Mage of Shadows (34 page)

"Cell Bio, English 2, Gen Chem 1, Art History." I recited my schedule, grimly recalling that I would need to ace all of them. For once I didn't fear angering my parents. I was afraid of disappointing them. Funny how one conversation could change so much.

"Sounds like fun." Ruark said mildly, "Don't expect another gift, like with last semester."

Vik snickered, "You got a B in Bio, Stratus… kind of pathetic for a Pre-Med."

My face flushed suddenly, "I was under a lot of stress." I mumbled. I had somehow been under the impression that only Ruark knew about the grade change.

"My mother could have gotten an A in that class." Larry said sourly, "Pathetic, but at least I know you'll never get into Harvard either."

"Doesn't your mother only speak Mandarin?" Vik wondered aloud, "Getting an A would be a pretty good achievement for her."

"Yes." Larry muttered, "And tomorrow I'll get to listen to her cuss me out in Mandarin… sometimes I wish I could just-!" He gestured at the fireplace and the merry flames grew in size for a moment, sparking angrily before Larry let go of his power and the fire settled back down to a quiet happy crackle.

Vik laughed at the attempt at fire magic, "How cute, hey Aether-boy, why don't you show him how it's really done?"

"Pass." I said, trying not to think about how much damage I could do if I let loose with fire after Wising up. I had a feeling if I tried; I could burn the entire house down. Rather than pride, the idea of it just scared me.

"You're no fun." Vik pouted, and the expression looked out of place. He guzzled down the last of his beer and stood on shaky feet. He picked up the bemoaning Larry and tossed him over a single shoulder like one would carry a sack of potatoes.

"Bedtime for us." The frat leader said cheerfully, "Good night, weaklings."

"I need to piss." Chen mumbled into Vik's back as his head bobbed against it on Shah's way over to the next room where the stairs were.

"Shut up, Larry. Don't ruin my grand exit."

Then they were gone, leaving me and the reading Ruark. Alone, all I could remember was the dirty-blond User pulling Rodriguez's gun from my grip, and Emily dying by it the very next day. Back in Detroit again, the problems I had with my own coven seemed very real.

I had to ask the question that had been bothering me since before I had even left, since the officers had accused me in the interrogation room.

"Ruark…" He looked up, I breathed deeply and asked, "Did you do it? Were you the one who killed Emily?"

He didn't respond right away, but his expression reminded me of the one he had worn when he cornered me in the bathroom months ago. Guilty and defeated, he looked like a man who had just been sentenced the gallows… a man who realized that he deserved punishment. My heart sank with the realization that Ruark did it, he killed his own apprentice.

"Do you like Carmen, Stratus?" Ruark said abruptly.

"What?" I asked, confused by the sudden change in topic, "Yeah, Carmen's… nice."

The older mage stared for a moment, and then said, "But do you like her? As more than a friend I mean, Stratus. Don't act like a child; you know what I'm asking."

"…I don't know yet." I admitted, "Maybe, there might be something there. Time will tell."

"Carmen likes you." Ruark said, "Maybe it's just as friends, I'm not really sure. But she does like you."

"Oh, ok." I was unsure of what to say to that, "But, that wasn't what I was asking about, Kevin."

"I know." He said with that same, sad smile, "I know, Stratus… I did it. I was the one who took the gun shot Emily, while under a Cloak. Danae wrote the words in Emily's blood, she always had an abject fascination with art. It was her idea of joke, the stupid girl… here on campus; I was the one who led the protestors. I took the side with the wrong member of the Triumvirate, and it was decided that I had to be taught a lesson."

"The wrong member of…?" I repeated, numbly shocked by the revelations, "What was the problem, Ruark? What happened that was so bad that Emily had to die?"

Kevin was silent for a long moment, then he asked, "Do you know who Randall Walsh is, Nick?"

"No." I replied, confused, "But-"

"What about a man named Anthony Daniels?"

"No, but what does that have to do with what I'm asking?" I asked with no small amount of frustration in my voice, "Can you just tell me what happened?"

Ruark nodded with what I supposed was a calming smile, "Easy, Nick. You have a tendency to ask people questions… and get answers. I'm trying to see what you already know or have been told, that's all."

