Dexter’s POV

“Magister Tilda Maele is unavailable. Please record your message and it will be delivered as soon as possible,” a mechanized voice answered.

I hung up, dialing dad instead.

A ball of fire chased itself in a circle on the screen while I waited for the call to connect. A few minutes passed, then the fireball sped down to the bottom of the screen and disappeared.

“Magister Victor Maele is unavailable. Please record—”

I hung up and tried again.

“Come on, pick up…” I said as I paced back and forth in my room.

No answer.

Hanging up again, I let out a long exhale and sat on my bed.

What should I do?

I glanced at my spell tome. Visio. Amo. Leth. Exis. Nov. Thaum. Incep. Ny. Anni. The runes on her cover were all incomplete. None of them made sense on their own, or together. I’d spent the entire walk home musing for some possible meaning, but had finally accepted that maybe there was no meaning to be found. She sat quietly on the nightstand without any indication of life. Ever since she landed in my hands she’d been like this.

My excitement had turned into frustration but I still wanted to tell my parents that I’d succeeded in getting a spell tome. I wouldn’t tell them she was broken, not yet.

After a long exhale, I resigned myself to just type out a message to let them know. It was probably better this way. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about them asking to see my spell tome.

Tossing the phone aside, I stared at the tome, but nothing happened.

With a sigh, I picked up the tome again. She felt so light and cool in my hand, like a paperweight.

“Why did you choose me? What am I supposed to save you from?”

She didn't respond, just remained inanimate.

I flipped through her pages for the second time hoping something would be different, but every page was blank. Shaking my head, I placed the tome back on the nightstand.

Maybe I should just go to sleep, but first, a hot bath to help me relax.

Stepping into the hall I immediately noticed nothing was cooking. There was no sweet or savory smell wafting from the kitchen; no sounds of pots and pans being cleaned.

Of course there wasn’t. Mom wasn’t here to cook and she wouldn’t be again for at least six months. As I passed the arch that led into the living room, dads empty reading chair caught my eye. He was always in that chair when he was home.

A deep sense of emptiness spread over me. This house felt hollow without my parents.

I blinked away tears and pushed open the bathroom door.

As the tub filled with warm water, I stared into the mirror, wondering how a spell tome could be empty. Considering the faded runes, the way her cover was damaged when she first appeared, and her request, I wondered if she was attacked.

Had someone tried to erase her?

I shook my head.

That’s impossible.

Pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it on the floor, I thought, just relax Dex. Maybe the professor will be able to shed some light on the situation.

I slid my shorts off and stepped into the tub. The hot water sent chills through my body.

Maybe it’s just a matter of waiting.

My mind wandered as my muscles relaxed. The water was so warm and comfortable that I fell asleep.

----------------------------------------

My eyes fluttered open. The water was cold and the room was dark, but there was a rustling noise outside the door.

A loud bang on the door startled me. My heart raced as I jerked upright in the tub.

The bang sounded again, then the doorknob began to wiggle.

leaping out of the tub, I took a combat stance.

The doorknob stopped wiggling. There was a dull thump against the door, a low moan, then just silence.

Moving closer, I readied myself for whatever was on the other side.

Reaching for the knob, I pulled the door open only to find myself nose to nose with a dazed girl.

Her hair, pinkish-purple at the root fading to pure white at the ends, fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her almond shaped eyes were big and bright like shining stars, staring blankly ahead as she continued to sway. Her frilly dress glittered with sparkles, as did her black leggings.

My hand touched her shoulder and she snapped to attention. There was an electric spark between us that shot through my body. Our eyes locked and I knew immediately who she was, my spell tome.

“Maole?” she asked, tilting her head with obvious confusion. “Where is Solari?”

My shoulders dropped in defeat. So it wasn't me she wanted; even she assumed I was related to Solari Maole.

Was that why she bonded with me?

I deflated further as the question passed through my mind.

A shiver ran along my spine as water dripped from my hair down my neck and back. Instinctively I pushed her back, retreated inside the bathroom and slammed the door. She was a spell tome, but right now she was a flesh and blood girl and I was just naked in front of her. My heart pounded in my ears and my face felt warm.

Clutching my towel, I glanced at the mirror then rushed to dry myself off. Once I was fully clothed I stepped out of the bathroom again, finding her standing awkwardly near the door.

"So...you're not Solari," she stated matter-of-factly.

I shook my head.

"Then you are his son?"

Again I shook my head.

She folded her arms with a huff and asked, "Who are you then?"

"Dexter Maele," I said simply.

