Page 22 of Phoenix Academy: Madness

Gently, the headmaster says, "But the person who did that wasn't Gregory Auerbach. He's far too young. Plus, I can guarantee that he isn't that kind of man."

Frustration wells up inside me, and I press my fingernails into my left palm so hard that pain follows. She isn't listening to me, not really. I should've known better than to think that a mage-born phoenix could hear the truth about her own people. Clearly her head is too full of mage lies to listen to truth from a witch.

"I don't want to be in the same room as an Auerbach, much less study under him." My right hand clenches the mug tight, and the air around me starts to glow with a light dusting of blue. I hear a low, quiet growl coming from a human's throat, and know the sleeping wolf is starting to wake up. "There's no way. It's just not happening. I'd rather drop out and face the Heretic on my own."

A frown creases the headmaster's brows. "The Heretic? Never mind. Something is clearly happening here." Her eyes dart around the room, taking in the blue tinge in the air before her gaze stops on my face. "Your eyes are glowing, Ari. Even I can feel the anger and madness in the air, and I'm no shifter. Clearly something is happening."

There's another growl behind me. I tighten my grip on the mug so much that my fingers start to go numb. Reaching out with my witch senses, I feel the shifter spirits coming to life in the room: two panthers and two wolves. But unlike the trio, Petra's wolf seems angry, its jaws snapping together in the air. The madness magic is doing something different to her.

It's enough of a surprise to pull me out of my anger and back to myself. Bringing the coffee mug up to my nose, I breathe deeply and let the scent invigorate me.

Meanwhile, the headmaster continues to speak, voice low and deep. "Listen to me carefully, Ari. I understand that you're upset—that much is clear, even though I don't quite understand how your powers work."

"I don't want to work with that mage." It's all I can do to keep my emotions low, but despite that there's still magic in the air. "I can't do it. Not after everything."

She considers me for a moment, then nods decisively. Behind us, more growls break out.

"I can replace your teacher, Gregory Auerbach, with another mage. It'll take some time to get someone new in from overseas, and I'll have to pull in a few favors, but I want you to feel comfortable here. So I'll handle it."

"A different teacher." I let the thought settle inside me. "I guess that's... the best I can expect."

"It's a damned huge favor is what it is." She eyes me. "In the meantime, do you think you can do something before those shifters go wild and tear my office apart?"

Glancing back at the trio and Petra, I see four blue-eyed gazes staring back at me. The twins look like they're hanging onto their humans forms by the skin of their teeth, and both of the wolves have already turned. Petra's is huge, her lips pulled back from her teeth and claws digging into the plush carpet. David, a smaller but still large wolf, paces and whimpers. There's something off about his wolf spirit, like always, but I can't tell what. All I can see is the blue tinge of madness laid over his unstable energy.

If I were better at using these powers I would be able to reach out and draw the magic back into me. When I try, though, nothing happens, and I don't even know if I'mtryingor just convincing myself that I'm doing something. It's not like my naturalist senses at all, which spread around me like a radar and draw back in as easy as closing my eyes. The madness is different, almost a separate part of me with its own free will.

"I don't know what to do," I admit to the headmaster as Petra stalks towards us, her pupils blown wide. "Maybe a bit of fire will wake them up."

"And burn another building to the ground," she grumbles in response, making me wonder whatotherbuilding has burned to the ground on campus. "If that's the only way, I'll do it, but even with my precision I could hurt them."

The thought twists up in me for some reason. I don't want to hurt the trio, even though I barely know them and they get on my nerves. There has to be something I can do.

David's wolf whines and licks his lips. I can feel him struggling with whatever is going on inside him. He's looking over at Petra, his lip pulled back, muzzle tight.

Some inner part of me insists that he wants to jump on her and protect me from her, but is resisting the impulse. That can't be it, though. He barely knows me. My naturalist senses must be off because of the madness.

Petra eyes him, and he eyes her back. Meanwhile, the two panther shifters look like they're going to burst out of their skin. They keep twitching and flexing. Things are going to explode any moment.

The headmaster asks, "Ari?"

Something draws me to my feet. My eyes dart back and forth between the two wolves and the fight brewing between them. There's so much blue magic in the air that it tickles my nose.

I have to do something before they get hurt—or worse, kill each other.

I don't know what to do. So I let go of thinking and let my subconscious lead me. That's how Mom taught me to use my magic in the first place.

Instinctively, I reach out towards David's smaller wolf and put my hand on his head, between his ears. His fur is soft and warm beneath my palm. Magic surges to my fingertips, drawn from the air all around us and sinking into his ruff. It dances along my skin and settles into his fur like glowing pixie dust.

There's a long, strained moment. Then his wolf spirit turns a bright glowing blue color. I can feel it as the madness drains out of the twins and Petra, into me, and into David's wolf.

I wait for him to go mad. Wild. Feral and out of control. But he just shakes himself, and the magic somehow dissipates completely. It's like putting my hand on him turns his predator into a conduit to the spirit realm, because the magic is gone.

And now I'm just touching him for no reason.

Jerking my hand back, I put some space between me and his wolf. There's something between us, a bond forged by wild magic and death, but if I just ignore it maybe it'll go away on its own.

Petra shifts back to being human again, a frown on her face, shaking herself off. "That was fucked."

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