Chatoyant College Book 7: Upon What Soil

Chapter 52: Questions

"So do you think we should avoid buying anything on campus?" Dawn asked.

Professor Lal gestured as though she was waving away their concerns. "Most of it should be harmless. I only want to study the posters because it sounds as though they are affecting your lives in unpleasant ways. The other things you've bought are not so bothersome, are they?"

"The bag is okay but only because I tested it first," said Edie. "I bought it as a knitting project bag, but I can't use it unless I want whatever's inside to turn into green cotton."

"And I don't think those voodoo dolls, or whatever they are, are really safe," Corrie said. "I mean, I didn't get hurt when I tripped, but I could have. What if I'd been at the top of some stairs when it happened?"

"I think you would have caught yourself," said Professor Lal. "It's unlikely you would even have noticed the pattern if you weren't already aware of the faeries. But I see your point regarding the inconvenience of the magic. I think this may have been growing stronger in recent years, and I will work with the other faerie faculty to see if we can't reverse the trend, or get rid of the problem entirely."

"I would think it would work if you got rid of this market," said Roe.

Professor Lal nodded. "It's possible, but it's not the only explanation, and many in this area would object, so it should only be an option if we can't find any other way to fix things. We're also unsure if it's even possible for the market to exist anywhere else, but I'm sure you're not interested in such faerie politics."

"I think we're interested in anything you could tell us," Annie said quietly, but Corrie's mind, frustrated with Professor Lal's dismissal of their concerns, had already moved on to other things.

"What about the food? We buy that on campus every day. Is that affecting us in some way we can't tell?" She tried to think about all the food she'd eaten on campus—almost every meal—and whether she'd felt it had affected her. But everything had been so strange since coming to Chatoyant College, it would be difficult to pick anything out.

"You don't need to worry about the dining hall food," Professor Lal said quickly. "It's purchased off-campus, and since you buy your meal plans at the beginning of the semester, it is already paid for. If you ever feel some change that you can trace back to the food, though, please do let me know. I suppose it would not be all that surprising if, with this apparent increase in the strength of the magic, the food began to be affected as well." She frowned, turning her apple around in her hands.

"Okay, another question," said Dawn. "What about Brandon? We wanted to talk to him, and I understand that he was freaked out, but I don't know how he could have disappeared like that."

Corrie looked around, wondering if Brandon might somehow be at the market as well, but she didn't see anyone she recognized in the small crowd of faeries milling about. She did realize, somewhat to her surprise, that only about half of them were wearing glamours; she wasn't holding her clover (it was too hard to have a conversation with Professor Lal that way), but she still saw many faerie forms. None of them, however, seemed to be paying attention to the little group seated in the grassy area. Maybe Professor Lal's spell had been more than just silence.

"It is an ability he has," said the professor. "You don't need to concern yourself with that."

"What about the path here?" asked Roe. "You didn't seem surprised that we found it, but it was really heavily glamoured. Only Dawn could even see that it was there—and we have our iron bracelets on and I think we all have four-leaf clovers in our pockets."

Professor Lal laughed. "You are very well prepared! I'm glad to hear that you wouldn't come into the woods without protection, but I suppose you know as well as anyone how dangerous it can be. But I think there's a simple explanation for the path. Edie, you said that Yedara didn't want you going here?"

"Uh... yeah," said Edie. "I don't think she thought it was safe."

The professor nodded. "Since the path leads—among other places—to her tree, I suppose she put additional glamours on it to keep you from finding it. It has a glamour on it ordinarily, but they should not be so difficult to see through."

"But she knows I have the Sight, and I'm Edie's friend," said Dawn. "Why bother when it wouldn't stop me?"

"I don't think she expected me to bring you there," Edie said. "But I'm definitely going to ask her about it when I see her again. She didn't have to do all that." Corrie squeezed Edie's hand. She squeezed back.