Snakes and Shadows Read online

  Penny hid her grin, even though no one could see it. Mara was standing a few inches away from her desk now, whirling around in a blind frenzy and shaking her finger at a classroom full of students who couldn't see it. Penny waited for Mara to calm down a little. The girl took a step forward, reaching for her desk. She was facing the wrong way. Mara leaned further forward, groping.

  Then, she lost her balance. Mara’s arms windmilled as she tried to regain her balance. A fist caught Trevor’s chin and he yelped, frightening Mara even more.

  Penny reached out and yanked on Mara’s elbow, pulling her upright. “Woah, girl. You’re gonna take out the whole class if you’re not careful.” Mara flinched, but Penny was able to set her back on her feet.

  "If you touch me with that thing, I swear…" Mara scowled blindly.

  "It's okay. I won't let it anywhere near you." Penny guided Mara back to her seat.

  "Me next!" Kathleen called from next to Mara. Excitement shone from her eyes, and Penny eagerly handed the impossible object to her classmate, who made sure she helped Penny get back to her seat as she had done with Cisco.

  It wasn't long before the hand of Glory had made its way around the classroom and back to Professor Marcus. She opened the blinds, letting light flood the room again. As she unveiled each of the windows, the professor made a point to unlatch each one, although she left them closed. Finally, she flicked the old yellow ceiling light on as well. Penny blinked the spots away from her eyes as they adjusted. She saw the professor jiggle the handle of the door, apparently making sure it was unlocked, then set the hand down on her desk.

  Professor Katie Marcus grinned at her class. "As miraculous as the hand of Glory is, it possesses another use as well. Can anyone hazard a guess as to what it does?”

  There was a pause before Clive called, "Does it cast a spell of silence?"

  Marcus smiled. “That would certainly be handy while you're robbing a house, but no."

  "Can it pick locks?" Red asked.

  Again, Professor Marcus shook her head. She looked down at her desk and pulled open a drawer. After a moment of rummaging, she withdrew a small box of matches. It took two strikes to light one, but when she leaned forward and touched it to the blackened hands to light the single outstretched finger, it caught quickly. Penny watched the tiny flame gutter and dance. A trail of breezy smoke wafted into the air above it, twisting like a dancing snake. Despite her interest, Penny had to smother a sudden yawn.

  "This particular spell only works under certain conditions," the professor explained. Her voice sounded dull, and when a second yawn cracked Penny's jaw, there was no hiding it. Beside her, Cisco rubbed his eyes.

  "Any surrounding locks must be disengaged," the professor was saying. She gazed around the class, a smile twitching at her lips. "As you can see, the effect is not instantaneous. However, it is quite fast. In fact, I suspect most of you are only seconds away from—"

  Penny's eyes fluttered open as she slowly became aware of the hard surface pressed against her cheek. She slowly moved her lips and blinked hard. When she lifted her head, it was to see her classmates sharing the same sleepy, befuddled glances. Penny glanced at Cisco and giggled at the wet smear across his cheek. "You drooled," she told him.

  Cisco blushed and scrubbed at his face, then wiped a sleeve over his desk. "What the fuck just happened? I thought it was just me, but I somehow doubt an entire class just happened to choose to take a nap at the exact same time." He lifted his arms and stretched back, screwing up his face.

  Penny glanced toward the front of the class. The hand of Glory was no longer burning. "Did you just...roofie the class?" Penny asked.

  Professor Marcus giggled. “I prefer practical demonstrations, yes. I guarantee no harm came to any of you while you were sleeping, though.” She paced to the front of her desk, waiting for the last remnants of sleep to fade from her students. “Quite a handy skill to have if you are about to break into a place, no?"

  The professor waited until the rest of the class was conscious and alert. She picked up a slim stack of papers from the desk and began handing them out to each student. "Class isn't supposed to end for another ten minutes, but you could all do with a break. Go and have some lunch. Next class will meet on the patio for an outdoor lesson."

  Penny took the piece of paper Professor Marcus handed her. It was titled The Hand of Glory, and a brief look confirmed that it was a study guide for the artifact.

