The Woodward Academy,

Chapter 10: March

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hey, David," Gwen greeted him as she sat down at the table. Devyn had not yet arrived. She said, "You look troubled."

"I am troubled," he replied.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I was in Divination class today, and I saw something. You should... um... watch your head for the next week or so."

"Huh?" she asked, just as Devyn showed up.

"Keep an eye on what's above you. Hey, Sweetheart," he said to Devyn, giving her a soft kiss before returning to his conversation with Gwen. "For some reason, I am only getting the tiniest snippet of what's going on, but what I saw was you getting hit by something falling on you. I can't tell what it is, but it is large and heavy. The image, short as it is, is very clear, which means it's likely to happen soon."

"You can't tell me any more than that?" she asked.

"Other than look out for Cherise, no. The image lasted less than five seconds, and I can't seem to bring up any more of it. Neither could Prof. Zoroaster."

"You have been accurate with other divinations, correct?" Devyn asked.

"Yeah, a few."

"Perhaps this is something we should talk to the dean about," Devyn suggested.

"So she can do what?" Gwen asked. "Give me a hard hat? David's right. I've just got to keep my eyes open."

"I do not like you being at risk," Devyn said.

"Neither do I," David agreed. "Unfortunately, there's nothing else to do, except for her to be careful. I will tell Prof. Stott tomorrow about my vision. That will at least make it so that the school 'knows' about the problem."

Devyn nodded at that. "I do not like it, but I see no alternative, either."

"Welcome to my world," David replied sourly, and then dug into his dinner.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

The entire group was coming out of their Enchantments and Curses class when Rick caught up with them.

"David! Hey, David, can I talk to you?" Rick was very careful not to make eye contact with Olissa.

"What's on your mind, Rick?" David asked, sighing. He glanced over at Olissa, who looked angry.

"Look, um, I realize I'm not part of the group anymore, but, man, I've got to ask you for a favor. You know some of the ghosts around here, right?"

"I am some of the ghosts around here," David said with a grin. "Yes, I know quite a few of them, at least in passing. Why?"

"Is there any way that you could, like, get them to leave me alone? I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks! It's like, as soon as I fall asleep, they start messing with me. My damned roommate can sleep through it, he'd sleep through the building falling down around him, but the whispers and the taunts... and a couple of times, they've actually slapped me!"

"What do you expect me to do about it? I've got no control over the ghosts..." David said reasonably. "Perhaps you have done something that seriously offended them," he offered. "I would suggest attempting to make a serious apology to... well, anyone you might have wronged. Maybe you screwed with the life of someone the ghosts happen to like," David said, looking straight into Rick's eyes.

"You... you did this!" Rick accused angrily.

"Excuse me?"

"You sicced the goddamned ghosts on me!"

"Why would I do that?" David asked. "What possible reason could I have for taking up my time having you haunted?"

"You fucking well know why!" Rick hissed. "You're her friend!"

"I am a lot of people's friends. Are you suggesting that you've done something to her that might be worthy of my anger?"

"I broke up with her, goddammit!"

David shrugged. "I've broken up with a couple girls since I've been here. That's hardly a motivation to anger. If you actually think that I might be guilty of having you haunted, Richard," David said, using his full name, "then perhaps you have a guilty conscience about something that you've done. Something that, perhaps, you could make a sincere apology to someone about. But, you know, I can't say whether that would make the ghosts stop or not. Ghosts do what ghosts want to do. I can't control them any more than you can..."

Rick cried, "Gah!" threw up his hands, and walked away. The others, restraining themselves up until now, all burst out laughing. Olissa came over and gave David a hug.

"Did you really have the ghosts haunt him?" she asked.

"Hell, no. I had them help me haunt him. I only sleep four hours a night. I couldn't send them on such a mission alone... they might not be aggressive enough!"

"Am I to understand that you did tell the ghosts to harass him, then?" Devyn asked.

"I didn't tell them to do anything," David said. "I asked them. I wasn't kidding when I said no one controls the ghosts, they do what they want. But there were a couple of ghosts who helped me out during my first Night of Haunting, where I showed them how much fun scaring the shit out of people was. They enjoy that kind of thing now, so they were more than willing to help out." David turned to Olissa. "I can't make him apologize for being an asshole. I can make him pay for it, though."

Olissa smiled at him in thanks.

"And how does this make you different from Cherise, or Marcus?" Devyn wanted to know.

Gwen looked aghast. "Devyn! Marcus picked on David because he was different, not because of something he'd done. Cherise is a psycho bitch who's attacking people she doesn't even have relationships with. Rick did something sleazy. He's getting what he deserves."

"I am just wondering who gets to make that determination," Devyn said stiffly.

"In this case," David replied, "I do. Nobody fucks with my friends and gets away with it."

"I see," Devyn responded, and said nothing further.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David caressed Devyn's side as he lay behind her on the bed. They had just finished having sex, and were just enjoying some quiet time together at the moment.

"Did you tell Prof. Stott about your vision of Gwen?" Devyn asked after a while.

"Yeah. She was concerned, too, but she didn't see anything we could really do about it, either."

"It seems to me that there should be some way to verify these things," Devyn grumbled.

"Divination is like that. Even Prof. Zoroaster isn't able to get a clearer read on this than I am. If a Divination Master can't do it, then it can't be done. Sometimes, you just have to do it the old-fashioned way, with your eyes and ears."

"I suppose. I do not like worrying about Gwen."

"Me, either. Hey, are things between you two back to normal? I mean, with her turning out to be a lesbian and all?"

"Yes. We had a long discussion about it. I admit to being somewhat disappointed. I really enjoyed watching her have sex with you. I have a small voyeuristic streak, and it excited me to see her being taken like that. And it would have been nice for my girlfriend and boyfriend to also be partners. However, we can all make the necessary adjustments."

David nodded, without saying anything. He ran his hand over her side some more. "Devyn... why don't you use contractions when you talk?"

"Formality of speech is an elven trait. In the Elf language, there is no such thing as a contraction. In fact, there is little in the way of informal construction at all. What little there is, is saved for moments of high emotion."

"So, even when elves are talking to family members... or their spouse, they still speak formally?"

"Yes. It is just a part of our culture."

"Hmm," David said. "Speaking of culture... I hope this doesn't offend you, but last summer, when Gwen visited me in the facility, she shared the letter you sent to her."

"Yes, I know this. I was not offended by that."

"Oh... well, I imagine Gwen has already asked you this question, and she just never thought to tell me your answer. What the heck is a Citizen Quest?"

Devyn chuckled. "Actually, she did not ask. She also seemed to be fairly disinterested in where I go when I am not here at the school."

"Strange. That doesn't seem like her. But anyway, what's a Citizen Quest?"

"You will recall that I am an orphan, and that my entire clan was destroyed, yes?"

"Yeah. You said your village was wiped out in a war."

"Correct. Because I am the sole survivor of my clan, in essence, I have no clan. Without a clan, I cannot be an official Elven Citizen. Citizenship requires a clan affiliation."

"Well, that kind of sucks. What does citizenship get you?"

"The right to vote, the ability to become an elected official, the right to run a business... privileges of this nature. As a non-citizen, I am allowed only the lowliest of jobs, and even those only if a citizen does not ask for the position."

"So, you could be fired on the spot, just because someone else wants your job?"

"Correct."

"Okay, that's just shitty."

Devyn shrugged. "This is the way it has always been."

"So, then, a Citizen Quest..."

"Is a path to citizenship for those without a clan. There are a series of ten tasks that must be performed. They are very dangerous, as you know from my letter. If I am able to complete all ten tasks, and can prove it - each task requires me to collect something, so that I have proof - then I will become a member of the ruling clan, and thus, a citizen."

"So, you go from nobody, to nobility?" David asked, confused.

"Not necessarily nobility," Devyn replied. "The ruling clan changes from time to time. It puts you in a position of some importance, yes."

"Well, at least there's some reward for having to risk your neck. How many of these tasks have you performed so far?"

"Three. One last summer, and one at each of the winter breaks. I was not allowed to perform the tasks before my eighteenth birthday."

"So... do you even have a home?" David asked.

"No."

"I can sympathize with that. I have no idea what I'm going to do this summer, assuming I pass my licensure exam."

"I am quite sure you will pass," Devyn said, rolling over to face him.

"I wish I was that confident. It's supposed to be a bitch of a test."

"It is difficult. But you are a very good wizard."

David smirked. "Thanks, but that's not what the results of my classes have been saying."

