Page 11 of Shadow Weaver
The second button popped.
Oh, I was going to make her pay for this.
“What is going on here?” Master Payne appeared in my line of sight. He took in the scene, and his face clouded with rage. “Cut it. Now,” he barked.
The invisible restraints holding me were suddenly gone. I sagged, free, and then I lunged for Fiona, grabbing her by her silken locks and twisting for maximum effect. She fell to her knees with a yelp of pain.
“Now that’s how you incapacitate someone without magic.” I made sure a little spittle hit her in the face, and I reveled in her flinch.
“Justice!” Master Payne approached. “Let her go.”
“Uncle Carter, thank God you’re here.” Fiona’s bottom lip trembled.
“Cut the crap, Fiona,” Payne snapped. “I should choose this moment to turn a blind eye, but I’d rather not have Indigo sully herself with your blood.”
The urge to punch the bitch in the face was a palpable force thrumming in my fist, but Payne’s words went a little way to assuaging that itch.
“Indigo?” Payne’s hand fell on my shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “Brunner’s waiting.”
I leaned in so my breath wafted over her skin. “You are sooo fucking lucky.” I released her, abruptly sending her sprawling on the marble floor. Fucking bitch even sprawled daintily.
Her evil Adonis was by her side instantly, gathering her into his arms and whispering sweet nothings into her ears. I memorized their faces, stopping at the girl with the bangs. She was smiling, her eyes alight with satisfaction as she looked down at Fiona.
Looked like the bitch wasn’t adored by everyone then.
Payne steered me away from the group and toward the admin wing. “Madam Latrou will be hearing about this,” he said over his shoulder.
I glanced back just before we ducked into the corridor and caught the flash of hatred in Fiona’s eyes.
I returned the look with a curl of my lip. Thank God, I’d probably never have to see her again.
* * *
“Don’t worry,”Master Payne said. “I’ll be reporting the unauthorized use of magic to their head of year.”
It was a sweet gesture, but these were legacy family brats, and I was under no illusion that his reporting them would achieve anything but a slap on the wrist.
I had to ask anyway, just in case. “And what will that do?”
He sighed as he led me down the corridor. “Probably not much.” There was an uneasy tone to his voice. “Fiona and her group of friends are members of the advanced weaver class. Most likely to be drafted into headquarters to work under the head weaver.”
Yeah, figured.
He looked down at me. “But you’re all right? They didn’t hurt you?” There was a tumult of emotion in his eyes I didn’t understand.
He was freaking me out. “Master Payne, what’s going on? Why do we have to see Brunner?”
He turned onto the short flight of steps which led up to Brunner’s office. “Everything will be explained in a moment. Trust me.”
He knocked and then pushed the door open, ushering me ahead of him.
Brunner was seated behind her desk, but she wasn’t alone. The back of a blonde head greeted me, stiff shoulders and a robin’s egg blue blouse. I knew the back of that head.
“Mother?”
My mother turned in her chair to peer at me from puffy, red eyes. “Indigo. There you are.” She sniffed and held a handkerchief to her nose. “You look well.”
“What are you doing here?” I looked to Brunner. “What is she doing here?”
