The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin (Books of Unexpected Enlightenment Book 1) by L. Jagi Lamplighter Page A

mean Moth Brood? Like Nurse Moth?”
    Rachel shook her head quickly. “No. The Morthbrood are an ancient organization of bad sorcerers. The Moths, on the other hand, are a huge family of the Wise descended from Lord Moth, an intimate of the fairy king and queen.”
    Siggy continued, “Fuentes: ‘Aw, I don’t know. People have been jumping at the shadow of the Terrible Five for over twenty years now. Isn’t it time for a new Big Bad? Not every bad German is a Nazi. Not every black magician’s a Morthbrood. Next thing we know, they’ll be claiming Veltdammerung is still around. Come on. Let’s go report to the boss.’ ”
    Siggy’s voice fell silent.
    “How are you doing that?” Rachel whispered in awe.
    Siggy grinned. “Let’s just say I have sharp hearing.”
    • • •
    The Familiar Bonding Ceremony was held just after breakfast in the Oriental gardens with its flowering trees and picturesque arching bridges. Tiny waterfalls separated a series of koi ponds. A traditional shishi odoshi made a rhythmic tock noise, as pooling water caused the bamboo arm to swing from its up to its down position. When the wind blew, Japanese bells chimed.
    In the center of the garden stood an ivory archway. Jagged-leafed ivy grew over it, except at the very top where the Roanoke coat-of-arms was displayed: a seven-branched tree atop a winged floating island. Standing torches, their flames dancing merrily, marked the pathway leading to the arch.
    The group leaving the infirmary arrived a little late. Rachel looked around eagerly, drinking in everything. In addition to sixty upper school freshmen—all of whom were older than Rachel, some by as much as two years—there were also some college freshmen who had not attended the upper school. Also present were a handful of returning students who wished to bond with a new familiar. Looking around, Rachel noted that while the subfusc uniform was popular, many other students also wore full academic robes, as did the tutor. Apparently, the girls from Drake were wrong that robes were only worn by royalty and poverty cases.
    A heavyset man with a short brown beard stepped forward. He was dressed in black and green robes, the color of a professional canticler, and a green tassel hung from his square, black scholar’s cap. “Greetings. I am Mr. Hieronymus Tuck, one of the Language tutors here at Roanoke Academy. Yes, I am the descendant of Friar Tuck of Robin Hood fame. No, I do not know what a Friar is, either.”
    Rachel checked her memory of dictionaries she had flipped through—from libraries of the Wise and from mundane libraries her parents had taken her to visit in England. None of them explained the word Friar . The best definition she could find was: a title of respect used in the past . She frowned. This was not the first word of its kind she had come upon. Words no one—Wise or Unwary, magical or mundane—seemed able to explain. Steeple , for instance. Fingers could be steepled, and brooms could be steeplechasers. But no dictionary or encyclopedia explained the word steeple itself.
    It was a mystery for her to ponder—similar to the mystery of why there was a statue of a woman with bird wings in the forest, but no mention of any such fey creature in any field guide or encyclopedia.
    “Today, you will be bonded with your familiars. Your familiar is an essential part of Conjuring, one of the seven great Arts of sorcery taught at our esteemed institution. It is also useful for thaumaturgy and warding, two of our other Arts. Only at Roanoke can you study all seven of the Sorcerous Arts. The other magic schools in the world only teach one or two. To learn elsewhere what is taught at Roanoke, you would have to attend school for twenty-eight consecutive years.”
    Groans rose from the assembled students.
    Mr. Tuck continued, “As many of you know, familiars grant their masters and mistresses special gifts, depending on their species. Cats grant an inability to be hurt by falling