority of his face.

I had seen this man before.

He was the assassin who guarded the headmaster. A wendigo arcanist—a deadly type of arcanist who ruled over ice and death.

The cloaked man offered me a hesitant bow, but otherwise said nothing. His fingers… they were black. Frostbitten. Disgusting. But before I could comment, he vanished. His invisibility and stealth were nearly perfect. I’d had no idea he was in the room, and even now that I knew, I couldn’t detect him at all.

“I trust Fain with my life,” Headmaster Venrover stated. “You can trust him with yours. If you ever need help, just call out. Fain will be nearby at all times.”

“But not all times,” Twain said, narrowing his eyes. “Because that would be weird.”

I patted his head. “It’s fine. Just don’t think about the logistics.”

“Hmpf! I’m your eldrin. You’re already protected.” Twain puffed his orange fur and practically growled. I had no idea he would be so offended.

The headmaster exhaled. “I apologize. This is the best solution I could think of for the time being. Since you want to stay here at the Academy, and I need time to figure out a way to deal with the gate fragments, extra protection seems like a suitable temporary solution.”

I stood from the couch and held Twain against my chest. “I think it’s a good solution. Thank you, Headmaster Venrover.” I half-bowed to the empty space. “And thank you, too, Fain.”

No one replied.

I wondered if the assassin was mute.

Professor Helmith placed a hand on my shoulder and motioned to the door. “Come, Gray. I’ll escort you back to your class. I’m eager to hear how you did in your little adventure.” She smiled, and her radiance dispelled a lot of my doubt.

“All right,” I muttered. But hopefully she wouldn’t get too disappointed when she heard how I had solved everything… 

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

COTILLION INVITATION

Professor Helmith led me through the Academy, and I stayed close by her side. Occasionally, I glanced over my shoulder, half expecting to catch sight of the headmaster’s bodyguard. But I never saw anything. No shadow, no movement—I didn’t even see the carpet move with his presence.

Either he was really good, or he wasn’t here with us.

Twain glanced up at me, his pupils circular. “We should be invisible,” he whispered.

I shook my head, but didn’t reply to him.

“Have you been enjoying your time here, Gray?” Professor Helmith asked.

“My time at Astra Academy? Yes. Definitely.”

“That’s good to hear. After your bumpy start, I thought you might dislike it here, but once you told Headmaster Venrover you wanted to stay, I realized I must’ve misjudged the situation.”

We turned down a hall, and then headed for the stairs. I mulled over her comments. For a brief moment, I contemplated telling her that I loved the Academy because of her, specifically, but I kept that to myself. If my brother ever found out, he would never let me forget.

When we arrived at the classroom for my class, Professor Ren was already standing outside the door. His spider, Trove, stood next to him, his extra-long legs clicking across the floor, the metallic body shimmering in the light. Trove was quite beautiful, in a weird and abstract way. Like a pile of jewelry that had decided it needed to escape its owner by assuming a shape.

Professor Ren’s eyes went wide when he spotted us. “Rylee? There you are!”

“Roark?” Helmith asked. “Ah. Yes. I remember. Someone told me you would be a professor here. So good to see you again.”

She walked over and smiled, but she kept her posture stiff. For some reason, Helmith seemed both excited to see Ren, and not. That made me wonder about their relationship. Who was this guy? If he had hurt Helmith, I would never like him. Never.

“I’ve wanted to speak with you since I arrived,” Professor Ren said.

“Oh?”

“I actually took this position because I knew you were here.”

Professor Helmith brushed some of her black hair back. “That’s sweet, Roark. It’s been so long since we last saw each other… I’m glad you’re here.”

In an interesting reversal, Professor Ren nervously chuckled. He grabbed the hem of his robes and fidgeted with it, his gaze drifting from the floor to the ceiling before he said. “So, uh, while I have you here… Have you heard about the Kross Cotillion?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Perhaps we can catch up there.” He stepped closer and smiled his perfect smile. “I’m sure it’ll be an amusing event. And I’d love to take you as my guest.”

Professor Helmith chuckled. She waved away the comment. “Aren’t cotillions for new arcanists and those who aren’t married? I’m neither of those, Roark. It would be rather awkward, don’t you think?”

