Mirror Mage 2: Chapters 41-45 (Patreon)

Chapter 41

After we finished lunch, I decided to speak to Valerie about my other issue with Molly present. Just so there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings or possible walloping.

“So, Val. I’d like to ask you a favor.”

She sat back and eyed me curiously. “Yes?”

“Would you be willing to practice dueling with me?”

“In what sense?”

“The magic sense. I know I can bounce back words of power from other magi, but you’re not a magi. You’re a sorcerer. Decker explained the distinction to me, but I’ll freely admit I don’t fully understand it.”

“It is unlikely you will be facing sorcerers until after you graduate.”

“I disagree. So far, all the serpents who’ve come after me have been magi worshipping Quetzalcoatl. But that can’t be all they have, and those cultists don’t just want Molly. They want me, too, and if I were them and I’d fucked up three times already, I’d escalate.”

Valerie raised an eyebrow curiously. “You’re certain they wish to capture you?”

“Yes. When they almost snagged us last semester, one of them could have killed me in my car. He took me captive instead, right beside Molly.” It still felt surreal that I could say that without freaking out again, but I’d had time to adjust after popping a guy’s head. “It’s only a matter of time before they either find a sorcerer to help them or... I don’t know, hire one.”

Molly leaned forward. “Can you hire sorcerers?”

Valerie frowned thoughtfully. “I would like to say no, but I cannot speak for all the sorcerers who may be out in the world today. The Tri-Colony compact is but a small portion of the Americas, and most of the United States and the regions beyond are largely unregulated. While true sorcerers have grown less common over the last few generations, it is possible that some could accept mercenary work. But they can’t reach you here.”

“You sure about that?”

“Quite sure. Hallowstone’s wards are powered by the same essence that powers the portal at the center of the fort. The energy it provides is beyond mere sorcerers. Not even the most powerful sorcerer on the planet could defeat our bypass our words.”

Molly grinned. “Because of the giant tree, right?”

I remembered a snippet of conversation from the night Jane had drive me and Molly into Hallowstone for the first time after the serpents had attacked me at my apartment and tried to abduct her. I hadn’t thought it recently.

Molly stared into my eyes. “Rumors say there’s some ancient magic tree in the cellar beneath the headmaster’s building. Makes a magic shield that covers the whole campus.”

Jane slowed her SUV as we approached the dome. “There’s no tree.”

“They also say all the uppers say there’s no tree, cause you’re not supposed to talk about the tree. Not until you see it. It’s a secret tree.”

Valerie frowned. “I do not believe there is a tree.”

“But all the uppers say that, so there’s got to be something.”

“As an ‘upper’ myself, I have never heard anything about any sort of tree in any cellar. Hohman Hall does not even have a cellar, which makes the rumor even more ludicrous.”

Molly shrugged. “Could be a secret cellar.”

“I very much doubt that, but I cannot entirely discount it. I have never been given an explanation as to what sort of power source is responsible for generating the dome and powering the portal. I know only that it is seemingly infinite and impossible to move.”

I nodded. “Which is why no one has tried to steal it. It can’t be stolen or moved.”

“That is my assumption.”

“Your dad never told you how it works?”

“My father rarely speaks of such things.”

From the tightening of her lips, I got the feeling her father rarely spoke to her at all. This poor, lonely woman. I was glad we were going to be friends now, because it was even more clear than ever that she needed one. Now, thanks to Molly accepting her, she’d get two.

“Well, setting aside whether there’s a tree or a rock or a tiny little magical fusion reactor, I’m convinced of two things. The serpents who want us aren’t going to give up, and I haven’t faced a true sorcerer yet. So I’m hoping you’ll show me what they’re capable of, so I’ll be ready to deal with one if he does show up and cause trouble.”

“I will admit to being curious about how your idol and his abilities would interact with sorcery. Words of power are granted by idols to magi who show sufficient rapport, but unlike magi, I do not rely on an idol to summon my power. It comes from my Unseen blood. The only limitation on what I can do is my own understanding.”

Molly shivered beside. “That’s so cool.”

Valerie smiled faintly. “Thank you?”

I gave Molly a squeeze and leaned toward Valerie. “So, you’ll train with me?”

“If you wish, though we will need to do so later in the evening. My current class schedule and other responsibilities keep me quite busy.”

“Fine by me. My schedule’s pretty open. What’s a good time for you?”

“We could begin our experiments this Friday. Any time past nine PM.”

I glanced at Molly. “That work for you?”

She smirked. “You need a chaperone for sorcerer practice?”

“I might need a nursemaid if Val kicks my ass too hard.”

Molly brushed a bit of my hair back from my forehead in a way that left all sorts of tingles. “Fine. If you get a wee booboo, I’ll kiss it and make it better.”

I grinned at her, then looked at Valerie again. “Thanks, Val.”

She watched us for another moment before nodding. “Of course.”

We finished our lunch shortly after, then vacated the booth to make room for other students. Valerie excused herself not long after that. Since neither Molly or I had anywhere to be immediately, we wanted around town while waiting for the next shuttle.

Molly rested close against me, and I kept one arm around her. It was cold, but we kept each other warm. I still wanted to tell her what I’d learned about her father from Annie this morning, but she’d made me promise to wait until after her test in this afternoon.

Finally, Molly looked up at me. “You were right about her.”

“See? I told you she wasn’t trying to pick me up.”

“Not just about that. About her being lonely. After meeting her, I feel so bad for her.”

“Me, too. I’m glad no one’s trying to choose who I get to spend the rest of my life with, because I already have her in my arms.”

Molly shivered and pressed close. “Bloody hell, K, don’t do that to me in public.”

“Do what?”

“Make me want to pull your clothes off and have my way with you.”

“Yeah, well... tonight?”

“If I can convince Harper to step out for an hour.” Molly hugged me tightly. “But I don’t think you know how right you were about her.”

“About Val? How do you mean?”

Molly steered me off the sidewalk to an alcove built into a building wall that would get us out of the cold wind. As she clung tightly to me, warming us, she continued.

“Remember how I feel other people’s happiness?”

“How could I forget? You said mine feels special.”

“Yours feels bloody orgasmic half the time, but that’s just cause it’s so strong. I feel happiness from most everyone, every once in a while, even if just a little bit. It comes and goes, but it’s almost always there around people.”

“I know. You told me. It’s why me hugging Harper gets you drunk.”

Molly shivered again, and not from cold. “Yeah, we’ll tuck that away ‘til later.”

“Understood.”

“But when I say it’s around me all the time, I mean I barely notice it when it’s there. What I do notice is a lack of happiness. That’s rare enough it stands out.”

I suddenly saw what she was driving at. “Val wasn’t happy?”

