Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ender
Morning classes breezed by, and I was eager to get to lunch to see Selene. Telling her that I would never stop seeking her out hadn’t been a lie. I knew where she was, but I was giving her space so she and her sister could process the new information together.
My mind drifted to the hallway before first class and the way Selene hated how the other students kept glancing at her. I’d make sure I was there for her tomorrow from the start.
I made it to the entrance of the cafeteria, but before I could, my name was called.
“Ender.” Priscilla strode toward me. “Headmaster John is waiting in his office for us.”
“Now?” I glanced in the cafeteria, spotting Selene with David sitting next to her.
“Yes, now. Come.” Priscilla stopped right in front of me and waved.
I hesitated, staring at the empty seat on Selene’s other side. I took a deep breath and followed the order. Priscilla didn’t question my silence as we made our way to Headmaster John’s office.
“Good afternoon, Ender.” John nodded as we entered, Priscilla sitting across from him. “Please shut the door and have a seat.”
The door shut with a heavy clank, and I sat in the chair next to Priscilla and leaned forward, giving Aura chin scratches before settling back. The little fox was adorable.
“Miss Hart and I have consulted with the Mage Council and have decided that she is going to stay at Fives Academy for the spring semester.” The headmaster shifted forward, leaning on his desk. “She is going to work on finding the defector.”
My gaze shot from him to Priscilla. “It’s confirmed that someone inside the academy let the dark mage in?”
“Not confirmed, but there’s a reasonable suspicion that someone is helping a dark mage clan and there may be multiple clans involved,” Priscilla answered.
“Not just a single dark mage, but an entire clan? Two clans?” My eyebrows almost went through the roof.
“The dark mage who attacked was ancient.” Headmaster John opened a folder and turned it toward me, scans of translated scripts neatly organized inside the three-holed prongs.
“We found a burned scroll with a blank ink circle inside her cloak. The marking is of a clan that has existed for quite some time. What we are unsure of is if she belonged to that clan and why she attacked alone. Our belief is that she was from a different clan since she didn’t bear the mark on her palm. ”
I read the first page. It contained a copy of a script in what appeared to be Latin. The next page showed an ink-black circle with a short, handwritten line underneath.
“Immortale Daemonium Tenebris,” I read aloud, transcribing the little Latin I knew. “Immortal demons in darkness.”
“That is the clan mark.” The headmaster nodded at the page. “During their initiation into the clan, it is said that the mark is permanently burned into their skin, a sign of their enchantment linking them to each other.”
I stared quizzically at the dark symbol. “Can they see what the other dark mages see?” That would put us at a huge disadvantage.
“Not quite.” Pricilla leaned forward, flipping to another page full of script. “This makes it sound like it is more of a sense or feeling.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“We don’t fully understand it or know if these articles are entirely accurate. They are believed to be a copy of a dark grimoire.” Priscilla shared a look with the headmaster. “There’s something else.”
“This is the clan that killed Sal’s mother and Vivian’s parents.” The headmaster straightened, his jaw tense.
“That was already a given, based on their hunt for Selene.” I slid the folder away from the edge of the stone-slabbed desk. “Why isn’t she here, being shown this?”
“She will be.” It was Priscilla who answered, an uneasiness I had rarely seen settling in her eyes. “But we wanted to give you what answers we could about your parents. It’s the same clan that had accidentally found Anna in Singapore.”
My brows knitted together as my brain sorted out its thoughts, revealing what this information meant.
“This black circle clan killed my parents.” It only made sense. A powerful clan after Selene’s mom had coincidently found my father, killing both my ether father and air mage mother, who had tried to save him.
“We are going to find the dark mages responsible.” Headmaster John’s voice was laced with vengeful guarantee, a promise that struck close to home.
“And my other elemental magic?” I glanced at Priscilla. “You said you thought my parents had somehow dampened my other elements.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “It can’t be undone unless it is removed by the mage who created it or you, yourself, break it on your own.”
I laughed, full knowing that the only ones who knew who could have created the enchantment were my deceased parents. Miss Lee hadn’t truly known I was ether. “And how exactly do I do that?”
Silence—which meant they were not going to enlighten me about what they did or didn’t know.
It didn’t matter. The enchantment most likely was being stripped by the bond Selene and I shared.
