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Chapter 10

Cedar yawned despite the grim scene before him and glanced over to Crow and Lumoira as he crossed his arms over his chest, “What do you two think?”

Dalyor Lumoira was an elven art professor at Naessaria, his attention to detail the reason Cedar thought to bring him along. He knelt next to the flattened and bloodied grass and leaves to get a better look, running a hand through his dark brown hair, “So far your sister’s story is holding up. There was something injured and possibly dying here before we arrived. Not sure where it is now, though.” His tired eyes turned to look up at Cedar then. Viola’s pounding on Cedar’s door had pulled all of them out of bed. It wasn’t often for students to barge into the teachers’ dorms in the middle of the night in hysterics, covered in scrapes and cuts.

Crowe, inspecting the dying fire and the area around the little clearing, spoke up then, “Why don’t you try a premonition?”

Cedar glanced around the clearing again and nodded. “It wouldn’t hurt, I suppose,” he muttered.

Lumoira held up a piece of metal, “Try it with this.”

It looked like a broken chain link left behind by whoever was responsible for this. Cedar took a deep breath and took the link in his hand, warily, before closing his eyes.

Viola’s back, darting out of the forest, back toward the school. An older man of forty or a graceful fifty watched her run, his golden hazel eyes sliding shut before he rested his head back on the ground. His graying dark hair was matted with blood, under the abuse he was covered in scars from battles past, strong barrel chest raising erratically as he struggled to breathe. He let out a wheezing sigh and remained silent and still.

Hours past in a blur before figures in black cloaks entered the clearing just before dawn. Surrounding the dead werewolf, they muttered a levitation spell, holding their hands over the body as it raised slowly into the air.

They guided him out of the clearing and deeper into the forest. As they approached a cave, his vision faded out.

Cedar’s eyes snapped open with a gasp as he glanced around at the two men around him, both staring at him expectantly.

“Well?” Crowe drawled out.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes and temples, “They came back after the body and used magic to carry it into the forest. They took it into a cave but I was forced out before I could find out more.”

“Did you see their faces?” Lumoira asked as he tucked the chain link into a pocket.

Cedar thought back to his vision and shook his head, “No. Their faces were shouded the whole time. I saw their hands but there was nothing remarkable about them.”

“Do you think Viola, saw any faces?” Crowe asked cautiously.

Cedar considered that for a moment, “It’s possible but we should give her time before we try to ask her more on what she saw.”

Lumoira nodded, “That’s right, we should take what we do know to the headmaster now.”

The potions teacher nodded his agreement, “That’s right, he’ll instruct us on how to go from here.”

Cedar nodded as the three of them turned to head out of the forest, back toward the main campus and the headmaster’s office. There was something nagging at the back of his mind, something wasn’t right. As they made their way across the grass, Hugo and Mugin flew over their heads, racing each other to the campus. Hugo prided himself on outflying any bird, but especially Mugin.