Her brows furrowed as she stared at me for an uncomfortably long minute. Finally she shrugged saying, "Well, it doesn't much matter; you're my magister now." Her face relaxed, but her gaze still lingered on me.

I took a deep breath then sighed, both relieved and frustrated that seemed to be all she cared about. At least she wasn't too disappointed learning that I wasn’t who she thought.

"What should I call you?" I asked.

"Whatever you want," she replied.

She stood silently again, staring at me like an old man watching grass grow. It was almost unnerving how little emotion she showed. After a few moments of waiting for her to say something else, I decided it was time to ask some questions myself.

"So..." I paused, wondering where to start. "Where did you come from?"

"From the library," she answered.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Yeah, but—"

"I don’t remember anything else.”

“Why were you looking for Solari?”

“I don’t know.”

“You asked me to save you; save you from what? Save you how?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why don’t you have any spells?”

She blinked. "I have two, actually.”

Rolling my eyes, I amended my question. “Why do you only have two spells?”

The girl shrugged. “I don’t know.”

I let out a puff of frustration then showed her back to my room. Pointing to my bed I said, “You can sleep here.”

“I don’t need to sleep,” she replied. My aggravation must have shown on my face because she awkwardly added, “but I can lay there until morning if you like.”

I nodded then sat against the wall, watching her in silence. There was something unsettling about her blank stare. It made it impossible to tell what she was thinking or feeling. If she were human, I could easily imagine her saying, "What?" but instead she only stared back at me, her face placid.

After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, she asked, “Are we going to duel tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Will Solari be there?”

“Probably not.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell again and I tried to find something else to say, but nothing came to mind.

Maybe this will be harder than I expected.

----------------------------------------

The sun rose over the horizon casting warm light in through my window. The spell tome sat up saying, “You really should have slept. You won’t perform well in a duel if you’re exhausted.”

"What difference does it make? With just two spells, I won’t perform well anyway.”

The spell tome nodded. “Okay.”

We stood silently staring at each other until I asked, "Why did you choose me?"

"I don’t rememb—."

Snapping, I yelled, "Please don’t…” then more quietly, finished, “…finish saying that word.”

She shrugged.

"How can you not remember anything?"

She shrugged again.

With a heavy sigh, I looked away from her blank stare and got up to get dressed. When I was done, I held out my hand for her to take. Instead of taking it, she turned into a ball of light then hovered my hand until I turned up my palm. Her form reshaped into a book then she dropped into my hand.

Hoping to catch professor Kaylastal before the duels, I hurried to the founder’s tower. My thoughts raced, blurring together like the city blocks as my feet pounded the pavement.

When I reached the stairs of Founder’s Tower, I took them three at a time. Entering the building, I hurried down the path leading to the compass hallway, impatiently placing my palm on the glass and fidgeting while I waited for permission to pass.

When the light flashed green, I raced on without waiting for the clerk to acknowledge.

Inside the grand hall, I made straight for the west wing.

I stopped on my toes as I rounded the corner.

Jyanna was standing at the entrance to class D3 fidgeting with nervous tension as a man with caramel colored skin stared down at her.

“One day, and you’ve already managed to cause me trouble!” he boomed.

Pulling myself back around the corner. I pressed myself flat as a board against the wall, holding my breath as my chest constricted.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“And why do I hear that you’ve been throwing my name around as if it’s your own? We aren’t even blood, but now, for the sake of my reputation…” he trailed off.

Whispering, my spell tome asked, “Why are we hiding?”

I didn’t answer.

“It’s not a big deal, Uncle, I only—”

“Shut up, Jyanna.”

The light tap of soles on smooth marble echoed down the hall. As they drew nearer sweat beaded on my forehead and my palms grew slick. My spell tome slipped, but I managed to recover my grip before she fell.

The steps stopped just around the corner. My heart and breath stopped as time froze.

Silence drug on, but I could feel someone there, hear them even. Like the whispers in the library, only this was more subtle.

Can they feel me too?

“Magister Rivayne, Jyanna, is something wrong?” Professor Kaylastal’s voice broke through the silence like a birdsong in the early morning.

Clearing his throat, the magister replied, “Not at all. I just came to apologize for the trouble my niece caused you yesterday.”

Jyanna snorted. “Uncle, I didn't cause any—I…I’m sorry, Professor Kaylastal I’ll behave from today on.”

Judging by her sudden shift in tone, her uncle must’ve given her a look like the one mom gave me when she caught me in a lie. Neither of them sounded any closer than before though. But I was sure someone stood just around the corner. It took every ounce of willpower not to peer around the edge.