“Not even for a moment. Our whole lunch, I didn’t get a single whiff of happiness off her. Not when she had her onion rings. Not when she had her steak salad. Not even when I said how bloody gorgeous she was. It’s like... like she can’t feel happiness at all.”

I considered that. “That sounds horrible.”

“It’s bloody depressing, that’s what it is. No one should have to live like that.”

“She almost seemed happy the night she met.”

“You mean at the Paper Factory?”

“Yes. She seemed like she was enjoying our discussion until she didn’t.”

I’d told Molly this story many times, so she knew all the details. I didn’t have to tell her the rest of it. We simply hugged each other in silence as we waited for the inevitable moment when we would have to hop on the bus and then part ways for the rest of the afternoon.

Molly sighed. “I hope we can make her life a little brighter.”

I smiled as I stared down at my considerate, sweet, generous girlfriend. “Really?”

“Yes. I may not want her to have you, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want her to have someone. She doesn’t even get a fella of her own. Just endless responsibilities from her family, and all this weight bearing down on her without end. She deserves better.”

“You haven’t even met her dad yet. You should have seen the way he talked to her when he chewed her out in his office. It was like he was disciplining just another unruly student, not his daughter. I don’t know who her mom was, but I’d bet she’s not in Val’s life.”

Molly winced. “Did something happen to her Ma?”

“I don’t think anything happened, other than her mother giving birth to her. Val said when she gets married, she’s supposed to pump out a kid and then leave them for the family to raise while she goes on expeditions. She won’t even get to be there for them as they grow up.”

Molly hugged me tighter. “That’s so unfair.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and I completely forgot to ask. You’re in a conclave with Val now, right? So who else is in your conclave?”

“Tyson and Leon.”

Molly nodded approvingly. “Good boys.”

“I know. I think Val’s right about her dad planning to put us together. He knew Tyson and I get along, and he knew Leon and I knew each other. But neither of them know Val all that well. So I’d bet by putting me in her class, he hoped I would get them all together.”

Molly grinned up at me teasingly. “So you’re the leader, then?”

“No, that’s Val.”

“Should be you.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. Being the leader comes with a lot of extra work. I already have to lead a study group, remember?”

Molly wrinkled her nose. “With Lilah Bloody Bancroft.”

“And Harper! Who you like.”

“Right, anyone else?”

“You know, I never figured that out. I assume we’ll finalize study groups tomorrow in class.”

“Gonna round yours out with cute girls, then?”

“For your information, I might invite some guys, too.”

Molly considered me for a moment, then smiled. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t invite any guys. Make it girls, K. All girls.”

I eyed her dubiously. “Did you just get bodysnatched or something?”

She ribbed me. “Think about it. Tez told you that the more people envy you, the more power he’s going to give you, right?”

“Yes, but that’s only if I start dating other women. Which I am not going going to do.”

“But that’s the thing. You don’t actually have to date other women. You just have to make everyone on campus think you are.”

That made a sexual amount of sense. “You’re serious?”

“Now that you reminded me we might have a bloody sorcerer coming after us, I am. If rumors get around that you’re hosting your own private study group, and it’s all cute girls, people can assume whatever they like. You just need the envy, right?”

“I suppose that is true.”

“Then we’re going to make people here envy the feck out of you. And since I’m in your study group? I’ll be there to protect your virtue.” She stood up on tiptoes, then whispered in my ear. “And steal it the moment they all go away.”

I shivered. That was a thought that would stick me with all afternoon.

And it would certainly make our study group more interesting.

Chapter 42

After Molly and I rode back to campus on the bus, we reluctantly split up. I had intended to find Miss Wilcox and talk to her about Molly’s dad secretly being a member of Hallowstone’s Special Forces, and why neither her or my dad ever told us that, but I had spent my lunch with Valerie and Molly instead. I wasn’t about to skip my Affinities class on my first day.

After talking with Molly about how her Happiness pull affinity worked, I was even more curious to learn everything I could about them. I’d gotten used to feeling my pride affinity feel when I felt pride, and the happy drunkenness I felt around Molly was my pull affinity feasting on the love she felt for me every moment we were together.

But what Molly had told me about Valerie had me wondering if it was possible for someone’s emotions to get so low that you couldn’t pull anything from them at all. Did Valerie really never feel happiness? How could anyone live like that?

I reported to Room 301 in Agrippa Hall only ten minutes before class was going to start. That was a bit later than I’d showed up for the rest of them. I was starting to adjust to the idea that I was the only one here excited enough to show up fifteen minutes early.

The double doors leading into the room were locked. I could see from a glance in the windows that it was another auditorium like the ones in which I had Magical History and History of Expeditions. This would likely be a book class rather than a practical class.

At least the instructor hadn’t assigned any reading material we were expected to review before the first day. That was a Master Sewell special. I was standing expectantly when the scuff of flat shoes on tile caught my attention.

I turned to look and immediately stood straighter. A frowning and intimidating looking woman was striding toward me wearing a loose, dark dress that fell all the way to her ankles. She looked to be in her sixties at least, with thick round glasses with thin frames.

I would have said she was dressed like a nun if not for the fact that she wasn’t wearing the headband, veil, or the round white thing that goes around their neck. But her dark dress definitely looked like something a nun would wear. Her flats clicked with each step.

This was Mistress Miller. I knew who she was at once because Molly had once described her as “one of those mean nuns who would rap your hand with a ruler if you talked out of turn.” This was not a woman I was going to piss off for any reason short of an emergency.

I instinctively stepped aside to clear the door. Mistress Miller pulled a set of keys from her long black dress and selected one without even looking at it, then put it in the lock and turned it with a satisfying click. She tucked the keys away, then glanced at me.

“Help me open these doors, young man?”

She didn’t sound mean, just stoic and dignified. Even so, I jumped to comply. I pushed one door open as she pushed the other.

I knelt to put down the doorstop, then rose to see that she’d done the same. After that she strode into the room without a look back. As she headed to the lectern, I followed her.

Her next words surprised me.

“You’d be the Bradley boy, I imagine.”

I abruptly tried not to look nervous. “Yup, that’s me. How’d you know?”

“I knew your father. You have his eyes. There’s also a touch of wildling about you.”

That was kind of cool, I guess. “Oh? Were you two friends?”

“He was one of my first students. I began instructing here only a year before he arrived. I was so much younger then. He was a troublemaker who gave an inexperienced instructor no end of grief, mainly because he found it amusing.”

I kept walking. “Oh, sorry?”

“He was also one of the most decorated captains to graduate from this preparatory school, and he saved a great many lives on expeditions. I knew your mother as well. Penelope was a sweet girl, dutiful and charming. The world is less bright without her in it.”

A small wave of grief washed over me before I smiled. “Thank you.”

“For what? I’ve said nothing that was not warranted.”

