The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin (Books of Unexpected Enlightenment Book 1) (30 page)

There was something wonderful about having a friend that belonged only to her. Being a friend to a boy who needed a friend made her feel good, too. She did not mind if he was ignored by others. From his demeanor and the fact that he bothered to hang around with underclass girls, she guessed he was both unpopular and a poor sorcerer, brilliant when it came to theory but struggling with the spell work. She was proud of herself for being the kind of girl who would befriend someone no one else cared for.

It gave her a kind of secret, glowy feeling.

Gaius strolled casually beside her, pausing to kick a piece of gravel so that it bounced down the pathway. He spoke cheerfully, “I hope you understand just how fantastic this evening is going to be. No one from Dare has ever been to a Knights meeting. I am so happy you’ve agreed to be the first.”

“I am honored to be asked.” Rachel gave a tiny curtsey.

She gave him a sideways speculative glance. She was dying to know more about the Shadow Agency where her father worked, but if she let on how little she knew, he would clam up. People always spoke more openly with those who they thought were already in the know. How to approach the topic without spooking him?

Inclining her head toward him, she murmured, “It is so nice to meet someone else who knows about the Shadow Agency. It’s difficult having no one to confide in.”

Gaius winced. Gesturing expansively with his free hand, he drawled regretfully, “Alas, I fear you know a great deal more than I. All that I know is that they are responsible for tracking and investigating the new magic that keeps appearing. I do not know any specifics.”

Rachel assumed her calm mask.

Underneath, her emotions churned.

Her father was the person
responsible
for hunting down the new magic?
Her father
? The thing she wished most to know was his
area of expertise
? Could it be that he really had not valued her reports—because he already knew the information she had sent him?

The thought made her want to weep.

“Hmm. In that case, we had better say nothing else,” she said aloud, which saved her from having to reveal that she had nothing more to say.

They entered the gym and went through the second door on the right. The chamber beyond was much larger than should have fitted into the gymnasium. This did not disturb Rachel. She was used to things being bigger on the inside, such as the princess’s bag and many rooms back home. Gryphon Park was one of the largest private estates in the world, but it was far larger inside than on the outside.

The room where the Knights met was warm, brightly lit, and had a clean smell, like freshly-laundered sheets. One side had been divided into dueling strips, like at a sorcery tournament. The other held a massive table, long enough to seat forty. The benches around this table were more than half full, and students continued to arrive.

At the head of the table sat Vladimir Von Dread. He regarded the room as an emperor surveyed his domain, his folded hands clad in their black, gauntlet-like, dueling gloves. It seemed to Rachel as if an aura of authority and power crackled around him, as he waited patiently for the other members to take their places.

A shiver ran down her spine. If Von Dread ran this group, there might be a good reason why none of the cheerful enchanters of Dare Hall had joined the Knights of Walpurgis. The unpleasant things Salome and the princess had said about Dread came back to her, as did her father’s bad opinion of his father, the King of Bavaria. She glanced furtively at the door.

Maybe she should leave.

Only then did it occur to her to wonder why Gaius had invited her. She swallowed uncertainly, her palms sweaty. Could this be some kind of a cruel trick, intended to humiliate her and perhaps Dare Hall by association? Why did he hang out in empty hallways with thirteen-year-olds anyway?

At the other end of the table sat another tall older student. He had dark hair and dark brooding eyes. His robes also bore a royal golden crest. While he lacked Von Dread’s palpable aura, he maintained an air of somber dignity. Examining him, Rachel realized that this must be Wulfgang’s oldest brother, Romulus Starkadder, the crown prince of Transylvania. Rachel would have nodded at him, but he did not so much as glance her way. If Von Dread surveyed the chamber as if he owned it, Romulus gave the impression that the events around him were beneath his dignity. He spoke with the person seated beside him, a young man whose brown hair fell in his eyes, but the Transylvanian prince paid little attention to anything else.

As Romulus gestured in conversation, Rachel caught the glitter of a deep purple jewel on his right hand. A jolt passed through her body. Could that be the Kadder Star, Transylvania’s greatest treasure? If so, it was one of the most powerful sorcerous talismans known to the World of the Wise. She was astonished the prince would wear it openly at school.

