I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until my mouth started to water. Eating back there felt like old times, so I stayed and chatted with him until lunchtime. Happily, I grabbed a tray and started out to the tables to serve the students. I couldn’t help but think back to how embarrassed I’d been to be a servant in the kitchen.

Now I couldn’t care less. When I put the tray down and unloaded the roasted chicken, I noticed how quiet the room was. Students were eating, but it was obvious from the mood of the room and from the table on the dais with five empty chairs where everyone’s thoughts were. Two more students had been found to be missing just that morning, and even more guards and teachers patrolled the halls and city.

A few hushed whispers and panicked looks flickered between the younger ones, but then an older Denai would lean over and give them a pat on the back to relax them.

On my second trip out of the kitchen, I carried a jug of cider to pour at each table. I was about to hand a cup to a young Denai boy when someone knocked the cup out of my hand.

“Don’t touch or eat anything the freak serves you. She’ll turn her evil eye on you and you will disappear like the others.” Syrani spouted loudly. My hand still stung from where her hand slapped the drink out of my grip.

I watched as the Denai boy looked at Syrani and then looked back up at me. It was then that he noticed my eyes. He shrunk back from me in fear and began to shake.

“How dare you spew lies and instill fear into them!” I turned on her angrily. “I have nothing to do with those missing children, and you should know better.”

Syrani smiled wickedly. “I think you know more about the missing students than you are letting on.”

I was taken aback. Was she bluffing, or did she actually know what happened to me? Syrani must’ve noticed my hesitation.

“I thought so.” She leaned in close to me and whispered. “I’ve heard things about you. None of them good. Everything I’ve heard proves you to be nothing more than a freak. You should leave now! And not just the room. Leave the city and don’t come back.”

I felt everyone’s eyes on me. “I have nothing to do with their disappearances. I wasn’t even here when they happened. So lay blame where the blame lies, and that’s not on me—but on whoever took them.”

“So you too believe they were taken. No one else has said anything about kidnapping.” The room erupted with the sound of Denai talking, yelling, and a few crying.

My whole body wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor and disappear. I had caused this.

“Who’s next? Am I next to be kidnapped? Are you a spy sent here to lure us out into the night?” She pointed to the young Denai boy I had tried to serve. “Is he going to disappear next? When will the madness stop?”

“It’s not like that. The Adept Council will find them. They will save them.” But my words fell on deaf ears. No one could hear me over their own fear. The room had turned into a terrified mob.

It was time to tell the truth, no more lies. I stood on a table and whistled loudly. It took a few moments for the room to quiet down, but I had everyone’s attention.

My hands shook with nervousness, and I tried to hide them in my skirt. “Do you want to know the truth?”

Heads nodded, and I glared at Syrani, daring her to interrupt. “Then, I will tell you the truth, even though it could put me in danger.” I sighed and prayed for wisdom before I spoke. “Yes, there is a possibility that they were kidnapped by the Septori. The Septori wear red robes and are branded with a circle and slash mark somewhere on their body. They follow the directions of their leader, known only as the Raven. I know, because I was once taken in the middle of the night by these men, from my own homeland. I was imprisoned with others.”

“What happened next?” The young boy who’d been so afraid of me moments before asked. A movement by the door caught my eye, and I saw Joss enter quietly to stand by the back wall.

I looked at him and smiled. “Well obviously, I escaped. The people who kidnapped me are still looking for me. I know for a fact they are not done with their plan, because more and more Denai are disappearing, and none are reappearing.” I looked at Joss pleadingly.

He nodded his head once and gave me permission.

“Joss’s own sister Tenya was kidnapped. These people infiltrated his home, used mind control, and manipulated his family. And they were a family of strong Denai. I believe this same group—the Septori—are behind the missing students here.”

“What can we do?”

“How can we protect ourselves, when the Jesai family couldn’t protect their own blood?”

“I wanna go home,” someone wailed.

“You should leave and don’t come back,” another voice hollered.

More and more shouting began, and I felt overwhelmed. Syrani sat silently in her chair and looked at me thoughtfully. Her calm demeanor bothered me.

Joss ran between the tables and jumped up onto the table with me. If anyone could speak reason to them, Joss could.

“We weren’t prepared before. You’re prepared now. It is obvious that they are now actively pursuing Denai. But you are not defenseless. Your whole body is a weapon. You were raised to be peaceful, but you know that peace is only an illusion of the mind. Last semester you began training in combat.” He turned and pointed a finger at an older student. “How many ways can you take down an armed attacker?”

The student was taken aback at the direct question. He stood up, pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, and thought about it. “Um, four?” he answered.

“Wrong!” A strong, angry voice interjected. A thrill raced through my body just hearing it.

I turned to see Kael’s tall form stride into the room. Eyes followed him as he moved forward, and he turned a furious gaze on each of them. “I taught you twenty four ways to disarm an attacker without using your power. Thirty-two if you had a weapon in your hand. You are Denai and are strong. You shouldn’t cower from these men who hide their faces behind masks and robes. You could destroy them before they ever touched you. The only thing stopping you is fear.”

“That’s right. We will find these monsters and they will be brought to justice. Now all of you, get back to your studies,” Joss demanded.

I could hear the groups grumbling about how we didn’t answer more of their questions. If Lorna or Pax had heard what we had just done, we would have been in serious trouble. But since they were gone…

When the room emptied out, Kael turned on me, his voice deep with frustration. “You shouldn’t have told them.”

Joss stepped nimbly between Kael and me. “I think she should have. If someone is targeting them, they should know about it. Thalia’s right. They have a right to defend themselves.”

“What do you think I’ve been teaching them? How to knit? I’ve been preparing them for this. But now you’ve made them terrified.” He looked at me, his dark eyes filled with emotion. “You should have known better.”

I pushed Kael hard in the chest in anger. “I only did what I thought was right. If there are monsters out there, then they should know about them.”

Kael sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “There are always monsters out there. Thieves, murderers, slave traders. And you can’t protect everyone.” He stared at me and I noticed the light stubble on his chin and the dark circles under his eyes exhibiting his lack of sleep. Something was bothering him, but he hadn’t come to talk to me about it.