The Mindmage's Wrath: A Book of Underrealm (The Academy Journals 2) (29 page)

Ebon stared at his shoes again. “Still. There could be someone,” he murmured.

“I suppose there could,” said Theren. But she sounded utterly defeated.

Kalem had gone still behind his armchair, head bowed. Ebon looked up at him. “What are you thinking?”

The boy shrugged. “What is there to think, Ebon? I know not what to say.”

“I imagine you are angry.”

“Angry? I ... I do not know. We are friends. But this ... this is wrong.”

Theren sat forwards. “It was in defense of his own life, Kalem. You knew Cyrus—”

Kalem gave her a hard look. “If that is true, he could have told the story. The King’s law would have protected him.”

“The King’s law, perhaps,” said Ebon quietly. “But my family? Never. You know the King’s law matters little to them. Mayhap Halab would have forgiven me. And I can never guess at Mako. But my father ... my father would never have stood by. It would have been the excuse he long hoped for. He would have killed me.”

“Mayhap. Mayhap not,” said Kalem. “You could have figured out some way. Something.
Anything,
rather than keeping this deed in the dark. Sky above, Ebon, you could have told
us.
We could have thought of something—or agreed to keep it secret. Together. But this? I cannot abide by it.”

He stepped out from behind the chair and made to leave. Ebon stood. But Kalem only gave him a sad little smile.

“I will not tell anyone what you did, Ebon. You need not fear that. But in the last few months I have grown to love you, perhaps more dearly than my own brothers at home. I thought we had grown to trust each other.”

“We do,” said Ebon. “I do.”

“How can you say that? Were our positions reversed, what do you think I would have done?”

Ebon found it suddenly hard to speak. But he forced the words out, hearing the tears lurking within them. “You would have told me.”

Kalem left. Ebon watched until he was out of sight among the shelves, and then sank back into his chair, head in his hands.

thirty

KALEM DID NOT EAT WITH them that night, or the next day. During breakfast and the midday meal, he sat pointedly at a table far away, and did not so much as glance in Ebon’s direction. When it came time to study in the library that afternoon, he was nowhere to be found. Ebon thought of finding another place in the library to study, so that Kalem could have his nook. After all, he had been there long before Ebon, and had shared it when Ebon came to the Academy. But Ebon still held some hope that Kalem might forgive him, and if that happened, he wanted to be where the boy could find him easily.

But the afternoon’s free study passed, and there was no sign of Kalem. When Ebon and Theren went to the dining hall and fetched their suppers, they saw him sitting many tables away. Still he would not look in their direction.

So they ate, neither of them speaking. Now that he had told his friends, Ebon felt terrible that he had kept the secret from them for so long. But also, the weight of Cyrus’ death seemed to have mostly fled. When alone, or in a quiet place, or trying to drift off to sleep, he no longer saw the scene playing out in his mind.

That was little comfort, though, when he had to bear Kalem’s hatred instead. And he was not the only one who harbored a strong resentment for Ebon. Whenever he chanced to look at the head of the dining hall, Ebon saw Xain staring daggers his way. That was nothing unusual, perhaps, but today his anger seemed to have gained a particular intensity.

“Mayhap he heard about our visit to Lilith,” said Theren, after Ebon mentioned it. “I have noticed him giving me a dark glare as well. I do not think he appreciates our meddling, as he no doubt thinks of it.”

“At least, with her capture, I no longer have to worry about him thinking I am the killer.”

Theren shrugged. “Worry not. I am certain it is only a matter of time before he finds something else to blame you for.”

That forced a chuckle from him, though his smile quickly vanished. “Even though the threat is over, I still feel its shadow hanging over the Academy. I thought it would have dissipated by now. No one seems fearful. Only sad.”

“Of course they are,” muttered Theren. “We have all suffered loss. I only wonder if the pain will ever fade.”

Ebon saw Astrea sitting at a table with others, yet still seeming so alone as she stared at her food. Isra was beside her, but even that could not bring her any cheer. Likely this darkness would accompany the rest of her life. For how could it ever be healed? Who could explain to a child so young why Lilith had done what she did? Especially when no one knew her ultimate aim?

“For some, I doubt it,” he said sadly.

