Victory: Year Four Page 2

  “I agree,” he said.

  Glorian lifted and dropped one arm, like she couldn’t help but burst out with a physical reaction. “You take off, again. Then your protégés break out of school! And come back like this? You have a lot to answer for. They all do. You’re all behaving in the most irrepressible, irresponsible ma—”

  “Later, Glorian.”

  I calmed at the headmaster’s voice. And took faith in his firm tone. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d stood up to the headmistress on my behalf and I appreciated each and every occasion he did. Not many had power over Glorian, but at least he seemed to hold parallel weight.

  “No. Not later. I demand answers now.”

  He grunted. “As soon as she’s in recovery.”

  Glorian stepped aside and brandished an arm, as though to say lead the way. “After you.”

  “No.”

  She clenched her jaw. I saw the slight movement as Flynn and the medic wheeled me closer and almost past her.

  “There is no reason to exclude me. I have every right to accompany her into that room and see exactly what’s going on.”

  “I said, no, Glorian.” Before Glorian could have a chance to argue, Suthering called out, “Flynn, that’s far enough. Come on out here and wait.”

  With a troubled look at me, Flynn squeezed my shoulder.

  “Go on,” the medic said. She strapped a mask to her face.

  Wait. Don’t I get a say? Panic clawed up my spine and I fought the crush of anxiety. I had to go in this…this operating room alone? Why? What was the solution to this mold that was trying to kill me?

  “She’ll be fine,” the medic told him.

  He stared at me until Suthering called for him again. “Flynn. Please.”

  “I’ll be waiting for you,” he said.

  Waiting for me. That almost could’ve been funny. Waiting was the name of the game this whole year when Flynn and I couldn’t be together because of Aura’s interest in him.

  He left my view and then I was rolled further away. Down a hallway and around a corner. I hadn’t really spent much time in the clinic, not enough to know where they were taking me. Nor why this medic had to mask her face.

  “Here she is,” she announced as a set of frosted glass doors slid open.

  In here, cold air chilled me. Not just from the air forced into my mask, but also my skin. It was like being rolled into a refrigerator. Painfully cold. Goosebumps broke out on my flesh and it was then that I realized I was still wearing the same clothes from before. If they had to operate on me, wouldn’t I be in a gown?

  “Thanks.”

  That single word was curtly offered by a man in this freezing, sterile place. White walls, a single dimmed light. And that was it. Was this some kind of chiller, sensory-deprivation room?

  The medic rubbed her arms and then patted my forearm. A moment later, she was gone.

  Anxiety blared through my thoughts, inserting panicky worries and curses of doom.

  Being alone in here, God, it was messing with me. Since I’d been breathing in the cold air, I was functioning well enough to freak out properly.

  “Hey there,” he said.

  As I heard his voice, he came close. Sat on a tall stool next to me and leaned over. Like the medic, he was masked. On his head was a surgeon’s cap. Seeing that he was dressed in a light-blue surgeon’s shirt, I fell deeper into the fear that I’d be going under for an operation.

  Do they have to cut in and do something to my lungs?

  Have they alerted Dad?

  Why can’t they shoot me up with some other special drug to fix this?

  “Easy…” he soothed.

  He didn’t need to be an Impressor to know I was flipping out. Despite my slightly easier breathing, panic had my heartrate tripping high and my chest heaving for calmer breaths. My eyes were wide enough that the coldness stung, causing tears to leak.

  “Try to stay calm, okay?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but I did try to nod.

  He removed my mask. I gasped, but with the room so cold to begin with, I wasn’t forced back to inhaling warm air. The fiery mold in my lungs was still held back from flaring.

  “Easy, Layla,” he said. “Keep your mouth open.” He closed his eyes and reached up toward his neck.

  I squinted to see what he gripped, but his hand covered it. A pendant? A charm? Something on a necklace.

  Then…I saw my breath hovering above me.

  Puffs of air as I exhaled. No different than when I’d run in the morning in the winter. My breaths as vapor. Only, the mist held a grayish tinge. I blinked, watching the clouds of my exhales float in the air for a moment until they quickly reverted to a bright green and then disappeared.

