really starting to worry about Naomi because her prince didn’t find her until the end of the fourth year after graduation. You’re only allowed five to complete your quest.”
“That must have been hard,” Jacobi said.
“Not as hard as the one right now.” He stopped momentarily. “Samantha is my sister.”
The others stared for a moment until Kaelen remembered, “Kieffer is her prince. They…”
“She likes him well enough, but she said he always seemed to have his eye on someone else. My parents are having a harder time with her disappearance. To tell you the truth, I’m having a hard time with it myself,” George admitted. “We don’t know that he’s really going to try to find her.”
They were prevented from further discussion as Calista stood to announce a temporary staff change. “Honoria and Raphael are expecting their first child and she needs this time to prepare for that event. For the remainder of this year, Pagoma Snapdragon will teach orientation. Please join me in welcoming her.”
The boys clapped as a pale lavender fairy stood and waved to them. She resumed her seat and the dining hall was filled with chatter as the boys talked about this new development. “Do you think we’ll see Honoria at all this year?” Adrian asked.
“I’m sure we’ll see her at meals. All the fairies live nearby,” Jacobi said.
“I wonder why she can’t teach up until the baby is born,” George commented.
“I suppose we could ask Raphael, but he probably wouldn’t tell us anyway,” Adrian added.
Kaelen said, “I don’t think we should worry about it. It’s not like Calista said she was dying. She probably just wants some privacy and that sort of thing.”
The weeks continued into October. The weather had grown dark and stormy for weeks. Horsemanship was taken to the indoor arena and the horses, like the boys, were starting to show signs of cabin fever. Lucian found Zephyr particularly willful. “It’s not my fault boy,” he snapped one day as he put the proud stallion back in his stall. “I want to get outside as much as you do.”
Zephyr snorted at him as though he didn’t believe him.
Lucian couldn’t blame him either. He and his class had come into the barn looking like a bunch of drowned rats. Now that his clothes were almost dried, he was going back into the pouring rain. He rubbed Zephyr down and brushed his coat until it gleamed. “At least you don’t look like something the cat dragged in,” Lucian said.
Zephyr turned and whinnied as though laughing at him.
“Yeah, I know,” Lucian replied, shaking his head as he poured some oats into the box before walking out of the stall.
“You’d have thought I got wet on purpose,” Kaelen said as he joined Adrian and Lucian.
“I got the same response from Zephyr,” Lucian admitted. “I can’t wait for the sun to come out again.”
“Don’t look for it too soon,” Phillipa said with a disappointed sigh. “The weather isn’t going to change for a while.”
“Great,” Adrian moaned.
“Well, let’s get back to the castle before it gets any worse,” Lucian replied. “Bye Phillipa.”
“Have a good afternoon, boys. Go quickly!” she encouraged.
The boys nodded and sprinted out after the rest of their class. When they reached the castle doors, several boys were standing outside pounding on them. “What’s going on?” Adrian demanded.
“Someone’s locked the doors,” a boy shouted.
Lightning split the sky as deafening thunder rumbled around them. “They’re never going to hear us over that noise,” Lucian yelled. “We’re going to have to think of another way in.”
“Are you mad? There is no other way in.”
Lucian refused to give up so easily. He walked away from the doors and started running from window to window, hoping that someone would see him. Finally he reached the fencing room where Raphael was conducting class. He started waving his arms, desperately hoping the fairy would turn and see him. He could see older boys pointing at him and then to his relief, Raphael turned. The window opened and Raphael demanded, “What on earth are you doing?”
“The front doors are locked and we can’t get in,” he panted through chattering teeth.
“That’s impossible. Calista would never lock the doors with students out.”
“I don’t know who locked them, but they’re locked and we can’t get in. Please send someone to open the doors.” Lucian was now shivering violently.
“Of course,” Raphael said. “Go to the front doors.”
Lucian nodded and began running back to the front of the castle. The rest of the boys were still pounding on the doors. “I told you so,” a boy said as Lucian came up.
“Raphael is on his way,” Lucian shouted.
