The Rebel Diaries by Sacha Black

Author:Sacha Black
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sacha Black

Nikolai exited the office. Harper waited for him in the hallway, worry creasing his usually affable face.

“How are you?” Harper asked. Anyone else might have asked him to recount what happened, confirm the rumors, but something was wrong with Harper that made him care about others, even when there was no benefit to himself.

“Fine. They can’t very well get mad at me for a magical outburst, not when the point of the Academy is to teach us how to control that kind of thing. They even thanked me for trying to keep the corridor clear.” He’d waited until Mr. Couture’s frantic beating on the door had slowed before removing the wedge and jogging toward the office.

“Thank goodness you’re here!” he’d exclaimed upon sighting the cavalry. “I think Mr. Couture’s trapped. I heard him pounding, but I couldn’t get the door open. I think the heat’s warped it.”

They’d returned to find the hallway filled with smoke. The door had been splintered off its hinges. Mr. Couture lay atop it, one pant leg smoldering, wand clutched in his lax hand. Nikolai had paced in mock nervousness repeating, “Is he alright? Please let him be alright.”

Unfortunately, he was. Just smoke inhalation and a few minor burns. He’d have to try again—Mr. Couture and Klaus both.

“So that’s it?” asked Harper. “Did they give you any punishment at all?”

“Meditation exercises.” Nikolai grinned. As if he was going to do that. “And I promised to leave the classroom if I feel myself getting upset. I’m going to use it to ditch every illusion lecture from now on.”

“You can’t do that! Illusion is important.”

“To you maybe. Not to me. You can’t eat an illusion.” Or douse a fire with it.

Harper’s shoulders slumped. “It’s all my fault. I should have warned you Mr. Couture introduces the topic like that. He does it every year, though the illusion is never the same. In my class, he made it look as though the ceiling had caved in over the door, trapping everyone inside. I was scared. We all were. But this girl from London—she started screaming. Probably reminded her of the Blitz. Even after he lifted the illusion she was inconsolable.”

“Who was it?” He’d have to collect the names of everyone else Mr. Couture had fucked with over the years. Maybe they could be turned against him, or be set up as scapegoats. He couldn’t target Mr. Couture again so soon without arousing suspicion. Better to wait and make the man think he was in the clear.

“Lucy. Mr. Couture used her as an example of how powerful illusions could be. That to make them really work, you have to appeal to multiple senses and evoke an—an emotional response.”

“And you said nothing to me, knowing what could happen?” That wasn’t at all like Harper. He’d do anything he could to ensure people were having a good time. There was no animosity in the question, only curiosity, but Harper turned to him with a pained expression.

“I’m so sorry. No one talks about it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.