“Goblins exist?”
“There are a lot of strange creatures in Haven. Those bastards don’t let you off easy. I need to use a month’s allowance.”
“And you’re giving it to me?”
“Actually, I was keeping it for myself, but considering you might mess up most of your assignments and screw the rest of us, I thought I should help.”
“I’m so glad you have faith in me.”
Liam blew an exasperated breath through his nose. “I have none. And even if I did, I wished that faith was enough.” We exited the main building and entered the courtyard. I gaped at the sight before me. Vassals were playing the magical version of basketball. Disbelief shot through me as one of them jumped into the air and flew to avoid one of his subordinates.
Liam caught me before I tripped. Again.
“I’m doomed, aren’t I?” I asked.
“Maybe.”
Liam had told me earlier that the next lesson had been replaced with a tour of the school. Almost half of my cohort was going to be there. He led me through the courtyard, through more smaller buildings, then to our meeting point at the front of the school. When we walked, I’d overheard some of my schoolmates say, “Aphrodite’s daughter,” as I strode past.
I hated being known for some dead mother I’d never met. I had no way of verifying my heritage, and still couldn’t decide what it was all supposed to mean. Aphrodite. Ares. Goblins and fairies? Such myths were supposed to be just that—myths.
Liam sighed. “I’ll just hold your hand.”
“Wait, why?” I asked, backing away when he grabbed me.
“You remind me of some clumsy child, and I don’t want the rest of the guys questioning me if you accidentally slip and die.”
“I’ve survived till now,” I said, hating the way he babied me. I tried pulling my hand away, but his grip was iron tight. I scowled at Liam.
“Might be because the goddess of luck favors you. She used to be good friends with Aphrodite.”
“I kind of hate you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
“I’m not the one who reached out to grab the other person’s hand.” Liam stayed silent. I prompted him, “Why do you hate me, anyway? We just met. I didn’t do anything to you.”
His features tensed. “I had a good relationship with my parents. I was supposed to take over my father’s blacksmith empire. Had it all going for me. The staff relied on me, too. I was the eldest son, trained to lead. I knew the trade even better than my father. My life was set until a brightling showed up at my doorstep, asking me to show up to serve a half-blood I’d never met. To serve you.” He sneered. “Hansel and Theo are different. They had big families that were suffering. They wanted to keep them fed. Getting selected as a vassal was a blessing to them, but for Devon and me? Not at all.”
“Oh,” I said, suddenly feeling guilty. I had to stop myself from the guilt. Liam’s fate had been a result of Haven’s ruling system. “Couldn’t you have appealed? I’m sure others would have wanted to be a vassal, too.”
“The council likes their rules. They won’t budge on many of them, and they’re strict about who becomes a vassal. Once you’re chosen, there’s no going back.” Liam quirked a brow at me. “And that’s why I hate you.”
“Rather than put the blame of a failed ruling system on some random person’s shoulders, I have a better reason to return the hate.”
“And that is?”
“You’re rude.”
“Hm.”
He didn’t argue the point. He tightened his grip over my hand. Our sides touched, and I had to resist the urge to wrap my arms around his body. We might have said we disliked each other, but we strode toward the tour like a couple. As silence rang between us, my pulse quickened. I sensed the same longing from Liam.
“Here,” he said, letting me go once we met the crowd of girls. “Duty served.”
“Good for you.”
“Really, it’s for your benefit.” He strode away from me with a cocky swagger and joined the rest of the vassals, standing in a corner. I was highly conscious of Liam’s pill in my pocket. The gathering of girls here was huge. If I wanted to prove myself to them, now was probably the time.
Was addiction something to risk? A one percent chance didn’t seem like much of one. If I won the girls over, I’d have an easier time in future lessons. Just like Liam had a duty to take care of me, it felt like it was my duty to excel in my lessons and keep my vassals from being sent away to camps.
I glanced at Liam. He wore his aloof demeanor, as usual.
