Chapter One hundred sixty-one – Hare-raising Inquisition

Once Pandy had filled Augustus and Professor Beeswick in on what little she knew, there was no real need for her to remain in her human shape.

She doubted either Suzanne or Matilda were going to talk about what had happened – up to and including the sudden reappearance of a teacher who was supposed to be gone – but the other students would definitely talk about the weird lady with the chancellor. Besides, she had already used up more than an hour of her time, and now that she didn’t have to teach anything anymore, she could easily think of a dozen other things she’d rather spend her time on, only five of which involved sneaking into the kitchen after dark and eating things Rabbits Are Not Meant to Have.

So as the day went on, Pandy remained beneath the table, watching and listening as the interviews went on. Perhaps more importantly, she made sure she got close enough to know if any of the students had a Dark Aura.

The first to appear was Cora Treadway, and she was exactly as portrayed in Gacha Love. Her chestnut hair was sleek and coiled up into a simple chignon. She smiled graciously at both men, remaining perfectly poised throughout their conversation. The only time she slipped was when Professor Beeswick asked her why she claimed to have Ice magic, when she was actually a Dark mage.

The girl recoiled in her seat, then stood abruptly, her whole body quivering. “I don’t know who has spread such a rumor, but it’s obviously a lie. I’m not a strong mage, but I most certainly do have Ice magic.” As if to prove it, she held out her hand, concentrating fiercely. A tiny, dark ball of something formed above her palm, before the whole thing came apart, cold water puddling on the table, then dripping down onto Pandy, who had hopped closer so she could see properly.

“I had my revelation right here, using Falconet’s essence stone,” she said, chin raised so she could glare defiantly at the professor, who looked back, entirely undisturbed by her fury. “You were there, Professor!”

The dragon stood, too, holding out his own hand until Augustus gave in with a small sigh and dropped the pretty crystal into it. Professor Beeswick held it out to the girl, who took an involuntary step backwards. “I don’t have a good memory for such things, I’m afraid,” the librarian said blandly. “Shall we try again?”

Cora tucked her hands behind her back, then turned and all but ran for the door. There, she paused with her hand on the knob just long enough to say, “If you need to speak to me further about this matter, I suggest you take it up with my parents, Earl and Lady Craig.”

A moment later, the door clicked shut behind her, leaving Professor Beeswick still holding the essence stone, while Augustus circled the table to go through the bag she’d abandoned when she ran. He shuffled through papers and opened a few books, then put it to the side with a grimace. “Nothing particularly interesting, though she has doodled ‘Lady Cora Griffin’ all over her notes.” Glancing at Pandy, he asked, “Did you get anything?”

Pandy shook her head. The girl didn’t have Dark Aura. In fact, once Pandy got over the fact that she was sitting right next to one of the girls who bullied Clara mercilessly during the first part of the game, Pandy hadn’t had any reaction to her other than a mild urge to bite her ankle. That was probably the Demon Queen talking, though.

“I think that child is guilty of nothing more than being a fool,” Professor Beeswick mused, causing Pandy and Augustus to turn back to him. The dragon gazed at the essence stone, which was now burning a fierce golden color. He turned it thoughtfully, then placed it on the table, where Augustus promptly picked it up and returned it to his pocket.

Augustus sighed, absently patting the completely flat front of his jacket. “That, or a brilliant actress, and given her age, I suspect you’re right, Beeswick. We do, however, have yet another thing to lay at Lord Findlay’s feet. Though it seems you were well aware of this particular violation.” He gave Professor Beeswick a searching look, and the dragon shrugged.

“He was the chancellor of this place for more than a decade, Augustus,” the dragon said, sounding a little sad. “You yourself know the authority that gave him. I could no more speak against it than a stone could complain about being trod upon.”

Augustus opened his mouth as if to argue, but closed it again, shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry.”

“As am I,” Professor Beeswick said, before patting Augustus on the shoulder. “For now, though, let us face the evils before us, rather than turning back to those we have left behind. Who’s next?”

