“Any chance I can have some of the ambergris?”
The professor slid her hand over the glass. It began to glow a warm gold. “You know how rare it is,” she said. I gulped. Rainbow whales only existed in the crystal lagoon in Seraphina. They were the last of their species rescued from a dying dimension. The same one the wood nymphs belonged to.
“I know.”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
I tapped at the side of my thigh. It wasn’t in my nature to lie. Sometimes I bent the truth. Having lived with shifters all my life, it was impossible to conceal the truth anyway. They would smell the deceit on me in a second. I bit the inside of my cheek. Professor McKenna gave me a shrewd look.
“Still working on the Vitality Elixir? Oh Sophie. You know how difficult that potion is. There are some powerful high-magic mages who can’t even get it right. Please tell me you have a backup plan for your final exam?”
I wanted to tell her that. But it would be a lie. So I pinched my lips together and tried to look really benign. For a second, I thought she might say no. Then she heaved a heavy sigh and opened the glass. I was sweating through my shirt as she sliced the tiniest sliver of ambergris off and deposited it into a ball-bellied vial.
My eyes were the size of dinner plates as I went to reach for the prized ingredient. It made the ordinary whale ambergris I’d collected during summer break look like a cow turd. Unlike that brown mess, this ambergris was a beautiful pearl colour with threads of palest pastel running through it.
I couldn’t believe my luck.
My grip on the vial was like steel. That’s why I didn’t let go even when the elbow struck my back. Pain splintered down my spine as the shouts broke out. I stumbled as the Fae barrelled into me. I would have gone flying over the desk if Professor McKenna hadn’t reached out to steady me. I felt glass crack inside my palm and released my grip. My muscles tensed as I prepared for another blow.
My eyes watered. For a moment, I thought I was under attack. The professor let go of me and darted out from behind her desk.
“Boys!” the professor shouted. I whirled around to find the Fae and the dingo shifter going for it. I was just collateral damage. The dingo had strength on his side, but the Fae was a water elemental. Water gushed from the taps in the sinks lining the left side of the room. The water flowed out of the sink in long ropes that twisted in the air. They coursed over the gap where the students had rushed back to give the fighters space.
Claws scraped against the linoleum. Coarse hairs sprouted from the shifter’s back. They pierced through his grey T-shirt. He was going furry while his foe was going to try and drown him in class.
“I said stop it!” the professor snarled. “What’s gotten into you?” That healthy glow on her skin turned into a red blaze that swept over her neck. The dingo’s fist made contact with the Fae’s cheek. A crack that sounded like it was bone shattering made me wince. The Fae stumbled. His feet slipped on liquid. At first I thought it was water he’d lost control of. And then I saw the colour. Palest yellow dotted through with specks of mauve.
A choking sound escaped my throat as I dragged my gaze to my work station. My cauldron was on its side. The elixir that I’d worked on for two months was slowly leaking over the lip of the table. To my horror, the dingo shrieked in mid-shift. He kicked out at the Fae. Water splashed against his chest but he didn’t seem to care. The dingo’s normally brown eyes had a tinge of scarlet to them. Not another one!
He whirled on his now-padded feet. Slicing out at the water to stop some of its pressure, the dingo did the last thing in the world I expected. He dropped into a crouch and started to lap at my potion. A scream lodged in my throat.
“No!” I cried. In its current state, I didn’t have the slightest clue what the potion would do to him. It was still in the early stages and I hadn’t added any of the balancing ingredients to stop the potion from reacting badly. Case in point, the dingo began to convulse. Without thinking, I waded into the fray. I got about two feet in when someone grabbed me by the back of the shirt.
I scented salt and metal. My eyes closed and I groaned mentally. The Deputy Headmaster snapped his fangs in my ear. “What have you done this time?”
I struggled to get out of his hold. A tear trailed down my cheek. Through misty eyes, I saw Professor McKenna haul the dingo to his feet and throw him aside. The Fae was already lying on the ground not far away, clutching at his stomach.
“What the hell is going on in here?” the deputy headmaster roared.
One of the girls pointed to me. “She tried to poison Kieran!”
The deputy headmaster’s grip tightened on my arm. “Oh she did not,” Professor McKenna said. She righted my cauldron. It was too late. Most of the contents were on the floor. Waving her hand, gold light settled on the potion and the water slicked on the ground. It disappeared in a shimmer that had me blinking.
The professor grabbed the Fae. “Stop the water, Kieran.”
I got the shock of my life when he snarled at her. The Fae were very careful to maintain their façade of serenity. When he opened his mouth, his teeth were pointed. The professor dropped him heavily onto the floor. She pointed