A short moment of silence passed between them.

The spider click-clacked around Professor Ren.

“Wait,” Ren said. “You’re married? Since when?”

“For a while now. I changed my last name to match his family’s.” Professor Helmith lifted an eyebrow. “You were sent an invitation to the wedding, but you never replied.”

“Who did you marry?” Professor Ren asked, damn near demanding to know.

“Kristof.”

With a roll of his eyes that could be seen from the next nation over, Ren said, “That guy? I can’t say I’m surprised.” He placed his hands on his hips and glared at the wall, never looking at me or Professor Helmith.

“Is something wrong?”

Professor Ren dropped his hands and exhaled. He returned his attention to Helmith and half-smiled. “No. I’m just being dramatic. How about we catch up after the cotillion, then? It would be great to swap stories.”

Helmith nodded. “I would like that.” Then she gestured to me. “Here’s your student back. Thank you for allowing him to come see me. I think everything should be okay from here on out.”

I bowed as Professor Helmith turned and wandered back down the hall. Although we hadn’t solved the problem of the gate fragments yet, I trusted she would think of something. Professor Helmith was dedicated.

Professor Ren glanced over at me. Then he gave me the once-over. “It seems you get into a lot of trouble.”

“Does he ever,” Twain quipped.

I held him tighter than before, cutting off some of his air so he had to huff. “It’s not that bad,” I said. Then I loosened my grip, and my mimic just glared at me.

Professor Ren combed back his red hair. With a smile that could weaken knees, he said, “My advice is to make lots of friends. You would be surprised how easy some problems are when you know the right people.”

Which was strange advice, but I pocketed it just in case.

But it also gave me an idea.

“Professor,” I muttered. “Are you really going to attend the Kross Cotillion? I mean, you seem… not in the appropriate age range.”

Ren slowly lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll have to think about it.”

“Most of the other established arcanists aren’t going to be attending, so I was just wondering. The party is for debutants, apparently.”

“That’s typically how they go,” Professor Ren said with a groan.

“Well, Professor, if you don’t end up going, would you mind if I had your invitation? I mean, I’m from a no-name family line, and it’s been really difficult for me to make connections here at the Academy. I didn’t get an invitation, but maybe, if I went to this cotillion, and introduced myself to some more influential people, I might be able to take your advice and make some interesting friends.”

The professor chuckled. “Is that right?” Then he shrugged. “Listen, all the invitations are by name only. I can’t give you mine.” Before I could comment, he held up a finger. “But I like your moxie. If you want, I’ll list you as my guest. You can attend then.”

His suggestion honestly caught me off guard. “Really? You’d do that?”

Professor Ren flashed another perfect smile. “Of course. I might skip the event, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in. And Rylee obviously likes you, so just make sure you tell her Ilet you in.” He hardened his expression. “Just don’t do anything to hurt my name or reputation, all right?”

“Of course not,” I said. “I’d never do that.”

Twain slowly lifted his gaze to meet mine. I stared down at him, silently asking that he say nothing. I never intentionallygot into boatloads of trouble. Trouble just found me.

***

I headed to dinner without Sorin, which was a bizarre feeling. We had been together our whole lives, but today, I had felt his absence. For some reason, I hadn’t seen Sorin or Exie since they were given a special Gauntlet of Doom from Professor Ren.

Nini and I sat together in relative silence as we ate our noodles with sauce for dinner. Her reaper hovered close, “watching” everything we did. Twain snuggled in my lap and occasionally asked for meat chunks.

Halfway through dinner, Nini turned to me.

She stared for a long while.

I stared back, chewing my food. When it became apparent she was too afraid to just ask me her question, I muttered, “Everything okay?”

“You’re positive Sorin doesn’t like Exie in any way?” Nini frowned. She had barely touched her food. “I mean… Maybe I’ve been such a fool. Sorin is so nice, and kind, and wonderful—of course the other girls would want to date him.”

I swallowed a mouthful of noodles. “Uh-huh.”

“I should’ve just agreed to be sweethearts when he asked.”

“Probably.”

Nini pushed her glasses aside and rubbed her eyes. “Don’t make fun of me,” she whispered. “Please. I just need your help, Gray. I don’t want to lose him.”

