Elemental Dawn (Paranormal Public) (5 page)

“What happened? Are you okay?”

Sip looked a little bit out of
breath but seemed otherwise unharmed.

“I’m fine,” said Sip. “I didn’t
see anything, but I smelled fear.”

“Are you sure that wasn’t me?” I
asked, not even being sarcastic.

“You weren’t afraid,” said Sip
matter of factly. “You might think you were, but you’re more confident and
capable than you realize or are willing to admit. It’s pretty impressive. I
smelled concern from you, but this was different.”

“So, there was definitely
something there?”

“Oh yes,” she said. “There was,
but whatever it was, it’s gone now.”

“Are you going to tell your
parents?” Lisabelle asked.

“I don’t think so,” said Sip. “They’ve
already gone to bed. I don’t want to trouble them, not when we have so much to
do in the morning.”

“Yeah, let’s not tell them,” I
say. “Let’s just go to sleep.”

“I’m all for that,” said Sip,
nodding. “Lisabelle?”

But Lisabelle was staring out at
the night, her eyes unfocused. She looked lost in thought, and there was a
pause before she answered.

“I’ll come to bed in a bit,” she
said. The Quests had a guest room, but the three of us had decided to bunk in
Sip’s room, just to stay close together. Mrs. Quest had shaken her head, but
she hadn’t argued. This was the first time she had seen Sip with both of her
best friends together, and I think she was just trying to stay out of the way.

“Don’t do anything foolish,” Sip
advised.

Lisabelle shook her head. “I
won’t. I promise.”

As the two of us climbed the
stairs we heard the front door quietly open and then close again.

“I should have defined foolish
for her before she left,” Sip muttered. I couldn’t help but agree. At least we
both knew that if Lisabelle found whatever it was she was hunting, she would
win. Hopefully whatever she was hunting knew that too and would stay out of her
way. The demons were not the only paranormals who knew how to kill.

Before I fell asleep that night I
got in touch with Professor Dacer. I had gathered a lot of information and
heard a lot of horror stories since Lisabelle had showed up yesterday, and I
wanted to have some idea of what to expect when I got to the coronation. I was
also hoping that Dacer would already be there.

Despite the whirlwind that was
Professor Dacer, somehow I felt calmer when I was with him. Just knowing I
would see him helped me rest easier.

Instead of calling him I used a
Contact Stone, a device that turns into a mirror in which you can see the
paranormal at the other end. The stones were easy to get, and every household,
including the Quests’, had one.

Dacer had held out for a long
time about getting a Contact Stone, because he said his family would be calling
him all the time. But now that he had one he couldn’t live without it. He
answered my call in a matter of seconds.

“Ah, how is my favorite pupil?
Studying hard?” Dacer’s smiling face came into view.

I grinned. Today he wore a hat of
brightly colored flowers, slanting to the side, that looked more like it
belonged on a member of the British aristocracy than on a vampire professor.
His makeup was black and catlike, and although most of his outfit wasn’t
visible through the Stone’s viewer, I could see that he wore a bright blue
shirt with rhinestones for buttons.

“Um,” I started to say, but Dacer
cut me off with a chuckle.

“Of course I’m kidding. I wasn’t
nineteen so long ago that I can’t remember what it was like. I expect you’ll
work hard enough come the start of the semester that you don’t have to do so
now.”

I grinned. “How are you,
Professor Dacer?”

“I’m excellent-o,” he said.
“Packing.” He stepped out of the way of the Contact Stone so that I could see
his bed. It was strewn with brightly colored things that I supposed, when hung
up or put on, were clothing.

“I assume that’s what you’re
calling about?” he questioned.

“Yes,” I said. “We leave in the
morning. We’re taking a car. I know we’re not supposed to travel by normal
means, but there are too many of us, and there’s too much stuff. The werewolves
don’t want to run.”

Dacer nodded. “That’s
understandable. We must all get used to traveling in packs now. Tonight the
other vampires fly, and there will be just a skeleton crew left behind at
Public.”

“Will the campus be safe?” I
asked, worrying for the place I now called home.

“Oh, yes,” said Dacer cheerily,
waving one perfectly manicured hand. “I’m sure it will.”

“Have you had any contact with
Lanca?” I asked. My heart ached for my friend. My first thought had been to use
the Contact Stone to call her, but Sip and Lisabelle had said that she was
busy, upset, and overwhelmed, and that she just wanted to see us.

“No,” said Dacer, grimacing. “In
fact, there has been a lot of infighting among the vampires, and I’m afraid
that our Princess Lanca is at the center of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Rapiers are extremely
powerful. Her father was the most powerful of their kings,” Dacer explained.
“Yes, there are two others, but they are from lesser families. “He held a
position on the government council on top of ruling his vampires. Not only
that, but it has been several generations since there was a vampire queen who
ruled, and Princess Lanca is young. There are power struggles taking place left
and right. One of the biggest, obviously, was whether or not to allow the
darkness mages to attend. Mound, who I’m sure you remember, was in favor of
their presence, while several other factions were opposed. But Mound won.”

“How does he have so much
influence?” I asked, wondering how the vile man who wrote horrible things about
me could get permission for the darkness mages to attend Lanca’s coronation.

“His brother sits on the
government council, so he has his ear,” Dacer sighed. “And he is well
respected. He’s not a stupid or foolish man, even if he sometimes does foolish
things.”

“Having the darkness mages at the
coronation certainly sounds foolish,” I said, my voice rising.

Dacer nodded sympathetically.
“They’re trying to appease them. The ‘catch more flies with honey’ approach.
Angering such a powerful sect of the paranormals will work out in no one’s
favor.”

“You know what else won’t work
out? If we all end up dead.”

“They won’t kill us at the
coronation,” said Dacer with confidence. “At least not all of us.”

