Page 84 of Elemental Fae Academy: Book Three

But I couldn’t.

I didn’t even know how I got here, let alone how to leave. So I focused on Elana instead and repeated my question with a haughty arch of my eyebrow.

It earned me a chuckle from the bitch on the other side of the bars. “You think to command me, child? That’s adorable. You couldn’t even summon a spirit properly.” She tsked. “Oh, Claire. I had such high hopes for you. What will I do now?”

Eat shit and die? I thought. But yeah, that wasn’t the best reply to this situation. So instead I folded my arms and assumed a casual position, similar to how I imagined Cyrus or Exos would do if they were in my shoes.

“You could start by explaining yourself,” I suggested. “I mean, we both know my mother’s evil. But you told me she was dead.” A thought occurred to me then, one I ran with without looking back. “Actually, you told me her body was never found and suggested she might be alive. Why? Because you had her in custody?” I tilted my head, feigning confusion. “Why hide her? Why not tell everyone you have the source of the plague?”

Assuming my mother even caused it, I added mentally. Which I’m seriously starting to doubt.

The way my mother’s expression fell with my comments confirmed my instincts, but I still wanted an explanation for all of this.

Answers regarding the plague. A way to help the Earth Fae. Why it’s happening all over again now. My lips flattened. Wait a minute...

Why it’s happening again now, I repeated to myself, my senses picking up on something I’d missed before.

Elana.

She was surrounded by spirits, their smoky tendrils chaotic and terrified as they tried futilely to swim away. As if she was sucking them all into her with a summoning spell…

“How did you get here?” Elana demanded, ignoring my questions.

Does she know I can see all those souls slithering around her? I wondered. She had to at least expect it since I was in my spirit state. Hmm, but it would be best not to confirm it.

So I sighed, acting agitated. “Exos keeps trying to teach me how to navigate the spirit planes.” Not necessarily a lie. “He told me to seek out a soul I knew, and I thought I was going to Sol, yet somehow ended up here.” Well, that wasn’t exactly true, but it carried hints of the truth.

Enough to lend confidence to my tone, anyway.

“I have absolutely no idea how to get back to my body,” I added truthfully. “But since I’m here, I’d love to know what’s going on.” I arched a brow, glancing at my cowering mother and then back at Elana. “Did you find her lurking around campus? Because we’ve suspected she had something to do with Exos’s disappearance last month.”

Elana’s eyebrow rose in a perfect example of surprise. “What disappearance?”

I fought the urge to scoff, As if you don’t know.

Instead, I said, “Someone took him and siphoned off his energy. He said it felt a lot like Ophelia.” I glanced at my shivering mother, her hand no longer on my arm. “You tried to kill my mate. You’re going to pay for that.” An empty threat, but I imagined myself saying the words to Elana, so they came out just as lethal as I desired.

My mother opened her mouth as if to reply, only to wince as her jaw snapped closed.

A strand of energy trailed from her lips to Elana as if she wore a muzzle tied to a leash. Could I see that because of my current state? Or had my powers grown?

Elana smiled one of her trademark indulgent smiles. “Actually, I did find her recently. I just haven’t decided what to do with her yet.”

I bet, I thought. “What was she doing?” I asked, wanting to see how far this lie would go.

Elana waved a hand as if brushing the question aside. “What matters is that I’ve caught her and we can seek justice. I was just in the process of trying to find out what she’s done to the Earth Fae, in fact. This would serve as a suitable lesson for you, if you’d like to join our interrogation.”

Man, she’s good.

Still playing the part of perfect mentor despite the obvious red flags.

But hey, why not play along? It wasn’t like I knew how to leave, and mayb

e I’d glean some important details along the way.

“I’d love that,” I said, not lying. “As I clearly have no idea what I’m doing.”

“I don’t know, Claire. You seem to be doing very well to me. Appearing in this form outside of the spirit planes, as you are now, requires a great deal of power. It’s something not even I can do.” A hint of envy flashed through her gaze, but she blinked it away behind her caring mask. “I have great hopes for you.”

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