Trans Witch: College of Secrets Read online

  Lily narrowed her eyes. "Are you kidding? This is my only lead! I have to go!"

  "You heard Shanice; Professor Penny went just before she disappeared. You're rushing to meet the same fate, whatever it was."

  "I don't care. She's alive, and I have to try to save her!"

  "How do you know she's alive?"

  "I just do. I'd know it if she were dead."

  Shanice nodded. "I believe you. A gift like yours? It'd tell you."

  Cameron stood up to pace in what space they had in the little room. "If you have to do this, we should all go with you. The Quartet."

  Lily shook her head. "No, the more of us, the greater chance of getting caught."

  "That's right, each of us makes our way there alone, and each of us leaves alone. We space it out to keep a low profile," said Shanice, scooting a little closer to Lily. "To get there, you go like you're goin' to Basilisk, but go on past, then take every left turn you come to. Don't never go right, okay? And remember the password."

  "Leviathan. Who do I give it to?"

  Shanice grinned. "You'll know who."

  Lily's phone chimed. She looked at it and swore.

  "What now?" asked Cameron.

  "Time for dinner with Dean Wheeler. I really don't want to go."

  "You got this, girl," said Shanice. "Just be careful, don't talk about anything important. She can't tell you're lyin', but it's not a good bet to try much. She's not an idiot. And she's dangerous. And not just to you."

  Lily offered a hand for Shanice to shake. "Thanks, Shanice. I'll see you tonight."

  Shanice ignored Lily's hand and pulled her into an embrace. "You're good people, even if your name ain't Claudia."

  "It's Lily."

  "Good to know you, Lily-Claudia-Mrs-Penny."

  Cameron led them out into the fiery Drake common room, and they said goodbye to Shanice.

  The ride upward in the elevator-room seemed to go much faster than the ride down. Lily's stomach sank. What if Wheeler knew more than she let on? Was that why she came down hard on her in class earlier? Was dinner just a big set-up?

  Out in the courtyard, Lily realized the urgency in her wasn't just anxiety. "Uh, I hate to be a bother, but I need to visit the restroom. I should have said something before we left Basilisk, I guess."

  "It's okay. I'll go with you."

  The two found a side passage near the banquet hall that led to doorways for the restrooms. As much as she'd been glad for Cameron's help, she found a couple of minutes alone in the stall to be soothing. She shut her eyes and let images swim in her mind's eye.

  Stars seemed to swirl in a vortex, like a slow-motion tornado. Lily took this to be a trick of her eyes and the excitement of the day, but it developed into something rather more turbulent and intense; she knew she looked upon the Nothing. Bookshelves swirled around and around, and a trail of liquid trailed through the air, emanating from the flask of potion she held in her purse. Someone's glasses flashed past and the air filled with sparkling static, as well as cards from the firepit. All of these things were swallowed up by the Nothing.

  "Hey, did you fall in there?" teased Cameron from outside her stall.

  The vision disappeared, and Lily hurried to put herself back together. "Sorry! Just kind of dazed, I guess. I'll be right out."

  On a gut feeling, Lily removed the twisted copper bracelet. Her skin tingled all over as the phantasms and enchantments retreated into the magical bangle. She sighed, sad to lose the glamour that made her seem twenty again but smiled at the comfort of being herself. Like slipping out of a cocktail gown and into well-loved sweats.

  Dressed, purse slung over her shoulder, Lily exited the stall, only to stand face-to-face with Dean Wheeler.

  The Dean's eyes narrowed. "Oh! I didn't expect you in here. I'll wait outside." With that, she turned and left.

  "Hey, what was that all about?" asked Cameron, emerging from another stall. "There are plenty of open seats."

  Lily sighed. "I'm not sure, but I have a bad feeling."

  "Trust your feeling," said Cameron, with an edge of warning in their voice.

  After they washed up, they left the restroom together and found Dean Wheeler frowning outside.

  "Good afternoon, Dean Wizard Wheeler," said Cameron.

  "Hello," said Lily.

  Wheeler nodded to Cameron and Lily, then she pushed past them to go into the ladies' room.

  "Um, I think I'd better go now," said Cameron. "Good luck.

