Dacer, said a delighted voice. A werewolf came around the corner from the back room. She was plump, with rosy cheeks that reminded me of Lough. She was also familiar.
Oh, I said, I didnt realize I had gone to school with you.
Sabel had been a senior when I was a freshman. She hadnt done Dash, but I had heard that she was nice, and a good student. I had been so wrapped up in being a Starter, though, and in not being able to do magic, that I hadnt really thought about much else.
She grinned at Dacer as she settled herself behind the counter. Would you like the usual, Professor?
Dacer grinned back. I could see he liked Sabel. Watching my mentor, I realized something about him that I hadnt seen clearly before. He was solid. The paranormal world might be collapsing around us, my world might have just turned upside down, but Dacer still found joy in the little things, like pink eye shadow. Ive told you plenty of times not to call me that.
Sabel tossed her head. Old habits, sir.
Dont call me that, either. Its like Im old. Forty, even.
Sabel laughed. Dacer wasnt that old, although it was hard to tell how old he really was, since he surely dyed his hair. But no matter what, he was very young for a professor.
And what will you. . . . Sabel stopped when she looked at me, then smiled brightly. Its about time. The last elemental is a senior. Wonderful. I know exactly what to get you. Have a seat. She motioned to a couple of the comfortable chairs in the corner and Dacer led us over.
Sh.e.l.l bring us our coffee on a tray, he explained. Then we can talk.
I wasnt sure I wanted to talk to Dacer at this point, but I knew I didnt have a choice.
Chapter Ten.
Sabel quickly brought over an ornate tray of green and rose gold. Here we are, then, she said, smiling at me. I watched her pour my coffee, willing to try it if Dacer said it was delicious. She had chosen from several teacups, including a red one, a purple one, and a gray one, mixing all three dark liquids together.
Dacer thanked Sabel and reverently picked up his coffee mug. The mugs were earthy and looked handmade. Dacers was black with bits of white, while mine was blue and a very delicate yellow.
Dacer took a sip, and then another. He sat for a few seconds inhaling the aroma and smiling with his eyes closed. Realizing that Sabel was covertly watching me from where she had retreated behind the counter, I picked up my piping hot mug and started out by just smelling the coffee. It had slight hints of hazelnut, cinnamon, and something else I couldnt quite identify, and it immediately set me at ease.
This looks black to me, I said, peering at the liquid. She didnt bring us any milk or sugar.
You dont need it, said Dacer. Trust me.
You better be right, I grumbled.
Dacer opened his eyes to watch me take my first sip. I put the mug to my lips and let the hot coffee trickle over my tongue and burn down my throat. I had never tasted anything so delicious in my whole life.
I took several more sips before Dacer, looking amused, starting talking. Charlotte, he said softly, what you did yesterday. . . . His face grew darker, and I knew he was angry now. What you did yesterday was unforgivable.
I swallowed my last mouthful of coffee carefully, my eyes never leaving my professor.
I had to do it, I said, just as softly, not letting myself rise to his bait. Sabel had somehow started to busy herself in the back, obviously feeling that we needed to be left alone.
Professor Dacer nodded, staring out the window as he cradled his coffee cup.
We could have been killed, he said, meeting my eyes. You could have been killed. Sip could have died. You need to think before you act. If you keep running headlong into battles without explaining your tactics to your troops, to the paranormals battling alongside you, someone will die. And youre not going to like that.
I didnt have time, I protested. I had known Oliva would be angry, but I thought that at least Professor Dacer, my mentor, would understand why I had done what I did.
You have to stop being so careless, Dacer told me sternly. Its going to get you killed.
I didnt have time, I said again, desperately.
There never is time with you, is there? Dacer asked. There was no tone of anger now, just a current of frustration running though his words. Youre always going off on your own. You cant be bothered to involve others.
I stared at my professor, dumbfounded that he would say such things.
All of my time is spent fighting the Nocturns, or discovering news ways to fight them, or losing my friends to them, I said hoa.r.s.ely.
Dacer shook his head and leaned forward, so that his elbows were braced on his knees.
Oliva is sending you home to Ricky, Dacer explained. He thinks youre a loose cannon, and he thinks that nothing is going to change over the summer.
He cant do that! I cried, starting to jump to my feet before I realized that I still held the mug in my hands.
Dacer sat back, his eyes unreadable. It was the first time I had ever felt like we were each on a side and it wasnt the same one.
