Neophyte / Adept (56 page)

“Now, now,” said Lux. “Clever pun aside––that
was rude.”

Ballard let the insult roll off him. The only question I had
was why Risky and my parents had been so rock-steady, being as they were,
respectively, a wolf, a wizard, and a witch, when it didn’t seem like the two
sides got along? Werewolves had originally come to Rome to get away from
wizards and witches.

“Well? Are you coming or not?” said Scroop. She made what
looked like a C instead of a W, reversed and laid horizontally, and then
pointed her two fingers at me. “I’m waiting,” she said, dramatically. She had
hair tinted the same color as her mistress––shocking
blue––in a wave down her left eye; snakebites; and a stud in her
upper lip. Her eyes were like two black holes sucking upon the irises and on
the tips of her eyelashes were decorative white droplets.

Why was it the most powerful Wiccans looked this way? I
immediately cautioned myself against her. How powerful was she, anyway?

I shook my head no.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” she said. Wicca light shone from
her eyes. “We are a House.
The
House,
in point of fact. Council or no, you will serve this House!” said Scroop.
“Come, Pirapong! Our Headmistress shall know of this! Better not dally, Lux.”

The two of them turned on their heels and left.

I looked at Ballard, who continued to mutter under his
breath: “I know what you can do with those three fingers,” he said.

“We better leave,” said Lux. “Before––before
they come back.”

* * *

“I apologize again for her threatening you like that,” he
said. We wended our way along the hedgerow back into Prague.
“They––well––they bully Eclectics. Scroop’s number two.
She will become the Head of House, once Veruschka leaves.”

“So Veruschka
does
mean to go to the Master House, then?” I said.

“If only I could leave as well,” said Lux, who sighed.

It was dark, now. The Districts were coming alive with
magic. Lux bought three newspapers: London, Paris, Rome, paying for them with
some skillingr, from his pocket. “There! You see?” he said, pointing to the
front-page headline on one of them––I could see London’s Millennium
Wheel on the cover.

PRIVATE SCHOOL IN ASHES FOLLOWING MYSTERIOUS FIRE

LONDON––The British skyline was lit up
last night as a series of rare lightning strikes targeted one of the city’s
oldest buildings.

According to one eyewitness, London’s House of Peril
was reduced to cinders following the crazy cloudburst that seemed to avoid
every other major structure. “Lightning is never this destructive. Much less
this vicious,” said the eyewitness.
“Crazy.”

“The House of Peril. Isn’t that Padget and Pilar’s House?” I
asked.

“Here’s another one,” said Lux, nodding his head.

HE’S BACK. UNKNOWN
ARSONIST STRIKES AGAIN.

PARIS––The banking world is in upheaval
following the break-in overnight of one of Paris’s oldest institutions. “Forget
the Rothschilds. Banque du Sang is one of the oldest––if not
the
oldest––bank in existence.
How anyone could’ve broken in there, much less torched the place, is beyond
me,” said Rufus Séverin, member of the Chair of Trustees, himself one of the
largest shareholders in Banque du Sang.

“Banque du Sang?” I said.

“Vampire gold,” said Lux. “Banque du Sang means ‘blood
bank’; it’s where they store their mana; one
n
, not two, as well as the wealth of the Paris underworld. Someone
broke in there.
Read.”

Rome was next. I took the newspaper with trembling fingers.

GANGLAND VIOLENCE ERUPTS AS ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO
MOTORCYCLE CLUB IN TRASTEVERE

ROME––Vigili urbani, the city’s municipal
police, responded Sunday night to reports of bag-snatching and other
disturbances committed by individuals racing motorcycles. It turned deadly,
however, when police discovered the whereabouts of their secret lair.
By Emma Skarborough.

“‘Upon arrival, a fight broke out,’” I read, “‘whereupon the
gang’s hideout, La Luna Blu, went up in flames.’––Oh,
Ballard––” I said. “‘Members of the so-called motorcycle pack fled into
the night, along with a number of wild dogs, police believe may have been
involved in a heavily-financed illegal underground dog-fighting ring.’ What?
Isn’t she, like, your cousin? What is she doing?” I said.