“No, I just... thank you for telling me that about my mother. I guess... growing up, I knew her, but I didn’t know about this. Magic. Any of it. So I’m glad to know Mom made a difference while she was here. I know Dad did, but I don’t hear near as much about my mother.”

As Mistress Miller turned to look at me, she smiled faintly.

“Then you should know that Penelope Cooper was one of my favorite students, and that she, too, saved a great many lives in her time here. Not everyone talks about the ones who don’t come back. I think it’s because they don’t want to acknowledge that they may one day be among them. Those who never return are often tucked away as quiet whispers.”

I stared solemnly at Mistress Miller. She stared back as if judging me.

“What type of student do you intend to be, Prentice Bradley? Are going to be a troublemaker like your father, or a sweet and dutiful student like your mother?”

I considered her question for longer than I expected.

“I think I’ll just be me.”

“And who are you?”

“I’ll let you know when I figure that out.”

Her faint smile widened. “Not everyone your age realizes they still need to do so.”

“Yeah, well, I had to work a bit harder to figure things out growing up.”

“I’m aware that you have a unique method of learning. I will not expect you to read extensively. Listen in class, review the audiobooks, and ask questions when you are confused, and I see no reason you cannot excel here. Does all of that sound doable?”

She’d said my “unique way of learning.” She hadn’t said “my disability.” That alone made her one of my favorite instructors before I’d even learned a thing from her. I nodded solemnly and hoped she appreciated how much I appreciated her understanding.

“I think that’s very fair, Mistress. I’m here to learn everything I can about magic.”

“Good. Keep that goal in mind, and we’ll have no problems.”

More students began to file in right after that. I took what had become my typical spot on the second row of the auditorium. I glanced back to see if I recognized any of them, and I spotted Hurley at once. He waved. I waved, but I didn’t dare start up a conversation.

Instead, I readied my tape recorder for notetaking and settled in for anything. I wasn’t sure if Mistress Miller was going to hit us with everything all at once, like Sewell, or ease us into it, like Rodriguez. I did know that she definitely wasn’t just a mean nun. She’d made clear in one conversation that so long as you offered her respect, she’d return it.

And I now had no intention of disrespecting Mistress Miller in any way.

Her class was everything I would expect from a woman like her. It was efficient, organized, and had absolutely no tolerance for foolishness. She could silence a group of snickering students with a single glance, and one stern frown made people sink into their seats.

She never directed those weapons at me because I never gave her any reason to. And as she calmly went down the list of affinities available to magi and sorcerers, I listened closely.

I knew that affinities were based on emotion, but this was the first time anyone had explained that some were direct opposites of each other. Shame, for example, was the opposite affinity of pride. I couldn’t imagine how much it would suck to have to feel shame to charge your magical batteries. Disgust, fear, and cruelty didn’t sound any better.

Anger was less cut and dry. I supposed anger could be a good push affinity if it let you charge up in a battle when you were angry at whoever was coming after you. Even so, I felt like I’d gotten lucky with my affinities. Pride was a bit tricky, but nothing like longing would be.

And love? Love was awesome, especially as a pull affinity. I got to feel Molly’s love for me every day... and also feel the same from Miss Wilcox, and even Dad.

I had learned that Miss Wilcox’s push affinity was longing, while her pull affinity was fear. The only way she could charge her magical batteries was by wanting someone she could never have, or by scaring someone to the point where they were afraid of her. Neither was fun.

No one had any questions until the midpoint of the class. At that point, Mistress Miller halted her lecture and waited for someone to speak. No one did.

As I briefly glanced behind me, I wondered if they were all afraid of her. They certainly looked intimidated. I raised my hand. Mistress Miller focused her stern gaze on me.

“Yes? Prentice Bradley?”

“Do we know why people get the affinities they do? Is it random, or can you predict it by looking through family trees?”

I already knew the answer. Miss Wilcox had already told me that affinities were often passed down through family lines, which helped explain where mine had come from. My mother, Penelope Cooper, had pride as her push affinity. I’d gotten mine from her.

I’d gotten my love pull affinity from my father. Miss Wilcox had told me that my Dad could feel my Mom’s love every single day. Now that I knew how much Molly’s love made me feel like I could never be without it, I knew how badly he must miss her.

Just because I knew the answer didn’t mean everyone did, however. Hopefully, seeing that Mistress Miller wouldn’t bite your head off if you asked a simple question would help the other students get more comfortable with doing so. Her faint nod assured me she approved.

“While affinities are not entirely predictable, record keeping over the centuries had confirmed they do tend to run in families. New affinities do manifest, and some vanish from family lines over time, but they are still often passed along from parents to children.”

My question gave rise to others, which was exactly what I’d hoped. I learned that no one knew why some families got shitty affinities, like a pain or fear push affinity. I also learned that sorcerers could transfer magic power to each other through various methods, which meant they weren’t always dependent on their own affinities to charge their batteries.

Some magi could transfer magical power, too. Certain idols had the ability to transfer magical power to others, typically those associated with healing. Finally, I learned that what I thought of as my “magical batteries” were also part of what powered my physical body.

If I completely drained my batteries, it would be just like becoming anemic from a lack of blood, and just as dangerous. Except in that case, it was more like I was low on spirit.

That must have been what happened to me the night I popped that big muscular serpent’s head. Mictia, the word that let me destroy that asshole with a breath, was absurdly powerful, but also seemed like it took a huge amount of magical power to use. I couldn’t rely on it to keep me safe because if I just unloaded on my first enemy, others could overwhelm me.

Being drained of magic was not a place anyone wanted to be, so both sorcerers and magi avoided draining themselves to empty if they could. There meant there were limits on how much magic anyone could use, even for true sorcerers. At least human sorcerers.

I still wondered about the Unseen, the mysterious and magical beings that had all had sex with our ancestors and caused them to pop out magician babies. I wondered if I’d have a class on them and other magical races as well. There had to be other races, right?

Mistress Miller ended her class precisely on time, which is exactly what I would have expected from her. As the other students filed out, I rose and noticed she was taking a moment to gather her notes. I took a breath to build up my courage, then strode toward the podium.

As the other students filed out, she looked up at me and cocked an eyebrow.

“Prentice Bradley? Do you have another question?”

“I do, but not one I wanted to ask in front of the whole class.”

She nodded and closed her bag. “I have a few minutes. What is it?”

“Do you think it’s possible to stop feeling an emotion entirely?”

Chapter 43

Mistress Miller narrowed her eyes at me. “That’s an odd and rather complex question. I would need to know the context before I could answer it with any accuracy.”

“But it is possible.”

“Certainly. There are multiple ways to suppress human emotions, both chemical and magical. Substances that can alter the chemistry of the brain are almost as old as human civilization. Is your question pertinent in some way to the subject of affinities?”