He can and he is, said Dacer. Im sorry, Charlotte, but you interrupted a powerful working. If we hadnt taken a pause to see where the magic was coming from, like you should have done, you would be dead right now, and so would Ms. Quest.
Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to blink, desperate to keep them from spilling down onto my cheeks.
Its not right, I said quietly. I cant go home, not with Vampire Locke overtaken and Lisabelle gone. Theres too much for me to do here.
There is nothing much for anyone to do here in the summer, said Dacer, as if this summer was going to be like any other. You cant save the paranormal world all by yourself right this second, Im sorry to say. I asked your friends to give us a chance to have a private discussion, but theyll be joining us shortly.
I felt sick. Lisabelle was who knows where, and I was expected to just go home for the summer as if nothing had happened. I knew I had to see Ricky, because even though I was constantly being told that he had the best protections and was fine, I still felt best when I laid eyes on him. But I didnt need the whole summer to do that.
Charlotte, said Dacer, leaning forward, I realize that you think you have to do this all on your own. But you dont. Youre still only a student, and given the battles youve fought, your education is spotty at best. As the last elemental, of course you have more responsibility than the average paranormal college student, whose greatest worry is getting to the dining hall before breakfast closes and not completely failing out of school. But you do not need to shoulder every worry. Dacer sat back in his chair now, allowing the words to sink in, but he wasnt done. Your little brother needs you right now.
I thought of Ricky alone with Carl, and my stepfathers promise to protect him. I wondered how much he knew. I wondered who Rickys real father was, and I wondered what had happened to him.
Then I thought of Queen Ashray and all the responsibilities she had taken on when she was young. The fact that she had loved and lost and loved again gave me little comfort.
Whats going on here? Sips voice asked. The door to the cafe had silently opened to reveal Lough and the werewolf. Sips eyes were glowing purple as she crossed her arms over her chest.
I cant believe you talked without us, said Sip. I wasnt sure if she was speaking to Dacer or to me. Sip had apparently decided that with Lisabelle gone, she had free reign to chide whomever she wanted, whenever she wanted, in her roommates place.
Dacer cleared his throat, looking amused. Why dont you get some coffee from Sabel and pull up a couple of chairs? he offered.
Lough glanced at the bakery case, his eyes lighting up at all the sticky, sugary goodness waiting for him there.
I can manage that, he said, but no coffee. Gross. The stuff tastes like tar with a side of concrete.
Charming, said Professor Dacer dryly, always charming.
I didnt say anything while we waited for my friends to join us. Dacer too appeared content to sit in silence. He even gave me a bit of a skeptical look, and I wondered if he thought I was likely to start throwing things and yelling in frustration at the idea that I was being sent home.
When do I leave? I asked quietly.
Dacer, whod been looking dreamily off into the sunlight, said, Tomorrow morning.
I nodded. But just as Sip and Lough came over I realized something. What about President Caid?
He arrives tomorrow evening, said Dacer evenly, his eyes never leaving my face.
I didnt bother to comment on what a coincidence it was that the paranormal president was arriving just after I was leaving, so that we wouldnt be seeing each other at all.
Doesnt he want to hear about Golden Falls? I asked, making one last, desperate attempt to convince Dacer to let me stay on campus.
Sip set her mug down with a clatter as Lough brought over two more armchairs.
h.e.l.l hear about it from Professor Zervos, said Dacer, his voice now laced with a note of warning.
Am I being sent home as well? Lough demanded indignantly. He had taken a giant bite of chocolate chip m.u.f.fin before speaking, so his voice was m.u.f.fled.
Of course, said Dacer amiably. Its summer. Students dont stay here during the summer months unless theyre doing research or working for a professor.
I could work for you, I said, brightening. Like Ive done in the past.
Dacer gave me an exasperated look.
All this time Sip hadnt said a word, but now she placed her mug on the gla.s.s coffee table between us.
What a.s.surances will you give us that Charlotte will be safe, should she agree to leave Public? Sip said into the silence.
Even Dacer looked stunned as he turned to look at the little werewolf with the spiky blond hair.
You heard me, said Sip, matching Dacers tone for evenness.
The vampire sputtered for a second, staring wide-eyed at Sip while he tried to come up with a response.
You have no right to make demands, he said finally, his jaw working. He wasnt so much angry as at something of a loss to know how to deal with this new, steely, uncompromising student.