I shook my head, "I don't know anything about anything, Ruark."

The bigger mage nodded and leaned back in his chair, "Probably for the best," He murmured, "You never know who is whispering lies in your ear. This is what happened, Stratus, and don't make me tell you twice. It's not something I like repeating. No one here does, except maybe Danae, but she's crazy. Everyone else would rather just forget it ever happened…"

He looked to the fire and began after a pause, "Randall Walsh, alongside Christopher Allen and William Lincoln were the three members of the Archanos Triumvirate. Their word was law. They had a falling out, some months ago over a certain project that was headed and controlled by several Archanos mages. Such efforts aren't rare; most covens are always trying to further their own power. It was over this enterprise and the results that were being received that the feud began. Allen and Lincoln on one side while Walsh was firmly on the other. It eventually came to blows, and Walsh and his supporters were defeated, and by the end of it, Walsh was dead."

"What was the project?" I asked.

Ruark grimaced, "It wasn't the nicest of things. The man I asked if you've heard of, Anthony Daniels, he was a professor here at the school. Tenured, well respected, and a mage to boot. The frat was aware of him and his secret experiments, but for the most part he left us alone, and we left him alone. The argument was over one of Professor Daniel's projects… it was labeled the Aberrant Project."

"Aberrant…" My mind flashed back to the fight I had with the two men who had once been Normals, but were driven insane by Rupert Kraven, all so they could develop magical abilities.

The User thumbed a page in his book, "Yes. None of us were sure of the details… it was supposedly something that would allow better control of them. Working with Aberrants is a practice that I don't think most approve of, but it's necessary. Every coven has telepathic specialists that work to create them, their own personal servants and half-mad miniature armies. They aren't much against Users, but against Normals they're highly effective."

It was a lot for me to take in. The idea of forcing Normals to become Users, stealing their sanity and free will in the process had been a dirty idea in the first place. Yet another shameful practice that I hadn't known about, and was frustrated to find that I could do little about. Time was what I needed… time and strength. The more I found out, the less I liked about the society I had stumbled upon.

Somehow, I felt that this was only the beginning of what I knew, as well. The tip of the iceberg.

"We went to Allen." Ruark continued, "Most of the initiates here were behind me. We wanted to try and convince him to persuade Lincoln into reconsidering. After all, what could one more project mean in the scope of the whole coven? Allen had always listened to us before and was usually supportive… but this time, he wasn't. He kicked us out of his office, and the next day, Walsh was dead. Professor Daniels had apparently left to go on an extended trip out of the country."

"Allen…" I shook my head in disbelief, "President Allen, the head of the university, is a mage and Archanos member?" Apparently Jimmy was right, but it had seemed too obvious to be true to me. The entire University was headed by a mage… and a Triumvirate member, no less.

Kevin chuckled darkly, "Of course. How else would we get away with so much? Allen turns a blind eye to most of it, our staunchest supporter." His expression turned sober again, "Which is why we probably thought we could convince him… but it was a failure. We just ended up angering him."

He stared into the fire for several long moments, and seemed to come to a decision while I sat in stunned silence, "Stratus," Ruark said quietly, "Emily wasn't just killed to send a message to me. That would have been petty… but you won't like the real reason. Emily was killed because she was Randall Walsh's niece, and Lincoln figured it would be best to clean up shop just in case."

My shock was only outweighed by my anger at his revelation, "She was only nineteen." I whispered furiously, "How… why…"

Ruark sighed sadly, "I know, Stratus. I really do. But… recognize that mages can grow up quickly. Look how fast you've progressed already- and more will be coming for you soon. The last thing they wanted was a powerful mage stirring up dissention over revenge. It was… just business. No one is sorrier than I am."

I looked at Kevin Ruark. He said nothing now, but merely stared back at me forlornly, a young man defeated and hoping for my commiseration. I could offer him none, all my mind could see was him Cloaked in front of his own apprentice, who he had been supposed to teach… then killing her. Just because he was ordered to do so.

