Dark Waters (Elemental Book 1) Read Online Free

to
the esoteric university, only the nearest town which was, quite frankly, a
ghost town. The bus driver gave me a severe stare as I exited, as if I was
entirely out of my mind. I assumed he actually skipped this stop normally and I
wasn’t exactly surprised.
    It was dark and thick clouds obstructed any light the
moon or stars could have otherwise offered. The streetlights flickered
systematically all the way down the deserted road. Stores lining the main
street— the only street from what I could tell— were visibly rundown if not
abandoned altogether.
    A black, nondescript Saturn drove slowly up the road
a few minutes after the bus disappeared. The streetlights blinked out as it
passed, only to flicker back on when it was far enough away. It stopped right
in front of me.
    I was left with a decision; I could wander the
streets, looking for a motel that was probably run by a psychotic, axe-wielding
mass murderer waiting to find me sleeping and play show-and-tell with my
internal organs, or I could get in the car that was probably driven by a
psychotic, axe-wielding mass murderer waiting to drive me to his small cabin in
the woods and play show-and-tell with my internal organs.
    I got in the damn car.
    It was a two hour drive into the northern part of the
state, winding over backwoods roads where the branches of the trees often met
overhead to create dark tunnels. When the clouds cleared, the moonlight cast
eerie shadows through the trees. During the entire trip, the driver never
looked at me or said a word.
    Finally, the driver stopped the car and I took a long
look at the mysterious university.
    Picturesque is how one might describe the scene.
Spooky and weird would work just as well.
    It was a castle, but not one from any era or country
of origin that I could identify. The closest I could describe was modern
Gothic. There was a peaceful stone courtyard in the front, which came across as
a trap. From the unsymmetrical towers and unusual windows, which were different
shapes and sizes, I guessed that the castle was built by at least three
different architects. Nestled in the mountains of northern Maine with a huge
lake to the west, it was not something that could easily be overlooked, yet
this was one of the most obscure paranormal establishments unknown to man.
    Not being able to come up with any really substantial
reason for retreat, I continued with the alternative; I got out of the car with
my bags and walked up the looped gravel drive. A stone path led up to the
castle from this point, winding through bushes and trees that hid all but the
topmost part of the second floor. When I got to the front door, I looked back,
but both the road and car were hidden from view. The place was one to warm the
back recesses of any hardcore hermit’s heart.
    There was a simple but massive brass knocker on the
door, yet before I could try it, the door opened to reveal the headmaster.
“Welcome, Devon Sanders. I’m Logan Hunt. Leave your bags and follow me.”
Without another word, he turned and led me through the hallways and into the
room where I met the other twelve members of the school board. Even knowing
that I was going to be accepted into the school, it was daunting.
    The problem was that I wasn’t a wizard. I had to
pretend to be able to do magic well enough to fool actual witches and wizards,
not to mention shifters and fae. This was a prestigious university even in the
paranormal world; everyone was going to be asking me how I got in. Even the
deputy principal, Mrs. Ashcraft, didn’t know I was here for other reasons than
to learn.
    And apparently, I had to do more than worry about
keeping my lies and covers straight; some of these people could read minds.
Fortunately, there were no vampires. I would have refused the case if vampires
were allowed in the school, because there was nothing that could convince me to
work with them.
     
    *          *          *
     
    The door burst opened, startling me from my