The Puppet Master: The Paranormal University Files: Skylar, Year 4 Read online

  “I do, yeah, but….” I tried to think what Gabe would say. How he would handle things. “PNRU is safe. It’s never been attacked.”

  “Did a student not die last year?”

  “That was because an infected sentinel came in before we knew it was even possible for vamps to be infected.”

  “Fair enough. But are we certain this plague has been eradicated? That no others had the formula?”

  “No,” I admitted, doubting the strength of my argument.

  “As I thought. I do not want to restrict her movement, and I cannot keep her here, but this argument has become a source of contention between us unlike any we’ve ever had before. The mortal realm is…it brings Liadan happiness to be among them. She enjoys the school, and she enjoys learning at her own pace. Had she been born in Tir na Nog and learned here, there would be no need.”

  “She also has friends in the mortal realm.”

  He smiled. “There is that too. My queen has always made friends with ease, and you are one of her closest, if not the best she has made in this lifetime. For this reason, there is something I must ask of you, Skylar.”

  “What?”

  “The nature of your close friendship with Liadan leads me to believe I now understand your role in our lives, and the destiny before you. I believe you were meant to be her Morrigan.”

  I blinked, not entirely certain I understood what he meant. “Come again?”

  “Her Morrigan,” he repeated calmly. “As Eldan is my general and Dain my hand in the mortal realms, so I feel it is your calling to be such to my queen.”

  “I know what that—what that means, I just… I—” I stammered, blown away by his revelation.

  I was not a warrior-general. I was a sentinel in training, learning the laws of the world and preparing to undertake the test that would authorize me to protect people of the mortal realm. I couldn’t be Liadan’s personal protector. “That’s ridiculous,” I finally blurted out, only to wish I could take it back.

  “You have been at her side since the beginning of her time at the university, Skylar. You have stood by her, comforted her, and been a close friend. Your lives are intertwined in the Destiny Lines and I can see it clearly that this fate is yours, and yours alone.”

  As he spoke, he raised both hands before him and spread them apart, opening a rift that displayed the gilded lines of our lives, mine a silver thread knotted and tangled around one gilded and glittering with embers. Lia’s fate. I had never seen it before, unable to see through the murky miasma surrounding her.

  But Oberon could. He’d done it easily with centuries of practice and a talent I lacked. Mine had sparkled and glowed with opalescent colors until recently, tangled and knotted with another black thread. Gabriel? I followed it desperately, astounded by this new glimpse into his life, only for Oberon to suddenly shut the viewing pane.

  Begging him to show me again was entirely out of the question, no matter how much I wanted to see it.

  “I’m not a general. I don’t lead armies,” I said instead. My hands went clammy, so I rubbed them against my jeans.

  “You have led the way many times.”

  “No. I’m a student. I’m going to be a sentinel. This is…this is too much, and it’s not fair to keep Lia here because of it. Please, I just—I can’t.”

  And despite knowing what a huge breach of etiquette I was making, I fled, because what Oberon proposed to me was terrifying.

  * * *

  We spent the week in Avalon, where time passed differently from the mortal realm, and before I knew it, it was time for us to leave. I’d never slept in a softer bed than the private chamber given to me and Gabriel those nights, nor had I ever eaten food so delicious and filling.

  I hoped to cross paths with my grandmother, or even my great-grandmother, but neither showed at the palace during our stay. No surprise. That was typical for them.

  As our visit wound down, I watched the tension lingering between Liadan and Oberon. I hated it.

  His words stayed with me. I do not want to lose her again, Skylar. He had not brought it up again, but I felt him watching me, pleading with his presence rather than words.

  My memory of the fleeting view of Gabriel’s lifeline also stayed on my mind, casting a shadow over the week in the faerie realm.

  Just at the edge of our view, I’d seen fraying in the line.

  “You going to tell me what’s wrong?” Gabe asked before we headed out to seek our hosts.