Ballard snatched the paper out of my hands. “‘Mr. and Mrs.
Gaven Overstreet are expected to face an inquiry into the illegal goings-on,
along with heavy fines and possible jail sentences,’” he read. “Halls, I need
to get back.”

Three attacks, in
three papers, in three different cities––Gaven and Lia in
jail––
“That’s not even counting the Benandanti,” I said to
myself. The Stromovka had burned down just last night. I looked at Ballard,
wondering how much we should tell Lux. He was Ravenseal, after all.
Better not
, I thought.

“Professor Lux, someone’s destroying Houses, why?” I asked.

“Not just Houses,” said Lux. “The Vampire
Bank
was attacked too, although it
survived. It’s been happening for weeks... Arsons, brushfires... it’s code....
You have to know how to interpret the headlines... It means the Dark Order is
back....”

There was a series of lightning strikes, followed by bodies
emerging from the aether. Professor Lux scrambled to adjust the rings on his
fingers. Wizards and witches were popping into existence everywhere, including
Lennox.

Veruschka was with Bonewits and Scroop. They were looking
indignantly at me. “You!” said the Head of House Ravenseal. Others were
materializing as well.

“Seems we’re all here,” said another wizard, a stranger, I’d
never met him before.

“House business, Blackstock, the Council has no
jurisdiction,” said Veruschka, her nostrils flaring.

“I’ve heard otherwise,” cut in the wizard named Blackstock.
He pointed to Lennox. “According to this vampire, Halsey Rookmaaker is free of
any responsibility to your House.”

Veruschka was irate. “You can’t be serious? Vampires are not
trustworthy, Artemidorus.”

“I can prove it,” said Lennox. “Or rather, Halsey can.”

“Vampires are our allies,” said Blackstock. “Besides,
Veruschka, the proof is in that young lady’s backpack,
if
you’ll listen...” The Council of Magic was stitched in silver on
his magic robes.

“What proof? What are you talking about?” said Veruschka.

“Just that she belongs to another House,” said Blackstock,
smiling pleasantly.

Lennox motioned for me to unzip my backpack.

I took it off and unzipped it, kneeling down; there were
dozens of witches and wizards present. The Directory spilled out along with the
Everything book––but also my Wiccan diploma and the red marker.

“May I?” said Mr. Blackstock.

I handed him the marker along with my diploma from St.
Martley’s.

“Ah, yes, Genevieve’s House! And what’s this? A Marker?
Well, well, seems you
were
supposed
to be selected by someone else.”

BANG!
Ballard
transformed into a werewolf. Several of the witches and wizards reacted, brandishing
their marks, before settling down.

“She runs with wolves, Artemidorus.
Were
wolves. You know what that means,” said Veruschka, insinuating
the worst.

Ballard snarled––but his attention was drawn
elsewhere––to the Master House, itself.

“See? Not broken. What did I tell you?” said Scroop,
snidely.

“It’s not that, it’s just––”

Veruschka suggested we take “it” off the streets, but
Artemidorus overrode her.

“Go on, Miss Rookmaaker,
what
is it?” he said to me. We were obviously on his territory.

He handed me back the Marker.

I held it up, rubbing it with my Wiccan fingertips.
This was mine
, I thought.
It meant I was supposed to be taken by a
different House. Not Veruschka’s. Only, the person who was supposed to have
done so, wasn’t able to select me––had been prevented. By whom? The
Lenoir? The Master House?
I looked at Blackstock....

“I’m Halsey Rookmaaker––and, well,
House
Rookmaaker,” I said. “The person
who gave me this was in my House. Only, he’s an Eclectic. We both are. But
that’s all over with, because I believe I can find my parents’
House–– I belong in Rome,
not
in Ravenseal.
”

I looked at the Marker with the number six on it. Where I
had been rubbing it, words had appeared. Written on the Marker, in handwriting
that could only have been Selwyn’s, was a message:

“
BEWARE THE DARK PATH.”

Blackstock motioned for a witch, who whispered in his ear,
briefly. “I see,” he said.

Ballard continued to sniff and paw the ground. Had Ballard
taken the opportunity to see if Selwyn was really at the Master House? His fur
was standing on end. I looked at him, thinking, What
is
the Dark Path? Hurriedly, I rubbed the Marker. The message
disappeared. I rubbed it again. It reappeared. There must’ve been some kind of
spell put upon it. I erased it before anyone could see.

