6. Safer Apart-2
1616 Words
The next morning, the students sat in the library, trying to focus on their work. None of them dared mention Iz and the professor hadn’t been seen all morning.
Jacob had heard their voices coming out of Iz’s study on his way to breakfast. It sounded like they were arguing about something. He had never even heard rumor of the professor and Iz fighting before.
Claire tapped her pencil on the desk, and from the daggers Connor glared at her, it wouldn’t be long before there was a fight in the library as well. Footsteps carried down the hall. Every head snapped toward the door as Iz appeared.
“Claire,” Iz said, “I need to speak to you in my study.”
“I didn’t do it,” Claire blurted immediately.
“I didn’t say you did anything wrong, Claire. I said I needed to speak with you.” The smile that should have touched Iz’s eyes with such an exchange was missing.
Claire stood silently and followed Iz down the hall to her office.
Jacob glanced at Emilia, but she shook her head. She didn’t know what was going on either. Jacob went back to his reading.
Primurgo motus
A moving shield spell is an intricate piece of magic that is rarely mastered. The need to block another wizard’s spell while allowing your own to penetrate the shield is complex. That consideration coupled with the necessary movement of the shield with the casting wizard creates an unreliable―
A shriek echoed down the hall. Footsteps pounded toward them.
“I won’t,” Claire screamed.
Jacob stood, knocking his chair to the ground as Claire hurtled around the corner and ran to Emilia’s side.
“Claire,” Emilia said, standing.
“She wants to send me away.” Claire clung to Emilia. “She wants to take away my magic and send me away!”
“What?” Emilia looked at Aunt Iz, who stood in the doorway.
“Emilia, don’t let her do it!” Claire screeched, hiding behind Emilia.
Connor moved to stand next to Claire.
“I am not taking away your magic,” Aunt Iz said, barely loudly enough to be heard over Claire’s sobs. “I am going to bind your powers temporarily.”
“Why?” Connor asked. “She needs her magic. We all do. If the Mansion House is attacked―”
“Then none of you will be here,” Iz said. “The decision has been made. The four of you are to leave here today. Jacob and Emilia will be going to stay with some friends of the family. They are well equipped to protect you. Connor, you will join them until your parents find another place for you. Claire is going to be returning to her family.”
“No!” Claire shouted.
“And, since they are humans and Claire is not fully trained, we will temporarily bind her powers. When all of this is over, I promise we will come and get you. We will unbind your magic, and you can continue your education. This is the safest thing for you.”
“I won’t let you!” Claire sobbed.
“You need to go back to your family.” Iz’s voice caught in her throat.
“This is my family.” Tears coursed down Claire’s cheeks. “I don’t even know my parents. I have a sister I’ve only ever seen at Christmas.”
“Then maybe it’s time you get to know them,” Emilia said, tipping Claire’s chin up to meet her eyes. “Get to know your little sister.”
“I belong here.” Claire pulled away from Emilia. “I’m a witch. I belong with you.”
“Claire―” Aunt Iz started.
“I won’t sit in Connecticut waiting to see if the Dragons take over.” Claire shook her head, sending her bright blond hair flying wildly. “If you send me home, I’ll tell everyone I can all about witches and the Dragons. I’ll make sure everyone knows that MAGI had satellites watching them, and that the Council of Elders failed.”
“Claire, I know you’re upset, but do you really think people would believe a twelve-year-old girl?” Iz asked. “And even trying to explain the magical world to humans would end in your powers being bound forever.”
“Who would bind them? The Council? The Council fell. You? Would you really do that to me? Would you actually make me a Demadais? Because it would be your fault!” Claire shouted. “And people may not believe a twelve-year-old, but you would be amazed at what a good hacker can do.”
“Claire, you can’t,” Iz snapped. “If the humans knew―”
“Then they would come after my family. They would come after you, and Molly, and the professor,” Claire spat. “I would never hurt anyone in this house. And I won’t leave them, either.”
Connor reached out and took Claire’s hand.
“She’s as much a part of this family as I am,” Connor said. “There is no safe place for any of us anymore, Ms. Gray.”
Claire held tightly onto Connor. “I’ll go with Emilia, Connor, and Jacob. This family is my home. If they have to hide, I’ll hide with them. I’ll fight with them. I don’t care. We’re staying together.”
