The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin (Books of Unexpected Enlightenment Book 1) (31 page)

Salome’s turn came to introduce herself. She bounced to her feet. “I am Salome Iscariot, Carl and Devon’s little sister. I’m a freshman in Drake. And this”—she gestured at Rachel with both hands, as if presenting her on a platter—“is my best friend Valerie’s friend, Rachel Griffin. She is an amazing sorceress and, I am told, our very first member from Dare Hall! I am very happy that she decided to join us. Thank you, Gaius, for inviting her.”

The other students examined Rachel with some curiosity. William Locke and Randall Graves both smiled. Randall even winked. Remus Starkadder, a shaggy blond-haired Adonis who was the second-oldest of the Transylvanian princes, looked her over with a leering smirk that made Rachel uncomfortable, but at least he did not seem to disapprove of her presence. Only Cydney Graves scowled. Rachel let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding, relieved of her unreasonable fear that Gaius had invited her here as some kind of cruel joke. She did not acknowledge Cydney with even so much as a glance, but she did shoot Salome an appreciative smile.

Rising, she curtseyed to the gathered assembly. “Thank you for having me. I hope that I will prove a credit and not a burden.”

From the head of the table, Vladimir Von Dread nodded graciously. “Welcome, Miss Griffin. We are honored to have you join us.”

Gaius introduced himself next, drawling casually in a proper, upperclass English accent, without the slightest hint of his West Country lilt. Then it was on to Colleen MacDannan, the coppery-tressed Irish girl on his other side, who, like Gaius, was an upper school senior from Drake. She, too, kept darting little sideways glances at Gaius. Apparently, Rachel and Tess were not the only girls who had noticed how attractive young Mr. Valiant was.

When the introductions were complete, Von Dread stood and addressed the gathered company. “Welcome, members new and old, to this school year’s first meeting of the Knights of Walpurgis. We meet because knowledge is
power
. We must have power to defend the security of our homelands and uphold order. We are the enemies of chaos and disunity. We share our knowledge because this act makes us all stronger.” He glared at the gathered assembly, as if daring them to gainsay him.

Rachel listened carefully, trying to discern what kind of person the Crown Prince of Bavaria was. He spoke of power like a tyrant, but he also spoke of order and unity and fighting chaos. Ideas that resonated with her. Somehow, this was not what she had expected from him.

“Later this year, we will hold an election to decide who will replace Urd Odinson as my lieutenant,” Vladimir gestured at Urd, an elegant dark-haired young woman from De Vere Hall who was seated to his left. “Urd will be graduating in May. Any upper school senior or higher can be nominated or nominate themselves. Is there anyone who would like to make a nomination at this point?”

Natalie Armstrong, whose thick blond hair hung almost to her waist, raised her hand. “I nominate Freka Starkadder. It is my hope that she will go on the following year to take over as leader. I think we all can agree that Vladimir has done an excellent job of leading since his senior year at the upper school. I believe we should continue to have a younger leader who can hold the office for multiple years in a row. I have heard that before most of us were here, the Knights used to have a college Senior, for a year at a time.” She flashed her dimples. “How can we get anything done like that?”

Tess Dauntless, who was seated next to Natalie, seconded the nomination. Freka Starkadder rose and nodded to the gathered company, smiling. She had an intense, almost feral beauty and straight hair the color of oak that fell over her eyes in long bangs. Looking at her, Rachel could well believe the rumor that the Starkadders could transform into wolves.

As Freka sat down again, Salome glared at Carl, the younger of her two brothers, elbowing him across her boyfriend’s lap. Carl grunted and stood up.

“I nominate Gaius Valiant,” Carl Iscariot announced, “I think he’s shown good judgment in finally getting someone in here from Dare. We need leaders who can get along well with all the Sorcerous Arts. New blood will only make us that much stronger.”

Gaius rose, his hands in the pockets of his patched robes. “Uhhh, I am not sure…”

“I second that nomination.” An awkward boy with a large Adam’s apple and glasses interrupted him. According to his introduction, he was Topher Evans from Dee Hall. “Valiant’s a stand-up guy, and everyone knows he gets along with everybody. Plus, he’s pretty smart, for a guy from Drake.” The boy smirked at this last bit.

