Page 54 of The Black Witch

I exhale sharply as my foot painfully hits something solid and I trip over it, toppling down to the damp floor.

Small sounds of surprise go up around me.

The floor is cold and gritty and smells like the bottoms of wet boots, and my hands sting from smacking it. For a brief second I lay there as embarrassment washes over me.

A strong hand grabs hold of my arm, effortlessly helping me to my feet.

I look up into the most riveting eyes I’ve ever seen, even more so than the Valgard Selkie’s. They’re bright amber and glow in an inhuman way that seems almost feral.

The eyes belong to a lean, sandy-haired young man wearing simple, earth-toned clothing. His calm, friendly expression stands out in bold contrast to those fierce eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asks kindly.

“Yes. Thank you,” I say, heart racing. My head whips around to see what I tripped over. There’s nothing there. The aisle is clear. I glance over at Fallon, who’s regarding me with a malicious grin, and a spasm of alarm shoots through me.

She did it. She tripped me.

Fallon’s smile curls even farther upward as she sees the growing dread on my face.

I turn back toward the strange young man, gratitude washing over me.

“Unhand her,” Echo orders him, glaring. “I’ll help her the rest of the way.”

There’s a flash of hurt in his eyes before his face goes tight with offense. He releases me at once.

Echo grabs hold of me and decidedly tugs me away.

“He helped me,” I whisper as she firmly guides me along, accusation in my tone. “What’s wrong? Who is he?”

She glances over at me, her eyes sharp. “One of theLupines.”

Startled, I look back to where the strange young man is now seated in with the Kelts. He gives me a small smile, which eases my alarm and piques my curiosity. Next to him sits a beautiful girl with long blond hair, plain clothing and the same wild, amber eyes. She sits like she’s royalty, her chin held high, and regards me with barely disguised contempt.

The Lupine twins.

I remember the sordid gossip, the shocking stories about nudity and public mating. About how Lupine males go after any women they can get their hands on. I glance back toward the Lupines and wonder if there’s truth in any of it. I’m so curious about them, but I also feel a twinge of guilt to be thinking about such indecent things.

Finally, we reach our place and Echo guides me, to my immense relief, toward a seat between herself and Aislinn Greer.

As I sit down, Aislinn puts her arm around me and hands me a stack of papers.

“What’s this?” I ask, taking them.

“Maps,” she says. “Your lecture schedule. Lodging and labor assignments. When I heard what happened, I went to the Records Master and got these for you.”

“Thank you,” I say, touched. I look to Aislinn and Echo with gratitude.

Echo pats my arm in solidarity, then focuses in with rapt attention as the High Chancellor begins his opening remarks.

I resentfully look back toward where Fallon is sitting. I can’t see her through the thick crowd.

“When I was walking up that aisle,” I whisper to Aislinn, “I think Fallon Bane tripped me...with magic.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” she says, eyeing me gravely. “She’s not too happy about...um... Lukas and you.”

Where is Lukas? I grasp the papers in my lap and bite worriedly at my lower lip. What’s he doing? Will he come for me at some point?

“Can Fallon do that?” I ask anxiously. “Can she conjure invisible objects? And trip people with them?”

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