I have every right, said Sip, her eyes starting to glow while the rest of her stayed steady.
Dacer raised his perfectly manicured eyebrows.
What I think shes trying to say, if I may, said Lough, is that what you all dont seem to understand is that weve done a lot of adult things, and yet were still being treated like children. Were seniors in college now.
Dacer gave Lough a sympathetic look. I do understand that, he said with more kindness than I had heard him use today. What you need to understand is that Im the only one who thinks that way, and that its not just about you. All the paranormals here are struggling. Many of them are senior paranormals who were busy all over the country living normal lives, until they couldnt anymore. They would barely understand or believe what happened at Golden Falls, because it would just make their lives more complicated than they already are.
Thats all well and good, said Sip, especially the part about realizing that its not just about Charlotte. Now, if you could answer my question about her protections, please?
Lough gave Sip a gentle elbow in the ribs, but she wouldnt be deterred.
Dacer sighed and took another long drink of coffee.
Very well, he said, lowing the mug. Ill answer you to the best of my ability. He paused and took a deep break, then plunged in. Charlotte Rollins is the single most protected paranormal known to us. Her layers of protection run deep, he said. First, when she was a Starter, Malle put protections on her.
Sip started to protest, obviously a.s.suming that those protections were probably a danger to me. But Dacer held up his hand and said, Once Malle was gone, the committee members - that is, Dove, Oliva, Risper, and Erikson - gathered together to perform a layering spell. It is meant to confuse the demons as to your exact location, making you harder to track down and kill, he said, turning to me. The layering spell makes it more difficult for the demons to pinpoint you when youre around lots of other paranormals, so its really for when youre traveling, or at home with your brother. Still, as youve seen over the years, it is not perfect. There is also a series of spells weve seen around you, very subtle, very powerful, and very un.o.btrusive, that we had nothing to do with.
Now Sip was on her feet, and no amount of asking from Dacer would quiet her.
Youve got to be kidding me, she cried indignantly. How could you let that happen? For all you know its demons! Charlottes life could be cut short at any moment.
I sure hope not, I said dryly. Sip rolled her eyes at me.
You know what I mean, she said. Its just dangerous. Dacer, how could you let this happen?
Dacer steepled his fingers. We didnt let anything happen. The spells were just there, and theres really nothing we can do about it.
Sip looked like she was about to say something else when Dacer shook his head, asking for peace.
Ms. Quest. The spells surrounding Charlotte are elemental, he said. We cant trace their origin, but they are friendly. They bolster the defenses of the committee members, especially now with Doves pa.s.sing. The intricate web can only be stronger if its made more intricate.
Wait, I said, barely able to contain my excitement. If there are elemental spells around me, does that mean there are elementals casting them?
Dacer looked at me a little sadly. I knew he hated to disappoint me.
It means that at one time or another a spell was cast to protect you. It doesnt mean the elemental that cast it is still living. Although it is very strange. That sort of spell isnt easy to pull off. It would take a lot of knowledge and a lot of willpower, not to mention just a lot of magic.
I couldnt hide the hope in my face. This was the first time since I had moved into Astra that Id had any new leads about elementals.
Maybe theyre relatives of my father, I said excitedly. Maybe they were friends.
You shouldnt jump to conclusions, said Dacer slowly. We were just glad that an elemental was looking out for you.
My heart sank a little. There had been an elemental looking out for me at some point. There were also elementals who had killed my mom. Maybe I should go talk to Sigil again, take him some cookies, reconnect after the semester away. But how much time would I have to do that if they were sending me away this very day?
This time when the door to the coffee shop opened, I heard it and turned around. As soon as I realized who it was, I wished I hadnt bothered. Professor Zervos was coming through the door, his salt and pepper hair swept up off his forehead and his dark eyes snapping. He looked better rested than he had the whole time wed been at Golden Falls.
Zervos sneered at the group of us in the corner. Dacer, are you supposed to be speaking with this lot? he asked nastily, his eyes flashing back and forth between us.
Dacer didnt appear the least bit concerned. I have every right to speak to my students, Thads.
Zervoss lip curled upward, but he didnt respond. Instead he turned to me.
You are ordered to return to Astra. First thing in the afternoon you are to report back to President Olivas private residence. He will see you in the garden, along with Professor Erikson.
I flinched at her name. I wasnt sure I could look her in the eye after what her sister had done.