"Come, practice your sex magic and stop worrying about it," Devyn said with a smile. She kissed him deeply, and David rolled on top of her. The rest of their afternoon didn't involve much talking.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Now, when you go to harvest dragonlace, you want to be careful," Prof. Qwellyn said to David.

"Because it's going to jab me with those thorns, right?" he asked with a grin.

"Actually, no. Dragonlace is a very strange plant. It looks very dangerous, but these thorns aren't even sharp. It's actually a very delicate plant, and if you squeeze the leaves too hard when you harvest them, you'll crush them, destroying their usefulness to you."

"Oh. So... why does it even have thorns... or things that look like thorns?"

"It's a visual defense. Many animals will avoid it simply because it looks unpleasant."

"So, is this a pinch, or a twist?" he asked.

"Neither. Your best bet here is to use both hands. Hold the leaf with one, hold the stem with the other, and pluck directly. The wound will heal over instantly, and the stem will coil up until it can start growing another leaf."

David did as instructed, and felt bad as the poor little plant recoiled with its injury.

"Sorry, little guy," he told it.

Prof. Qwellyn smiled. "I appreciate that you respect the plants."

"It's hard not to feel sorry for them when they react like that."

"He'll be okay. The trick is not to harvest too many leaves from any one plant, so that it doesn't have to struggle to survive."

"How many is safe?" David asked.

"Well, in an emergency, you could remove up to one-third of a plant's leaves, and it will be able to recover without undue difficulty. In truth, you should attempt to remove as few as possible from any one plant. So, if you need a whole jar full of leaves, pluck them one at a time from each plant, and only go back to the first one when you've run out of plants to choose from."

David nodded. "Speaking of respect for plants... and plants reacting... what's happened with the lightning ferns? Did the Fairy King decide to destroy them all? I notice Greenhouse 6 is empty..."

"The lightning ferns have been sent off to the king's castle. I was able to talk the Fairy King out of destroying them," Prof. Qwellyn said. "Once he understood that a human had probably been the root cause, he calmed down quite a bit. He's rather annoyed at the human, but since we don't know exactly who it is..." she shrugged.

"Does the Fairy King have any authority over people?"

"No. But he could direct the fairies to punish a person for harming their environment too greatly."

An idea suddenly occurred to David. "Miss J... is there any way I could get the fairies to follow someone around? Or at least, to keep track of her?"

"You're thinking of the girl who possibly caused the ferns to harm me?"

"Yes. It's not the only thing she's done."

Prof. Qwellyn shook her head. "Unfortunately not. The fairies are usually busy, tending the land. We simply wouldn't have time to keep an eye on someone all the time."

"But Misty said that fairies don't work themselves all day long."

"Misty... oversimplifies things," Prof. Qwellyn said. "There is always something for a fairy to be doing."

"So, I am inconveniencing her when I ask her to take me somewhere," David said, frowning.

"Oh, no. You're not inconveniencing Misty. You see, Misty is a young fairy, and she sometimes finds her chores boring. She hasn't yet learned the joy of helping the land. So, she sees going with you as an adventure. You're not inconveniencing her at all. You're helping her shirk her chores," Prof. Qwellyn said with a chuckle.

David laughed, too. "Well, that's not much better, but I guess I can live with it for a few more months."

Prof. Qwellyn nodded. She was about to say something when they both heard an enormous whump! from outside.

"What the devil was that?" she asked. They both made their way outside, and looked over toward the river, where the sound had come from.

When David saw a huge boulder, lying on the ground near the base of the waterfall, his body crawled. "Oh, shit! Gwen!" he screamed, and he bolted for the bridge crossing the river. He saw a crowd forming there, and so, as he ran, he faded to ghost form. He ran right through an entire horde of people, all of whom shivered at his passing. He made it across the bridge, and then dashed along the river's edge, heading for the boulder.

When he got there, he saw Gwen and Devyn both lying on the ground, several feet away from where the boulder had come to a rest. He slowed down, and faded back to solid form, then approached them.

"Are you guys all right?" he asked nervously.

"I think so," Gwen said shakily. "We were just standing here, talking and watching the fish, and then there was this cracking noise. I remembered your warning, so rather than look up, I grabbed Devyn's hand and ran for it. We fell down when the damn thing hit the ground. It shook us right off our feet!"

"That is a very large rock to have dislodged on its own," Devyn opined. "And why, David, did you not warn me, as well as Gwen?"

David shook his head. "I didn't see you in the vision. Maybe you weren't supposed to be here, and my telling you guys changed things so you were. I don't know. Anyway, point is, I didn't see you, which is why I didn't warn you."

"Well, hopefully it doesn't matter anymore. You... will check your visions again soon, David?" Gwen asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah. I have Divination tomorrow. I'll sure as hell be checking on things."

"Good."

At this point, Prof. Qwellyn showed up, and so did several other professors.

"Are you all right, Gwen? Devyn?" Prof. Qwellyn asked. They both nodded. "Good. You need to go to the dean's office, and tell her about this. David, why don't you go with them, just in case?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll see you next class," she said, and walked off.

"Come on, guys. I know this routine all too well."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Dean Lengel!" David called out. The dean turned, and then came over to him.

"Good morning, David. What can I do for you today?"

"The boulder that fell yesterday... that wasn't a natural thing, was it?"

Dean Lengel frowned. "What I will say about that, is this: This mountain has never before changed shape on its own. When Lord Woodward had it created, he put many magical protections on it, and one of them was an anti-erosion spell. We cannot find any traces of magic on the rock, but... there you have it."

"Uh-huh," he said, understanding completely what she was saying.

"Was there anything else?"

"Will the Rimohrs be called?"

"No. We can't even prove this wasn't a complete accident. Without evidence of an actual positive act on someone's part, the Rimohrs wouldn't even bother showing up."

"Joy," David said, frowning. "Thanks, anyway."

"Certainly."

David turned back to the others.

"You think it was Cherise?" Olissa asked.

"I'd bet half my bank account on it," he replied.

"Only half?" Nate asked with a grin.

"You haven't seen my bank account," David said with a smirk. Turning back to Olissa, he said, "Please keep your eyes open. Yours is the only vision remaining. I'm going to go back over all of my friends in Divination today, to see if there's anything new, but that vision of you is still there."

"I'll be careful," Olissa promised him.

The group finished up their lunch discussing more pleasant topics.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Professor, can I ask a favor?" David queried.

"You can always ask," Prof. Zoroaster replied with a grin.

"I know you want us to look for the people on the list, but would you mind if I spent my time doing some divination of my friends? Especially with yesterday's 'incident', I'm worried about them."

Prof. Zoroaster pursed his lips, then nodded. "Yes, I can see why. All right, go ahead. However, try to get done quickly, so that you can at least start on the list of people."

"Yes, sir."

As the professor moved off, David turned to his crystal ball. He centered his thoughts, and focused first on Olissa. He was disappointed, a few minutes later, that the vision of her had not changed in the slightest.

Even with all the warnings. Even with her promising to be careful. Is it possible that this has nothing to do with Cherise, and is something else entirely? That might explain why the vision doesn't change... if she's protecting herself from Cherise, but something else is the actual cause...

David shook his head. He had just run up against the most frustrating part of Divination: he only had one small piece of the puzzle that was the future. He needed more.

One by one, David ran through each of the rest of his friends, focusing on them, and Cherise, at the same time. This would allow him to limit his Divination of them to ways in which they might be affected by her. He came up empty in all cases.

Finally, after having done all of his friends, David sat back. He was about to turn to the list of people Prof. Zoroaster had provided, when he got an idea.

I've been looking at each of my friends... why the hell don't I just do a seeing focused on Cherise? This thought hadn't occurred to him before, and he slapped himself mentally for that oversight.

Returning to his crystal ball, David focused his attention on Cherise. As the green mist faded, it was replaced with nothing but a swirling pattern of colors, with a few symbols floating among them. David sat back, confused. He decided to raise his hand.

Prof. Zoroaster came over. "Yes?"

"Professor... is it possible for someone to actively block divinations concerning them?"

"Oh, yes. Dark wizards do it constantly. Why?"

"I think that someone is preventing me from seeing things about my friends. I think that's why the snippet we saw of Gwen was so short. And when I tried to divine the person I think is responsible, I got no image at all, just some swirling colors with symbols in them."

"Symbols?"

"They weren't runes, but I didn't recognize them."

"Move over," the professor told him. David got up from his stool, and the professor took his place. "What is the name of the person you were focusing on?"

"Cherise Cabalon."

"I had her last year for a divination class," Prof. Zoroaster replied. "She was an extremely adept student." The professor focused on the crystal ball for a long moment before he sat back.

