"I realize this is a great honor, Professor Locklear, but I-"
"You don't need to give me that, Keisha, I won't be offended. There are many legitimate reasons to refuse something as unusual as this." She folded her arms behind her back again. "But I certainly hope it is not due to the alleged evil of the Essence. 'Evil' can't really be quantified as a scientific concept."
At least with Dehateh, Keisha knew there wouldn't be any penalties for refusing. It might have been easier to play along, but she wanted to ask her question without false pretenses. "So a decision hasn't been made yet? How does the process work?"
"Emails and written proposals. The usual department politics."
"Everyone seems so tense. How long will it go?"
"The board of directors will select a proposal within a few weeks. However, in reality the academic dean will make the decision, because he decides which proposals reach the board. Feel free to tell Pavel I said that."
Keisha smiled as she picked up her books. "I think I'd rather not get between you."
"That's probably wise. Tell me if you change your mind."
As she left, Keisha felt a moment of doubt. She crushed it by reminding herself why she was here and what she needed to do. Events had already pulled her in far enough, she needed to work her way out instead of going deeper.
~ ~ ~
His plan had been to sit back and practice throwing cards into a hat. It was the perfect useless skill that would show he had too much free time. The problem was that it was actually difficult, and not only because it was a witch's hat from a cheap costume. He kept getting distracted trying to find a way to nudge the cards, which was more difficult than he'd expected.
Eventually Blake sighed and gave up. Unfortunately, he really was feeling lazy at the moment and he didn't want to pick up all the cards. His problem was solved when a burning portal opened up on his wall. Convenient.
"Greetings." Gastion could be seen on the other side but he didn't enter.
"Can faculty just show up in any room they want?"
"Yes, but only by breaking the building defenses. I cannot enter, nor can you."
"But light and sound are obviously traveling through. Nothing's stopping you from opening a portal in the women's showers."
Gastion shifted his head to the side and regarded him flatly. "Is that really the extent of your ambitions, Blake?"
He responded with an empty grin that would hopefully keep the professor guessing. Blake knew Gastion was much too familiar with Darkness to think it granted easy power, which made it even more important to let him think there wasn't much mental substance present.
"There is something we must discuss, and it should be in person. Come out of the building and accompany me to the administrative offices." The portal closed after the final word, not giving Blake a chance to refuse. That, or Gastion simply assumed he would be obeyed. In this case, Blake suspected he knew the topic and he was definitely interested, though he took his time leaving to be obnoxious.
When he came out of the apartments Gastion was waiting impatiently. As soon as Blake neared him he gestured for them to move. "No decision has been made regarding the newest Dark Essence, but the matter is very nearly closed. Tierdrial made a substantial effort to prove the Fey Arts department deserves it and I have exploited her work to ensure it comes directly to me."
"Masterful backstabbing."
"So I have a new offer for you, Blake. Next semester you will have the opportunity to focus on Charged Magic, which will mean studying directly under me. As soon as you have enrolled in the complete program, I will give you the new Dark Essence."
"I've never been very clear on the process." He watched his shoes as he scuffed them on the sidewalk. "Can you really just keep collecting them like that?"
"In general, Light creates an army, each warrior with a separate Essence. Darkness gathers in a powerful few, though there must be several, otherwise I would take it for myself."
That led to a real question, which he tried to ask in the same bored tone. "How many of these things are we talking about, anyway?"
"The number increases as conditions develop. But I will answer all these questions and more when you are studying under me. This is not the time for a lecture."
"Say I'm considering joining you. What are you really trying to do? Use the university to build up an army and take over the world, evil overlord style? I'd think the rest of the faculty wouldn't be too pleased about that."
Gastion chuckled, but his eyes were narrow and he stared at Blake for a long moment before he answered. "Axis is a temporary institution at best. It is in my best interest to support it, but I know that as the prophecy becomes inevitable, all institutions will begin to fail. Eventually Axis will dissolve when the alliance of Light and Dark fails, and when it does I will be prepared."
Though he wanted to keep asking, Blake suspected it would be pushing his luck. Whatever else he was, Gastion wasn't stupid. His motives seemed to be the most classically evil of anyone Blake had met, like all the villains who wanted to destroy the world. For a moment he considered agreeing, to see how much power he could get while infiltrating such an organization, but most likely his loyalty would be enforced somehow.
They crossed the plaza and approached Ax Hall. There was a smug smile on Gastion's face. "In moments, the dean will tell us that he has decided to grant me the Essence."
"And you want me to come along?"
"Seeing our victory should help you make your decision."
Inside, they headed right into the offices that Blake had rarely entered. There was a receptionist who looked away as soon as she saw Gastion and then they were standing in front of a door that read "Pavel Tolstoy, Academic Dean." Gastion gestured for Blake to sit just outside and left the door open as he entered.
"I know you have considered my proposal, and I trust you have kept in mind all our most recent emails. Have you finished cutting the red tape?"
Pavel looked up at him. "Good afternoon."
"Your time is as precious as my own. Can we move past the pleasantries?"
