The Unskillful Thaumaturge

VI

Lillian plodded slowly down the hall, on her way to her electronics class. Another girl jogged towards her, falling in step. "What's wrong, Lil?"

"What's wrong is, I'm going to fail my thaum lab, and Matt's girlfriend is teaching it, and both of them are giving me a hard time, and she's not going to help me, and there are individual reports."

"That's a lot that's wrong," her friend sympathized. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about Matt's girlfriend, or about you and thaumaturgy. I know nothing about it. You know-" she waved her hands in the air- "pass the test, forget the rest. And I took that class like two years ago. So stupid that it's a core class, but I guess that's the price we pay for going here."

She shared a knowing glance with Lillian. Most of the non-thaumaturgy majors had previously been Dorenans, since the college's main bragging right was its thaumaturgy program. The consequence of this was that THAUM 101 and 101L were required core classes for all students.

"Thanks, Angie," Lillian said gratefully. "I'm really having a hard time. Plus people keep coming to my door and bothering me while I'm trying to study."

"What do you mean?" Angela looked confused.

"A weird guy who dropped by and said something strange, a different weird guy from the DIAO who wanted to do a DNA test, and weird guy number one coming back to find a key that he dropped and that I gave to weird guy number two."

"They were all guys?"

Lillian nodded.

"They were all weird?"

She hesitated a second before nodding again.

"Pardon me, but why the heck does the DIAO want your DNA?"

"No idea, but I said I'd come in tomorrow, under the condition that they answer as many questions as they ask. They want a blood test too, so I'm going hungry tomorrow morning."

"You're giving them your DNA?"

"If they give me a good reason."

"Viable."

Lillian slid into her seat, next to Angela's. "Actually, I'm kind of sorry I told you, because you might not find out why they need it."

"Why?" Angela looked puzzled.

"It's probably top-level confidential."

Angela ducked her head below the desk to get out her notebook. "True."

☙❧

What the heck is that supposed to mean? Do the Ky- The voice in Dakota's head stopped abruptly.

"You know you shouldn't say that. They'll find us," Dakota answered, slightly annoyed.

But do they have it?

"I don't think so."

Why not?

"What they said is that whoever has the key will be looking for us. Not that they are looking for us. The Ky- the people you mentioned are already looking for us. So it could still be her."

I don't think it's her. I don't think she would flat-out lie to us like that. I think it will be someone else.

"Someone new on our tail? Great."

The voice was quiet. Dakota heard footsteps on the stairs and a knock on his office door. "Yeah?" he called.

"You in there, Dakota?" It was Jennifer's voice.