"What you are seeing is an intentional blocking of your powers," Prof. Zoroaster said. "It is strong enough that I can't push through it. This would be, in my opinion, beyond the skill of an apprentice. This is high-level divination magic. At least a wizard. Perhaps even an adept, would be required."

"Could she have had someone else do it for her?"

"Certainly."

"Would that person be violating any laws?"

"No. In fact, it is something of a minor industry... it is called Divination Privacy Protection."

"But... doesn't that kind of thing sort of imply the person is doing something illegal?"

"Remember, David, that crystallomancy only tells the future. At most, you could say that they are going to do something illegal. But the truth is that the future is so malleable, that one can't clearly say that any divination will definitely happen. So no. Besides, there are many people who simply don't want others peering into their lives. Some of the wealthier wizards are like that."

"I see. Is there any way to break the protection?"

"Well, if the protector wasn't strong enough, I could push past it. In this case, no, there's no way to break it. Preventing divination from happening is much easier than forcing it to happen, so it takes a much stronger wizard to break past protection than it does to put the protection there in the first place. Do you really think this girl is guilty of dislodging that rock?"

"And several other things, including the poisoning of Prof. Stott, and the injury of Prof. Qwellyn."

"You have made this concern known to the dean?"

"Yes. But nobody can prove anything."

Prof. Zoroaster nodded. "And, sadly, even if we could see something, Divination isn't considered proof, either. Even hydromancy is rarely acceptable as witness testimony, even though it shows only what is happening right now."

"Why is that?"

"It's too easy to fiddle with it. Divination is, as you know, a very touchy process. It doesn't take a whole lot to throw it out of balance. If someone is trying to do it intentionally, what you see will be exactly what they want you to see, and unless you are very perceptive, you may not notice that the imagery is fake."

"Joy. So... what good is Divination?"

"It saved your friend Gwen, did it not?" Prof. Zoroaster asked simply. "Now, please move on to the assignment for the day."

"Yes, sir."

-----

"I proofread your articles," David said. "I marked some misspellings, and there were a few sentences where I had trouble discerning your meaning. You might want to reword them."

Dirk nodded. "No problem."

David turned to Lisa. "How's the layout coming?"

"I've positioned all of the finished articles, and the available imagery. I need several more pictures."

"Tell Cherise what you need, and I'm sure she'll get the job done when she's not busy trying to kill people."

Everyone else in the room raised their eyebrows at that.

"Why, David, that wasn't very nice," Cherise objected, still using her happy, sweet voice. David completely ignored her.

"JJ, how did your little survey turn out?"

"People want to know where the food comes from. We see the pixies, but do they actually make the food? Or do they just deliver it?"

David snorted. "Good question. I have no clue. I'll have to ask someone, and then we can add that in to the Food Services article. Okay... we're getting close to being ready for staff review. Is there anything I need to do to help us finish up?" Nobody had any ideas. "All right. In that case, I guess we're done for the night. See you all next week."

As everyone got up to leave, Cherise turned to David. "I don't like you accusing me of things you have no proof of, David," she said quietly.

David continued to ignore her. "Hey, Lisa, don't forget to let Cherise know what shots you still need."

"Just as soon as she's done talking to you," Lisa assured him.

"Oh, she's done talking to me," David said with finality. He turned and glared at Cherise. "Quite done."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"All right, class. Today, we are supposed to discuss the reign of King Claymore the First. Before that, however, it might be good if we discuss some current events.

"As I'm sure at least some of you are aware, the paper reported this morning that Alpha Gadevok has grown very ill. If you're not aware, Alpha Gadevok is the ruler of Vrudena. He is a werewolf, and he's been diagnosed, according to the papers, with terminal lunastic mania. This is a werewolf disease that will slowly eat away at his brain, leaving him less and less capable of reasoning, until at some point, he will become an unreasoning animal. Shortly after that, he will die.

"Apparently, Alpha Gadevok still has full control of his faculties, but, as there is no cure for lunastic mania, it is clear that there will be a new Vrudenan Alpha within the next few years.

"In Vrudena, the Alpha - their version of a king - is chosen not through heredity, but through physical contest. Any Vrudenan may choose to try to become king, but the contest is biased in favor of the werewolves, so the other were races rarely make the attempt. The contest is violent, and sometimes deadly. Ideally, the winner of the contest will be prepared for the role of leadership before needing to take on the Alpha role. If the Alpha were to die unexpectedly, however, then that preparation would be cut short or, if a successor had not yet been chosen, would not happen at all.

"Are there any questions?"

"Have the Vrudenans scheduled a new succession contest?"

"Not according to the paper. But it should be pointed out that they consider this a private matter, so they don't exactly tell us what's going on. The article in the paper mentions 'unnamed sources', which probably means some kind of agent of the king, who has gathered information from within Vrudena."

"How long does the succession contest take?"

"It can take weeks. Even months. The only way to lose the contest is to willingly surrender to your opponent... or to die. Most werewolves don't know the meaning of the word surrender, so the contest is usually very bloody, and can take quite a while, if contestants are equally matched."

"How long before the Alpha is no longer able to perform his duties?"

"There's no telling that. Lunastic mania progresses at wildly different rates in different people. It could be as little as ten months. It could be as long as eight or nine years. The average seems to be in the three or four year range, but there's just no way for us... or even his doctor... to know.

"Any further questions? No? Well, then let's move on with our lesson for the day."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"You're usually gone by now," David told Devyn. "Are you staying at the school over Spring Break?"

"No. I will be leaving in a few hours. My next quest takes me to a nearby area, so I do not need to leave so quickly."

"What are you trying to get this time?" David asked.

"I must recover the top branches of a tangle tree."

"What in the world is a tangle tree?"

"The tangle tree is the natural version of a Sentinel Tree. The Sentinels were... domesticated? A tangle tree also has the tendrils, but they are used for defense... and for gathering food. A tangle tree is carnivorous."

"Yikes. I've never seen them feed the Sentinel Trees..."

"They do it at night, I think, so that the students will not see it."

"You will be careful?"

"Yes."

"Good. I know that citizenship is important to you, but I would like to have you back at the end of Spring Break."

Devyn smiled at him. "Thank you, David. I believe that calls for a reward."

David was unsure of what she meant until she sank to her knees. He thoroughly enjoyed her reward.

-----

"So when are you guys heading out?" David asked. He was sitting with his roommates just after lunch.

"I'm not leaving until tomorrow," Nate said. "My parents had something they needed to do today."

"Same here," Jim said. "My parents were stopping off to see some relatives on their way here."

"My parents should be here in a few hours," Simon said. "We're going on a trip to Husanodafusa."

"Where in the world is that?" David asked.

"Off the tip of what you call Africa," Simon told him. David nodded. "In fact... aw, shit. I needed to take Koda to the vet, to get him checked out before the trip. Especially with how he's been acting lately, I want to make sure he's totally healthy before we take him halfway around the world."

"You know, Jailla's never been for a checkup. Might be a good idea for me to take him in, too, just to make sure everything is well with his soul, so to speak." Jailla ruffled his feathers. "You hush. If you got sick, I'd be very annoyed with myself."

"We've got the time," Nate said. "Why don't we all take our familiars in for a checkup? I'm pretty sure the vet's still on campus."

"Sounds like a good idea," Jim agreed. The boys all collected their familiars.

David asked Jailla, "Are you going to cooperate?"

"I do not like being poked and prodded," Jailla said.

"That's not what I asked," David said.

Jailla sniffed without response.

"Your choice," he replied. He took hold of Jailla, who wasn't foolish enough to struggle, and put him in a travel cage that he had purchased. This was smaller than Jailla's original cage, which was never used anymore, and was really only useful for transporting Jailla safely over short distances. Jailla squawked at being so confined.

"You're the one who implied you weren't going to cooperate," David told him as they left the room.

"I will get you back for this," Jailla promised.

"I'm sure," David replied, knowing that Jailla would, in fact, come up with some way to get revenge.

The four students made their way to Savage Hall, which housed all animal functions for the school. The vet's office was in the back, near the exit to the Animal Annex. When they entered, they found only the receptionist.

"Good afternoon, boys," she said. "Are you all here to see Madame Abernathy?"

"Yes, ma'am, if she's got the time," Simon said.

"Surely. Who wants to go first?"

None of the familiars seemed all that eager, so Jim said, "Melissa can. She's been through it before, so she knows what to expect."

"Couldn't we all go back at once?" Nate asked. "That way, the familiars can see what's happening, and be ready for it..."

