The Mindmage's Wrath: A Book of Underrealm (The Academy Journals 2) (6 page)

Kalem met Ebon’s eyes in the moonslight. The boy’s were wide and frightened, but then, Ebon guessed that he must look much the same.

They crept along. Ebon’s steps slow and soft as a field mouse. He heard one sharp step on the other side of the hedge. It sounded like a stumble. He met Kalem’s eyes and received a nod. Lilith was sneaking along beside them.

Then they heard murmuring voices from the other direction.

Ebon whirled. Kalem barely stifled a cry. And from the other side of the hedge came the sound of running. Lilith was trying to flee, taking advantage of the distraction.

“Catch her!” Ebon whispered.

“I think I can—” Kalem’s eyes began to glow. He stepped towards the hedge and held forth his hands. Where he touched the shrub, it hissed and vanished into steam. Leaping forwards, he cleared a tunnel through the plants—only for Ebon to hear him give a muffled cry from the other side.

“Kalem!” Ebon barely kept his voice muted, and bounded forwards through the bush. On the other side were two dark figures. He flung himself at the taller one, tackling it to the ground.

“Get off me, you idiot goldshitter!” hissed a familiar voice.

“Theren?” said Ebon, for indeed it was her. He pushed up and away, holding out his hands. “I ... I am sorry, I did not know—”

“Leave it,” she growled. “And help me up.”

He hastened to take Theren’s hand and pull her to standing. “We heard you and thought it was Lilith.”

“I heard you and thought
you
were Lilith. When I heard those voices, I thought she was trying to escape.”

The voices. Ebon waved at his friends for silence. Together they crept towards the gap in the hedges that Kalem had cleared. The voices were still there. Two of them, both hushed.

“That must be Lilith,” whispered Kalem.

“Aye, and one other,” said Theren.

“It is a good thing they did not hear us,” said Ebon. “Now, if we can see who—”

But there came rustling steps on the grass, and the trio threw themselves behind a rosebush. Lilith emerged from the garden into the moonslight. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, and her steps were steady. Had she glanced to her left she might have seen Ebon, but she did not waver on her way back to the citadel.

“After her,” said Theren.

“In a moment,” said Ebon. “First I would like to know who she spoke to.”

“Her accomplice means nothing. We are following Lilith.”

“It will be but a moment.” Ebon did not wait for an answer, but slipped around the rosebush and into the hedges. Here the plants formed a sort of fence around a small yard with two stone benches. Ebon had come here on occasion, when he wished to be alone with his thoughts. He reached a narrow gap in the hedge, pressing himself up against it to peer inside.

He could see no one.

Ebon turned to find Theren and Kalem eyeing him expectantly. He frowned, shaking his head. Theren pushed past him to see for herself.

“Theren, wait!” Ebon grabbed for her sleeve, but she cast him off. Ebon flinched as she stepped into the open. But nothing happened. Slowly, he straightened and joined her.

No one was there. The benches were empty.

“Who was she talking to?” Kalem asked.

“They must have slipped away,” muttered Theren.

“Our eyes were upon the door the whole time,” said Ebon. “They could not have left without us seeing it.”

Theren snorted. “This is the Academy, Ebon. A weremage could have turned to a snake and slithered away, a mindmage could leap over the hedge. A firemage—”

A child’s piercing scream rang out from the citadel, cutting her words short.

Shock froze them. Then Ebon cried “Lilith,” and ran, while the others hastened to follow. Together they burst through the white cedar door and flew through the halls, towards the screams that grew louder and more terrified the closer they drew.

“We make for the vaults,” said Theren as they ran. “Something has happened. Lilith must—”

They rounded the final corner and froze, struck dumb at the sight before them. In front of a great iron door lay Instructor Credell. His eyes were no longer anxious and shifting, but vacant and staring up at the ceiling, as blood spilled from his slit throat to pool around his body.

six

FOR A MOMENT EBON COULD see nothing but the body. Credell’s face was Elf-white, marked only by the dark blood that had spattered his skin as it spurted forth. That blood ran thick and slow now, soaking into his hair and robes. Ebon thought of the day the Seat was attacked, and that Credell had been bloodstained then, too, fighting to defend his students from the Shades in an uncommon display of courage.