Theren must have misunderstood, for she patted his arm to comfort him, and said, “Kalem will forgive you. He only needs time.”

Ebon looked back at his food. “I do not know about that. He holds honor highest of all virtues. More so than you, and certainly more so than me.”

“Do not be so certain. He values friendship greatly, as well. And you must remember, Ebon: before meeting us, Kalem had only a few friends. He gave himself to us fully, for we went through much together in the days before the attack. After that, to learn you did not trust him ... but give him time, and I think he will understand why.”

“It is not that I did not trust him! I only ...” But he stopped and hung his head. How could he defend himself? If he had trusted them, he
would
have said something.

The doors of the dining hall flew open, slamming into the walls on either side. Ebon turned his head to look, and his eyes shot wide. There in the doorway stood Oren, chest heaving, shoulders hunched together, hands formed to claws. His eyes were wild, scattered, searching everywhere. He was muttering something Ebon could not hear, growing ever louder until they could finally make out the words.

“In my head, in my head. Cannot get her out. Always there, in my head. Always
whispering.”

At the head of the hall, the Instructors shot to their feet. Some began to come forwards. But Oren’s eyes finally fixed on Ebon, and he pointed with a shrill scream that stopped everyone cold.

“You!
You know! You know she did not do it!”

Ebon’s mouth worked, but he could say nothing. Theren stepped around the table to stand beside him, her lips set in a grim line.

“You know! You know she is in my head!
Whispering!”
Oren screamed.

Then he flew into the air.

Ebon flinched, for he thought Oren was leaping for him. But the boy was hoisted up by his neck, and froze ten feet up, feet thrashing for purchase. A gurgling, choking noise burst from his throat as he struggled for breath. Ebon thought Theren had acted in his defense, and he looked to her in horror. But her eyes were not glowing, and she looked just as frightened as he was.

He seized her robes. “Look for the caster!” he hissed.

She understood, and together they turned in a circle, searching for glowing eyes in the hall. But the press of students was too tight, and now they were milling about, some trying to get farther from Oren, others pressing closer in fascination. There was Nella, pressing forward, trying to help her friend. Kalem stood frozen in horror. Isra could not take her eyes from Oren even as she dragged Astrea away—Astrea who wept silently, still numb, her face a dead mask. But nowhere could Ebon see the glow of magic in anyone’s eyes.

But then came the instructors, now forcing their way through the crowd. They leapt forward, hands high, and Xain was at their fore. He gritted his teeth, muttering words of power through them, fingers twitching as he sought to bring Oren down from the air. Instructors of mentalism and elementalism stood beside him, trying to dispel the force that held Oren aloft. Those instructors who could not help tried to control the students instead, some of whom had begun to panic. They were guided away from Oren’s swinging form, to the edges of the room and out of reach.

“Get him down,” growled Xain. His blazing eyes swelled until they lit the space all around him like a burning sun. “Damn it, get him
down!”
Theren leapt to his side, unleashing her power to help.

Oren jerked, moving towards the floor in fits and starts. But too late. All around the dining hall, cutlery flew into the air—knives and forks, all spinning in languid circles. They sailed through the room like a cloud of wasps, and in a storm of death they struck Oren, impaling him in a thousand places and striking students behind him who tried to flee the hall. Then the magic ceased, and Oren slammed to the ground, his eyes staring sightless.

Everyone began screaming at once—the students who had been struck, now lying on the floor with steel protruding from their skin, and all who had witnessed it, who now pressed for the dining hall’s door like a panicked mass of beasts. Perrin bellowed, trying to restore order and direct the flow of bodies by placing her massive frame in the way. Jia stared horror-struck at Oren’s corpse on the stone floor, but soon shook herself to awareness and helped the other instructors manage the frenzy.

A hand seized Ebon’s collar and threw him back. It was Xain, eyes filled with malice.

“He said you knew. What did he mean? Speak, or I will roast you.”

“I know nothing,” Ebon choked. “I swear it!”

Light blazed in Xain’s eyes, and blue fire sprang up around his palm. “Why did he name you?” he snarled. “The magic that killed him had the strength of magestones behind it. Where are they?”

