Moon vow, p.17
Moon Vow, page 17
Petra’s chin titled and her mouth stretched into a thin line. “And the part about being a muse?”
Karisa stretched a hand to put it on Petra’s shoulder, then stopped and let it fall back to her side. “I’m sorry, Petra. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. It’s as Wicasa said. I always intended to let you and the others know my true identity once I believed you’d accepted me. Once I was certain you had, then I’d tell you the truth about why I’d come here. I never realized how Lyrah recognized me until she told us in Wicasa’s office. The same for Aaron.” Puzzlement tightened her forehead. “Maybe it’s being in this solid form, but I’m having trouble remembering some things.”
Petra gazed at her thoughtfully, and a moment later, she nodded. “I think I understand. Thank you for telling me the truth.” She leaned to the left and peered around Karisa, and assured their conversation was still private, she switched subjects. “You were wondering if capturing Garrett that night was planned or an accident because that’s the night Tempest would have captured Shoneah. You’re thinking Cassien isn’t aware of what’s going on.”
Karisa’s gaze widened and she gave Petra an impressed smile. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“It was the most logical choice. It’s not like him to get his son involved in a kidnapping unless it was on purpose and Garrett faked the whole thing. I don’t believe that because I’ve seen the way he is around you and Garrett wouldn’t take a spell in the back for anyone else unless he truly cared for them.”
Petra sighed and leaned closer.
“That means if Cassien didn’t know what Von Vespa was planning, then she has her own agenda. I know that doesn’t explain who took Shoneah and why, but I can’t help thinking Cassien is still involved here someway, somehow. He still has shadow mages loyal to him, even if he is a prisoner at the DMA, and I don’t think he’s above using his family to get what he wants. Remind me to check in with Wicasa. He gets a daily report on Cassien’s status.”
Petra sighed as though relieved she could share her thoughts at last.
“What I’m trying to say is, if they don’t know what the others are planning, then someone, somewhere, will make a mistake. When that happens, we’ve got to be ready for them. It still doesn’t tell me who the Takoda spy is though, or how they’re getting in and out of here without anyone seeing something. The professors charmed the doors and windows to alert us to all shadow mages, most especially the likes of Tempest, Von Vespa, and Jakob Peran.”
“Jakob Peran?”
Petra’s expression soured. “He once told Casey in our freshman year he was his father’s best friend at university. That he’d tried to save his parents, but he’d been too late to prevent their murder. He said he was one of the DMA’s finest agents, but it was all a lie. He’d been spying on Casey’s parents for years, their friends too. Turns out he was the one who discovered where Casey and his family were hiding. He may as well have killed them himself. Maybe he did. No one knows for sure.”
“Could Jakob be the spy, then?” Karisa asked.
“No. That bastard died the same night Zander did. Killed by another shadow mage. Yet the Secretary of the DMA made sure Jakob had a hero’s funeral. What a joke!”
“So you don’t think Zander could still be alive?”
Petra gaped at her. “You told us how dangerous the Janus Gate is. They never found Zander’s body. He can’t have survived. And all he got was a simple service. Nothing like the elaborate affair they gave Jakob. Casey’s still angry about that. We don’t really talk about that anymore.”
They’d been walking while they talked. Petra’s voice trailed off as she stopped at the door leading to the Professors Only area. Karisa gave Petra a little push. “We can’t stand out here all night, Petra. Let’s go see if your book is here. Wow,” Karisa said while they strode past the shelves. “All these books are amazing. I didn’t realize the university had such an extensive selection. Some of these books must be older than Takoda itself. No wonder you were dying to get in here.”
She sighed and thought of her sister, Aleeta. The fountain of knowledge these tomes contained would have impressed her. Karisa hoped if they found the volume that matched Petra’s necklace, everything inside it would help them understand how to work the Janus Gate. Who knew what could happen if they tried to do the spell and got it wrong?
Petra’s breathing became fast and shallow, her hands reaching out to touch the books with something akin to reverence. Her overbright gaze darted from one shelf to another as she made her way to one end of the row upon rows of books. “How about I start at this end, and you look from the other?” she suggested, her attention focused the shelves and the treasures they contained.
“Fine with me, Petra. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to be careful with the books you open.”
“I was about to tell you the same thing,” she said haughtily, then had the grace to look a little guilty. “But thank you, just the same.”
Karisa didn’t have the same level of excitement as Petra did. When she drew a breath, she could smell decay, dried blood, not all of it was human, and dust she was certain would never wash off. She picked up a book and grimaced. It was bound with mummified skin, and the pages were held together with what looked like human hair. “I know what your necklace looks like, but what else are we looking for? What other books do you think we need?”
Petra released a loud sigh, slapped her hand over her mouth as if worried someone would hear her. Then her shoulders sagged in relief indicating she’d remembered she had permission to be there. From where she was standing amongst the shelves, Karisa smirked and shook her head. She glanced out toward the doorway at the little pile of books that covered a small area of the floor. Petra obviously had a lot of reading she wanted to do. Karisa doubted everything she’d chosen would relate to the task at hand. She admired the witch for taking the opportunity to gain knowledge where she could. Especially when in a few short months she’d be leaving Takoda forever. That’s if she’d no plans to be a professor here and if they survived whatever scheme the Shadow Master had in mind.
