at the expense of Stefan’s life. Someone had to stop this, before there were permanent consequences.
“Stop!” Delmare shouted. She stepped forward and cast a binding spell. Stefan halted in place, his one fist still in the air. Andrik hung limply, held up by his shirt that was bunched in Stefan’s hand. Delmare forced Stefan to drop him, and Andrik landed with a thud.
“What is the meaning of this?” A sinister voice made my skin crawl.
Lady Korva had arrived, along with Professor Lunesta. Korva stared with vile hatred at us, while Lunesta took in the scene with disbelief. Korva’s eyes looked at Andrik, then at me.
Delmare lifted the freezing spell on Stefan. He relaxed. Though he looked like he longed to, he didn’t attack Andrik again.
“This prick head was trying to rape my best friend!” I yelled, and I pointed at Andrik, who moaned on the ground. “We walked in on it moments ago. Stefan was just defending her.”
Lunesta looked to Delmare. “Is this true, Miss Delmare?”
Delmare nodded. Her face was pale. She was still in shock.
“Excuse me, but where is the evidence for this?” Lady Korva questioned. “If you ask me, this looks like a staged attack on an innocent student by these four ruffians.”
Gods, if I could slap her, her head would come flying off. She was the worst teacher ever.
Thank Milonna, though, Lunesta wasn’t tolerating Korva’s bullshit. “I believe Miss Delmare has reported for weeks now that Mister Anton has been harassing her, and the school has failed thus far to follow up on it. Written reports have been made. Isn’t that right, Miss Delmare?”
Stefan’s eyes widened in shock. He looked to Delmare, who again, nodded feebly.
Good job Delmare for getting a written record. At least people couldn’t deny her as easily.
Korva, who couldn’t have her way, merely wrinkled her nose and sneered.
“So is the school going to do something now?” I asked. I wasn’t going to let Andrik get away with this— one beating wasn’t enough.
“An investigation will be opened,” Professor Lunesta said kindly. “Though this goes for Mister Slasky as well, for assaulting a student on campus. We’ll deal with both of them.”
“An investigation!” Korva scoffed. “This is ridiculous. That boy is a monster.” She pointed to Stefan. “He deserves to be thrown out of this institution!”
“Excuse me, Lady Korva, but Stefan Slasky and Andrik Anton are both dragons, of my own Faction,” Lunesta said coolly. “It is I who will set their punishment.”
Lady Korva visibly clenched her teeth. Her eyes searched for someone she could boss around, and that happened to be Ethan and I. “And what are you two doing here?” she snapped. “Was this a planned attack? Three on one?”
My mouth dropped open. Was she serious? This fuckhead had tried to rape Delmare, and she’d turned it around on us?
“I was just returning from hockey practice. You may ask Lord Lucien if you do not believe me,” Ethan replied. “And if you look at the evidence, Emma had nothing to do with this. This was not the work of a sorceress.”
“Watch your tongue, boy. Your station means nothing anymore,” Korva snarled.
I felt magic blooming in my palms again. Teacher or not, Korva was going to get it from me one of these days. That just might be today.
“I suggest you all return to your dorms,” Professor Lunesta said to us, before Korva could provoke us further. “We shall take Mister Anton to the hospital wing, where, after he is treated, he will be questioned. Mister Slasky, you are also to come with me. Miss Delmare, is there anything we can do for you? I suggest you come with us to the hospital wing as well.”
Delmare sniffed and shook her head, wiping at her nose.
Lunesta frowned. “Very well. Miss Sosna, will you stay with her awhile?”
“I will,” I promised. It was only then Lunesta relented. Stefan kept his head down as he followed Professor Lunesta, still fuming. Lady Korva levitated Andrik behind them, and sent me a cursed glance before she rounded the corner.
Once the teachers were gone, Delmare fell to pieces. She put her head in her hands and cried.
It was tough to watch. Delmare was so hard core that it was a weird thing to see her sob, but anyone would fall apart after something like that. “Mare,” I said, and I put my hands on her shoulders. She didn’t pull away, though she visibly cringed.
“Let’s get her to the dormitories,” Ethan said kindly.