Page 45 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

“Your dad had a meeting this morning,” Mom said, voice tinny through the phone. “He spoke with Victor and two Weatherstone

officials, gave his side of the story, and now we have to wait.”

“Please don’t tell me he admitted to anything,” I said, keeping my voice low as I made sure no one was close enough to listen

in.

“He didn’t,” she assured me, “but they were talking about enforcing a truth spell.”

“What?” I lowered my voice further. “That’s not allowed in informal investigations.”

Her sigh was loud. “I know, sweetheart. But this is receiving much more widespread interest than any of us expected. The elders

are involved, and we can’t go against their rule. Victor and your father are very good friends, so we just have to hope that

in the end the headmaster will have final say.”

Resting my head against the wall, the phone pressed hard to my ear, I fought back tears. “Okay, Mom. Well, I love you. Give

Dad a hug from us, and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

“We love you too, honey. Don’t worry about us, this will all work out. Just put your focus on final assessments. Let me know

how you go.”

“I will.”

When I hung up, I remained with my head against the wall, eyes closed, the consistent burn behind my eyes leaving me wrung out.

Only my awareness that there were less than ten of these landlines available for students around Writworth had me moving along the hall and letting the next student have their chance.

My first stop on the way to my dorm was in Nightrealm, but Logan once again was out of his dorm, or ignoring me. Slamming

my hand against his door, a frustrated curse slipped out, and I felt a thousand years old.

“He’s off campus today.”

I spun with surprise and tried not to pee myself at the same time. Noah stood three feet away, dressed all in black, because

that wasn’t creepy. “We need to get a fucking bell on you,” I said with as much snarl as I could manage. “Stop sneaking up

on me.”

He didn’t react, just stood there, hands in his pockets, observing me like I was more interesting than he’d ever expected.

Noah didn’t draw me in like Logan, but my curiosity about him was almost as great.

With my pulse now thrumming an iota below stroke level, I took my chance to question him. “Why is Logan off campus?”

If Noah thought I was out of line, he didn’t show any sign of it. “His family is extremely wealthy, controlling one of the

largest corporations in the world. His dad sometimes calls on him for business help. He has obligations.”

To no one’s surprise Rafael was as rich as he was powerful. Wouldn’t have expected anything less.

“How do you even know Logan?” I said, crossing my arms over myself, back pressed against Logan’s door. “You clearly transferred

in this year with him.”

Noah still hadn’t moved, but his presence was large enough to be intimidating, even with space between us. “He’s my brother in all ways except blood.” He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t push my luck on that topic. But there was another question that I had to ask.

“Is Rafael bad news? Should I be worried about him?”

“Yes.” I jolted because I expected a vague answer or outright lie. “Stay away from him,” he continued. “You and your family

are not safe with Rafael.”

“What about with Logan?” I asked, finding myself desperate for this answer above all the others.

Noah moved so fast that if he wanted to, he could have ripped my heart out before I even saw it coming. This time at least,

he only patted me on the head, like a puppy. “Depends on your definition of safe . Now get out of Nightrealm, Paisley.”

He was gone before I could yell and scream at him, which is what I wanted to do. If Logan wasn’t here though, that meant I

was done with distractions and had to focus on my assessments.

Grabbing my textbooks, I staggered to the library and settled in for the rest of the afternoon. Marcus found me later that

night, asleep with my head in my arms. When he gently pressed my shoulder, I lurched up and almost clocked him in the face.

“Fuck!” I gasped, heart slamming in my chest. “Can you make some noise when you move. I didn’t hear a thing.”

For the second time today, a powerful warlock had crept up on me. Marcus let out a soft laugh. “I really wasn’t that quiet.

You were sleeping, Pais. What were you reading, Accounting for Witches ?”

“Ha ha, my mom is an accountant, asswipe. But yep, that would have been the most boring text I could find.” He laughed with

me, and I took a second to wipe my face in case I’d drooled. “I was actually reading Harvesting Moonlight for Alchemy and I can’t believe I fell asleep. This is one of my favorite classes. I love the concept of creating magic with your hands

and base metals. It’s fascinating.”

