The Protection of Ren Crown (15 page)

Little blue dots appeared on each mage's shoulder.

A student with pretty emerald eyes stood straight and tall on the cafeteria steps beside the three Department mages. She smiled at us with a politician's smile, then suddenly narrowed her eyes, her smile dropping as her gaze swept my shoulder. Alarm spiked. I looked down at my shoulder.
No dot
.

I was terrible with names, but I had sketched the girl's face into my mind months ago—the girl with the lilting voice who I had attempted to sit with on my first visit to the cafeteria. She wore three rings, indicative of a magic user proud of her Second Layer lineage.

She was a student, not a Department employee, and like with Dare, Raphael's spell apparently didn't extend to her, because she looked at my face, then leaned over to read the scan held by a Department mage. I had no idea if I would show up on the scan or not, but the probability was high that something about me would not match up to whatever showed up on that scanner.

I poked Will's sticker, causing him to look at me, then I hurriedly magicked a duplicate on my shoulder. Will's eyes bugged out and he immediately erected a silencing spell around us, and tried, vainly, to hide me. “Dear Magic, take it off!” he hissed, and looked frantically in all directions. “The stickers have tagged magic in them and
anyone
from the Department who sees you will know you haven't been properly scanned and they—”

“It doesn't matter,” I said tightly, thankful for the small space of privacy he had given us. We'd only be able to use it reliably for a minute. More time than that would invite someone in the crowd to break the enchantment. Silencing spells, unlike silencing runes, were notoriously weak, and a favorite target of the members of the delinquent's club. “I'll explain later.”

He nodded slowly and I moved so that we were standing shoulder to shoulder again. The girl's green gaze honed in on me immediately and switched between my shoulder and face. I shifted on my feet, but tried to project a calm, law-abiding facade.

She looked at the scanner again. However the magic worked, it must have shown our small quadrant as all tagged. Her gaze reluctantly moved to the next target and I allowed myself a small breath of relief.

Will tapped under his ear, indicating incoming news on his frequency. “They are warding out anyone from the mountain who is not a registered student, faculty member, resident, or in the administration. Residents who live in the lower levels will have to stay below the Eighteenth Circle. All students will be locked into the levels above that. Secured.”

Or trapped. Depending on one's definition.

“Excelsine was declared a safe zone,” Will whispered. “It always is. My parents pushed me through a port as soon as we could reach one. There was a weird earthquake in the First Layer and a decimating flood in the Fourth around the same time as the Sassraf attack. Muses were told to return to their posts across the layers, so Neph should be here soon.”

Top Circle was standing room only already.

“Safe zone,” Will said. “That's why everyone wants their kids returning here. Though the Department being here is new. The media mages are making a big deal about it right now on the news feeds, celebrating the increased safety.”

No sooner had the words left Will’s mouth than a flying monkey decided an untimely trip across the Top Circle skies might be a good idea. It flew overhead for a half second before a jet of black blasted it out of the sky. Immediately, three Department mages tied the monkey’s arms behind its back and stuffed it in a cage that was labeled “For Processing.”

The magical sweeps continued. Department mages violently put down any animal that wandered near the Administration Building and returned any magic that came close.

A rebound of a weather enchantment blasted one student, and another had to be revived from a banishment hex. Both spells—however innocently intended by the caster—had returned upon them at three times the strength.

Under such swift and brutal repercussions, magic use died off completely around Top Circle.

Alexander Dare stood next to a pillar at the shadowed entrance of the cafeteria, his focused gaze watching the Department mages storm around below. His expression was stony. His left hand twitched the slightest bit and five combat mages smoothly descended the stairs and disappeared into the crowd to the left. A similar gesture sent five more to the right.

No dragons were riding the supernatural winds. No gaudily dressed mages were performing tricks. No enchantments curled and coiled among the grass. People whispered and stood far too still. Even the ever-changing clothes I had become accustomed to seeing remained flat and stagnant. My gut clenched at the completely unnatural environment.

