Book of Wishes - House of Blood

Chapter Six

A week of classes at Maydestone Academy flew by, and they reminded Lorelei of why she had always hated school. She accidentally blew up a bottle in her Alchemy of Elixir's class, causing a shower of neon green goo to rain down on her desk. In her Control of Chaos class, she set fire to her book while in deep meditation, and in her Poultices and Plasters, she managed to give herself a painful skin rash from a salve that was supposed to stop skin from bubbling after a burn.

On the way back to Light Court from the infirmary, she ran into Gilliam, who laughed after hearing what happened.

"It's not funny, Gil," Lorelei murmured. "This shit really hurts." Her arm had a yellow salve on it, and she had to keep it on for the next four hours before showering and reapplying.

"And it smells awful," she finished.

"Oh, come on, it's only our first week in class. Expect a learning curve," said Gilliam. Although, Lorelei noticed she hadn't blown anything up this past week.

The infirmary was on the far east side of the castle, away from Light Court, and Lorelei was not excited to put her arm on display for the entire world to see. They followed the map Dorales gave them and took as many secluded back hallways as possible until they came upon a half-open door. Lorelei recognized the urgent whispering immediately. Dorales was talking with someone, and by the tone of voice, she didn't want to be overheard.

Putting a finger to her lips, Lorelei urged Gilliam around the nearest corner so she could listen.

"Talk of the book has resurfaced. With the disappearances of fae, these bandits causing issues, the re-emergence of Shadow Crones, ideas are spreading," Dorales said.

An unknown female voice responded, "I've heard it, too. It does not bode well for us. IIyara's secret must remain a secret."

"We need to find it before them otherwise, there will be no stopping him. She is not her mother," Dorales said.

Lorelei's stomach dropped. They were talking about her.

"For now, maybe, but you heard what she did to the Shadow Crone. It's there," said the other woman. A surge of gratitude for whoever had given her some credit replaced her uneasiness.

"Yes, I heard," Dorales said, "but the half-mags are in immediate danger, and something needs to be done. You know some fae on the High Council seem a little too interested in it all."

The sound of their footsteps grew louder. Louder pushed Gilliam back, and they ran down the hall before being seen. When they finally returned to Light Court, no one was back yet.

"What do you think that was about?" Gilliam asked. She dropped her bag to the floor and made for the spread of cheese and fruit laid out on the table. Lorelei never saw any of the cooks, but the food always appeared.

She meandered to the windows next to the lounge area. "I have no idea. Maybe it has to do with something from the Old Age War? We learned about it in class the other day."

"Yeah, but they put the bad dudes in that prison in Cethin. The Fallen and Succa fae." Gilliam said.

Lorelei nodded, her eyes staring out onto the landscape. It had been a pretty warm and sunny day, and the April weather in Deithe was similar to Rocheports, except that everything seemed more intense.

She turned to face Gilliam. "Maybe one escaped?"

Gilliam shoved a large piece of cheese into her mouth. "If there's a dark fae on the loose, then school should totally not be their top priority. Everyone should go home."

"I don't think I have a home anymore, Gil," Lorelei said.

It was the first time she really said it out loud, and for some reason, that made it feel more final, as if seeing her father's body was no longer necessary to confirm that she was an orphan with no home and no family.