"I'll ask Madame Abernathy," the receptionist replied. She slipped into the back room. As she did, a cat came strolling out. Jailla ruffled his feathers at the animal.

"What?" David asked.

"That's not a familiar. It's just a cat," Jailla replied.

"Ah." As David watched, two more cats slinked into the room. After a few more seconds, the receptionist came back.

"Come on back, boys."

All four of them headed back into an examining room, where they got to shoo away two more cats.

"Come on, Melissa, get up there," Jim encouraged. Melissa climbed up onto the metal table with all the enthusiasm of a vervet monkey going to the gallows. She wouldn't sit, because the table was amazingly cold.

In just a couple seconds, the veterinarian came in.

"Well, good afternoon, everyone. How are we all doing today?" They all answered that they were doing fine. "So, what are we here for?"

Simon said, "I'm going on a trip for Spring Break, so I wanted to get Koda here checked out before we left. My roommates decided it'd be a good time to have their familiars checked, too."

"Well, it works for me," she said. "You are first years?"

"Second," Jim corrected her.

"And I haven't seen any of you before? Shame on you. You should have your familiars checked once a year, just to make sure there aren't any issues. Now, first thing's first." Madame Abernathy put her hand on the table and said, "Tapamana bekagina." After a couple of seconds, Melissa settled down onto the table, which had been warmed by the spell.

"Well, let's have a look," the vet said.

As Madame Abernathy worked, Simon asked, "What's with all the cats?"

"You mean my babies?" Madame Abernathy asked. "Just ignore them. They're harmless. They've grown up around the familiars, and know to leave them alone. I don't know what I'd do without my little clan of furballs."

Each of the familiars went through their examination. Jailla was uncooperative until Madame Abernathy gave him a raisin to shut him up while she worked. In the end, he had a clean bill of health.

Koda, who had grown more and more antsy throughout the procedure, was the last one to go. Madame Abernathy looked him over for what seemed an extremely long time. Finally, she said, "Good to go."

"Thanks, Madame Abernathy," Simon said. "We'll get out of your hair now."

She nodded at Simon, and then said, "Could you two remain behind for a minute?" She gestured to David and Jim. They looked at each other, confused, but nodded.

"We'll wait out in the front room for you," Simon told them. He and Nate cleared out, and Madame Abernathy didn't speak until they were clearly out of earshot.

"I didn't want to say anything with Simon here, but I wanted at least two of you to hear this. Koda is not a familiar."

"Excuse me?" David asked.

"He's not a familiar. He is something masquerading as a familiar. I can't be sure what. What room are you in?"

"Pegasus Dorm, room A42," David told her.

Madame Abernathy nodded. "Okay. Go on back to your room. Do not tell Simon what I'm telling you. Telling Simon will alert Koda... or whatever he is... that we are on to him. As soon as you leave, I will contact the dean, and we will come... take care of... whatever that is. It is dangerous, whatever it is," she warned them. "Anything that could mask its true self for so long... very dangerous."

David and Jim both nodded.

"Don't try to confront it, whatever you do. The dean and I will be along shortly. Don't go anywhere else, either."

"Got it. Thanks for the warning, Healer Abernathy," David said.

"I'm not a healer," she objected.

"The animals might disagree," David replied with a smile. She smiled back, petting the cat that had jumped up on to the table while she spoke. "We've got to go. See you... in a few minutes."

David and Jim headed out to the front room to join the other two.

"What did she want?" Nate asked.

Jim looked at David. David said, "Oh, she just wanted to give us a special diet plan for our familiars. She said they were both slightly under weight." Jim nodded. As they all left Savage Hall, Jim leaned over to David.

"Good thinking," he whispered. David just grunted softly. He was worried now. What, exactly, was Koda?

"I've always had a bad feeling about that bat," Jailla said.

"Shh," David whispered quietly. Jailla kept his peace after that. Considering, David opened the travel cage, and let Jailla out. Jailla resumed his usual perch on David's shoulder.

"Why have I been reprieved of my imprisonment?" Jailla inquired.

"Just in case," David said quietly. He was several feet behind Simon, and he hoped that Simon would not hear their conversation.

"You expect the impostor to suddenly cause trouble, just because he's been to the vet? If we assume that Koda has been an impostor for the entire time he has been acting strangely, then you have never met the real Koda. Why would he pick now to cause trouble?"

"He might sense that the vet knows. Or perhaps when the vet and the dean come for him, there might be a fight. Why are you objecting to not being in your cage?" David whispered.

"I'm not. I just think you're being too cautious."

"Better too cautious than not cautious enough," David replied.

"What?" Simon said, looking over his shoulder.

David started. "Nothing. Talking to Jailla."

Simon nodded, and turned back forward.

When they returned to the room, Koda flew up to hang on the perch that Simon had attached to the ceiling for him. Jailla flew to his own perch as David put his travel cage away. Simon went to his desk while the others just milled around.

Seeing Simon so close, with Koda across the room, David decided to take the chance. He put his back to Koda, and said to Simon, "We have a problem." He kept his voice as low as he possibly could.

"What are you talking about?" Simon asked. Before David could say anything further, Simon said, "Koda, what the fuck are you doing?"

David turned, and saw Koda growing. He was about twice his usual size when he dropped from the perch and flipped himself upright, before landing on the floor, where he finished changing size and shape. What stood upright before them was a man of medium height and build. He had gray hair to go along with his gray coat and black clothes.

Without saying another word, the man stared daggers at Simon. He yanked out his wand, aimed it, and shouted, "Razpadat!"

David knew there was no time for spells, or thinking. He jumped in front of Simon just as the spell left the wizard's wand. It impacted David, who felt an immense wave of pain crashing over his body. His body started to pull itself apart, and he could actually watch as small pieces of him floated off, and then evaporated into nothingness.

This is gonna hurt, he said to himself, which was ludicrous, as he was already in nearly as much pain as he could ever remember. For several seconds, his body disintegrated, until some critical mass was reached. At that point, another huge wave of pain crashed over David, and his body emitted a brilliant ball of light. He screamed in agony as he was forced into ghost form. He closed his eyes tightly against the pain and the light, and waited.

Finally, after a couple more seconds, the pain faded to a dull ache. He opened his eyes and looked down at himself, to find that he was in his typical ghost form.

"You asshole," David said wearily.

The wizard was looking dumbfounded, and even angrier. "You may thwart me once, you soulless devil, but you will not do a second time!"

At that moment, Jim pulled out his wand and screamed, "Yampira!" A ball of energy blasted from the tip of his wand, impacting the wizard. It wasn't strong enough, though, to do any real damage. It did rip a hole in his coat, which seemed only to aggravate him further.

"You would dare get in the way, apprentice? I have watched you here for months. You are an incompetent excuse for a wizard. You cannot defeat me!"

"I bet the four of us can," Nate challenged, and fired off his own energy ball. It impacted with a bit more force.

The wizard growled, "Sakti!" and a huge energy ball sailed at Nate. Nate ducked out of the way, and the energy ball hit the wall. Rather than impacting, however, it bounced off, charging in a whole new direction.

Simon said, "Shit, that's right! The rooms are protected magically! I remember from my little incident with my pyromandy. Hey, you caused that, didn't you!" Just then, Simon and David both had to duck as the energy ball came in their direction.

"Yes, very good," the wizard sneered. "That was very annoying. I had to end the spell so I wouldn't get burned. Otherwise, I would have fried your carcass into ash!" The wizard evaporated his energy ball, and fired off a more laser-like spell. David and Simon both dove behind objects for cover. Unfortunately, the objects were not as protected as the room was. The desk behind which Simon was hiding started to fall apart.

David though quickly, and then he popped his head up, pointing his wand, and shouted, "Valk keskmisay!" A spell unintentionally taught to him by Marcus, a bolt of lightning issued forth from David's wand tip, and impacted the wizard. The wizard flinched backward two feet, trying to ward off the spell.

"Get behind cover!" David shouted.

"Such as?" Simon demanded. "This desk is crap!"

"The walls are protected. Get in the other rooms! You can shoot at him from the doorway!"

"What about you?" Jim said, after he'd dashed into their bedroom.

"Don't you worry about me. I can go invisible, if I have to. The dean and the vet are on their way, so we only have to hold him for a couple minutes!"

"And you will not!" the wizard shouted, finally throwing off David's spell. He blasted a flamethrower effect toward David, who simply faded to invisibility and moved aside. He could still feel the heat, but it was having no effect.