Before Augustus could answer, however, the door opened, and Delbert Robins poked his head in. He was even prettier than his portrait had made him seem, and seemed a polite, quiet young man, as well. He was a year younger than Lian and most of the others, putting him in Bastian’s year-group. He actually noticed Pandy beneath the table, and paused to offer her his hand, which Cora hadn’t done.

The chancellor and the librarian asked the same questions they’d asked Cora, except that Delbert openly admitted he was a Dark mage. “Only a mage, of course,” he admitted with a small smile. “We’re not allowed elementals until Condor, as you know.”

Pandy…actually hadn’t known that. Students were supposed to leave Falconet with at least one tier-two elemental. Except that Dark elementals were supposed to be rare, and were also considered dangerous, so it made sense they wouldn’t want a child to have one. By the time students entered Condor, they were sixteen years old, which was presumably old enough to understand the laws, and sign the documents acknowledging that they took responsibility for all the risks inherent in having a Dark elemental.

Augustus nodded, however, and on the downward dip of his chin, his eyes caught Pandy’s. She nodded, since she’d been basking in the cool comfort and Corruption Points produced by the boy’s Dark Aura since he sat down.

They’d already determined that Delbert had never been abducted, so Augustus moved on to the secondary line of questioning. “Have you ever caught an illness from someone who died of that illness? Or who caught it from someone else who died?”

Delbert flinched, paling slightly. “My…a servant’s family member,” he admitted. “A few years ago, he vanished for a few days, and when they found him, he was delirious with fever. My servant was beside himself, and he went to visit even though they weren’t certain if the illness was contagious. He did catch it, and I caught it from him. The other boy died while I was still sick.”

“What is this servant’s name?” Professor Beeswick asked, leaning forward, and for the first time, Delbert looked shifty.

“Do I…have to say?” he said finally, staring down at his hands. “My mother specifically told him not to go, and even though it’s been a few years, he might get in trouble. Mother isn’t…isn’t forgiving. It doesn’t matter anyway, since I’m perfectly fine now.”

Perfectly fine, but the bearer of an aura that produced whatever-it-was that allowed Demons to use their powers. Or at least whatever-it-was that allowed Pandy to use her powers, which were presumably a Demon’s powers.

Augustus smiled at Delbert. “I promise your mother will never know anything about it. We’re actually fighting an outbreak of that same illness right now, and the more information we can gather, the better the chance we can create a cure.”

Relief flooded Delbert’s face, making Pandy gasp as he practically lit up. Really, if he was back on Earth, this boy would have a brilliant career as a – well, anything that involved being in front of an audience.

“It was my valet’s son. Ernest. I don’t actually know his last name,” Delbert admitted, face falling.

Professor Beeswick nodded, his pen scratching over a piece of paper on which he’d been taking notes. Several large books now lay on another table, waiting for him to find whatever he hoped might be hiding within their pages.

“Thank you, Delbert,” Augustus said, standing. Delbert stood as well, knees popping with the alacrity with which he straightened. As the boy gathered his bag and turned to go, however, the chancellor spoke one more time. “Do you plan to stay in school? Until you graduate from Condor?”

Delbert turned back, expression full of blank incredulity. “Of course, sir. I know many Dark mages choose to learn from tutors instead, but I’m enjoying my time at Kestrel, as I enjoyed my time at Falconet. I can see no reason to leave.”

“You have friends?” Augustus pressed, and Delbert blanched slightly.

“Not…many, sir. But it doesn’t take many, as long as the few you have are the right ones,” the boy answered with great dignity, before bowing slightly and leaving the library.

Professor Beeswick’s pen made the only sound as Augustus seemed to be thinking over this answer. Only when the writing utensil fell still did he turn to the dragon and say, “Watch that one very, very closely, if you would, Beeswick. Either he’s part of this mess, and one of the best liars I’ve ever met, or he’s due to become a victim at any time.”

The dragon’s gaze flicked toward the door, and he nodded firm agreement.

That left only one student from Kestrel, and when he entered the library, Pandy could feel his power from much further away than she could either Suzanne or Delbert’s. Once the notifications began streaming across her vision, she realized why.

