Chapter Ten: Under | Part 3
The sudden onslaught of secretive energy made Thirtyx nauseous. He fought to keep his breathing even as his panic rose. Azirenne pushed her glasses up higher on her nose—slowly, methodically. “Venma— Thirtyx. I understand that you care about your friends, and you think you’re keeping them safe. But when Grimmary sent those children to school here, he entrusted me with their care. When they disappear in the middle of a lockdown, that’s incredibly concerning. You see that, don’t you?”
“I don’t think it’s concerning if they have Grimmary’s permission.”
Headmistress Azirenne tucked her hair behind her ear. Something about the motion prickled a defensive instinct in Thirtyx, but he wasn’t sure why. “As I said, we don’t know that they had Grimmary’s permission.” She began fidgeting with a ring on her finger. “If there’s even a chance that you’re wrong, and they’re in danger, wouldn’t you want to help them?”
Could Thirtyx defuse the situation by assuring her there was no blind spot in the security system—that the twins were the only ones capable of leaving the way they did? It seemed far too close to the truth. If she wasn’t actively hurting him, it felt safer to remain quiet for now and let her keep speculating. He watched her spin her ring around… and around… and around.
Thirtyx’s eyes widened with a sudden clarity. She was trying to entrance him.
He averted his gaze. Trances were among the few forms of magic that didn’t evoke sparks in the caster’s eyes, making it possible to ease the victim in gradually and without notice. It required more patience than barging in full-force, hoping to incapacitate the victim before they could react, but it was generally less messy.
Rhea tended to prefer the direct technique, while Benn preferred the stealthy one, so Thirtyx had undergone thorough training to defend himself against both. For the stealthy approach, early detection was key.
Look for smooth, circular movements. Someone good at this will know how to work them into normal actions, so they may be hard to spot.
The headmistress slipped her glasses off her face and cleaned them with the hem of her blouse, her fingers moving in steady circles. Any doubts that lingered were vanishing quickly. If you think someone’s easing you into a trance, control where you direct your attention. Don’t look at the caster for more than three fracs at a time. Start a count in your head so you remember.
Thirtyx inhaled deeply. One, two, three. He looked at his hands. One, two, three.
“Still nothing to say? You don’t care about your best friends’ safety?” She’d reseated her glasses and was twirling a lock of hair around her finger now. One, two, three.
“Fine. Stay silent for all I care. You know, I’ve seen a lot of audacity in my time at this school, but I can’t say I’ve seen anything quite as audacious as a Verith student blatantly disobeying four of Wydewood’s most powerful faculty.” Her patience was clearly dwindling. She used the statement as an excuse to twirl her finger in a circular motion at him.
He watched it for exactly three fracs before staring her straight in the eyes. “That isn’t saying much, Headmistress. You’ve never seen another Verith student before, have you?”
Thirtyx knew the frustration that spasmed across her face was less from the witty jab and more from how clearly and confidently he’d spoken, with no signs of falling into a trance. Nevertheless, it sparked a brief thrill of satisfaction in this seemingly hopeless situation.
The headmistress let her hand fall back to her lap before looking to Professor C. “You want to step in here?”
Processor C perched herself on the edge of the desk beside the headmistress. “Thirtyx, can’t you see that we care about your friends, too? We’ve watched Rhea and Benn grow up. We’ve trained them and advised them—helped them through their most formative years. It hurts to not know for certain that they’re okay. Surely you can relate to that?”
She was a far better actress than the headmistress. Thirtyx almost believed her—almost changed his mind about revealing that only the twins could circumvent the school’s security. Maybe giving them a morsel of truth would give him time to regroup and—
He had stopped counting. His eyes had fallen on the headmistress, turning her ring again.
Calley Jones 