Gaius shrugged and sat back down.

Rachel gazed at Carl’s face. She thought he was mocking Gaius, and her cheeks had grown quite hot. But people were smiling, as if they actually liked Gaius. No, Carl seemed entirely serious.

Huh.

No one else was nominated. Rachel considered suggesting someone, just for the fun of it. Maybe the girl sitting next to Gaius. Colleen MacDannan was the cousin of Siggy’s roommate Ian, and if Valerie’s information was correct, the only member of the extended MacDannan family ever to live in Drake Hall. It might seem like a Dare plot, to support the one person who might be thought to be friendly to her dorm. The Knights seemed to be organized so rigidly. Causing chaos for chaos’s sake took on a certain appeal.

“We will table any discussion about leadership until a later meeting.” Vladimir Von Dread rose to his feet again, instantly dominating the room. “With that done, I know that many of us have heard of the wraith attack on Miss Price of Canada. This wraith used a magical protection that rendered it invisible to normal means of detection. Further, it was feeding on Miss Price by direct contact, rather than draining her strength from a distance. All this is quite unusual. Does anyone have any other information on the attack?”

William Locke raised his hand. He spoke with dry, scientific precision. “Wraiths have natural magic and somewhat limited intelligence. They are smarter than animals, but we do not have any records showing them to be smarter than an intelligent child. I have found no previous history of them using defenses such as this one did. I have conflicting reports of who destroyed it. I have heard Miss Griffin was there. Can you tell us how the defense was broken?”

Everyone looked at Rachel.

Terror shot through her like fiery darts. She hated being the center of attention. To keep from panicking, she leaned on her memory. Rising to her feet, she gave a complete report, running through what happened step by step and mentioning any detail she thought pertinent. She started with her arrival at the infirmary. She did not explain she had already known about the wraith or how she could see it.

When she finished, William Locke and the secretary, Naomi Coils, both looked at Von Dread. He kept his gaze trained on Rachel, however, without acknowledging them. Topher Evans was staring at Rachel with an odd look on his face. Romulus Starkadder raised an eyebrow but did not look around. Salome was the only one not paying attention at all. She sat examining the flame design on her fingernails, looking bored.

As Rachel sat down, Topher Evans leaned forward as if to ask a question. He glanced at Von Dread, who gazed steadily back at him, his expression cold and disapproving. Evans sat back and did not speak. Others chimed in, however, discussing the issue. Several conversations sprang up simultaneously.

“Enough chatter.” Von Dread did not shout, yet his voice cut through the chamber. “It is important to note that it should have been one of us who detected and destroyed that creature. Not a gaggle of crazy Dare students with delusions of grandeur.” He leaned forward, his gloved fists resting on the tabletop. “That creature was obviously sent here to sow destruction among the students. We must find out who sent it and deal with him accordingly. Does anyone here know who was responsible?”

There was a silence.

Rachel gazed at her lap. Inside she was seething. She had been the one who detected the creature, and the good boys from her dormitory had defeated it. Vladimir Von Dread was an arrogant rotter who thought the universe revolved around him. It did not. Moistening her lips, she found the courage to speak up. She rose to her feet again.

“Mylene’s father is the chief wraith hunter of Canada.” Rachel spoke calmly. “She’s been sick for years. Now she’s better. The wraith may have been an attack on her father and his family.” She did not add: and not on this school or its students.

Vladimir Von Dread smiled slightly. He did not seem dismayed. “Very interesting, Miss Griffin. Evans, you’re from up north. Have you heard of anything like this?”

Topher Evans shrugged. “I am from Alaska, not Canada.”

Von Dread nodded impassively and turned back to Rachel. “If you find out anything else, Miss Griffin, we would all be interested to hear about it.”

“Yes, sir!” Rachel replied cheerfully, her hands clasped behind her back.

Beside her, Salome giggled, “Gods, Rachel, you remind me of Valerie.”

As Rachel sat back down, she thought glumly that Von Dread was probably the one who had sent the wraith. He exuded wicked intent. He was far too smug to be one of the good guys.