The three teachers approached the school and quickly made their way up to the headmaster’s office.

~~~

Viola sat on the edge of the table, watching as her cuts and scrapes slowly knitted themselves back together under Zarya’s touch. Between the healing and the warm mug of tea the woman had shoved in her hand, she was slowly feeling the life slip back into her body.

Staring at the mug in her hands, a long blonde braid lowered down in front of her like a rope as Zarya put a hand to her forehead and looked in her eyes, “Viola, your wounds aren’t too serious but you could have avoided this…. You have to be more careful, myshka….” Karma chattered quietly, pressing her nose to Viola’s elbow and she reached over to pet her familiar.

She looked up at Zarya slowly, “What’s going to happen?”

“The school and kingdom authorities will look into finding the people responsible. But you need to focus on learning to control your power. Now, take this.” She held a vial matching the one that had been on Viola’s desk.

I told her that you haven’t taken the one she sent earlier. Karma explained, curling up beside Viola on the table.

Viola sighed and looked at the strange indigo colored liquid in the vial. She pulled the cork and sniffed it. It had a putrid smell, obviously a medicine but more herbal without any recognizable scents.

Placing the vial to her lips and tilting her head back, she wrinkled her nose as the earthy taste like grass and roots filled her mouth.

Zarya laughed, “I didn’t say it would taste well but it should help build up some energy you lost. I’ll have some breakfast sent up for us. You need to eat something.”

“I’m not hungry,” Viola mumbled but watched her.

Karma stretched, I am. Besides you need to eat something anyway.

She sighed and nodded but carefully slipped off the table and moved to sit in a chair instead, “So you’re a friend of my brother’s?” she asked as she fiddled with a cork lying in front of her.

She heard the blonde woman grumble something in Russian before she sighed, “I knew you were going to ask that. We’ve been friends since we started school here together.”

“He’s never mentioned you before,” Viola answered.

“Well, he’s told me a lot about you, his troublemaking little sister. I’ve also met your parents before, while they were visiting once.”

She nodded, unable to come up with anything else to say on that. The werewolf’s face, Connor’s face, just kept coming back to mind. His voice as he spoke to her, his last request. He was a soldier with a family who deserved to know what happened to him. She just had to figure out a way to get in touch with them.

“Is there a way to find out about soldiers and their families?” she asked Zarya, turning her attention to the woman, who was already looking at her.

She paused for a moment as a knock came at the door. Holding up a finger to signal her to wait. Within a few moments, she was back with a tray filled with waffles and fruits and syrups. She set the tray down in front of Viola and Karma, taking a seat with them, “Why do you want to know about the soldiers’ families?” she asked, plucking a blueberry off the plate and popping it into her mouth.

Viola stared at the fluffy waffles for a moment, “The werewolf told me he was a soldier for the king’s army. I want to make sure his family knows what really happened. He asked me to do that.”

Zarya’s blue eyes watched her for a moment before she sighed, “I don’t think it’s best for you to do that. What you saw was traumatic and meeting his family would take its toll on you. What you want to do is admirable but it’s too much…”

She frowned at a strawberry Karma chased around on the tray, “Then what am I supposed to do? I don’t even understand what I saw.”

“You saw witches using black magic to steal the power and energy from another being. What you will do is whatever your brother and other teachers tell you. If you need someone to talk to, you can come to me. I’ll be happy to listen if need be.” She watched Viola for a moment, “Is there anything you’re worried about? Do you want to talk about what you saw?”

“No,” she lied with a shake of her head. She just didn’t know where to begin, she also felt like she’d taken up too much of Zarya’s time anyway. She lifted up a waffle and put it on a plate in front of her and began eating, forcing Zarya to drop the subject.

“Do you feel up to going to class?” she asked.

Viola nodded, “Yeah, Dani’s probably worried.”

“Then after you finish eating you should go grab your books and head to your classes. You’ll need to catch up on what you missed yesterday. No magic training today though,” Zarya ordered with a stern expression, the space between her brows wrinkled slightly.

After leaving Zarya’s room, Viola went back to her room, changed and showered, and got ready for her classes before heading on to her History and Laws class with Professor Allannia. She tried her best to focus on the lecture but her mind kept wandering back to the werewolf. Her foot bounced impatiently under her desk, causing the students unfortunate enough to sit next to her to shoot dirty looks at her and whisper at her to sit still.

Crowe and Cedar’s classes were both canceled for the day, both having left announcements on the board for the students to study and research in the library. She hadn’t been back to the library since Dani had shown her around on her first day and it had taken her longer to find it than she’d expected, the size of the place was just as mesmerizing.

She gazed around at the levels upon levels of books. Viola wandered around a bit looking at the different areas listed around the library. It seemed there was a section for every possible subject. She found a dreams, potions, and spells section, grabbing a book from each at random.

She found a secluded table in the back and sat with her books. Karma climbed out of her bag and stretched, sniffing at the books curiously.

You didn’t even look for anything specific, what do you think these will do to help you? She asked curiously.

Viola shrugged, “I didn’t know where to begin.”

Or you didn’t really look. She huffed as she jumped down from the table, I’m going to find a nice sunny place to lay outside. This library makes my nose itch. She said with a sneeze as if to make a point. Will you stay here, out of trouble this time?

“I’m in a library, how much trouble can I get into?” she asked as she flipped the nearest book open. This was one from the spells section, from the looks of it, it was about divination.

There’s no telling with you. Let me know if you’re leaving here though. I’ll be right outside. She said as she leaped from the table and bounded down the stairs toward the first floor.

She read a few of the spells curiously. None seemed to jump out at her, probably because she wasn’t sure what she needed for divination. Maybe she should have paid more attention to what she was pulling from the shelf.

She paused on a passage about tarot cards being used for divination readings. When she was younger she’d had a mild interest in the subject of tarot cards but never learned more than the basics on how to use them.

“Do you desire a future as a fortune teller?” a familiar voice asked as a chair was pulled out across from her.

She looked up at Castien as he gave her a soft smile. His gray eyes glanced down at the book in front of her as Viola gently closed it, “No, not really. I didn’t mean to pick this up.”

He nodded slowly, glancing at the covers of each book, “Guessing you didn’t mean to pick up books about erotic dreams or body altering potions either, then?”

She stared at him for a moment before glancing down at the remaining books. Her cheeks burned as she shook her head, “No, no I didn’t mean to pick these up either.” Pushing the books away, “Were you looking for something around here?” she asked, noting how she was at the back of the history section of the library.

He shook his head, “No, we passed Karma on the way here. She told us where to find you.”

“Us?” she asked.

“Dani and Bion are looking around for books for Professor Silva’s class,” he explained.

