On Thursday, Rin called another meeting. When Laine entered with Zephyr, Rin glared at them.
"You're late." He snapped as they took their seats. Glaring angrily around the room, Rin began, "It has been a month, and no one has reported anything interesting to me. Are you all even investigating?" He turned with anger to face Laine. He always looked to Laine first because Laine was the least likely to comply with his orders. Laine shrugged in response.
"I already told you last time that I don't feel like messing with your brother this year." Rin's eyes narrowed at this speech, but he still turned to Zephyr anyway.
"I've been investigating. I am just not sure what I've found." Zephyr told him with a smile. Laine grimaced as he recognized that Zephyr was speaking of his investigation of him. Rin faced Torin. Torin met his simmering, angry eyes with his own empty ones.
"I haven't found anything yet." He said blandly.
"I haven't been investigating." Pharon supplied in his gravelly voice.
"Of course, you haven't. You are too stupid to do it discreetly." Rin snapped not looking at him. Pharon grunted.
"I found something. I just forgot to tell you." Shiki volunteered proudly. Rin looked at him with a slight smile. Shiki went on, "Your brother gave a gift to one of his female students." Laine and Torin both looked at him sharply. Zephyr watched Laine. Although he was trying hard not to show it, it was apparent to Zephyr that Laine was experiencing heightened emotions. Rin's smiled slowly deepened.
"Well, that is interesting. Bring her here. I'd love to meet her." Shiki felt a twinge of uneasiness at this and realized he felt bad for Momo. "Now. Everyone else is dismissed." Rin finished. Laine and Torin both stared at Shiki as they left. Each was wondering how he'd found her.
***
Magic class was under way when Shiki peeked his head into the room. He looked straight at Ky who was wandering around helping students.
"I need to borrow Momo." He told him as he stepped in the room. Ky stared at him in surprise. Shiki looked for Momo she was sitting in the far corner of the room with two other girls. One was the pretty blond she'd been with yesterday; the other was hideously ugly. Shiki met Momo's resigned eyes. "Come on." He said.
Momo looked at her worried friends.
"It'll be fine." Aerie told her softly.
Momo got up and followed Shiki from the room. They walked in silence before coming to a big wooden door.
"Sorry about this." Shiki told her before pushing the door open. Momo walked in as he held it open for her. She saw Rin sitting in a throne like chair before a lit fireplace. She met his dark eyes and felt barely contained anger simmering below his surface. She looked down as she walked closer to him. She stopped a few feet away.
"I hear you received a gift from my brother. May I see it?" Momo put a hand over her chest protectively, as if she were worried about the necklace. "Please." Rin said with impatience. She nodded slightly and grasping it by the chain, slowly drew the pendant from under her shirt. Rin smirked and crooked a finger. Momo's body was drawn through the air to him. She stopped just short of hitting him. Rin put a hand under the pendant, holding it, while he looked closely at it. Suddenly, he smiled maliciously and the magic that had been holding her up released her. She fell into a crouch. "I want you to take that off and wear this." Dangling from his hand was a bracelet with what looked like a glowing ember for a stone. She once again acted like the necklace was important to her, pretending so that Rin would think she was who he was looking for.
"but I can't-" he stopped her mid-sentence.
"You can, and you will." The barely contained anger in his voice seemed ready to explode. Momo avoided his eyes, knowing he would take direct eye contact as a challenge. Slowly, she drew the necklace over her head and released it. It vanished instantly.
"I don't want to wear that." She said talking about the bracelet in his hand. His free hand darted out and grabbed her arm. He slapped the bracelet on her. It was hot enough to burn. Even as she cried out in pain, she quickly summoned a cushion of air between it and her skin.
"You don't have a choice." Rin's voice sounded smug, "Now you may go and make sure my brother sees that." Shiki came over quickly and grabbed her by the upper arm drawing her away.
"That wasn't as bad as I was thinking it'd be." He said once the door shut behind them. Momo just glared at him. "What? It's not my fault you accepted a gift from your teacher." Momo huffed and left him standing there, feeling guilty.
***
When Momo returned to class Ky looked at her questioningly. She nodded in answer to his silent question. He told her that he wanted to see her at lunch. Momo returned to her seat and resumed magic practice. Aerie immediately noticed the bracelet on her wrist.
At lunch Momo told Ky what happened and showed him the bracelet. Ky gently took her wrist. He concentrated and froze the bracelet, making it brittle. Then he shattered it. The pieces vanished as they fell. The coal winked balefully as it hit the floor. They looked at it as it slowly disappeared. Ky felt smug as he watched it. Momo felt apprehensive. He sent her on to lunch.
Ro wanted to talk about what happened, but Aerie informed her that it was Momo's business. She said that if there was anything to tell, Momo would let them know. Aerie noticed, however, that the new bracelet was gone. She resolved to ask Momo about that later.
The rest of the day went without incident. If Laine was looking at her worriedly, Ro didn't notice. Instead, she was focused on the chain attacks. She was getting faster and was doing it successfully nearly every time. Laine still laid in his demon form in the shade of the tree, watching her as she worked, with that same small smile that Zephyr couldn't understand. Zephyr ignored him as he would occasionally reposition her when her form slipped. They added two more movements onto her chain before the end of practice.
After practice ended, Laine told her if she could win two of tomorrows matches, she could have the rest of the next afternoon off. Ro was ecstatic. She knew exactly what she would do with the time if she had it off. She was going to the Library to check out a book on fire magic. One that would tell her how to do that magic she had tried the other day. If Zephyr hadn't been there she would have given Laine a massive hug to express her gratitude.