Conrad Edison and the Anchored World (Overworld Arcanum Book 2) (32 page)

Before I could get up, a group of people wearing hoods and masks surrounded me. The first kick to my ribs ripped a scream from my throat. Another kick twisted me the other way. A flurry of blows met my midsection until I could hardly breathe.

"What's going on down there?" someone shouted from down the hall.

One of the attackers grabbed my shirt and got in my face. "That's for your parents killing our sisters, our brothers, our parents, and other loved ones." His voice was low and rough, but he sounded like a teenager. "Leave this school or next time we'll kill you." He dropped me back to the floor.

I groaned and clutched my sides as their footsteps faded. Another set of footsteps closed in on my position and a gentle hand brushed back my hair. "Who could do such a thing?" said a female voice I recognized. Asha Fellini knelt next to me, her hands touching my ribs. "Are you having trouble breathing?"

"Maybe," I groaned. "Everything hurts." This was the moment of truth. If she really was my mother, now would be the perfect time to kill me and blame someone else.

Instead, she sent someone to retrieve a healer. Percival showed up a few moments later with a flying carpet and rolled me onto it.  "I have just the medicine for him," he told Asha, eagerly rubbing his hands together.

"I have reported the ruffians," she said to me. "You can be sure we will catch them, Conrad."

"Thanks," I wheezed. "Please tell Professor Beetle I'll be late to class."

"Of course," Asha said, and walked away.

Percival chuckled. "Late? You're going to miss that class, young man." He pushed the magic carpet ahead of him and started whistling. "I've never used my new elixir on such brutal wounds before." He looked down at me. "Or would you rather take the slower route to good health?"

I really had no choice if I was going to meet Esma for private lessons tonight. Besides, could the pain really be that much worse than what I'd endured in the hallway? "I'll take your elixir."

"That's a sport!" Percival pushed me into the healing ward and quickly retrieved the sparkling red potion. "Since you have so many internal injuries, you'll have to drink it." He smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I haven't enhanced the taste much."

The man was a master of understatement. Drinking the small vial of potion was like downing a bottle of vinegar seasoned with pepper and rotten onions. If Percival hadn't practically forced it down my throat, I probably wouldn't have finished it. An instant later, every fiber of my body exploded with burning pain, as if I were being slow-roasted on a spit over an open fire. I screamed until I was hoarse and must have blacked out.

When I blinked open my eyes, Mirjana stood over me, her eyes wide and concerned. "Are you well, son?"

I felt absolutely wonderful. "Spectacular," I said. My body felt as if I were lounging on a cloud. I felt my ribs and my face. Crusted blood came off in my hand, but I didn't feel the least bit sore.

"Who did this to you?" the Siren asked.

"People who hate my parents," I replied.

"Those who punish children for the crimes of their parents are fools." She picked up a wet rag from a bowl on the nightstand and wiped at my face. "This world is a dangerous place for you, child. Perhaps you should consider leaving and finding somewhere to live in peace."

I closed my eyes and enjoyed her motherly touch.

Cora sings softly to me as she nurses the wounds on my knees where I'd skinned them. "I know of a lovely place we can go for a while to get out of the city."

"Where?" I ask.

"It is my homeland." She sighs. "People there once called me their queen."

I liked listening to Cora's fairy tales. They were even better than the ones I read in books.

I blinked back tears. Cora's stories hadn't been fairy tales. They'd been the truth.

"You went back to her, didn't you?" Mirjana said.

I nodded. "I can't help it." I took the Siren's hand. "Thank you for this."

She raised an eyebrow. "For what, child? I am simply cleaning your bloody face."

My vision blurred. "Your kindness." I wiped at my eyes. "It reminded me of Cora."

Mirjana dabbed at my face with the cloth. "You are a brave young man, Conrad. It is an honor to clean your blood." She squeezed my hand. "Perhaps when this is behind us, you would like to visit our home in the pond. We have a whale shark who loves to give rides."

I laughed and nodded. "I'd love to." Swinging my feet over the side of the bed, I winced in anticipation of pain that never came. I looked down at my clothes. It looked as though I'd rolled in dirt. "I'd better get to class." Hunger gnawed at my stomach. Apparently, the healing had given me an appetite.

