Abaddon's Mark

Chapter Thirty-Three

Graydon moved between Maeno and Naena's beds over the course of the evening and into the following day. The two were separated, with Naena in a private, cleansed room and Maeno in the general public area where everyone could come and go.

Due to being Salord, Naena would no longer be treated in the semi-private, curtained areas. This was not because of any special needs the family had so much as a law they and other founders wrote into the university's laws. Even Salord bastards were treated to some of the pomp and ceremony to maintain the carefully cultivated image their forefathers used to fuel their magic.

Reputation could do more for a mage than the amount of magic he carried.

And Maeno?

Was now the only known survivor of a Salord maelstrom. There was no recognized term for what happened aside from a Seven word which translated approximately to maelstrom of fire. Mages just cocked their heads, made explosion sounds, or trailed off after muttering, 'you know.'

Many students found themselves in the infirmary for foolish reasons. Stubbed toes and headaches.

In reality, they were trying to figure out what was going on. Several even tried to approach Maeno, who had been put into a spelled sleep. He would stay there until the magic burned itself out and the healers could determine whether the flesh would need to be carved away.

Or if he could keep the arm at all.

Salords, when they went off, they went boom. Buildings exploded, people melted, the laws of nature didn't exactly make sense. Any Seven caught in the blast ended up dead in new and expressive ways. Mages caught in the outer blast area were drained of their magic. Some would never cast another spell.

Dragons were no exception to that destruction.

Initial reports said four mages would return home for the summer and never return. Three Seven had been retired from service. If Graydon hadn't been in love with Naena, he probably would have been running toward her instead of having his head in a bucket. He would have been in that number, one of the ones retired before he ever truly served.

So...

Explain how Maeno lived.

Graydon didn't ask. Shorel wouldn't speak. The man just arched an eyebrow at Graydon every time he growled. But, as the assigned faculty guardian of the boy, Shorel refused to leave Maeno's side. Maeno had no family, none of his friends would come forward.

Or could come, considering one was dead, one lay in a cleansed room, and another was wandering aimlessly through the halls. From what Graydon understood, Nendan was barely upright and trying to keep distance between himself and Maeno. Lord Lugh didn't want anyone to know he had forged with a bastard second year, not until Maeno was strong enough to stand on his own.

His own father's damned announcement meant that the whole school now knew Naena had Salord blood. She was of the Salord line, and, bastard or not, she carried the line's magical quirks.

Which also meant she carried their weaknesses.

Graydon would have preferred that information stayed a secret, but he wasn't Lord Pan, who had a right to do whatever the Hell he pleased.

Even if it put Graydon and his shield in danger.

So, when he walked back into Naena's room and found a healer in the middle of explaining it all, his rage finally had direction. As he snarled, however, the healer raised a finger sternly to silence him. Yes, a healer could silence a Seven, though it was rare, and they knew they needed to make their choices wisely.