Elemental Havoc (Paranormal Public Book 11) (12 page)

The lectures were scheduled to take place in an enormous hall. Charlotte had taken over the concert space on campus, and it was filled to the brim as the time for the first lecture approached. I watched her beam as we walked over and saw people streaming into the hall. She had been in the building all morning working on preparations, and had only just returned to her office when I came in to yell at her. Although I felt guilty about that afterwards, I did feel glad that I had said something, and that she and I had come out the other side still speaking to each other. Her rant had in fact cleared the air, and she had now turned her attention entirely to the upcoming event. She left me for “just a minute” to go check on last-minute preparations, and as soon as she disappeared, Eighellie materialized. Now that I knew that Eighellie secretly wanted to become an assassin, I looked at her differently. She moved with a sort of calculation, which I had previously attributed to her being uptight. Now I thought maybe it was both.

“Hey,” she said. Then she shouted, “KEEGAN!” and waved her hand wildly.

“Hey,” said Keegan. “My mom Contacted me this morning and informed me that I had to go to this event. She didn’t even know Charlotte was in charge of it, she just said I should hear what Judge Yeast had to say. Ricky had already given me the same orders, so here I am.”

“Your mom was right,” said Eighellie. “As the main opposition to the Quest government, Judge Yeast knows a lot and will make a lot of important points. She disagrees with Sip on a number of key issues.”

Keegan’s eyes bulged and he stared at Eighellie for a moment, then he started to laugh, plastering one green hand over his mouth in a vain attempt to hide his amusement. Eighellie’s shoulders fell a little, and I realized that she had been serious, albeit misguided, in her intention of informing her ignorant friends about the speaker.

“Um, it’s fine,” I said. “I don’t think we need help understanding basic English.”

“Judge Yeast’s whole point is that nothing is simple. The course of government is complicated and it takes a strong intellect, one like hers, to master the art of the law productively. I doubt you’ll get much out of it. Have you read her treatise on Hempiate? It’s fascinating.”

“Is that a football trophy?” Keegan screwed up his face, confused.

She rolled her eyes. “No, it’s a paranormal philosopher.” She turned to me, as if I possessed what little sense there was between the two of us. “How is it possible that you got into a paranormal college?”

“Um, the standards really aren’t that high,” said Keegan, and then he blinked several times.

“Good looks?” I offered. Keegan smirked.

She gave him that wide-eyed look that said she was rolling her eyes without actually rolling her eyes.

“I feel very judged,” Keegan whispered to me.

Eighellie still hadn’t given up on making us be serious, Now she started in on the other speaker. “Professor Fussfus is going to be amazingly educational too,” she said. “He knows as much about artifacts as any paranormal alive. He’s very smart and very well traveled. I’ve met him several times. He’s totally dedicated to what he does.”

“Are you giving a commercial for him or do you usually speak in advertising?” Keegan asked.

“I’m being positive,” said Eighellie. “A positive attitude is a big plus given that I spend so much time with drags like you two.”

My attention was only half on the banter between my friends; I was also busy looking around to see who was in attendance at Charlotte’s event. I hadn’t seen President Valedication since that night in his office with Lisabelle, and when I looked around for him now, he was nowhere to be seen. To be fair, he had so many detractors that if he had in fact come, his presence might well have been an unwanted distraction.

Speaking of the darkness premier, I was relieved to see she wasn’t on hand either. Eighellie would have gone up to ask her questions, and Lisabelle would have set her on fire with her angry eyes.

Judge Yeast was on the list of paranormals Eighellie wanted to speak with about her parents, but there was no way she was getting near the opposition leader today. Yeast, a fallen angel, was very well guarded, with eight fallen angels surrounding her at all times. It made me wonder what exactly she thought would happen to her if she didn’t have all that protection.

“I know Eighellie is really excited about this and I know your sister created it, but . . .” Keegan shook his head. “Whatever happened to staying inside and playing video games?”

“They turn the power off at night,” I said. “We have to study by lamp and magic?”