The boys had never been so grateful to see their fencing master as when he opened the doors. Streams of water followed the boys into the hallway as they entered the castle. Several fairies were standing around with blankets and towels. “Get dried off,” Calista ordered. “Then I want to know who did this.”
“I can tell you,” George said as a fairy was rubbing his hair with a towel.
She raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Nathan was the first one to leave and the only one of our class in the castle. He’s the only one who would have been able to do it. Everyone else was in class.”
The fairies looked at each other then at Calista. “Very well,” Calista said. Her voice was calm, but there was a flicker in her eyes that the boys found frightening. “Boys, please go to your dormitories. Hot water will be brought up for you to bathe. We need to get you warm. Go on now. I’ll deal with Nathan. Raphael, please have Russett help you get the boys get fresh towels and warm blankets.”
“Right away.” He sent a tan piece of paper to the greenhouse which seemed to shudder before flying out a nearby window.
The boys left without noticing the black paper that had flown from Calista’s wand. As they climbed the stairs Adrian asked, “How do those messages manage to go out the windows like that.”
“Fairy magic,” Raphael replied as he followed them up the stairs. “Our magic can allow something as seemingly solid as paper go through something just as solid like a window.”
“But how?” Adrian asked. “I don’t get it.”
Raphael laughed. “Wait until you get into spell breaking with Althea. She’ll explain it much better.”
“That’ll be a whole year from now.”
“Are you whining at me?” Raphael asked.
“No sir,” he said as they reached the top floor.
Russett was standing at the top of the stairwell. “Seems you have a bunch of drowned kittens, Raphael. What can I do to help?”
In Calista’s office, Nathan was sitting, looking smugly triumphant. He really hadn’t needed to get the whole class. Just Kaelen. He’d spent four long months talking like an idiot and it was Kaelen’s fault. He wasn’t sure what Calista was waiting for and he really didn’t care. It wouldn’t matter what the witches did to him. Being out that long in the rain; he knew most of the boys would be sick. “Can’t I go to my room so I can do homework while you wait?”
“If you honestly think I’m going to fall for that excuse, you’re sadly mistaken,” Calista said, not bothering to turn to look at him. “I’ve heard from many of your teachers that you do not do homework. You will not leave until we have discussed your behavior.”
Nathan shrugged as Phillipa stormed into the room. Droplets of water ran down her hair and she looked furious. Seeing Nathan, her frown deepened and sparks flew from her wand which was clutched in one hand. “Calista, I need to speak to you about Nathan.”
Calista turned to look at her. “What else has he done?”
“Else?” Phillipa asked. Then she shook her head, “Never mind, I don’t have time. Look, I don’t care what the witches do to him, but he is banned from horsemanship for the next two weeks.”
“Really?” Calista said; a look of surprise on her face. “
What did he do?”
“It’s not what he did,” Phillipa said, fury in every syllable, “but rather what he didn’t do. He was in such a rush to leave that he didn’t take care of his own horse. When I went through the barn to check the horses, I found Misty Shadow, still in his tack, not clean, not fed; nothing had been done to make him comfortable. The look of misery on his face…” she stopped, the memory was painful. “This is the last time he neglects that horse in my class. I expect the boys to occasionally forget a blanket, or give too little feed to their horse, but to completely disregard it…” She took a deep breath and then continued, “I believe I’ve said enough. He will not be allowed in the stable for a fortnight. However, there is no need to place him in another classroom. He is to write me a fifteen page essay on the importance of proper equine maintenance. He will not be allowed in the barn until it is completed or the two weeks have passed, whichever is last.”
Calista looked at Nathan, “Very well. He can spend horsemanship in my office working on your assignment.”
Phillipa nodded and left the office as Calypso entered. “You called for me I believe?”
“Thank you for coming so promptly,” Calista replied.
“What was the crime?” she asked. She was tall and lanky with a flowing blue gown. Her hair was so dark, it looked nearly black and seemed to have a bluish hue in the shadows. Her eyes were slate blue, like the ocean in a storm. As Calista recounted Nathan’s behavior, Calypso absent-mindedly played with the shell bracelets around her wrists. “I see,” she said