I slurped up another mouthful of food. Once I swallowed, I shook my head. “You don’t need to worry. He doesn’t like Exie. Whenever you see him next, just tell you’ve changed your mind, and everything will be okay.”

That seemed to calm her, but she didn’t eat her food. She poked her noodles with her utensils and remained unnaturally quiet. My brother’s absence was felt the most in moments like this. He always had some fun comment or rhyme to break the tension.

I set Twain on the table and then stood. “Watch my food, okay?”

Twain nodded once and then scooted closer to my bowl. “I’ll protect it with my life.”

With a forced smile, I walked out of the dining hall and turned down the main hallway. My intent was to head to the dorms and search for Sorin, but that quickly became a moot issue. I spotted Sorin further down the hall, his back against the wall, his attention on a large window directly opposite him.

I jogged over to his side. “Sorin?”

The shadows at his feet shifted as he glanced over. With wide eyes, he pushed away from the wall and smiled. “Gray? Am I glad to see you.”

“What’s wrong?” I patted his shoulders, still surprised at how muscled he was, but not seeing any injuries or cause for concern. “What’re you doing here? We’re eating dinner.”

“Oh, well, I’m not sure how to tell you or Nini this, but…” My brother sighed. He glanced up at the ceiling like he was struggling to find the right words. He never struggled to find words.

“You can tell me anything,” I said, no joking or mirth in my tone. “Just say it.”

“Exie asked me to join her at the cotillion.”

I waited, but when Sorin didn’t finish the story, I asked, “And you said yes?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t even look at me, he just continued to stare at the ceiling. His knightmare fluttered through the shadows in the corner of the hallway, never commenting. I wondered what his eldrin though of all this.

“Why?” I asked with a long sigh.

“Exie said she wanted to attend the cotillion with someone she trusted, and who would look intimidating because there are people there who would harass her if she was alone.” Sorin shrugged and continued before I could speak. “And I already know what you’re going to say, but you weren’t there when she asked me, okay? We were doing Professor Ren’s assignment together, and Exie was distraught about the cotillion, and asked me as a friend to help her.”

“Exie asks you for a lot of things,” I stated.

“She seemed genuine.” Sorin sighed. “But I know this is going to upset Nini. But I told Exie this was just to help her out, and that I was already close with Nini, so Exie understands.”

How was it that my brother had landed himself in a boat full of unnecessary drama?

This whole situation made metired, and I wasn’t even in it.

I dragged a hand down my face as I mulled over all the details. Then I shook my head. “Look. Just… don’t tell Nini, all right?”

“What about when I go to the cotillion?” Sorin frowned.

“You can tell her you’re going with me.”

“You’re going, Gray?” Sorin seemed earnestly shocked. “Wow. But… what if Exie tells Nini I’m going with her?”

“Just tell Exie not to say anything.” I glared at him. “As long as Nini doesn’t know you’re going with Exie, everything will be fine.”

Sorin crossed his arms.

The darkness around us moved, and Thurin finally spoke from the depths of the shadows. “A lie is just a seed of doubt you will plant in everyone who discovers your scheming. Better to be truthful with her. Show Nini that no matter the reality, you won’t sacrifice your honor and destroy the trust you’ve built.”

I shook my head. “If you tell Nini you’re going to the cotillion with Exie, no matter the reasoning, she’s going to be upset. Like… very upset. Whatever trust you built—” I made an explosion gesture with my hand, “—gone.”

My brother sighed. He didn’t normally find himself in situations like this. And if Exie genuinely liked him, and wanted to be with him, this would’ve been a difficult problem, but since I was convinced she just wanted to use him, the choice seemed obvious to me.

“I’m going to tell Nini the truth,” Sorin muttered. “I don’t want her to worry.”

“All right.” I motioned toward the dining hall. “Let’s get this over with.”

We walked into the dining hall as though we were heading for a firing squad. Sorin definitely had the demeanor of someone about to get executed, that was for sure. I patted his arm, trying to reassure him, but I also wanted to point out this was all his fault, and if he had just told Exie no literally once, this wouldn’t have happened, but I kept that all to myself.

