Dragon Witch ✔️

30 - Rothworth's

"Do those look like magic detectors?" I asked as Kyton drove us through a series of metal archways over the road. It felt like we were driving under groups of heat lamps, and my stomach twinged.

Groaning, Kyton gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. "Nope, just iron arches." He pulled into a large parking lot at the end of the road.

It was surrounded by trees, and the land sloped downward past the far end of the lot. At the bottom of the hill were half a dozen gray-stone buildings ribbed with a dark metal that I guessed was iron.

Kyton gagged. "I think I'm gonna-"

He definitely was "gonna." At least he got the window down before he puked. I winced. If he felt half as bad as he looked, I would hate to be in his shoes. There was no way he would be able to come inside with me.

I rubbed Kyton's back. "Let it all out."

He chuckled and wiped his mouth. "Thanks."

"Will you be able to drive home?"

"I'm fine. Classes start in ten minutes. We should get going." He opened the door and stumbled out.

I rushed out and around the car to help him stay on his feet. Leaning heavily on me, he waved his free hand.

"I can walk fine." The moment he stopped leaning on me, he swayed like an alcoholic. "Just fine-" He fainted, landing with one foot in his own vomit.

"You ridiculous fairy," I mumbled. "You are not alright." I opened the rear car door. There were probably iron bands under the parking lot, and at the very least, there was no way he could drive back out through the archways by himself. Crouching by his side, I hooked my arms under his. He was lighter than he looked. It wasn't hard to drag him around to the rear door.

Getting him inside was a different matter. He was way too tall and gangly to easily shove inside. It took me a good ten minutes to get him inside and buckled, with the door shut behind him--and not crushing his feet or fingers. He snored through the whole thing, and his glamour started flickering, revealing blue skin beneath.

I hopped in the driver's seat. Kyton's keys were still in the ignition. The house was half an hour away, and I very much wanted to use driving Kyton back as an excuse to be an hour late to class. But leaving Kyton in the driveway with his glamour out of commission was a sure way to unleash the wrath of Mom and possibly get Kyton bludgeoned to death.

Instead, I drove to the nearest restaurant and parked the car. Kyton groaned from the backseat.

"Where are we?"

"We're at a restaurant. You should get some rest and then drive home. Whatever you do, don't go back to my school. I'll meet you here after my classes." I hopped out of the car, locking the door behind me. The keys were still in the ignition, and the air conditioning was running. He would be fine until he felt good enough to drive.

"Wha-" He tried to sit up, then collapsed back onto the seat. I couldn't imagine he would be driving anytime soon.

***

As it turned out, Rothworth's Academy didn't have any magic detectors. Actually, it looked pretty normal inside the Classroom Building. Beige walls, benches outside the classrooms, a couple water fountains on every floor. It was just like any other college I'd toured before our house burned down.

Except for one crucial detail.

"Buy your anti-magic charms here," a guy called out as I passed through the quad during lunch. He was sitting behind a table littered with iron charms. To his right and left were more tables lining the edge of the open-air dining area. They advertised everything from glamour glasses--that "uncover the enemies all around you"--to garlic chains--for anyone with "sweet, vampire-attracting blood."