Insidious Winds (6 page)

Finally, he looked up at me. “There are books in this
library that really shouldn’t be so accessible to students,” he said.

“So, are we going to get started on finding the key?”

“I know it sounded like I was on board with the idea,
but I really don’t want you to bear that burden.”

“Can I see?” I asked, pointing to his hand. He turned
it over and held his palm out to me. The symbol burned into his skin was
different than the one I had seen on Heather’s note, which was only to be
expected since it was a different key. It was still just a circle with symbols
in it, though. “Is there any way to be sure of what you would lose?”

“No. The key has a way of destroying everything. Your
mother didn’t die, but I also didn’t just lose her. John hurt her, and if it
weren’t for the key, he never would have had her.”

“Are you sure? When you got the key, were you told
what you would lose?”

“No. I had a choice.”

I gaped. “You never told me that!”

“I take it when you saw my past through the book, you
didn’t see how I got the key?”

“It skipped over that. It went from Star warning you
not to do it, to after it was done. What was your choice?”

“It doesn’t matter. It was a trap. In order to get
the key, you will be tested. This is why none of us has been able to get the
key. Rosin gave Logan the key to Skrev and Baldauf gave Keigan the key to
Dothra. When I got mine, my power, sanity, and strength were all tested to the
point I barely made it out alive. I also had Logan’s help. Since then, I have
changed.”

“But you can teach me how to get through the tests?”

“No. The reason you could not see me make it through
the tests is because those memories are gone. I asked for them to be removed.”

“Great. Who took them?”

“Logan. Now, your heart condition puts you at a
serious disadvantage, as the powers that protect the key will try to sway your
priorities. Be here every Wednesday at dawn. I am technically your elemental mentor,
but Logan and Keigan are also going to have a hand in your training, since you
need it to get the key.”

“Do you regret taking it?”

“I did at first. I regretted it more than anything in
my life up until the moment I met Keigan.”

“Why?”

“He is not the worst wizard from Dothra. I gave up
everything, but I couldn’t imagine the destruction someone like Krechea could
cause.”

“How can he get the key if you guys aren’t able to?”

“As you well know, people from Dothra can be
exceptionally manipulative.”

“Dr. Martin isn’t so bad.”

“And he would have been killed for being a pushover
if it weren’t for Keigan. Krechea would have it by now for sure if you hadn’t
killed Gale. A familiar can enhance your power more than anything.”

“I was put in the familiar summoning class. Will you
talk to Professor Watson to have him transfer me to another class? I can’t
afford to fail two classes and I have Professor Roswell, who will flunk me if I
miss too many classes.”

“I already spoke with Asrik, and he said you should
be fine enough to take your familiar. He has full faith that you can break the
curse, but he doesn’t know anything about the key. In all honesty, I considered
this dilemma myself over the break, and I am inclined to agree.”

“You want me to take a familiar?”

“Your familiar can protect you where no one else can.
It is true that he will die when you do, but I am a very selfish person. In my
opinion, if he can extend your life for even a few days, it is worth it.”

“I don’t agree.”

“I know.”

“Why do you want to protect me so badly?” I asked. I
really thought he would say because he was my uncle. Even though I was the one
who asked, I didn’t want him to lie.

“Because you’re Maria’s son.”

*          *          *

I arrived at the dining room and sat in my usual spot
with my tray of food. Darwin and Henry were both already eating. I spotted
Addison chatting with her friends a few tables down and Amelia with her
roommates a little further away, so we had semi-privacy. Then again, with the
vampires and shifters in the room, nothing we said was entirely private.

“Anything new on saving Astrid?” Darwin asked.

“No. I’m still waiting for a dream or even my
instincts to tell me something.” Even if I could get the key, it wouldn’t open
the door to Dothra, so I would have to get the key, make a deal with Heather,
and then somehow use the key to defeat Krechea. If I was very clever about it,
I could use the power of the key to somehow save my heart, force Langril to
open the door to Dothra, and save Astrid without having to sell my soul to
Dothra.

