Harley Merlin 19: Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere

by Bella Forrest

  “Noted. I’ll go with ankle-biters.” She tapped an invisible watch on her wrist.

  I gave up on the brush and pulled my dark hair into a bun. “Right, yes, got it. More haste, less chat. Give me a second.”

  As she headed back into the hall and closed the door, I pulled on bottle-green workout leggings and a soft gray T-shirt, then yanked my black SDC sweatshirt over my head. It would probably draw some choice looks, but I didn’t care. If the GIs could be proud of where they came from, so could I.

  Ready, in more ways than one, I grabbed my backpack and ran out to meet Genie. I felt like a new woman—if slightly bruised and battered and thoroughly exhausted. The huge welt on my elbow that had appeared after Fridgegate was the worst of my injuries—my first at the Institute, and I hadn’t even started training yet. I supposed it was best to get accustomed to pain, considering what everyone, including Victoria, had warned us about the challenges ahead. Bath salts. Remember to ask Mom for bath salts.

  “Where to?” Genie handed me the brown sack, and I duly stuffed the bagel in my mouth.

  “Repository.” Crumbs flew everywhere as I devoured a massive chunk. What could I say, Purges made a girl ravenous. “I think the pixies might gravitate toward the one that got put there last night.”

  Genie raised her coffee cup. “Ingenious!”

  “No, that’d be you.” I chuckled, tearing off another huge bite. With hunger like this, there was no room for table manners. “So, are you going to tell me what really happened with Charlotte yesterday?”

  Genie pulled a sour face. “Like I said, bigots and assholes.”

  “Come on, you’ve got to give me the details. I told you everything about the pixies. I know it’s not the same, but I want to know,” I insisted. “I realize I’ve been a tornado of mayhem lately, and you’ve been here the whole time, helping me through it all. But I’m here for you as much as you’re here for me, and I can’t hold a grudge on your behalf if I don’t know who’s in my bad books.”

  She sipped her coffee with a faint smirk. “I’ll give you the abridged version. Basically, I was trying to make friends and our classmates decided to really dig in with some deep-rooted hate for me. Well, Atlanteans, but since I’m the only one here, I got the whole barrage. Nasty words were hurled, and some stuck-up snoot from Charlotte’s clique hogged the mic a lot.” She paused.

  My intuition told me we’d arrived at the part of the story Genie didn’t want to share. “And?” I pressed.

  She looked at me apologetically. “Then, they took a stab at you. And I lost it. I dragged up all the water in the banquet hall, had a bit of fun, then dumped the whole wave on their heads.” She shrugged. “What can I say? They were getting a bit heated, so I figured I’d cool them off. Hosseini walked in, demanded to know what just happened. He basically guilted Charlotte into cleaning up because she’s a Basani. Face of the Institute and all that. She wasn’t happy about it. I helped mop up, because I’m just that nice.”

  “You should’ve told me that last night!” I swallowed a lump of bagel. “I wouldn’t have gone on about pixies if I’d known what you went through.” Anger crawled into my chest, making my hand clench around what was left of my bagel. I’d seen a glimpse of Atlantean prejudice during the exam, but when Victoria had snapped at the culprit, I’d figured it was a one-off. Or, at least, that no one would dare be outwardly hostile after that. It burned me up inside, to think that my best friend had faced that alone.

  Genie drained her cup. “Pixies are a way bigger deal, Pers. Although, I wouldn’t mind if they left some well-deserved ‘gifts’ in Charlotte’s pal’s room. Maybe a few in our classmates’ rooms, too. You know, as long as they couldn’t be traced back to a bunch of tiny monsters on the loose.”

  She always makes jokes, even when she’s hurting. She could hide it pretty freaking well, but there was a subduedness in her face that revealed her pain. No one could come out of an encounter like that and feel okay. Not even the toughest woman I knew. A twinge of remorse lay on top of my anger; if I hadn’t bailed on the movie, I could’ve been the one to stand up for her.

  “Do you want to speak to Victoria about it?” I asked as she passed me my coffee.