  As students began to make their way toward the classroom door, Professor Marcus called over the noise. "This is information you will be tested on, so make sure you keep your handouts and study them. A little more research into each topic wouldn't hurt either!"

  Chapter Eight

  "I can't believe Mara wouldn't even touch it. She’s such a baby!" Amelia sank her teeth into the fat chicken burger that had been served for lunch. Despite getting let out from class early, Cook had been well prepared to accept the sudden influx of students into the dining room.

  "Maybe it's a phobia?" Cisco spoke through a mouthful of food.

  Penny motioned to his mouth, where a smear of mayonnaise decorated his lip. Cisco used his t-shirt to wipe it away. "I bet your mom would kill you if she saw that," Penny commented.

  The mention of his mother sent Cisco bolt upright, swiveling his head around to make sure Professor Madera was not actually present. Seeing the room empty apart from the class, he relaxed again. "Don't scare me like that," he said, "or I’ll push you off the rug."

  "Rug?" Penny questioned.

  Cisco smirked. "You'll see."

  The doors to the dining hall burst open and another group of students filed through, the sounds of the conversations filling the dining room.

  "I don't care if it is a phobia," Amelia said. "We're here to learn. Eventually, we can be kicked out of this place and will have to face these things on our own. We are gonna need all the help we can get."

  Penny nodded in agreement. The altercation they’d had at dinner the previous week still weighed on her. Apart from Boots, it was the first real contact she had with any of the mythical beings. She had to admit, it hadn't left a great impression on her. "What else do you think they've got?” she asked. She directed her question at Cisco, knowing he would be most equipped to answer it.

  He caught her glance and gave her a wide grin. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

  Amelia punched him in the arm, hard enough to make him yelp and wince. "If you don't tell us, I'll tell your mom you're being a dick."

  Cisco cursed in mock outrage and threw his hands in the air. "Fine. I don't know all of it, but I've heard they've got an Asclepius Staff down there."

  Penny scooted forward to the edge of her seat. "Really? How does it work?"

  Amelia, mouth full of burger, tugged Penny's arm and gestured furiously. Unable to make herself understood, she gave a hard and painful swallow before speaking. "Don't leave me out. I want to know what it is!"

  "It's a healing staff," Cisco said. "Greek, I think. You know the symbol on everything medical? The snaky thing around a staff? One touch, and it can heal anything."

  “That’s a caduceus.” Amelia scowled. "And anyway, if they've got that, why the fuck did I get a tube of shitty bruise cream last week?"

  "Caduceus—Caduceiae?—have wings. And anyway, maybe they thought you needed to learn a lesson?" Cisco shot back.

  "I imagine they want to keep it a secret," Penny said. "I mean, that kind of thing could go missing real fast."

  "What, you don't know?" Cisco asked. "It's one of, oh, maybe a dozen in Portland? That's where all these miracle cures are coming from in the hospitals."

  Penny frowned, thinking. "That kinda makes sense. I mean, the staff is on a ton of ambulances, right? And on letterheads and buildings? If these things are dropping out of the sky where they’re most integrated into society, I can understand them appearing in hospitals."

  "Well, if that's how it works, how in God's name did Professor Marcus get her hands o
n that creepy-ass thief of glory thing?" Mara noisily slid her tray onto their table, pulling back a chair with a screech before setting herself down. "I mean, it's not like we've got a thieves’ guild right around the corner."

  "Hey, Mara," Amelia said. Penny guessed she was feeling bad about her earlier comments, calling Mara a baby. "You've got a good point. That thing is just weird."

  "It's disgusting!" Mara agreed. Her face twisted. "There's no way I'm touching something that came off a dead man."

  "You know that's not technically correct, right?" Cisco interjected. He took another bite of his lunch, crumbs flying everywhere as he continued to speak. "It's only a myth. It's not like someone actually walked up to a dead guy and lopped off his hand."

  "I don't care, it's still disgusting." Mara shrugged, face surly. “My brother hid a dead squirrel in my bed once. I cuddled it and everything, thinking it was our cat. When I woke up…” She shuddered. “Ugh. Never again.”

