Cave of Nightmares (25 page)

It’s on the sixth floor. Whatever that gas was shouldn’t be able to get that high…

Master Willow was already out front, barking at everyone to stay well away from the castle and to remain calm. When he saw Masters Sark and Kilgore r
unning along just behind Hayden he hurried over to them.

“Lay
them down here,” he helped pull the unconscious (Hayden hoped they were only unconscious) students down from his colleagues’ shoulders and laid them out on the grass. Master Sark pulled off his respirator and dropped the air tanks to the ground, his face red and sweating from exertion.

Mistress Razelle appeared
(quite literally) out of thin air, wearing the metallic green robes of the minor arcana. She had one hand clenched around the Mastery Charm at her throat, but she released it and hurried over to help, removing tiny bottles of different-colored liquids from her robes, none of which Hayden recognized by sight.

Master Kilgore knelt down beside her and pulled out some phials of his own, and they began pouring liquids into the students’ open mouths, even dripping it in their eyes and ears.

Sark, who had been distracted up until now, unfortunately leveled his gaze at Hayden during that moment. The Powders Master looked so angry that Hayden thought he was going to explode as he stomped towards him.

“You useless…stupid…
worthless
pile of—”

He grabbed Hayden by the shoulders and shook him so hard his neck hurt. His head, which was already pounding painfully, was now agonizing.

Hayden heard himself cry out as he struggled to get away, but Sark was stronger and didn’t seem too keen on releasing him.

He’s going to kill me…
he’s actually going to shake me to death….

Somehow the Powder Master’s hands ended up around his throat,
his face purple with rage as he continued to curse Hayden with half-formed words and sentences. Just before Hayden thought he was going to pass out the pressure around his neck vanished, and he staggered and blinked to focus his eyes, which were watering.

Master Willow, through some feat of strength Hayden had never suspected him capable of, was holding Sark’s arms and trying to
make him see reason.

“
Kirius, calm down!” he barked, and it took Hayden a moment to realize that Kirius was Master Sark’s first name.

“I want him out of here!” t
he latter yelled, no longer struggling but glaring daggers at Hayden. “How many people does he have to try to kill to prove that he’s not worthy of learning magic?! Must we wait until he’s as powerful as his father?!”

Hayden realized his cheeks were wet with tears, though he didn’t remember crying. His voice shook as he tried to explain himself.

“I wasn’t t-trying to h-hurt anyone!” he insisted, his teeth chattering. “I was just trying to do my P-Powders assignment when that g-green gas started.”

He had the unpleasant feeling that half the school was watching this horrible scene right now, but he didn’t dare turn around and confirm his fears.

“He dumped forty-ounces of unmixed catalyzed base into a cauldron of
hot water
!” Sark snapped furiously, though he no longer had to be restrained by Master Willow and seemed to be regaining control of himself.

The
Master of Wands winced.

“
Terrafan gas?” He grimaced when Sark nodded. “No wonder you triggered the evacuation alarm.”

Hayden still didn’t fully understand what
Terrafan gas was or did, but knew that it must be pretty bad if it warranted a full evacuation of the castle.

“Come,
Kirius, we must find the others and make the school safe. Any punishment for Hayden will have to wait.” Master Willow motioned him away, and reluctantly, Sark went.

If Hayden had ever been more terrified he couldn’t remember when. He would rather be tossed into a lake full of hydras with nothing to defend himself than face the Masters when they’d all learned of what he’d done. Zane found him eventually in the chaos around the school, and he and Conner tried to assure him that they wouldn’t expel him even for loosing a cloud of poison in the school, and that people had surely screwed up even worse than him since the founding of Mizzenwald.

They were stuck sitting on the lawns for over two hour
s before the school was declared safe and everyone was permitted back inside. Hayden wanted to run up to his dormitory and make sure that Bonk was still alive, because he hadn’t seen his familiar since lunch, but as soon as he cleared the main entrance, Ella, the girl who had helped him on his first day of school, said he was to report to the Masters in classroom three immediately.

Trying to mentally prepare himself for the worst, he walked silently behin
d her to be taken to his doom. Despite the fact that he had dreaded coming here three months ago, he now felt like Mizzenwald was his home, the only place where he had friends and a purpose. He didn’t want to imagine where he’d end up if he was sent away from here; back at the orphanage in Merina, most likely.

Or prison.

The Masters were waiting for him in an unused classroom, and Hayden gasped when he saw the metallic green robes of the minor arcana as well. All ten Masters and Mistresses were apparently going to participate in this, even the ones he had never met before, and Hayden’s heart sank as dread settled in.

They wouldn’t assemble all ten of them unl
ess they were going to expel me or arrest me.

The thought of exchangin
g his Focus-correctors for lead Binders was enough to stop him in his tracks. He wasn’t sure he had the strength to walk to the center of the room without passing out, or worse, crying.

The Masters weren’t giving anything away in their expressions, not even Asher. Hayden forced himself to put one foot in front of the other until he was standing before them all, trying to look brave and telling himse
lf that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t show weakness and be remembered as the boy they had to drag out screaming.

Master Willow spoke to him first.

“I believe you know why you’re here.” He waited for Hayden to nod in confirmation before continuing. “It is common knowledge by now that you have struggled in Powders this entire term, and today two of your classmates very nearly died as a result.”

Hayden swallowed with difficulty.

“Are they going to be alright?” he asked quietly.

