Page 98 of An Arcane Education
“What about them?”
“I still haven't been able to find that spot on my own. Every time I try, it's like the forest won't let me. But you've found it multiple times now without difficulty.” He pulls back to look at me. “Would you try to take me there again before you leave? I want to see if the Chancellor really did clear the area like she claimed.”
“Okay,” I agree. I can’t say I haven’t been curious as well.
The winter afternoon light is already fading as we make our way into the forest, casting long shadows between the trees.
I lead us past the main clearing, deeper into the woods where the paths become less defined. The sense of wrongness that used to permeate this area has dulled.
“It’s right up here,” I say, catching sight of the dead zone just before I feel a resistance, like an invisible wall. “What the hell?”
Alaric stops beside me, his hand outstretched. “They’ve warded the area.” He frowns. “It’s a strong one.”
Through the magical barrier, I can see the circle of gray, lifeless trees and the barren ground that’s less distinct now that the frigid winter has descended. There’s no sign of the mushrooms, which could easily be due to the falling temperature.
“They cleaned it up,” I say. “Just like the Chancellor said. Are you able to get past the ward with your magic?”
He shakes his head. “Not without whoever created it knowing I breached it. We should probably just leave it alone for now.”
He’s right, but something is nagging at my gut. The dead area seems to have expanded little by little each time I visit the area, like life is leaching from the surrounding plants in a growing perimeter.
Without really thinking about it, I kneel on the cold, hard dirt and press my palms flat against the frozen ground.
“What are you doing?” Alaric asks.
“Shh. Hold on.” I close my eyes, reaching out with my magic the way I've been practicing. It's easier now than it was at the beginning of the semester, my power responding to my will with less resistance.
I push my awareness down, through the frozen earth, searching for something I’ve already felt a connection to. I find it a second later.
The mushrooms may be gone from sight, but beneath the surface, the mycelium network is vast, even larger than before. The intricate web connects to the roots of the trees and is spreading beyond the warded circle, growing.
My eyes snap open, and I pull my hands back like I've been burned, gasping. “The mycelium is still there, and it's spreading beyond the ward. That has to be what’s causing all this,” I say, gesturing to the circle of nothingness. “I don’t think the ward is there to protect people from the mushrooms or to prevent them from visiting the site ofMitchell’s death. I think it’s there to hide what’s really happening, whatever that may be.”
Alaric's expression darkens. “The Chancellor is concealing this deliberately.”
“But why?”
“It’s what I suspected. It’s part of something larger. And based on the letter from your father, I’d be willing to bet he knew something about it.”
The revelation washes over me like ice-cold water. “Do you think…” I can’t even bring myself to finish the question. Around my wrist, I fidget with the bracelet that belonged to my father. It’s become a habit since I’ve started wearing it.
Alaric nods solemnly. “If he knew whatever secrets were being hidden and was planning on leaving to expose them, then his death may not have been an accident.”
My stomach roils with dread.
My father was killed, and whatever he was trying to warn me about is still happening here at Arcadia.
“I have to find out why,” I breathe.
“We’re going to,” Alaric assures me.
“When next semester starts, I need to tell my friends about everything. We can trust them, and they’re smart enough to help us figure it out.”
He nods, not giving any pushback like I thought he would. “We'll figure it out together. All of us.”
We hurry back to Alaric’s house, away from the darkness in the forest and into the warmth and safety of home.
In my mind, I’m already forming a plan. I’ll be back next semester stronger, more prepared, and surrounded by people who care deeply about truth and goodness.
Though the first semester of my magical education is over, the real investigation is just beginning. When I come back, I’m going to find out what really happened to my father and why.
Whatever secrets are buried here, whatever corruption that has taken root here at Arcadia Academy, we’ve only scratched the surface of.
The truth deserves to be exposed, however grave the consequences may be.
The End