“According to Siobhan,” said Blackstock, “there is no record
of House Rookmaaker in our Heraldic Hall. However, the Marker was
sent––which means, either the Hall of Records has made a mistake,
which I doubt, or someone does not want that House found.”

“There! You see? She belongs to me!” said Veruschka.

“Having said that,” Blackstock went on, “I have read no rule
that an Initiate must absolutely complete a course of study with any House,
regardless of how they may have been selected. Miss Rookmaaker, is it your
intention to join House Ravenseal? They would do wonders for your career, you
know?”

I shook my head no.

“Then, if you’re certain,” said Blackstock, “I have no
choice but to free you of that commitment, and that, Veruschka, is final. Now,
Miss Rookmaaker, you are aware that magistrae, or mistresses as they’re
sometimes known, outside of Prague, must be thirds, are you not, if they’re to
lead their own House? Even if you were to find House Rookmaaker, I could not
let you proceed, unless it was held in interreges––an interim Head
running the show until the day you turn fledged––at which point the
House and its running would be turned over to you––with all of the
responsibility that that entails. So that’s what I’m recommending. I’m going to
give you an opportunity to solve this little puzzle.
If
House Rookmaaker exists––as you say it
does––and you can find it––then I’m sure we’ll have
gained a wonderful new House––or an old House, as the case may be.
Veruschka?”

She eyed him, saying nothing. “Good,” said Blackstock.
“Then, if there’s nothing else––”

“There is one other thing,” said Lennox.

“By all means. Anything for one of the Lenoir,” said
Blackstock.

Privately, I thought,
Who
would attack the vampires?

Lennox whistled. Massimo appeared, followed by Menelaus.

“He’s raving––and that’s when he’s coherent,”
said Menelaus, dragging someone behind him.

“We think aetherheads got to him, sir,” said Massimo,
showing us.

 
Selwyn was with
them! He looked terrible: Hair all over the place, like he had been held somewhere
against his will, or worse, driven mad...

I tried reading his mind, but it was shut down. The aether
cloud was still around Selwyn. I could not penetrate it.

“We think someone may have done something to him, sir,
tampered with his mind, likesay. He’s not cut,” said Massimo proudly. “His
therian is still intact.”

The rest of the wizards made way for Selwyn who stood before
us––his hair was disheveled, his eyes a dazzling shade of blue.

“Aether. I knew it,” said one.

“I haven’t seen this brand of magic before,” said
Blackstock, peering at Selwyn intently. “It’s almost like–– but
no––that’s impossible. Lux––you’re a
virtuoso––see if you can read his mind.”

Blackstock stood back. Lux rolled up his sleeves. I again
was treated to his amazing mark. But whatever he tried, it didn’t work.

“Even with the tridents, my magic is too weak,” he said.

“The reason I ask,” said Blackstock, “is because I’ve read
about this. But it was
so
long ago.
It’s something the Fifth of Fourth used to do. Mess in wizards’ minds. But
they’re gone now––they cannot be back––”

“I have reason to believe that that is not entirely true,
sir,” said Lux. “I assume you’ve been reading the newspapers?”

“Houses are being destroyed. So what of it?” said
Blackstock.

“Wasn’t that His maneuver, sir? I mean, back in the day? He
was
a necromancer and they never die,”
said Lux.

“But the Dark Lord back––it’s just
impossible––”

“You know I’ve told you about this Hiving business will come
to no good,” said Lux. “Wizards and witches should be able to make their own
decisions. The ardanes are more like amendments, after all––they
can be repealed.”

“Even if that were so, we cannot fight Shadows. Let them
come out into the open, Lux.”

“But this type of enemy does not fight in the open, sir,”
said Lux. “Whoever’s doing this is organized––everywhere. It’s just
as He operated before.”

I watched Veruschka out of the corner of my eye, but if she
was involved in any of this, she didn’t let on.

Ballard trotted off into one of the corners and came back as
himself. I tried to read his eyes, but he avoided my gaze. Selwyn was
alternately in and out, mumbling nonsense words, or else catatonic.
“Sed esse in silentium,”
he hissed,
“sed esse in silentium.”