by Avery Cross
I glanced over my shoulder at the stairs, the hair rising on my arms. “That figure, you think it was what, the robed man?”
He shook his head hard. “Ivan. He’s been watching me the past few days,” he whispered. “Probably for good reason, too.”
“Nothing you’re saying right now is making sense. Why is he following you?”
“Look, my brothers, my entire family, is part of the military. We don’t exactly leave stones unturned, and when our gut tell us something is off, we listen to it.” He shrugged, adding, “And because Ivan’s blue aura has started to turn black.”
That had me throwing a worried look back over my shoulder at the stairs. Zach had taught me about auras and their meanings in the first few days. Black had a few good qualities, but most were bad. Very bad.
Evil bad.
“Right, so what are you doing in the catacombs then?” I asked, still not following.
“I was looking for the records of the missing students, all the missing students from all years from last year down to thirty years ago,” he whispered. “Ivan said they were gone, but I think he lied.”
I wasn’t sure I believed him and started to laugh. “You’re kidding, right? This is what, you’re getting back at me for being so terrible? Surprise. You really think the students went missing, and oh, to top it off, Ivan’s in on it and probably Hooke too.”
I started to head toward the stairs when Zach reached for my arm. “Look.” He moved to stand in front of me. “I’m sorry I thought you were full of it, but I think—I think whatever you found, you weren’t supposed to find, and they’re worried.”
“What do you mean?”
“They were talking about someone asking questions. I’m assuming they meant you, or me. Both possibly.”
I shook my head. “I only told you,” I whispered. “You think they know I did it? How?”
“I don’t know, but I started digging around in the old archives, and I found the year you mentioned, but haven’t had a chance to look into them anymore.”
His look told me he was dead serious. Whatever he overheard bothered him enough to look into it, and now he was being followed by Ivan, Hooke’s second in command.
It took a split second for me to motion him forward.
“Lead the way. I’m not about to walk away, not now when you finally believe me.” And certainly not if there were more students that vanished than we originally thought.
He pulled a lantern from the wall, and we moved deeper into the lowest level. Our steps were muffled, instead of echoing. I crept closer to Zach, worried that we wouldn’t hear Ivan if he was down here sneaking around, too.
“The robed man, who do you think he was?” I asked quietly.
“Not sure, but the tattoos, I remembered a few of them. He was pretty far away, but I sketched down what I could recall. Been trying to find them too, but hard to do much between classes and training.”
“Well, now I can help.”
He stopped short, and I walked into the back of him.
He turned around to face me. “Listen, whatever we’re getting into, you know it could be trouble, right?”
“I figured as much if you’re being stalked.”
“Everyone is under the assumption nothing has ever been wrong at Academy, this one or any other.” His eyes reflected his concerns. “For all we know, there’s nothing.”
“Or we’re about to stumble on something huge, right? Might even explain that photograph you saw in Hooke’s office.” I meant to keep walking but was still curious why he seemed so interested all of a sudden. “Why are you so sure there’s even something to find?”
He tilted his head before saying, “One of my brothers deals with covering up incidents that might either leak out into normal human society, or ones that might cause panic within the magical one. The stories I’ve heard, none of them are good, and they all started like this. I can’t tell you what it is, but I can feel whatever bad thing happened here, someone went to great lengths to try and make it disappear. And is still doing just that.”
That was enough for me. Though the situation was serious, I was thrilled, even excited. The dangerous aspect had me a bit worried, but what was the worst that could happen?
Neither one of us spoke for a while as he led me through stacks and stacks of boxes on shelves. The air seemed to grow heavier the further we walked, and when we finally rounded a corner, I saw where he must’ve started pulling boxes off the shelves to rifle through the contents.
“These are what, old school records?” I asked as he set the lantern on the floor.
“Yeah. They date back to the founding of the school, five hundred years of records.”
When I’d learned what year this place had been built, I’d been shocked and ready to call bullshit, but was quickly informed the magic community had been around since the beginning and they had not been restricted by distance. Witches and warlocks traveled the globe numerous times before any explorers did, and this stronghold was built not long after the first official military was founded. A place to train new soldiers, as well as diplomats. My old teachers would be amazed if they could see me now, learning, paying attention. Proved them all wrong.
I picked up the first box I came to on the floor. “We’re looking for a year, right?”
He cringed. “All the boxes I pulled are from 1986 and 1987, since you said about thirty years ago.”
I strained to remember exactly what the article said, but the date was lost on me and when I’d gone to look for the article not long after arriving, I hadn’t been able to find it again.
“Zach, I don’t know what the names are,” I reminded him. “How are we supposed to know who they are? And what if the files have already been taken out?”
“We don’t, but I’m going on instinct here. It smells rotten.”
I blew out a heavy breath, pulling a large stack of yellowed folders out of the box. “This is going to take a while. How many have you gone through?”