  “I’m worried he’ll say no and that there will be a fight,” I admitted. “I want Lia to have her freedom, but what if he’s right? What if it’s too dangerous?”

  “The boundary to Tir na Nog is on school grounds. We could usher her to safety quickly if something went wrong.”

  “But what about when she has to go off campus for her ward?”

  Gabriel sighed. “We can have a word with Simon and Sebastian about that. Assign additional staff to guard her.” He cocked his head and watched me closely. “You’re keeping something to yourself though.”

  “I…” Didn’t like to keep things from my mate, but this was just so huge I had no idea what to do. It would affect not only me, but Gabriel as well. Our future.

  Which was exactly why I needed to tell him.

  “Oberon thinks I’m destined to be Lia’s Morrigan.”

  “Shit,” he breathed. His expression turned solemn. “That’s…”

  He searched for words, and when none came, I offered, “Different from my entire life plan?”

  “Yeah. I mean, you can always say no, right? Destiny isn’t set in stone.”

  “Right. And I did. I said no, I mean.”

  He sucked in a breath and studied me. “You’re sure that’s what you want?”

  “I don’t know. It’s too huge of a decision. I have plans—we have plans. Being stuck in Tir na Nog isn’t among them. I want to be a sentinel. To keep doing what we’ve been doing and help people.”

  Gabriel didn’t speak for a long while. He watched me, and then quietly took my face between both of his hands and kissed me. I leaned up into it, heart racing within seconds of his lips touching mine. “I love you, Sky, and I’ll support whatever you choose. Anything you choose. If you’re afraid that we can’t remain together unless you’re a sentinel, you’d be wrong.”

  “I know. It isn’t just that. It’s…”

  “What? Talk to me, baby.”

  “I don’t like being told my life is out of my hands,” I blurted. “I want to live life the way I choose. Not let some prophecy dictate it.”

  “Prophecies are avoidable. That’s why they’re called prophecies and not certain futures. They only tell us what can happen if you don’t take steps to change them. Remember?”

  “You’re right in theory,” I muttered.

  Gabriel took my hand and led me the rest of the way to the gardens where Liadan and, to my surprise, Gamayun, sat together once more, with Ama joining them for tea.

  I pushed my fears aside and put on a smile for all of them, because I refused to let fear taint my final day in Tir na Nog, and Gabe had eased some of my worries. He was right. I still dictated my own future.

  “Good news,” Lia said once we were all seated with tea and cakes set before us. “I will be joining you on the return to campus.”

  “Really? That’s wonderful!” This time I didn’t have to force a smile. I reached across and took her hand, thrilled by her easy manner and genuinely warm smile.

  “Yes. Oberon and I spoke about it and have come to an agreement.”

  In a shimmer of glamour and magic, Liadan’s gown transformed to fitted jeans and a cobalt blue camisole. Her necklace from Oberon—the five flame rubies I had worn for almost three years—remained, despite the rest of her wardrobe modernizing to fit the mortal realm.

  Just then, Ama landed on Gabriel’s shoulder. “I stay.”

  “And there is that news,” Lia said, laughing.

  “Temporarily,” Gamayun said in a rush as th
e first signs of panic slid over Gabriel’s face. “Amaterasu desires to learn magic from me and wishes your blessing for her to remain for a few weeks.”

  “Oh. Well…” Gabe’s brows drew together and he drew in a few calming breaths.

  I slipped my arm around his waist. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. This is what you want, Ama?”

  “Yes,” she chirped in reply to my question. “I will learn.”

  Gabe’s uneasy expression shifted to a gentle, bemused smile. The tension left his shoulders and he turned his face to Ama, leaning forward to drop a kiss against her beak.

  “Enjoy your stay, Ama,” he said, “and come back to campus soon. I’ll miss you.”

  Ama threw open her wings and dipped forward in a triumphant pose. “Yes!”

  I had to laugh. Little by little, she became more aware of both herself and the world, developing higher intelligence than was typical of any parrot due to the faerie magic coursing through her. Wondering what she would learn from Gamayun, I watched her and Gabriel chat for a while until my attention drifted to the elder fae’s smiling face. She noticed immediately and beckoned me aside.

