Free The Illusionists by Laure Eve

you are asleep to Jump next to you,’ he said. ‘I will take you to a room. I will lock you in the room. It is a small room. I will keep you there until you tell me what you know. You have very little idea of what I am capable, but I am sure you may begin to understand. You will tell me about this boy. He has been coming to you in dreams. Put up your hand if you have seen him.
Now
.’
    Lufe put his hand up first. Admirable. Lea followed shortly afterwards. Marches stared at them both. Tulsent had his eyes on the table.
    White looked at Lufe. ‘You – self-elected group leader. You will tell me everything about your dreams of the boy.’
    Lufe looked around. Seeing no help from anyone, he licked his lips.
    â€˜It’s nothing, syer. Really. Just a boy. I thought he was just someone I’d made up, at first. Then I thought he could be a Talent dream. But we were always just in my bedroom, so it didn’t seem like Talent. I didn’t know about anyone else dreaming of him.’
    â€˜How long?’
    â€˜Not long. Only a couple of visits. No more often than that, otherwise I would have found it odd.’
    â€˜You will now tell me why you have never once mentioned him before this,’ said White.
    Lufe swallowed audibly.
    â€˜There was no need for it, syer,’ he said.
    â€˜An integral part of your lessons with me involves speaking to me of every dream you have, so that I may determine if they are of importance or not. Why did you not mention all the dreams you had involving the boy?’
    â€˜Not all, just one or two,’ said Lufe.
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜It was just two!’ Lufe protested.
    â€˜You will tell me everything that happened in each one of these, with detail.’
    â€˜But nothing happened in them!’
    White put out his hand to touch Lufe’s shoulder. His speech had evidently worked, because Lufe shrank back from him.
    â€˜Fine,’ he said crossly, to cover his fear. ‘You told us not to mention anything that was just sex, right? You said sex dreams were to do with physical responses and weren’t important!’
    White took his hand away. ‘It was that kind of dream?’
    Lufe crossed his arms, his face a mask of furious, embarrassed thunder. Lea was looking at the table top, her cheeks flushed. So was Tulsent. Marches was staring at everyone with an expression of utter shock.
    â€˜Is this true for all of you?’ said White.
    No one spoke or moved.
    It was small wonder none of them had told him about Wren. That manipulative bastard had made sure they never would. And he was the one who had told Wren about disregarding those kinds of dreams, hadn’t he? Wren had laughed at him for it at the time.
    And now he’d used it against him.
    â€˜That’s enough,’ said a soft voice behind White’s shoulder.
    He turned.
    Frith had appeared without a sound and was lounging against the wall.
    â€˜How long have you been there?’ said White.
    â€˜Long enough to see what an idiot you’re making of yourself.’
    â€˜Then you heard them. You will not let him have this. You will not let him meddle like this. You will not let him ruin
everything
again!’
    His voice had risen to a shout. Frith appeared not to have noticed, for he merely waited for the noise to subside, and then spoke in the same quiet voice as before.
    â€˜I’ll have no more idle talk of punishment. You would be imprisoned for less and you know this.’
    â€˜I am never idle,’ said White. ‘I mean every word.’
    â€˜You may feel like you do now,’ said Frith, detaching himself from the wall and coming closer. ‘Of course you do. But you must think on the consequences. I cannot, and will not, allow you to harm these students. Do you want to test that? Their parents will scream for your blood if you so much as smack any of them across the ear. Do you want to test that, too? I’m trying to protect