  She looked off toward the wall to hide her expression. “Nah, there’s no point. I’m not going to change anyone’s mind overnight.” She gave me a forced smile. “I’ll win them over with exposure therapy—be so in their faces that they won’t be able to see a big, bad wolf when they look at me anymore.”

  “This is what your dad was worried about, huh?” She was trying to comedienne her way out of this, but I didn’t want to watch her sweep it all under the rug.

  “Yeah…” Her eyes scrunched up, as though she was fighting tears. “I thought he was being a drama queen or using it to prod me back toward Atlantis. I guess he’s seen more of this than I have. And you know what the funniest thing is?”

  I frowned. “What?”

  “I never thought I was sheltered before I came here. But my dad shielded me from so much.” She coughed suddenly, and it sounded like a covered sob. “The SDC made me think Atlanteans were already part of the gang, you know? Fully integrated, accepted members of magical society. Now, I see more clearly.”

  “I’m so sorry, Genie.” I threaded my arm through hers and gave it a squeeze.

  She sighed. “It’s fine. Either they’ll get used to me, or they won’t. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to graduate and be a hunter, regardless.” Her expression hardened. “But if they say anything about me or you again, they’ll get another impromptu shower. I might not be able to change their perspectives, but that doesn’t mean I’ll put up with their hate-spewing.”

  “Neither will I.” I didn’t ask what had been said about me, because I already knew. It was about my Purge ability, my lack of useful magic, or both. Plus, even if they had their issues with me, they’d likely only dragged my name into the fray to get a rise out of Genie. Clearly none of those idiots realized they were playing with fire. They had no idea what Genie was truly capable of. Drenching them was a walk in the park for her, as easy as snapping her fingers, and I knew she’d shown restraint when she could’ve gone all-out on them. But she hadn’t, because she wasn’t like that, and because she valued her place here. Still, I was glad she’d fought back. They’d clearly deserved it.

  We dropped our breakfast trash in a bin as we entered the hallway that led to the Repository. We scanned the ceilings, investigated statues, flung back curtains, peeked into classrooms, and cracked open study doors, looking for any sign of the pixies. We were on high alert; even the whistle of the wind through the rafters turned us into nervous wrecks. We even ducked into a couple of recesses to lie in wait for the pixies, but the creatures were nowhere to be found. It looked as though they’d gone into ultra-covert mode, steering clear of the hunters who’d waste no time dropping them into a Repository orb.

  “Just how small are these things?” Genie whispered as the pair of us ducked behind a chimera statue to search for the creatures.

  I showed her with my fingers—about six inches, head to toe. “I think you were right about them being scared. I mean, I saw two yesterday, after the great escape. But today, it’s like they’ve… gone.” I avoided highlighting which part of the day, since she didn’t know about my early-morning exploits. “Which is obviously impossible, since the Institute is protected against potential runaways. They’re definitely here, but they aren’t taking any chances with their freedom.”

  Genie peered out from behind the chimera’s rump. “Does that mean we should be relieved? Maybe they’re planning to go about their lives without causing any fuss at all. You know, like roosting bats or pigeons.”

  I shot her a dubious look. “I think it’s more likely to blow up in our faces at some point. They’re quiet now, sure, but these aren’t wilting wallflowers we’re talking about. They thrive on mischief.”

  “Damn it. That’s what I was thinking, but with cruder words.” Genie puffed a sigh.
“Well, we’ll have to carry on the search later. Don’t want to be late for our first training session with Hosseini. He might look like a gentle giant, but I saw his stern streak last night. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of it.”

  Please, don’t step out of line, pixies… My time this morning had run out, and it would be hours before I had another opportunity to look for them. Hours filled with crippling anxiety that someone would see them and report the news to Victoria. I wondered if anyone had been expelled on their first day? Maybe, I’d be the first.

  Unless… A sudden resignation dawned. I’d made a promise to Nathan last night. I had to come clean to Victoria. I’d tried to fix it alone and I’d failed. Maybe she’d give me some credit for attempting to stand on my own two feet and solve my own problems. Maybe not. Either way, this morning’s search had been the final nail in the coffin—I couldn’t do this alone. I owed Nathan for giving me the chance, but I couldn’t even do it with Genie at my side. I’d wanted to, but it wasn’t possible. As soon as my first classes were over and our lunch break came around, I’d go to the head huntswoman and tell her everything. And pray she understood my reasoning.