  Silently, with his eyes still closed and his hand still clutching something strung around his neck, he ordered the mold from my breath. Summoned the mold from my lungs.

  It was mesmerizing. Watching the dark dirtiness from my airways revert into a bright hue and then fade to nothing. Like a screensaver of psychedelic waves. I’d used my energy plenty of times and it never resulted in anything glowing. Was this something to look forward to? If so, it’d be darn hard to conceal.

  After several minutes, he frowned, eyes shut, like he was concentrating. My exhales were coming out clear—normal puffs of chilled air. My lungs didn’t struggle for breaths. My heart didn’t race. To test it out, I inhaled a deep gulp of icy oxygen.

  At the sound, he opened his eyes, the corners crinkling like he might have been amused. As I exhaled a long, contented, healthy sigh, I felt no sign of pain, no heat.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yes. Thank you,” I croaked. My voice was rough, but I wasn’t surprised.

  “You might have the symptoms of a sore throat for a day or two, but there’s no more of the ancient inside your lungs.”

  Since he straightened on his seat, I pushed to my elbows and sat up. I hated lying down in a medical space. Reminded me too much of former vulnerabilities from my childhood.

  “What if it…already got into my blood?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t detect any in you. At all.”

  Wow. So he was a Pure elf. Who could command mold. A Terrain elf, then.

  “That’s it?”

  He nodded and even though his mask hid his face, I could tell his cheeks were rising in a smile. “Other than a lingering rawness in your airway. Unless you would prefer to have a shot of—”

  “No!”

  His cheeks rose higher.

  “I don’t like that medicine.”

  He nodded. “Don’t blame you. It can be highly addictive. Like morphine. One of the reasons it’s not known to the rest of the world.”

  Well, huh. He seemed to know a bit about elven meds. Of course, he was in surgeon gear—it made sense. He had to be some kind of specialist on call here.

  Then he stared at me. His eyes were kind but the bracketing wrinkles around them hinted at stress or woes. Perhaps simply the effect of sunlight or the weight of his responsibilities as a doctor. The depth of his gaze spoke of concern. And maybe curiosity.

  “I’m glad we got to meet,” he said. In a flash, he stood and stepped back. “I’m not here often, but I’m happy I was near enough now, to help.”

  I swung my legs around the edge of the mattress and hissed in a breath. He’d cured me of the mold but I still bore the results of a fight with Stu. All those hits and kicks and holds… Hello, bruises.

  “When did we meet, though?” I tilted my head at him, wondering who he was. Would he tell me? Pures weren’t common. Whoever he was, he was a powerful one. Corralling and eliminating mold spores from inside a person? That had to take lots of practice and finesse.

  He chuckled. “Just now. Care to walk me out?”

  Out? He was leaving? I frowned as I stood. When did he even get here, if he doesn’t work at the clinic?

  “Uh, sure.” I stepped toward him and rubbed at my throat. I didn’t understand why he’d want his pat
ient’s company, but I could use the opportunity to thank him.

  Or maybe he was just making sure I could get around after such an incident. My movements were a bit strained as I tested out my range of motion, flexing my arms and straightening my legs. Stu sure knows how to fight.

  “My ride’s out the side exit,” he said.

  I followed him across the cold room, rubbing at my arms. He pulled off the surgeon cap and ran his fingers through the longish brown hair.

  “Where’d you come from?” I asked.

  I almost wished to take my blunt question back. Who was I to probe into his life? He was just a staff member—an unusually powerful elf.

  His grunt of a laugh sounded sad. “Everywhere.”

  Okie dokie. We’ll be vague then. I nodded and my teeth chattered as I shivered.

  “Oh. Hang on.” With his back still to me, he jogged over to the other side of the room. There, he hit a couple of buttons on a panel. Not for the lights, but the AC. The refrigeration ceased and I felt the blast of forced warm air now.

