Free Elemental Darkness (Paranormal Public Series) by Maddy Edwards

between us.
    Dacer didn’t appear the least bit concerned. “I have every right to speak to my students, Thads.”
    Zervos’s lip curled upward, but he didn’t respond. Instead he turned to me.
    “You are ordered to return to Astra. First thing in the afternoon you are to report back to President Oliva’s private residence. He will see you in the garden, along with Professor Erikson.”
    I flinched at her name. I wasn’t sure I could look her in the eye after what her sister had done.
    “Ms. Quest’s presence is also requested,” Zervos added.
    Sabel had again appeared out of the back in case Zervos wanted to order something, but he ignored her. Turning on his heel, he gave us all one last nasty look, then marched back out of the cafe and into the spring sunlight, his dark robes contrasting with the green of the grass as the door swung open.
    Sip, Lough, and I exchanged glances.
    And so , I thought sadly, we must separate again .
     
    I met Sip outside of Oliva’s. I had returned to Astra to pack, facing the inevitable, and then realized that I really wouldn’t be taking much home with me. A couple of pairs of shorts and another history of Queen Ashray was about it. I went in search of Sigil, but he was nowhere to be seen. An unusually large amount of cookies was missing, though.
    I thought of Lisabelle and the dream I’d had about her. I still hadn’t had a chance to tell Sip about it, and that bothered me. I knew why Oliva wanted to see me, but I was worrying about why he wanted to see Sip . I assumed she was being called to this meeting to recount what had happened to her when she was kidnapped from Golden Falls, explaining Lisabelle’s absence, but underneath I was worried that things were not - again - going to go the way I expected.
     

Chapter Eleven
     
    I wondered how my mom had dreamed when she was alive. If I had living dreams, had she had them as well? Had she been able to dream the past? Lough had said it was very difficult to dream the future. He couldn’t do it and he had tried. But there might be a paranormal out there who could.
    I hurried down the path from Astra and found Sip already waiting for me when I reached Oliva’s. We didn’t even have time to greet each other before a familiar female voice from the library called out to us to enter.
    “Professor Erikson and Professor Oliva?” Sip whispered to me. “I feel like I’m in trouble.”
    “According to Dacer, lots of senior paranormals think we should be punished for what happened at Golden Falls, as well as for what I did when the demons brought you back to Public,” I said, just as quietly.
    Sip shook her head. “Either we’re children and we don’t know what we’re doing, or we’re adults who have fought demons and should be listened to. Oliva and Caid should make up their minds.”
    I agreed wholeheartedly with my small friend.
    “Was Lough upset when you left him at Airlee?”
    Sip grinned in the sunlight. “Not really. He was just trying to explain things to Bartholem, who showed up this morning and scared Lough half to death. Of course he’s just fine. But there’s a good chance they won’t both make it out alive by the end of the summer.”
    I chuckled, thinking of Lough trying to take care of Lisabelle’s feisty and independent-minded feline.
    “Poor Lough,” I said.
    “Poor who?” came Professor Erikson’s voice.
    She and Oliva were sitting in the chairs in his garden. He had a book closed on his lap, as if he’d been reading before she arrived, while she held a large leather-bound stack of papers. Her lips were drawn into a thin line and there were crow’s feet around the corners of her eyes that I didn’t remember being there the last time I had seen her. The war was taking its toll on us all.
    “Ah, Ms. Rollins and Ms. Quest, please sit,” said Oliva. He wore green robes to Professor Erikson’s white. Sip and I took two garden chairs that faced the committee members.
    “President,” I said