  I nodded. “They’ll have to show themselves some time, even if it’s not me who coaxes them out.” I sounded calm, but my insides jittered like crazy. One mishap from these pixies, and it’d be front page news before I had a chance to get to Victoria myself. And that prospect came with additional fears. I wished I could believe the comforting things Nathan and Genie had said about Victoria not losing her mind over this, but O’Halloran’s reaction was stuck in my head like a barb. I hadn’t expected him to react the way he did, and I didn’t want to get into the habit of believing I’d get a free pass every time I messed up.

  “And hope they don’t get any stupid ideas before then.” Genie stepped out from behind the chimera and, together, we headed for the training courts.

  At Genie’s suggestion, we jogged the whole way to get ourselves warmed up—though, I mostly just wanted to wake myself up—and arrived five minutes early to a room full of awkward looks and shamefaced silence. After Hosseini’s talking-to last night, everyone had their tails tucked firmly between their legs. Hosseini himself crouched in the corner of the huge glass-and-stone space, sifting through a trunk full of unusual sea-green cubes. I couldn’t see them very well from my spot, but silver embellishments glinted as he turned the boxes over in his hands, assessing them. Hexwork of some kind, I supposed, as these were likely the famous puzzle boxes that Kes had told me about—Institute patented.

  I could use about thirty to forty of those. I tried to keep up a calm façade, my eyes flitting toward every corner in the training studio for a glimmer of pixie. Stupid as it sounded, above all else, I didn’t want my classmates to see what I’d done. They were already wary of me.

  Choosing a box, Hosseini straightened to his full height. He’d looked a lot smaller on the stage in the main assembly hall, but that was perspective for you. His dark curls were held back by an embroidered band of coral-red silk, which covered most of his forehead and tied in the back. The matching buttoned-up tunic was decorated with delicate gold patterns sewn into the cuffs and high collar. His pants were white and flowing and his feet were bare, maybe to give him some freedom, or to keep him in touch with the ground. I’d never seen a person with more natural nobility—aside from Victoria.

  Please don’t expel me, Ms. Jules. Please… I just needed a few more hours, and I’d reveal everything to her. The pixies just had to hold off until then.

  “Good morning. I trust everyone rested well and took pause for self-reflection?” His voice was lilting and musical, but the inference in his words was anything but soft. A grumble of assent made its way through the class of twelve. His obsidian eyes glanced at Genie for a moment, as if offering her the opportunity to speak. When she didn’t, he continued.

  “I am partial to the saying: ‘This is the first day of the rest of your lives.’ However, that would be untrue, in this instance. Instead, I will say that this is the first day toward saving your lives. Monster hunting is complex and uniquely personal, as you will discover throughout your education here. There are the basics, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach.” He gestured to the group. “You each have your own set of skills and talents, of varying levels of intensity and utility, and you must decipher which are of the most value to you when facing a monster in the field. Monster hunting is as much about the mind as it is about the physicality, for one lapse in judgment can cost you everything. Now, you will find that I have a very practical approach to teaching. It’s easier to learn by showing than telling, though textbooks do have their uses.”

  And what if you only have your bare hands? A different current of nausea churned in my belly. The normal, anxiety-driven kind—not the imminent-Purge kind—blending with the missing-pixie kind. I’d made it through several stages in the exam before the banshee happened, but what if I didn’t have a satchel to swing or a convenient lightning bolt at my disposal? We hadn’t even begun, and I already felt like I was at the bottom of the class. Not in a self-pitying way, just in a practical, logical sense; I’d come to a firefight with a blunt spear.

  Hosseini raised the sea-green box in his hand. With a better view, I could see that each face of the box was covered in intricate silver designs etched directly into the matte metal. A sheen rippled across the surface like a mirage, the etchings glowing faintly.