  “Oh. Mara, I’m so sorry. “That must have been traumatic!” Amelia touched Mara’s arm. “I can see why the hand would upset you.”

  “But it’s not real!” Cisco insisted. “It’s like a movie prop or that synthetic meat stuff. It’s close, but it’s not real.”

  Penny watched the exchange with amusement. Cisco's argument made sense to her, as everything they've been told about the objects suggested they had simply popped into being in another plane of existence once popular belief took hold. "It's such an obscure piece of mythology, though," Penny mused, thinking of their earlier conversation. "I wonder why that appeared, and not something a little more well-known."

  "Like what?" Cisco asked. He licked the grease from his fingers with a loud smacking noise.

  "Like lucky horseshoes or rabbits’ feet.” Penny shrugged a shoulder. “You know, the kind of stuff people still believe in."

  "Maybe it's just random." Mara was watching Cisco's attempts to clean himself up, distaste curling her lips. "Cisco, have you ever heard of soap and water?"

  Cisco froze halfway through the act of lifting his shirt to wipe his face again. He flashed a chagrined smile and dropped it. "What can I say, I was never fully domesticated." He pressed his hands on the table and stood to head for the bathroom, leaving two shiny handprints behind where he had touched the table.

  Penny sighed. "Men!"

  The other two girls at the table nodded.

  "Oh, crap, it’s time for class." Mara picked up her half-eaten burger. “Although I’m making it clear—if it’s more corpse stuff, I’m gone.”

  "Any guesses about what Cisco was hinting at?" Amelia asked Penny as they left the table. Mara remained behind, quickly stuffing her lunch into her mouth with dainty fingers as she tried not to make a mess.

  Penny shrugged and pushed the doors of the dining room open, heading toward the covered balcony where Professor Marcus had instructed them to meet for the next lesson. An answer popped into Penny's head, but she quickly shook it away.

  “There's no way they've got a…" Penny’s voice trailed off.

  Outside, hovering about a foot off the plush green grass of the grounds of the Academy, stood Professor Marcus. She balanced unsteadily as the carpet holding her up undulated and began to drift closer to them. "It is. It's a magic-fucking-carpet." Penny had to resist the urge to spin her head around to look for an adorable street urchin and his Middle Eastern princess.

  "Good afternoon, students. I hope you all enjoyed your lunch?"

  Penny was the third student to step on the flying carpet. It hovered just in front of the top step leading down from the balcony. She gingerly walked onto it, then sat, tangling her fingers in the tasseled edge and gripping it tightly.

  “One lap of the Academy grounds, please,” Professor Marcus said, her tone crisp and clear.

  The carpet shot into the air until it was level with the Academy roof. When it steadied for a moment, Penny let go with one hand to quickly wave at her friends standing below. At that moment, the carpet took off, moving fast enough for the wind to whip Penny’s hair across her face as it rounded a corner.

  Below, the Academy grounds spread out farther than Penny had guessed from the limited balcony view. A wooded area hid a dilapidated tennis court, and what looked like a neglected herb garden sprawled beyond a small duck pond. The carpet turned again, and this time, Penny leaned into it, feeling more secure.

  They came to a halt in the position they had started. "Your turn to take the proverbial wheel, dear,” Professor Marcus said. “Pick anywhere that isn’t underwater, on fire, or underground, please. This is a demonstration only, not a safety test.”

  "And it can go anywhere?" Penny asked. "Instantly?"

  The professor murmured an affirmative response, and Penny bit her lip. Did she dare? Hell, yes I do, she thought. "Uluru."

  The carpet took off at incredible speed, leaving Penny's eyes blurred and watering. She blinked hard, unwilling to loosen her grip on the carpet’s edge to wipe them. Instead, she rubbed her shoulder across her face. The frigid air that tore at her skin changed, although it didn’t warm. Instead, it dampened as the light surrounding her dimmed.

  Penny squeezed her eyes shut and tried to shake away the blindness. When she opened them again, she saw that stars dotted the sky and soft clouds partially obscured a swollen moon.