+2 Corruption Points for entering Dark Aura II

+2 Corruption Points for entering Dark Aura II

+2 Corruption Points for entering Dark Aura II

As the boy slouched across the room, shoulders slumped, black hair falling into his face, Pandy was filled with a sudden longing to paste herself against him somehow. Could she sneak between his jacket and his shirt? Tuck her paws into his belt and dangle behind him like a furry tail? No one would notice, would they?

She gazed up at him adoringly, only to have her nearly trance-like state broken as she saw something she had never before seen on a character from Gacha Love: a zit. It wasn’t a large one – just a red bump tucked into the crease where his nose met his cheek. How many just like it had she had during her extraordinarily awkward adolescent days? But she hadn’t seen one since arriving on this world, with its perfectly beautiful occupants, and the oddity was enough to snap her out of her daze.

Focusing on the conversation that had started without her, she heard a boyish monotone say, “I guess. Everybody gets sick sometimes, right?”

Backing up, Pandy was finally able to take in the slouched posture, the long bangs that weren’t quite swept to the side enough to show his eyes, and was his hair…dyed? Oh no, Elias Keating was deep in the throes of pubescent angst, and probably far more interested in defying authority than answering Augustus’s questions.

“But someone would have died of this illness,” Augustus persisted. “Probably someone you weren’t close to, but who knew someone who you cared about.”

Elias slumped deeper into his chair, shoving his hands into his pockets as he offered a noncommittal, one-shouldered shrug. “Why would I know about that? If they weren’t someone I knew, how’s it my problem?”

With a great effort of will, Pandy tore herself away from the boy’s delicious Dark Aura, hopping over behind the bookshelf beside which Professor Beeswick stood. Elias didn’t even seem to notice, being too busy not quite sweeping his bangs out of his face and staring defiantly at Augustus.

<Cast Shifting Faces,> Pandy thought, once she was out of the boy’s sight.

Shifting Faces successful

You have 02:19:44 remaining today.

As soon as Pandy had hands again, she started pulling books off the shelf at eye level. Just enough to create a little peephole through which she could see the professor – who was staring back at her, looking more amused than he had for quite a while.

“He has Dark Aura Two,” Pandy whispered, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible. The dragon blinked, then raised a brow, as if to say, And this means what? Pandy tsked softly, then froze, her gaze going past Beeswick to see Elias staring in her direction, the part of his face she could see looking confused.

She sank down, squatting as she pulled two different books off another shelf, then reached through and poked Professor Beeswick in the knee. Pandy had to poke the librarian twice before he, too, crouched, which she somewhat belatedly realized was probably even more conspicuous than if she’d just moved a few books down on the original shelf. Too late now, though.

“Dark Aura Two,” she repeated, peering at the silvery eye watching her like a cat at a mousehole. “They get Dark Aura after they get sick. That means he got really sick, or maybe got sick twice?” Or something else that she didn’t know anything about. But Augustus needed to know that there was definitely something going on with this kid.

Professor Beeswick nodded, and Pandy started to replace the books she’d removed. Amusement promptly turned into irritation, and Pandy took the books back out, then laid them and the two she’d taken out first on a table behind her. She knew what shelf and what order they’d been in, but apparently the dragon didn’t trust her to replace his books exactly as she’d found them. Whatever.

“Whatever,” came Elias’s voice from the other side of the shelf. His chair scraped as he pushed it back. “I need to get back to Taxation and Tariffs. It’s riveting stuff, you know.” His tone was deeply sarcastic, and Pandy couldn’t really blame him for it. That sounded like the kind of class you should smuggle a pillow into.

She shifted back to rabbit form, hopping back around just in time to see the dragon whisper something to Augustus. The chancellor’s brows shot up, and he stood, slapping his palms against the wooden table in a sound that made Pandy and Elias jump. Miss Cupcakes, who was still pretending to sleep on the table in question, only opened one eye and gave an irritable hiss before rolling over and ignoring them all.

“You were abducted,” said Augustus, giving the boy what Pandy thought of as a Teacher Stare. Only some of her teachers could do it, but the ones that could used it to great effect, making even the worst bullies and pranksters confess their sins by seeming to be all-knowing. It was a ‘just tell me and it won’t be so bad’, kind of look, and Elias crumpled beneath it like soggy tissue.