Giving in, I took the box out from my pocket and popped it into my mouth. I flashed him a thumbs-up, signaling that I’d done what he suggested, but he ignored me.
Prick.
I waited.
Was something supposed to happen? Should I suddenly be flying like one of those vassal’s earlier? What were my powers?
Could I shit gold now?
Nothing.
I ground my teeth together, the anticipation frustrating me. Had Liam played a trick on me? I studied him, thinking he might snicker. If this had been a trick, then he should have thought better, because it seemed like a pretty dumb one.
I rolled my eyes at him and turned my attention back to the tour. Agness stood in front of the gathering of girls with her svelte, perfect form. I’d overheard from one of the girls’ conversations that she was over three hundred years old, but Agness didn’t look a day over thirty. She scanned over the gathering. “And everybody’s here. Good, good—now we can start.” She gestured at the building behind her. “This here is the oldest building in all of Haven.” It was small, with rosebushes surrounding it. “It might not look like much, but it’s also one of the sturdiest. This building is older than Athena herself.”
A girl raised her hand. “Who is Athena?” The girl wore a pair of glasses. Because I was shallow and had a bit of asshole in me, I labelled her as a nerd. I thought of her as of those students who liked to question everything and act like the teacher’s pet.
Agness blinked, surprise flashing across her face. “Ah, I forgot that you’re all new and aren’t as attuned to the magical arts. Athena is the ruler of the council. She’s the oldest of the goddesses, and may she bless us all.”
“If Athena’s the oldest,” the girl continued, “then how was the building built?”
“By the ones who came before.”
That was incredibly unspecific.
“We think that there were gods before us who decided to abandon their posts. They created the chiasma, and gave the duty of taking care of it to Athena. Athena didn’t have the time or energy to manage it herself, so she learned how to siphon power from the chiasma and spread it all around Haven and its people.”
“How can you be sure there were ones before?” the girl asked, raising her hand again. She wiggled her fingers.
“Moving on,” Agness said, brushing aside the girl’s question. “We will never finish this tour if such queries are raised constantly.” She angled her torso so it faced the building. “We call this building the Initia. We now use it mostly as a museum—”
Images flashed through my mind’s eye, drowning out Agness’s words. I was thrust into the same place, but a different time. My surroundings turned blurry, but vague figures moved around me. The images, oddly, made sense despite being so foggy.
“There used to be fires here,” I said. “During the Battle of Heartsong.”
Agness stopped mid-sentence. She turned to me. “What did you say?”
“The Battle of Heartsong. It was a hundred and fifty years ago, when Artemis wanted more power over the animals and the goddesses rebelled. She was banished for ten years before being allowed to return after losing.”
Agness’s expression hardened. “How did you know that? That is correct, yes, but few people are aware of the reason why Artemis wanted to rebel in the first place.”
“I just do.” Had I just revealed classified information?
&nbs
p; “I will speak with you after this tour,” Agness said. “Now, girls, follow me.”
I followed mutely to the next location. A well of information burned inside of me, eager to escape. Memories flitted back and forth my mind. Faces I couldn’t recognize flashed across it.
“This is the Oak of Swords,” I said, right before Agness began her explanation. The group of us stood in front of a large oak tree. It was bent in a way that made it look like it wept. Agness glared daggers at me, but I continued, “This is where the tradition of vassals began. Athena knighted her first four vassals here. They did it out of their own volition. They fell in love with her at first sight.”
I thought I was doing a good job of explaining the Sanctuary’s history, even though I had no idea where my knowledge came from. My voice, too, felt easier to project. It had an unfamiliar resonance I hadn’t experienced before. I watched as its soothing quality brushed over the other girls, making them calm.
Agness forced a smile. “That is correct. On to the next location, then.”
