Chatoyant College Book 9: Sundered

Chapter 106: Questions

"Do you mean the connection to the campus that Ever told us about?" Dawn asked. "That's the connection that broke?"

"Exactly," said Professor Lal. "Ever told you about that?"

"I had asked some of Leila's friends on campus whether they knew where she was, and they didn't remember her," Edie said. "So Ever explained how it works. It wasn't really as much information as I hoped, though." She sighed. "I guess we know more now. She isn't dead or injured. But why would she go to Faerie? Did... did someone make her go there?"

"It is possible," said Professor Lal with a shake of her head. "But I think it more likely that she chose to go there. If someone was attacking her, she would fight, would she not?"

"She would," Edie said with a frown. "But we thought there might be someone stronger than her. Belara and Feloc beat Mardalan, after all."

"Leila beat her first," said Corrie.

"I think that perhaps Belara and Feloc together, or with the help of other court faeries, would have been able to either hurt Leila or force her into Faerie," said Professor Lal. "But you found Ever. Did she know anything about that?"

"She hadn't seen anything," said Roe. "But we didn't actually ask Celao. Maybe he knew something. He certainly didn't seem trustworthy to me."

"Celao?" asked the professor, raising her eyebrows.

They told her about how the blue, lizard-like faerie had attacked Ever when she came out of the court, and how they had made him come with them. "I didn't think he was trustworthy either," said Dawn. "But he made an oath to Ever that he would not tell Belara or Feloc anything about her. She seemed to think that was good enough."

"It was a blood oath," added Naomi.

The professor nodded. "That should certainly be binding enough for him. It seems odd that he would follow her out, though. You said he was afraid of something?"

"He wouldn't tell us what it was," said Corrie. "Just that Belara and Feloc had promised to protect him from it, but he didn't want to live with them anymore."

"He should know that the other magic professors and I would help him if that were the case," said Professor Lal. "But there would be a price for our help, of course—at the very least he would have to come onto campus and masquerade as a student for some time, and he may not find that acceptable."

"But what was the point of leaving with Ever in the first place, then?" asked Dawn, thinking through Celao's incomprehensible actions. "He was scared to do anything except go back with her. Or maybe he was just lying so Corrie would let go of him."

"That is certainly a possibility," said Professor Lal. "Perhaps he was under orders from Belara and Feloc to stop anyone from leaving, but once he was caught he decided he needed a different story. Derwen would not have let him go back, and he chose lying to his king and queen over remaining tied to a tree." Her lips twitched.

"Can he do that?" Corrie asked. "He's not bound to do whatever they tell him to do?"

"Some faeries of the court may be so bound," said Professor Lal. "But most are not."

"It's been a little while since we left," said Edie. "Maybe we should go see if Ever has sent us another note. If Celao has done anything, she may have told us about it."

"That is a good idea," said the professor, standing. "Come."

She led them back down the steps and to the empty room that was kept open. Dawn shivered suddenly as the door opened; she'd warmed up enough inside the building that she'd almost forgotten how cold it was outside. Rico took her hand and she smiled at him.

Professor Lal, Edie, and Corrie all looked around on the floor. There was no leaf. "It does not seem that anything is happening at the court," said Professor Lal. "Now, you students should return to your dorm. You do still have class in the morning, and I am sure that for some of your other classes there is work to be done."

Dawn sighed. She didn't feel like the day was really finished, but the professor was right—they did have work to do. She was starting to turn toward the door when she heard Edie speaking.

"Wait," said Edie. "You said we can't go into Faerie, but that doesn't mean you can't. Why don't you go in there and talk to her?"

Dawn turned to see Edie standing with her arms folded, staring belligerently at Professor Lal. The faerie looked surprised. "I told you that she is safe," she said.

Edie shook her head. "She might be safe now, but that doesn't mean nothing happened to make her go in there. She wouldn't just leave me. Go in there and ask her why she left!"