Marcus observed me, closer than felt comfortable. “You’re an interesting witch. Most of us here just want to boost our power, but you show an aptitude for the subtle magics.” I shrugged—one had to adapt when their active magic was defective.

“Did you need me for something?” I asked.

He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled free a wad of cards, all covered in tiny, neat handwriting. “Here are my notes

from my assessments. I forgot to give them to you before I left the lake.”

Flipping through the few cards on top, my eyes heated once more because this was a kind gesture from a warlock I really hadn’t

put much time or energy into this year. “Shit, thank you,” I said. “Your notes are so detailed.”

He’d listed everything under each subject, giving me points of what he thought was important. “Every assessment is different,”

he said, peering closer, “catered to us as individuals. But if they’re considering you for spellcaster, then you might be

on a similar path.”

“I really appreciate this,” I said, holding the cards up. “I’m taking tomorrow to go over everything, so if you need to check

on me I’ll be here or in one of the element rooms.” The library had lined rooms designed to handle study with the elements.

He ran a hand through his hair, face less stoic than it had been a second before.

“Look, I’m sorry I bailed at the lake, and really, at the party all those months ago.

I like you, Paisley. I’ve liked you from the first moment we were introduced, but you’re hard to get to know.

I get mixed signals, and I don’t deal well with those, so I tend to bail.

Past damage, not yours. But in light of our impending finals and the end of the college year, I just wanted to warlock up and tell you that I think you’re fucking awesome.

Beautiful, powerful, and kind. If you ever want to hang out again, and give this a real shot, let me know. ”

My mouth wasn’t exactly ajar, but I had not expected that speech. Sure, there’d been a flicker between us, but so much time

had passed and that flicker had died out. “Everything is complicated in my life,” I said softly, hoping we’d be able to remain

friends. “I think you’re awesome too. Powerful, kind, and not bad on the eyes.” His grin grew. “But I’m in no position to

be dating. I’m a hot mess.”

He took my rejection well. “If you need help with that as well, Paisley, especially to do with your dad, well, I have some

friends who might be of assistance. Let me know over the winter break. I’ll see you back here in January.”

“See you then,” I said, wondering what sort of friends he meant. Marcus had always been a bit of an enigma too, and maybe

I’d overlooked an ally that I should have brought into the fold.

Trusting didn’t come easy, though, so I’d wait and see what the new year brought.

It was past dinner now, and I was starving, so I gathered my books and notes and dropped them off at my dorm before heading

for the dining hall. It was time to fuel up and sleep, so I could do this whole study thing all over again tomorrow.

“Ms. Hallistar, we’ll see you now.”

It was Friday morning and the butterflies in my stomach had the wings of eagles. Assessment shouldn’t be this terrifying;

we could fail and have to go to another college, but it almost never happened. Assessments were used to figure out where our

skills and affinities lay after freshman year. Still, all the reasoning in the world didn’t ease up the nerves.

“Thank you,” I said stupidly, walking into the large multi-themed classroom they were using for freshman assessments. It had been spelled into six distinct areas, one for each of the major components they’d be testing me on today.

In the room were two assessors, and neither were professors I’d had before. “I’m Professor Halver,” the tiny blonde female

said. She couldn’t be taller than five feet, with delicate features and wispy shoulder-length hair. She looked like a pixie,

if such a creature existed outside of fairy tales.

“And I’m Professor Garrickson,” the male said. He was a Black man with graying hair and a very serious expression.

Both professors wore navy robes, covering their clothes beneath, and the lack of expression on their faces really exacerbated

my nerves.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, forcing myself not to fiddle with my uniform. We didn’t bring anything into the assessments,

and I’d have killed for a bag to hide behind.

“We’re both independent contractors, brought in by the magical college board,” Professor Haliver continued. “We go between

all the college first-years, and give assessments based on a national average. Are you ready to get started?”

I nodded, pressing my lips together. My throat felt too tight to contribute much more.

Professor Haliver studied a clipboard, nodding a few times. “It says that you’re showing an aptitude for spellcasting but

have energy that is reluctant to release without a little prompting. With that in mind, we’ll take you through all six areas

and give grace for your energy. That’s in addition to the grace already extended for the blanket across Weatherstone.”

“Thank you,” I repeated.

