by A. S. Oren
“What is Rosemen doing to the members of the Knights? What kind of experiments is he doing to them, and what are his plans for me?”
He scratches at his five o’clock shadow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Head Governor Rosemen isn’t doing experiments, and even if he was, it certainly wouldn’t be on students who are minors and don’t have the ability to give consent to tests.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “Don’t bullshit me, Dr. Quinn.” I motion to Enid with my thumb. “My P.A. is making sure nothing you say can be heard by the Watchers. Speak with me honestly, or I’ll go about finding the truth on my own.”
He sighs before glancing at Enid and taking a seat in the other chair. “You’re fifteen, you don’t need to be caught up in this whirlwind of a shit storm.”
With a wince, I shift my talons. The nails fall off and red blood trickles down my fingertips. “Before I came here, it hurt to transform, but I never bled, and my talons were gold, not black. I know he had Minos dose me with something. So, I’m already a part of this shit storm.”
Quinn rubs at his eyes. "It's too early for this."
"Just tell me what you know. I won't tell anyone you told me anything." My leg twitches with annoyance. I know he has the information I've been looking for.
He leans forward, elbows on his thighs. "You have to understand, Oliver had good intentions when all of this started a little over ten years ago."
My eyes widen, that's when we started running and hiding. "What happened ten years ago?"
He closes his eyes for a moment and swallows hard. "His...his wife, Jade, died during her sixth month of pregnancy. She was going to have a girl, but the curse killed the child, and several days later she took her own life."
My heart picks up. "That's horrible."
He nods. "Oliver resented your parents after that. It was because of them, and you, that he gave into Jade and her wishes for a child. He thought, because you were born, that the curse was broken and that the risk of possibly having a baby girl was gone. He blamed them for everything that happened."
"Grief changes people. I get it, but why start these experiments? That's the part that doesn't make sense to me. Why dose me with his serum and treat young men like lab rats?"
"He figured out the reason the curse was different with you was because of your Angel genes. You and your brother are true hybrids. Your angel side isn't drowned out by the dragon genes, they work with each other. He's become obsessed with creating hybrids that have more than just their dragon side for powers. It started out as a scientific way to get rid of the curse, but now, I think it’s gone beyond that. I don't know what else he’s got planned."
I sit forward. "He can't do this, can he? I don't know about the other Knights, but Minos is sixteen; he’s a minor, and I never gave him permission to spike me with anything. That shit has wreaked havoc on me. Not only that, Minos's magic has gotten into my system, and now when I dream, I see what's happening to him."
Quinn stares at the floor and moves a strand of hair behind his ear. "No one is going to stop him. He's the Head of the Governors, and besides, the Ancients have the most power. The Ancients won't do anything. They are too old or busy with their own things to deal with something like this. Our only hope is reaching out to the families and making it an issue for all shifters. But, trying to appeal will take months, if not years. I don't think they care about teens at Spearwood; with our reputation, we kind of asked for this type of thing to happen. Survival of the fittest and all that jazz."
"How long will Minos's magic be in me? It’s been over two weeks now. Shouldn't it be gone?"
He shrugs. "It depends on your connection to him. Is he someone special to you?"
I scoff. "Fuck no."
"You're part angel. Don't angels have Folds? Maybe he’s a member? That would make his magic last in you for a long time."
My heart drops. I think back to our encounter. Did I feel the pull of the Fold, the jolt? I can't remember. It all blurs together in one big ball of confusion. All I can remember is how his purple eyes swirled with black, and the way his magic felt sick, as if he was dying. "I don't know."
"Then, I don't know what to tell you. I've told you everything I know. Now, I'd like to get some more sleep, if you don't mind."
I have a thousand and one more questions, but I can't seem to form any of them into a coherent thought. "Where are his labs? I know they exist; I've seen them through Minos's eyes."
He shakes his head and stands from the chair. "I don't know where they are. He doesn't share that information with me. If he has a problem, he comes to me, I don't go to him. Somewhere below the school, that's all I can figure."
I stand. "You know my dad and Rosemen, how?"
He sighs. "We're childhood friends, Michael too. We were all trained by Edgar at his camp. Happy?"
My mind flashes back to the last name on the list before we signed the Cabin's contract. "What about Punav Angelous, do you know him, too?"
All colour drains from his face. "How do you know that name?"
I shrug. Why is he afraid? "I just do. Was he friends with you three as well?"
Quinn opens the door and steps over to me to pull on my hand. "It's time for you to leave, Miss Radcliffe. I don't have any more answers for you. Please go." He forces Enid and me out of his office and slams the door behind us.
What the hell? He's willing to talk about Rosemen and his hybrid experiments, but he won't talk about that Punav guy? Why?