  Lily sighed. "Probably so. Thank you for showing me around. It was good that I could meet—"

  Cameron shook their head and put a finger to their lips and glanced at the restroom door.

  "Right. Take care."

  With a terse wave, Cameron walked away and disappeared into a portal.

  After a few minutes, Dean Wheeler emerged from the restroom, her usual high wattage smile back in place. "Well! Let's find our seats for dinner!" She swept off, her blonde ponytail swinging in time with her hips, leaving Lily to follow in her wake.

  Dean Wheeler led her through the chaos of the banquet hall, dodging people and floating trays. The Dean stopped at a large round table made of heavy dark wood. Three of the eight chairs surrounding the table already had occupants; Secretary Sample sat next to Professor Hartman, while a woman Lily had not met sat with a chair between herself and the two men. Secretary Sample rose and pulled out the chair next to him, indicating with a brittle smile that Lily should sit next to him. Dean Wheeler sat on her other side.

  Lily couldn't help feeling trapped between them.

  "Who's this?" asked the unidentified woman, looking up from a plate of shepherd's pie to squint through thick glasses at Lily.

  Secretary Sample spoke, his voice as rough as gravel. "Professor Wizard Ophelia Stout, please allow me to introduce Professor Lily Shelley, the newest member of our staff."

  "Another Shelley? Oh, right. Bucher's new flunky," said Professor Stout, who favored Lily with a leering grin. "Pleased to meet you. Try not to misfile any of the fire cards. Bucher hates that."

  Lily stammered, "I-I'll try not to. What do you teach, Professor Wizard Stout?"

  Professor Stout pushed her fishbowl glasses up her nose and peered at Lily. "You are new here, huh? I teach introductory alchemy. And advanced alchemy. Guess nobody toad you so, hmm?"

  Lily gave her a blank look, then glanced at the others around the table. Sample gave no clue he'd heard anything. Professor Hartman's eyes crinkled as though Professor Stout had said something amusing.

  Professor Wheeler sighed. "Really, Ophelia?"

  Professor Stout grinned. "Hey. Sometimes the jokes are just for me, eh Shelley?"

  Lily smiled. "It seems like at least someone ought to appreciate the effort."

  "I like her, she's got sarcasm," said Professor Stout.

  "Quite," said Secretary Sample.

  A tray burdened with plates of sushi and potstickers floated over the center of the table. Professor Hartman grabbed up a few of each. Lily followed suit, realizing that she'd missed lunch.

  Lily found the potstickers to be delightful, pan-fried just as she liked them.

  "That kind of food's one sure way to orient yourself, hah!"

  "Ophelia," said Professor Wheeler, a warning in her tone.

  "What? Gotta keep your sense of humor, right?"

  Lily chuckled.

  Dean Wheeler smiled at Lily, her eyes as dangerous as her teeth were bright. "You're new here. Word of advice; don't encourage her."

  "But I agree with her; a sense of humor is the best way to get through a difficult situation," said Lily.

  "One must have a sense of humor first," said Professor Hartman, speaking for the first time.

  "Miles!" scolded Dean Wheeler. "Et tu?"

  The enchantments teacher shrugged. "I don't see the harm in a few jokes."

  "But they're terrible jokes!" protested the Dean.

  Professor Stout ca
ckled. "That's the point. You just don't get me, Jackie. Just like you didn't get the other Shelley."

  Lily put down the sashimi she'd been about to eat and said, "Penny. She's my wife."

  "Ah, so you stumbled in here looking for her?" asked Professor Stout.

  "Sort of, yes."

  "Doubt you'll find her."

  Ice shot through Lily's heart at Professor Stout's words. "What?"

  "What Ophelia means," said the Dean, "is that if she were anywhere in SOAM, we'd have found her by now. She just quit and left."

  Lily turned to examine Dean Wheeler's face. "Did she? Why did she quit, then?"

  Dean Wheeler fluttered a hand in the air. "Oh, you know. A difference of opinion with management. That sort of thing."

  "What," asked Lily, choosing her words very carefully, "did you disagree with her about?"