I debated on what to tell her before I remembered my mother had been her favorite student. She also treated my dyslexia as a variable, not a disability. I could trust her with this.

“It might be. My girlfriend, Molly, has a pull affinity for happiness. She picks it up from everywhere when we’re out in public. But we met someone today who didn’t seem to feel happiness. Not even the tiniest bit. Molly described them as a void of happiness.”

Mistress Miller frowned. “Who was this friend?”

“I’d rather not say. I worry it might violate their privacy.”

“It might, but such an instance does worry me. Assuming there is no chemical or magical element involved, I do not believe any conscious human being is ever entirely devoid of happiness. No matter how hard the life lived, there are still some moments of joy, however fleeting. It could be as simple as a cool breeze, or the taste of water slaking thirst.”

“This person didn’t feel any of that. At all. Or, at least, they didn’t feel it it any way that Molly could feel it. So is that possible?”

“Not unless they had suffered some sort of significant trauma in their lives, one which makes me genuinely concerned for their well being. Is this someone you know well?”

“Not as well as I want to.”

Her eyes narrowed again. I winced.

“Sorry, I know how that sounded. I just meant that we’re still getting to know each other, and I hope that we’ll become good friends. But Molly didn’t feel any happiness from them at all.”

“How long were you with this person?”

“Just over lunch. So maybe an hour?”

“And they ate and drank and conversed with you as normal?”

“Yes. I think the three of us actually got along pretty well. Looking back, there were all sorts of moments where I feel like they should have felt at least some tiny bit of happiness. But Molly said it wasn’t there. Not even a little.”

Mistress Miller nodded thoughtfully. “The specificity does narrow it down. Short of a complete psychological break, or some variation in brain chemistry that prevents the release of dopamine, I do not believe that any person in such a situation would be completely devoid of happiness. If Prentice Brown’s reading was accurate, then I suspect some sort of chemical or magical process was involved.”

“Like a curse?”

“Do you believe your new friend to be cursed?”

“I sure hope not. They seem like they’re way too powerful for that. But if we’re right about this, it would either require some sort of lasting mental trauma, a serious imbalance in brain chemistry, or a physical or magical component. It wouldn’t just happen.”

“Not in the way you describe. Not to my knowledge.” She took a step closer. “Do you feel this friend is a danger to themselves?”

I realized what she was asking. She now had the same concerns I’d had this morning when I heard Lilah talking about drowning herself. I knew that one of the things that could strip away privacy with counselors was if the patient expressed thoughts of hurting themselves.

“No. They aren’t suicidal, not remotely. If anything, I would say they are driven to succeed. They have a detailed and practical series of goals they expect to accomplish, in order, as they move forward. They plan to be around a long time. But it does seem sad, doesn’t it?”

Mistress Miller relaxed. “Perhaps. I wonder, Prentice Bradley, can you keep a secret?”

“I’d like to think so. So long as it isn’t something that I thought would hurt anyone, or cause problems for other people.”

“I see. Those are acceptable reservations. I would not normally share something like this with a prentice, or with a student I just met, but you’re a bit older than most in my class. Given all you’ve told me about this person and your impression of them, I can offer one supposition that I would ask you to keep to yourself. Do not spread this idea to other students.”

“Okay, but wait. I might have to tell Molly.”

She cocked her eyebrow again, but this time she looked curious and maybe even a bit impressed. “The two of you don’t keep things from each other, do you?”

“No, Mistress. Molly and I don’t keep secrets, and she’s concerned about this person like I am. I’m also planning to spend the rest of my life with her. Molly, I mean.”

Mistress Miller smiled faintly at that. “Very well. You may share this supposition with her, if she asks, but no other. Is that an acceptable compromise?”

“Very much so. Thank you. I’ll keep it between the three of us. So, what’s your theory?”

“I have no evidence and no sample size to compare against, so this is simply a supposition. Do you recall the part of my lecture where I spoke about opposite affinities?”

“Yes. I paid attention because pride is my push affinity. Shame it is opposite. And you said...” I thought back. “They can cancel out. If you’re constantly feeling shame, and your push affinity is pride, that can actually drain your magical batteries. Right?”

“That is correct, and it is pertinent to push affinities. Feeling the emotion associated with your push affinity charges it, but feeling the opposite emotion can drain it as well.”

“But it’s only the emotion’s opposite that can drain it, right?”

Mistress Miller smiled again. “You were paying attention.”

“I try to, Mistress. So shame drains pride, but other negative emotions won’t be able to do that. Only the emotion that is the direct opposite of the push affinity can drain it.”

“Correct. For some magi and even sorcerers, it can be difficult to fill their push affinity if they are constantly feeling their affinity’s opposite emotion. This is where intentional chemical and magical alteration come into the picture. In your case, if you were having difficulty filling your pride affinity, you could find a person to curse you so you would never feel shame.”

That made perfect sense to me. “So if this person is never feeling happiness, to the point where it seems like there’s some sort of block for that emotion...”

Mistress Miller watched me calmly. I nodded as it all became clear to me.

“I see. That was really helpful.”

“It’s just a supposition, young man. Don’t take it as gospel.”

“And you don’t want me spreading this around because we don’t want prentices randomly trying out drugs, or weird magical curses, to control their emotions and get an edge on generating magical power. That’s why you don’t tell the first years.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“I do, and I made you a promise. I won’t share that this is possible with anyone but Molly, if she asks. If we can verify this, at least that’ll explain what our friend felt and make us worry a bit less. Maybe it’ll even help us find more ways to help them.”

Mistress Miller reached for her pack. “I hope so. Now, I really must be going.”

“Of course, sorry. Can I help you lock up?”

She strode down the aisle. “I wouldn’t mind help pulling up the doorstops. My knees are a bit creaky these days.”

I helped Mistress Miller close the doors, waited as she locked then, and the nodded respectfully as she left. I really did like her, especially after all she’d told me today. I also already knew why Molly didn’t.

Molly didn’t like being chastised. Mistress Miller didn’t take lip from anyone. So the moment one of them stepped on the other’s toes, they’d be at each other like two dogs on each side of a fence. I’d try to remind Molly of that tonight when we saw each other.

That is, assuming she wasn’t still reeling from learning her dad was an HSF officer.

I needed to see Miss Wilcox next. I knew she had office hours every day, though I didn’t know what they were. But thanks to her being there for me while I was growing up, I didn’t have to check the school website and dig through it to find out when she was available.

I could just call her.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her a number. After two rings, the warm, lovely British voice of the woman who had been there for me since my mom vanished spoke up.

“Kyle, are you all right?”

That surprised me, but it shouldn’t have. I really had no reason to call her unless something was wrong. I must have worried her the moment her phone buzzed.

“I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong. I just finished my last class for the day, and I really need to talk to you about something I learned this morning. It’s important.”

