Hungry Earth (Elemental Book 2) (11 page)

Instead of Remy’s office, we saw another teacher’s
office, along with the teacher sitting at her desk. On top of her desk was a
small wooden jewelry box.

“That’s Professor Agnes. She one of the shifter
professors who keeps telling me my throwback genes are in my head and that
she’s going to flunk me every semester unless I shift. She’s a cow.”

“She shifts into a cow?”

“No, she’s always a cow.”

“Someone is going to slap you one of these days.”
Darwin showed me to the professor’s office, but not without stopping at every
window, painting, and bathroom along the way, as well as to check the map and
continue taking the same wrong turns. “Darwin, everyone else is going to be in
front of us and we’ll have to clean the libraries.”

“I’m sorry,” he lied. He just didn’t want to see his
teacher. “She’s this way.”

We arrived at a door a moment later. Before Darwin
could try the knob, I knocked. There was a frustrated sigh and then a “Come
in.” Darwin opened the door, hesitantly and with exaggerated horror. Although
the office was structurally similar to Remy’s, the wall to wall clutter was
not. Between the stuffed animals on the couch, the frilly statues placed
randomly along the room, and the white lace curtains, I could see why Darwin
didn’t get on with the woman.

“Another one?” she barked.

“We weren’t the first ones here?”

“No,” she sneered. “Another pair took my cherry
tree.” Darwin and I glanced at each other. “What are you here for?”

“Shit!” Krissy yelled, entering the room behind us
with her partner, Luis.

Luis rushed forward and grabbed the vitamin bottle
off the professor’s desk. “We’re gonna win! I’m not cleaning any damn
libraries.” He and Krissy left.

“So… everyone has something different?” Darwin asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Krissy and Luis must have
gotten a vitamin pill, and whoever got the cherry tree must have gotten a
cherry. We got a necklace. What do all those things have in common?” Darwin
turned to the teacher. “Yep. I think it’s a
who
and not a
what
that we’re looking for. If we’re wrong, we can’t make it back to class before
the others anyway.”

“We’re here for Professor Agnes? I would rather clean
the libraries than kidnap a professor,” he said, not even trying to be discreet.
Professor Agnes scowled.

“You don’t have to kidnap me, Mason. You just had to
figure it out first. Both of you can head to your next class and I will let Ms.
Hunt know you two are the winners.”

*          *          *

All week, I walked by the door to the underground
level, only to find there was one of the professors guarding it. When I found
Alpha Flagstone standing guard, I asked him if there was any news or at least a
guess on when the vampires could move back underground.

“They may not be able to until the council leaves.”

“Why? What does the council have to do with the
creature down there?”

“We’re working it out. Go to class.”

The council was perfectly fine with the vampires
staying with the students, but it looked like they were getting anxious. I was
heading to see Professor Langril for my elemental training when Kale
intercepted me in the courtyard. “Have you found the witness yet?”

“No.”

“I thought you were a good investigator,” he sneered.

“It’s difficult to work on cases when I have
homework. That’s why I stopped taking clients during my semester. If you want
me to find your witness, you have to work around my schedule.”

“We are paying you by the day.”

“You’re paying me by the hour, and only for the hours
I work on the case. When I find something out, I will update you.” I passed him
without another word and he didn’t attempt to stop me.

Darwin was pretty distracted as well trying to make
the school function better, but I made a mental note to remind him when I
returned to the room. Having school clubs wasn’t all that great when we had a
killer on the loose.

Professor Langril was waiting for me when I arrived
at the forest. “How is your little statue doing?” he asked.

I had actually forgotten about it. During my studying
of textbooks and Vincent’s grimoire, the little statue just became an eerie
ornament on my desk. “It’s still in one piece.”

“Did you name it?”

That was another thing I had forgotten to do. “I
haven’t thought of anything appropriate yet.”

“At least maybe that means you’re taking it
seriously.” He turned and walked into the woods, so I followed. “I trust your
classes are going well?”

