SO HOW HAS YOUR FIRST day been?” Dr. Opps asked Fort as they ate together in the officers’ mess hall. While several of the assembled military personnel gave them odd looks, at least no one was heating up Fort’s tray to molten-hot levels or making quiet snarky comments that only he could hear, so that was at least a step up from earlier. Also, the soldiers guarding them seemed noticeably more comfortable than the ones in the student mess.
On the other hand, he was having dinner with a man who’d lied to him from the very first moment they met, and was looking for any excuse to send him back home to his aunt.
Fort took a moment to think about Dr. Opps’s question, running through all the things he wanted to say but couldn’t, before finally settling on something that might not get him in trouble. “I like Colonel Charles. Do you think he’s happy I came to the school?”
Dr. Opps’s fork froze midway to his mouth, then finished the journey. “We all are. Why did you ask about him in particular?”
“He was just really nice during the testing earlier,” Fort said. “He told me that if I worked hard, I might be able to switch to Destruction.”
“Dr. Ambrose told you about mastering the first three Healing spells, I take it?”
“She did,” Fort said. “It sounds like it’s pretty challenging to do, though.” Almost like you’re giving me an impossible task so I’ll have to go home.
“Are you not up for a challenge?” Dr. Opps asked, giving him a side glance. “I thought you wanted to be here.”
“No, I’m definitely up for it,” Fort said, trying to casually eat his own food, only to have some potatoes drop off his fork. “Three days or not, I’ll master those spells. I’m not leaving, even if I have to work ten times as hard as anyone else. I guess I don’t understand why I have to learn them so quickly, when the other students take a week just to master one spell. That’s what Jia said, anyway.”
“Maybe that’s why,” Dr. Opps said, taking another bite. “Maybe we need more hard workers around here.”
“That doesn’t really answer the question,” Fort said, his annoyance starting to outweigh his caution.
Dr. Opps gave him a look. “I’m the headmaster here, Forsythe. I don’t answer any question I don’t want to. Now, how are you and Jia getting along?”
Given that she’d dropped him off at the officers’ mess almost an hour early, then walked off in silence, probably not great. “Really good,” Fort said. “She’s incredibly helpful.”
“Good,” Dr. Opps said. “Stick with your studies, and do whatever Jia tells you to do. She’s one of the best healers we have, way ahead of the rest of the class.” He paused. “And while this certainly is going to be a difficult challenge for you, I intend to show the rest of the school that a birthday means nothing. I refuse to believe that you can’t be just as powerful as the other students. And you working hard and mastering the first three spells in a third of the time will prove that.”
“I’ll catch up to them,” Fort said, not even paying attention to his food as he tried a different tactic. “Maybe if I do, I could join Colonel Charles’s class. I think he sees something in me—”
Dr. Opps’s fork dropped to the plate loudly. “What did I just say? You’ll be in the Healing course, or you’ll be heading home. I don’t care if you master the entire book in twenty-four hours.”
Anger rose in Fort’s chest, and he had to fight not to shout at the headmaster. “But you showed me that I could fight those creatures using Destruction magic, back at my aunt’s house,” he said quietly, trying to stay calm. “Why would you do that and then not let me learn how?”
“You would never be allowed within ten miles of an attack, even if you did master Destruction,” Dr. Opps told him, turning back to his plate. “None of you students will be involved in any combat operations until you’re at least eighteen. Not as long as I have anything to say about it, at least.”
Fort clenched his fists below the table. “But that’s not fair,” he snarled. “Don’t I deserve justice for what happened?”
“You don’t want justice,” Dr. Opps told him, setting down his silverware. “You want revenge.”
“Fine!” Fort said, his voice rising now. “Maybe I do! But don’t I deserve it? That thing killed my father!”
Other uniformed officers started turning to look at him again, but Fort didn’t care. Dr. Opps didn’t seem to notice either. “Whether you deserve it or not,” the headmaster said, “it would only lead to further pain on your part, even if you were powerful enough to face one of those things, which you wouldn’t be. Given how little we know about the creatures, I’m not sure anyone here is.”
“I could be!” Fort hissed, leaning in close. “Just give me the chance. My father is dead—”
Dr. Opps dropped his head into his hands and sighed.
“And you would be too, if not for Sierra.”
Fort immediately went silent, staring with wide eyes at the headmaster, who glanced at him once, then turned back to his food. “What did you just say?” Fort whispered.
Dr. Opps looked back up, then reached to take a bite. “I said, I’m not sure anyone here would be able to face one of those things.”
“No,” Fort said, his voice low as he leaned in close. “After that. You said that I would be dead too, if not for Sierra.”
Dr. Opps slowly put down his fork, staring at Fort. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yes you did,” Fort said, not sure why Dr. Opps was lying again. “I heard you! What did you mean by that? Who’s Sierra?”
“I didn’t say that,” Dr. Opps said, looking just as surprised as Fort felt. “I never said it. How could you have heard that?”
“I know you said it. I heard it!” Fort shouted.
This time, he was staring straight at the headmaster when he heard Dr. Opps’s voice again.
The boy heard my thoughts. It has to be her. There’s no way he could do this. Sierra must be connected to him more than we even suspected. But how can she still use her magic?
And the whole time, Dr. Opps’s lips never moved.