Nightmares. She had not really dealt with them for years, but after two weeks of taking Smout?n?s necromancy class they?d returned with a vengeance. The dreamscapes and terrors were rooted in her older sister?s death. Bayliss had been five when Morrighan overdosed on a lethal cocktail of amphetamines and alcohol. Morrighan?s death would not have been so traumatic had Bayliss not found her and sat in an empty house with her sister?s body for hours while waiting for someone to answer the phone.

The nightmares started then and after time they dwindled away to one or two a week.

Now it was one or two a night.

Bayliss gave up trying to sleep this morning. It was five a.m. and pointless to try and sleep in. She was up at six and usually went for a morning run.

However, this morning she sat in her room staring at a dead plant that was supposed to be alive by class at 8. There was nothing in her text or tomes that aided her. In fact, Smout?n had said the books wouldn?t be of any help and it was something she was supposed to figure out on her own.

?You suck.?

It wasn?t the plants fault and she felt bad for saying that since her suitemate and mentor was an Earth elementalist. She could just see Vliss? look of disapproval.

?Fine, you don?t suck. But, you?re not making this any easier on me.?
She flopped back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to will away the images from her dreams. Cold fingers, blue lips that moved silently, and the tumble of blueblack hair across her sister?s face was forever how Bayliss would remember her sister.

Afterall, she?d been five.
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?Let?s see it, Miss Cartier.? He spoke in even tones that made her skin crawl. Nothing phased him even when she ignored him and continued her conversation with Dougie, who shared in her dislike of the necromancy class. Which explained was why he was still in the novice class for it and not more advanced.

?So, you?re telling me that?? She had been in midsentence when a hand dropped onto her shoulder. It was just a hand, not attached to anything and it guided her attention back to the professor. Smout?n stared at her and held out his own hand in a motion that could only mean that he wanted to see if she completed her assignment. Dougie held up his hands and made the call me motion before he hightailed it out of the classroom. She glared at the space that her classmate had been standing in before turning around and looking up at the terrifying teacher.

?Sure. Sure. I have it.? Rummaging around in her newly acquired bag of holding for a few minutes before she pulled the pot and the dried up flower out.

?Here you go Prof.? Dropping the flowerpot into his outstretched hand with a grin.
?Seems I just don?t have it in me.? She shifted her weight from her left foot to her right. The typical 'whatever' stance.

Smout?n inhaled sharply and turned from her to set the flower on his desk.

?Miss Cartier, your nonchalant manner and lack of respect for my class is most displeasing. Did I not already know that you are progressing well in your other classes I would say you were not a good fit for this school.?

Here we go again, she thought as her teacher started in.

?I do not know your previous educational institutions, but when I told you that if you did not complete this assignment you would be spending the next month staying late after classes if you simply did not believe me or willingly chose to not to follow instructions. Either way, I will see you this afternoon at four sharp.?

?But..? She stammered trying to argue her point.

?Not another word, Miss Cartier. If you had just watered the flower you would have realized that it would have blossomed back into life. Your very power imbues you with great strength and stronger magic. You do not just command water, you are water. Now go play magic with the rest of your classmates. I will see you this afternoon.?

She thought of arguing with him, but thought better of it once he pointed to the door, obviously dismissing her.
Bayliss left without another word and sulked all the way to her next class.

The day had started out poorly. No letter from her brother. In fact, there hadn't been any correspondence from her brother in weeks even though she religiously wrote him every Monday. What Bayliss did not realize was that Simon was glad she gone, and he could finally wash his hands of her. So the letters she wrote piled up on the table in the Great Hall of their home.

Of course, she did not know this. So, she continued to write and continued to check her mail every day for a letter, or something.

When nothing came she turned her attention back to studying. Mistress Lyricstar was undoubtable her favorite instructor. The erratic, dream-like woman put up with Bayliss' constant inability to focus.. She was trying to teach her around the road blocks. And the weekend's assignment was no different.

Displacement. Summoning. To go along with everything else she was supposed to be studying.

She wanted to do none of it.
Her brother had sent her to do the family name proud. And now he wouldn't even write her back. It was like he didn't even care about her progress.

It was dangerous to attempt to a displacement spell while distracted. Bayliss had been warned. She'd been warned by all of her instructors that to do any spell with less than all focus was unwise.
But, here she was doing just as she was told not to.
She flicked her wrist upwards, her eyes following the line of the rowan wand to the ceiling.

"Thirty...callings of cold absorption."
She hesistated..
"Cold absorption?"

Unfortunately, she'd completely the 'swish and flick' of the incantation. With spell half-assed she ended up in the vinery of the school's garden.

From there-it was all bits and pieces-A puzzle that wasn't quite all together.

Bayliss had this knack of walking into trouble and the garden had been no different. The siren, Almathia and the Carpathian, Elizabeth were deep in conversation when Bayliss had overheard them.

The words of the siren wove their way into her brain-pulling her,compelling her. She just had to be near Amalthia. But, the siren departed quickly leaving Elizabeth to do damage control.
Which is how the whole scene ended up being nothing more than a daydream in her mind.. Even as she had stumbled and weaved to Infirmary..It was like a her steps were not her own.

It hadn't taken Mistress Evahlys long to discern what had happened through Bayliss broken recounting of the events.
The nurse with her usual no-nonsense manner led the novice off to go try and undo what damage had been done.