I wanted to say that it would help if people told the
truth and stopped trying to use everyone else in their schemes, but if that
impossibility were to happen, I would be out a job. “My classes are going well.
My potions professor is a weirdo, though,” I said instead.

Langril laughed. “What do you want me teach you in
earth magic?” he asked after a few minutes.

“I don’t know. Maybe I can move rocks or something. I
still don’t understand what earth magic is. I know you say it is strength and
nurturing and all that, but that isn’t magic.”

“What is it then?”

“That’s regular human characteristics. Or people
characteristics, I should say.”

“Did it occur to you that they are the same thing?
Magic is not just a way of life. For us, magic is our life. We are made up of
the elements, as is the world around us. Wizards are those who can control
these elements in themselves and their reality with the ultimate goal of
controlling the fifth element. Fae are similar, but we can discuss them another
time.”

“But what about my mind controlling power?”

“That is where you are unique. Wizards must learn the
ability through painstaking practice, a deep understanding of the essence of
magic, and usually a personal sacrifice, whereas it is a natural part of you.”

A freakish part of me.

“Unlike other paranormals, we have a plethora of
options, which can be a disadvantage to a wizard who is unable to think on
their feet. For example, a swordsman walks into town and is accosted by a gang.
He is allowed a sword or gun. Which would he use?”

“If he’s trained with a sword and not a gun, he would
probably use a sword. He might die, but he would still probably use a sword.”

“Right. Most fae types have one particular, powerful,
defensive strategy. Shifters use their animal’s defenses. For wizards, it can
be difficult, which is why Quintessence, influenced by the original Golden
Dawn, enforces the element training. If a master wizard is attacked by, say, a
creature made of earth and water, what would he use to destroy it?”

“Probably air and fire.”

“Exactly right. Every normal wizard who has been
trained at Quintessence would do just that. But what would you use?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I would probably
try to control its mind, if it had a consciousness, or its maker’s mind if it
doesn’t. I try to control the elements, but when I’m actually in danger, my
psychic powers keep creeping in and I end up with exploding water or
something.”

“With each element you master, you will learn to
control more of yourself and your psychic power. This is why you are in the
earth element now; you believe to control your magic means never to use it.”

“I don’t want to never use it; I just don’t want to
accidentally control people. Or worse; turn out like John.”

He nodded. “I have decided your lesson for tonight is
to get out of the forest.” With that, he stepped out of the clearing and
vanished.

“Great.” I started for the castle, only to hesitate
and stop before I could make it more than a few feet. The sense of danger
brushed against the back of my mind like a cold breath down my spine, but it
wasn’t normal. I wasn’t under attack and I didn’t feel like someone was
watching me.

A small tug on my boot startled me. I jumped forward
and turned, but there was nothing there, only tree roots sticking out of the
ground.
My jeans must have caught on something
, I thought.

As if it was ever that simple.

There was no moonlight, so I could barely make out a
path let alone watch for obstructions. Despite that, I walked faster this time,
paranoid that something in the dark was moving. I knew from my previous
semester that it was very likely.

Something wrapped around my legs, all the way up to
my thighs, and tugged. I fell fast and the frozen ground made for a painful
landing. A small rock stabbed sharply at my left elbow. My hands dug into the icy
dirt as I was pulled backwards. I twisted until I was on my back and able to
see what had a grip on me.

Jesus Christ!

It was a damn tree! Bare branches wrapped around my
legs like snakes. They weren’t terribly fast moving, but they were strong.
Although the trees themselves weren’t uprooting to attack like in the movies,
they were very old and large enough that the branches could easily reach me.

Once again, I regretted not carrying a knife on me as
the bark of the branches scraped the skin from my palms. I tried to pull them
off, but they kept creeping further up my legs and around my waist.

I opened my mind to search the forest for the
professor’s mind and found only animals and smaller creatures. A small wolf
pack, about as far away as the castle, took notice, but I wouldn’t call them. I
didn’t want to endanger the animals.