  Dean Wheeler met her eyes for a long moment, then said, "Curriculum. She wished to teach differently than we do here at SOAM. So, in a fit of stubbornness, she quit. And left. Oh, are those meatballs on the spaghetti? I do think I shall try that. James, grab me a plate, would you please?"

  As Secretary Sample passed the plate past her, Lily fumed.

  "Drop it, sweetheart," said Professor Stout. "You're outta your league. Not the best way to start your career here, arguing with the Boss Lady."

  "Ophelia, I've asked you time and again not to call me that," said Dean Wheeler, studying her dinner.

  "I didn't ask for a career here," said Lily. "My options were to become a student, have my memory wiped and my powers stripped, or join the staff."

  "You made your choice," said Secretary Sample. "We all make our choice. It's for the good of SOAM. We can't have a place like this if the rest of the world knew about it."

  "And why not?" asked Lily. "Why not share all this talent with the rest of the world? Why does it need to be kept secret?"

  Professor Hartman spoke up. "Because people hate what they don't understand. And even more, they hate what they can't control."

  Dean Wheeler dropped her fork and shot Professor Hartman a sharp look. "Miles, you know that's not entirely fair. It isn't about hate, it's about jealousy. What do you think mundanes would do if they knew we could do magic? That only a select few are born with the talent? They'd demonize us!"

  "You know," said Lily, "I get that. As a trans woman, I used to feel I had to hide who I was because other people wouldn't understand. That they'd hate me for being different. But I worked up the courage to come out, and it was the best decision I ever made. Sure, I've had some hate and derision directed at me, but it's so much better than having to hide and keep secrets."

  Wheeler sniffed. "I hardly think it's the same thing. We wizards are elite, and people envy us our powers. In your case, you're compensating for a mental defect, and asking for special treatment."

  Lily stood up, color rushing to her cheeks. "So that's what you meant in the restroom. You're a transphobe!"

  The other three at the table suddenly found their plates to be of great interest.

  Professor Wheeler regarded Lily with a cool expression and waved a hand of dismissal in the air. "Hardly. The suffix -phobe implies that I'm somehow afraid of you. I'm not. I just don't wish to share a restroom with you. And you need not worry, I will address you as you wish, use your preferred pronouns, and all that. I will respect you. But I don't have to accept you as a real woman. That would be denying natural-born women and girls their reality and validity, for the sake of yours. I can't and won't do that."

  "I've never asked anyone else to change how they see themselves for my benefit," said Lily, fighting to keep herself from raising her voice. "I see why Penny might have butted heads with you, Jackie. She's my greatest supporter. I wouldn't have made it as far as I have without her by my side. And that's why I'll never stop looking for her. And not even you can stand in my way from finding her!"

  "Who says I'm standing in your way, Professor Shelley?" said Wheeler, her brilliant smile reappearing under predatory eyes.

  "I didn't say you were. But I think you're hiding something," said Lily. "And I intend to find out what."

  The Dean's smile dimmed by a few watts. "Please remember who is in charge here. If you step out of line, I can force that choice for you, and I'll never have to see you again."

  "Is that a threat, Dean Wheeler?" asked Lily, her heart pounding in her ears.

  Dean Wheeler shrugged. "Merely a statement of fact. We have rules to protect SOAM, and if you can't play nice, then you'll be ejected. Just like your wife."

  Chapter Sixteen

  Open. Scan. Shut. Thunk. Open. Scan. Shut. Thunk. Open. Scan. Shut.

  Lily slapped another book into a metal cart with excessive force. The book fell over, and she righted it with a silent curse. The book fell out of the cart, and she groaned as this forced her to get out of her chair and pick it up and place it back in place with care.

  She'd rather just be throwing things. Or yelling. Even though the SOAM Library had no silence policy like the libraries Lily remembered from her childhood, she knew Librarian Professor Wizard Bucher would frown upon such histrionics.

  Lily wondered if she even cared anymore. After Wheeler's spectacular display of transphobia and lack of empathy, Lily hated everything about SOAM. Seeing the other trans woman in the stacks, getting to know Aiden and Cameron as new trans friends, she'd been encouraged about the atmosphere of the wizard college. Not now. Dean Wizard Jackie Wheeler ran the place. The woman had a strong hold upon the faculty, and by extension, staff like her.