“I see.” Some of the tension left Miss Wilcox’s voice. “Is this something that can wait?”

“I’m afraid not. I wish it could, but it concerns both me and Molly. This is something all three of us need to talk about tonight, immediately, and maybe with Dad, too.”

“You said this wasn’t serious, love. It sounds quite the opposite to me.”

“It’s serious, but it’s not life threatening. I would say more over the phone, but I want to talk this over in person. Do you think we can have dinner tonight, maybe?”

“I have a late meeting, but I can cancel it if you believe it necessary.”

“Sorry, but I do. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important to me, and to Molly.”

“Very well, love. I’ve never known you to be irrational about such things, and I have to admit I am curious as to what might be so urgent and mysterious. Shall I have the car pick you up at six-thirty in front of Shetland Hall? I’ll make reservations for dinner.”

“That works. Thank you.”

“Of course.” When she spoke again, I could almost hear her smile. “So? How was it?”

“My second day, you mean?”

“And your first. I’ve heard nothing about it. I assume that means it’s all good news?”

My smile grew as I imagined hers. “Yeah, I mean... I think things are going pretty well so far. I even got two new words of power from Tez last night.”

Miss Wilcox sighed in a way that made me tingle. “Oh Kyle, that’s wonderful.”

“I know, right? I really didn’t expect to get anything so soon, but this proves what we already talked about. I don’t need to form a pride to gain rapport with Tez. Just like Mom when she was working with him, I can get people to respect me in other ways.”

“Of that I have no doubt. So, do you like your instructors?”

“I do, actually. They all have their own quirks, but I haven’t met anyone I dislike.”

“That’s good to hear. Otherwise, I might have to have a word with one of them.”

I laughed. “No need for that. They all seem like they know the material, and they know how to teach. I’m in good hands, though I wish I had a class with you this semester.”

Miss Wilcox didn’t speak for a moment. I wondered if I’d said something wrong.

“Miss Wilcox? You still there?”

I heard a tired huff. “Ana, dear.”

I winced as I remembered she’d asked me to start calling her by her first name. Yet calling her Ana, short for Anastasia, was still something I had to think about. Mainly because it was such a stupidly sexy name. Miss Wilcox was also sexy, but I was supposed to ignore that.

Because. You know. Like my mom.

“Right, Ana. Sorry. But you don’t have to worry about me. The instructors are doing a good job, and all of them seem fair. Even if Master Sewell tricked me into leading a study group.”

“Oh, yes. That is an old trick of his. I’m unsurprised you feel for it. For what it’s worth, I’m certain you’ll lead your group well.”

“Thanks... Ana.”

“You’re welcome, love. So, we’ll speak at dinner tonight?”

“Yes. Thanks for taking the time.”

“For you, I always will. Be good.”

“Yup. See you.”

I hung up, then called Molly as I walked toward the shuttlebus. She didn’t pick up, but that was likely because she was still in class. I left a message so she’d know we were going out to dinner with Miss Wilcox tonight, then hopped on the shuttle bus.

I still didn’t know how Miss Wilcox and Dad could have kept the fact that Henry Brown, Molly’s dad, had been in Hallowstone’s Special Forces. I also wondered if he’d kept it from Ian. I knew Ian had joined the military to father in his father’s footsteps, but...

I stopped dead. Lilah had told me that ghosts generally showed up where the person died, but not always. She’d also said that they could manifest near the person they’d been thinking of when they died, which is what we assumed had happened with Ian.

We’d decided Ian must have been thinking of Molly when he died overseas and ended up here, which was sad but comforting in a way. But what if that wasn’t all there was to it? What if Ian’s ghost was here on campus because he had actually died here on campus?

What if Ian had been Hallowstone Special Forces, too?

Chapter 44

By the time the black sedan driven by Miss Wilcox’s very British driver, Mister Thomas, pulled up in front of Shetland Hall, I was worried Molly was going to keep him waiting. Fortunately, she either timed her arrival for precisely when the car pulled up, or cut her preparations short when she saw our ride was here. She rushed out of Yorkshire Hall.

Her rush allowed to appreciate Molly’s assets in full bounce, which was always a pleasure. She had changed into a nice dress for dinner, though this was was more conservative than the dress she’d worn on our date. It was a simple black dress that only showed off a bit of cleavage, with a hemline falling to midthigh. She wore dark leggings under it.

I was still wearing my Hallowstone uniform, though I had changed my shirt out for the new mauve one. That continued to be Molly’s favorite. As Molly hurried over, Mister Thomas stepped out of the car and walked to the back door.

I rushed around the car and raised a hand. “I’ve got this one.”

Mister Thomas stepped back and spoke in his impeccable British accent. “Of course, sir.”

When Molly arrived, I opened the door for for. I got a quick kiss for my trouble, followed by her sliding into the already heated seats. I saw her shudder in relief.

It was even colder now, with the sun down, than it had been this afternoon. I closed the door, then nodded to Mister Thomas before walking around to the other side and letting myself in. Right after I closed the passenger back door, the driver spoke up.

“Seatbelts, please.”

I buckled mine as Molly did the same, even though I would have preferred to cuddle with her the whole drive. Still, the cuddling would be a lot less fun if an accident sent us both flying out the windshield. I reached out for her hand, and she took mine.

As we drove away from the dormitories and up the road toward the campus buildings, past which we would find the gatehouse leading back to the world outside this campus, I realized we were going off campus for the first time in weeks. That made me a little wary.

“Hey, Mister Thomas?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Is Miss Wilcox waiting for us at the restaurant?”

“She and your father, sir. You needn’t worry for your safety.”

“Oh. That’s good. You’ve got us covered, right?”

Behind us, headlights shined in the back window. I flinched and looked behind me only to recognize the vehicle now following us as one of the black SUVs driven by Hallowstone’s sentinels. Mister Thomas calmly glanced in his mirror to look at us.

“Two sentinels are running escort, sir. Miss Wilcox requested they accompany us to restaurant. Both you and Molly will be in good hands with them.”

I relaxed, then squeezed Molly’s hand. Now that we had sentinels following us, I felt a lot better. No one could just rear end us off the road, and if we did encounter Quetzalcoatl cultists, we’d have backup. We were going to be okay.

Molly leaned forward. “Hey, Mister Thomas? How long ‘til the restaurant?”

“Perhaps twenty-three minutes, Miss, if traffic does as the system expects.”

“Grand. Mind putting up the privacy screen? I need to chat with my boy.”

“Of course, Miss.”

Mister Thomas looked ahead as a faint buzzing rose from ahead. The privacy screen that separated the front of the car let us be alone together. Mister Thomas could no longer see or hear what we were doing, which could be a lot of fun.

Molly eyed me calmly. “So? Spill. I aced my quiz.”