Aunt Iz shook her head. “The professor thought this would happen. All I want is for you to be safe.” Iz sighed. “You can stay with the others, Claire.”
“I can keep my magic?” Claire asked, still clutching Connor’s hand.
“Yes.”
“And you won’t send me back to my parents?”
“Not yet.” Aunt Iz shook her head. “Your having been with the family so long will put you in danger no matter where you are.”
“Thank you!” Claire bounded across the room and threw herself at Iz, burying her face in Iz’s shoulder for a moment.
“What are you going to tell my parents?” Claire looked up at Iz, brushing the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.
“Nothing. We haven’t told them about the Dragons. We thought it would be safer.”
Claire nodded.
“All of you go upstairs and pack. You’ll be leaving in a few hours. One bag only, Claire.” Aunt Iz caught Claire’s arm as she began to run for the stairs. “And pack for cold weather. And camping.”
Jacob followed Emilia upstairs. “Where do you think she’s sending us?” he asked once Claire and Connor were out of earshot.
“I’m not sure,” Emilia said as she went into her room. The door closed behind Jacob with a soft click. “Sounds like one of the preserves. But then we might as well go to Connor’s mother.”
Emilia pulled a duffle bag from under her bed.
“Do you think she should have sent Claire to her parents?” Jacob asked. “Would she be safer?”
Emilia turned away from Jacob and started ripping things violently out of her drawers, tossing selected items onto the bed.
“Emi,” Jacob said, picking up a pair of thick jeans that had missed the comforter, “wherever Iz is sending us, we’ll be safer.”
“You would all be safer if I weren’t there.” Emilia pulled a pair of hiking boots from the bottom of her closet. “Aunt Iz shouldn’t be trying to separate Claire from the family. You and Connor and Claire would be safer if I weren’t around.”
Jacob walked over to Emilia and drew her to his chest. She trembled in his arms. “Miss Olivia was nowhere near you, and the Dragons killed her anyway. None of us are safe.”
“But Claire and Connor would be better off far away from me.”
“Away from us,” Jacob said, looking into Emilia’s eyes. His heart skipped, and he stepped away. “Where you go, I go.”
“You should pack.” Emilia tossed clothes into her bag. “We don’t have much time.”
“Right.” Jacob left Emilia to finish on her own.
He went up the stairs to the servants’ wing and into his room. There was a duffle bag open on his bed. Iz must have bought it for him. She had bought him almost everything he owned. Claire had done the shopping, but Iz had paid.
Jacob pulled a small box from the bottom of his closet. It had everything he had brought with him from Fairfield. Everything he had from his life before he found out he was a wizard. Before he joined the Grays.
Jacob opened the box. There were notes from his father, the ones Jim had left on the counter every time he skipped town, and a book his mother had written her name in. They were nothing of value, really, but they were all he had left to link him to his life before magic. Jacob slid the box inside his duffle before tossing clothes on top.
Soon Jacob was downstairs sitting in the kitchen with his duffle bag. Molly was busy at the counter, packing large sacks full of food.
“Do they not have food where Aunt Iz is sending us?” Jacob asked, jokingly.
“Of course they do.” Molly didn’t look up from the cutting board. “Is it so bad if I want to make sure you children are safe? Can you blame me for wanting to take care of the children I have watched grow up? Subtorqueo.” The sandwiches wrapped themselves in plastic before flying into bags. “All I want―” Molly broke off.
“All you want is to keep us safe?” Jacob said.
“I’m not naïve, Jacob.” Molly’s eyes were red and puffy. “I know that safe is not a possibility. What I want is for a part of this family to make it out alive.”
Jacob wanted to say something comforting, that they would all survive the Dragons, that the family would be together again soon. But that wasn’t true. Things would never be the same. He could lie to Claire to comfort her, but he couldn’t lie to Molly. What was the point when she knew the truth?
The last time the family had been separated, it had ended in fire. Jacob’s skin tingled as he remembered the heat bursting from within him. The memory of the horrible scent of burning flesh turned his stomach.
“I have to go say goodbye to the professor,” Jacob said, managing to stop himself from running back down the hall long enough to give Molly a quick hug around the neck.
- Writer
