Miranda frowned. “Then I’m not sure why, to be honest. You just… fell. Before we could do anything, Bones leapt over two tables and was on top of you. It looked like he was attacking you. We thought he was the reason you fell.” She frowned, gingerly touching my neck. “He bruised you pretty badly. He definitely used some kind of magic, but… I don’t know what he did. You’resurehe saved you?”
I nodded again. “Yes.”
I continued to look around, but people stood all around me now, blocking my view, and I could no longer hear Draken or Bones. When I glanced back at Miranda, my friend looked worried. She, Luc, Darragh, and Jolie all seemed to be exchanging concerned looks.
“Can you stand?” Miranda asked gently.
Before I could answer, a teacher-like figure pushed through the crowd.
The middle-aged Magical reached us in two clacking steps and crouched down on his haunches next to me. He had a tan,leather case with him. He set it on the ground and snapped it open, rummaging around inside as he addressed my friends.
“If she can hold herself up without your assistance, I’m going to need you to give us some space.” His voice was sharp, and all business. “I’m Medi-physician for Malcroix Bones. I need to examine her with as little interference as possible. Mr. Bones claims she was poisoned with a dark enchantment. If he’s right, contamination is a risk, so you need to move back. He claims he saw the telltale, which is why he attempted to assist her…”
My mind spun around the words.
Dark enchantment? Telltale?
The mage in front of me, who looked to be in his forties or thereabouts, with dark, reddish-brown skin, held up a gold-handled device like a magnifying glass.
“Blow on this, please,” he instructed.
I fought to suck in enough air to do as he said. I exhaled as much as I could past the tightness in my throat.
I managed to fog part of the glass.
On the other side of the round lens, a green and black cloud curled out. It briefly shaped itself into the form of a purple and black scorpion, then dissipated.
The man’s expression turned grim.
“Zarthus,” he muttered under his breath. “How in Magique did he see that?”
I struggled to speak. I wanted to know that, too.
“What?” I managed. “…Did he see?”
The physician gave me a look, as if assessing how well I might take whatever information he delivered. He made up his mind, and snapped the magnifying-type instrument back into his case.
“Mr. Bones was right,” he said crisply. “He was even correct on the specific enchantment. Which is strange, frankly, given it’s not one taught in any class curriculums.”
“Is it…” I managed. “Am I safe? My friends?”
“The amount remaining is too small for contamination,” he assured me. “Your friends haven’t been exposed. Not at any level that would be harmful.”
“But what…” I fought past my painful throat. “How?”
The man’s voice grew darkly serious.
“Someone just tried to kill you, Miss Shadow. Or tried very hard to killsomeone,at any rate,” he amended. “It’s possible it wasn’t intended for you, and you simply got in the way.” From the skepticism in his eyes and voice, he didn’t believe that. “Regardless, you drank from a glass intended to prove fatal to its recipient. I would exercise a great deal of caution until we determine who did this and why.”
His stare grew a touch harder.
“And perhaps stick close to Mr. Bones until at least one of those things comes to pass,” he advised. “He most assuredly saved your life.”
I might have laughed, if my throat hadn’t been on fire.
As it was, I only sat there, silent, as the school physician regained his feet and walked briskly away.
16