I’d started the tour by standing behind the rest of the girls, but as time went on, I walked in front of them all. The knowledge flew from my lips, until Agness got afraid that I might blurt things that the girls shouldn’t be privy to. “I must talk with you, Caramel,” Agness said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me aside. “What is happening?”
“I really don’t know.”
“You have to stop interrupting me.”
“I can’t help myself. It’s just… strange. This information… it belongs to someone else.”
Agness sighed. Her crystal gaze lingered on me. “Then my suspicions might be right.”
I wanted her to elaborate, but instead, she let my wrist go and took a step back. A huge mystery revolved around my past. In fact, the Sanctuary was plastered with unanswered questions. Miley’s death hadn’t ceased to bother me. Once this day ended, I intended to search for clues as to why it happened.
Agness shook her head. “If you cannot keep this information to yourself, then I must ask you to leave.” Agness waved Liam to come over.
Liam obeyed and stopped next to us. He bowed at Agness. “At your service.”
Agness pushed me forward. “Please take her away.”
“Of course.” He dipped his head, wrapped his hand around my arm, and dragged me off.
When we were out of Agness’s earshot and striding through an open-air corridor, the hardness on Liam’s face cracked. Mischief flickered over his face. “The pill worked. It’s only temporary, however. That’s why some people get addicted, because they want more power, and it doesn’t last.”
Already, the knowledge of the Sanctuary was seeping out of my brain. I focused on it, trying to keep it contained, but my mind couldn’t withstand that much information. I started missing it as soon as it left. Pissing Agness off had sent tremors of satisfaction through me.
“I want another pill,” I said.
“That was the last.” Liam quickened his pace, and I struggled to keep up. “Don’t let the others know. They won’t let me hear the end of it. It was worth it, though.”
“Was it really?” I asked. “Agness only seemed to hate me more.”
Liam grinned. “You were impressive.” He was probably more pleased with himself than I was. What had happened was a result of his idea. “The other girls probably think that you’re special now. Your preferential treatment is justified, and maybe they’ll want to get on your good side instead of causing more drama.”
“So how do you get more pills?” I asked, beginning to worry that I’d already gotten addicted. I gauged my cravings. It wasn’t that I needed them, but the high had been exhilarating, and having another one as backup seemed like a good idea.
“You’re not getting any more.”
“Damn—”
I crashed into a wall. I groaned, rubbing my temple. When I looked up, I realized that it wasn’t a wall I had bumped into, but Theo. His muscles were rock solid, and slamming into him like that hurt. An aching sensation numbed my teeth. I kneaded my jaw to work the ache out.
Anger burned in Theo’s eyes. “You gave Cara drugs?”
Liam’s smile turned into a grimace. “Oops.”
Ten
Hansel glared at Liam, who was sitting next to me on my bed. Hansel walked back and forth at such a rapid pace that I thought he might burrow a ditch in the marble tiles of my room. “You let Cara take the amplier? Are you out of your mind?” The amplier was what they called the pill Liam had given me.
Liam shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”
“For what?”
“She’s going to have an easier time in school now. I don’t see why I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
“She could have gotten addicted. She could have died.”
“Died?” I asked.
“There are rare cases with adverse reactions,” Hansel replied. “And if she started getting cravings, then there’s no supply of amplier anywhere around here, and if she needed it constantly, we’d be left with no choice but to steal it.”
“Hansel,” I said, “there’s no need to scold Liam any—”
“Eat your cake, Cara.”
I glanced down at my red velvet cake. Hansel had gotten it for me earlier. I toyed with the crumbs, then shoved some into my mouth. I was beginning to grow bored of the flavor. I’d eaten too much at the convenience store. I craved some chocolate cake instead, and I had no doubt Hansel or Theo would rush to get some for me if I asked them to. Maybe I should. That’d help to stop the argument they were having.
Theo huffed, leaning against the windowsill with his arms crossed over his chest. “I told you guys we shouldn’t leave her alone with Liam.”