Meanwhile, Nate fired another set of energy balls at the wizard from the side. As the wizard turned to face this threat, Jim fired on him from down in the other direction. Meanwhile, David picked up a book and threw it at him from yet another direction.

The wizard cursed a blue streak at being hit with the book. He lashed out with a wave of energy that knocked them all on their ass.

"You think you can toy with me?" the wizard screamed. "I was only going to kill Simon. Now I will kill you all!"

"What the hell is your beef with me, anyway?" Simon demanded, rising to his feet. "I've never seen you before!"

"And you will never see me again!" he shouted. "Not while you live!" A blast of energy impacted the wall that Simon was hiding behind, but it bounced off harmlessly, and the wizard had to end the spell before he got hurt himself.

"Jim!" David whispered.

'Yeah?"

"Use the walls! Bounce your spells off the walls to get at him from new directions!"

Jim nodded. He fired his own energy ball, which soon started bouncing all over the place.

David said, "Can you fire another one?"

"Sure, but why? It's not hitting him..."

"But if you make about ten of them, they'll distract him!"

"Fucking cool! Yeah! What are you gonna do, though?" Jim asked.

"While he's distracted, I'm hoping some of my other spells will have more of an effect."

"Okay."

Jim started firing off energy balls one after the other.

"You have horrible aim, Sonny Jim," the wizard called out, trying to taunt him.

"Do I?" Jim fired back.

Meanwhile, David crouched, staying out of the way of the bouncing energy balls. He said, "Kiskisippet!" and the wizard was suddenly being zapped all over. This was one of David's favorite spells for harassing people.

"Gah!" the wizard said, and shook off the effects of David's spell. While he was doing that, however, he got hit by two energy balls that he was too distracted to move out of the way of.

Seeing his lack of attention, Nate and Simon both stepped out and screamed, almost in unison, "Okina hono ventus!" Large gouts of flame blasted at the wizard, whose coat immediately caught fire. He ripped it off, tossing it at Simon, who ended his spell and ducked behind the door to avoid the burning object.

"You can't hide from me forever, boy! You think you're hurting me? You're nothing but an annoyance! I will kill you all eventually!"

"Why?" Simon asked again.

"For the book, you simpleton!" the wizard screamed, and then screamed "Valk tohutu!" A blast of lightning ten times worse than the bolt David had used sizzled through the room. Though it hit no one, they were all a bit stunned from the electrical energy charging the atmosphere. David faded to complete invisibility, and then, pointing at the wizard, he shouted, "BARA!"

The strength of David's spell was such that the wizard did, in fact, stumble. As he was falling, David shouted, "PICHAC!"

The wizard, unable to prevent it, was slammed back against the door of the room.

It took only a couple seconds before the wizard was climbing back to his feet, shaking his head.

"I grow weary of this nonsense!" he screamed. Suddenly, an endless stream of energy balls, small but deadly, filled the room. Several of them passed right through David. He could feel their passage; it hurt, but the spell required them to hit a solid object before they would explode, and his ethereal form simply would not set them off. The pain, however, was sufficient for him to try to avoid them as much as possible.

"Where the hell is the dean?" Nate screamed.

"She cannot help you now, boy!" the wizard replied. "I will destroy all of you! The book will be mine!"

"What book?" Simon asked. "If you want a damn book, I'll fucking give it to you!"

"You expect me to fall for that, junior?" the wizard laughed. "I do not believe you would hand over one of the most powerful potions books in history so easily! I will not fall for any of your lies! You will die, and I will take your place, and I will have the book!"

David, in a desperate attempt to get the man to stop firing the damned energy balls, which were now so numerous that they had destroyed nearly everything in the room, as well as making their way into the other rooms and causing serious damage in there, as well, decided on a direct approach. He got within three feet of the wizard, and then he screamed "BARA!"

The wizard went stumbling backwards, falling on his ass. Quickly, David cried out, "LUX LUCIS!" The room was filled with a blinding light, but when he opened his eyes, David was stricken to see that the spell had not worked on the wizard.

"Did you think I hadn't heard about your little trick?" the wizard sneered. "Now. PICHAC!" the wizard screamed.

David went flying. He didn't stop until his body slammed against the windows in the far wall. The windows didn't break, but something inside David did. He was shocked to feel that even a ghost body could break. As he slumped to the floor, he could barely get back up. He struggled to his feet, however. His friends needed his help.

Simon, seeing what had happened to David, growled in rage. He blasted a huge wave of energy at the wizard. It impacted him, and the wizard was actually driven back another foot before he shook off the effects of the spell.

"I haven't got a fucking potions book," Simon shouted, then lashed out several more energy balls. "I hate potions!"

"Of course it wouldn't be in your hands, you fool!" the wizard screamed, firing back with another laser-like blast of energy. "It belongs to your mother! I will kill you, then I will become you! She will come and take her wounded son home, and then I will have the book! I had planned on killing you privately, and then I could have entered your home with no one the wiser. You, however, are the luckiest fucking person on the planet, and my attacks kept failing! NOT THIS TIME!" the wizard screamed, intensifying the laser blast. He aimed it at the door of the room that Simon was hiding in, and Simon had to dive to the floor to avoid being hit by the bouncing beam.

"This magical protection shit isn't helping!" Simon screamed out to the others.

"Not really," Nate said. He tried David's lightning spell, but he'd never used it before, and the bolt was very weak. Jim opted for bara, tripping the wizard to end the dangerous spell he'd been using.

David, trying to pull himself together, put his hand on the wall, looked at the wizard, and shouted, "SONO PLAVATUS!"

The sound coming off the wall knocked everyone to the floor. The wizard, however, was the closest to the shock wave of sound, and he was thrown across the room. David was protected because it was his own spell.

As the wizard struggled to his feet, seemingly unhurt, he snarled in rage. He started to speak, but before any words could come out, the door to the room evaporated in an immense explosion of light. The wizard backed away from the doorway as the dean entered, her wand raised and ready. She was followed by Madame Abernathy, and then Professors Phillips, Thropp, Stott, Arpilla, and Coach Hall.

"Avopna!" Dean Lengel said forcefully. Suddenly the wizard's wand went sailing out of his hand. Jim caught it and tried to snap it in half, but found that impossible to do. He settled for sticking it in a pocket.

The wizard used his hands to create a force field encompassing the professors, but Prof. Thropp immediately countermanded that, and it evaporated. The wizard then blasted several energy balls at them. Prof. Stott and Coach Hall both erected a shield to absorb that energy. About every fifth ball that impacted it, the shield would fire back at the wizard.

"Enough of this," Dean Lengel said angrily. "Cat."

"Neoschima sawakabisa," Prof. Arpilla intoned. The wizard started to morph into something, his body twisting, but he was fighting it off. It was unclear who would be successful. However, while he was doing that, he could not prevent what happened next.

Madame Abernathy cried out, "Paralio!" The wizard instantly stopped moving, and fell to the floor. Prof. Arpilla ended her hex, and the wizard's body ultimately shifted fully back to his normal appearance.

"Try to harm my students, will you?" Dean Lengel seethed, approaching the paralyzed wizard. "I have half a mind to drop you in the Monster Moat. Paralyzed."

"Now, Emile," Prof. Arpilla said to her, putting her hand on Dean Lengel's shoulder. "It's over." She looked up and around. "Are you boys all right?"

Simon, Nate, and Jim all answered positively. David said, "I think... I could, maybe... use a bit of help, actually." At that point, David collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

-----

When David awoke, he was lying in a rather crowded infirmary. Nearest to him were Sam and Olissa. Dean Lengel was sitting in a chair, as was Jim. Further away were a few professors, and some other people he didn't recognize, as well as Nate and Simon. Olissa was the first to notice he was awake.

"David!" she cried out, moving to stand over him. Sam joined her, on the other side.

"Hi there," he groaned. "Someone get the number of the carriage that ran over me?"

Olissa smiled, and Sam chuckled. Suddenly, Olissa was gently pushed aside by Healer Hall.

"Hi, Annie," David said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Someone's got to keep an eye on you," she said. "Though at the moment, I'm having trouble just getting close enough to see you, let alone keep an eye on you. Do you remember what happened?"

David laughed, then groaned in pain. "You'll have to be a bit more specific. What happened when? When I passed out, when the wizard showed up, what?"

"You remember the fight with the wizard, then?" Healer Hall asked.

"Yeah, I remember all of it."

"Do you know why you passed out? Because I haven't got a clue."

"When the bastard threw me across the room, I hit the window. When that happened, I felt something inside of me... pop. If I was in solid form, I'd have thought I broke something. I don't think ghosts can break bones, can they?"