"I'm afraid you missed the rest of your classes." Mirjana pointed to the clock. "It's supper time."

I jumped up with a shock and ran for the door. I nearly ran into Max and Ambria on my way out.

"There you are!" Max said. "We didn't know where you went."

I frowned. "Didn't Professor Fellini tell Professor Beetle where I was?"

"She came in the room and whispered something to her, but we didn't hear it." Ambria eyes grew round. "What happened to your clothes? Is that blood?"

Max's lips flattened. "Did Asha try to kill you?"

I shook my head. "No, it was a group of teenagers in masks." I told them how Asha had rescued me. My stomach grumbled loudly. "Can we go eat? I'm starving."

"Now you sound like Max." Ambria wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, Conrad, why are people so mean?"

I shook my head. "They want to blame someone for their pain, and I'm an easy target." I hoped my training with Esma would change that.

After supper, I went to the dorm and changed, then told Max and Ambria I was going to study. I went to Esma Emoora's office, but the door was locked, and there was no light coming from beneath it. The clock on the wall told me I was a minute early, so I leaned against the wall and waited.

Five minutes ticked past then five more, and nothing. At twenty minutes, I finally decided to leave. With a heavy heart, I picked up my broom. Something rustled. I spun and saw a feminine figure in tight black robes, the face hidden beneath a cowl.

"Goodbye, son," said the cold cruel voice of my mother.

Chapter 28

Delectra raised a wand and flicked it. Chunks of stone burst from the wall. She flicked her wand again. My hand traced the air and the words, "
Soros, quoros, eva equas
!" burst from my mouth. The shield captured the impact of her attack. I flicked my wand again. "
Torsius
!"

My mother twisted her wand. "
Parrano
!"

Brilliant forces collided in mid-air as her attack parried mine.

My shield was slowly fading and I knew there was no way to survive a fight with Delectra, so I did the next best thing and hopped on my broom. The moment I did, she threw a broom in front of her, and leapt on it while it levitated in the air.

"This is awful," I muttered to myself. Max once told me my mother was a champion broom racer. I'd have to fly for my life if I hoped to escape her. I spun around and zipped down the long hallway. Bolts of electricity shot past me, exploding against the wall and shattering sconces. Leaning hard left, I veered the broom down another corridor then strafed hard right, flying sideways to guide the broom up a winding staircase.

I zipped past a group of startled students and took the next left. Someone shouted in alarm and a stack of parchments exploded into the air. A quick glance back told me what I'd feared. Delectra burst through the cloud of paper only a hundred feet behind me, her black robes fluttering in the wind, the black void beneath her cowl sending shivers down my back.

A desperate thought flashed into my mind. Had Delectra killed Esma and lain in wait for me to show up? My desire to protect myself might have cost the professor her life. One thing was certain—I had to find a safe place to go. The only place I could think of was Moore Manor. Galfandor might be able to fight Delectra. But what if he wasn't there right now? Then I'd be out in the open and vulnerable.

First, I had to check Galfandor's office here, but reaching my phone in my pocket while flying like a madman through the hallways would be impossible. I thought back to the view from the headmaster's office and tried to imagine where it would be. Another crackle of energy exploded off the ceiling. I dodged around a cloud of dust and careened around the next corner. A chandelier appeared in front of me. I spun upside down and felt one of the crystals graze my foot.

The windows on the next spiraling staircase hung open to let in the cool night air. I skidded to a stop, twisted the broom sideways, and kicked off the inside wall to propel me out the third window. I looked up at the highest spires and realized Galfandor's office had to be there somewhere. Delectra flashed past on the stairwell, and for a heartbeat, I thought I'd fooled her.

Seconds later, she zipped through an open window above me and laughed.

Diving, I circled the tower, flitted between two turrets, and pulled back on the broom handle until I flew straight up the tower wall. When I reached the top, I angled for the tallest tower, praying that was Galfandor's office. Bolts of magical energy flew past, each one coming closer to striking me. I saw a light emanating from the window on the tower ahead.