I make my way back to my dorm. I have so many questions still, and I don't know if any of them will be answered soon. I need to find Rosemen's labs. Quinn said they are under the school. Maybe one of the passage ways leads down there. There were several in the blueprints that were shown as incomplete. Maybe, they weren't unfinished. What if Perlow was just hiding from us the fact that they lead to secret labs, where Rosemen tortures students with his experiments?
"What are you doing out here?"
I look up to find Paden standing in front of my door. I blink at him. Isn't it still early morning? It's Sunday, he and the others should be sleeping in. Is this going to be a new thing where they come to visit at dawn? "I felt like going for a walk." I hold my hand out to Enid. "I'm done." She transforms into her card form and falls into my hand. "What are you doing up this early, Den?"
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go horseback riding with me? Just the two of us, for the day. Maybe have a picnic delivered later in the field?”
Should I tell him everything? He'll need to know sooner or later. I smile. "I'd like that." Once I find out more, I'll talk to all of them. "Let me grab my ring and earring, just in case we stay out longer than the sunset." I open my door, let him in, and go to my room to grab the pouch with the crystal items, tying the strap onto my wrist. "K. I'm ready to go."
We enter the stalls where our horses are kept side by side. It’s too early for the servants to be out here yet. Neither of us care; we like to brush and bond with our horses. I love Luna; she's such a well-mannered horse and never freaks out on me.
Together we saddle and ready our horses in comfortable silence. That's Paden though; he’d much rather sit in silence than have long conversations, unless, of course, the conversations involve comics, super heroes, and anything that screams nerd.
We lead the horses out to the field before mounting them. Paden motions in front of us to the vast fields with the sun's rays shining down on dewy, wet grass. I don't remember it raining last night, but I didn't go outside, so I wouldn't know. "We can go wherever you want."
I nudge Luna into a saunter and point to an area beyond the hills, where the forest ends. "We haven't gone all the way out there yet."
He nods. "Sounds like fun to me." With a side glance, he grins at me. "I bet I can get there before you can!" They take off at a sprint. I urge Luna into a gallop and race to catch up. There's no way I'm going to let him beat me.
Luna lowers her head and picks up speed. She loves to run and race
as much as I do; we suit each other. That butler couldn't have chosen a better horse for me. Soon, we're neck and neck with them and about a quarter of the way toward where we want to explore.
Before I can react, he reaches out and pulls on the reins, forcing Luna to slow down and stop. He does the same with his horse.
I turn to him. "What the hell, Den? You're lucky she didn't freak and throw me."
He puts his fingers to his lips and points to something off in the distance. I follow his line of sight. I frown. "Is that Jericho?" Someone with red hair comes out of the woods, but they're too far away to make out the details of him. He's not the only red head in the school.
Paden motions with his hand, and we head toward the tree line, whilst getting closer to the person that's brushing something off his body. My eyes widen as his features become more visible. "What is Jericho doing out here at this time of the morning? Do you think he knows about the cabin?"
Paden rubs at the back of his neck. "I didn't tell him about it. Did you?"
I shake my head. "He refuses to look at me, let alone speak to me. Could Maverick have told him?"
He shakes his head. "No way in hell. I doubt we'll see those two talking for a while."
I guess I have to accept what I've been thinking. "Jericho's the one that gave Maverick that black eye, right?"
"I don't want to talk about that. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. Look, someone else is coming out of the woods now."
I squint to make out the other person. Do I know them? "Isn't that Mirren? What the fuck could they be doing out here together?" The two of them walk off together, heading back toward the school. "They weren't in the right area of the woods to find the Cabin. There's something else they wanted in there."
Paden pulls out his P.A. "Then let's find out what they wanted. Mark, run program Hide."
I follow suit with Enid. Together, we ride toward the section of woods they were at whilst our P.A.s ride on the back of our horses. "Do you think the horses can navigate the woods? It's not like there's premade trails for them in there."
Leaning forward, Paden pats his horse on the neck. “I think they’ll be fine. They are strong, smart horses."
He turns to lead the way into the woods. Going in here whilst it's daylight outside makes navigating it a hell of a lot easier. He stops and points at the ground. "Looks like they left us a trail of broken twigs and messed up mulch for us to follow. Jericho should know better than to not cover up his tracks."
I bite my lip. "Maybe he did it on purpose? Maybe he wanted someone to find the trail."
Paden shrugs. "I don't know. How would he have known anyone would be out this far and want to explore that specific area of the woods? I think we’re the only ones ballsy enough to come in here. You don’t hear about other students getting punished for coming in here. I think we would have heard something by now if that was a problem.”
I edge Luna forward. “I don’t like any of this. What’s happening to him?”
Paden moves his horse forward and leans over the distance between us to take my hand. “It will all turn out okay. I have faith he will get his head out of his ass and realise how much we all love him and want him to come back.”
I nod. That’s all any of us can hope for. I rub a soft circle onto Paden’s hand. “Thanks, Den. Your confidence gives me hope, too.”