Liam cocked a brow at me. “Tell them, Cara, that you did this of your own volition. I gave you a choice. It wasn’t like I forced the pill down your throat.”
“That’s not the point,” Hansel said. “The amplier is highly dangerous. She could have gone mad.”
“Liam didn’t say anything about that.” I tilted my head. “Gone mad?” The list of side effects just kept getting longer.
Theo’s expression darkened. “You didn’t warn her?”
Devon sat on the swivel chair next to my desk. He tapped a short-lived beat on the desk then growled, “Cut it out, guys. It’s late in the evening and time for bed soon.” I noticed that Devon preferred to stay out of our business. He gave us directions whenever we needed it, but mostly kept to himself. He wore a constant look of boredom. He gave off the vibe that he didn’t want to be here.
“I’m a grown-up,” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “No curfews for me.” I wasn’t even tired. There was too much drama going around, and that kept me awake.
“We never leave Liam alone with Cara again,” Hansel said, nodding to himself. “He’ll get her killed, and I’m starting to wonder if that was his goal all along.”
Liam rolled his eyes. “I was doing my duty as a vassal, just like you. We don’t have to agree on everything. I did mention letting Cara make her own choices. Isn’t that what we’re trained for? To aid Cara in her decisions? We’re not supposed to control her.”
“She should have at least known about the dangers.” Theo glared at Liam.
“This cake,” I said, trying to distract them from their argument. “It’s a bit too sweet.” Hansel strode over and, in an efficient manner, snatched my plate from me. I hadn’t fully blinked when I found a cup of water in my hand.
“Wash it down with that,” Hansel said.
“Um, thanks.”
Liam stood from my bed. “We should discuss Cara’s powers. She showed some of them after taking the amplier. Shouldn’t we think about how to make them reappear? Her voice, too. That was something.”
“What about my voice?” I asked.
“It sounded way different from what I’m hearing now. In comparison, your current voice sounds like a chicken scratching on a chalkboard.”
His comment was so brutally bl
unt that I paused, not certain how to react.
“Don’t listen to Liam,” Theo said. “You sound like a nightingale.”
“Taking a dump,” Liam added.
Hansel threw a punch across Liam’s face. Liam flew backward, toward Devon. Devon dodged left, letting Liam slip past him, and Liam crashed into the desk.
Hansel blew on his fist. “I’ve been meaning to do that.”
Devon shook his head. “Please refrain from breaking Cara’s furniture. We’ll get complaints from the council.”
Liam lifted himself to his feet in a swift motion. He scowled at Hansel. “You want to take this outside?”
“What does the winner get?” Hansel asked, tipping his chin.
Liam cracked his knuckles. “I want all your ingots for the next month.”
“Ingots?” I asked.
“It’s the vassal currency,” Theo explained, staying out of the fight. “We use it to buy boons for our goddesses or exchange it for items we want.”
Hansel’s attention had zeroed in on Liam. “You talk as if you’ve already won.”
“I can’t see how it might go any other way,” Liam replied.
“Fine. I’ll meet you down in—”
“Wait,” I said, lifting a hand. Four sets of curious eyes fell on me. I pointed to the ceiling and tuned out the noise inside my room, focusing on the one coming from outside. “Do you hear that?”
The vassals exchanged curious glances, not knowing what to think. It sounded like a group of people chanting. I slowed my breathing to hear more clearly. “It’s a protest.”
“Over what?” Liam asked. Hansel’s punch seemed to still be hurting. Liam massaged his jaw with his thumb and glared at Hansel. The itch for a fight emanated from him in waves. He held himself back. I thought he might pounce at Hansel at any moment.
Hansel moved to the window and pushed it open. The chanting burst into the interior, cascading loudly toward my ears:
Justice for Miley! Justice for Miley!
I set my empty cup down and stood from the bed, brushing past Liam. I sensed the heat of his gaze on my back as I moved from him. Perching next to Hansel, I looked out of the window.
Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection Page 8