Page 25 of Monster's Pet

“The only thing he’ll do is look at me disappointed because I failed the swim test,” Aiden grumbled.

I stopped abruptly. “Are you... Are you afraid?”

Aiden flushed and avoided looking me in the eyes.

“My big strong beast shifter is afraid of a disappointed look?” I asked, shaking my head. “Seriously, Akhtar isn’t going to be disappointed. He’s probably concerned, but we’ll figure this out.”

“How are you, after that complicated bit of magic?” Aiden asked, changing the subject. He put his hands on my head, practically swamping me with their size. “Do you have a headache?”

“A little one,” I admitted. “Doing more magic hurts. I was grateful that we focused on potions this afternoon, rather than charms.”

Aiden nodded sympathetically. “Even though you had to stir your cauldron by hand?”

I rolled my eyes. “Even then. My arms are so tired.” I pouted. “After we see the professor, can you make me forget my pains?”

Heat flared in Aiden’s eyes. “We have to wait for after?”

“Yes.” I pulled away, afraid that he’d talk me into joining him in a dark corner. “I know he’s in his office right now. Later, who knows where he’ll be. Come on.”

Aiden groaned like a kid who’d had his candy taken away from him, but followed me down the hall, his long legs keeping pace with me easily.

Professor Akhtar’s office door was open, so I knocked on the frame. The man was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the holographic globe in the center. He gestured for us to enter without looking away from the crisscrossing lines. “How are you feeling, Aiden?” he asked.

“Same as ever,” Aiden replied with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. You’ll have another chance in a couple of days. Hopefully, we’ll figure out what’s wrong with your magic before then. Are you tired? Getting enough sleep? Using too much magic?”

“I’m wondering if his spontaneous shifts are draining his reserves,” I said.

Professor Akhtar tilted his head, considering that suggestion. “Possibly. Everyone is feeling strained right now.” He sighed and nodded at the projection of ley lines. “What do you see?”

I knew he was asking for more than the obvious, so I took my time examining the globe of wavy lines. “They’re balanced. One line isn’t stronger than the others.”

“Suppose you have a river.” He snapped his fingers for a name.

“The Nile,” I supplied.

“Good enough. Suppose you have the Nile. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, and yet it never runs dry. Why is that?”

“Water can’t overfill a container unless there’s a force pushing it to do so, like a faucet,” Aiden said.

“Right. So the Nile always has water.” The professor grimaced. “Other than in drought. Would that be an applicable metaphor here? Are we in a drought of magic?”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “Drought isn’t instantaneous, though.”

“No, that’s true. But are we certain that this was instantaneous? Not many people were here over the holidays. Perhaps it was gradual.” He shook his head and gestured at the globe again. “The ley lines are interconnected like a series of rivers. There is no basin of power like oceans or seas. They flow into each other equally, in balance. It makes no sense that we would lose them like this.”

“I take it nobody’s had any new theories,” I said sympathetically. “We’ll keep looking.”

“I know you will. We can’t go on like this forever. The academy’s reserves will dry up eventually and will need to be replenished. Another Dark Ages would not be a good thing, and the non-magical beings will be affected as well. The blanket over the forest is working for now, but for how long?” The professor snapped his fingers and the globe collapsed into itself. He turned to Aiden. “I suggest a simpler breathing system than the bottle. Something that won’t explode and won’t take continuous concentration. When we do go to Atlantis, I will support your spell with one of my own, for safety’s sake.”

Aiden flushed. “Thank you. I will try for something simpler.”

When we left the room, Aiden’s hands clenched into fists. “I feel like a child,” he spat. “Like I need to be led, instead of taking charge of myself.”

I took one hand and unfolded it. “Would you be as offended if I was the one helping you?”

“You shouldn’t be using up your magic helping me,” Aiden snapped. “You barely have enough for yourself.”

---