Chapter 30 #2
“You can talk shit about me, push me around in combat, make me run and weight train until I’m sick.
” I stand over Boden as he clenches his crumpled body.
“You can even get your little friends to humiliate me. But don’t you ever.
Talk. Shit. About. Dmitri. Again!” I punctuate each word with a yank on the disembodied dark cords, which slither like snakes through my hands, until Boden is writhing in pain on the ground.
I can sense commotion around me—panicked noises and fearful screams. But I am wrath and vindication—I cannot be bothered with such things.
“Release the prince!” someone yells. But I don’t see anything except a tunnel of black and slithering, rotting vines connecting me right to Boden.
“Miss Solis! What do you think you’re doing?” Professor Falk grips my arms, pulling me out of my fury long enough that I drop my imagined black creeping cords, and they dissipate like smoke in the air.
“I—uh, don’t know.” I look at her in confusion. Boden’s still on the ground, breathing heavily. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened,” I stammer and reach for Boden.
Falk stops me, tightening her grip on my arm. “This is a noncombat course. You’re not allowed to use magic that could seriously injure another student. I’m going to have to report you.”
I glance back at Boden to continue my groveled apology to find he’s smirking. It’s not a kind smile. It’s cold, calculating. He’s taunting me. Anger rears inside me. This fucking bastard.
“Go ahead,” I spit out at Falk. “It was fucking worth it.” Whatever it was, I’m glad it hurt that piece of shit. I turn and stomp back to my dorm.
I returned to my room to find two deliveries sitting outside my door.
The first was a big basket full of luxury hair- and skin-care products.
The kind of expensive things I wouldn’t dream of spending money on.
I figured it was a mistake until I found a note with my name on it.
It didn’t allude to who sent it, just that it is a gift.
The second almost eclipsed my excitement over the first. Almost. Hair care is way too important.
It was a red envelope, which I knew from my handbook meant an official disciplinary summons.
Now, I’m pacing outside Chancellor Strom’s office, waiting to be called in for a disciplinary discussion, whatever that entails. If she asks me what I did to Boden, I guess I’m going to have to tell her the truth: I don’t know.
Maybe I should be relieved that, finally, something like magic has appeared.
But it didn’t feel like magic, not the way Professor Falk or Gemma describe it.
This felt angry and insatiable. Will she send me to the psych ward if I tell Chancellor Strom that instead of a beautiful flame of light glowing at my core, I have a rotted ball of root-like veins that wanted to attach itself to Boden until it ripped him to shreds?
On my way here, I tried to recreate what happened, but I couldn’t, which means if the chancellor asks me to do it again, I won’t be able to replicate it. I suppose I’ll look even crazier.
“Chancellor Strom’s ready for you.” Her assistant gives me an annoyed glare from behind her desk.
I swallow down my nerves, pushing open the double doors to be greeted by not just Strom, but three out of the five princes pals.
The three I absolutely did not want to see.
Why can’t Teariki be in charge of my discipline?
He’d probably just put me in time-out until I offered to rub his belly and scratch behind his ears.
“Thank you, Prince Boden, you may return to class.” Strom gives Boden a wide smile. Shit. Once his back is turned to the rest of the group, he winks at me on his way out.
“Svo lach’,” I mumble under my breath. Scum.
“Have a seat, Miss Solis.” Strom gestures to the one unoccupied chair across from her desk. Kian’s sitting in the other chair, while Komarov stands with his arms crossed in the corner. I sit and stare at the disquieting figures and await my punishment.
“Professor Falk has informed us of your less-than-respectable behavior in class today. While such an offense is usually met with only a mild reprimand, a list of other violations has also been brought to my attention.” She slams a thick folder down on her desk.
“Let’s see, you’ve been here a month and have incurred three citations for disruptive behavior in class, two breaches in curfew, multiple safety violations in combat class, six decorum offenses, dress code violations on at least fifteen different occasions, charges of vandalization of institute property, specifically your room door, and a literal folder full of student complaints. ”
“Most of which are things we’ve discussed before, are they not, Miss Solis?” Kian directs his cold eyes toward me.
“Yes, but I—”
“Everyone in this room put their name and reputation on the line so you could attend this institution.” He interrupts my explanation.
“I didn’t ask for any of tha—” I try to counter, yet Kian plows right through.
“And yet you signed a contract. You are legally and magically bound. If you are unable to adhere to the terms, unfortunately you will give us no choice but to enact breach of contract remedies, which include significant financial consequences. You would owe the realm a large sum of money, and you have agreed to donate your time and forfeit your future salary until said sum is paid. Additionally, you will be unable to hold any substantial kingdom office,” he explains, as I try to prevent the frustration tears prickling at the back of my eyes from making themselves known to the room.
Mr. Rolex makes me very fucking frustrated.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Strom says, giving me the opportunity to finally respond.
“Um. Yes?” I bite my lip as I try to think of how to approach this in a way that won’t get me cut off.
I’m going with honesty. “A few things, I suppose. First, I’m sorry about Boden…
sort of. I didn’t mean to hurt him, and I apologized for that.
I don’t really know what happened. But at the same time, he definitely started it.
He was being an asshole.” I catch Komarov holding back a smirk.
“Since I’ve been here, everyone has pushed and prodded at me like I’m some kind of experiment.
I can only take so much, and Boden has a tendency to take things pretty far.
” I cast a glare around the room. A muscle in Kian’s jaw ticks.
If they’re going to come at me, I’m going to lay out my side of things.
“Yes, I messed up when it comes to class, curfew, and probably combat. But I’m working on that.
I’m trying hard to catch up to my peers, and I’m learning rules for a world I knew nothing about.
I’m studying and receiving extra tutoring.
Isn’t that correct, Professor?” I look to Komarov for support.
“It is,” he says, before pressing his lips together in a thin line.
“As for the other issues, there really is nothing I can do about my clothing. I’m doing the best with what I was given.
And I definitely didn’t vandalize any property.
You think I’m just going to call myself human scum?
Obviously that was someone else’s doing.
” Something flashes across Kian’s face, but I press on.
“The students at this school are generally assholes, so I can’t control what they complain about.
” Komarov actually does smirk at that. “Moreover, I don’t know what could be offensive about my decorum.
I am delightful.” I cross my arms to punctuate my arguments.
“That all may be true.” Strom doesn’t miss a beat.
“Still, the evidence of your violations is overwhelming. I have half a mind to expel you on the spot.” She lets the statement hang in the air, really freaking me out.
“But since King Amani has already agreed to oversee your education, disciplinary action will be at his and Dr. Komarov’s discretion. ”
Perfect.
“As we understand that this adjustment has likely been challenging, we’ve decided not to expel you. Instead, Saturday and Sunday morning will be spent receiving extra tutoring in the library,” Komarov says, as he picks invisible lint off his shoulder.
“Clearly, we underestimated the amount of informal education you need,” Kian adds sharply. “Therefore, you will also have mandatory decorum education with me every other Friday. Petra will make the arrangements.”
Great, just what I need, etiquette training from a man in $900 shoes.