Coming farther in, Rachel scanned the room. She recognized Salome Iscariot, who smiled and waved, Bernie Mulford, a cheerful prankster who was the son of her parents’ friends, and her second cousin, Beryl Moth, a college junior whom she knew only in passing. She also recognized Cydney Graves, who did not look happy to see her. Cydney’s hair was still an unpleasant shade of green. Most of the other faces present were unknown to her.

The tension in Rachel’s chest eased. Salome seemed pleased to see her, so maybe this was not a practical joke. Also, there were no familiars in the room, which made this the first place Rachel had gone since the Familiar Bonding Ceremony where she did not feel instantly out of place. Besides, if her being invited had been part of a prank, Cydney would have looked excited, instead of scowling as if she had taken a bite of an apple and found a worm.

Salome beckoned Rachel over. She was sitting with two very handsome boys, who had to be her brothers, and a third boy, who was holding her hand. The hand-holder had sandy blond hair and was good-looking in a roguish, bad boy way. Rachel gathered this must be the boyfriend Salome had mentioned: Ethan Warhol, son of some flamboyant American Senator. Rachel slipped in on the bench next to Salome. Gaius stepped up beside her and made a scoot-over motion with his hand, gesturing for the older Iscariot brother, who was a college student, to make room for him. To Rachel’s surprise, the young man gave up his seat, sauntering off to sit with some other upperclassmen farther down the table.

As she sat waiting for the rest of the club to arrive, Rachel wondered what the evening would hold. Based on what she had overheard from her dorm-mates, the Young Sorcerer’s League meeting had sounded delightful. It had begun with a series of flowery welcome speeches, which had bored Sigfried. There had been a fascinating discussion about the nature of sorcery. This had been followed by a break, during which members had been given a chance to get to know each other while sipping punch. They had concluded by teaching some real spells. Everyone had lined up and practiced together. Siggy and Nastasia had learned two new cantrips, one that formed a shield in the air and one that deflected flying objects.

Rachel sighed. She would have loved participating in the discussions and learning new spells. Wistfully, she wondered if the Knights bothered teaching their members magic, or if they were more of a malevolent social club, where members sat around grumbling and boasting. Looking up and down the table, she could imagine this crowd wasting time once a week whining and vaunting. On the other hand, Gaius had mentioned sharing spells, so the evening might not be a total waste.

An older student strode into the room and sat down next to Romulus Starkadder. There was an exchange of looks between that side of the table and those seated around Von Dread, except for Dread himself, who sat with his fingers steepled, looking straight forward.

Salome leaned over and whispered gleefully, “Oh, the drama! At the beginning of last year, Simon Komarek challenged Vladimir for leadership of the Knights, and Vladimir won. According to the rules of the club, if there is a challenge and a duel, the loser is kicked out for the rest of the year. This is Simon’s first day back.”

“Wow!” Rachel murmured, glancing back and forth between the two camps. She was impressed with Vladimir Von Dread’s absolute imperturbability. He might be evil, but he made evil look so
very
good.

She examined Simon. Her brother’s best friend was a boy named Peter Komarek. Everyone called the two of them Peter Squared. Could Simon be Peter K.’s older brother?

“I’m hoping for a little excitement today. I’ve already finished my nails.” Salome spread out her fingers for Rachel to see. She had painted the nails several layered shades of pink, from light to dark, giving them a flame-like appearance.

Before Rachel could reply, Von Dread rose and addressed the gathered company. She had forgotten how tall he was. He stood over six feet with the well-muscled body of an athlete. At nineteen, he was still slender, not as broad-shouldered as his build promised, but he already showed the makings of a truly impressive man.

“Greetings and welcome to the Knights of Walpurgis. I hope that everyone’s summer was pleasant and productive.” His voice resonated, deep and steady, through the chamber. “Secretary?”

A stern-looking young woman with dark auburn hair rose to her feet. She was seated two chairs to Von Dread’s right. “Since this is the first meeting of the new school year, in keeping with our charter, there are no previous minutes and no Old Business. We can proceed directly to New Business.”