It was true. For the last few nights there had been blasting work for new buildings, and every night the power to campus had been shut off. Many students, unwilling to give up all their nocturnal activities, studied by lamp or magic. The smart ones just went to bed with ear plugs.

“What’s the point of studying so much when there are monsters out there trying to kill us?” asked a fallen angel sophomore who had overheard us. He was a boy with ice-white hair and a sour expression whom I remembered seeing on the first night. Even in this crowd his hair stood out; it was as white as Sip’s. I had taken an instant dislike to him, which was odd, because the fallen angels were supposed to be some of Sip’s closest allies. “What’s the point of building buildings that they’re just going to burn down eventually?”

For a few minutes we just watched people mill around. I was interested to see who came and went and where they sat. After a while, Keegan and Eighellie went to sit down and Charlotte came back to stand next to me, looking very pleased with the turnout.

The massive cracks made in the marble floor of the hall during the Nocturn War had been repaired, and the swirls were now perfect, icy blue mixed in with a vibrant gray. This was the sword hall, so named for dream givers’ sharp minds.

“Who told you that?” Charlotte asked, frowning. “I’ve never heard that.”

“Lough,” I said.

She smiled. “I should have known.”

My sister was wearing long, dark robes, and I could see no hint of a baby bump. She had said that she wasn’t planning on announcing her pregnancy right away, or telling anyone but her closest friends. Her robes would conceal her for the most part anyhow, since they were large and loose, but she had also said that if it got to the point where they couldn’t hide the evidence any more, she would merely take some time off from teaching. Dobrov was in on her secret, so she wasn’t worried about not teaching her classes, she was just looking ahead to the test at the end of the year and fretting over her students, about whom she talked as if they were her little ducklings.

“They’ll be fine,” I had reassured her. She only taught seniors, after all. In other circumstances she might have taught elementals, but since I was the only elemental alive to be taught, and we had both agreed that her being my teacher was a terrible idea, akin to forcing Dacer to wear only one color for the rest of his life, we both knew we would be spared that ordeal. On the bright side, she had a small group of intelligent and dedicated students, and that made all of us feel better.

“Who is that?” I asked. Marching down the center of the hallway was a woman in a black wool skirt and black stockings, one of which hung lower than the other, a black blazer, and a stiffly pressed white shirt. She wore glasses and small birdcage earrings, but no other jewelry.

President Sipythia Quest had once expressed surprised that I noticed jewelry on paranormal women, and I had merely told her that growing up with an older sister you learn a thing or two.

“My brothers grew up with a sister, and they learned nothing,” Sip had said with some bitterness.

“Maybe the problem is that werewolves are thick-headed,” Lisabelle offered.

“Thick-headed, but also violent,” said Sip, glaring.

I was brought back from that memory by Charlotte’s answer to my question about the paranormal who was coming down the aisle. “That’s an assistant scheduling coordinator. Lotus Correine,” she said.

Lotus Correine marched as if to the beat of a silent drum. She was slow and deliberate, with her shoulders not swinging with her arms in a normal way.

“She looks . . . stuffy,” I said.

“Yes,” said Charlotte, “so be really nice or she’ll be worse.”

“I’m not going to have to talk to her, am I?” I asked.

“She’s walking right toward us; what do you think?” Charlotte asked.

“Can I run?” I asked.

“I don’t know, can you?” said Charlotte.

“Professor Rollins, I presume,” Lotus Correine said, stopping in front of us and pursing her lips as if she was disappointed. While Charlotte and I had argued, she had made it all the way down the aisle. “May I have a word in private? I don’t like to speak too candidly in front of children.”

Charlotte gave an amused smile and nodded. I rolled my eyes and wandered off.

Not yet ready to join Eighellie and Keegan, I wandered around the hall. I saw Professor Penny and Charlotte’s secretary, Luther, plus many students, including Averett. I saw Professor Heather talking to someone who at first I didn’t recognize, but then realized was the militia man who had creeped me out on our way into Surround. What interest she might have in these lectures, I had no idea. There were no pixies. When I saw that Charlotte was free again I returned to her side.

“Pretty soon we’ll have to start,” said Charlotte. “Are you going to join your friends?”

