A Meeting with the High Officiant

Chancellor Draekkon snarled, "They're lying! Take them all in for questioning."

Vaeryn pulled himself up to his full height and appeared very commanding when he met the Chancellor's fiery gaze with a steely one of his own.

"The Magical Oversight Committee is the school's investigatory body. It is in the school's charter that we have autonomy for our investigations. We investigate and provide you and the Disciplinary Committee with our reports, which is what will happen in this case. It is simply your belief that they are lying. What they are saying sounds like the truth."

The Chancellor glared at him in silence for a moment, then he said, "If I don't have a culprit soon, I will begin holding you and your committee responsible for not preventing this." With that he turned on his heel and stormed toward the elevator. Instructor Drakkon gave Sky a hard look before he followed his uncle.

Kazu turned to Vaeryn. "I can help if you like." He offered. Vaeryn smiled coolly.

"Do you distrust me and my prospective members?" Kazu blinked at him and then looked at Dain and West. He let out a sharp breath.

"No- I- I'll go check on the investigation at the scene."

"Very well. I'll be back shortly to see what you find." Vaeryn said. "Skylar."

Roselyn turned and wordlessly led Vaeryn back to the guest room, where she hoped West had put Aven. Opening the door, she breathed a relieved sigh as she saw Aven lying in the bed. Vaeryn walked passed her and put a hand on Aven's forehead. His mouth twisted and he looked sharply at Sky. Then his eyes flicked to a spot over her left shoulder.

"West, can you tell me why you've made him nauseous?" Sky looked behind her and saw both West and Dain. West was grimacing.

"T-that was to make him expel the poison." Dain stammered. Vaeryn's mouth tightened.

"And off the record?"

West immediately asked, "Can we speak in private?" Vaeryn glanced at Sky, then slowly nodded.

"If you will excuse us, Skylar." He said. Sky pouted. She wanted to stay and be part of the conversation. Since that day at lunch when she'd admitted aloud for the first time her belief about her worth, she'd started trying to act as though she were as good as any creature.

"Please, Skylar?" Dain whispered. Sky turned to look at him. He wore a sorrowful expression on his face and his eyes were large and pleading.

Sky sighed in resignation and said, "I'll be in the practice room."

Dain came in ten minutes later. He informed her that Vaeryn had ordered him to stay with her until she could be uninfected. Sky wasn't thrilled about this but put it out of her mind as there was nothing she could do about it. She continued to talk amiably with Dain as she practiced.

Eventually, West came back with a board game and the three of them played until dinner. After they'd eaten, West left saying he was meeting a female. Dain and Sky played two person cards games until bed. Sky offered to let Dain use her bed for the night, but he insisted on taking the couch.

Vaeryn was back the next morning. Dain checked Sky for infection as Vaeryn watched. Much to everyone's surprise, Dain said he couldn't find any traces of infection in her body. Then Vaeryn woke Aven and had a long conversation with him, while Sky and Dain got ready for the day. Vaeryn and Aven were still talking when Sky and Dain left for class.

Chapter 13

Week 8 Clayden

Sky was in the main classroom waiting for Jin to say he was awake enough for the exercise tests, when the door to the room was opened. Two creatures walked in. One was the sandy-haired male from the other day Kazu. The other was a tall, willowy female with delicate features and golden streaked brown hair. Her dusky pink lips curved up in a smile for the two men. Both the female and Kazu wore red armbands.

Sky grimaced as Kazu walked over to her.

"You need to come with us." He said. "The High Officiant wants to see you." Then his mouth turned down. "Did you really tell the Chief Advisor that you thought you were as good as a creature?" The female, who'd walked over to the two men, let out a mirth filled giggle.

"The day a human is our equal is the day-"

"Mal finally claims you, Rashall?" Kazu asked with amusement. The female flushed and her eyes narrowed in irritation. She pointed to one of the men, the one with fiery red hair.

"You," She snapped, "you're coming too." With that she turned and swept from the room. The man got up and followed her, uncertainty written on his face. Sky looked back at Kazu. He was looking at her expectantly. She sighed and began to stand when she remembered what Jin said about the points for make up exercises. If she went before her test, she could only earn a maximum of seven points this week.

"What about my exercise test?" She asked.

Kazu smiled politely and said, "You don't have to worry about that." Sky twitched her nose and looked at Jin. He was sitting upright finally, but his shoulders were drooping, and he was pouting like someone had killed his favorite puppy.

"I'm doing my exercise test first." Sky announced.

Kazu let out a sharp breath, "But the High Officiant is waiting."

Sky smiled, "I bet I'll lose consciousness around the same time if I go now or later, so it doesn't really matter." She said. Kazu let out another sharp breath as she turned to Jin. "Are you ready now, Jin?" His entire body lit up. He seemed to sparkle with enthusiasm. Getting up, Sky walked to the testing room. Jin swiftly followed her.

She proceeded to show him this week's exercises. Sky moved a stream of wind and moved shadows from a pool she created on the floor across the room in a tapered line. After that, she made a candle disappear using the Spoken Magic spell Hide. Finally, she showed him the Spoken Magic spell he wanted her to learn, Shatter. Jin gave her full points on everything else so she received 20 points for the week.

Her exercise test finished; she rejoined the waiting three students.