Mages in flowing garments—
muses
—started forming circles around the flagpoles that edged the grass center of Top Circle where all of us were standing. Will didn't look concerned by the action, but I was getting
more
freaked out.

Sudden pain burst full blown in the back of my neck, and an
immediate
urge to get back to the dorm made me bend over, hands on my knees. It was an abrupt and overwhelming desire induced by magic, and forcefully urging me back down the mountain.

“Ren?” Will whispered.

“S'okay. M'fine,” I slurred. I straightened just enough to see Neph gliding toward us, past the cages and severe Department mages. She was sporting a soft, beautiful smile, but there was urgency underneath her calm facade.

As soon as her arms enveloped me, most of the tension between my shoulder blades seeped out, but the urge to return to the dorm continued to press against my mind.

“I need both of you to return to the dorms,” Neph whispered in my ear. “I can free you from the magic completely, but my influence will fade on Will the farther away he gets and he will try to return. You need to make him keep his forward progress.”

“Okay,” I whispered back in quick agreement. Everything in me was screaming to return to the dorm. My feet were just unable to move me that way.

I saw Helen Price join a few Department officials who were speaking together in front of the Administration Building, and quickly nodded against Neph's shoulder.

Magic washed through me at every point that touched Neph. I took a startled breath as the enchantment keeping me on the grassy field cracked. Before I even realized we were in motion, Neph was lightly pushing fingers against my back, guiding us through a thin path that magically opened in the crowd. Neph's magical influence caused people to shift one step forward or back, clearing our way.

The muses who were gathered around the flagpoles nearest to us glared at Neph. She steered us past them, down to the edge of Top Circle and one of the many staircases.

“I can't go to the dorms yet, but you must return with Ren, Will.” Neph's soft voice was soothing, but again there was a sense of urgency beneath it.

“We should stay,” Will said, hearts in his eyes. “We can watch you work.”

I shifted, anxiety pulling again, and I circled Will's wrist with my fingers. “We should go back. Neph wants us to.”

“But—”

Neph's smile stretched, straining. “I need to drift the magic with the rest of the community. Most of the officials will be gone by dinner, if everything goes as planned. We'll meet then.”

I paused my urge to retreat and examined Neph. “Are
you
going to be okay?”

“Yes. We are expected to form a working enclave around the Joining Rods—the flagpoles—in order to filter out fear and increase obedience, since nearly everyone is gathered together.”

That was...very unnerving, but Will was nodding as if it was normal. “You don't need anything?”

Neph smiled. “No. I'll explain what I am able to, later. Where's Olivia, Ren?”

“In our room.”

“Good.” Neph touched Will's wrist. “Will, you'll get Ren back to the dorms, right?”

“Of course, Neph.” Will looked a little vacant, but he was nodding.

“I know you will. Stay safe. I'll see you both soon.”

She turned and headed to the nearest group of muses—who were still scowling at us.

“She never lets me watch her group practices,” Will said forlornly.

I nodded, then frowned at the chilly looks Neph received as she drew closer to the group. I pushed Will into motion. “I know. I always have to wait outside.”

“That's because they would eat you alive. Neph can protect you everywhere except inside one of their warded group sp—”

Bzzzz!
Will's tracking device buzzed. I edged away from it automatically and increased our pace down the steps. Will touched his glasses, then pressed a finger beneath his ear, his expression showing surprise. “Mike is on campus and headed to our room, but his frequency is off. Strange.”

The urge to check on my own roommate pressed forcefully.

Will looked distracted, like he did when he was working on a particularly difficult problem. As we reached the Third Circle, he finally said, “There's something...wrong. I'm supposed to be on Top Circle, aren't I? Ugh.” He closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Now I see the spell. I hate Administration Magic.”

I did too. And I didn't like the feel of the wards holding me in—making me itch to unlock them.

We hurried down steps, slopes, fields, and more steps to the Fifth Circle and Dorm Twenty-five as quickly as our feet would take us. I wasn't going to be able to walk for a week after this, but I didn't care.