“Yeah, Keegan will be wondering where I’ve got to,” I said, glancing at the double doors.

“It’s so great that you two are friends,” she said.

“So, you think so too,” I muttered. I did like Keegan, and it was true that I felt a shared bond with him. But sometimes the kid got on my nerves. Then again, if I looked at some of the friendships around me, maybe I had to accept the fact that the best of friends always got on each other’s nerves at times.

With that thought, I went to sit with my friends and listen to the first installment of my sister’s lecture series.

Judge Yeast wasn’t what I expected. She was youngish, probably in her thirties, her hair just going gray in small streaks. Her hair just swept her shoulders, and she clipped half of it back from her face, which was round and almost kind-looking. When she smiled she showed a face full of very white teeth. Though she was small in statue, her voice carried. I had the impression that as a judge she was used to being listened to.

Charlotte made the introduction as Judge Yeast sat waiting patiently. Little murmurs went up among the students when Charlotte walked up and introduced herself as an elemental. She wasn’t often seen, but she was known far and wide. I found myself smiling, proud of my sister’s accomplishments.

“Judge Gray Yeast is known for her long experience and fair-handed ways,” said Charlotte. “She is three fourths fallen angel and one fourth dream giver, a combination has that given her a particular blend of kindness and empathy, qualities that all who enter her courtroom appreciate. Judge Yeast has served the first district for the last eight years, since her appointment from the fifth. As many of you know, the lower the number of the district, the higher the judge’s role is in importance. Judge Yeast is sought after by lawyers, as they always know they can get a fair trial in her courtroom.”

It was my sister who was saying all of this, but it confused me. Judge Yeast was Sip’s most vocal opposition leader. We didn’t like her, and here was Charlotte singing her praises.

“JUDGE YEAST FOR PARANORMAL PRESIDENT!!” someone in the crowd yelled out. I turned my head to see who was speaking, but whoever it was had already sat down.

Charlotte didn’t even falter, except to murmur that all viewpoints were accepted at the lecture series. Then she continued, “Judge Yeast is an expert in many fields. Having achieved two masters degrees and a PhD in economics, she has now turned her attention to politics and the question of the Counter Wheel, those artifacts that are thought to be all-powerful counters to the Wheel I know well – and which are missing. Without further ado, Judge Yeast.” Everyone clapped politely as Charlotte stepped aside. My sister looked a little ashen, but not so obviously that I thought anyone but me would notice.

Judge Yeast plunged right in: “I realize that you all expect me to make a political speech tonight, and believe me, it’s been on my mind, especially since I am visiting a hotbed of support for my competition.” I could have imagined it, but I thought her eyes skirted for the briefest of moments to Charlotte. “In any event,” Yeast continued, “I am not here to make a political argument or statement. I am not here to take down any specific party, not even a specific werewolf whose foolish actions and rash rush to judgments surely deserve it.”

I desperately wanted to look at Charlotte to see how she was taking all of this, but I didn’t dare. Anyhow, she had become adept in the past few years at keeping her face a mask, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell even if I did glance her way.

“I am actually here to discuss one artifact in particular in great detail, the magnum opus, if you will,” Yeast said with a smile, as if just the thought of the object set her brain matter on fire. Next to me I knew Eighellie was fighting not to roll her eyes.

Yeast now actually did set the politics aside, holding up the picture of an object and explaining, “This is the ancient artifact known as the Golden Rod. This rod was thought to have been seen many times. In fact, what led to the recent discovery that it was a fake is its unearthing yet again. For many years the true Golden Rod, authenticated by experts two generations ago, was thought to reside in a small museum in Sweden. However, when another Golden Rod was unearthed during excavations in . . . Canada, it was understood that the authentication process needed to be started yet again. What we learned from extensive testing and research is that neither of the supposed Golden Rods are in fact the real Golden Rod. We have been duped. Specifically, the Swedish were duped.” She paused for a moment to shake her head. She had put on a pair of half moon spectacles for the occasion, and they made her look even more like a librarian, though not one I ever wanted to borrow a book from.