Redeemed by Heather Fledderus (best novel books to read .txt) 📕

“Hemlock?” Candace gasped loudly, the panic real. Kirena was going to poison her?

“Just the tinniest pinch, my dear. Nothing to fret about. It will just help numb the spot for a while as the rest of the elixir kicks in.”

Candace risked a glance as Zen, who was quickly making her escape out the window by Sylvia’s bed. Balanced on the ledge, she glanced back over her shoulder to Candace and gave a merry little wave.

“Actually, Madame Kirena,” Candace said, resuming her normal voice as she sat up abruptly. “I’m feeling much better now. Must have been a fainting spell of some sort. Thank you so much for your help though.”

The window banged shut, causing Madame Kirena to jump and turn to see the cause of the ruckus. Candace quickly released her arm and sprinted for the door before Madame Kirena could imagine something else toxic that might help with the imagined ailment.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take the elixir as a precaution?” Kirena called after her. “I know that it tastes really bad, but it does work.”

Candace shuddered at the thought of swallowing hemlock as she escaped the wing of the school, making her way back to the dormitories. She didn’t see Zen at all, and the marm was asleep when she got back, making it easy for Candace to slip back to her sleeping bag unnoticed.

It was well after midnight when his visitor finally arrived. Headmaster Hilroy had given up on him showing, and had settled in to try to finish off a few reports before retiring to bed himself. His door, always propped open by a knickknack that an exchange student had given him eleven years ago, slowly slid shut. The lock clicked and he looked up to greet the darkness.

“Didn’t think you were coming, old friend.”

The shadow had no face, but he could hear the grin intended as the man replied. “Dragons have been getting cranky lately. Got any students that have been misbehaving ?”

“Careful how you say that, Griswold. Some might think you were intending on feeding students to the dragons to appease their hunger.”

Griswold became visible as he laughed. The man was over sixty, yet still looked spry enough to lead a one-man attack against a horde of Grimwore. In fact, Hilroy had always wondered what the gameskeeper had done before applying for the vacancy here at Belladonna, but the topic had never really seemed to come up. His gray hair was roughly cut, but kept in place by a cap that hid his blue eyes. He sank into the seat opposite Hilroy and rolled his neck. There was an audible crack.

“Ah, that’s better. Come on, there must have been something going on around here lately. I just saw a girl escape from the infirmary by climbing out a window.”

“Not that big of a feat, considering that it is on the first floor,” Hilroy replied. “Tea?”

Griswold took his cap off and ran a hand through his hair. “Actually, considering the hour, I probably shouldn’t have something weak.” He produced a flask from his jacket and took a quick swig.

“You know, when the inspector comes, seeing the gameskeeper drinking while on duty may not endear us to the Ministry. You might even lose your job.”

“Bah, the Ministry’s a bunch of coots and they know it. I’m harmless to you young’uns. But seriously, that girl that escaped from the infirmary, she’s the reason why I wanted to talk to you.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know her name, would you?”

“Nawp, and I don’t plan to. The kid’s up at all hours and I run into her in the dandiest places. Aranea be saved, just the other night she holed up in the greenhouse and went to bed right there. I know most of those kids on that Battle Club you all love so much, but I honestly expected more from them than pretending to be homeless.”

“What makes you think she’s a member of the battle club?” Hilroy wanted to know.

Griswold took another sip before replying. “She’s got a sword with her all the time. And if I’m not mistaken, there’s that durn school rule that says only Battle Club members can carry weapons. Although why they would need them on them at all times is beyond me.”

“That rule was instituted before I even started teaching here, and any attempt I make to shut it down is met with the most ungodly of protests. You’re lucky, Gris. You only have to encounter the occasional female teenaged wizardling if she breaks the rules. I have to deal with any student harbouring even the slightest of complaints. In fact, this week alone I’ve gotten several concerning the same student that you have an issue with. Seems some of the girls in her year want her to be expelled.”

“Well why don’t you?”

Hilroy sighed. “It’s not like it used to be, Gris. Parents are no longer allowed to teach their children themselves, not after what happened in the seventies. Sure, there are other schools in the country that teach magic, but not with the diversity that it is here. She’s unique.”

“You meet one wizardling, you’ve met them all, I always said. What makes her so different?”