As we reached the currently empty mountain level known informally as Dormitory Circle, Will frowned. “The spell is getting weaker. Whatever they are doing is almost over.”

“Good. I need to talk to Olivia,” I said, my feet moving faster. “You find Mike, then we'll meet at dinner later?”

“Yes.” He frowned again. “Make sure you stay inside until then.”

“Can do.” I nodded briskly. “You're okay?”

He nodded. “Yes. The spell just ended. I'll check back with you after I talk to Mike.” He pivoted and began the trek to the Magiaduct entrance five down from ours.

I entered the building and sprinted up the hauntingly empty stairwell to the second floor. As I opened the door to our room, relief swept me. Olivia was sitting at her desk.

I closed the door, panting, and tried to move past my crushing relief.

But the itch quickly overtook me again. There was something off in the room. Like too much freshly crushed peppermint in too small a space. All of my warding work had made me increasingly sensitive.

And Olivia was sitting stiffly—too stiffly—at her desk.

I touched the wall, connecting to the wards that were infused by our combined magic. The wards that were directly connected to her brightened—and showed the physical damage on her aura.

It was as if blows had rained down on her magic. I instantly reached out to touch her skin, to soothe the welts that couldn't be seen without magic, but she shoved her chair back, removing herself from my reach. “Don't touch me.”

I curled my fingers in. “Your magic—”

“Is
my
concern.”

Olivia looked as detached and cold as she had when I'd first moved in, with none of the ruthless humor and protectiveness she had started to display in the past month.

Unease made my stomach clench. “That was your mom, right?”

“Are you asking if I sold you out?”

“
What?
No!” But I knew why she was saying it. Helen Price had promised the public on national feed last term that anyone displaying
abnormal
tendencies would be harshly dealt with. And she was the mother of my
roommate,
who knew every one of my dirty secrets. “
No.
”

Olivia's gaze was cold. She said nothing.

But her debate tactics worked in the reverse as well. “Don't be stupid,” I said, echoing her favorite saying. “If that had been your plan, you wouldn't have ordered me to leave.”

“I could have sold you out afterward.” Her voice was very clinical.

I took an automatic step toward her. “What did she do to you?”

There was a struggle on her face for a brief moment, before the cold won out. “Nothing.” She turned and briskly rearranged her desk.

I let my bag drop on my Guernica comforter for the second time that day. Looking at the Picasso image depicted on my bedspread, horror and guilt re-established themselves quickly in my thoughts. “A town called Cadmiat was—”

“I'm well aware of the news. I'm not the one without a frequency.”

I bit my lip. Maybe I'd wait to bombard her with everything I had discovered. “Campus is...weird. Neph said things would be better by dinner. She made us leave Top Circle before the muses did something with the flagpoles.”

Olivia's shoulders tightened, but she didn't comment. Being back in our warded room, my magic started to relax and stretch out in relief, connecting to the magic around me. The damage to Olivia was apparent in the sluggish way the wards weren't recharging her. It was as if someone had put a knot in the one that promoted medical rejuvenation and health. I poked the ward, trying to figure out how to unblock it.

Olivia jumped out of her chair and started throwing things into one of her favorite designer bags.

“What are you doing?” I asked. I nearly dropped the magical probe in my alarm. “Where are you going? Don't go out there.”

She didn't answer, and I pulled further along the thread of magic that was off, concentrating on it. Right there. A brown spot in the green. I sent a ribbon of turquoise down the thread.

“Stop!”

Startled, I did.

She lifted her bag and started for the door.

I scrambled and grabbed my bag, slinging it around my shoulder even though I
really
didn't want to go back outside.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Coming with you.”

“No.”

“I'm not letting you go out there on your own. There is something wrong with you, and weird, horrible things are happening.”

“There's
nothing
wrong with me,” she hissed.

I concentrated, using the knowledge I had gained through hard study and nightmares. “Okay, okay. But—” My words cut themselves off.