“So, no one is going to ask me about the gossip?”
Darwin asked. Henry and I both gave him a blank stare until he rolled his eyes
and sighed dramatically. “Honestly, I think you two just keep me around to look
pretty. First of all, Devon, you need to be careful. It sounds like Darnell is
looking to have his ass handed to him again.”

Darnell was a wolf shifter who had attacked me the
previous semester when Flagstone and Watson were gone. In fact, the man still
had a following, although I didn’t think any of them would act out unless
Darnell was actually able to take on Alpha Flagstone on his own. Since
Flagstone was the strongest wolf in the university, I highly doubted Darnell
would ever be a real problem.

“Secondly, the council has been offering some of the
older wizard families a share in the power when they start their taxes. They’re
tagging them. Some of the students here have been marked against their will and
they’re not happy about it.”

“I imagine not.”

*          *          *

Defensive Magic
took place in the practice field.
Professor Watson, who was teaching the class, promised that we would manage
even if we were waist-deep in snow. Fortunately, there would be no essays or
reports.

“Is everyone ready for your pretest?” Half of the
twenty students in the class blanched. The professor was cheery, which we all
knew to be a very bad sign. “Good, good,” he said when nobody answered. “Your
pretest is to survive a dragon attack.”

One woman screamed when a dragon flew overhead. I
recognized the red and yellow coloring and shape of the dragon easily. Although
I didn’t know that many dragons, I was certain this massive beast was Professor
Nightshade.

When she landed between us and the castle, two women
took off running into the forest. Becky, Tali, and two other wizards struck the
dragon with energy bursts. Jackson hid behind me. “In the face of an enemy such
as this, a human must decide whether to use defense or offense. Wizards must
also decide how best to use their magic.”

The dragon roared and blew a short burst of fire,
just far enough to scare the closest student. “Devon, do something!” Jackson
said.

“Like what? Brush her teeth?” None of the students
knew that one of the teachers was a dragon. As a couple more students struck
her with magic, she blew fire at them. She wasn’t hurting them, but she was
keeping them away. Whatever magic the students did hit her scales with no
effect. Becky took two steps closer to the dragon and prepared to strike.
“Becky, stop.” I didn’t use my magic, but she obeyed just the same. Even the
other students who were attacking relented. “She isn’t attacking anyone.”

“What do you mean it isn’t attacking?!” Jackson
screeched. “It’s a dragon!”

“I see that, but if she was really trying to attack,
she wouldn’t have missed.”

“Very good, Mr. Sanders,” Professor Watson said.
“Your first lesson for this class is not to make enemies out of allies.” He
then approached the dragon and patted her on the snout. She snarled. “That’s
all for today, Dejarus.” The dragon took flight and disappeared over the
mountains.

Psychology of Shifters
was taught by Alpha
Flagstone. There were ten two-person tables. The room was decent, with solid
walls and a solid ceiling… except for the pit hole in the middle of the room.
It was about four feet wide and completely dark inside. “If anyone fails to
complete your homework, you will spend the night in the pit,” Alpha Flagstone
said as everyone gathered around the hole. He closed the door, indicating the
twenty of us was the entire class.

“But you never assign homework,” a student said. She
and two others were very similar in appearance; sisters if not triplets, all
with matching gold hair and gold eyes. They were athletically built for young
adult women.

I sensed his approach, so I wasn’t startled when
Darwin tried to sneak up on me and slapped me hard in the back. On the other
hand, despite being very small for a fully-grown man, he was strong, so I
nearly lost my step.

“Sorry!” he said, thinking that he had snuck up on
me. “I’m in all shifter classes now, which is better than magic classes.
Professor Watson thought I should learn about the psychology of shifters
because I’m still at odds with my wolf.”

I looked around at all of the first-semester shifters.
As if I didn’t feel old enough. Most of the students came to the university
right out of high school or the other paranormal schools, so a lot of the
newcomers were eighteen or nineteen. Several students, however, waited until
after they completed a degree at a human university, so there were a few my
age. In fact, all of the vampires attending were older than me. Unfortunately,
none of the shifters in this class were even old enough to drink except for
Darwin.