  “Something on your mind, Skylar?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have only to ask, my dear.”

  She made it sound so simple, and maybe it was.

  “There’s a prophecy that involves me, but I don’t know it in full.”

  “And you would like to know what else I foresaw for you.”

  “I would. I mean, if it’s allowed.”

  “It is,” Gamayun said, light shining in her eyes. “But discovery of one’s prophecy means it is almost certainly destined to come to pass. Are you prepared for that?”

  Had knowing the prophecy about Lia and myself helped me know what to do at the opportune moment? I debated that while Gabriel wandered the garden with Ama and spent his last moments with her before our departure.

  “I am. How can I fight what I don’t know?”

  “Very well. Listen closely and remember my words well. Born from the sculptor of cinder’s fame, the Light Bringer will ignite the Eternal Flame. In days to come, twice a sacrifice must be made for two lives to be saved. Yet, into darkness all will follow until raven wings are lost to shadow.”

  A chill ran up my spine and raised goosebumps across my arms. Maybe it had been a bad idea, because none of it sounded good. Shadowed wings? Sacrifice?

  “Are you all right, dear?” Gamayun asked.

  “Yes. I just… What does any of that mean?”

  “That, I cannot tell you.”

  “Because you don’t know or because you’re not allowed?” I asked suddenly. My cheeks burned with immediate regret. “Sorry. That was unkind of me.”

  “I understand your frustration, child. All I can tell you is what I have. The rest you must discover in time, as you did with the first half.”

  Realizing I’d already asked more of her than I should have, I dropped it. “Thank you. Thank you for sharing that with me. You didn’t have to.”

  The fae elder inclined her head. “You are welcome. I am sorry the prophecy was not what you wanted to hear.”

  When I turned to face my friends, they were on their way back already, Lia carrying a wicker basket filled with different faerie fruits. I watched Gabriel salivate over them and laughed.

  “Why didn’t you just pick something of your own?”

  “I can do that?”

  “Duh. The gardens are open to anyone and everyone.”

  “Now you tell me,” he muttered, earning laughter from all of us.

  Lia moved to my side, so I linked my arm through hers and gave Gamayun and Ama a wave with my free hand.

  “Have fun, Ama. Thank you again for the company, Gamayun. Take care of our girl.”

  “I will. Ama and I will be fine.”

  Little Ama, so excited to be staying, took to the air and did one of her magic hops, vanishing for a second and reappearing feet away. Gamayun smiled and flew off herself, her shape shifting and changing, until her human guise was gone and only a bird could be seen. She was gorgeous, peacock-colored but more like a swan in shape, with a long, trailing tail that sparkled in the sunlight.

  We watched until they disappeared beyond our view.

  “Ready to head back?” Gabe asked first.

  “I am,” Lia replied. “I’ve missed everyone.”

  “Do you need to see Oberon first?” I’d expected to see him, or to witness some fanfare for Lia’s departure.

  Lia’s smile turned impish. “We already said our goodbyes.”

  “Oh.” I read between the lines, heat surging over my neck to the tops of my pointed ears.

  “He’s in the mortal realm now,” she went on to explain, “handling a few matters on my behalf—on our behalf, I should say. Otherwise, he would be here to see all of us off.” My friend’s face glowed with happiness, easing my worries within moments.

  “Oh. Good. I’m glad everything is all right there.” That he wasn’t pissed at me for my rude denial and the way I’d rushed away in a childish fit.

  “Now then,” Lia said, taking Gabriel’s arm as well. “Are you both ready to return to PNRU?”

  “More than ready. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  3

  My Hero Complex

  As seniors, everything felt so busy. I thought I’d have more time and fewer classes. The latter was true, but all the “free time” I’d initially celebrated was filled with study and homework, or sentinel duties on campus.