"No."

"So I'm not sure what it was."

Just then, Penny came into view. "It was something called your chimpok."

"My what? And hi, nice to see you."

Penny smiled softly at him. "A chimpok is something unique to demighosts. Jacob had to tell me about it. It's the place where your physical form goes when you're in ghost form. In other words, you hit the wall so hard, you hurt your body, even though you weren't in it."

"Good grief," David said. "So, you mean, I'm going to have broken bones and shit even when I can get back to solid form... um... I can get back to solid form, right? I don't know what the hell that guy did to me..."

"The way Simon described it," Sam said, "It sounds like a disintegration spell. However, since you're a demighost, and thus your body can't really change form, the disintegration spell acted on you something like a morph spell would. It forced you into your ghost form. You will probably return to solid form tomorrow."

"At which point, you will be... injured," Penny said. "But you probably won't have any broken bones. Just a great many sore places."

"I've got that now," David said.

Just then, the Dean drew closer.

Twisting her tail, David said, "No, ma'am, this one wasn't Cherise's fault."

Dean Lengel laughed at him. "I'm glad you're feeling well enough to joke around, David. I was very concerned for a while."

"Thanks. What was that guy's deal?"

"According to your roommates," Dean Lengel explained, "He is after some kind of book of potions. I'm thinking he might be talking about the lost book of Galen. It's a very old potions book that was referenced in several of Galen's other works, but has never been located."

"Why would he think Simon has it?"

"Not Simon, but Simon's mother. Rood - the wizard you fought is named Rood Scotinhutch - has been masquerading as Koda since last summer, when he killed the original Koda.

"Apparently, sometime over the winter break, Rood felt that he had located the lost book of Galen somewhere in Simon's house. He won't tell us where, though. We'll figure it out. If it's there, we'll find it."

"Why look so hard for a potions book?" David asked.

Sam said, "This book is said to have some of the most powerful and unique potions ever created within it. Galen was the potion master of potion masters. He extended his own life to four hundred years through the use of his potions. That potion, among others, is supposedly in the lost book."

"Oh."

"I'm wondering why you boys felt you could take him on. I told you not to confront him," Madame Abernathy said, coming up alongside David's bed. "I'm glad to see you're all right, however."

"Thanks. The guy didn't give us much choice about not confronting him. When we got back to the room, he changed from a bat into a wizard and attacked us. He was standing in front of the door, so we couldn't exactly leave. And if that pain in my back is any indication, we couldn't have possibly gone out the window."

Dean Lengel frowned. "The windows are unbreakable, just like the rest of the room. I'm afraid that a great deal of your belongings, as well as all of the room furnishings, have been destroyed."

"School books? What about the stuff on that shelf above my desk?"

"A few of those items were destroyed, I'm afraid."

"Dammit," David said, laying his head back.

"What was up there?" Sam asked.

"Things people had given me as gifts."

"You're worried about that, instead of your school books?" Dean Lengel asked with a grin.

David looked at her seriously. "I can replace my school books by simply going to the bookstore. The gifts that were given cannot be replaced. I might be able to replace the object, but it will not, at that point, be the gift that was given."

Dean Lengel nodded seriously. "Rood has already been bundled off by the Rimohrs. You may be called on to testify in court."

"Been there, done that," David said.

"Yes. I will keep you informed on that score. Now, I think that Simon's parents would like to talk to you."

David nodded. The others backed away a little as Simon and his parents came over.

"Hello, David," Simon's mother said.

"Hi, Mrs. Crowley, Mr. Crowley. How are you?"

"Much better than you, it would appear," she said with a soft smile.

"Simon tells us that, when that man attacked, you jumped in front of the first spell. It was a disintegration spell. Simon would have been killed outright," Simon's father said. "Thank you, for saving my son's life."

"No problem, Mr. Crowley. I didn't know what spell that guy was casting, but I figured whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be as bad for me as it would be for Simon."

"But it put you in the hospital," Mrs. Crowley pointed out.

David smiled. "This is something of a second home to me, unfortunately. And I'll get out of here in a few days."

"We owe you a great debt, young man," Mr. Crowley said. "What can we do to repay you?"

David shook his head. "Simon's my friend. Even last year, when it wasn't entirely safe to be my friend, he was still friendly. I would have done what I did for any of my friends, really. But, if you really want to pay me back, some more of those brownies would be nice."

Mrs. Crowley laughed. "That I can guarantee!"

David got serious for a second. "Do you have what that guy was looking for?"

Mr. Crowley frowned. "Not that we know of. But we will certainly be having that investigated. It is possible that Galen disguised the book somehow, and that it is sitting in our collection, completely unknown to us."

"Hmm," David said.

"What?" Mrs. Crowley asked.

"Just thinking it through in my head. Simon said that that cookbook you have is very old, and you don't know where it came from. And cooking is much like potion making... is there any possibility that the cookbook might be the culprit?"

Mr. Crowley looked at his wife, who looked back at him, and then scratched her head. "I guess it's possible. I've never sensed any actual magic in it... except for its ability to make me make edible food..."

David smiled. "Well, it's just a thought."

Mr. Crowley smiled. "I think we should let you get your rest. Thank you, again."

David nodded, shook their hands, said good-bye to Simon, and then watched as they left. Healer Hall came back in their place.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore. Tired. I have a hell of a headache."

"Being disintegrated will do that to a guy," she replied with a smile.

"I guess. Sorry to take you away from your hubby for another few nights."

"Not your fault, and he understands."

Jim came over at that point. Nate came with him. "Glad to see you're all right, buddy," Jim said.

"If you call this all right," David grumped. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah. He had some power, but his aim sucked. I mean, you're the only one out of the four of us he actually managed to hit. And he only hit you once."

"Twice. And that was enough."

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, Nate and I have to go down into town. Since our room is a bit of a mess, and they won't have it all fixed up for a day or two, we're going to spend the night at the Slyther Inn. I hear it's better food, anyway."

"It is," David confirmed. "Say hi to Bonnie for me."

"Bonnie?" Nate asked.

"The barmaid."

"Ah. Gotcha." With that, the two boys headed off. Sam came close.

"Are you really all right?" she asked.

"About the usual, Sam. In pain, but let's face it, what was he going to do, kill me?"

Sam smiled. "There are worse things than death. Just ask Jacob."

David frowned mightily at that. "Yeah."

"I'm going to let you rest. Olissa said she was going to take first watch."

"I'm not going to die on you guys," David objected with a wry grin.

"Not from your injuries," Sam said, "but perhaps from boredom."

David smiled. Sam leaned down, gave him a soft kiss, and then left.

"I'm glad you're going to be all right, David," Olissa said.

"Thanks." He yawned after that. "I'm afraid, though, that you're the one who's going to be bored. I think I need a nap."

"It's okay. You go to sleep. Someone will be here when you wake up."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

When David awoke the next morning, he was very surprised to find Prof. Arpilla sitting at his bedside. She was dozing lightly. He sat up and stretched before he even realized that he had his physical form back. The aches and pains assured him, however, that he wasn't dreaming.

David swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and hopped down. His legs felt a bit weak, but they held him. At that point, Prof. Arpilla woke up.

"I'm not sure you should be out of bed," she told him.

David grunted. "Can't lay there all day. Good morning, Professor. What are you doing here?"

"I agreed to take the first watch of the day. That way Olissa could sleep in."

He smiled at her, and then limped his way over to the window. He liked to watch the sunrise, especially when he wasn't feeling well.

Prof. Arpilla came over to David. "Can I ask you what was going through your mind when you stepped in front of that disintegration spell?"

"I believe I was thinking, 'Ow,'" he said with a grin.

Prof. Arpilla chuckled. "Before that. I mean, when you made the choice to... what was that Earth phrase... 'take the bullet' for Simon."

David shrugged. "Mainly I was thinking that, whatever the spell was going to be, I could probably deal with it better than Simon could. Not that I think I'm better than him as a wizard or anything, but because I'm a demighost, I can take a bit more punishment than your average apprentice."

"Except it means spending time in here."

"Not so bad being here. Annie's nice, the bed's fairly comfortable. Okay, yeah, it's boring as all hell, but my friends usually visit, so I at least have someone to talk to. If nothing else, I can do my homework... something that is going to be problematic until I get my school books replaced."

Prof. Arpilla nodded. "Speaking of school work... I was wondering, if you recover from this soon enough, if you would like to take some of your break time to work on your Metamorphosis. I'd like to try out a few new teaching methods on you. If they work with you, then I can try them on the class as a whole. If you're up to it, that is."

