Authors: B. Justin Shier
I was happy to leave the dorm. Jules’ song had sent a chill through me, and afternoon sunlight felt great on my face. Maybe it was the coffee kicking in—or maybe it was just getting outside—but I felt much better. Taking the steps one-by-one, we walked out onto the path leading to main campus. It was then I noticed the dark figure standing in the shade of a tree.
“
What the hell is that?” I whispered to Sadie.
“
A vampire, dumb-dumb. She was kinda like your escort, remember?”
“
I know
that
. I mean what the hell is said escort
wearing
?”
Sadie’s face became unreadable. “Formal court attire. It’s a mourning dress.” I’d never seen anything like it. The jacket—with it’s hook-and-eye front, puffed shoulders, and tall rigid collar—fit as tightly as a glove. The full-length lace skirt was made to match. Topping off the ensemble was an intricately embroidered bonnet with a matching black parasol. It looked straight out of the Victorian Era. The only concession to modernity was the pair of oversized black Ray-Bans resting on her nose.
“
Wow,” I whispered. How the heck could showing off less skin make a girl hotter?
Sadie flipped up the enormous hood on her robe. “Girls that don’t sweat have all the fun,” she grumbled.
I felt a bit giddy when Rei walked over to join our group. To say I was homesick was an understatement. It was nice to see someone I sort of knew. Maria groaned as Rei approached. She whispered a curse in Spanish and made to spit on the ground. A red flash of anger fired off in the back of my head, but remembering our little ‘discussion’ last night, I did my best to ignore it. Instead, as Rei drew near, I readied a hello. Roster beat me to it.
“
Sorry to drag you out of the coffin, princess,” he said with a smirk.
Rei didn’t flinch. She flowed past him to the back of the group.
I let out a sigh…what was Rei doing out in the sun? I remembered how weak she looked as we walked to the train station. I wanted to make it better. Offer her a nice cool glass of iced blood or something…but that was my stupid machismo talking. I reprimanded myself. No one could force Rei to do anything she didn’t want to do, and besides, what did I know? Lucas might have been her friend.
Snickering came from across the lawn. Two students from another group were gesturing at Rei and laughing. I clenched my fists. If I was expected to just stand by and let this crap slide, I was going to need to go out and buy a punching bag.
Monique and Dante led us toward campus. Other groups joined the procession as we walked. Once we got to Central Hall, we followed the path toward the strange circular building that served as Elliot’s main auditorium. There were no windows on the building’s smooth, circular perimeter. The cold grey stones that formed the structure were pressed so tightly together as to not leave a hint of grout. The sole entrance was comprised of a single set of bronze double doors. Two students stood waiting, clipboards in hand. Monique stopped our procession and approached them alone.
“
Please state your group and its members,” one of the boys requested. His voice squeaked as he spoke. I could tell he wasn’t used to giving orders.
“
Registrar, Adept Monique Rice reporting for group Lambda. We stand ten strong. Emissary Rei Bathory, Apprentice Jay Dante, Apprentice Roster Dregs, Apprentice Maria Espinoza, Adept Ichijo Fukimura, Adept Jules Nelson, Apprentice Sheila Mordred, Adept Monique Rice, Apprentice Sadie Thompson, and Initiate Dieter Resnick all reporting as ordered.”
Monique stomped her left foot when she was done.
Sadie nudged me, and we repeated the gesture as a group.
The boy examined his clipboard and frowned. “Moni—I mean, Adept Rice, your group is not in order.”
“
Yes, Registrar. Adept Lucas Wright and Initiate Joshua Wilco have fallen.”
“
Fallen?” he squeaked. “Lucas?” The Registrar looked over at his friend. The boy had gone as white as a sheet. After fumbling his pen, the Registrar made a few notes on his ledger. “Heard and noted, Adept Rice. Proceed, Lambda.”
“
Yes, Registrar,” Monique replied. I looked at the boy as we passed. The registrar looked even younger than me. I didn’t need the help of my Sight to sense his fear.
