The Alchemists Academy Book 2: Elemental Explosions (2 page)

            Wirt was about to say that he didn’t know where the sword was, but he was quite surprised to find that he did. Or at least, he knew that he knew where it was. More than that, despite the part where Wirt was absolutely certain that he couldn’t be Merlin, he also had the simultaneous feeling that he knew the knight before him very well.

            It was just that he couldn’t put his finger on how, any more than he could pin down the exact location of the sword King Arthur wanted so badly. Wirt concentrated, trying to think. Trying to remember. Trying to come up with some sort of answer.

            And the dream faded.

Chapter 1

W
irt woke in the room that he shared with Spencer, looked at the clock on the wall, and winced. He was late for breakfast. So late, in fact, that if he didn’t hurry, he would probably be late for his first class too. He got up and got ready, picking his way through the mess that he had left over much of the floor. When Spencer moved his stuff back in later, reclaiming his half of things, Wirt dreaded to think how it would pile up.

Wirt hadn’t gone anywhere over the summer. He hadn’t had anywhere
to
go. So he had spent his time at the school, exploring, or visiting Llew the dragon down in his cave, or just generally trying to keep out of the way of the headmaster and some of the stranger Things that still stayed around. He’d had a few lessons with Ms. Lake over the summer, working on his transportation skills, but even so, Wirt was surprisingly glad that the new year had started. He suspected the feeling wouldn’t last.

Wirt chose his customary hooded top and jeans from the box that conjured clothes into existence as he needed them, before heading out into the hallway and shooting down the transport tubes that ran through the inside of the giant tree in which the Alchemists Academy sat.

Wirt smiled to himself at that. It was amazing how soon the impossible could fade to something approaching normal. Though he suspected that he would never get used to the sheer speed of the tubes. The one he was in deposited Wirt at the entrance to the cafeteria, and he went to the hatch for whatever breakfast the wood nymph cooks had picked out for him today with their not very accurate crystal ball. It turned out to be porridge. Apparently, turning up late annoyed them.

Wirt sought out Spencer and Alana, both sitting at a table in one corner. Spencer was wearing black, as usual, his blond hair neatly combed in stark contrast to the mess that Wirt’s inevitably was. He grown a little taller and broader shouldered after the summer break, while Alana…

Alana was amazing. Her dark hair fell in waves almost to her waist, and she wore a dark sweater and slacks today. She seemed older than she had when Wirt had last seen her; more grown up, with the previously girlish prettiness of her features maturing into genuine beauty. Wirt couldn’t help staring at her, and he noticed that Spencer was doing much the same. Priscilla, Alana’s roommate and the school’s resident royal princess, didn’t seem to be there this morning.

Wirt sat and ate quickly, trying to catch up with the others as he did so. Spencer had mentioned yesterday evening that he had spent some of the vacation on an extended trip with his father, but when Wirt brought it up now, Spencer seemed not to want to talk about it. Wirt was just about to ask Alana what she had done over the summer when the bell rang for the first lesson.

They all had the same first class, up in one of the higher reaches of the tree. It was something called ‘Elemental Manipulation’ and sounded better to Wirt than a lot of the subjects offered at the school. Certainly better than the magical accountancy that Spencer’s father forced his son to take. Wirt took a seat next to the other two, and had just settled down when the principal walked in, accompanied by a woman.

Wirt had spotted Ender Paine several times as he was wandering the school halls over the summer, and had mostly tried to avoid the man. He looked no older than ever, and sported his inevitable tuxedo and white gloves, along with his usual dark goatee. Ender Paine looked around the cafeteria with faint disgust, but then, he generally looked at his pupils like that.

“Attention.” The principal’s word rolled out to force silence across the room. Magic, of course. “We have a new teacher this semester, children. This is Ms. Cassandra Burns.”

The woman stepped forward. She seemed to be in her late twenties, though Wirt had learned that was no guide to anything around the school, with hair that was fire engine red and held back in an elaborate network of braids, interwoven here and there with feathers and silver and gold beads, diamonds and gemstones. She was very good looking.

Ender Paine coughed to get the attention of the boys in the class, and then continued. “Ms. Burns is one of the elemental fey, on loan to us from the Feyland College of Magical Arts. She will be teaching you the control of the weather you need to rain lightning down on your enemies, or freeze them with ice-”

“Or bring rain to end a drought,” Ms. Burns added.

“Or that.” Ender Paine didn’t look like that last option was a particularly impressive one, to him. “Oh, and we have a new pupil as well. This is Roland Black. Make him welcome or I’ll feed you to the Things.”

In walked a tall boy with spiky blond hair with an odd black stripe that ran through it. He wore a pale shirt and black jeans, along with rock star sunglasses that reflected the room around him. He paused for a moment, as though giving the rest of the room a chance to adjust to his brilliance, took of his sunglasses, and sat down in an empty seat next to Alana with a smile that looked to Wirt just a little too much like he practiced it in the mirror. Wirt couldn’t help noticing that Alana returned the smile with interest.

And of course, when Ender Paine left and Ms. Burns announced that they would need partners for some of the work they would be doing this year, Alana got assigned the new boy. That seemed to make Alana very happy, while Roland Black chose that moment to look over at Wirt and Spencer, who had been paired together, with a taunting quirk of his lips.

