Oracle (Book I)

Noble Savior

Over juice and warm taro toast the next morning, Caprice said, "I saw Merlin again last night." She told Grace, Nezzle, and Bossa what happened by the lake with him and Professor Starstaff.

"Do you think..."

"That white boy is flirting with you?" Grace bluntly finished, much to Caprice's embarrassment. She shrugged. "Maybe."

"You never can tell," Bossa nodded in agreement.

Seasoning her breakfast, Grace said, "Rule Number One: Harmony. Any guy that's separating, or trying to separate you, from your friends brings discord and disharmony. He's nothing but bad news."

"I don't think he was flirting," Caprice shook her head, feeling her face burn.

"What kind of person doesn't want your friends to know about him anyway," Grace said.

"Can't say," Nezzle said.

"And didn't you say he just vanished without so much as a good night? A boy wizzing out on you is never a good sign."

"Merlin did say that he wouldn't mind meeting my friends," Caprice said tentatively.

"Well, never met him. The only one I know of around here named Merlin is the Headmaster," said Bossa. She flicked her fingers. "The Merlin boy should stop by and introduce himself, not go poofing off into the night."

~

A few minutes after Potions should have begun, Professor Gleddy hurried into the schoolroom as if fire licked at his heels.

"My, my, we're getting started, students! Quickly! Today, we will be brewing the Locked Moon Elixir."

"What's that, Professor?"

"This potion is an effective and interesting variation of a well-known potion used to ease the change of shapeshifters. With your hard work, it will be added to the hospital repository for were-students who are desperately in need of it. Oh, and please take note: At the end of our lesson, I will be giving out supplies for your final projects this term and schedule appointments with your groups."

"But isn't Locked Moon a third-year potion?"

Professor Gleddy only smiled.

"This is my advanced course. I have no doubt that each of you will do Locked Moon justice."

Caprice rolled up her sleeves. A touch of excitement trilled through her. It was her first day of advanced potions but she found she was looking forward to a challenge. Beside her, Thierry rifled through his ingredients with a furrow in his brow.

"Good thing you're here, Preece. Otherwise, I'd be in big trouble," he muttered.

Unfortunately, her final lesson of the day wasn't as pleasing.

Professor Skyla called her back at the end of the lesson. Caprice went back into the classroom and sat down at her desk.

"You and your brother are very good at performing magic," Skyla said, pulling up a chair and facing Caprice. "Dare I say, you very nearly excel at it. However, your written work--both of you, class assignments, tests and whatnot--well, its less than satisfactory."

"I'm learning as fast as I can." It's not my fault, she thought.

With those blue eyes that ordinarily seemed so sparkling, warm, and open, Skyla cast her a thinly veiled deprecating look, as if to say Not hard enough obviously.

"Miss Bilberry, we are both women. In this kind of environment it is important that we hold ourselves to a higher standard than what is expected of us. The free world simply will not wait for you catch up to it. Its a shame that no one has bothered to teach your race proper--"