“Did he try to kill me?”
“No. He wanted to trigger your natural magical defenses.”
Well that was a complete failure on his part. Then again…I am talking with the original sacrifice, so maybe it worked after all. If she is to be believed anyway. “How many others have died?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Too many to count, not enough to notice. I spent too many years floating in a place like this without thought or reason.”
“Who built the circle?”
Ice slams into me from behind, freezing my body.
“Figure it out for yourself.” The visions of me and Grayson disappear. “She’s out now. Use her to practice.”
“Practice.” My arms freeze from behind and I shudder as my arms burn from the cold.
“Don’t die before you can avenge me.” With that, she shreds the world around us and I jerk awake with a gasp.
16
Groaning from my aching body, at least I no longer smell the scent of blood. I tug at my clothes and figure I’m probably wearing another set of pajamas. My gaze takes in the now familiar ceiling. My room. Lacey’s room.
I lift my arm and see bandages wrapping my arms. If I play my cards right, I could be an extra in a mummy movie. My lip feels swollen. I run my tongue over it and feel a slight ridge where he’d sliced earlier. “Way to scar my face, asshole,” I mutter.
With a grunt of pain, I roll over and come face to face with a very angry Grayson glaring at me while sitting on a chair next to my bed.
He won’t retaliate, will he?
His eyes are bloodshot, but there’s none of the black ink or bright fire burning in their depths like before. Dark circles sit under his eyes and his silver hair looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket. He glances away from me, unable to maintain the glare for long.
No, he’s not going to hurt me. Is this embarrassment?
“Your hair looks amazing.” I clear the rustiness from my throat with a light cough.
He shoves his hand through it, leaving it messier than before. So that’s how it got so disheveled. “What were you trying to prove?”
“Nothing.” I collapse against the pillow and watch his expressions.
“You could have stopped asking questions at any time.”
I consider what he said and thought about the woman I spoke with in the vision. “But you couldn’t cancel the bargain before the time ended.” It wasn’t a question. I learned my lesson, thank you very much.
“Yeah.”
“Explain what happened so I don’t do something like that again.”
He braces his elbows on his knees and interlocks his fingers between them, staring at me. With a sigh, he looks at the ceiling and then back at my face, obviously wrestling with what he wants to say.
“Take your time. I’ve got all—” I look outside and then back to him. “What time is it?”
“It’s late. After midnight.”
“Of the same day?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh good.” I blink slowly, wanting to rush, but his aura is too tightly wound. Pressing this guy might set off another blood fest. I run my fingers over the spot he pierced with his claw. It is thick with bandages and gauze. Any slight movement pulls at it; I bet it required stitches. “It seems Doc patched me up.”
“You said it’s good that it’s the same day? Nothing about this is good. We’re both lucky we weren’t busted for breaking the rules. You’re lucky you didn’t die.”
I smirk. “You mean you’re lucky I didn’t die. I thought you were teaching me how the Academy rules could be bent.” My smile slips away and I sigh when he doesn’t respond. “You’re telling me that you didn’t hurt me on purpose, but that’s a lie.”
“I didn’t mean for it to go that far. What happened there, when I lost control, that hasn’t happened since I came to Nightborne.”
“That explains a lot. I would like to ask questions without getting cut to ribbons.” Is that possible? I keep myself from asking.
“You can ask. I won’t trigger the spell again.”
I take in a slow breath and roll over to my side, wincing from the aches all over my body. “What spell are you talking about? Tell me why you couldn’t stop.”
“It’s a geas.”
The pronunciation is a little strange. “What is a gesh?”
“Not a gesh, a geas. It’s a spell that requires the completion of a task before it’s lifted. It can also prevent an act or event from happening.”
“You wanted to teach me how to defend myself. So how did the geas trigger in the first place?”
He brings his attention to my face and I see pain tightening his features. “I don’t know.”
“Then how are you sure you or I won’t do or say something that triggers it again?”
He sits back and holds up his hands. “I can feel these working again. Back there, when I got upset, it got hot, but nothing stopped me. I’m sorry.”
Sorry? A word I don’t think I’ve heard in a long time. How many times had Dad put me in danger and gotten me hurt? How many hospitals have I stayed in, waking up at midnight so Dad made sure we get our stories straight before we were questioned? Not once did he ever tell me he was sorry.
I close my eyes as they fill with tears, willing the burning in my eyes to stop. My body complains as I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling. Tears fall out of the corners anyway, leaving streaks of cold on my skin.
“Are you in pain? Shadow!” He shouts, and Doc’s shadow pops up next to him.
“I’m fine. It’s okay.” I wave my hand. “I’m not in pain. Well, not much anyway. I just appreciate the apology. Sorry for pushing you too far. I got angry too.”
“Of course you did. I was making you bleed.”
I smile at his assumption, not willing to tell him that I was actually angry about him reading my dad’s letter.
“If you want to make it up to me, I have a proposition for you.”
“What’s that?” No wariness in his voice at all, just enthusiasm. How worried was this guy?