He smiles in the light cast into the woods from the field. Still holding my hand, he nudges his horse forward, we follow the trail the Jericho and Mirren left behind.
We come to another clearing Unlike the one that holds the Cabin, this one holds nothing, and their trail ends here. What the hell were they doing out here?
I dismount Luna. Enid stays by her side; she should still be able to cover me a few feet away from her. “Do you see anything out of the ordinary? I don’t.”
Paden hops to the ground. Luna, and Paden’s horse graze on the grass in the clearing. “I don’t see anything, but with this place, it doesn’t mean something isn’t there.”
He kneels and touches the ground.
I step over to him. “What are you doing?”
“I was hoping I could sense something underneath us through the metal down there, but I guess I’m not strong enough to do that kind of metal magic yet.” He frowns and stands.
I take his hand. “Don’t worry, you’ll get to that point one day. We still got a lot of training to do before we get to master level for our elements.”
He sighs and nods. “I know. It’s just frustrating that I can’t do these things now. I feel as if I should be able to.”
I stand on my toes to give him a small kiss. “Don’t worry so much.” I should follow my own advice.
Paden keeps my hand in his as he leads the way through the open space. “There’s something off about this clearing. Where are the rocks and the dead leaves that have fallen off the trees? Like inside the woods. Also, I haven’t seen a single living thing out here. Not even an insect. Why?”
I shrug. “They could be fabricated woods, made by the school. Considering the elevation, I don’t expect there to be many animals up here that choose to live here.”
He nods. “Yeah, of course, but wouldn’t they have put monsters, or at least squirrels, in here to make it seem more like a natural wood? That Cabin has been around for at least a century or two due to the number of names on that list. So these woods would’ve had to have been around just as long to hide it. Wouldn’t they want a security system in place to keep a magical house like that hidden from the common student?”
I peer around the ground, trying to spot the seams of a hidden hatch or something. “Maybe the threat of punishment is enough to keep most students out of here. And those of us who don’t like to listen and follow rules end up with a reward because we show that we’re brave.”
“Or stupid. But I guess that’s all hindsight now. There’s nothing here. I guess we should get out of here and go back to the field.” He let’s go of my hand and heads for his horse.
“Or we could spend the day at the Cabin. There’s food there, and we could read to each other. It’s been a while since we did anything like that.”
He lifts an eyebrow after getting up in the saddle. “That sounds like fun. The cabin should be in that direction, out of here.” He points to the right side of the clearing where a group of trees part to form another path.
I remount Luna. “Let’s go.”
After a lot of riding and three more clearings with nothing in them, we finally make it to the Cabin, that still looks more like a rundown shack when outside of it. But now, a small fence stands out in front of it with plenty of grass for the horses to graze on and a trough of water. I hop off Luna and take the longer rein I brought out of her saddle bag. “Did the Cabin know we were coming?” I tie the rein to the fence. It’s long, so she’ll be able to move around some, if she wants. I don’t know how long we’ll be in the Cabin, and it’s not like we can send for servants to take them back to the stables, not whilst out here.
Paden shakes his head. “This place boggles my mind every time we come to it.”
Hand in hand, we enter the Cabin. The inside hasn’t changed. It’s still massive but has an air of cosiness about it. I wish we could find out more about this place; who built it, and why it was put here of all places. But alas, there’s not a single book in the library here that has the answers.
“Do you want some hot chocolate to go with our reading?” He walks over to the kitchen, opens one of the cabinets, and pulls out a can of hot chocolate powder. It doesn’t look like the cheap kind at all. I bet it’s going to taste like we’re drinking melted chocolate.
“Yes, please. Are there candy canes to put some peppermint flavour into it?”
He grins and pulls out a box of candy canes. “Is there really any other way to drink hot chocolate?”
I open up the fridge. “Look, it even provided us with soy milk. How does it know, and where does it get this stuff from; does it steal it from the
school’s kitchens?”
He takes the carton from me and pours about two cups worth into a sauce pan on low heat. “I don’t know. It hasn’t killed us to eat it yet. Maybe one day we’ll find out.”
I wrap my arms around him from behind and rest the side of my cheek on his back. I’m still feeling good after yesterday. Not even shifting during the night was enough to make the pain come back. Maybe Maverick did cure me, of the pain at least. “I love you, Den.”
He places one of his warm hands over mine as he whisks the chocolate powder into the soymilk. “I love you too, Lon, with all of my heart.”
I let go of him to get us a pair of large mugs; one light blue and the other purple. I take the light blue one. He pours the dark chocolate mixture evenly into each mug and then garnishes both with a candy cane. Paden and I are the only two in the group that like peppermint with chocolate. Everyone else thinks we’re crazy. I don’t get why they don’t like it. I think the mixture of the two tastes absolutely amazing.