  So many questions ran through my head but I couldn’t form any of them. My sudden recovery left me…sort of speechless. One minute, I was unable and unwilling to inhale air, the next, I was standing and almost back to normal—all thanks to this mysterious and generous elf. It’d take me a good week’s worth of thinking to let this all settle in my head. This hasn’t been my first brush with death, but it certainly was the most horrific.

  All I could do was watch as he prepared to leave. He stripped his mask from his face and pulled off his surgeon gear. Underneath was a clean-shaven older man dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans.

  “Just a sec.”

  No need to rush. At least, on my part, there was no urgency. His transformation seemed hurried, like he couldn’t stand being there any longer. He completed his normal, civilian appearance with boots, a pair of aviator sunglasses, and a baseball hat with no logo on it. All those accessories came from a cupboard beneath the counter along the wall. He slammed the door to the storage space shut.

  “This way.” He gestured to the door and wasted no time slapping his hat on his head.

  As he raised his face, I narrowed my eyes. I’d never seen him before, but something about him… I followed him as he briskly strode toward the doors I’d been wheeled through not fifteen minutes ago. Out in the corridor, I heard distant beeps of machines, a trilling call of a phone. Further down the spotless space came Glorian’s furious shouts as she still argued with Suthering about him keeping things from her. His response was minimal, stating he wasn’t sure what was happening.

  Yet, he’s especially adamant about keeping her away from me right now.

  “This way,” my savior elf repeated, this time at a whisper. Tugging the bill of his cap lower, he ducked his head as he walked—almost jogged—in the opposite direction.

  “Okay,” I said, unsure. If he’d just saved my life, he couldn’t be leading me to trouble, right? Coughs returned as I began trotting after him.

  “Can you keep up?” He had now moved into a full jog.

  “Sure. Just a, uh, tickle.” He had said I’d have a lingering sore throat. It felt funny, having my respiratory system fried and then instantly healed.

  His chuckle came as a surprise. “Of course you can. You’re a runner too.”

  Too? How does he know I like to run? How does he even know who I am?

  We came to a pair of sliding glass doors. Decals boldly proclaimed this was an exit only. He didn’t hesitate, heading straight to the panels and letting the sensor detect him. Glass swished apart, and he continued on. Before him, darkness prevailed.

  He nodded, encouraging me toward the left. I followed, albeit a little behind him. Over in the grass, next to a fat-crowned silver maple, something moved at his—our approach. A strange caw sounded, an unusual bird call unlike anything I’d ever heard.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming,” the elf surgeon said.

  We closed the distance. Or, he did. Once the creature came into view more, I stumbled to a staggering stop.

  “Holy—” My words snagged on a gasp. As if it hadn’t had enough acrobatics, my heartrate rocketed. I wasn’t afraid, per se, but—

  “—crap.”

  That was a big bird. Not the fluffy yellow guy on Sesame Street. This thing was…hideous.

  “It’s okay,” the man said, humor behind his tone.

  I knew it was okay. This monstrous flyer wouldn’t hurt me. In fact, it was bowing down to us, showing submission. Yet…

  “That is a big…”

  “Radius is the largest harpo out there,” the elf stated as he walked up to the beast and patted at its chest. I wasn’t that short, and I estimated this guy was probably six and a half feet tall. The top of his head only came up halfway to this “harpo.” He had to reach up to pat at its chest.

  “Harpo,” I said-asked.

  Its face was freaky, almost humanlike with lots of darkness. As though someone gave it a makeover and wanted to do the smoky eye thing with liberty. Black circles rounded its glassy eyes. Bold, fat brows slanted above those seeing orbs. Its beak was a sharp curve of inky gray. Jagged tuffs of black feathers stuck out like Alice Cooper on a bad hair day.

  “Harpo…like a harpy? A harpy eagle?” I asked. Paige had done a report about the harpy eagle in sophomore year for Chan’s Bio class. I’d checked out the pictures of that huge bird of prey. It was the kind of image that stuck.

  “Yes!” The elf pointed at me, a charming smile warming his face. “Radius is an ancient species of that family.” He shook his head to himself as he fiddled with the gloves he’d removed from his coat pockets. “You’re smart too. Bookish.”