“Thank you, Naomi.” Von Dread turned back to the gathered company. “As there are new members present, let us begin with introductions. I am Vladimir Von Dread, leader of the Knights of Walpurgis and of Drake Hall. I am a junior in the college.” He inclined his head to his right. “William?”

Next to Von Dread sat a rather good-looking, dark-haired young man who examined the world around him with an expression of cool scientific curiosity. He stood up, proving to be of a height with the Bavarian prince, and introduced himself as William Locke. Rachel straightened up and gazed at him with tremendous interest. William Locke was the only son of Leonard Locke, one of the two partners who owned the massive, multi-national corporation, Ouroboros Industries. O.I. made the Flycycle—the bristleless broom Cydney and her friends had been flying—as well as hundreds of other new and interesting products—including Valerie Hunt’s family’s washing machine. They apparently hired both sorcerers and scientists.

William Locke was even richer than Salome Iscariot.

The other partner in Ouroboros Industries was Rachel’s father’s cousin, Iron Moth. Iron Moth was the father of Rachel’s second cousin, Beryl, who sat next to the redheaded Secretary. Rachel looked around for Beryl’s brothers, Blackie and Granite, but neither of them were present. She had not seen them on campus either.

The redhead introduced herself as Naomi Coils. Rachel recognized the name. The Coils were a prominent wealthy family among the Wise. Rachel recalled overhearing her father tell her mother he was concerned about American families of the Wise in general, and the Lockes and his cousin in particular, because they were involved in bad magic. This conversation stood out to her because he did not say black magic. She had never heard the term ‘bad magic’ any other place.

The introductions circled around the table. The majority of those present were from Drake Hall, though all seven dormitories were represented—Rachel being the only person from Dare. There were about forty members in all, though only four freshmen. The other member of her class—beside herself, Salome, and Cydney—was an elegant red-head with a long graceful neck named Wanda Zukov from Dee Hall. Her father, Maugris Zukov, was serving time in jail for aiding the Terrible Five. He had been a high lieutenant in the Morthbrood.

As the introductions continued, Rachel recognized many names. Most of the students were from established families, though not everything she had heard about these families was good. Toward the middle of the table sat Eve and Joshua March, the children of the Grand Inquisitor—the head of the Wisecraft and Rachel’s father’s boss. The other students gave them a wide berth, as though frightened that speaking with them would draw the attention of their terrifying father. Rachel shuddered as she recalled the princess’s description of the tortures the older version of Joshua had suffered in her vision. Rachel glanced sidelong at him, but he was smiling and talking to his pretty, dark-haired sister.

And then, there was Samantha Strega. The Stregas were infamous because in every generation for the past ten or so, there had been a murder in the family. Usually a son went insane and killed his parents. It had not happened yet this generation, but Rachel remembered an old news article about an intruder who had attacked and seriously injured Samantha. The article had not mentioned specifically that the assailant had slit the girl’s throat, but when Samantha stood up to introduce herself, the scar on her neck was plainly visible. She was a pretty girl, but her voice sounded hoarse and raspy.

Had Samantha really been attacked by an intruder? Or had she been attacked by a member of her family? And was she the sister of Jonah Strega, the creepy young man to whom no one seemed to remember speaking?

Rachel scanned everyone’s faces, memorizing them together with their names. She quickly organized her memory, putting siblings together, noting who seemed to
like
whom. A number of Starkadder princes and one of the princesses were present. Rachel recalled Valerie’s comments about them but spotted no sign of secret tension. The easy-going young man with his hair in his eyes, seated next to Romulus Starkadder, turned out to be Randall Graves, the older brother of the obnoxious Cydney Graves. Rachel recalled from the library that Cydney’s friends accused her of having a big brother fixation.

She also noted the presence of Penny Royal, whom Valerie claimed was an amateur detective. She also recognized Tess Dauntless, the blonde she had seen hanging on Gaius’s arm in the hallway, the time her robes had been covered with orange juice. Rachel could not help noticing how Tess’s eyes kept drifting to Gaius’s face. The other girl frowned whenever he smiled at Rachel.