“Repeller.”

The look on Griswold’s face was the most satisfaction Hilroy had had all day, and it had been a very long one. “Re-repeller? You’re serious?” Hilroy nodded. Griswold leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “I thought they all went underground since the Civil War. I mean, you hear about the occasional adult making a name for themselves in the fight against the Grimwore, but a kid outside of the clans? Are you sure?”

“They caught her lifting money from one of the banks. She had nearly made it out, I was told when a rogue spell caught her by surprise.”

“Ha, those banks deserve to be robbed every once in a while. All that gold stashed in one place, I don’t care if you’ve got a hundred goblins or dragons or even if you’ve got a Salamander guarding that horde. Someone’s bound to figure out a way to get it out of there alive.”

Sometimes Griswold made references to things Hilroy didn’t understand. “Salamander?”

“It’s a two foot critter, kind of like a dragon the way a tiger is like a kitten. Sure, it’s a bit on the small side, but those things are fast, let me tell you, and smart too. I’ve actually got one coming to stay here. Thought you knew that.”

Hilroy shook his head. “It’s news to me. Where did you get the approval for that?”

“Didn’t. But don’t worry, it’s just a young’un, maybe twenty years old. And he’s injured. Reavers attacked his home a few weeks ago. He’s just getting released from the ward tomorrow, but he’s still in no condition to be on his own quite yet. Blademaster Krystal asked if I could look after him for the term, or at least until he’s well enough to fly. Shouldn’t see much more of him after that.”

“What makes him a tiger to a dragon’s kitten?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it Clarke. He’s dangerous to the Reavers, and anything else he believes to be a threat. But I’ll treat him right good, and he won’t be a bother to the kids. I’ll keep him isolated. He’ll probably take to the Forest the way most of the others do anyways. Besides, he’s not one for socializing with our kind, Blademaster Krystal said.”

“And you said the request came from her, correct?”

Griswold nodded before taking another swig from his flask. His face contorted with disappointment as he peered into the narrow neck. “Damn, could have sworn I topped this one up before I started my shift.”

“You really should not be saying those sorts of things in my presence, Gris.”

“You’ve always been a real stickler, you know that, right? Don’t fret, I always pack a spare.” He tucked the flask away and produced a silver one from his other jacket pocket. “You never know when them critters are in mating season, let me tell you. Some of them just ain’t used to living out here. Plus, I have to go capture a Hilden tonight.”

“For Blademaster Zefron?”

“Yeah, he’s gotta do that lesson for the third years before winter sets in and the Hildens become a worse problem than the Reavers.” Griswold huffed as he hauled himself to his feet. “That Repeller kid, just how good is she at undoing spells?”

“I don’t know, but if she couldn’t complete a bank heist, I don’t think she’s quite a graduate yet from their education system.”

Griswold laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I was jest thinking is all, about that girl laid up in the infirmary all year. I know we already had a Repeller down, but let me tell you, Tyson’s not the best at what he does. His grand-daddy was kicked out of the clans, and the blood’s really thinned from there. I’m surprised Tyson could Repel his way out of a paper bag. But wouldn’t it be something if she could somehow figure out what’s ailing poor Knight?”

He vanished into the air, which wasn’t at all unexpected. The door clicked open and the little statue of a gargoyle was placed once more as a doorstop. The air shimmered in the form of a man for a moment, and then the footsteps retreated down the hallway.

Jamie, Candace and Zen were on their way to breakfast when the news reached them. Zen’s hair was somehow back to its original long length after last night, a fourth braid added to the collection, with red beads capping it. She still carried her sword with her. Jamie was the first to notice something odd when she saw several students race into the corridor that led to the infirmary. Then a third year almost bumped into them as she escaped the same hallway. Jamie caught her before she could fall. “What’s going on?” she asked.

The girl stared up at her, her face flushed. “Sylvia Knight’s missing.”

Candace looked at Zen, stunned. Zen had her back to them, studying a painting of the Guild War. But that didn’t matter, Zen didn’t matter. Candace burst into a run, racing through the halls towards the infirmary. Had Zen done it?

There was a crowd of students clustered around the entrance to the infirmary, and the three forced their way through, Candace leading the way and knocking aside first and sixth years alike. None of them mattered