So we weren’t going to make out. We were going to upset her. It had to happen.

“Right. Do you want me to just tell you what I found out, or tell you the whole story?”

“Start with the telling. Then give me the story.”

“Okay.” I took a breath. “Your father served with Hallowstone Special Forces before he retired.”

I expected Molly to blow up. She simply stared at me in a way that suggested she was trying very much not too. I appreciated her restraint, though I was a bit worried by her visible lack of reaction. If the emotional explosion happened all at once, it would be violent.

She took one deep, calming breath, then sat back and looked ahead.

“Feck.”

I incrementally relaxed. “Was I right not to tell you this morning?”

“Oh, so right. This one’s got me banjanxed. I need a minute.”

“Got it. Take all the time you need.”

We rode in silence for at least a couple of miles before Molly finally looked at me again.

“How’d you find out?”

“On my morning run.”

I briefly summarized my experience testing out my new words of power, my meeting with Sergeant Annie Hamilton after I stopped a bit too close to the perimeter of Fort Hallowstone, and what she’d revealed about Henry Brown, Molly’s father.

Molly took all that in, then frowned. “Was she hot?”

“What?”

“Annie. Was she hot?”

“I mean... yes, she was attractive, but she has a boyfriend.”

“Cool.” That seemed to settle her on one topic, at least. “So, now the question is if Miss Ana and your Da knew about this.”

“How could they not? Your mom was friends with my mom. My mom was in a conclave with Miss Wilcox and my dad. They all went on expeditions, plus your mom and dad were married. She had to know he was HSF.”

“Aye, ‘spose so.” Molly looked down. “They never told me.”

I wished I could hug her without pulling off my seatbelt. She must be feeling like I’d felt when I learned my Dad and Mom had both been magi and never told me they were, or that magic was real, or that they went to a magic school.

“I bet your mom would have. I bet she wanted to. She was probably just waiting—”

“Until I grew up?”

I nodded.

“Never got the chance, though.”

I nodded again.

Molly wiped a bit of wet from one eye. “So, that’s why we’re going to dinner tonight. To ask Miss Ana and your Da what the feck they were thinking by not telling us.”

“That’s what I want to ask them. They must have known. They should have told us.”

Molly stiffened suddenly. “Oh, shite!”

“What?”

“Do you think...”

I nodded grimly. “I think it’s a lot more possible than it was before we found this out.”

“He could have died here, K. Not overseas. Here.”

“We don’t know for certain, but it lines up, right? He said he was in special forces, but he couldn’t talk about what he was doing or where he was deployed. We assumed he was overseas because that’s where special forces folks go, but he never said that. Right?”

Molly miserably shook her head. “Bloody hell.”

I squeezed her hand tighter. She squeezed back hard enough I might get a bruise. Yet I didn’t say a word or stop her. I’d take any number of bruises for this woman.

Finally, Molly relaxed her grip and got one herself. “Okay. So. We know what we know.”

“We do.”

“And we won’t know more until we talk to them.”

“Unless Mister Thomas knows something, which I doubt.”

“Grand.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “So, how was Affinities?”

Talking about other things was a good idea. “Oh, not bad. I actually like Mistress Miller.”

She brushed some red hair back from her face. “Psh, you would.”

“What? She’s not mean, just stern. And I learned something else from her, too.”

“Isn’t that the point of having a class?”

“This is special. I think I know what’s going on with Valerie.”

That perked Molly up. “You mean with her being so unhappy?”

“Yes. I think it’s possible she did something so she can’t be happy. Like magic.”

“Why in the bloody hell would she do that?”

“I think her push affinity is sadness.”

I waited for Molly to follow my logic. I knew she would pick up on it. She’d had the class last semester, and she was a lot smarter than she let people know about.

Molly frowned thoughtfully. “You really think she’d go that far to get an edge?”

“I think she’d do just about anything to deal with the weight her dad and everyone else dropped on her shoulders. Just imagine how much it would suck if your push affinity was sadness. Any time you were happy, for any reason, you’d be draining your magical batteries.”

“Which are already hard enough to fill, since you got to be sad to get any.”

I nodded.

Molly sighed. “I didn’t think I could feel any more sorry for that girl.”

“Yeah.”

“But we’re gonna help her now, aren’t we?”

“I’d like to, if you’re with me.”

“I’m always with you. Even if it means I have to leave you unsupervised around a gorgeous blonde princess.”

“She’s not a princess.”

“Still gorgeous, though. I bet we’d get a whole lot of envy across camps if you added her in your pride.”

I frowned. “Let’s be serious, though.”

Molly eyed me for a moment.

“What? We already said we weren’t doing that.”

She looked away. “Sure.”

“So, we’ll help Val out by being her friends with her and... I don’t know. She doesn’t seem like she has anyone who’s there for her, so we’ll be there for her. You, me, Tyson, and Leon.”

“I do miss those boys. We all need to hang out again soon.”

“Maybe we can even invite Val to the study group.”

“If she’s free, why not? You’d have Harper, Val, and even Lilah bloody Bancroft all in your little harem. That’s going to make all the boys jealous.”

I knew she was teasing, but I was ready to tease right back.

“And you, too. You’re in my harem too, Molly.” I leaned closer to her in the car. “You’re mine, remember?”

As her thighs pressed together, she shivered. “Och, stop that.”

I stroked her hair back. “No.”

She trembled again, then leaned closer. We kissed, and we didn’t stop kissing for quite some time. There was some groping as well. I won’t lie.

The nice thing about having a driver to drive you places is it means you can make out with your girlfriend without getting in a wreck. You can even get your hand up her dress if she’s in the mood for that, with Molly certainly was.

We were both horny. We both needed a distraction. I was really glad the sedan had tinted windows.

Molly’s hand was still busy inside my pants when a small buzzing noise jerked us apart. Had Mister Thomas finally noticed what we were doing? Had he seen us? His very British voice came over an intercom I hadn’t realized, until now, was hooked up to the car.

“We’ll be pulling up to the restaurant in just under five minutes.”

Oh, thank goodness. He hadn’t been watching us feel each other up, not that he could. He was just giving us a reminder that we were almost at our destination, like an airline pilot. I glanced down at the uncomfortable bulge in my slacks, then glanced at Molly and frowned.

She shrugged. “We still have five minutes.”

“Right. Just... I’ll think about math. And baseball.”

“Oh, stop.” She unbuckled her seatbelt, then reached over and unzipped my slacks. “It’s my fault. I’ll take care of it.” Before I knew it, she was stroking me right there in the car.

I stared down at her in disbelief. “Molly, we—”

“Sssh.” Her finger pressed to my lips, and then she dropped her head into my lap.