Before I could reach it, something snared me around my shoulders. The sudden jolt caused my hand to twist the broom's throttle back to zero. Before I could recover, Delectra whooshed around me and spun to face me.

It was over.

I stiffened my back and glared into the dark depths of that hood. "Did you kill Esma? If you did, I promise I'll find a way to kill you before you kill me!"

She responded with laughter. It wasn't the cold maniacal laughter of a killer, but lighthearted enjoyment. My pursuer threw back the cowl to reveal Esma's amused face. "Oh my, Conrad! I haven't had that much fun in ages." She put away her wand and the noose around my shoulders vanished. "You're quite the broom rider."

All the terror and adrenaline burst into flames of anger. It took everything I had not to shout at her.

Esma didn't miss the rage in my eyes and her laughter faded. "You asked for my tutoring, young man. I told you it would be nothing like class."

A few deep breaths allowed my mind to clear and I realized what she'd done probably showed her exactly how I'd react in a dangerous situation. She'd studied me, and maybe that would help her teach me. I nodded. "I know."

Her lips pursed. "I have molded many champions, Conrad Edison, but I must say you are higher quality clay than most." She smirked. "I think this will be fun." Esma pointed toward the field in front of the Dark Forest far below. "Let's go there to practice."

I nodded and followed her.

Esma turned in her seat as we flew. "I'm touched that you offered to avenge me, by the way. Very thoughtful, Conrad."

The urge to zap her in the seat of her robes was nearly too strong to resist.

Once we landed, Esma got right to business. "This is the second time I've seen you reflexively use a multi-casted shield spell. In addition, you nearly landed an advanced telekinetic spell on me." She tapped her wand against her thigh. "Where did you learn those spells?"

If she had trouble believing my parents were still alive, this part would certainly blow her mind. "I have parts of my parents' souls inside me."

Her eyes flared. "Explain."

So I did.

"That was quite a tale," Esma said at the end of my shortened retelling of the living curse. "It appears the survival instincts of the trapped soul fragments—Vic and Della, as you call them—reflexively help you when threatened." She made a thoughtful grunt. "Well, I say it's time you learned how to cast those spells on your own."

"I'd be delighted to learn."

She smiled. "Then let's begin."

It was late when we finished, and I fell into bed the moment I returned to my room at the keep. Max was already asleep and lightly snoring, so I didn't wake him to tell him about the night's excitement.

The next day, I went through classes as usual, but kept a close eye on the restrooms when I passed them on the way to history class. No thugs leapt out to beat me. Professor Beetle droned through another lesson, putting nearly everyone into a drowsy stupor and then we went to Professor Trask's Potions class.

Lily greeted us brightly when we entered—a marked difference from the way she acted when Harris and Baxter were around.

"Some ruffians beat up Conrad in the hallway yesterday," Ambria said to the other girl in a low voice. She regarded her suspiciously. "I don't suppose you know anything about that, do you?"

Lily's eyes widened. "No." She looked away. "I will admit Baxter talked about doing it, but Harris said he didn't need to do anything, that the prophecy would sort things out."

Max snorted. "Must be nice having your life planned out for you like that."

"I think it's awful," Lily said with a grimace. "I'd rather be surprised."

Next up we went to Professor Sideon's Enchantment class. For once, the professor was on time and ready with a lesson. "Today we'll be making friendship charms." He dumped a pile of yarn on the table and set a bucket of beads next to it. "First, thread a bracelet or necklace, then follow the directions in the book for the charm." Sideon looked around the room. "Everyone understand?"

"Yes, Professor," was our uniform reply.

"Excellent." He strode from the room.

"What a lousy professor," Ambria said. "He's late most of the time, and then just leaves when he wants."

"Enchantments is one of those core freebie classes," Max said. "You don't see many people going into it as a specialty unless they want to be a flying carpet or broom maker."

"I could think of plenty of uses besides manufacturing," Ambria said. "What about enchanted swords like in the fairy tales?"

Max quirked an eyebrow. "The Templars used tons of enchantments for their armor and swords, but all their charmers went with them to Seraphina." He sighed. "I guess it's a dying art these days."