"Sure, Professor. I can always use the extra practice. As I'm sure you've noticed, morphing is not my best subject. Oh, and I'll have to make sure to leave time for helping Miss J. I'll have to help her get ready for the Seedling Festival."

"Of course. We'll figure out a time when you're feeling better."

"Have they fixed the dorm room yet?"

"No, they haven't even started, as far as I'm aware. It probably won't be finished for a couple days."

"I'm going to have to find a place to stay for a while, then."

"I'm sure Prof. Stott will be happy to have you visit," Prof. Arpilla assured him.

"Geez, does everybody know about that?"

"David, in order for you to stay with her over the winter break, she had to ask permission from the entire faculty. You now know something about us that other students, even students who have graduated after eight years of study, do not know. That wasn't something she could just tell you on her own. There was a staff meeting, and we had to approve that decision. Obviously, once she told us she wanted you to stay in her apartment, we naturally assumed you two were having a relationship. Does it bother you that others know?"

"It freaks me out that nobody has a problem with it. In Earth, this kind of student-teacher thing is highly frowned upon."

Prof. Arpilla said, "Perhaps people in Earth need to lighten up a bit. It's just sex, after all."

David chuckled. "Yeah, that's not something that most people in Earth can grasp. Anyway, yeah, I guess I probably will end up staying with Sam. I don't have many other options. I can't go down into town, so staying at the Slyther Inn is out of the question, and I doubt there are any available dorm rooms, so..."

Prof. Arpilla nodded. "Your options are quite limited, I'm afraid." After that, there was a long pause. Finally, Prof. Arpilla said, "So, tell me about yourself, David."

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

Prof. Arpilla shrugged. "Whatever you want to tell. We must talk about something..."

David laughed, and the two chatted about nothing in particular from that point on.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"What, exactly, are you doing before you cast the charm, David? You seem to take a long moment when you're not doing anything."

"I'm trying to center myself and focus on the imagery. Last year, I had a lot of trouble with wand control. Prof. Phillips taught me to meditate, and then to use that focus to keep my spells in line. So when I have difficulty with spells like this, then I try to concentrate a little more than usual before beginning."

"Hmm," Prof. Arpilla replied.

"What?"

"I'm wondering if you aren't focusing too much. I know, that seems counter-intuitive, but there are situations where a certain level of intuitive grasp is necessary for magic. Morphing is one of them."

"You mean, I need to understand metamorphosis on the same level I'm supposed to understand TEM?"

"To some extent, yes."

"Oh. We're in trouble, then."

"Why is that?"

"Because TEM is still confusing the hell out of me."

Prof. Arpilla chuckled. "We've worked enough for today, I think. Tomorrow, I'm going to take a different approach. Perhaps we can find a way to get your mind to relax a bit."

"I'm pretty relaxed, Professor," David objected.

"In the traditional sense, yes. But you're still highly focused, and I think that's the problem. I'm going to try to move you a little more towards lack of thought, and a greater intuition. This might take a bit."

David nodded. As he put his wand away, he asked, "Professor, can I ask why you're so interested in my success? Not that I mind, but you told us that we weren't likely to succeed with all of these morphs this semester..."

"I have my reasons for seeing whether or not you can manage this, David. I'd rather not go into it now."

"Well, okay. But I feel like I'm wasting your time."

"It's my time to waste," she assured him. "You let me worry about that, and you just... relax a bit."

"Can't relax today. I have to go help Miss J move some plant pots around."

Prof. Arpilla smiled at him. "See you tomorrow, David."

"Yes, ma'am."

-----

David hopped off the rock lift down onto the third floor of the Thunderbird Dorm. He and Prof. Qwellyn were distributing the pots for the Seedling Festival.

Without thinking, David reached out and took Prof. Qwellyn's hand, to help her down off the rock lift. She hopped down gently. David let her go.

"Sorry about that," he said.

She shook her head at him in confusion. "About what?"

"Taking your hand. I know fairies don't like to be touched."

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"Misty," he said.

Prof. Qwellyn sighed.

"What?" David asked.

"While it is true that some fairies don't like to be touched, they are almost universally those so young that they haven't learned to control themselves. Misty's only six, you see. She's... well, basically a child."

"Ah. Glad I didn't ask her out, then!" David said with a grin. Prof. Qwellyn smiled.

"I'm sure she's fully capable of... that..." Prof. Qwellyn said, blushing. "But there are things she thinks she understands, that she doesn't. As we get older, we learn to submerge our abilities to read other people. We can use them if we need to, but, as she has noticed, they can be uncomfortable if they're always flooding our mind with information."

"Hmm. I wonder what else she's told me that isn't accurate," David mused.

"Well, we have time. Why don't you tell me what she's told you, and I'll correct it if it's wrong."

David nodded. "Well, she said that you aren't really born, but that you're... made, on Fae Day. That you spring out of some magical place that I'm not allowed to know about."

"That's true, we do emerge in secret, and very few humans ever learn where those places are. If it was widely known, people would go there and capture fairies for their own purposes."

"Right. Let's see, she also said that you don't like to be touched, but instead, some of you talk a lot to compensate."

Prof. Qwellyn laughed. "We've already covered the bit about not liking to be touched. As to the whole talking thing... do I talk too much?" she asked, suddenly insecure.

"Not that I've noticed," David replied.

"Good. Anyway, that's a new one on me. I wonder, sometimes, where the younger ones get these things from. Some fairies talk a lot, some fairies barely talk at all. Just like people."

"Oh. Can I ask a... well, an uncomfortable question?"

"Go ahead," Prof. Qwellyn said, looking askance at him.

"You said... well, okay, you implied, that Misty would be capable of sex with a human. My question is... why?"

"Why what?" Prof. Qwellyn asked.

"Why would she have the necessary body parts to have sex? If fairies don't reproduce by mating, then... why would she have... uh... genitalia?"

Prof. Qwellyn was blushing at this point. Her blush didn't lessen as she answered.

"While fairies cannot reproduce, they do form relationships. Like humans, we use sexual activity as a method of bonding, as well as for pleasure. I think it was nature's way of giving us something to do at night, to tell you the truth."

David laughed. "Okay, I was just curious, because it didn't really make much sense..."

Prof. Qwellyn nodded. "I suppose not, from a strictly biological point of view. But then, as I'm sure you've noticed by now, not everything in Dugerra happens from a strictly biological purpose."

David nodded.

"Now, why are you interested in fairy body parts?" Prof. Qwellyn asked, twisting his tail.

David would have blushed. Instead, he turned his head away for a second. Finally he said, "Just curiosity. I like to know things."

"Uh-huh," Prof. Qwellyn replied dubiously.

"How long do fairies live?" David asked a few minutes later.

"Which kind of fairy?"

"Any of them."

"Fireflies are the shortest-lived among us. They live for two years. Half of them get replaced each year. Fae are the longest-lived."

"What... I thought fae was just another word for fairy."

"It's gotten a bit muddled over the years. I am a fae, which is the particular type of fairy that I am. Fireflies, pixies, sprites, and fae are all fairies."

"Oh. I get it. So how long can a fae live?"

"Fifty years or so."

"That's not very long."

"It's long enough. By the end of a fae's life, they are usually ready for 'retirement', back into the energy of the world."

David nodded. "Um... not to be impolite, but... you aren't anywhere near fifty, are you?"

"Why do you phrase it that way?"

"Well... I'd hate to think that I was going to lose a friend in the next few years."

Prof. Qwellyn smiled at him. "Thank you, David. That means a lot to me. But to answer your question, I am twenty-four."

"Oh. Well, that's good, then," he said uncomfortably. After that, he intentionally changed the subject, having made himself feel completely awkward.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Good morning, Olissa," David said. "Well, hi, Bispy," he said in surprise. "It's been an awfully long time since you brought him to breakfast," David told her.

"I figured it was safe, what with the few people here for him to steal food from."

David snorted. "As if he needs to steal food. Just order him steak and eggs, with an extra plate of bacon."

Bispy's head was fully perked now, listening intently to David's description.

"I think he likes that idea," Olissa said with a giggle. She ordered her and Bispy some breakfast, and then she turned back to David. "So how has your break gone?"

"Not much of a break for me, really. What time I wasn't spending with Sam... er, Prof. Stott, working on my potions, or with Miss J. helping her for the Seedling Festival, I was spending with Prof. Arpilla trying to get better with my Metamorphosis work."

"How's that going?" Olissa asked with interest.

"So-so. I accidentally morphed her into a dog the other day," he said. He'd been mortified at the time.