“Three,” he mumbled, leaning over another box.
I sat down on the hard floor and started with the first folder.
There was a photo of the student, a Grace Boyle. She was an air summoner, top of her class, and went on to join the government as an intern, but there was nothing after that. I sifted through her grades and other accomplishments through the years, but nothing stuck out as odd, and since she graduated, I set her file aside and went through the next. I made it through the entire box and dragged another over, neither of us saying a word until Zach stood up, stretching his arms over his head and giving me a chance to admire that broad chest of his.
“Damn, Shroud, it’s two in the morning,” he muttered.
“Well, so much for catching up on schoolwork.”
He held out his hand to haul me up to my feet. My legs were so stiff, I stumbled right into his torso, and he held me for a brief moment, both of us staring into each other’s eyes.
His indigo depths sucked me in, and I felt like I was falling forever. His head lowered as I stood on my toes and we bonked heads, ruining the moment.
“Sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh.
“Ditto.” I rubbed my forehead and wished I had some experience with guys. “I guess we should head back upstairs. Think Ivan’s still wandering around?”
“if he is, he won’t see us down here,” he informed me. “I used an illusion spell to hide this section since I was going to be down here; also to protect the boxes from him.”
“But he’s Hooke’s second. Won’t he get through it?”
Zach shrugged. “Eventually, but let’s hope we find those files before that happens.”
“Just how powerful of a warlock are you, Zachary Pierce?” I asked, meaning it lightly,
His cheeks reddened, and he coughed as if really uncomfortable with the question.
He said nothing the rest of the way up through the library, which appeared empty of Ivan, thankfully. We didn’t pass any students as we walked to th
e dorms, but there were a few stragglers inside roaming the halls. A few shot us curious looks as we climbed the stairs, but I was too tired, and working at getting over the fact that I might’ve stumbled onto a real scandal. At my door, Zach stepped from foot to foot, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Thanks for believing me finally,” I said quietly.
“I should’ve listened to you in the first place, but I didn’t want to believe it. Unlike my brothers, I like to see the world as a happy place, not some dark mystery lurking around every corner.”
“There’s still a chance I’m wrong you know,” I reminded him.
“Gut’s telling me you’re not. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
When I nodded his eyes brightened.
“Right. Night, Shroud.”
I imagined him leaning in and succeeding in kissing me this time, but instead, he backed away, and wandered slowly down the hall, disappearing back into the stairwell to head up to the top floor.
I was about to go in my room when I heard someone scoff behind me.
Carter.
He stood there with a smug smirk on his face as if he knew he’d been right about me and Zach.
I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him and cause another scene, so I unlocked my door and stepped inside.
If he wanted to think there was more going on between me and Zach than there really was, that was on him.
It appeared I had much more important things to worry about. Like missing students. And that damned photograph in Hooke’s office that supposedly looked just like me.
Chapter Thirteen
Zach
I was being watched, all the time now.
Ivan showed up at least two or three times a day, seemingly checking to see how everyone’s training sessions were coming along for Hooke, so he, in turn, could inform the higher-ups. But I knew better. I sensed it, and each day that passed, his aura grew darker.
I almost sent messages to my older brothers a few times, but with all of our searching, we still had no proof. Nothing and if they taught me anything, no proof meant no crime.
With each box, I held my breath, hoping to find some clue, anything to lead us to the missing students. But every time was a disappointment.
We spent a few days one week in the catacombs, scouring old texts of the occult and other old markings, but nothing came of the sketches I made, and I started to question if I’d even jotted the tattoos down accurately.
I expected Briar to call me out for dragging her into this search for nothing, but she seemed just as intent on finding answers as I did.
It was a Friday afternoon, right before mid-terms, and I waited for Briar to join me for her afternoon session of training when I spotted her talking to Ivan. My blood ran cold when I noticed how black his aura had become. Briar’s flared with annoyance and fear, before he finally smiled, and she hurried away, looking like she wanted to run. He watched her until she reached me then turned and strolled off, his hands clasped behind his back.
Briar stepped into the stone circle, muttering curses, her hands shaking.
“What did he want?”
“Wanted to know how my extra studies were coming along. He knows, Zach, I think we’re running out of time.”
“Damn it.”
I was itching to tell my brothers about these rumors anyway. If they took them seriously, they would send someone here to investigate. Or it would be brushed under the rug. Why would they want to hide it so badly? What the hell happened? I was about to ask Briar if she would have time to spend all weekend in the archives, but when I really looked at her, I bit back the question.
She was tired, and between our searching and classes and homework, I doubted she was getting much sleep at all. Guilt hit me hard, and I sighed. Her training had been coming along, but mid-terms were next week, and she needed time to prepare for them.
“Maybe we should stop searching for a while,” I suggested.
“What, why?”
