Dark Waters (Elemental Book 1) (21 page)

His black cloak was just like that of all the other
wizards, but he wore a distinctive pentagram on a thick chain around his neck.
It was iron and about an inch across. The sense I got from his easy smile was
so odd it took me a few moments to figure it out.

“It was a surprise to hear you were coming, Logan. I
know you hate leaving the school. I also heard something quite awful. Is it
true that there was a murder?”

He was dangerous, but not a threat to me. At least,
not yet.

“A minor miscommunication, Vincent.”

This was Vincent. They were speaking as if they
didn’t keep in touch because of the other councilmen. With his back to the
others, he spared me a quick glance. He knew who I was, too. I looked at his
hand, not bothering to hide my suspicion. He didn’t have a ring, nor an obvious
tan line for one.

It occurred to me that I could see for myself if he
hurt Remy or knew where she was. I reached out, mentally, for his mind… and hit
a wall. It was like a firewall around him. Others in the room were detectable;
the five men, Hunt, Flagstone, and Nightshade were all open to me, but I was
very careful to stay out of their minds. If any of the councilmen got the idea
that I was trying to control them, it would not end well for me.

I pulled back, confused as to how Vincent protected
himself from me. Assuming he was just that powerful, I felt relief he didn’t
attack. I was also fairly certain he didn’t have Remy.

“My daughter has run off,” Hunt said. “I was
wondering if you have seen her around here.” He spoke clearly, obviously still
in code.

I studied each face. Although Vincent’s expression
was absolutely calm, I figured he had been expecting the question. The other
men varied from clueless to concerned. I saw no sign of fear or guilt.

Then it occurred to me what Hunt said;
around here
.
I concentrated on her mind and let my power spread. My focus was swayed to
other minds that were very powerful or unique, but I was able to keep myself on
the task at hand. I had to. Remy needed me to find her.

But she wasn’t close. I shook my head as subtly as I
could.

“I haven’t seen her,” Vincent finally said. “You
should ask John; he spends more time here than I do. Speaking of…”

A man entered and it took me a few seconds to
recognize him. John Cross looked different than he had when he walked into my
office and hired me. He was slightly smaller and thinner in the dimness of the
council room. Or perhaps it was because he was standing next to Hunt and
Vincent.

“Hello, Logan, Rosin,” he said politely to Professor
Flagstone, who nodded respectfully. He looked at me and smiled easily. “And who
is this?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to answer him on reflex when Hunt
put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

“He is a student at my school who is interested in
how the council is run,” he said smoothly as I tried not to squeak like a chew
toy. That would have made this a very awkward meeting, as if it wasn’t already.

John held out his hand and Hunt loosened his grip
just enough for me to reach forward and shake his hand. I looked down just as I
pulled my hand back and saw it.

The amber ring with a brown recluse in it.

The man who had hired me to find his daughter was the
one who took Remy.

“Why have you called us here,
Logan?” one of the councilmen asked. He was very thin and tall with a narrow
face. His eyes were as black as obsidian and his black hair was shaggy and
puffed up, giving him a strange resemblance to a cobra.

“To inform you that Rebecca Ashcraft has betrayed us.
She allowed a vampire into my school in order to overthrow me. She and the
vampire she was associated with have been dealt with, so no further actions are
necessary.”

Several of the men looked at each other, unsure. “We
heard it was one of your students who killed her,” Kale said accusingly.

“A simple misunderstanding, as I said before, which
is why I wanted to clear it up in person. Now, I am sure you would love to deal
with your own murderer, so I will be off.”

“Well, let us know when your daughter returns,”
Vincent said. John didn’t flinch.

“I will.” He turned and Flagstone and I followed him
out.

It was difficult to turn my back on these wizards,
but I knew if I looked back, I would regret it.
Don’t look back. Don’t look
back.

“Devon.”
I turned. John, merely a foot from
me, smirked. Only then did I realize he hadn’t called my name aloud.

He knew. He knew who I was and what I could do.

*          *          *

We returned to the car in silence. Only when we reach
the end of the driveway did Nightshade sit up. After we drove for a few
minutes, Flagstone pulled over to the side of the road. When both the shifter
and Nightshade got out of the car, I frowned at Hunt.

“Rosin is going to track John,” he explained as
Nightshade got in the driver’s seat and Flagstone disappeared in the forest.

“We aren’t going to do it? He can lead us right to
your daughter. It’s him; I saw the ring.”

“I know. I suspected John had his hand in this since
the first murder, but Rebecca’s betrayal threw me off. John would spot a wizard
on his trail instantly. I am hoping Rosin will have a better shot of staying
undetected.”

“I don’t get why John stole the records if he already
had a list of targets. Did he need their home addresses?”

“No, he could have found them easily. I am more
concerned with how he got into my school to kill without being detected.” He
tapped his cane lightly a few times as he pondered this. “Invisibility would
have worked against the eye, but my wards would have kept him out and, if that
failed, the shifters would have scented him.”

“How did Clara get through? And why did you tell the
council that she was dealt with?”