  "Pity about the time zone difference," Professor Marcus commented behind her. "I imagine this is quite the sight in the middle of the day."

  The carpet zipped through the cool night air. It was barely warmer than Portland despite the seasonal difference, but the air was heavy with moisture. “Looks like rain,” Penny said. “It won’t ruin the carpet, will it?”

  Marcus laughed. “It’s been through worse. Besides, it’s only light.”

  Penny swallowed back the lump in her throat. She was still half a country away from her hometown, but it smelled like home. "Can we go down for a closer look?” she asked.

  Before the words had even left her lips, the carpet angled downwards. The soft glow of the shadowed moon cast eerie shadows over the landscape, highlighting the dips and mounds of the landscape and picking out the scattered, twiggy bushes that dotted the otherwise barren ground. Though not what she had expected, Penny was struck by the cool beauty of the Australian outback at night.

  "Look!"

  Penny looked at where the professor pointed to see two kangaroos bounding across the dirt away from them.

  “We must've startled them," the professor said.

  “This is incredible." Now that the speed had dropped a little, Penny felt confident releasing the edge of the carpet. She spread her arms wide, letting the dusty air kiss her skin.

  "Certainly better than the top of Everest,” Professor Marcus said dryly. "The view there is nice, but I do like having oxygen to breathe."

  Penny snorted a laugh. "Let me guess. That was Corey’s choice?"

  Professor Marcus didn't confirm, but her soft laugh let Penny know she was right on the money. "I'm afraid we must return now, dear. Back to the Academy, please, carpet."

  Penny grabbed the edge of the carpet just in time to prevent being swept off as it lurched into the night.

  "Strike. Strike. Strike." The staccato beat of Professor Jones's instructions rang through the training hole. "Strike. Oh, for God's sake, not like that." Jones snatched the blunt stick from Red's hand.

  "Sorry, Professor," Red mumbled.

  Four weeks into the term, Penny had realized that even the thought of combat made Red squeamish.

  He had already professed his desire to join the more scientific branch of the mythological agency being set up by the government.

  Despite this, Professor Jones had insisted every one of his students would need to pass defense in order to move on to future classes. "You never know what's going to jump out of the shadows. No point being a scientist if you're going to end up a dead one."

  After the things she had seen over the previous month, Penny was prone to agree.

  Despite
a teacher with the attitude of an angry dishcloth, Defense was one of Penny’s favorite classes. She relished the opportunity to move, and to pit herself against the other students—especially Corey and Jason. The two boys had experienced the blunt end of Penny’s training weapons more than once and hadn’t enjoyed it one bit.

  Professor Jones held a staff over one shoulder like a javelin. He took three quick steps, jabbed the staff into the face of the training dummy, then pulled it back and swung it around sharply to connect with the dummy’s torso.

  The realistic figure shuddered with the impact, and a rush of fake blood poured onto the floor where the cracked ribs punctured the transparent gel, quickly slowing to a slow trickle.

  "That's how you kill a Naga." Professor Jones handed the stick back to Red, who held it up. Even from across the room, Penny could see from its crooked angle that it had fractured.

  "Apart from the peace-lover and the bookworm over here, you're all progressing well," Professor Jones stated, gesturing at Trevor and Red. He clasped his hands behind his back and paced as he spoke. “I think it's time to test you out in the field."

  "Ah, professor?" Cisco asked, sounding nervous. "Is that in the curriculum?"

  Professor Jones met his eyes with a manic grin. "What's that saying, that it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission?" He eyed the students as if daring them to protest. "Let me rephrase. We’re going to take a camping trip. It's entirely voluntary—no one will be forced to come."

  He ignored Red's relieved sigh. "But if you don't come, you will fail the damn class. Got it?"

  Cisco groaned in frustration but nodded along with the rest of the students.

  "And if any of you go running to your mamma," the professor's gaze was definitely directed at Cisco this time, "you'll also fail."

  "What are we hunting, Professor?" Penny asked.

  The professor's eyes gleamed. "Sasquatch."