His students. Astrea.
Darkness take me,
thought Ebon. For there she was: little Astrea, cowering against the wall. She was screaming, still screaming, and he realized it had been her voice they had heard from the garden. Her feet scraped the floor and her hands dragged at the stone wall as though she wished to burrow into it and away, but she could not remove her eyes from Credell sprawled on the floor.

Another student stood beside her, holding her in a tight embrace—Isra, the girl he had run into in the dining hall that morning. She held Astrea tight, her face held to the girl’s, whispering comfort into her ear. Some other students stood about as well, drawn by the commotion just as Ebon and his friends had been—but all, like Ebon, were frozen in fear.

He forced himself to move, crossing the hallway towards Astrea. He knelt before her, placing his face in between her and Credell’s corpse.

“Astrea. Astrea!”

She stopped her screaming long enough for her wild eyes to find his. It took a moment for her to recognize him, but when she did she flung herself forwards, wrapping her arms around his neck. He turned so her face was pointed away from Credell. But then, to his surprise, Isra reached out to drag Astrea backwards. She knelt to hold the girl as Ebon had done. Her eyes were wide, her face even more gaunt and pinched than usual. Astrea gripped her hard, tears soaking the older girl’s robes.

“What happened?” said Theren.

For a moment Isra seemed unable to speak, only looking up and blinking. At last she shook her head and stuttered, “We—we were walking. Together—the two of us. We found him here, like this.”

“Who else was here?” said Theren. “Was it Lilith? Did you see her?”

Ebon frowned. “Theren.”

Isra only blinked, still in shock, and her hands tightened on Astrea’s shoulders.

“What is going on here? Stand aside, all of—oh, sky above. Back.
Back!”

They turned to find Jia. Her light skin had grown paler still, and she stood before the students, waving them back from the body. Instructor Dasko arrived a moment later. He stared at the body a bit longer than Jia had, but then he joined her in ushering the students away.

“Sky above, Ebon, get that child out of sight of him!”

Jia’s sharp rebuke jarred him from his thoughts. Crimson blush crept into his cheeks that he had not thought of it. Quickly he went to Astrea, guiding her down the hallway. Isra kept a tight grip on the girl’s shoulder, but she did not stop him. They stopped around the corner, where Astrea collapsed to the stone floor. Isra sat beside her, one arm still wrapped protectively about the girl’s shoulders.

Heavy, thudding footsteps sounded down the hall, and Perrin came into view a moment later. She caught Ebon’s eye and tossed her head. “What is all this commotion for?”

Ebon pointed down the hall. “It ... Instructor Credell, he is ... they found him ...”

Perrin’s face grew solemn, and she broke into a heavy jog. Though she vanished around the corner, Ebon could still hear the sharp hiss of her breath when she saw Credell. Then her booming commands rang forth, ordering students to draw away from the body so the instructors could do their work.

“Are you all right?” Ebon winced at once, hearing how foolish the question sounded. “Would you like some water? Or anything else from the kitchens? I could fetch something ...” But Astrea only shook her head, eyes fixed sightlessly upon her feet.

Theren drew close, and pulled Kalem in as well. “It was Lilith,” she murmured. “It must have been. She slipped away from us so she could do this. I knew we should have followed her.”

“Murdering an instructor?” said Kalem. “That is madness. She could not. And besides, why would she?”

“The vaults, of course,” said Theren, frowning. “Did you not see the door where Credell lay? That is the entrance.”

Kalem balked, sharing an uncertain look with Ebon. But sharp, clipped footsteps down the hallway distracted them, and they all turned to see Jia approaching. She swept her gaze across them, lips pursed.

“Did anyone see what happened?”

“No, Instructor,” said Ebon. Astrea shook her head.

“Who arrived first?”

“Them—Astrea and Isra, I mean, or at least they came before we did,” said Theren. “But Instructor, in the garden we saw—”

Jia silenced her with a raised finger, and then went to kneel before Astrea and Isra. She took the younger girl’s hands in her own, pressing them gently together. “Astrea,” she said softly. “It pains me greatly that you saw that. I am sorry to ask, but it may help us—did you see anything? Anything at all that might help?”

Astrea shook her head, eyes still saucer wide. Isra gripped her tighter. “We were together, Instructor, walking through the hall. We found him just as you saw him.”

