The Academy Of Space And Time

We decided that, on Feast Day, right after we met up with Jake, we could leave for the quest. It would have given us an excuse to proceed without being seen by Mister Winter.

In fact, we all agreed the next step would be trying space-shifting.

It was not that we weren't enjoying the lessons with our friends, but we all felt like we'd failed, and we had to make it right. We had unfinished business --- no one left a quest before it was completed.

Besides, we hadn't told anyone Jake was the spy. We didn't want to condemn him before we could hear his reasons. But that was making me feel further apart from the other pupils.

And it wasn't only that. My friends and I had met a god, and discovered important truths about Set and the council. I'd learnt black magic, battled monsters and changed the memories of a criminal. All of a sudden, I felt as if I didn't have much in common with the other students anymore.

Still, we all did our best for Feast Day. Ohda prepared the butter chicken she'd mentioned, and cups of delicious mango milkshake. Sean brought bacon pudding, a gift from his mother, Bill fixed us up with sodas and cookies from the nearest Tesco (human realm!), Alice and her mother Flora worked on a banoffee pie ice cream, while I scoured the human supermarkets with Bill to find the Blue Clouds cheese I needed for my mother's cheese toastie recipe. Raegan brought the vegetables --- she explained she was a vegetarian who always ate very modestly, without recipes. Jeff helped his grandfather decorate, and Edgar provided Cornish Pasties. I supossed he didn't make them, but they were delicious all the same.

"It really should be snowing," Raegan commented, looking out the window. "It would be beautiful. And when Mister Winter leaves," she winked at me. "I'm going to bring in my real effort for this party ---- Belhaven beer."

I rolled my eyes at her. I didn't really drink, and she knew it.

"Aw, shut it," Jeff said jokingly.

"I'm deadly serious."

"When are you ever serious?"

Raegan rolled her eyes but she didn't look offended. I grinned at Jeff.

Edgar joined us. "Not to be that person," he said. "But I would like to tell you something bad."

"Don't worry," I replied. "You're always that person. You probably can't help it."

"Remember when I told you I would look for the tomb of Silver McQueen? I've looked. For weeks. Days spent inside every library I know, even using my powers to locate every book about cemeteries, deaths, census and famous Enchanters. But no one... No one knows where Silver McQueen is buried. Except for a text... It claims he should be buried in Brighton, in the Human Realm, where part of his family was from."

"We should simply... look in every cemetery. In this area, there are only seven," I tried to sound upbeat.

Jeff nodded, but he looked really pale. Then, he said, "I've got something to declare, too. Lately using my powers hurts more than it did before. It's really, really painful... my nerves are inflamed. I don't know how I can possibly space-shift, and survive in another world. Or even face Jake."

"I've got the solution for that!" I exclaimed. "But we should leave as soon as possible if we want to catch Jake, too. You see, when we were crashing at Vitaly he went to buy panacea to a herbalist shop. The owner, Annika Smirnov, was a friend of his. I imagine from the Russian side of his family."

I had told the others, briefly, that Vitaly was really related to me. But talking about it was still weird.

"Of course," Raegan said. "We exchanged gifts and pleasantries. Let's leave now, before Mister Winter is back. I'm just sad about the beer."