My foot hit a sharp rock, which I picked up and used
to hack at the vine-like branches. I didn’t care when the rock stabbed at my
skin easier than it cut through the branches because it did make some progress.
One of the two branches snapped and I was able to kick until I was freed. I ran
towards the castle, only for the trees to create a wall in front of me. My
power was the ability to control minds, and here I faced a creature that had no
mind.

The strangest thought came to me, not a plan, but the
image of the little mud statue sitting on my desk. I thought of Vincent’s book
and basically opened my mind to it like I would a person or animal. Images of
sentences, incantations, formulas, and symbols flashed across my mind.

A branch wrapped around my chest, picked me up, and
then slammed me onto the ground. I tried to cut the binds with the rock still
in my hand, but the branches lifted me and then slammed me down again.

I’m getting beat up by a tree.

Somewhere in the middle of my struggles to get loose,
I thought I sensed Astrid nearby. When I opened my mind to my surroundings,
there was no person, vampire or otherwise, in the forest with me.”

Suddenly, the tree let me go. I sat up and encountered
the strangest creature I had ever seen. In the past six months, it was not
uncommon to see people change into exotic animals, vampires who were actually
good people, cats that a person can see and hear through, and tiny winged
women. This was not anything as charming as that; this was a husky, humanoid
creature about a foot tall with a gnarly gray beard and russet-colored clothes.

The creature held up his hands to the trees as if
warding off a beast. Fortunately, the trees obeyed the smaller creature and
retreated into their natural positions. Only then did he turn to me. The deep
scowl and permanent frown lines in his forehead didn’t bode well for me.

“Thank you,” I said. “I’m Devon.”

“We know who you are, Devon Sanders,” he sneered. His
voice was small, like him, but not high.

My sense of danger settled, so I figured this being
before me wasn’t about to attack me. “How do you know me?” I certainly didn’t
know him.

“We are the elementals of the earth.”

Gnomes
, I thought, but didn’t say. He waited
expectantly and I didn’t know if he wanted me to be impressed or reverent, so I
responded with my best “go on” stare. I would be polite because I knew he was
the essence of nature, but I wouldn’t kowtow to him.

“You are a threat to the balance of nature, Devon
Sanders.”

I didn’t understand, but that couldn’t have been a
good thing. “Why did you just save me, then?”

“Because you are also the only one who can stop Leara
Kingling.”

“Who?”

“Leara Kingling will unleash death on this world. You
will stop him, and we will help you do it.” With that, he sunk into the earth.

The trees didn’t try to stop me this time. Walking on
autopilot back to the castle, I rolled the name around in my head. I had never
heard it before. “Leara” sounded like a woman’s name, but the gnome had said
“him.”

Darwin was waiting for me outside the doors to the
dorms once again, and he looked miserable. “What happened this time? Did
Jackson come back?”

“I know who the witness is.”

“I take it it’s not good news?”

“It was Amelia.”

“Shit. What did she see?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t confronted her on it.
We’ll have to go and ask her. She’s in her room right now.”

“How do you know it’s her?”

“Cassie said she saw Amelia running from that
direction. Because Amelia was panicking, Cassie asked her if she was alright.
She said she was coming from the infirmary, but Mack was in the infirmary all
night, except for when he went to the bathroom. He saw her go into a vampire’s
room. I’m not sure she saw anything, but we need to talk to her.”

I nodded. “Where is Henry?”

“I was going to tell him, but there were some girls
trying to convince him to date them. I tell ya, it’s the ones they can’t have
that they want.” I followed him to the third floor, where he showed me to the
third room on the right.

“You know everyone, don’t you?”

“No, not well. I try to find enough about everyone so
that I’m never caught unaware.”

I knocked on the door and after a few seconds, it
opened. Amelia wore an old-fashioned, white nightgown. Even though she looked
very different from Astrid, the nightgown alone was enough to bring up the
memory I tried so hard to block out. Astrid’s nightgown soaked with the blood
of my parents.