“Is that true, Astrea?” The girl nodded. Jia sighed and stood. “Thank you both. Isra, please see Astrea to her dormitory, and wait with her in the common room until I can visit you. Do you understand?”

Isra nodded and stood. But before she could leave, Theren sprang forwards to take Jia’s sleeve. “Instructor,” she said quickly. “We may have seen something that could help. Moments before we heard Astrea scream, we were following Lilith in the gardens. She spoke with someone out there, though we could not see who. Then she eluded us, vanishing from sight. It was only moments later that they found Credell’s body.”

Jia frowned. “Why were you following her? What do you mean, she
eluded
you?”

“She snuck away. She stepped out of sight so that we could not follow her.”

Ebon had grown more uncomfortable with Theren’s every word, and now he took her by the arm. “Theren, that is not exactly what happened. Instructor, we were following Lilith, but she did not know it, and she did not try to evade us. She went into the Academy while we stayed behind.”

Theren’s eyes upon him were full of fury and hurt. “But it
was
before Credell was killed,” she insisted.

Jia glared, folding her arms across her chest. “Theren, I know something of the feud between you and Lilith, but accusing her of murder is far beyond reason, even for you. Unless you have something more substantial than this—”

“I have not accused her!” cried Theren. “I have only told you what I saw. Is it not at least worth questioning her?”

“Little more than any other soul at the Academy,” said Jia. “Many were surely alone when—”

Abruptly she stopped talking and drew up straight, folding her hands together before her. Ebon
felt
a presence behind him and turned, along with Kalem and Theren. There stood Dean Xain, imposing in his robes of office, his dark eyes fixed on Ebon.

“Son of Drayden,” he said, his voice dripping with scorn. “I am not surprised to find you present in such a commotion.”

“Dean,” said Jia gravely. “Instructor Credell has been found dead. I will show you the body. Dasko and Perrin have cleared the students out of the hall.”

That gave him pause, but only for the space of a breath. “Did any witness what happened?” said Xain, never taking his gaze from Ebon. “Were you there, son of Drayden?”

Fear mixed with anger in Ebon’s breast—fear of Xain’s reckless malice, and anger at the injustice of it. “No, Dean. I was in the garden with Theren and Kalem.”

Xain looked to Ebon’s friends. Theren nodded, and Kalem said, “It is true, Dean.”

“Several other students reached the body before Ebon and his friends, Dean,” Jia added. “We had just begun to question the students when you arrived.”

Xain looked to her, and then to Isra, who met his gaze with one of equal steel. He shrugged and pushed past Ebon, who was forced to step aside. Jia followed him around the corner. Ebon had almost decided to go with them when he heard many footsteps coming down the hall from the opposite direction. In a moment, Lilith appeared. Behind her were the students she had gathered in the library.

“Lilith!” Theren’s voice rose to a furious shout. “What have you done?”

The students stopped, and Lilith glared back. “What are you talking about, Theren? We heard a tumult and came to see what it was.”

“You lie,” Theren snarled, stepping forwards. Ebon gripped her arm, and Kalem took the other. “We know what you did, Lilith.”

“And what exactly is that?” Xain’s voice rolled through the hallway, freezing them like mindmagic. The Dean swept forwards, Jia at his side, and both came to a stop between the two groups.

Jia spoke first. “Lilith, can you account for your whereabouts this evening?”

Lilith blinked, brow furrowing with doubt. “I ... I was in the library with my friends.”

“We saw you!” cried Theren. “We saw you in the garden, Lilith. And then you came back into the citadel, just before Credell was killed.”

Beneath her dark skin, Lilith went grey as ash. “Killed? I ...” She swallowed, looking at the others beside her. “I only stepped out to get some air, and then I went straight back to the others. They were there, and know I am telling the truth.”

“She is,” said Oren immediately. But on Lilith’s other side, Nella hesitated. It was only a moment before she nodded in assent, but Ebon noted it.

“Very well,” said Jia. “Then we are done here. All of you, return to your rooms. Ebon, if you would, look in upon Astrea in her dormitory. I will be there as soon as I can, but I want to ensure she has friends about her. She is far too young to have witnessed something so wretched.”

“I will, Instructor.” Ebon noted that Xain had fixed him with a dark look, and did not seem pleased to see them go. But again he turned without speaking, and Ebon hastened away before they could be recalled.