"You make a compelling case, Johnson. Fey Arts is due for some attention, and I believe you are familiar with Tierdrial's funding proposal. All in all, it seems as though it might be best to place the most recent Essence in your care."
"Then we can-"
"However." The word stood as its own sentence. Pavel sat back slowly before continuing. "Professor Drawde was in my office not long ago - without asking for anything, I might add. He had a very curious story about the incident two months back, and the negligence of certain parties that kept it from being prevented."
Until then, Blake had never seen Gastion sweat. His back was unnaturally stiff and he looked directly forward, not meeting the dean's gaze. Pavel's voice became even flatter.
"Play games with lives if you must, but not when it negatively impacts donor funding." The silence that followed was unbreakable until Pavel stopped staring at Gastion and glanced in Blake's direction. "Sorry to deliver bad news. I'm sure you were eager to see those smiling student faces."
"I see you have made your decision." Gastion slowly got to his feet, the vicious wound to his dignity obvious even from behind. "Might I ask who will be receiving the Essence?"
"As it happens, the board was pleased with the idea of it being held by the university. Capital, if you will. It will remain in the vaults until someone with extraordinarily high compatibility is found."
"Very well." Gastion spun and left the office, snarling something when Blake tried to approach him. Abruptly he was alone in the administrative offices, and Pavel's door seemed to have closed on its own.
As he walked out, Blake couldn't help but smile. He might be the first student to learn this piece of information, though he hadn't worked out a way for it to benefit him. The childishness of Gastion's reaction had solidified his opinion: there was no master plan, merely a scheme to gain power and take whatever he wanted. If the majority of Darkness was in the
hands of people like that, the coming war would be bloody.
On his way back to the apartments, he nodded to Aki. This time she didn't nod back, instead to gesturing for her to meet him off to the side. She seemed unusually serious, though not as if something had gone wrong.
"Is everything okay?"
"I've been trying to do some research for a while, but I don't think I can do it alone. Can I trust you not to tell anyone?"
"Of course."
She smiled, but only for a moment. "You've already helped a little, but that was without knowing what I was trying to do. Let's just say I need to explain a few things..."
Chapter 15
His plan to walk past her coincidentally had gone perfectly. Ever since he noticed an unusual number of transfers, he'd been monitoring the main path out. So when Blake saw Trill preparing to go, he was ready to stroll past and meet her accidently.
She was staring down at something in her hand that vanished once he got closer. When she glanced up at him there was an unreadable shift in her expression. "Oh, it's you. Now's really not a good time to talk."
"Don't be that way. Will you be free later? Say, Friday at midnight?"
That got him a reaction. Trill's head snapped over and her eyes fixed on him. "How much do you know?"
"I have no idea what you mean. I just wanted to ask you out on a date."
"What do you know?" Faster than he could see, she was in front of him, grabbing the front of his shirt. "This isn't a game and you know it isn't."
He dropped the smile and she immediately let go of his shirt. "The specific time was an educated guess. I'm not very good with realm magic yet, but even I can tell there's some kind of major phase shift occurring then. But as for how much I know... I suspect who is coming and what they'll be doing, but I don't know why."
"I should take you in for this." Trill rubbed her eyes with one hand before abruptly gesturing with her other arm. Abruptly they stood in a circle of normal space, the world around them in photo negative. "I guess insane times call for insane measures. Don't say anything stupid and I'll explain what I can."
"I'll keep my mouth shut, then."
Trill began pacing around the edge of the circle, eyes before her. "On Friday at midnight, this realm will reach its point of maturity. The outermost layer will harden and a new layer will begin to form. As that happens, for a brief period of time certain defenses will become permeable. Not the school defenses, but the inherent ones in the core of the realm."
"The Omphalos."
"You've done your homework, I see. Since during this moment the Omphalos is vulnerable to theft, the normal practice is to obscure the exact time. Yet someone found out for our realm and it's too late to change it. There will be people descending on us from all sides."
"It isn't one group?" That was troublesome. They'd been assuming they had one set of enemies, but if the timing was common knowledge it could become a free-for-all. For students, that would mean instant death.
"A lot more than one. We might be able to prepare, but..." She glanced over at him and smiled bitterly. "I'm getting sent on an assignment that will keep me away. It's important - talking to one of the best potential students in some time - but it will be time consuming. She lives in Nigeria and the street address is going to be worthless."
Blake started to speak when Trill suddenly moved in front of him and gripped his shoulders. "It's finally happening. They're playing games because they think it's all going to last forever, but this time it will really fall apart. The realm might survive without an Omphalos, but I promise you the university wouldn't last a year."
"So someone's benefitting from the conflict?"
"There are too many factors involved to explain now. Don't try to get involved, Blake. A few students can't tip a balance like this. I told you because... I don't know, I hope you have some kind of ace in the hole."
Explained like that, the situation seemed grim. He was sure he was going to disappoint her and he couldn't bring himself to say it. Yes, he could contact his parents, but then he could never go back to pretending to be a naive student. Without them, he was limited to his own power, which felt increasingly inadequate.
"So see you later. Maybe." Trill dispersed her circle and immediately twisted into the portal. She was gone, flung away from the university realm.