“Dacer!” I exclaimed, trying not
to laugh. “You’re awfully relaxed about all this.”

He shrugged. “There’s nothing to
be done. Many of these darkness mages were friends of mine back in the day,” he
said, and his eyes turned sad, two dark pools of memory in his pale face.
“They’re not my friends now. At least, I don’t think they are.”

“Dacer,” I breathed, holding the
Contact Stone closer, “I’m sorry.”

Sometimes I forgot that these
darkness mages were humans as well. They had lives and histories and maybe they
had not always been evil. Dacer obviously had known some who were not.

“It’s okay,” he said, smiling
sadly. “That’s all in the past. The important thing is that we keep you safe.”

“Thanks,” I said, “but I’m more
worried about everyone else.”

“Ah, yes,” said Dacer. “It’s why
you are beloved.”

I stared at my mentor. “I’m huh?”

Dacer smiled. “Nothing at all.
Some day you might understand, but not today.”

“Whatever you say,” I muttered,
confused by the compliment. “Anyway, you’re saying that it’s safe for us to go
to Vampire Locke and to travel by car? Even if there is a darkness council
now?”

“Yes,” said Dacer, nodding. “I
don’t know about safe, but you must attend. Lanca’s safety depends on your
presence.”

My ears perked up at that. “Will
the Power of Five be enacted?”

Dacer sighed and rubbed his forehead,
suddenly looking tired. “It is a hope and a fear, my dear, but now, get some
rest. Soon, there will be no time for sleep.”

“A coronation? I didn’t know
paranormals had coronations,” I said with surprise. I was perched on the edge
of Sip’s kitchen table. Her parents, Hyder and Helen, were both in the room.
Opposite me sat Lisabelle, impassive, her mind clearly far away.

“Vampire royalty does,” said
Hyder. His face was serious and his hands rested easily on his knees. “Lanca’s
father lasted longer than anyone expected, but even vampires are no match for
that many demons.”

Christmas break had turned bloody
among the paranormals. After two weeks at home with Ricky, I had returned to
Sip’s house to find that demons had stopped slaughtering just a few fringe
paranormals here and there. Something had set them off, and they had started to
go after the senior paranormals, up to and including the vampire kings. Lanca
and Dirr’s father had been among those targeted.

As a Starter at Public, Princess
Dirr had decided to stay at school over Christmas and apprentice with Professor
Dacer. Her father was traveling back home after visiting her when he was
attacked.

Demons are nearly impossible to
track, and though the Vampire King had other vampires with him for protection,
his Power of Five spells weren’t strong enough.

“What happened?” I murmured, my
heart aching for my friend’s loss.

Lisabelle started, as if coming
out of a dream. “It was nighttime, which is when vampires normally travel, as
you know from our sneaking around campus,” said Lisabelle in a clipped voice,
not at all worried that Sip’s parents were right there. Helen shifted a little,
but Hyder only smirked. He knew his daughter.

Hyder took up the story from
Lisabelle. “The king traveled with five vampires for protection. All were
extremely capable fighters. They had chosen speed over numbers, assuming that a
small group that could travel quickly was the best choice for maximum safety.
They were a full day away from Public, probably because the demons waited to
attack until King Daemon was far enough away that no professors could come to
his aid. Then the killing started.”

Hyder paused, clearly upset, but
then cleared his throat and continued.

“From the forensic examination it
appears that there were eight or ten demons for every vampire. They knew who
they were dealing with. Daemon was strong, the strongest. He gave that strength
to his daughters.”

“Why did they go after him?” I
asked, appalled. “He’s darkness. Daemon basically
means
demon . . . ”

“He wouldn’t join with the other
darkness mages who are helping the demons,” Hyder explained quietly. “But that
isn’t anything new. There are also rumors that some of the other vampires’
loyalties are shifting, that they’re starting to side with the demons.”

“But what changed to make the
demons escalate right now?”

“We aren’t sure,” said Helen. “We
only know that no paranormals are safe. It used to be that the king was sacred.
King Daemon should never have been attacked.”

“What are the other vampires
thinking?” Sip asked, her eyes grave.

Hyder shook his head. “I’ve never
seen vampires frightened like this before.”

“How is Lanca?” I asked Sip,
worrying about the friend who had been so loyal to me. Sip had wanted to go to
the vampire princess the second she heard about the king’s death, but her
parents had refused to let her travel. It was now too dangerous for anyone to
travel alone.

“I don’t know,” said Sip quietly,
massaging her forehead with her fingertips. “She’s ignoring all my attempts at
communication. Much like another darkness friend I know.” She gave Lisabelle
her “Evil Eye,” as we had come to call the bone-chilling glare that Sip gave to
anyone who displeased her.

“You know I’m not a
communicator,” said Lisabelle, casually waving her off. “We’ll find out how she’s
doing at the coronation.”

“Which is the day after
tomorrow,” said Hyder, rising, “So, we had best clean up breakfast and get on
the road. We won’t get in to Vampire Locke until late tonight even if we start
right away.

I sighed. The rest of this Christmas
break was going to be anything but restful.

I jumped off my perch on the
table and started to help gather dishes. The far-off look had returned to
Lisabelle’s face, but I knew better than to push her about what she was
thinking; she would tell us all when she was ready. But I felt sure it would
not be good news.

This visit had been the Quests’
first experience with Lisabelle. As Sip had pointed out with a worried frown,
she had tried to keep them apart, but finally her parents had told her that it
was just plain strange that she lived with a girl they had never met. When she
explained to her parents that Lisabelle had a singular temperament that tended
to offend, well, everyone, her parents had informed her that they had been
young once too, and that if anyone should be worried about anyone, Lisabelle
should be worried about them. Sip had laughed and invited Lisabelle to visit
over Christmas break.