“Besides the wraith attack,” Von Dread continued in his deep, penetrating voice, “there have been other disturbing occurrences. A new freshman in Raleigh named Yara Rahotep was found wandering around outside the grounds. She was apparently out there all night. She claims she has no idea how she got there.”

Salome languidly waved her flame-colored nails back and forth. When acknowledged, she said, “I share a class with Miss Rahotep. She’s rather…mmm…unfocused. Are we certain she didn’t walk out there and forget?”

“Miss Rahotep is known to be absentminded. However, her brother assures the proctors that she has never previously forgotten her actions this completely.” Von Dread rested his black gloves on the table and leaned forward. “The unscrupulous often target those who are less able, precisely because such victims are less likely to be believed. It is our job to protect such people from depredation.

“Second, there was a murder attempt on a Dee student named Valerie Hunt. Someone tried to give her a hexed talisman but was thwarted by two students from Dare Hall, Sigfried Smith and Princess Nastasia Romanov. The authorities have not yet caught this man. If anyone hears anything, you will report it to me. Immediately.”

Rachel raised her hand.

Von Dread inclined his head toward her. “Yes, Miss Griffin?”

“The man was disguised as an Agent.”

“Excuse me? Which man was that?”

“The one who tried to kill Valerie,” Rachel spoke calmly and simply. “He was disguised as an Agent. He had a piece of paper that made people think it was an Agent’s badge. But it wasn’t. Sigfried Smith was able to resist it.”

“Interesting. No one mentioned that.”

“Yes,” Rachel frowned, suddenly angry at the adults again. “You’d think that would be the first thing the tutors would tell us. ‘Look out for rogue Agents.’”

“Indeed.” Von Dread looked thoughtful. “Thank you, Miss Griffin. Next, there is a new student in Marlowe Hall named Misty Lark. Her family was recently murdered. She was the only witness and has, as of yet, not recovered enough from the shock to explain to authorities what she saw. Some people from my house took it upon themselves to harass her. I have ended that behavior.”

He leaned forward and struck the table with his black-gloved fist. The noise reverberated throughout the chamber. His voice was fierce yet calm. “You will not bother the young woman, or you will answer to me. If you hear anything about the murder of her parents, you will report to me immediately. I have it directly from Dean Moth herself: Miss Lark is to be protected.”

Rachel’s heart ached for Misty Lark, Zoë and Seth’s friend. She had had no idea about the tragedy. She remembered her from the Familiar Bonding Ceremony, a straw-haired girl with a tiny unicorn for a familiar. No wonder the poor girl’s expression had been so blank.

An eerie shiver slid down her spine: First Sakura Suzuki, then Misty Lark. Wasn’t it odd to have two girls in the same freshman class who had both witnessed the death of their parents? And then, there was Valerie’s dead friend, Lilly Pfeiffer, whose death Detective Hunt had been investigating when he mysteriously vanished. Could there be a connection between these horrendous crimes and the attempt on Valerie’s life?

“Does anyone else have anything to share?” Von Dread asked. “Strange occurrences? Matters of interest to the Knights?”

Rachel considered telling them about the Raven; however, her father had told her to forget it. She decided she had better keep that to herself. Then, she waited nervously to see if Cydney Graves mentioned the princess’s visions or Zoë’s shoes.

Bernie Mulford, the son of the friends of Rachel’s parents, casually raised his hand. When acknowledged by Von Dread, he gave the gathered company a jaunty grin. “Did anyone ever find out who was behind the Rain of Fish incident last year? Not that I mind rainbow trout falling on my head.” He changed his voice to a thick hick accent. “Them critters is good eatin’.” In his normal voice, he added, “Still, it would be nice to know if we need to be prepared to protect ourselves from falling sea creatures on a regular basis.”

Von Dread arched an eyebrow at Urd Odinson, the stately upperclassman with wavy chestnut hair who was seated to his left. She spoke calmly without rising. “That turned out to be an unfortunate mishap involving a botched attempt to feed a familiar.”

Several people snickered. Bernie looked faintly disappointed, as if perhaps he had already designed his anti-rain-of-fish protective gear.

“Any other business?” Vladimir looked up and down the table, examining each face. “No? Very well. Let us take a short break. I will speak with our newest guests. We will reconvene in fifteen minutes.”