“Two things. First, I need you to find Rendall tomorrow and make sure he does his job teaching me magic defense.”
“I don’t think that’s possible. He hated Lacey more than just about anyone.”
“Will he know how badly I was beat up today?”
“It will be at least a week before your bandages come off, so he won’t be able to miss it. And you need his help for the cram classes after Christmas. Cutter suggested we use the fact that you’re being targeted by the same people who killed your—” He clears his throat as though suddenly realizing how it sounds to say it out loud. “The headmistress took it out on Courtney for not keeping an eye on you and now she’s demoted to absolute restriction.”
Not seeing her for a while is actually the best news I could wake up to. But what was absolute restriction? He makes it sound like a punishment instead of a description. “What is that?”
“You should really read the Academy Handbook.”
“There’s a book?” I turn my head to stare at him. Someone mentioned that before, didn’t they?
“Don’t you know anything?”
I roll my eyes and turn back to face the ceiling. “I’ve been here for five days and have only changed my own clothes once. The rest of the time I’ve been like this. So no, I don’t know anything.”
“Okay, sorry. I didn’t think about that. So, absolute restriction is a grounding of both magic and movement. She can’t leave her dorm room except for official classes and must be escorted there. Since she doesn’t have a class, she’s not able to leave her room. Even her laundry is supposed to be done by someone else. Meals are taken in her room and delivered by a teacher or designated representative. Her magic is reduced to almost nonexistent.”
“How long is she under restriction?”
“Not sure. A couple of weeks, maybe? I can find out, though.”
“That would be great. So who is going
to escort me from now on?”
“Me.”
“The headmistress doesn’t know you’re the one who did this.” It wasn’t a question. Since he was here with me, that answer was obvious.
“Yeah. She’ll see you tomorrow.”
I chuckle. Maybe he’s more like Dad than I thought. A wave of exhaustion washes over me. I’m so tired all of a sudden. “Don’t worry. I’ll say I didn’t see who did it.”
“She can read your mind.”
“Oh yeah. There goes that idea. Then what do you want me to say?’
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Tell her the truth. I’ll make sure Rendall’s situation is taken care of before she can hit me with the restriction.” He hesitates for a moment. “What is the second thing you want me to do?”
Tell the truth? Warmth filled my chest. Okay, not like Dad at all. I’d give him a break instead of making him do something else. Especially if he didn’t have much time until she saw us. “Read my dad’s letter to me.”
“What? Why?”
“Because everything hurts and you’ve already seen what he said. Based on your comments earlier, I’m afraid I’ll end up wadding it up or ripping it to pieces if I read it.”
“I can do that. Where is it?”
“In my backpack.”
There’s a knock at the door and he gets up. “That will be Doc’s clone. Hang tight for a second. I’ll be right back.”
The door opens and I hear low voices chatting. I’m tempted to sit up, but I found a spot where my wounds hurt a lot less. Stretching and rolling didn’t open the cuts, so I assume most of them were healed by Doc. At least somewhat. The skin is tight in every area Grayson sliced open. And the ones on my forearm and cheeks itch.
He comes back to my side carrying a tray holding a book, a bowl, and a squat container with a screw-on lid. “This is the Nightborne Academy Handbook. Read through it so you don’t do something stupid.”
“Like trigger a fight to the death?”
“Your sister fought in the arena often. You being injured like this will bring out the wolves still on campus. It’s easy to mess up and accept a challenge. So definitely study this. It’ll be boring, but bear with it.” He set the tray down and tosses the book on the bed.
I pick it up and run my fingers over the cover. The NA logo and crest are all that you see. No title or author, not even on the spine. I flip it over to the back and there is nothing but black. If I saw it on a shelf, I’d ignore it, so I’m glad he pointed out what it was. “I’m the kind of person who reads the operator’s manuals. I won’t get bored.” If anything, I may learn a lot more about this school and the different types of magic Lacey had mentioned in her letters.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Wait until you get to the Nightborne Investigation section with all the regulation numbers. The doc also gave you medicinal soup to help you recover and skin cream for the scarring. He’ll be by to help you put on the cream and change your bandages after you shower. I’m supposed to emphasize a shower and not a bath, since soaking can cause problems with recovery.”
Would it be the doctor or his clones helping me? “I can get my wounds wet?”
“They’re all closed, so it should be fine. The only one to be careful with is the one near your collarbone.” His gaze landed on the puff of gauze and then away, guilt obvious in both his expression and the chaotic movements of his smoke aura. “It has a waterproof bandage but can be torn open. He has to actually stitch that one shut.”
“Okay.”
He fiddles with the items on the tray and then looks back at me.
“I thought of something.”
“What’s that?”
“How will you escort me if you’re under restriction?”
His guilt disappears and realization hits him. “You should bring that up tomorrow.”
I laugh at the way his aura smooths out. Remembering the way I’d tugged at his aura before made me wonder if that wasn’t what triggered his anger. Could it have been that or when I accused him of betraying my sister? Even a small part of me wondered whether he’d actually been the one to stab her. But his cuts are much finer and more precise than the wounds on Lacey’s body.