  I frowned now, ignoring the way his Radius harpo pet eyed me closely. Why did this man know so much about me?

  “I hope we can meet again soon. And maybe Sabine too.”

  “Why?” I asked as he stepped away from the bird and closer to me.

  He glanced over my shoulder, his brows lower like he found something approaching. I tossed a look back and saw no one had come from the doors.

  While I’d turned, he pulled at his necklace.

  “To get to know you.” He shrugged and offered his hand to me. “Not here, though. Maybe another day. Take this. Gerald can explain more about the stone. But I want you to have it.”

  I took the small oval-shaped rock. A gemstone. One second it was a magenta-red and then it swirled to a brownish-emerald. Before I could get lost to the changes, I raised my face to him.

  “Thank you?” I cleared my throat and shook my head. There was no question of my gratitude, but I was confused. “Thank you, for saving me. And for…this.”

  His nod was his only reply to my thanks. “It was Anessa’s. Only fitting you keep it.”

  I eyed the string around his neck and saw there was an identical gemstone still bound to him. He’d given me one of the pair.

  In a move that surprised me, he reached out and smoothed his hand over the top of my hair. His eyes turned glossy, and he seemed to struggle swallowing before speaking again. “You look so much like her.”

  Anessa. He knew her? He had to be about her age. An older guy, like Dad’s and Suthering’s age.

  “Who are you?” I asked. And why did he have to leave now?

  He grinned and then backtracked. As he approached Radius, he slipped on a pair of goggles he’d retrieved from his other pocket. I watched as he climbed onto the bird’s back. Only then did I notice a harness strapped to the beast, a strange fabric that probably accommodated riding on this thing in the air.

  “I’m your uncle.”

  Radius crouched down once and shot to the sky, taking Nevis with him.

  Chapter Three

  No wonder he was in such a rush to leave.

  After I watched Nevis flee on the back of a monster-size harpy eagle, I trudged back inside, defeated. All of this trauma and nerve-wracking roller coaster of emotions had me fatigued. A dragging-my-feet and I-want-to-pass-o
ut-and-wake-up-to-a-sunny-morning kind of tired. In just one night I ran through too much. Fear, of what Griswold had Aura and Stu doing. Terror, for the possibility I couldn’t save Flynn. Elation, at knowing my uncle cared enough to save me.

  And now, dread. As I walked back into Olde Earth’s clinic, I could hear Glorian’s yells from down the hall. Whether or not she knew Nevis was here, I couldn’t tell. I gathered that was why Suthering had been so adamant the headmistress not come with me to the room.

  Unsure of where else to go, and not at all in the mood to ask Suthering, because that would mean facing Glorian, I headed back to the room Nevis had cured me in. The heat was still blowing from the vents, and it was no longer frigid. I sat on the bed, whimpered at a tender spot on my shoulder, and then reclined.

  No sooner had I exhaled a long, hard breath than company arrived.

  Paige rushed past the door, did a double-take at me in my room, and then entered. Sabine was right behind her.

  “Better?” my roomie asked.

  I nodded. “Tired, though.” Again, speaking caused a tickle and I coughed.

  “Damn.” Sabine let her shoulder slouch as she came to prop her hip against the bed. “What a night.”

  “So, did he command the mold to leave?” Paige asked.

  “I think that’s what he did.”

  Paige sat next to me on the bed and I shifted to make room for her. “He’s a Pure. Well, you knew that. Besides Griswold, and I guess Aura, Nevis is the only other elf who can direct energy to fungi.”

  “Good thing your mom and them were with him,” Sabine said around a yawn.

  Not only because it was contagious, I yawned. The clock on the wall declared it was two in the morning. “Why were they with him?” I asked Paige, hoping she’d been filled in since Ethel returned.

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Mom’s not back yet, and Suthering’s been out there holding back Glorian. They don’t want her to know Nevis was here.”

  I got that.

  “So Suthering and Nevis rode that beast here?” If they were the only two of the party to have returned so quickly, they had to have used unusually fast transport.