I lost both the ability to speak and reason. All I could do was try not to groan too loud. Four minutes of growing ecstasy, followed by watching Molly’s head bob up and down and putting increasing pressure on the back of her head. Pressure she encouraged.

God, her mouth felt good. And that tongue. Three minutes. Two. Fuck! Was that the restaurant out the windows?

As she finally earned her prize, Molly’s satisfied little giggle barely covered my soft groan. This woman was insane. Insanely perfect for me. There was nothing more wrong than getting a blowjob from my girlfriend right before dinner with my dad and foster mom.

And nothing I could think of at the moment that felt more right.

As we pulled into the restaurant parking lot, Molly gave my dick an affectionate little pat, straightened, and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She smiled proudly.

“So? Good?”

“So good.”

I belatedly remembered to put myself back together. I had just gotten my belt buckled when the intercom buzzed again.

“We’re here, sir. And madam.”

I gathered my wits. “Right, thanks! Thanks for the drive. Just... we need a minute to unbuckle.”

Mister Thomas said nothing else. Molly eyed me hopefully.

“Ready now, then?”

I recovered enough to stare at her with all the post-nut adoration I could muster. “Yes.”

“Grand.” She slid to the edge of her seat and opened the door.

Chapter 45

The restaurant Miss Wilcox had chosen was one of the nicer ones that actually required a reservation. That made sense if she wanted it to have decent security.

As I stepped out of the car, I spotted the same black SUV that had followed us all the way from Hallowstone parked a few spots down. I didn’t recognize the sentinels inside, but they were sentinels.

If they couldn’t deal with any serpent threats, I knew the two people waiting for us inside the restaurant could. Captain Tyler Bradley and Mistress Anastasia Wilcox. One was a decorated captain who’d led dozens of expeditions into parallel realms, and the other was a powerful disciple of Anahit and one of Hallowstone campus’s most talented instructors.

We were safe here. It was nice to finally be off campus again, even if it was only for the night. I hoped we’d still be able to have a meal after we confronted two people who we trusted implicitly, and then asked why they’d lied to us again.

Mister Thomas walked to the door and opened it for us. That assured me he and the sentinels were keeping a good eye on things.

When we walked inside, we found a hostess waiting. I announced that we were here with the Wilcox party. She took us back into a swanky restaurant that looked expensive.

She was nice-looking, and she had a tight dress, but I actually didn’t ogle her. Molly had just taken care of me, which was a cure for the Tez horniess debuff. She knew that, too, which I think was part of why she enjoyed getting me off so much.

That, and that the rush of my happiness probably felt almost orgasmic.

I was glad I wasn’t paying for dinner tonight. Miss Wilcox always insisted had always insisted on treating us with money from her “book sales.” In addition to everything else she did at Hallowstone, she actually was a published novelist. And she was good at it.

A table was waiting for us in the back. It was secluded, but had enough empty tables around it I knew Miss Wilcox had asked to be seated somewhere we could speak privately. As I tried to meet my Dad’s eyes, my gaze got stuck on Miss Wilcox before I could stop it.

She looked fantastic tonight, and I ogled her before I could stop. This wasn’t even sexual really, just the way you had to admire a fantastic piece of art. You couldn’t look away.

Tonight she had her brown hair hanging loose, cascading down an open backed blue dress. It looked more appropriate for a fancy dinner party than a casual meal.

It wasn’t too racy in the front, but still dipped just enough that it reminded me that she had deep cleavage. Cleavage a guy could really lose himself in.

If she wasn’t like my mom, of course!

Despite being fifty-three, the same age as my father, Miss Wilcox looked like she was in her mid-thirties. That was due to a passive blessing from Anahit, her idol. Her wet-looking lips curled up in a smile as her soft brown eyes found mine.

Right! We were sitting. We sat. Which helped me remember Dad was here as well. As I met his eyes, I nodded respectfully. He nodded back.

Dad and I had the same basic build and shape and the same short hair. Both of us were tall and wide, but his nose was a bit bigger. He was dressed just like I was, in a nice shirt, slacks, and loafers. His hair was mostly gray instead of the brown we shared.

It was strange that the man I’d spent most of my life thinking was a mild-mannered computer salesman was in fact a retired captain of Hallowstone’s Magi Corps, with dozens of successful expeditions under his belt. He’d saved Annie Hamilton’s dad multiple times. The soldiers at Fort Hallowstone still talked about him to this day.

Once we were both seated, Miss Wilcox smiled at us.

“How was the ride?”

I opened my mouth, but then Molly patted my thigh under the table. I lost my train of thought. Fortunately, she was ready to swoop in and pick up the slack.

“Grand, thanks. Mister Thomas took good care of us.”

“Wonderful, love. Shall we order an appetizer, or do you want to get right to the matter that Kyle said was so urgent?”

I glanced at Molly, who glanced at me. I was a bit hungry, and I wasn’t sure how much we’d get to eat after we dropped the bomb on them.

“Appetizer first?”

Molly nodded. “Mozzarella sticks?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Again?”

“What? They’re yummy, and I’m getting all sorts of exercise these days.”

We ordered a plate of mozzarella sticks and a platter of shrimp, which was a good start to what I hoped would be a pleasant meal after we got done yelling at each other. Or maybe quietly conversing over glares. Or maybe they’d have a perfectly rational explanation for why they’d both never mentioned that Molly’s dad was magical special forces.

For drinks, Miss Wilcox ordered a wine label I’d never heard of. Dad ordered a beer. Molly got water, and I got a soda again. No wine at dinner this time, sadly.

Once the waiter had delivered our drinks and then left in a way that suggested we might finally be able to talk without being interrupted, Dad fixed me with a calm gaze.

“How’s class going?”

I knew he didn’t want me at Hallowstone. I also recognized that he was making a gesture by asking about my classes rather than reminding me he hadn’t wanted me going there in the place. He was reaching out, and I wasn’t going to slap his hand away.

“Pretty good, actually. I like my instructors, and the material makes sense. I even got moved into Conclave Battle Tactics a couple of years early.”

Dad abruptly scowled at Miss Wilcox. “Why would you do that?”

“It wasn’t me, love.”

Dad’s scowl deepened as he looked at me. “Sutton?”

He meant Headmaster Marshall. “Yeah.”

“So he’s already thinking about putting you through the gate.”

“Hey, hold on! No one’s saying that. I’m still a prentice. That’s three years away.”

One of Dad’s big hands clenched into a fist that rested on the table. “The only reason he’d be moving you right into an advanced course if he wants to fast track you to going on expeditions. This is exactly what I knew what would happen if you enrolled. Sutton is focused on the big picture, which means we little pieces don’t matter. He wants you in play.”

Miss Wilcox rested a hand on Dad’s fist. “We don’t know if that’s what he intends.”