“Rebecca must have let her in and she stayed away
from shifters. Most vampires can conceal their sent from a shifter with a good
bath and strong perfume.”

“So maybe someone is working with him. The murders
changed after school started. Maybe someone inside the school is killing for
him.”

“That would implicate Mr. Lycosa.”

“Henry didn’t do it.”

“Then find out who did, because I cannot let him go
until I have some kind of evidence. Even if it is not his fault.”

“What does that mean?”

He looked out the window, obviously not going to
answer me. I sighed. There didn’t seem to be any point in pushing the wizard.
“Fine, but you didn’t answer my question about Clara. Why haven’t we done
anything about her?”

He had a tired expression. “There are some people in
this world we cannot just ‘deal with.’ Clara is one such person.”

“You know her then?”

“Unfortunately, I do.” He went back to staring out
the window. I was starting to think being a wizard meant making an entrance,
speaking in riddles, and playing mind games with other wizards.

Good thing I’m one of them now.

*          *          *

The trip back to the university felt a lot shorter
than the trip to the council, since Nightshade was a nightmare behind the
wheel.
Ninety degree turn? No, we don’t need to slow down. That car is only
doing twenty over the speed limit, I had better pass him.

Even Hunt looked a little sick by the time we
arrived.

“I’m going to see if Darwin found any evidence,” I
said.

They went into the castle main while I returned to
the dorms. I checked my room first and found it empty. As I started to shut the
door, a meow filled the room. I turned back and, sure enough, Dr. Martin’s cat
was sitting on my desk.

“Where is Darwin?” I asked.

The cat hopped down and darted past me out the door.
I closed it behind me and ran after the cat. He led me down to the second
floor. I heard the commotion before I realized what was going on.

“I didn’t do it!” Darwin yelled. He was backed
against a wall by a woman. Sure, she was only a few inches taller than him, but
she didn’t have to worry about physical agony from the slightest touch. About
twenty other people crowded around, some cheering her on while others told her
to let him go.

She raised her hand to slap him before I was close
enough to block her. Even as he raised his hoodie-protected arms to hide his
face, I acted instinctively. I felt for her mind. There were others there, too
close to differentiate, so pushed my power into all of them. The entire group
collectively stumbled back.

A few students took one look at me and ran. Several
others clearly wanted to. I let my power over them go once I stood between
Darwin and the woman who tried to hit him. Her eyes lowered against her will.

Shifter.

“Do you get some sick thrill out of beating on people
who won’t hit back?”

“He grabbed my ass!” she cried angrily.

“I didn’t!” Darwin yelled back.

Since the woman was wearing a white tank-top and a
short, pleated black skirt, I highly doubted Darwin had risked the pain to
grope her. Furthermore, although he wanted to be with a woman, groping a woman
made no sense to him; it wasn’t biologically reasonable.

“I will not allow you to hit Darwin. If he offends
you, take it to me and I will deal with it.”

Her eyes lowered further. “Yes, alpha.”

Inside, I was gaping and gawking at the word, but
outside, my face was expressionless. I didn’t actually know what to do, since
she must have expected me to punish my roommate like an alpha wolf would with a
disobedient pup. Although I believed my roommate, I didn’t have any proof.

I am starting to see a trend here.

“Devon, I found these in her room,” Darwin said,
holding up two icepicks with blood on them. The woman blanched.

“Why do you have icepicks with blood on them?” I
asked her.

“I don’t know where the blood came from! Those are
part of a collection of traveling equipment. I don’t know why there’s blood on
them. I’ve never used them for anything.”

Darwin carefully handed them to me and I studied the
points.
These would make perfect fang marks… of course, so would Li Na’s
hair sticks.
“Darwin, check Addison’s room for anything similar to these.”

“But this proves that Cassie is the murderer, doesn’t
it?” he asked, staring the woman down as if she were about to shift and try to
eat him.

“It might. However, I have a sinking suspicion that
we have a big problem.”

*          *          *

I was outside in the courtyard on the way to see
Hunt. The moon overhead was about half full, and it was a clear night, hence I
didn’t expect anything to jump out at me. My instincts fired up, but it was
about three in the morning, so I was tired. Thus, my reflexes were slow. I
heard a sharp growl a few seconds before I was shoved to the ground and held
down by a massive animal. Naturally, I tried to roll, but that was a stupid
move; huge, sharp teeth sunk into my right shoulder to pin me.

I yelled and the animal shook his head until I
thought he was going to tear my arm off. I was able to turn my head just enough
to catch a glimpse of my attacker.

Alpha Rosin Flagstone.

“Son of a---”

He snapped his jaws down and I felt bones crunch. The
pain was horrendous, but somehow the sound was worse. For an instant, I stopped
hearing the wolf’s heavy breath and my own cries. All I heard was my bones
yield to his teeth. And then I heard my own yelling.

I didn’t know I could yell that loudly.

The wolf was suddenly shoved off me and Darwin was
there, on top of the wolf… only it wasn’t the normal Darwin.