The Dean was crazed. Blood filled the corners of his eyes, mayhap from the effort of trying to save Oren, or perhaps from pure rage. But then something struck Xain from nowhere, and he flew away. Ebon jumped, backing into a table. Theren stepped in front of him, eyes still glowing from the spell that had batted the Dean away.

Xain shot to his feet, eyes blazing with light. A gust of wind blasted from his hand—but Theren raised her hands to meet it, and the spell stopped cold. She struck, and Xain was forced to take a step back. Gritting his teeth, he countered with a stronger gale—yet again Theren batted him aside, the wave of her hand almost flippant.

Then a brown shape seized the Dean, and Ebon recognized it as Jia’s bear form. She turned partway back to human, but she kept her size, so that she stood many hands taller than him. Her body bulged with muscle, and she was taller and broader even than Perrin. She dragged Xain up until he was forced to stand on his toes, and when she spoke, her voice was a raging growl.

“Master yourself, Dean. Ebon had nothing to do with this. How could he have? Mentalism killed Oren. You must have felt that when you tried to stop it.”

Xain’s breath heaved in ragged gasps. He stared her in the eyes before his gaze slid past her to Ebon. Even as he watched, the rage in the Dean’s eyes cooled to ice—though that made it no less terrible, and in fact Ebon found himself more afraid than before. With a jerk, Xain threw off Jia’s hand and stalked from the dining hall.

Most of the students were gone by now. Someone had fetched a tablecloth and covered Oren’s body. Slowly Jia resumed her natural form. She stared at the bloodied cloth on the ground for a moment before going to Ebon. He met her eyes, and saw sympathy within them.

“Are you all right, Ebon?”

He nodded weakly. “He did not harm me. Not in truth.”

She shook her head slowly. “You did not deserve that. But in addition to his ... relationship with your family, the Dean has a particular distaste for those who would use magestones. It does not excuse his conduct, though it may help you to understand it.”

Ebon’s eyes were fixed on the cloth covering Oren’s body. “What happened to him?”

Jia only shook her head. But Theren spoke softly. “It was mindmagic. I could sense it, but I could do nothing to stop it. It was power like I have never felt—not only strong, but somehow corrupt. If it is true what Xain said, that that was the strength of magestones, then I now know why they are such a great evil.”

“I searched for the black-glowing eyes,” said Ebon. “But I could not see them. No one was casting a spell upon him, save you and the others who tried to save him. Certainly I saw no black magelight. The murderer must have been skulking out of sight. Perhaps they were outside in the hallway, or in a nearby room.”

Scowling, Theren shook her head. “That is not how mentalism works. It needs line of sight. The murderer was in the room. You must have missed them in the crowd.”

Jia looked just as frustrated. But then she froze, and a look of horror fell across her face.

“Instructor? What is wrong?” She did not answer, and terror bloomed in Ebon’s breast. “Jia?”

At last her eyes found him. He saw her tears welling forth.

“Lilith,” she whispered, and then turned to bolt for the door.

Ebon and Theren looked at each other for half a heartbeat, and then ran after Jia as fast as their legs could carry them.

thirty-one

It took some time to secure Lilith’s release. Jia’s friend was not there, and at first the other Mystics would not take her word. They said that Lilith was held on the command of the Dean, and only his command could release her. She had to send a messenger to get a letter from Xain. At first she wanted to send Theren, but the girl refused to leave the prison until Lilith left it as well. Then she wanted to send Ebon, but quickly thought better of that.

At last a messenger was sent, and one as well to the family Yerrin. Lilith’s parents arrived first—both of them merchants in fine green cloth trimmed with silver, whose faces were a heartbreaking blend of sorrow and relief. Theren greeted them awkwardly, and introduced Ebon—but they had little attention for anything other than the door leading to the jail cells. So Ebon and Theren stood off to the side, trying not to look at the Yerrins.

“I forgot to thank you for helping me in the dining hall,” Ebon muttered after a while.

“Think nothing of it,” said Theren. “Xain was wrong to act as he did.”

“Wrong or not, you were glorious,” said Ebon, shaking his head. “I had ... I knew something of your strength. But to defeat the Dean himself so easily ...”

She shrugged. “Likely he withheld his strength. He did not wish to harm me. Only to get through me so he could reach you. He did not even unleash flame.”