“Dammit, Ana, it’s been what he’s wanted for decades. Ever since we lost Penny, he’s been pining for another disciple of...” Dad cut himself off as he realized he might have said too much, then took a deep breath. “You’re not going on expeditions, Kyle. Not yet.”

I was actually a bit worried by the look on my Dad’s face. He looked like he was going to hurt someone. Like he was going to hurt Headmaster Sutton. It was a reminder that I wasn’t the only one who’d lost Mom.

Dad had lost her, too, the love of his life, a woman whose love he could physically feel warming him every day. He’d lost Mom while she was doing what I’d decided to do, going on expeditions to parallel realms through a magic gate. He could lose me, too.

I nodded calmly. “No expeditions. Not anytime soon. No way I’m ready for that.”

Molly jumped in and rallied to my defense. “We aren’t ready for that. K’s not going anywhere without me, and they’re not sending me through the gate anytime soon. I’m the only disciple of Janus in... what, hundreds of years? They need me safe and sound.”

Dad glowered. “Sutton’s going to try to talk you into it. He’ll find a reason to make it make sense. He’ll appeal to your empathy, or say you’re the only one who can save people, or find some reason no one else can do the job. He’ll try to convince you to be a hero.”

I stared him down. “I’m not going, and I’m not that gullible.”

Dad took a deep breath as we locked eyes, then visibly forced himself to relax.

“Just remember Sutton isn’t your friend. We’re all tools to him. From what I’ve heard recently, he even treats his own daughter like another piece to be moved around.”

That surprised me. “You mean Valerie?”

“Yes. The wedding negotiations are taking a while, and he’s playing six different suitors of each other right now. Driving up the bidding.”

Miss Wilcox eyed Dad in surprise. “Where do you hear that?”

“From people. I know people.”

“Yes, but since when have you followed such things?”

Dad looked at me again. “Since Kyle insisted on throwing himself into the dangerous world Penny made me promise I’d keep him out of. I have to look out for him now.”

I frowned. “Okay, enough about that. I’m not going on expeditions anytime soon, we’ve argued about me enrolling at Hallowstone a dozen times, and I’m not going to change my mind about it. We’re here to discuss...”

I trailed off as our waiter returned at the worst possible moment. He set down a plate of mozzarella sticks and a plate of shrimp. Before he had even turned around, Molly snatched a mozzarella stick off the plate. She snagged one of the two bowls of marinara sauce.

She dipped. She chewed. And I stared at her in disbelief.

“Really? Right now?”

“What?” She spoke with her mouth half full of mozzarella stick. “I’m hungry.” She motioned with the hand not currently holding a mozzarella stick. “You got this.”

I sighed, then looked at Dad and Miss Wilcox again. I wasn’t here to relitigate my choices or reassure them. This was about us. About how they’d lie to us.

“Molly’s dad was HSF. Hallowstone Special Forces. Why didn’t you ever tell us?”

Somehow, as I dropped that revelation, Miss Wilcox’s expression remained perfectly composed. Dad frowned, but then the oddest thing happened.

He relaxed. He even looked relieved by my accusation, which was a weird thing to be relieved by. My frown deepened as I saw no sign of the defensiveness, remorse, or combativeness I’d expected.

Miss Wilcox reached for her wine glass. “I’m glad you both finally know.”

“Why would you be glad? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because we couldn’t, love.” Miss Wilcox sipped her wine, then set it down. “Ty? Would you like to explain this to them?”

Dad speared a shrimp with a fork. “Nope. This one is all you.”

Miss Wilcox smiled at Molly. “Do know know how a geas works, love?”

She pronounced it “gesh” like mesh with a G. I knew what she’d said because I knew what it was, at least in terms of fairytales. Which I was living now.

Molly swallowed her bite of mozzarella stick. “Aye, magical binding curse thing. And?”

“Kyle’s father and I both swore a geas that we would never reveal to anyone that Henry Brown once served at Fort Hallowstone in its armed forces. Neither of us was happy about the necessity of hiding it, but we had orders.”

Molly’s green eyes widened in disbelief.

“From who?”

“The fort leadership insisted on it.”

“And... why?”

I raised a hand to cut in. “Hold on. Is one of these geas things like a compulsion? Magically binding?”

As Dad landed another shrimp, Miss Wilcox focused on me.

“Quite so, love. A geas is sworn with and sealed with our own magic. Violating it carries grave consequences, if one can even violate it at all.”

“And the fort leaders made you swear it.”

“Yes. In this case. For the rest of our lives, we could not tell anyone that Henry Brown once served in the HSF. Not even Henry himself could reveal that fact.”

“But why? Why would anyone ask you all to swear something like that?”

Dad swallowed his shrimp and leaned forward. “He broke a rule, and a big one.”

“Which was?”

“Don’t hook up with the magi.”

That was exactly what Annie had told me. Their stories matched. I hadn’t expected them not to, but still, I was relieved that he wasn’t lying to me now.

Dad also winced as if he’d abruptly remembered Molly was sitting right there. He offered her a sheepish glance as if worried he’d offended her.

“Sorry.”

She shrugged. “They did the deed. It’s why I’m here. So it was illegal?”

Miss Wilcox took over as my Dad beat a hasty retreat. “Fraternization between the regular soldiers of Fort Hallowstone and members of the Magi Corps is strictly forbidden. It prevents both distractions and personal attachments on expeditions. Yet Mel... Melinda, your mother... and Henry mutually agreed that breaking the rules was worth the cost.”

I knew more now, but I didn’t know enough. “Which was what? What was the cost?”

Dad jumped back in. “After their relationship came out in the open, which occurred with Melinda’s first pregnancy, Henry was dishonorably discharged from the HSF and banned from Hallowstone for life. He can never set foot on campus, or the fort, again. Mel retired to be with him so they could raise their children together. Ian came first, then you, Molly.”

Molly didn’t eat another mozzarella stick. She just stared at the table and clutched the bowl of marinara sauce like was extremely valuable. As I considered what we’d just learned, I realized my anger was both misdirected and undeserved.

Dad and Miss Wilcox hadn’t told us this because magic forbid it. It had also forbidden Henry and Melinda Brown from telling their own daughter. Henry must be sitting in house, right now, fully aware that his daughter was attending a magic academy he could never visit.

Henry couldn’t warn his daughter about the expeditions, not like my Dad warned me. He couldn’t come here and fight tooth and nail with the current faculty and fort leaders to protect me, not like Dad. Henry couldn’t do anything but pray Molly wouldn’t die, and grapple with the fact that she was hopelessly angry at him for being a drunk instead of her father.

If I’d lost my wife, and then my son, and then had to watch my daughter go do something dangerous every day without the ability to protect her or warn her or even share the tiniest detail of my vast experiences with her to keep her safe...

I honestly didn’t know if I’d be doing much better. With the drinking.