Hearing her brother referred to as Professor seemed weird to her. “You don’t need to find anything.”

“I’ve already got a couple books on the subject, but you might need to look around again.” He gave her a slight smile, “I can help you look if you want, or you can just tell me what it is that’s bothering you.”

“What makes you think that something’s bothering me?” she asked defensively.

Castien eyed her for a moment before gesturing to the books she’d picked out. “Or are these subjects you think a lot about after all?”

Viola sighed, her green eyes stared into his for a moment. She couldn’t decide if she could trust him to tell him about what she’d seen or not but she needed to speak to someone, someone who preferably wasn’t going to lecture her or blab to her brother later.

“Do you know anything about dark magic?” she finally asked.

She watched his expression shift to surprise for a split second before he forced a blank face. Something about the way he looked at her made her feel as if she were beneath him.

Bion and Dani placed their books on the table suddenly, “It was harder to find you than I expected!” Bion proclaimed as he claimed the chair next to Castien. He glanced between the two of them and understood, falling silent.

“Why do you want to know about dark magic?” Castien finally spoke, all seriousness.

Her gaze shifted between the three of them before she let out a soft sigh, “Do you promise not to tell anyone about this?” she asked quietly.

Dani nodded, “Of course, Vi. Does this have anything to do with why you were gone last night when I got home?”

Bion’s frowned in concern while Castien remained as silent and impassive as always. She knew at least she could trust Dani, she wasn’t sure about Bion and Castien but they didn’t seem to mean her harm.

She released the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding and let loose the details of what she’d seen the night before and of what Zarya had told her. By the time she’d finished telling them what had happened, she’d had trouble keeping her hands from shaking and had to grip the embarrassing books she’d grabbed just for support.

The three of them were silent, glancing at each other before facing Viola again. Dani hesitantly placed a hand on Viola’s wrist, “It’s okay… you’re safe now.”

Bion let out a low whistle, “She might be but are we? There are dark witches roaming Fidonia stealing souls from other races for who knows what reasons.”

Castien shook his head, “They’re doing it for power. Dark magic is a forbidden practice because it is dangerous, not just for the caster but for everyone around. They bind their power to the underworld and drain life from other races to steal their strength for demons to feed on and in return, the demons give them some of their power.”

Viola felt a chill down her spine, “What does that mean exactly?”

“It means that we need to be careful. The teachers will keep us safe but we have to make sure to stick together as well,” Castien explained, “No more running off on your own.” He gave her a soft glare.

Bion sighed, “I guess this means we need to hone our abilities more now than ever, huh?”

“What are all your abilities anyway?” she asked, glancing at the three of them.

“I’ve already told you that I can sense a person’s aura, I can also track that aura to find you. It’s almost like how a wolf follows scent. As a cambion I inherited my demon parent’s physical strengths as well so that just means I’m faster and stronger and have more acute senses,” Bion explained.

“If you can track an aura, then how come you said it was hard to find us earlier?” she asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s hard to pinpoint who’s who with so many people around. If I use my aura reading ability in a place like the library where people are going up and down aisles all day everyday, then it’s just harder to spot where someone went.”

Viola nodded, not entirely sure she understood but she got the gist. It was an interesting ability but she wasn’t quite sure how he used it. She turned to Dani and Castien, “What about you two?”

Castien shrugged, “Elves aren’t that different from witches but our magic is more refined and localized to a natural aspect. We all have our own talents, talent just happens to be more intellectual than magical. I’ve mastered the basic use of most elven magic but I’m more of a strategist than anything else.”

“So you make plans of attack?” Viola asked, unable to form a better question.

“Yes, I analyze my opponent and figure out the best way to defeat them based on how they think, their skills, and their weaknesses,” he explained.

“Then what about for me?” she asked curiously.

“Easy, you haven’t developed a fighting style yet and you have little control over your power so all I’d have to do is get you first.”

That made sense. As of right now she was an easy opponent as long as they could get past her lightning, especially since she fainted after using it twice just yesterday.

She turned to look at Dani beside her. The vampire girl was fidgeting in her seat and as soon as Viola went to open her mouth to ask about her ability, she snatched up the books Viola had brought to the table, “If you’re not going to use these, they should really be but back, I’ll help.” She quickly left the table, carrying the books away.

Viola blinked and stared after her for a moment before shooting to her feet and following after her vampire friend. She saw Dani dart into an aisle but as she turned down it after her, she found the vampire missing.

Frowning, Viola checked the next aisles over but still couldn’t spot her. When she finally did find her, she found her in the astrology section of the library with her nose in a book on the stars.

She walked up to her, “I always thought I was quick but I don’t have anything on you.” she blurted out. “What’s gotten into you?”

Dani peeked up at her over the book, almost as if she were ashamed of something, “I just don’t like talking about my ability…”

“Why not?” she asked, “is it something embarrassing like mind reading?”

“How is mind reading embarrassing?” Dani asked, surprised by the suggestion.

Viola shrugged, “Not everyone is pure of mind. You’d hear some pretty scary stuff if you poked around inside everyone’s thoughts.” She shuddered with a smile.

Dani laughed softly but shook her head, “No it’s not that…” she sighed, “It’s worse. I…” she took a deep breath, “ I can suck strength from people. I have no control over it either.”

“Isn’t that what vampires already do when drinking blood?”

“No, I drink blood but I can get sustincence from any living thing. Like if I touch someone without holding in my power, I’ll drain them of their energy. Sometimes I don’t even have to touch them, just be near them.” She fidgeted again, shifting from one foot to the other.

“I still don’t get why you ran off. What’s wrong with that?” she asked curiously.

“What’s wrong with it is that I can’t control it and anything can trigger it and someone will get hurt,” she sighed, “you’re the first person to willingly get close to me since everyone found out about my power, I’m afraid to hurt you by accident.”

Viola shrugged, “I don’t think you’ll hurt me. So what if I lose a little strength? I have no control over my power either and if I lose it then I’ll make lightning strike from the sky or something. I trust you, Dani, you don’t have to worry about hurting me. If you slip up and take power from me by accident, then just feed me and let me sleep and I’ll be good as new.” she said with a grin.

Dani stared at her in shock, “You seriously aren’t afraid of me?”

“You’re my first friend since coming here, why should I be afraid of you. Relax! I’m not as breakable as you think I am!” she teased. “Now let's help me find some books that are actually useful.”

She flashed her fangs in a brilliant smile and nodded, “Fine, but i have one question first.”

“What’s that?”

“How in the world did you end up with a book on erotic dreams?” She said with a playful grin.

Viola felt her cheeks flush and shook her head, “I don’t wanna talk about that--” she said and turned to leave the aisle in a rush, leaving Dani to chase after her with a laugh.