  We all had entirely different schedules, making it hard to get together with my friends, but somehow, we managed. I showed up at the townhouse Saturday evening with three bottles of wine and a desperate need for some down time with my best pals.

  The past couple of weeks had been as close to hell as one could get without blasting open a portal to the underworld and partying with demons. I still wasn’t convinced our professors weren’t demonic creatures hellbent on our torture and suffering.

  Victor lay sprawled across the couch facedown, pale and motionless as a corpse. He looked like one these days, after sacrificing his ability to walk in the sunlight. He’d moved on campus and transferred from the Cook County SBA to the university security team, working nights to avoid burning up like a gasoline-doused rag.

  “Hey, Victor.”

  His response was lost into the decorative pillow.

  Maybe I should have brought something stronger than wine.

  “You good?”

  He mumbled something then finally sat up, dark circles under his eyes. “Yeah. Still waking up.”

  Holly strolled in at that moment with a cup of what smelled like coffee but was probably some sort of fancied-up blood with an espresso shot. It came in all sorts of flavors now.

  “I told you he’s not a morning person,” Holly said with a grin. “Well…evening. You know what I mean.”

  Victor gratefully accepted the warm cup. My vantage point standing above him revealed the dark, thick liquid within. I placed the wine tote on the coffee table then perched on the edge of the loveseat.

  “Where’s everyone else?” I asked.

  “Lia went to volunteer at the health center. A few sentinels were injured,” Holly explained. “Pilar had an afternoon liaison with the secret lover she won’t mention to anyone. I’m almost convinced he’s a professor.”

  “A married professor,” Victor muttered.

  “How do you know she’s seeing a lover?”

  “Because she only busts out a certain perfume for dates,” Holly explained.

  “I thought the plan was for all of us to have dinner. Together.”

  “We are. They should be back soon. Anji and Ben texted to say they’re on their way, but got stuck in traffic.”

  Holly made a few gestures of her hands, summoning glasses and expanding the table to fit our enormous group of friends.

  Sometimes plans didn’t work out the way we all wanted, and I’d never felt more isolated f
rom all my pals. Hardly anyone shared any of the same classes. Pilar and I had one together, but that was it. No Lia. I didn’t regret moving into Gabriel’s apartment, but I did miss the closeness of living under the same roof with my girlfriends.

  “I’ll put dinner together,” I volunteered.

  “Good. Victor, help,” Holly said curtly, dragging him off the sofa.

  “I don’t cook.”

  “I’ve got it,” I said in a rush.

  Holly frowned, but she said nothing. Lia had everything we needed for a pasta dinner tucked away in the fridge and pantry, homemade sauce included, so that part was easy. All I had to do was layer things and put the lasagna in the oven. Then I started slicing salami and cheese for something to snack on while we waited.

  “I could just magic the lasagna done,” Holly said, coming in behind me.

  “It’d be a waste of mana. We have time since no one is here yet.”

  “I know, but now we have to smell it cooking.”

  Feeling her pain, I laughed, and pushed a small ball of mozzarella at her mouth. “C’mon. Let’s open the wine and snack while we wait. No magic required.”

  While I popped corks from bottles, Holly carried over the tray of snacks. We could have done all of it in a literal snap, but attending school had taught me a vital lesson. Having the ability to use magic didn’t mean every situation called for it. Still, everyone went through a phase of overusing magic for common tasks at first.

  Some people didn’t outgrow it.

  “Here,” I overheard Holly saying to Victor as she lowered the tray.

  “I’m not really hungry for food,” he muttered, still clutching his mug of blood.

  “You need to eat something.”

  “I did eat,” he snapped at her, swishing the contents of his cup. “I am eating.”

  “More than just blood,” she bit back.

  Crap. The last thing I wanted was to be caught as the sole witness to a domestic brawl. I hated when my friends fought, and relationship squabbles were the worst.

  The door opened at that moment to admit Anji and Ben. I was saved.

  Holly grumbled something and stomped off to her bedroom. A minute later, Victor excused himself and headed outside.