"Trying to tell her she's a bitch?" Olissa teased.

David choked on his milk. "She is definitely not that!" he said, to Olissa's immense laughter.

After Olissa settled down, David asked, "So, do you have your seed yet?"

"No. I have the same problem as last year. I don't know where to get one from."

"Yeah, me either. And I'm not sure that Misty will be able to show us any new plants, with her limited range from the castle. I asked Miss J, and she won't go any further away than Misty will."

"So I guess we're screwed."

"No, that sounds like more fun," David said with a grin. Olissa blushed. "Maybe Sam will have another idea. We can ask her after breakfast."

"If we can find her," Olissa said.

"Olissa," David said tolerantly, "trust me, I can find Sam."

Olissa giggled again.

-----

"Just how far are we going?" David asked. They had borrowed the school's carriage for their little trip.

"It's about twice as far as the centaur village. I didn't figure you wanted to walk it," Sam told him.

"Not really," David agreed.

When they arrived, Sam led them directly into the forest. She seemed to be sticking to some kind of path, though it wasn't one David could see.

"Where are we going?" Olissa asked.

"There's a lake within the forest. Around the lake are lots of plants. Some of them are quite unusual."

"Rare?" David asked.

"I'm sure some of them are."

The trio made their way to the lake, which was a very pretty spot. There were some geese floating on the lake, and it was a peaceful scene. The lack of snow cover made it a bit muddy, however.

"No offense, Professor, but I don't really see anything special here," Olissa said.

Sam smiled. "Well, it is a bit hard to tell what you're looking at, at this time of year. Let me show you some of the more interesting plants."

Sam led them around, so they could see the plants, and perhaps find something that would interest them.

"Now this one," Sam said after having shown them several other plants, "is called Violent Outburst. I have no idea what its official name is."

David chuckled. "Why is it called that?"

"Most of the year, it looks just like it does right now, a kind of dull green plant. However, for one week during the summer, this plant literally covers itself in flowers that range through every color in the rainbow. They all appear on a single day... and some people say, though I don't know whether I believe it, that the plant will actually wait until someone is watching, before it blooms."

"That's got to be beautiful to see," Olissa said.

"They are. I've seen one in flower. I've never seen one actually bloom."

"How do I find seeds for this, though? With no flowers..."

Sam reached down and scooped up some dirt, and let it filter through her fingers into her other hand. After a while, she stopped.

"There's two, right there," she said. Olissa carefully ushered them into a small envelope she'd brought with her.

"One down, one to go," Sam said with a grin.

After several more plants, which did not gain David's interest, he spotted a plant with a blue jay sitting next to it. Thinking it rare to see a blue jay sitting on the ground, he motioned and asked, "What's that plant he's eating?"

"That's a baby lagoonberry bush."

"How old is that plant?" David asked.

"It probably started up last year."

"And it's already producing fruit?"

"Not something you'd want to eat. Birds love them, but they'd give people some awful indigestion. Lagoonberries aren't edible until the plant is at least five years old."

"Yeah, but Sam... I have a bird."

She smiled at him. "Good point. In that case, this might be a good plant for you. Lagoonberry bushes aren't terribly uncommon, but I don't think I've ever seen someone bring one to the Seedling Festival."

"All I need is a berry, right?" he asked.

"Yep. Might want to get a few, in case your bird tries to eat them on you."

David laughed, and gathered up a handful of the berries, all the while being yelled at by the jay, which had flown to a nearby tree for safety.

"Well, that's that," David said. "Unless you have more to show us," he said.

"No, unfortunately, I have to get back. I have some work to do. And so, I think, do you," she said to David. "I think Prof. Arpilla expects you for another lesson today."

"Shit, that's right. I almost forgot."

"Let's get going," Sam said.

As they started, Olissa said, "Thanks, Professor, for helping us out."

"You're quite welcome, Olissa. I hope you get to see yours bloom."

"Me, too."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"So how was your trip?" David asked Simon. They were sitting in the lunch room, chatting.

"Distressing. It was hard to relax after all that shit. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I got out of the infirmary the day after you left."

"I don't quite know how to thank you for saving my ass that way. Oh, your brownies will be arriving shortly."

David laughed. Just then, Gwen and Devyn showed up.

"Hey, guys," David said. He gave Devyn a kiss after she sat down next to him. "How was your break?" he asked her.

"Productive," she replied.

"I see that," he said, pointing to the bandage on her arm.

"It is nothing. It will heal."

"I hear you had a little excitement over your break, too," Gwen said, looking at David.

"Depends on what you heard," David said.

"Somebody said something about a dark wizard?" Gwen prompted.

David just motioned to Simon, who related the whole story to them. In the middle of it, Olissa showed up, but she already knew the story, so he just nodded to her and carried on.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Gwen asked.

"Just David," Simon said.

"You were hurt?" Devyn asked him.

David shrugged. "Spent a night in the infirmary. No biggie."

"Yeah, no biggie for you, maybe," Simon said. "I'm just glad it didn't hit me."

"What would it have done?" Gwen asked.

"According to the dean, it was a disintegration spell. It would have killed me. That's what the guy was trying to do."

"Speaking of," David said, "Did your parents find the book yet?"

"They haven't been back home yet. We spent the entire week on our trip. They've contacted someone to come in and look for it."

"Good luck."

"Yeah, I hear you."

"So... did you get a new familiar on your trip?" David asked.

"Nah."

"Are you going to?"

"I dunno. After being deceived by that guy for months, I don't know if I could trust another familiar, you know?"

David nodded.

"How long was he pretending to be your familiar?" Devyn asked.

"Since last summer sometime. He didn't give a specific date or anything."

"At least you know why Koda was acting weird," Gwen said.

"Yeah."

"So what did you do on your break?" Devyn asked David.

"Studied. Did apprentice stuff with Prof. Stott and Miss J. Spent some time with Prof. Arpilla working on my Metamorphosis work. Helped Miss J move the plant pots around again. All the usual crap," he said with a grin. Devyn nodded.

"Did you take even one day off?" Gwen asked.

"Um... does today count?" he asked with a chuckle. "It wasn't as strenuous as it sounds, trust me. Hey, did you get a seed for the festival?" he asked Devyn.

"I was able to collect one on my journey, yes. It is the seed of a tangle tree."

"Are you nuts?" David asked.

"I will domesticate mine," Devyn assured him. "It will become a Sentinel Tree for my home."

"If you say so," David said dubiously.

"Did you get one?" she asked.

"Yeah. Sam took Olissa and me out to this lake to look around. I'm going to plant a lagoonberry bush."

"That's not exactly rare," Gwen objected.

"No, but Sam said she's never seen one at the Seedling Festival. Besides, it'll give Jailla something to munch on next year."

Gwen smiled and nodded. Devyn, on the other hand, looked a bit grim.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David walked along, munching on a piece of toast he had taken with him from the lunch room. He brought it to his mouth, his black hand holding it by the edges, since it was covered in jam. As he walked, he absent-mindedly brushed crumbs away from his ample breasts.

As he neared the river, David spotted a small bird, flapping about in the water, as if it couldn't make its way out. He moved over toward it, wondering if he could help the poor creature out.

As David leaned over, to reach for the bird, he dropped his toast, so he could use two hands. At that moment, the bird shimmered and vanished. David stood up abruptly, and then suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his neck. He reached up to feel the spot, and his hand was jabbed by a needle-like dart that had stuck in him.

The world began to quickly swirl in front of him, and he became dizzy. He lost his balance, and fell into the river. The water ran quickly here, and he was swept downstream. As he passed under the bridge, his head slammed into one of the supports. His vision grew hazy, and he was unable to see anything clearly. The water twirled him as he moved on past the bridge, heading for the waterfalls.

David moved more and more quickly as he approached the edge. Suddenly, he sailed over the edge, out into the air, and he was falling, falling...

David bolted upright in bed, panting furiously, even though he had no need for air. His heart was racing, despite having no blood to pump. He felt the cold, clammy hands of panic gripping him all over.

After his body calmed down, he slumped back on his bed. There was no way, however, that he was going back to sleep after that, despite having only had an hour of rest. He got up silently and got dressed. He walked out of his dorm room and up to the roof, where all the plants were. He checked on his eternium, and his lagoonberry bush, both of which were doing fine. He stared out of the windows across the water of the ocean.

I hope like hell that was just a dream, but I'd better warn Olissa at breakfast, because I don't think it was.

David sat down, in the dark, and stared up at the skies. Sleep did eventually overtake him, just as the sun rose over the horizon.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~