  “What’s in there?” said a meathead with enormous biceps, jabbing a sausage-like finger at the box. He was actually called Theodore Isherwood, I learned—or Teddy, to his friends.

  Hosseini smiled. “Let us find out, shall we? Genie, if you would be so kind as to demonstrate for us?”

  “Demonstrate?” Genie looked startled. I gave her a gentle push forward, setting aside my pixie thoughts for a second. Evidently, Hosseini had high hopes for my friend, and wanted to show the rest of our class what a remarkable magical they had in their ranks. He was giving her the platform she needed for the exposure therapy she’d been scheming.

  “Yes,” Hosseini said simply. “If you come up, I will unleash the creature.”

  “Go,” I urged in a whisper.

  Genie stepped out of the crowd and took up her position in the open space at the far side of the room. Lines were drawn at intervals across the rough stone floor to mark out a pitch of some sort—much better for running and fighting than the smooth concrete. To test our capturing skills from different distances, perhaps? Without prompting, she moved behind the farthest line, while Hosseini went to the opposite side. He set the box on the floor and pushed down on a harp-shaped symbol. Then, he backed away, retrieving a baton from the trunk where he’d gotten the box. No, it wasn’t a baton… It looked, unless I was mistaken, like a shock stick.

  That can’t be right. They wouldn’t use something like that here, would they? Maybe it was solely for the new recruits, in case anything went wrong. When it came to the safety of students or monsters, the students would always come first. Still, it left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. Anger, maybe. Using a device like that was cruel, plain and simple.

  Before I could think about it for long, black mist erupted from the box and started to take shape on the stone floor: stringy legs covered in dark, maroon scales, which gave way to a plump, slimy body and a set of leathery black wings that flapped furiously. Bulging, thread-veined eyes glowered at Genie, while glinting fangs the size of my index finger dribbled with an oily ooze. Its midnight-blue tongue slobbered around thin lips, like it had just eaten a blue-raspberry sucker.

  A gargoyle… Immediately, I thought of my mom and my uncle. They probably wouldn’t have liked to hear that, but they had an affinity for these creatures. So many of their best stories included gargoyle sidekicks. Murray had been my favorite as a kid, though I realized later on that they’d PG-ed the tales about Murray and Davin for child-friendly consumption. Still, he was a hero to me, and I used to beg to visit his box in the Bestiary. He adore
d my mom and uncle but hated my dad, always lunging at the glass to try and scare him. I’d been so envious of my mom and uncle for their gargoyle exploits, so seeing this one in the proximity of a shock stick was a bit jarring. True, I’d Purged one of my own, but I hadn’t been given time to think about it the way I was thinking about Genie’s target practice.

  Genie smiled at the gargoyle, already familiar with this type of monster. She launched into an attack without hesitation, green ripples pulsing down her body into the stone floor, where a crack formed and snaky vines slithered out. They twisted around the creature’s legs before it could even move.

  Something’s not right about this. The gargoyle had my full attention, its expression contorted with a tangible fury that shouldn’t have been there. Gargoyles had a nasty streak, for sure, and they had no trouble getting aggressive, but this felt different. I could almost sense its frustration and wondered how often this poor thing got dragged out of its prison for the sole purpose of being battered into submission, only to end up back in that puzzle box at the end of it. I mean, no wonder it looked pissed.

  “Look how ropey that thing is,” someone whispered.

  Someone else chuckled. “You ever seen a punchbag after a few years? Same difference.”

  Don’t any of you care? My heart broke for the gargoyle. It wasn’t much of a positive, but at least other creatures were taken care of and given some comfort in the Repository or the Bestiary. But this one was here, stuck in a box, waiting to be used over and over again. No wonder I could feel its frustration so potently. And a shock stick on top of that… It was inhumane.

  The gargoyle hunched over and tried to rip the vines away with its sharp fangs, growling in exasperation. While it was distracted, Genie launched another burst of Earth at the beast. More vines wrapped around its body, constricting it. I wanted to shout for her to stop, but quickly realized that wouldn’t go over well. The trouble was, I could feel its pain. It couldn’t breathe and was starting to panic.