His fingers were shorter, thicker, and ended with
wicked claws. His jaw was different, but the change was subtle. His teeth, like
his claws, had shifted to wolf ones. It wasn’t just wolf changes, though.
Instead of blond, his hair was now dark, blood red, as was his eyes, and his
skin was oddly pearlescent. 

Throwback my ass.
Darwin’s fae blood may have
normally suppressed the dominant nature in him, but he certainly had the wolf’s
bonding nature. Darwin saw me as his pack and he would defend me as such.

The effort it took to merely roll over onto my back
was agonizing and left me out of breath. The grass was cold and wet, nearly
muddy. I knew I had to stop the bleeding and help Darwin.

Except Darwin didn’t need any help. He was having a
grand-old time tearing the stuffing out of the alpha wolf. Sure the wolf was
clawing Darwin’s chest into ground beef, but my roommate didn’t seem to care.
He attacked like a wolf himself; biting, clawing, growling, and snarling.
Fortunately for him, his human form was to his advantage.

With my left hand, I tore my right sleeve, wrapped
the cloth around my hand, and pressed it to my shoulder. I sat up carefully,
knowing full well I was only able to manage because of the adrenaline.

I felt his approach. As Henry prowled closer to me,
his mind was barely recognizable. He stalked me in a wide circle, going back
and forth as if I was a prey animal that could flee. This wasn’t entertainment
for him; it was his nature. I could feel him, but not see him. Even when I felt
his hot breath blow across my hand and the gaping wound in my shoulder, I
couldn’t see him. He wasn’t just a jaguar shifter.

Henry was an
invisible
jaguar shifter.

Nobody gets into this school because they’re
normal.
I reached out and felt the thick fur of his neck. He let me,
patiently for a moment, before he moved closer for the kill. I tried to wrap my
power around his mind, but it was like there was a wall around it.

Instead, I reached inside of me and pulled up the
image of my parents on the floor. Even knowing my mother was still alive and
the man who was torn apart wasn’t really my father, it was enough to fill me
with anger. As heat burst inside me, I turned that anger on my friend.

It wasn’t fire that burst from me and struck my
invisible opponent but something close enough. It was energy, raw power that
flowed like fire and was… blue. I had enough time to realize where I had seen
it before, before Henry shifted back into his person form and the fire died.

I found with horror that Flagstone had also shifted.
Darwin was lying on the ground beside the professor, convulsing and clinching
his teeth in pain. Clumsily and on my knees, I made it to Darwin’s side. There
were splits in his skin all over his body; not cuts from his fight but
unnatural wounds from a curse. Even as he lay without touching anyone, another
wound formed on his left cheek. His hair was slowly returning to normal.

“What do I do?” I asked. “How do I help you?”

He said something with his teeth clinched, but it was
half cry and I couldn’t make it out. I saw the blood red of his irises and the
black of his pupils change to silver before he closed his eyes in pain. He was
bleeding out of his nose and mouth.

“You can heal him, right?” Henry asked expectantly.
“Wizards can heal people.”

There was no time to demand an explanation or even
worry about my shoulder. “I need water, some gauze, antiseptic… something blue
and a candle or water-scented incense. Henry, there’s a potion bottle on my
desk.”

“Something blue?” Henry asked as Flagstone shifted
and ran to the castle. He got the idea and took off for the dorms.

I patted Darwin’s arm, touching only his hoodie, in
offer of comfort. A few seconds later, Flagstone was back with a plastic sack
of water, two candles, and some gauze.

“I couldn’t find anything blue. He was fine until I
shifted back and then he started bleeding.”

I wet the gauze and put them on his chest. I knew
that was weird; I could feel Flagstone’s stare on me. Remembering what Remy
said about balance, I set the two thick candles on either side of him and
didn’t light them.

I focused on the morning when I told my roommates who
I was and why I came to Quintessence. Trust hadn’t come easy for me, yet I knew
I made the right decision. Darwin acted like a goofball most of the time, but
he was the first to spring to my defense. I wanted to heal him.
I will heal
him.

Henry returned with the healing potion and some more
gauze. I wet the bandages with the mint green potion and wiped Darwin’s face
gently with it.

I imagined the cuts closing, only to realize it
wasn’t enough. Cautiously, I opened my mind to his like I had before. The pain
was instantaneous. Every nerve ending lit up with agony until I couldn’t
breathe let alone think. This was his pain, which I had to push passed to heal
him.

I thought of his mother and was instantly presented
with a mental picture of her. Then I focused on my own mother and remembered
the feel of her hugging me, only I imagined it as Darwin’s mother hugging him
while I held onto that feeling. He calmed his mind enough for me to search it.
His mind was organized and efficient even if I couldn’t understand much of it.

Finally, I felt that fear that had been passed down
to him in the form of magic. It was absolute hopelessness; a willingness to die
just to escape reality. Darwin’s mother had felt more fear than her mind could
handle and that melded with her power, which passed to Darwin. It was her means
of protection; live free or die.