We entered the auditorium as a group, our footfalls echoing as we walked. In the middle of the room, a single flame was burning at the center of a large sunken circle. Stadium seating rose up around it. The seats were divided into six distinct sections, creating the appearance of a sliced up pie. Each section was labeled with two Greek letters. Monique led our group over to the Iota-Kappa section, and we sat and waited for the remaining students to arrive.
“
This auditorium is where we hold quorums—and Bio 101,” Sadie explained.
I frowned. Bio 101? I hoped I could test out of that.
“
Wait, you do know what quorum means, right?”
Great, she thought I was retarded. “Yea, it’s the minimum number of voting members required present before a meeting is considered valid.”
“
Rights. Good,” Sadie said, looking a bit relieved. “In matters of great importance, all students on campus are summoned to a quorum. We don’t actually have to like vote or anything, it’s just required that all be present to see and hear. More eyes make attempts at deception or distortion much more difficult.”
“
Distortion?” I asked. “You mean like Jedi mind tricks?”
Sadie nodded gravely. “Distortions work best on groups of ten or less. The mana required to subvert a group grows exponentially after ten. It’s why we Catholics lock all our cardinals up in a conclave to elect a new pope. All sorts of mischief can happen if you don’t. And besides the sheer numbers attending, Elliot’s quorums are always held in this building. Its design makes distortions nearly impossiblo.”
I looked around. “Does it have to do with the symmetry?”
“
Right on, newbie. Have you noticed what this place resembles?”
I shook my head.
“
Don’t just give up,” Sadie said with a sigh, “use your noggin’ for something other than shaking.”
“
Fine.” I wasn’t one to back away from a challenge. I examined the auditorium again. A circular room with perfect symmetry and a central point marked by a flame. I examined the walls. Gold points that matched the flame’s housing appeared around the circle six times. Six points plus a central…“Oh! We’re inside a circle. The circle is inscribed at six points. If the lines cross at the central flame, you can draw a unicursal hexagram.”
Sadie smiled. “Yeppers. Good work, grub. I’m gonna buy you a cookie at lunch. It’s gonna have chocolate.”
“
Mazal tov.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “You goober. We’re a cabal—just not
that
cabal.”
I shrugged. “So what’s the room designed to do?”
“
Almost anything. Unicursal forms are super-dooper flexible. Today, this circle is gonna work as…let’s see…hey, you ever watch
Get Smart
?”
I cringed. Were all nerds required to watch the same TV shows?
“
The cone of silence?” I asked.
“
Right on, man-o! I love that shit. Max is like, ‘Chief I can’t hear you.’ And Chief is like, ‘What did you say, Max? …99, tell Max I can’t hear him.’” Sadie started giggling to herself, completed the rest of the bit in her head, and then looked at me seriously. “Don’t worry though, we’ll be able to hear each other, this one actually works.”
“
Good to know.”
Sadie nodded and nibbled at a fingernail. She had chewed each and every one of them down to little nubs, leaving the tips raw and irritated. (That’s what happens when you don’t force-feed yourself
Ulysses
on long bus rides.) To avoid gagging, I turned my attention back to the design of the room. Each of the six seating sections had exactly twenty-eight seats. That gave a grand total of one-hundred-and-sixty-eight. Each section’s first row had four seats. Those looked like they were reserved for faculty. After the first row, each successive row expanded in number by two, with the last row containing ten seats. We were only using half the room. Above the first tier of seating, there was a second one that offered a lot more space. The entire building probably sat well over six hundred, but the stairways to the second tier of seating were all roped off.
“
So what happens next?” I asked Sadie.
I’d caught Sadie mid-nibble. She looked up and around. “Once all the students arrive, the faculty will enter and close the circle…but hopefully that won’t happen anytime soon.”
“
Why?” I asked.
“
We’re still missing over twenty students.”
“
Oh,” I said quietly.
Three loud clacks echoed across the hall.
The students quieted.