Professor Kaylastal asked, “Is there anything else? Class starts in an hour; today we’ll be meeting in the tournament rooms and I have a few things to prepare before today’s duels.”

“No,” Magister Rivayne answered.

“Good, then if that's all—”

“Wait!” Jyanna interjected.

The professor sighed heavily, answering, “Yes?”

Jyanna paused for a moment then finally asked, “Can I come with you?”

“No,” he answered flatly. “I’ll see you in class with everyone else.”

Three sets of steps grew louder as they came down the hall. Once again, my pulse quickened, then I realized I had no reason to hide. Stepping away from the wall, I walked around the corner before they reached it. A woman with bright pink hair and icy blue eyes stood just around the bend, her expression severe and deadly serious.

Our eyes met for a moment, then she glanced down at the tome in my hands.

Professor Kaylastal paused when he saw me. He considered me a moment, then turned to Magister Rivayne. “Magister Rivayne, if it’s not too much trouble, please inform the duel administrators that I will be late.”

Nodding, the older man looked at me curiously, then glanced back at Professor Kaylastal. With a suspicious glare, he turned and continued on his way with Jyanna and the pink haired girl following behind him.

“Dexter, come with me,” Donovan said as soon as they were out of sight.

He didn't wait for me to answer before continuing down the hall. But I hurried after him.

Trying to keep up with his pace was surprisingly difficult considering he was basically half my size. We passed through the north hall taking several twists and turns until we came to a dead end. Donovan walked straight into the wall without hesitation, disappearing beyond its surface.

I approached the wall with caution, reaching out towards the stone, but found it solid. After a deep breath, I tried with more confidence and my hand passed through, so I stepped forward expecting to walk through it, but instead I hit a hard surface and stumbled backwards falling on my butt.

A large black fist reached from beyond the wall, lifting me off the ground and yanking me though. Rolling his eyes, the professor released his magic and continued on down a dimly lit path.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that your spell tome is a bit strange.” He said.

I nodded. “I was actually hoping to ask you about that.”

Donovan paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at me before continuing. "Do you know what happens if a magister dies?" he asked.

“Their bond becomes available to another,” I answered.

He nodded. “True enough, but there are some exceptions.”

We stopped walking in front of a heavy iron gate. Beyond it was a room covered in green moss and lined with bookshelves. A woman with flowy brown hair stood reading a book on one of the shelves. When she saw us her face softened into a warm smile.

“Good morning Professor Kaylastal,” she said cheerfully.

The professor waved back saying, “Good morning, Dr. Gaia.”

She snapped her book shut as Donovan approached. Her soft voice took on a hard edge as she said, “Well?”

Professor Kaylastal replied, “The tome was badly damaged, but it still has potential.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “What happened to Solari?”

“Dead I presume. I couldn’t enter his room and he hasn’t answered his phone since the tome appeared.”

Dr. Gaia growled then pushed past him toward me. Examining me closely, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. “And this is the boy she chose?”

Donovan nodded. “His name is Dexter Maele.”

“Maole, so that’s why.” Dr. Gaia gasped.

Green locks bounced around the professor’s head as he shook it, saying, “No, not Maole. It’s Maele… maybe it would help if I spell it.”

"Don’t worry about it,” she snapped. “All I need to know is that it can still work.”

“At this point, we’re in uncharted territory. Whether she’ll recover or not isn’t something I can say.”

Dr. Gaia snorted. “Well that’s why you brought her isn’t it? The first step is to see if there are any spells left in her pages.”

With a nod, Donovan reached for my spell tome.

Defensively, I dodged back, folding myself around the book and gripping it tightly.

He tilted his head. “Is there a problem?” he asked.

“No,” I mumbled.

Slowly, I relaxed my arms letting him take the book from me. With a sigh, I thought of how foolish it would be to resist. Against the professor there was nothing I could do with my spell tome…

“Two measly spells!” Dr. Gaia erupted. “You said she had potential, but even if someone could—it would be useless now.”

Donovan sighed then moved to hand the book back to me. “I also said it isn’t clear if she can recover. Our best chance is to just wait and see what happens from here. Besides, two is two more than she had yesterday.”

Dr. Gaia nodded reluctantly. “What’ll we do about Solari?”

Pacing the room, Professor Kaylastal shook his head. He stopped next to a chrome lab desk and let his hands hover over the various tools and artifacts.

After a moment he selected a burst crystal, holding it up as he looked through it, saying, “There isn’t much we can do now, but we should get Dexter to the arena.” Setting the crystal back down he added, “I’ll come back to see you later.”