"Dammit..." I cursed quietly, fists clenched and trembling, "I honestly can't stand to be in the same room with you right now." With that parting statement, I stalked towards the next room and stairs. I felt his pleading eyes, eyes that wanted for me to somehow understand, follow me the whole way.

I could find no sympathy, and only felt a deeper rage.

111

To my surprise, the hallway which led to the different assigned rooms of the Archanos initiates wasn't empty when I climbed up the steps. Nishi stood, staring very intently at a certain door and took no notice of my quiet ascent until I was nearly in arm's length of her. Her gaze snapped from the door to look at me in surprise. I returned the look with a quizzical one of my own.

"What are you doing here, Nishi?" I asked curiously, "I thought you were going to stay on campus this semester."

She hesitated for a moment, then laughed quietly and rolled her eyes, pulling me into a friendly hug, "Is that any way to greet someone you haven't seen in a month, Nick? How have you been? How was break?"

I returned the hug, but was still confused, "Fine, got a lot of training done. How about you?"

"Training?" Now it was her turn to look curious, "Mine was… uneventful. I spent most of it with Jimmy. Going back home after everything that's happened here… it's strange, isn't it?"

I had to agree with that, but I still had the same question, "Why are you here? Are you thinking about living here instead of on campus?"

The Indian girl nodded emphatically, "Yes, I was, but honestly I don't really like it here… kind of gloomy. I'm just going to stay the night. Good night, Nick, see you in the morning." With that and another quick hug, Nishi turned from me and walked into one of the empty rooms that was reserved for members that were just visiting for a short period of time. I didn't even have time to reply before she was gone.

Weird.

I glanced at the door that Nishi had been not so subtly glaring at. If I recalled correctly, it was the room that Vik and Larry shared. Well that in itself was almost self-explanatory… Vik probably did or said something or other, or maybe even Larry in his drunken askance about being rejected from Harvard. I had forgotten the argument at dinner nearly a month ago, and didn't consider it a possibility.

Nishi would just have to get over whatever it is, I decided as I walked slowly to my own room, that strange situation resolved.

I stopped for a moment when I reached it to look at the final door that loomed at the very end of the hall. In the darkness, I could see that it was cracked open just a bit, silvery moonlight whispering silently through the slight opening. I crept towards it, curious. I had never seen behind that door, and had just assumed that it was another sleeping space. I reached it, and slowly, gently, I pushed the door open to reveal what was inside.

Another set of stairs was what I found. Different than the stoutly straight, old steps that led to the second floor. These steps swirled upwards, twisting in a tight spiral that led through an opening at the very top. I stood near and peered upwards, but all I could see was darkness. I noted the large ornate window in which moonlight streamed through, the only light present.

Curiosity well and truly guiding me now, I grasped the gilded railing that spiraled alongside the polished wooden stairs and allowed it to dictate my motion, upward, upward, until I was on the next level of the house.

A single door in darkness was what I found. It was an etched white that just barely stood out in the shadowed gloom. I idly wondered if Archanos had trouble footing electricity bills considering the lack of modern lighting in the house. I half-expected the white door to be locked, but it opened easily with only a slight creaky protest. It led to a strange room, with a single occupant lying near the middle of the unfilled space atop a comfortable looking blanket.

Carmen looked up at me when I entered, confused for a moment, but then smiled.

"Hi Nick."

I returned the smile, even as my eyes studied the room curiously. It was large and long, and very unremarkable, except for the fact that a large portion of the ceiling seemed to be made of sloping glass, which allowed the light of the full moon to flood the room. The stars, those that were visible through the smog of the city air, sparkled dully. The room was also surprisingly warm, considering that it was still very much winter.

The silence, the moonlight, the warmth, it gave the room a very soothing feel. I hadn't even realized I was on edge since I had stepped into the frat house again until I entered this place. It felt disconnected from the rest of the house, on a plane all its own, separate and at peace. I felt… safe.

"What is this place?" I asked Carmen, as I came closer to her and she gestured for me to sit in the spot next to her.

"We call it the Star Room." Carmen replied, staring up with a sad smile, "Even though there aren't very many stars to see anymore. I usually come up here whenever I stay the night at the house. I used to come up with Emily before… well, you know."