A line of men and women in more traditional robes appeared at the entrance. Dean Albright was among them. I counted twenty-four in all. The faculty, I presumed. They descended the stairs quietly and sat in the first row of seating.
“
Shitzos,” Sadie muttered. She returned to her nails to brood.
When the older folk had settled, a woman in a brilliant silver robe—and matching silver hair—made her way down the steps next to me. She must have been blond once. Her face had the weathered look of years spent outdoors, but her body was full of vigor.
Bare feet pattering against the cold marble, she swept past me.
The air around me tingled. It almost made me sneeze.
The woman plopped down on the last step and gestured for Albright to proceed.
Albright nodded, stood, and walked briskly to the flame. He drew back his robe’s arm and calmly extended his hand right into the fire. To my horror, the flames lapped about his skin, melting his flesh with their touch. My mind flashed backwards. The tall man was standing over me laughing. I extended my arms to protect myself. My palms melted from the searing heat.
Waves of phantom pain surging over me, I yelped in shock and went to collapse in the aisle.
Fortunately for me, Sadie was faster. She grabbed my shoulder and steadied me. My heart was pounding. My palms throbbed. I waited for Albright’s screams. I could sense the excruciating pain enveloping him…but I didn’t hear any screaming. The only thing rising into the air was murmurs.
Embarrassment replaced panic. Taking three deep breaths, I forced my eyes open.
The students in the row ahead of me were all staring backwards…but not at me. No, their fear-filled eyes were focused on the aisle next to me. I turned my head slowly, not sure if I wanted to know what kind of punishment my outburst had earned.
Rei was squatting on the step, her head mere inches away from me. I felt her cool breath brushed against my cheek. Behind the mask of lace, her face was tight with concern.
Sadie squeaked and hid behind me. Nervous talk erupted from all around. The guy across the aisle scrambled over his companions to get away.
Ignoring the burbling chaos, Rei grabbed my hands with her gloves. I marveled at the lacework. Even a mouth-breather like myself could admire the fine workmanship that had gone into them. Turning my hands over, Rei’s face transitioned from concern to confusion to mild annoyance. She huffed and rolled her eyes.
“
Uh, false alarm?” I managed.
Rei stood and swept back up to her seat next to Fukimura. I could have sworn I caught the bastard giggling, but I was distracted by the overwhelming sensations pouring into my Sight. Hundreds of individual emotions were pelting me like tin cans: Bewilderment. Shock. Interest. Disgust. The mix of sensations gave me the chills. It felt like a rush of cold water rushing down my back. What was I? A psychic umbrella? I wanted to squirm into the hood of my robe, hide under a rock, vanish—anything to get away from all the attention—but the room had erupted into hurried conversations.
“…
yea, the one she saved …a snack for later …totally screwed …gross …she creeps me out …the new kid …but that dress is awesome …from Vegas, I think …”
I felt my ears go red.
“
What the hell was that about?” Sadie whispered. Her grip on my arm had gone white-knuckled. She was trembling.
“
Nothing,” I said. “I freaked. Flame paranoia and whatnot. Sorry.”
“
Not that, you idiot. What was
she
doing? Why was she playing with your hands?”
“
No idea,” I replied. But I had a very good idea. It was the weft-link, wasn’t it? My eyes caught those of the lady in silver. She was still sitting on the bottom step, her back arched in a lazy C. An expression of amusement danced across her face. She gave me a friendly nod, then turned back to Albright. My Sight was still going haywire from the psychic onslaught, so when I looked at the flame, I saw it for what it was. The flame wasn’t a fire at all. It was made of the same stuff that Fukimura had drawn out of the ground before turning that beautifully manicured lawn into a magnet for flies. The substance wasn’t burning Albright’s hand. It was swirling around it.
“
Continue, Christopher,” the lady in silver said. Her voice was like a breeze through the leaves.
With a flick of his wrist, Dean Albright directed the surge of energy straight into the top of the dome. My ears popped as the pressure changed. The air felt charged like in a thunderstorm. When Albright walked back to his place seat, his steps were devoid of echo.