We sat back down at our usual table. Nini glanced up, hopeful and happy. “Sorin, there you are! I was worried.”

“Nini,” my brother said with an exhale. “I have something to tell you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

DREAMS OF THE ABYSS

I held up my hand and cut off my brother before he could speak.

“Exie pleaded with Sorin to be her bodyguard for the cotillion,” I said. “And despite the fact he wanted to go with you, he told Exie yes.”

Nini’s eyes grew wide and glassy. She glanced over at Sorin. My brother nodded once. “It’s true. I, uh, I’m sorry. I figured you might be upset, but—”

Nini stood from the table without a word. She didn’t touch her bowl of noodles—she just left. Waste hovered behind her, a creepy eldrin that spooked all the other arcanists in the dining hall when he floated by.

“Wow,” Twain said. He nibbled a noodle out of my bowl. “That wasn’t what I was expecting at all. You know reaper arcanists kill people, right? I feel like Sorin’s name is going to end up on her chain one day.”

“Or Exie’s,” I darkly quipped.

“I swear it’s not like that,” Sorin said as he slumped in his seat. “You believe me, right, Gray?”

I shrugged. “Sure. I believe you. But the heart is a fickle thing.”

“I’m proud of you, my arcanist,” Thurin said from the shadows underneath the table. “It’s better that she knows. Now there can be no question about your honesty.”

Sorin slid both his hands through his dark hair. “Sometimes it’s easier to tell a lie, to hide the hurt honesty implies…” He exhaled. “It’s tempting to hide behind a mask, to pretend that everything is just a task… But sooner or later, the truth will out, and then the pain is harder to flout.”

Did he just say flout?

My brother was clearly reading a dictionary in his spare time.

“I do think that is all true, philosopher knight,” Thurin said. “And I think Nini will realize that as well.”

Sorin shook his head. “I guess we’ll see. I’ll try to make it up to her. Somehow.”

***

Nights were peaceful inside Astra Academy. The larger mystical creatures went to sleep in the treehouse, and then everyone retired to smaller dorm rooms.

I sat on my bed and stared at the far window. Twinkling stars dotted the sky, creating a beautiful blanket that covered the world. Despite the majesty of the evening, my skin crawled. Something felt off, and I rubbed at my fingertips, wondering if it had something to do with the gate fragment.

Twain slept on the nightstand next to my bed, purring whenever he exhaled.

Sorin reclined on his bed next to mine. He had his nose in a book about the abyssal hells, his attention consumed by the information. I suspected he wanted to exit reality as quickly as possible.

Nini still hadn’t spoken to him. She had locked herself in the girl’s dorm and hadn’t exited.

Raaza did push-ups on the stone floor, his kitsune sitting on his back while he did them. For the most part, I ignored his efforts, but occasionally I glanced over to see if he was still at it. The man switched up his exercises, and rarely took breaks.

“You know, you’re going to hurt yourself more than improve,” Knovak said. He stood at the opposite end of the dorm, casually dressing for the evening. He wore a velvet shirt and a pair of trousers for bed tonight. “You need to allow your body the rest it deserves. Or you need an arcanist with healing to help you overcome the downtime.”

Raaza gulped down some air as he finished his fiftieth pushup. With sweat soaking his tunic, he stood. “I didn’t ask for your advice.”

Knovak gave him a sidelong glance. “Fine. You don’t want to listen? Do whatever you want.”

Despite Raaza’s irritation, the man stopped his workout. He sat on his bed, his kitsune hopping around him. He stroked the fox’s fur and smiled.

Once Knovak had prepped his bed, he walked across the dorm, passing both Raaza and Sorin, and went straight to me. Knovak brushed back his short hair, making his unicorn arcanist mark more prominent, before saying, “I have a new plan to attend the cotillion.” He kept his voice low and dramatic, and I wondered if he was doing that just because he liked it, or if there was a real purpose.

“What’s your plan?” I asked.

“We convince the girls to go as a group.” Knovak held up a hand, indicating he wanted me to wait. “Listen. Just listen. We tell them it would be beneficial to them, because we can be their hired help or something.”

That would’ve been a fantastic plan. If he had thought of it two days ago. Now it felt completely, and wildly unusable. Exie had already gotten her “hired help.”