Karisa frowned. She was used to calling him Tempest now, and the name didn’t strike fear in her the way the Shadow Master always did. She was closer to him now than she had ever been in her own realm, and she could feel the essence of evil surrounding him. At least, she thought she did. Perhaps there were some students at the university who gave her that feeling too, and it was a coincidence she was thinking of that vile creature at that moment. Perhaps her instincts weren’t as strong as they used to be.
Karisa’s frown deepened and she picked up another book. What happened in the corridor earlier still bothered her. She hadn’t been aware of anyone until the last second and maybe she would have been critically injured or worse, captured, if Daniel hadn’t shouted out at the last minute and scared whoever it was away. Not that being caught unaware was a new feeling for Karisa.
The night Von Vespa had captured her out on the balcony, she’d been far too busy enjoying Garrett. It made no sense. It was almost like she was losing some of her magical strength. But how could that be? The Artemis Curse had not touched her once while in this realm. How could she be losing her awareness of things and allowing herself to be so easily distracted? It wasn’t like her at all.
23
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
Garrett and Seth sat on opposite sides of a desk in the alchemy classroom observing the liquid in a copper cauldron boiling away with mixed reactions. Garrett had spent the last fifteen minutes watching the sky-blue potion getting darker and noted the changes accordingly. He didn’t know why Mulder would want to watch a potion this closely. It didn’t seem dangerous. In fact, when they’d cut up the ingredients and added them to a freshly made batch of sleeping potion, Garrett thought they were making more potion for Kagali to keep the werewolf at bay for the next full moon. The wolfsbane roots and leaves, night blooming jasmine petals, the powdered, silvery sap of a milk thistle, and valerian stems suggested as much.
Then the professor had muttered something he didn’t catch and thrown in a handful of bright yellow powder. Much to his surprise, the greenish, stew-like contents became thick and syrupy and changed to a beautiful aquamarine color. A color he associated with Karisa’s eyes. Eyes that turned the most exotic shade of green whenever he was holding her, loving her. He was just beginning to realize those eyes were telling him how much she desired him in return.
As he silently lusted after the chocolate-haired witch, wait, better make that muse, the calming surface as the potion cooled drew him in. It was like looking into his scrying stone. Only he could make out his reflection as a silvery silhouette against the inky blackness because the solution was now so deeply blue, it was the color of midnight. He looked up, half expecting the professor to berate him for not writing any notes. Instead, Mulder was staring off at the blackboard, his gaze fixed, yet unfocused.
Garrett sensed that once again he was glimpsing the wizard in a way few people saw him. There was no glitter of contempt in his eyes. He didn’t set his jaw in angry determination. He stood straight, not in the rigid way he usually did in front of the class, and his hands were curled loosely at his sides, not clenched tightly behind his back.
Mulder whirled on him. “What is it, Huxley?”
Garrett indicated the potion between them, which was giving off a sickly sweet, scented steam. “What is this potion for? What did you just put in it? I didn’t hear you before,” Garrett said, retrieving the parchment he’d been writing on.
Time stood still in the alchemy classroom as the student and the professor regarded one another. The professor spoke, but he wouldn’t meet Garrett’s gaze. “There might be a way to harness the werewolf’s strength and use it to help your mother. It’s worth a try.”
Garrett nodded as if that made sense, although it was obvious he couldn’t give a damn whether Kagali got his potion if he stayed the hell away from him, especially during a full moon. He wasn’t sure how it would help his mother, either.
“Are you going to call that furry old git in here to test it out or do you have to wait until the next full moon?” Garrett asked in his sarcastic drawl.
“Mr. Huxley, you will do well to respect your professors, regardless of your beliefs. There are more to some wizards and witches than meets the eye. Remember that. Don’t assume you know everything. Don’t go making the same mistakes I did.”
Garrett stared at him.
Did Mulder just stand up for Kagali? A Beltane from one of the best families vouching for a Terran wizard? And a werewolf at that?
He straightened, his gaze shifting to the potion noting the way it reflected their expressions, Mulder’s open where before he’d been guarded, and his shifting into one of understanding.
Perhaps the professor was right. Maybe there were some exceptions.
He wrote out the chemical formula of the powder Mulder recited, for the professor said no one knew what to name the glittery substance or what its true purpose was. The language in which he had spoken the charm to work the powder wasn’t one Garrett had heard before either. It seemed far older than the Latin they used here at Takoda. He’d even had to ask him how to spell some words. When he’d finished, Mulder told him to continue observing the potion and his thoughts returned to their previous conversation.
Oh yes, there were exceptions, all right. And then there were idiots like Colton and Dunstan.
Daniel scooted closer to Nori and leaned his shoulder against hers to peer at the drawing she showed him. “That’s amazing, Nori. Where did you learn to draw like that? I swear that sphinx is about to leap off the page and attack someone. It’s so lifelike.”