I slowly drag my body up to a sitting position and he jumps forward to help me settle pillows behind me. He puts the tray over my lap and hovers next to me.
I take a spoonful of soup. Warm and delicious, just like before. It’s essential to get into that medical herbology class.
“I’ll get your letter.” He ducks out of the room and into the closet, coming back a moment later with the envelope in hand.
He stands at the end of the bed, staring at me.
“Are you going to sit down?”
“No. I think it’s better for me to stand. Are you sure you want me to read this out loud?”
My stomach lurches at his worry and the obvious anxiety pulsing through his aura. I swallow another spoonful of soup, letting it soothe the ache in my chest and heart. Or imagining that it can anyway.
“Go ahead. I’ll be good and eat my soup. It’s not the first time he’s disappeared with only a letter left behind. I’ve been taking care of myself since I was in elementary school.”
His expression of shock mollified me a bit. Good to know Dad’s actions were as scummy as I thought they were.
“Okay. Here goes.”
An icy, familiar presence tinges my thoughts and I realize Lacey’s back with me.
Just in time to listen to Daddy’s excuses.
17
Paper crinkles as he takes the letter out of the envelope. I glance over and see a single page. My gaze drops back to the soup and I force myself to eat another spoonful.
“He calls you Lacey.” Grayson’s voice cuts into the silence and I nod my head in acknowledgement. He clears his throat.
“Dear Lacey,
It was great seeing you again. I missed talking with you and can’t wait to see you over the winter break. I’ll be by to see you on January 2nd. Mom told me to tell you she’ll visit on Christmas Day. Don’t forget to give your mom my love. Enjoy your winter break. Merry Christmas, honey. Love, Dad.”
Lacey’s presence chills me as her anger grows more tangible.
His voice trails off and I realize I’ve been sitting with my spoon in my mouth for the entire short letter. I snort and put it back in the bowl. With a sigh of frustration, I lean back against the headboard. What a crock of crap. Mom visiting me? Dad wishing me a Merry Christmas? Him coming to visit?
“That’s all he wrote.”
“That was enough for you to make fun of me earlier?” My sister appears at the foot of my bed, watching me with a look of anguish that tears at my heart. Did she actually do all the things they said she did? Should I ask her?
He shrugs. “He didn’t mention your supposed death or anything. Shouldn’t he at least pretend to be a sad, doting father? Don’t you think he’s too chipper?”
“There aren’t many people here who know I have a twin sister, right?” Lacey’s head snaps up and her gaze locks onto mine. I see a strange expression flit across her face.
“I’m not sure. Anyone who did has been silenced or transferred out. She was pretty protective of your identity.”
Lacey glances at him and then down. She did those things, after all. “That’s what I thought.” It’s what her expression says. And why I know Dad wouldn’t waste his time sending a polite letter to anyone, much less me. “Hand over his letter.” He does and I take it from him. The paper is stiff and thick. His spell paper. Too expensive for him to send without another reason.
His messy scrawl is nearly indecipherable. “I’m surprised you could read this.”
“It’s not that bad.”
A smiley face next to the word ‘Dad’ catches my attention.
I wave the paper and Lacey comes to my side, walking right into the mattress. She reads it over my shoulder and then taps the smiley face. Exactly what I thought. “Can you make your finger into a spiked c
law like before?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I need some of my blood.”
“For what?”
“I’ll show you.” I smile at him and pull at his aura, willing his finger to switch.
Warmth explodes through my mind and I feel the slightest twinge of response. It changes, a minor point at the edge, and he jerks his hand back in surprise.
Pain splinters from my temples, but I close my eyes to keep calm. Lacey’s hand touches my shoulder, burning the already sore stab wound. That was stupid.
The warmth in my mind leaches away and I’m left shaken and worn out. “Please. I’m getting exhausted and I need to see the real message.”
“Real message?” He slowly extends an index finger, pointing it up toward the ceiling.
“Dad wishing me a Merry Christmas is impossible.” I prick my index finger on his claw and then squeeze a drop onto the smiley face.
“Why?”
“For Dad, the only thing that matters is the next job. According to him, holidays are for suckers and a waste of money.” The blood spreads across the entire face and the words on the page change instantly.
Lacey and I glance at each other and then at the paper.
“Sorry for ditching you. If it’s you, I know you’ll be okay. There were other matters I need to take care of. We have a job on December 25th so be ready for me on the 24th. Meet me at the gate at 11 pm. I’ll contact you if plans change.”
“What is this?”
I clench my jaw and hand it over for him to read. This was how Lacey and I used to communicate. Our letters were always encrypted with a blood patch. The fact that Dad used the same method irks me. And why would he use it now?
I look at Lacey and she shrugs. Her glow is significantly duller than it was before I walked up to her casket. What happened to her in the past week? Was she actually imprisoned somehow?
“The words are starting to fade.” His voice jerks me out of my staring contest with my twin and back to Dad’s letter.
Nightborne Academy Page 11