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I tore my gaze away from the school. “I’m nervous to go back.”
“I understand completely. After what happened here, I think we all are.”
People were angry about the Burning, and they needed someone to blame. The priestesses had made sure that blame would fall on us. Lucas and I had spoken out against the priestesses that night, and the coven blamed us for inciting the riots. I wasn’t sure how safe it was to go back to school, but we had to. It was the only place we were getting answers to stop the priestesses and bring an end to the Waning.
We sat in silence for a few moments before Lucas asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. It wasn’t his job to fix me. Mother Miriam wanted me to be strong. “I can handle it.”
He placed his hand on mine in a kind gesture. “We’ll do this together.”
My shoulders dropped, and some of my anxiety washed away in his presence. Lucas seemed to move slowly as we got out of the car, like he worried what lay in store for us, too. I squeezed his hand as we crossed the parking lot. Just having him near me was enough to calm my racing heart.
A group of students from the campus band had gathered around the main entrance and played music on various stringed instruments. I thought it was meant to lift our spirits, but the music sounded more melancholy than anything. Professor Warbright used his wand to conduct the tune, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. He was a short, plump man who wore round spectacles and carried a pocket watch in his suit vest. He taught music classes, along with Mortana magic, and was often cheerful. Usually, this man could lift anyone’s spirits. Today was a different story, though. Even his kind smile couldn’t make us feel better.
“Lucas, Nadine,” Professor Warbright greeted. “Nice to have you back.”
“Thank you, Professor,” I said, though my tone felt stilted.
Isa and Oliver followed along at our feet as we entered the Main Foyer. The cats shot glances around the room, like they were on edge. The lively chatter that usually filled the room had been replaced by hissing whispers and harsh glares. People moved through the foyer in small groups composed entirely of their own Casts. No one wanted to walk these halls alone. The Alchemists who usually brewed potions in the fireplace on the first day back were nowhere to be seen.
A group of Mentalists glanced our way, and one girl twisted her nose at us when she saw we were holding hands. The message was clear. Lucas and I were from different Casts. We didn’t belong together.
“I can’t believe they had the nerve to show their faces,” I heard someone say. I glanced over to see it was Stacey—an Alchemist in some of my classes. She stood next to Gwen and Valerie, talking loudly.
I expected to see Lena and Camille with them, but they weren’t around. I instantly knew why. Lena was Mortana, and Camille was a Mentalist. Friendship meant nothing to these girls—not after the Cast lines had been drawn so harshly following the Burning. I didn’t like any of them, but it was sad to see. The priestesses thought they were saving the coven with their harsh punishments and scare tactics. They were only tearing it apart.
“They should be in jail,” Gwen sneered, loud enough for us to hear. “They’re the ones who started the riots.”
“Smearing Priestess Stella’s name should’ve earned them the noose,” Valerie added.
I halted in my tracks. My blood boiled at the accusations. Lucas and I had told the truth the night of the Burning—how Priestess Stella had been behind the production of nightshade, and how she’d framed Professor Daniels for murder. But the coven didn’t believe the truth. We’d been forced to release a statement claiming it was all a lie and that Stella had died an admirable death. It was part of the deal to exonerate my friends, along with handing over the Alchemy Wand and Crock of Death to the Imperium Council.
Valerie conjured a copy of the Miriamic Messenger and deliberately opened it. My eyes caught the headline on the front page: Curse Breaker Priestess Confirms Corruption Among Council.
My teeth gritted. I’d scanned the article this morning, but I didn’t have the stomach to finish the whole thing. It’d been about the statement the priestesses forced us to make. The paper called me corrupt and claimed the coven couldn’t trust me. I had half a mind to tell these bitches the truth, but Lucas tugged on my hand. He must’ve read the intent in my eyes.
“Nad,” he said gently. “We can’t let it get to us. There’s no going back on our deal with the priestesses, but we can move forward and find a way to fight back.”
I hesitated. Gwen noticed me glaring and threw her head back in laughter. There was nothing I could do, and it pissed me the fuck off. Isa hissed at her, but she only cackled louder.
“How can we fight back when no one trusts us?” I asked lowly. “The priestesses have made sure of that.”
“I’m working on it,” Lucas assured me. He tugged my arm again, and I had no choice but to follow him.
“Ugh, her cat probably has fleas,” Gwen said. “I can’t believe the Headmistress let them back into the school.”
Gwen was dangerously close to getting a battle orb to the face. I glanced back just in time to see a shimmering ball of magic form beneath her feet. It swelled upward, and she screamed as she lost her balance and went crashing to the floor. Stacey and Valerie squealed and rushed to help Gwen stand, but she looked frazzled. She shot glances around the room, as if looking for the culprit. The magic had been nearly invisible, and I didn’t know where it’d come from.
Lucas draped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. He chuckled under his breath as we started up the grand staircase.
“Was that you?” I asked.
He smirked. “It might’ve been.”
“How’d you do that?”
“Shield magic,” he stated simply.