~~~

Upon leaving the office with Crowe and Lumoira, Cedar sent Hugo to check in on Viola. Just to keep an eye on her and make sure she was safe. Their conversation with the headmaster opened up his eyes to some circumstances he hadn’t realized before and the worry was gnawing at him.

He knew it would be dangerous for anyone to find out just how much Viola had seen, but it had also been brought to his attention that her unknown status was drawing a lot of attention. He’d have to do better at ensuring her safety from here on.

If his sister’s potential danger wasn’t enough, the fact that students or teachers, if not both, were practicing dark magic and targeting the other race which made up about eighty-five or ninety percent of Naessaria and the surrounding areas of Kaphis had even more roaming around. They had to figure out a way to keep everyone safe without alerting the threat that they knew what they were up to for risk of forcing them to make a move against the school or country before they could do something to stop it.

He split off from Crowe and Lumoira in order to find his sister and the rest of his students in the library. As he made his way through the halls of the school he heard someone call out to him and paused, turning back to look in the direction of the voice that called him.

Elias Monroe strolled up the hall toward him, his usual smirk playing on his features, “I heard about your sister’s predicament yesterday. I hope she’s doing well.”

Cedar nodded, “She’s doing fine. Just hasn’t gotten the hang of her power yet. She’s attending her classes as normal today.”

He smiled, “Oh that’s wonderful! That means she’ll be in my class today.”

“I didn’t realize she had your course, Elias.” Cedar answered, facing him. Elias Monroe always seemed to rub Cedar the wrong way. He was an alumni while Cedar was attending Naessaria but when the two of them began working together, their teaching methods and interactions with the students caused them to butt heads. It didn’t help matters when Cedar just didn’t like him.

Monroe nodded, “She’ll be in the class with most of my intermediate students. I have to say, I’m excited to see what the youngest Silva has to offer to my course.”

Cedar had a feeling that meant for a rough class for his little sister. Monroe would work her hard but even he couldn’t deny that she needed it, especially if she were going to be in potential danger soon.

“Keep her out of trouble for me then,” he asked.

He shrugged, “I’ll do my best but from my understanding, the best way to learn is under pressure. I think it’ll do her some good, I do promise not to go easy on her, out of respect for you.” His grin almost looked canine.

He sighed inwardly, he’d have to apologize to Vi later when this came up later, he had a feeling it would knowing Monroe and knowing Viola. As an athlete, she’d catch on quickly but her temper would get the better of her, especially given her new power. “I should really get going, I have a class of students in the library that I need to check in on and offer assistance to since my meeting ended earlier than expected. It was nice speaking with you, Elias. Please, keep me up to date with how my sister does in your class.”

He turned to head down the hall once again, leaving Monroe before he had the chance to answer.