“Sorin and I already got invites,” I muttered.

Knovak placed his hand on his chest. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Professor Ren is taking me as his guest, and Exie asked Sorin.”

“Exie asked Sorin?”

Knovak’s shout was loud enough to wake the whole damn Academy. Raaza even stood from his bed in order to glance over in our direction.

My brother buried himself deeper in the book, clearly wishing he could disappear.

Knovak huffed and then crossed his arms. A moment later, he uncrossed his arms and huffed again. “Fine. You know what? New plan. I’ll seduce Ashlyn and have her take me to the cotillion.”

“No,” I growled, angrier than I had thought I would be. “You’re not seducing anybody. Do you even hear yourself?”

“Phila, then. She’s pleasant. She’ll understand my plight.” Knovak leaned in close. “If your poet brother can get Exie to ask him, I can definitely get Phila. C’mon now.”

Raaza walked over to Sorin’s bed. “Did Exie really ask you to attend the cotillion with her? If so—congratulations. She’s stunning.”

My brother shifted in his bed, turning his back to Raaza. He said nothing.

“And you?” Raaza glanced over to me. “Did I hear correctly? Professor Ren asked you?”

I shook my head. “I asked him, actually.” I sarcastically swished my hair back and smoothed my sleeping tunic, like I was some suave scoundrel.

Both Raaza and Knovak stared at me with blank expressions, the cogs of their mind turning at unusually slow rates. Finally, Raaza recovered and then scoffed. “That professor has everyoneunder his spell. How does he do it…?”

“Isn’t it an ethical violation to court a student?” Knovak shook his head. “How disgraceful.”

“Professor Ren isn’t actually going to the cotillion.” I chuckled. After a long yawn, and a stretch, I said, “He gave me his guest invite because I told him I wanted to attend the celebration. I’m not into the professor.”

“Everyone else is,” Raaza muttered.

With both my thumbs, I pointed to myself. “Not this guy.” Then I pulled my blankets up to my chin and snuggled deep into my mattress.

Raaza and Knovak argued for a long time, discussing something about the cotillion, but I didn’t pay attention. I closed my eyes and exhaled, allowing sleep to take hold of my mind. I just wanted this day to be over. Tomorrow, I would feel like my normal self again, I was sure of it.

***

Dreaming…

I knew when I was dreaming.

For years, Professor Helmith had come to me in my dreams, protecting me from nightmarish creatures. Now, whenever I dreamt, I just knew. It was a strange skill most didn’t have, apparently.

But this dream was odd. I sat in class, at my usual table, listening to a professor discuss whatever topic we were in. But I heard none of it. I shook my head, a ringing in my ears. When I glanced to Sorin or Nini, I couldn’t really hear them, either.

When I turned my attention to the window, I caught my breath. Both the sun and moon hung in the sky—a sign that the gates to the abyssal hells were open. Was this a nightmare? It didn’t feel like it. Glorious afternoon light streamed in through the window, keeping the classroom warm and bright.

The lack of noise unsettled me, though.

“Who are you?” someone asked, their voice directly in my ear.

I flinched and whipped around. The classroom remained silent, even when people spoke. Their mouths moved, but no sound issued forth. Who had spoken? It had been masculine and deep—and filled with confidence.

“Ah. You’re the arcanist who thwarted my brother.” The voice was dark and laced with an eerie echo. It felt like teeth scraped the shell of my ear as the man said, “This works out perfectly.”

With shaky hands, I stood from my chair. The others in the classroom looked at me, their eyebrows knitted, their lips turned down in a frown of concern.

“Who are you?” I demanded. I heard my own voice in this dream, but no one else’s. It was just me, and this strange, disembodied voice that spoke directly into my ear.

“You know who I am. Anyone who lays their sights on me will never forget.”

The haunting tone to his voice revealed more than his words.

Death Lord Deimos.

I shivered as I backed up. I hit one of the tables in the classroom, my whole body freezing. Something about his echoing voice filled me with a deep and unforgiving chill. Even my bones felt cold.

“You’re not here,” I said, more to myself than to Deimos. “You’re not. It’s just a dream.”

“Believe whatever you want to believe.”