“You need to get some rest at some point, and maybe it’s time for us to admit there’s nothing to find.”
I thought about my botched attempt at kissing her and wondered about finding a way to land a second chance. It was a weekend, and she hadn’t left campus since we arrived.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked, scowling at me. “This isn’t good news. Missing students, remember?”
“That we haven’t found yet. Besides,” I said with a smile, “I think we both could use a trip off campus for a few hours, don’t you?” I settled down into my starting meditating position, but she was just standing there. “What?”
She grinned brightly, laughing as she joined me on the ground. “Nothing.”
“Sure, right nothing at all. Seriously, you’re looking at me like you’re just now meeting me.”
“Because it feels like I am. You were not like this on our first day—few days, really.”
“I thought we agreed to put our not so happy meeting behind us?”
She smirked. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to fall back into my old habits, try not to, at least. I, uh… hmm. Never mind. Let’s just get this over with.”
What had she been about to ask? From the sudden flush of her cheeks, I had a feeling I knew, but dropped it.
Why did she make me feel so nervous? One failed kiss and I was worried if I’d get that chance back. I told myself it was a sign that I shouldn’t try again since at the end of this year I’d be leaving, but Briar and I, we were starting to understand each other and not just because she was the only other person here, aside from Professor Woods, who summoned spirit. There was more to it than that, and I was starting to make it a goal to find out what.
While the rest of the students went to dinner in the hall, I checked out a car and waited for Briar out on the driveway. The small town close by had a diner, and the food was definitely not as good as what was served here, but spending time alone with her away from the overbearing presence of this place—and Ivan—would help us both relax for a few hours, at least.
When she finally appeared on the stone steps leading down, I paused. She wore tight jeans, but her top was just as tight, clinging to her waist and everything else. Her hair was braided loosely, and she wore minimal makeup, but for some reason this evening, she looked different.
I felt myself staring, but couldn’t look away, not even when she caught me checking her out so openly. I expected her to snap at me, but instead, a shy smile curled her lips, and her cheeks blushed a deep red. When a hint of fire appeared in her eyes, I almost forgot what we were doing out here.
“Zach?” she said, sounding unsure.
“Huh? Oh, right,” I mumbled and motioned to the car. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”
We climbed into the car and were off, leaving Academy behind. I considered not coming back and driving to my mom’s place, maybe even run all of this by her and my brothers if they were around, but I knew what they would say. No proof meant no incident had occurred.
The car ride into town was quiet, but unlike the tense one on the way here, it was peaceful, and I weaved down the mountain road with ease, stealing a glance at Briar every few minutes.
At the very beginning of the semester, when I’d been told to arrive before everyone else, I hadn’t expected to be chosen as a mentor for my senior year. At first, I hated the idea, believing it was going to be a burden. And when Briar introduced herself, I’d been cursing Hooke for putting me with someone so out of control.
Now, if I wasn’t so suspicious of the man, I’d thank him.
“This is actually really pretty,” Briar said as we pulled into the small town of Silent Heights.
“Yeah, it’s not much, but it’s not campus,” I agreed. “And, just a head’s up, it’s a magic community.”
“Really? How?”
“Why do you think it’s so far up in the mountains?”
She stared more eagerly now.
It was nice to see her exc
ited instead of stressed out or pissed off. Those moments were few and far between lately. There were days her aura was so red, I worried she was going to blow someone up during her fire training sessions. And it was the reason we had yet to fully attempt astral projection.
I parked along a curb, and we strolled down the sidewalk. She drew in deep breaths of fresh air.
“It’s nice to breathe normal air again.”
“The air is normal on campus,” I reminded her.
“In a cave. The entire campus is inside the mountain. I was starting to feel like a dwarf,” she grumbled. “This—this is what fresh air smells like.”
I took a deep breath myself, tasting the crisp chill letting me know winter was fast approaching. It’d be cold soon enough, and we’d have snow in a few weeks probably. Not that it snowed inside the mountain. That was the reason the stronghold was where it was. Kept the weather from being an issue in getting from one stronghold to the next. We used portals, that if outside, could be damaged by the elements, but they didn’t necessarily work inside buildings either. Inside a mountain, however, they worked perfectly fine. That’s where most strongholds were.
When we passed the first shop boasting all sorts of magical trinkets, she ducked inside, and I followed with a laugh. The glass cases were filled with pendants and necklaces informing the customer of their protective qualities, and I rolled my eyes. Half of them probably had no magic at all and others, maybe enough to keep bugs off in the summertime.
Origami cranes flew around the shop, Briar lifted her hand for one to land on her palm.
“You know, just when I think I’m getting used to all this magic stuff, I find myself caught off guard again.”
“One of these days, you’ll hardly notice it anymore.”
“Well that’s just sad,” she mused, laughing as the crane hopped to her shoulder.