“Everyone in here is a shifter. Why am I here?”

“Because I would probably challenge Alpha Flagstone
if you weren’t. ‘Sides, Watson thought you would be interested in how shifter
brains work.”

“Everyone, get in your seat.”

I went for the seat closest to the door with Darwin
right behind me, but Alpha Flagstone grabbed Darwin by the back of the hoodie.
“No! Devon, help! I’ve been captured!” Flagstone pushed him into a seat on the
front row.

“I know about your ADHD, pup. You’re sitting up front
so I can get your attention.”

With a sigh, I changed my course and sat next to
Darwin. “You owe me,” I whispered to him. Flagstone smirked.

The wolf shifter didn’t bother with a syllabus. “The
major distinction between shifters in a wizard’s mind is pack and solitary
shifters. For us, there is no major distinction. When we are born, our animal
instincts are in control. There have been cases in which a human woman would
have a one-night stand with a shifter and become pregnant with a shifter child.
In all of these cases, the woman realizes something isn’t right with the child
even if it never shifts.”

“Wouldn’t the child’s instincts be to blend in?”
Darwin asked.

“It is, but how well they do depends on the animal
they shift into. For example, wolf shifters are probably the best at simulating
humans. A toddler wolf shifter will watch how his parents behave, whether they
are shifters or human. Animals that are raised without their parents are less
able to simulate humans. Cold-blooded shifters are never able to completely fit
into human society.”

“What about cat shifters? Like jaguars?” I asked.

“Most feline shifter cubs try unsuccessfully to mimic
human behavior. Although the behavior of cat shifters is no less humanoid than
the behavior of wolf shifters, their instincts are stronger. Most of them don’t
shift until they reach seven or eight, but they are fairly destructive in the
house, independent, and prone to fighting. Unlike wolf shifters, their
instincts drive them to stand out, not to fit into the pack.”

Alpha Flagstone never required reading texts or
writing essays; he usually just had discussions. Despite the fact that the
professor’s information was plenty interesting, Darwin started tapping his
pencil with boredom halfway through. After a few minutes, the pencil flew out
of his hand and hit another wolf shifter in the head. The wolf growled, Darwin
growled back, and Flagstone slapped his hand down on the table in front of
Darwin.

Darwin growled at the professor and his teeth started
to change. “Darwin, stop,” I said gently. He did, and his teeth reverted to their
human bluntness.

“Alpha, can we go?” one of the triplets asked.

Flagstone checked his watch. “Yes. We will go over
sensory development next time.” As the students filed out, Darwin and I stuck
behind. “I understand that you are still learning to control your wolf, but
when you challenge me in front of the pack, you put their lives in danger,”
Flagstone said when we were alone. “You are a younger and less powerful wolf,
so to not punish you for challenging me is a sign of weakness, which will make
the other young shifters doubt me.”

“I wasn’t challenging you. The wolf just didn’t like
the loud and sudden noise.”

“I know, but growling at me is a challenge and I will
discipline you next time. If you think you can run the pack better, feel free
to challenge me again.”

Darwin stood. “My father is the strongest wolf
shifter. The wolf in me may have been dormant his entire life, but he’s just as
strong.”

“And I am stronger.”

“I’m not just a wolf.”

I stood up and grabbed my bag. “Well, as exciting as
dog fights are, I don’t think it’s good for my health. I have to get to my next
class. Darwin, think of what your father would tell you. I imagine he has to
deal with what Alpha Flagstone goes through every day.” I left.

Darwin was brilliant, but not all that wise, since he
still had a lot of growing up to do. However, I knew Flagstone wouldn’t hurt
him and he would see reason before growing furry.

According to my schedule,
Advanced Divination
took place in the north tower library, where Vincent taught me on Saturdays in
the previous semester. When I found the stairway with every other step missing,
there were two students pondering it. I recognized them as fifth year students,
but I didn’t know their names.