I scratched at my ear, trying to rid myself of his sinister voice. Nothing I did helped. The others in the classroom stood and huddled around me, everyone worried, even their eldrin. Ecrib placed a dragon claw on my shoulder, and Brak offered me a stony hug.

I felt… trapped.

“Leave me alone,” I said through gritted teeth.

“You sealed your fate when you fought against me and destroyed my gate. Now I’ll see you suffer. I’ll rip your soul apart and graft it straight onto my dragon. There will be no end to your torment.”

Deimos spoke his threats in a cold and precise manner, no haste to his words, no anger. It was like a dark promise.

I tried to escape the crowd of people around me, but it was impossible. Everyone in class had gathered close, creating a circle of bodies. I pushed Phila, but then Nasbit was in the way. They wouldn’t allow me to escape, suffocating me like only a dream was capable of.

“Leave me alone!” I shouted, both at the people and at Death Lord Deimos.

The Death Lord continued to speak to me directly in my ear, even if he had no body or form I could yell at. “My revenge won’t just be confined to you. I’ll tear your brother apart, your family—everyone you hold dear. Their souls will only empower me, and fuel my return to the realm of the living.”

When I tried to leap out of the crowd, Brak grabbed me with its sandstone arms. The stone golem crushed me in a tight embrace, unforgiving boulders smashing my flesh. I was bruised, and no matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t escape. Brak squeezed tighter. My bones hurt. They would break.

I couldn’t breathe.

“Unless…” Deimos whispered, “you surrender yourself to me. Help me open the gates to the abyssal hells, and I’ll spare you—and your loved ones—a thousand lifetimes of torment.”

I still couldn’t get any air. My heart hammered, and it felt like Deimos’s icy grip was squeezing around my heart. Panic set in, but I knew I couldn’t allow it to control me.

I had to calm down.

I had to think.

How could I get out of this? There had to be a way.

Then I thought of it. I closed my eyes and immediately searched through the dozens of magical threads, quickly sifting through them, like an insane person opening every cupboard and drawer in a kitchen as fast as they could.

Then I found it.

Professor Helmith’s ethereal whelk.

I tugged on Ushi’s string of magic and became an ethereal whelk arcanist myself. The whelks could manipulate dreams. That was the power I needed. With my heart still hammering, I glanced around and changed the environment. I pretended the dream was an extension of my very body and altered everything.

In a flash, I was no longer in the classroom. It had all vanished—the tables, the students, even all their mystical creatures. Instead, I was back on the Isle of Haylin. Although I hadn’t meant to transform my dream into my home island, it had been the first thing I thought of when I needed to escape.

I stood at the very edge of Honeysuckle Meadow, the beautiful field of yellow flowers swaying in the island wind. Everything smelled of pollen and salt water, a combination that was more nostalgic than pleasant. The vibrant blue sky calmed me, and the seagulls who floated on the gentle winds were a welcome sight.

I took a deep breath.

Death Lord Deimos’s voice was gone.

Everything was okay.

“Gray?”

I jerked awake. With a panicked flail of my arms, I sat up in my bed. My sheets and mattress were soaked with my cold sweat. When I glanced at the window, I realized it was still night.

“Gray?” Twain repeated. “Are you okay?”

I turned my attention to him. He was no longer in his kitten form—he was an ethereal whelk, his shell glittering with an iridescent sheen. The soft glow of his body lit up my portion of the dorm. I had transformed him even while I had been sleeping.

“Twain,” I whispered. Then I wiped my forehead free of sweat. “I’m sorry… I, uh, was having a nightmare.”

He floated around as a weird sea snail. Tiny tentacles dropped down from his slug body. “Why did you change me into Ushi?”

“I…” After a deep inhale, I forced myself to relax. “I had to escape the nightmare. Sorry, buddy. I’ll try not to do that again in the future.” I reached out and grabbed Twain from midair. He didn’t struggle as I pulled him into a soft embrace. The glow of his inner light warmed me.

Twain wiggled his tentacles. Once I released him, he landed on the nightstand. “Okay. But make sure to get lots of good sleep. No more spooky nightmares. That was our goal, remember? I don’t know if my heart can handle any more jump scares in the middle of the night.”

I felt the same way.