That was probably why they didn’t want to say anything.
Priscilla had mentioned it was a possibility when we were flying to Singapore.
“There’s still time for lunch.” Priscilla stood, motioning for me to follow her to the door, and I did.
“I want to thank you, Ender.” The headmaster called. “For protecting my daughter and your concern for her safety. I am indebted to you.”
I nodded and started to turn back toward the door, unsure of what to do with a statement so personal.
“And Ender,” he called, “your own safety is high priority. Do your best to remember that as well.”
I pursed my lips and nodded once again before exiting his office.
Four hours later, small, sharp evergreen branches scraped against my bare arms as I attempted to dodge the thicker ones.
A slight breeze passed through the magically warmed forest, and the faint whoosh of water thrummed somewhere close by.
I slowed, nearing the edge of the dome boundary that sat upon the mountains.
The endorphins from my run had heightened and I stopped, attempting for the third time to try to summon any of my other elemental magic.
I caged my air magic, straining to call forth my hidden earth magic.
I held out my hand, focusing on something that should be as simple as moving the small heart-shaped leaf in front of me, its color faded due to the time of year.
The leaf twitched.
I stilled.
Excitement brewed but ceased once a breeze brushed my skin. It had been the wind.
Needing to relieve unwanted tension, I twisted my head side to side and was awarded with a satisfying crack.
I would try again tomorrow. It was about time I headed back to shower before dinner, though it was tempting not to, leaving me with more time to see if I could rile up Selene with my …
smugness. I’d barely had any time with her by the time I had gotten to lunch, and after classes, she and Vivian planned to train.
A twig snapped underneath my foot, but the echo of another branch breaking came from my left—not from me.
Nothing was visible in the thick brush, though the sun peeked through the treetops.
I crept forward with deliberate steps, debating if I should run.
If it was a dark mage or the traitor from inside the academy, it would be best if I was sturdy on my feet in a defensive position.
Both the birds and crickets had stopped chirping, and the only palpable sound was the forest breeze and the flow of the water in the nearby creek. Something was out there.
I waited, not taking any chances and turning my back to run.
Minutes ticked by until glowing orange eyes revealed themselves between two trees. As the eyes approached, black scales with iridescent white tips along a sleek little dragon body appeared. Though his body was a little larger than the size of a big fox, he was fierce and intimidating.
“Hey there, buddy.” I held my hands outward in a non-threatening way. “Remember me?”
A growl rose from the little dragon, its lip pulled back, baring sharp white teeth. His nostrils flared and then he sneezed, a small flame firing out of his mouth and disappearing into tendrils of smoke. He visibly relaxed and crept closer.
“I won’t hurt you.” I shrugged. “Not that I truly think I could. I saw you with that dark mage.”
A low grumble erupted from the dragon as if the mention of his foe upset him.
He shook, his scales lifting as he did. Once he finished, he trotted over to me slowly and began sniffing my shoes, then my hands, hanging at my sides.
His hot black nose brushed my palm, causing my finger to twitch.
He jumped backward, poofing up like a cat before calming down.
“You’re alright.” I chuckled.
Those orange eyes regarded me a moment longer until the dragon trotted past me and into the forest on my other side. When I didn’t trail him, he merely cocked his head over his shoulder at me.
“You want me to follow you?” I asked. A huff left the dragon’s mouth, and I swore if dragons could roll their eyes, this one just had.
I followed the dragon through the forest until we reached a stream.
The water was plenty high and shadows of fish below the surface zipped by.
Despite it still being a frozen tundra on the outside of the dome, the nice weather in here allowed life to thrive.
It had been this way for a century, the animals becoming accustomed to the magically controlled atmosphere.
The dragon dove in, water splashing, and emerged on the other side, landing on the bank.
It looked over at me, fish in mouth. His nose lifted toward the sky and he swallowed the fish whole.
With a giant leap, he took off, flying over the stream and landing next to me, standing on his hind feet so his large catlike eyes were level with mine.
I held my breath and waited. The dragon’s pupils dilated and I relaxed.
As I did, he cocked his head, more like a curious animal than one that was going to attack.
I followed his movements, unsure of what he was trying to communicate.
He settled back on all four feet. He curiously watched me before leaping into the water again.
I didn’t think fire-breathing dragons would like water.