Lightheadedness claimed him when she shifted toward him, and his heart beat a little faster at the warmth of her skin on his as they bumped their forearms together.
Was that her knee pressing against his under the table?
Who’d have thought such a subtle touch could set his pulse racing the way it was right now? Merlin knows he appreciated a pretty witch, but Nori was different. He was elated, nervous, self-conscious, yet happy, wanted, and peaceful all at once and he couldn’t help but shift even closer. A moment later, he sensed a different heat, the kind where someone’s gaze burned in a reproachful stare. He stared in that direction. Mrs. Jovie’s gaze shifted from him to Nori and back again. With much reluctance, he shifted a whole inch away. Perhaps she’d become aware of the librarian’s scrutiny too, for Nori pushed her knee against his once more and looked down at her homework to hide the soft pink blush flooding her cheeks.
Movement at the double doors of the library caught his attention, but then he decided he was imagining things. After all, he’d already heard from his mother this week and she had said she was busy at home. It was still hard to believe she’d spent some time at this university. He’d never known she’d spent time here after her uncle had killed that mortal family and then returned to Australia not long after she’d graduated. But then, she didn’t like to talk about her past much, and Daniel had not asked. He adored his mother and when the time was right, she would tell him all he wanted to know. She’d promised him that. For now, that was enough.
Nori stifled a yawn and looked at her pocket watch. “We’ve been here for ages.”
Daniel grinned and thought of Karisa’s comment about the smoothness of Beltanes as he answered, “No, I don’t think we’ve been together for nearly long enough.”
Nori giggled appreciatively and Daniel glanced around to see if anyone was looking before picking up her hand and giving it the softest of kisses, his eyes never leaving hers. After all, not all Beltane reputations were bad ones. He wanted revenge for his father’s death, even if his father hadn’t been the greatest of wizards, which was true, and if that tainted him somehow, well, so be it. But he wasn’t an evil wizard. He wanted love, happiness, friendship, and freedom from the tyranny that followed in Tempest’s wake. He wanted families to grow up together, not be torn apart by those who couldn’t see where true power lay. Daniel wanted an end to the torture and the bloodshed. He wanted peace. The peace he could sense in Karisa and all she stood for.
He stood and held onto the back of Nori’s chair as she rose from her seat. He picked up her books and watched her walk over to a shelf and put away the few volumes they’d been studying from. Not that they’d been doing an awful lot of studying. Before Nori distracted him, wonderful distraction that she was, he’d intended to research muses. He’d wanted to learn more about Karisa’s family, but time had run out. Perhaps another day. He supposed he could always ask Karisa.
Mrs. Jovie was already walking around the tables telling students the library would soon close, to finalize their studying, and be on their way. Nori came back and held out her hands for her books and quills, but Daniel refused. “May I escort you to your common room?” he asked. “Well, at least to the floor you’re on.”
Nori’s face lit up like an intoxicated pixie had dusted it in iridescent sparkle. “That would be wonderful,” she said, her long lashes all aflutter.
As soon as they were out of the library doors, Daniel took her hand in his and they walked through the dimly lit corridor, ever watchful in case Mia, or whomever it was who’d been using Karisa for target practice, was still around. He didn’t mention this to Nori, for he didn’t want to worry her, but he hoped Karisa would tell Wicasa what happened, or at least tell Garrett.
She was still in there. Perhaps he should go back and wait for her. Then he remembered she was with Petra, and he was yet to meet anyone who could outsmart the clever Terran witch. Together they should be safe enough from any pranks, and whoever the spy was, they were unlikely to attack in front of witnesses, otherwise they would have taken Karisa long before now.
All too quickly, they reached the stairs. Nori whispered good night before kissing Daniel’s cheek and racing up them, leaving Daniel standing there with a goofy grin. Moments later, he headed back to his own common room with a heavy mind but a light heart indeed.
At the edge of the forest, Orius stood looking at the stars. The cool night air didn’t penetrate the thickness of his skin, and he wouldn’t have noticed it if it had. His mind was miles away with the night sky and he despaired as he saw what was to come, what was meant to be.
He searched the heavens for the constellations he knew only existed in his heart, but he imagined he found them just the same. Now each sister danced and sang her way across the sky. There was Erato, the lovely, playing her lyre, followed by Calliope, the fair voiced, as her arms reached outward, bursting with song. Then came Thalia, the flourishing, and Melpomene, the songstress, one face smiling at whatever comedy she inspired. The other, he could easily imagine the tears glistening on her face to show some tragic opera or song had captivated her.
Now he spied the little one, Clio, the proclaimer, busy writing in her book, her foot tapping to the unknown melody, while her sister, Urania, the heavenly, looked upward staring at an unknown place in the sky the centaurs could never see. And where were, oh yes. There was the loving smile of Terpsichore, the whirler, as she danced to the music of the four winds while the next in line, Polyhymnia, she of many hymns, clapped and kept time with the beat. And there, in the center of all this activity, gently swaying from side to side, stood Euterpe, the giver of pleasure, as she played her flute before she paused long enough to smile down at him. The stars that were her eyes flashed like sapphires at him. Eyes that were just like the sea.