  She thought of Ellen telling her to be patient, that trans issues were new to most cisgender people. Her sister always urged calm and reciprocal understanding, and Lily had tried to follow this in all her dealings with others. It hadn't helped with their parents. Lily had tried to ease them into the idea, before announcing her transition, but despite enduring misgendering and being called by her deadname by them, in the end they'd not budged. They told her, "we want our son back. Until you can return to us as the man we raised, you're not welcome here."

  It had hurt more than anything in her life. And maybe this disrespect from Wheeler upset Lily more than it should because of that painful experience with her parents.

  But disrespect was disrespect. If this was an ordinary job, she'd quit, or file a complaint further up the chain. Moraine had policies protecting LGBTQ+ folks from harassment and discrimination. SOAM didn't appear on the greater university's radar, it seemed. And if the geas didn't prevent Lily from reporting the incident, she had a feeling Wheeler would enforce the third option, memory erasure and stripping her of her magic.

  And if it weren't for her need to find Penny, she'd just take that option and walk away from SOAM forever, going back to her comfortable ordinary life, teaching English to college students.

  As it was, she'd stormed out on Wheeler at dinner. Not only did that look bad, but it had let Wheeler know she could get to Lily. That she had power over her.

  And that pissed Lily off more than anything else. She hated to be manipulated.

  She wanted to wipe that artificial smile off of Wheeler's face. But how? Until she found Penny, she'd be powerless. Even afterward, most likely, since whatever she'd done with Penny, she could do with the both of them.

  "I wouldn't think an English professor would have such trouble checking in books."

  Lily snapped out of her angry reverie. "Professor Bucher! I'm sorry. I'm having a little trouble adjusting to SOAM."

  The Librarian nodded. "Clearly. That's to be expected. However, I expect you to treat the books with more care. Some of them are quite old and brittle."

  "Evidently, so am I."

  Bucher nodded. "I heard about dinner."

  Lily's attention focused on Bucher. "What? What did you hear?"

  Bucher shrugged. "Just that you and Jackie don't see eye to eye on gender studies."

  Lily drew breath and bit back a nasty reply. Instead, she said
, "For me, it's not such an abstract concept. It's about my freedom to be myself."

  "And I won't debate you on that. How you live your life makes no difference to me."

  "But you called me 'young man'," she said, regretting it the moment the words left her mouth.

  Bucher laughed. "That was an intentional faux pas, to see if we could work together. I'll note that you reacted quite differently with that slight than you did with Jackie if what I was told is at all accurate."

  Lily thought about this a moment before replying. "In your case, it could have been a mistake. Those still sting, but I forgive mistakes. Dean Wheeler told me, in front of peers, that she didn't believe me when I say I am a woman. That was no mistake."

  "And yet, I was doing it on purpose, too."

  Lily nodded. "Did you mean it?"

  "You tell me."

  "Maybe? I don't know."

  "Then why aren't you storming out of here as well?" Bucher's eyes twinkled.

  "Because you're taking the time to talk with me about this, to understand me, rather than sit atop your high horse and try to tell me who I am."

  Bucher grinned and clapped her hands together once. "See? I told you we'd get along. Now, get back to checking in books."

  Some of the icy anger in Lily's midsection melted, and she allowed herself a slight smile. "You know, I wonder; if we have magical trays that deliver food in the banquet hall, couldn't this process be done by invisible servitors as well?"

  Bucher cackled and pushed a long strand of hair out of her face. "Quite likely! But then what would we have for you to do? Maybe you'll get fed up one day and devote yourself to studies that let you automate such tedious procedures. That's what the kids who worked in SOAM's foodservice did, years ago. But for now, get to work. It's nearly time to tend to Snuffles and the stacks. You can re-shelve those while you're at it."

  Lily looked at the library cart and sighed. "Maybe we can just throw these into the Nothing? I won't tell anyone if you won't!" She faked a smile to go with her attempt at a joke.

  Bucher snorted. "If there's anything more powerful than the geas, it's my rule that no book may be kept from the shelves of the Library. Not even Dean Wheeler can override that one; it's in the Charter. And trust me, there are some books she'd dearly like to see disappear."