Alone on the plaza, Blake walked along the line between light and dark marble. No answers came to him.
~ ~ ~
Once again she found herself climbing the stairs to the upper floors of Ax Hall. They were bleak and unlit this time, forcing her to create her own light to see. The stones seemed to move around her, or perhaps something within the stones was shifting. By the time Keisha reached the floor where Doyle had been, she was too disoriented to sense him.
As she walked down the corridor, she tried to tell herself she was only nervous because of how important the meeting might be. It probably wasn't self-deception. Aki had somehow learned when the conflict would be, but they lacked critical details.
Yet when she reached his room, Doyle was gone. She was more depressed than she should have been. Of course she would need to try multiple times and it might be difficult to find him. It was only to be expected.
When she turned back he was standing behind her. She couldn't sense him even from a few steps away and there was no light surrounding him. Dark bags lay under his eyes and his stubble was thicker than before. He looked so alone that it pulled at her heart. No one should have to live that way, but there was nothing she could do for him as things stood now.
"Nice of you to visit." He managed a weak smile.
"We know something is wrong, Doyle. We want to help."
Instead of surprise, his eyes showed resignation. "It wouldn't be very responsible of me to involve students in the faculty's problems."
"This isn't going to be a game. We know that and we don't expect to run in and save the day. But there must be something we can do."
"That isn't likely." His eyes closed as if they would never open again, yet after a moment his jaw set. "Unless... block me."
He whispered the words and she had barely heard them when she realized he was moving. Most of her natural defenses were down, but when he raised a fist instinct kicked in. It was barely in time to raise her hands crossed over her face. Light lanced across her vision and then his arm vanished.
Pain shot through her arms and she skidded backward. Keisha barely managed to keep to her feet and stopped sliding midway through the chamber. The hasty Light she had thrown up was crumbling and she might have bruises on her arms, but in the doorway Doyle was smiling wearily.
"I want to stress that you shouldn't be foolish. You fighting now would be like someone with one year of medical school performing brain surgery. But you've made enough progress that going wouldn't be absolute suicide."
"You... think I could help with what's coming?" She had more doubts than before as she felt the pain in her arms.
"Not you alone, but you used the plural earlier so I assume there are others at a similar level." He walked in and lay a hand on her arm. Though she saw him generate energy to remove some of the damage, she still shivered at his touch. Keisha forced herself to focus on the issue at hand. "And no, you won't be involved in the fighting. That's part of the point."
"I confess that we're not entirely sure why this is happening."
"Neither are most of us." Doyle walked over to a wall, his feet barely leaving the floor with each step, and leaned his back against it. "Do you know about the Omphalos?"
"Yes, and we heard something about the Sinistrals, though we don't understand why they'd be involved."
"The organization has multiple factions, some of them more zealous than others. We have solid intelligence that one of them will be attempting to steal the Omphalos. I have no idea what they want to do with it, but they would be capable of... many things."
She nodded carefully. "Are they the only ones involved, or...?"
"I'm afra
id there will be many opportunists, ever since the phase cycles of our realm became common knowledge. The faculty are aware but they aren't taking the threat seriously. They think it will be an embarrassment and they want to make sure the blame falls on someone else. The politics limit how much I can do."
He shifted his gaze back to her and smiled. "That's where you and your friends come in. Most of the faculty will neutralize themselves, and when other forces show up they'll battle one another. I'm hoping everything will be a balanced equation, so you might tip the scales."
"You think we can hold someone off?"
"Not alone." Doyle raised one hand and a gold triangle snapped into being. She could have brushed his fingers when she took it but merely accepted the object. "Use this as a key. The Omphalos is beneath the central plaza, but can't be accessed directly. To get in, you have to go to the deeper levels of this building."
As she examined the "key," she realized it resembled an ID card despite the triangular shape. There was a silver strip on the back and the markings were runes she couldn't read. But there was something wrong. "This won't open the way for us."
"No. You'll use it to close the way after you. I'll send someone to help you get close enough - I should be able to get Victoria to do it - then you'll be on your own. Hopefully you will be ignored as a non-combatant and you'll be able to slip inside. Once you use this you'll be locked in, but the ones to break the door down will be the staff once the conflict is over."
Though she wanted to do something to help, Keisha had been worried that they couldn't possibly make a difference in such a large conflict. But Doyle had obviously given this thought as well. She smiled up at him and he didn't seem to see.
"I was hoping to use that myself, but it's impossible now. The dean wants a few of us to prepare specifically for the Sinistrals. They're the biggest problem because they're getting help from other organizations. I don't have proof, but I'm fairly sure they hired the people who attacked two months ago, to try to divert suspicion from them. So Emile and I will be trying to set up new defenses."
"Professor Martin? I thought he was just Maleficium?"
"It's easy to think of it that way, but it's a mistake you'll regret." Doyle looked up at her and shifted to an expression closer to a smile, though she wasn't sure why. "Though it might be too late for this, you should talk to him about how it can supplement even your skills. But do that once you've mastered the basics and when we know the university will still exist next semester."