The class itself was simple enough, discussing the basic elements in abstract terms, and explaining how that sort of natural magic relied on simply manipulating what was already occurring around the practitioner rather than creating anything new. Ms. Burns seemed like a good teacher, and Wirt found himself absorbing the lesson with interest. It seemed… obvious, somehow.

The class ended, and Wirt rushed outside with Spencer into the corridor, where Alana was standing talking with Priscilla. The princess didn’t get to take classes in magic, much to her annoyance, but she liked to show up and quiz her friend after lessons in the hope of picking something up. Right then though, the only topic of conversation seemed to be Roland Black.

“So what’s he like?” Priscilla asked.

“Oh, he’s dreamy,” Alana answered, and she did indeed seem to be half in a daydream just thinking about him. “But it could cause problems, given whose son he is.”

 Wirt saw Spencer freeze slightly at that, as though he were only just getting something. “He’s the son of Morgan Black? He’s
that
Roland Black?”

“Yes,
that
Roland Black,” Alana said. “I know what that’ll do to your father knowing Morgan Black’s son is here at the academy too.”

“Well, it figures they would let anyone into the Academy these days,” Spencer said, and then seemed to think about it. “What am I saying? With Ender Paine in charge, that’s probably exactly the sort of person they want.”

He shot a disgruntled look over to where Roland was standing at the end of the hall, talking to a cluster of other students.

“That and the school’s financial situation,” Wirt agreed. “What do you have against Roland, though, Spencer?”

“When my father was a student here at the Academy,” Spencer said, “Morgan was a student here as well, and he nearly killed my father.”

“Oo,” Priscilla said, “I heard about that. Is it true?”

Alana looked from Spencer to the new boy. “Your father can be a bit headstrong.”

Spencer stared at Alana. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m just saying, who knows what the whole story is between your father and Roland’s?”

“I know,” Spencer said. “My father wouldn’t lie to me.”

Alana obviously knew enough not to contradict Spencer on that. “Well then, it still doesn’t mean that Roland is like his father, does it? He seems nice.”

“You didn’t say nice before,” Priscilla pointed out helpfully. “You said he was dreamy.”

“It didn’t take you long to become friendly with him,” Spencer pointed out, moving to block Alana’s line of sight to Roland Black.

“I’m not the one who said ‘we’re just friends’,” Alana snapped back, with a hard glance at Spencer. “I don’t have a father who doesn’t want you dating your family cook’s daughter, either.”

Spencer flushed and turned away. “If I didn’t listen to my father, Alana, he would whisk me back home, away from the academy…away from you. That or find a way to take it out on you and your mother. Is that what you want?”

“Your father isn’t always here, is he?” Alana said. Wirt got the feeling that he was in the middle of an argument the two of them had had several times over the summer.

“Not exactly,” Spencer said. “You shouldn’t forget, he went through the Alchemists Academy, too.”

“How could I forget that?” Alana demanded, in a tone that made Priscilla reach out to touch her arm. “No, Priscilla, I won’t calm down. I’m not doing anything but speaking the truth. Any time anyone mentions Spencer’s father, it’s always you going on about how he was one of the most esteemed students in history here. Merlin would be
so
proud.”

Wirt immediately found himself thinking of the dream he had that morning. He didn’t know what to make of it. But given how Alana and Spencer were looking angrily away from each other, he knew now was not the time to bring it up. Even Priscilla seemed to sense the tension, because she suggested that she and Alana should get to their next class- a practical session for future royal advisors.

The two walked off, and Wirt was about to suggest to Spencer that they should get going too when Ms. Burns came out of her classroom and walked over.

“Wirt, I need to talk to you. In private.”

Spencer looked over, and Wirt nodded. “I’ll catch you up.” Once the other boy was gone, he looked back to Ms. Burns. “Yes, Ms. Burns?”

The new teacher nodded to herself. “I wanted to let you know Ms. Lake told me about your unique circumstances, Wirt.”

Wirt resisted the urge to wince at that. Did Ms. Burns mean the part where he had no family, or the part where he was trapped there? Either way, he didn’t need her pity.

“She told me about the obvious talent you have displayed in some areas, Wirt, and she asked me to spend some extra time helping you develop those talents.”

“Do I get a choice?” Wirt asked.

Ms. Burns smiled and shook her head. “In this school? Hardly.”

Chapter 2

“
M
y latent talents?” Wirt asked, confused. “What latent talents?”

Ms. Burns smiled. “We’ll know that once we’ve developed them, won’t we? Now come along.”

She put an arm around Wirt’s shoulders, stepping with him towards the wall of the tree so that for a moment it looked like they would crash straight into it. Except that, as they reached the wall, it became a shimmering curtain of water, which they splashed through before Wirt could think to ask what Ms. Burn was doing.

It turned out that the wall was part of the outer bark of the tree, meaning that walking through it left the two of them standing precariously on a thick branch, so high above the world below that Wirt couldn’t begin to make out details of anything at ground level.

“Ms. Burns?”

The new teacher stepped along the branch like a tightrope walker. “Yes, Wirt?”