She finally smiled, brief but warm. “Okay, let’s start with fire.”

The fire area was made entirely of stone and multi-layered glass. “The flame will be lit for you,” Professor Garrickson said, standing on the other side of the protective glass. “Manipulate it through the path on the wall.”

The wall was a heavy gray stone with the path clearly sketched out in black ink or paint. A dark purple flame burned low, in an ember candle, and I knew I was finally

seeing an everlasting wick. The color of the flame gave it away. Unless extinguished with magic, it would remain alight forever.

They were rare and expensive, though Weatherstone could clearly afford them.

Closing my eyes briefly, I let my energy seep slowly from me, a skill that Logan had made me perfect. Forcing myself not to

think of him, because the missing warlock was a distraction I didn’t need, I connected to the essence of the fire, to the

matter that created the flames.

The heat flooded my veins, filling me with the earthy power and rage of this element. Dad was fiery in a way Mom would never

be, and I knew why. The fire burned within him, and while at times it was small and other times an inferno, it always burned.

Slowly, I lifted my hand, wafting it upwards, and the fire followed my path, moving higher while remaining anchored to the

candle. Blocking out the rest of the world, I kept my focus on the flame, guiding it left and right, binding it to the wall,

until I had almost reached the end. My energy was stable as I allowed it to trickle out in minute increments, even as it took

all my concentration to manage without Logan.

Near the top I missed a right turn and it broke my focus, until there was a fizzling pop and the flame disappeared.

“Is the candle extinguished too?” Professor Haliver asked suddenly.

I glanced at the everlasting wick and took a step back. “It is.”

What the fuck? Was I mistaken about the candle they were using?

Heavy silence followed, and I panicked thinking that maybe there was a chance I’d be kicked out of Weatherstone today. “Thank

you, Ms. Hallistar. I think we are finished with fire. Let’s move on to water.”

Breathing through my nose in quick rapid breaths, I nodded jerkily and exited the fire area.

For water, I was in another glass cage, this one sealed on all four sides and above my head.

“You must survive for ten minutes,” the male assessor told me. “If you run out of breath, you can use that button to drain

the water.”

He showed me the large red button that was impossible to miss.

As soon as they stepped back, the cage sealed and water poured in on me. Taking a deep breath, I was fully submerged in less

than ten seconds. I hadn’t been in water like this since the day I’d almost drowned in the lake, and I’d been expecting some

unease, but it was panic. Full-blown panic, triggering me back to those moments right before I almost passed out.

I reached for the button, needing to escape, but for some reason I couldn’t push it. I couldn’t witch out like that, not in

the middle of an assessment. Come on, Paisley. Closing my eyes, I let the sensation of water wash into my energy. Like fire, it had particles that I could feel against

my skin, and breaking them down, I was able to move a fraction of the liquid away from my mouth.

Taking a tiny breath, I kept centering myself.

“Six minutes remaining.”

The update came through loud and clear even under water.

Pushing more of the water away from my face, my nose was now free, and I drew in more shallow breaths.

“Two minutes remaining.”

My relief was immense as I joined in with a mental countdown, chanting as loudly as my brain could handle, determined to make

it through.

Whoosh. The water drained away with a loud crash, and I stood there soaked for a beat, still unable to master the art of completely

drying myself.

“Excellent, Ms. Hallistar. Next we have earth.”

I got through all five elements, showing a solid general aptitude for all. Next was spells, and I had no trouble whipping

up the five requested. Even better, all of them worked exactly as they should. Alchemy was last, and I felt no nerves now.

I formed a strong talisman using liquid metals.

“Excellent work, Ms. Hallistar,” Professor Garrickson said as I stepped out at the end. “Your professors were right—I think

we have another spellcaster on our hands. We’ll inform Headmaster Gregor.”

He didn’t wait for my response, already excitedly discussing the fact that Weatherstone had three spellcaster students.

Exiting the room, it felt as if a ton of bricks had been lifted from my shoulders. I’d finished my assessment, and while I

had no doubt I was far from the strongest student they’d seen, my energy was no longer completely locked away in my chest,

and I knew I owed Logan a huge thanks.

A thanks I’d give first, and then I’d demand answers.