Mistress Razelle answered him. “They will make full recoveries, yes. Elias and I were able to begin treating them in time.” She nodded to Master Kilgore
.

“Oh…that’s good,
” Hayden mumbled, feeling awkward. At least no one was going to die for his stupidity in Powders.

“Yes, it was very fortunate that no one was permanently damaged from the events of today,” Master Willow continued calmly. “Though it brings to light the recurring problems you seem to have in Powders class, and the myriad of dangers it poses to others.”

Master Sark frowned.

“I still say he should be expelled.”

Willow glanced sideways at him. “That is what we are here to decide,” he said gently, turning back to Hayden. “We have heard Master Sark’s account regarding what happened today. Now you have the opportunity to explain things from your perspective.”

Knowing that his entire life was riding on the next few minutes, Hayden
took a deep breath for courage before answering. He started by explaining the assignment for the day, opening his book bag and showing them the notes he copied down to prove that he was paying attention in class. He tried to make them understand that no matter what he tried he never seemed able to grind things properly, and that today was no different, how Master Sark always embarrassed him in front of the class…

“And what sorts of things does Master Sark say to you during class?” Asher interrupted him here. His features were carefully schooled into neutrality, but there was something dangerous about the way he looked right now.

“He says I’m useless and stupid. Sometimes he tells me my mixtures are a sin against humanity, and everyone else laughs at me,” he frowned, his ears burning just thinking about it. Some of the other Masters mirrored his expression, and Mistress Razelle looked down the table at her colleague.

“You ridicul
e him in front of his peers?” She didn’t sound happy about it at all.

Sark scowled unpleasantly.

“He’s exaggerating; you should know that by now.”

“Easy enough to corroborate,
” Master Asher interjected softly. “Let’s fetch some of Hayden’s classmates and ask them.”

Hayden didn’t like being called a liar, especially when
he was telling the truth.

“I’m
not exaggerating anything,” he avoided meeting Sark’s eyes when he spoke, afraid that he’d lose his nerve if he did. “Today he said that he was the Regional Champion of Powders for the last four years, and had seventeen papers published and eight students doing research for him. He said he was one of the brightest minds of the century and that he was stuck teaching me. He said I was like an ape with a hammer.”

Master Sark looked extremely flustered, and several of the others shot him disapproving glances.

“May I suggest, Kirius, that if you’re too brilliant to teach, we’d be more than happy to replace you with someone who isn’t?” Master Asher suggested sweetly, though it couldn’t have been plainer that he was furious.

“Enough,
” Willow held up a hand to prevent Sark from responding. “Continue, Hayden.”

Hayden explained how he was angry but trying not to get into trouble for talking back, so he had continued with his mixture according to his instructions and transferred it to the cauldron.

“You did not understand the effects of adding those unmixed ingredients to a pot of boiling water?” Master Kilgore spoke now.

“No sir,
” Hayden frowned, preparing himself for the words he was dreading:
you’re expelled.

“The boy is a menace and should be sent away before he can bring disgrace to the name of Mizzenwald.”

“If his father couldn’t manage that, I don’t see how the boy could,” one of the Masters of the minor arcana that Hayden didn’t know mumbled to his neighbor.

“Perhaps we should be asking why Master Sark, brilliant man that he is, didn’t think to inform his students of the potentially-hazardous effects of their assignment today.” Asher leaned back in his chair, legs propped against the table in front of him as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

Sark looked like he wanted to get up and strangle the Prism Master with his bare hands, but he remained seated as an unpleasant silence fell.

Finally, Master Willow spoke.

“Both of you make valid points,” he sighed. “I believe, given the testimony of all parties, that it would not be proper for us to expel Hayden for his actions today.”

Hayden let out a breath he wasn’t aware of holding, the world spinning a little as relief washed over him.

“I will not let that boy back into my classroom,” Master Sark insisted angrily.

“I second that motion,” Kilgore held up a couple fingers. “I vote to remove him from Powders entirely.”

The other Masters voiced their agreement unanimously, and Hayden was officially dropped from Powders for good, just like that. It was the best news he had ever gotten, and even meant that he could transfer into Zane’s level-two Healing class after all.

“Good, now that that’s been settled…does anyone else have anything to add before we adjourn?” Master Willow scanned the length of the table, meeting each of their gazes in turn. There was
some low grumbling from one or two of them, but no one had anything else to say to the group and they were dismissed.

Hayden was the first one out of the room and had barely rounded the corner before he took off running, desperate to get back to the safety of his room before anyone could call him back. All he wanted to do right now was find Bonk, get some headache medicine, and lie down in bed
until he stopped shaking.

He blew past a few groups of his peers, nearly knocking Lorn over in his haste to get upstairs. He heard the other boy calling him rude names but didn’t even slow down to acknowledge them, his legs burning by the time he
got up all six flights.

He flew down th
e hallway, past the common area—which was full of the sounds of people talking and working on homework—and towards his room. He wrenched the door open and stepped inside, shutting it loudly behind him and exhaling in relief at finally being able to escape the rest of the world for a few minutes.

To his surprise, not only were Conner and
Zane both in the room but so was Tess, looking startled by the sight of him. She was holding a thick book open, and it looked like Zane was reading something over her shoulder, but she dropped it at the sight of him and the book snapped shut when it hit the floor.

“Hayden!”
Zane leapt up from his desk chair, looking aghast. “Are you alright? Did they expel you?”