by Abbie Lyons
In my excitement leading up to the ball, I forgot that there would be slow dances. I dreaded moments like these. Some couples instantly paired up, while other people retreated to get more punch. For his part, Teddy already had his arms around that busty Elysium babe who was boogying in his dance circle just moments before. Camilla had grabbed ahold of Aleksandr, who didn’t look pleased at all.
“What d’you think,” Morgan said. “Figure I can get one of those bad boys to dance with me?” She nodded at a massive kyrios, standing at the side of the dance floor. I was surprised he didn’t have a little earpiece in, but then again, I guess demons didn’t need stuff like that.
Before I could answer, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“May I have this dance, Nova?”
I spun around, expecting Achilles or maybe a now-detached Teddy or...
...anyone but Wilder.
He was wearing the absolute hell out of his suit, which was a narrow-cut black with a deep red tie over a gray dress shirt. He still had the glasses on, of course—probably came straight from his office, if I were to guess.
I swallowed. Then I realized that I hadn’t answered, and that Morgan was giving me a tiny shove between the shoulderblades.
“Uh,” I said. “Of course.”
Wilder nodded, and we stepped over to a gap in the bodies filling the dance floor. He put his hand on my waist, gently, politely, and yet I felt the heat bloom in my cheeks almost instantly. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he took my other hand in his, and slowly we began to sway.
“I don’t know how to dance,” I blurted out. Great opening, Nova.
Wilder chuckled. “You’re doing fine.”
I cast an eye around the room, instinctively looking to see if anyone noticed a professor and a student were dancing together. No one seemed to notice. The lights had gone so low it was hard to see any individual couple.
“Nothing indecorous,” Wilder said. “I promise you that we’re allowed to fraternize with our students. Everyone is an adult here, after all.”
I nodded and wondered just how far the definition of “fraternize” could be stretched.
“Nice suit,” I said, to change the subject. Wilder chuckled.
“I think I’m supposed to compliment you first.”
“As long as that’s still permissible fraternization,” I retorted. Wilder chuckled again.
“You’re enjoying your first ball, I take it?”
“It’s...really something,” I said. It was as if I’d taken another shot of Hellwater—everything going soft and a little wavy. But not at all in a bad way. Wilder’s hand stayed steady and sure on my back.
“It is indeed,” he said. “Quite a production.”
We swayed a few moments more.
“Nova,” Wilder said. “I don’t want to talk business here. But your next exetasis is coming up. As you know.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve been...practicing. Channeling. So hopefully—”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Wilder cut in. “I’ve been looking over your results. Studying it a bit more deeply. There’s many layers to things like chiromancy, and—”
“The sun line.” Now it was my turn to cut in. Wilder looked surprised.
“Among other things, yes,” he said slowly. “The outlaw’s crossing?”
I nodded.
“May I ask how you...”
“I did some research of my own,” I said, lying through my teeth. “I was curious to know if I had any...you know, real potential.”
“You do,” Wilder said. “Trust me, you do. What I found was...well, your family history is quite fascinating, Nova.”
Goosebumps erupted over my skin. Family. The word pulsed in the center of my brain.
How did he...how could he...?
Dimly, I felt his grip tighten just slightly on my back. Just a bit firmer, enough pressure to be authoritative. Was it my imagination, or was Wilder touching the charm at the small of my back?
I would let him, of course.
I would let him do much more.
The song swelled to a finale, and then faded into a bombastic dance number—Beyoncé, at last.
I didn’t want Wilder to release me, but he did. The cool air against my back felt especially chill.
“What do you know about my family?” I said, my voice lower in my throat than I’d anticipated.
Wilder bit his lip. “I don’t think we can—I shouldn’t have brought this up here.”
“No,” I said. “You absolutely should have.”
He glanced around the ballroom, as if looking to see if the coast was clear. No one was paying attention to us—even the kyrioi’s eyes were trained on the dance floor, scanning the students, only occasionally flicking to the exits. Then, a decision seemed to be made.
“All right,” he said. “Come with me.”
He took my hand—again, just a little roughly. Not that I minded, honestly. There was something extremely intriguing about this buttoned-down philosophy professor who had a strong side to him.
That, and he might know something about me. About my family.
We slipped into the sides of the room, and through a wrought-iron gate to a hallway that led not to the heart of the Grand Stairway, but somewhere further in the opposite direction. Torchlight flickered around us, more shaded than the bold lights of the ballroom, illuminating small alcoves throughout. Each alcove had what looked like a small bench inside, but as we approached, I saw carvings—people on their backs, their stone eyes wide open, arms crossed over their chests and their hands frozen in some kind of mysterious symbol.
Finally, Wilder stopped me just inside one, and glanced back up the hallway.
“I think we’re far enough away,” he said, his voice heavy. “This isn’t something you’d necessarily want everyone to know.”
“What isn’t?”
“I should tell you, this is just a suspicion,” Wilder said. “The last thing I want to do is get your hopes up. But as I did some digging, through the annals of genealogy, family trees, that sort of thing—”
I idly wondered how this kind of research was possible. It wasn’t like there was some kind of demon internet. I pictured Wilder up late in the library, digging through volume after volume, just for me. Something about it touched me.
And kind of turned me on.
“The outlaw’s crossing,” Wilder went on, “is extraordinarily rare. And if my connections are correct, it only turns up in demons—or half-demons—of likewise extraordinary parentage. Not just your typical demon pairing, but at least one parent would have to be possessed of strong supernatural ability.”
“Like the kyrioi?”
“More,” Wilder said. His eyes gleamed in the torchlight. “I know you won’t get to the full history and ranking of demons until second semester, but there are tiers of ability. Leaders and followers, you might say. And to be descended from one is...well, it’s extraordinary. I really can’t think of another word for it.”
I didn’t say anything. This was a lot to take in, obviously. And the energy of the dance was still fizzing inside me. I had so many questions.
“But you didn’t find anything about...who,” I said. “Or what. Which side. Which...parent.”
Wilder shook his head. “No. Just about the nature of the marking. But trust me when I say that—”
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Wilder’s head snapped to attention. I straightened up too, realizing that I’d been leaning against the wall, Wilder facing me, very very close. I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“Who’s there?” Wilder called, his voice ringing out against the flagstones.
The footsteps sped up, and a few seconds later, a heavy-breathing Professor Lattimore rounded the corner.
“Wilder,” he panted. “There you are.” His gaze settled on me. “Nova, you—”
“We were discussing her exetasis,” Wilder said shortly. “What’s the matter?”
If Lattimore fou
nd that explanation suspicious, he mercifully didn’t say anything. “Wilder, there’s been a...breach. Regarding the...” He trailed off as his eyes darted to me. “You’ll need to come quickly. All faculty are to report to the staff common room.”
Wilder looked at me, then back at Lattimore. “Of course. Nova, if you’ll excuse me.”
He gave me a brief nod, and departed at a clip with Lattimore, leaving me alone in the torchlight, a girl with more questions than answers about who she was and what she was capable.
What she was feeling.
But just as quickly, I realized my feelings didn’t mean shit right now.
Because that “breach” could mean only one thing: something was going on with the relics.
And I’d let Camilla out of my sight.
Chapter Eighteen
My immediate instinct was to haul ass back to the ball and warn my friends that some serious shit was going down. Lattimore and Wilder had both looked genuinely upset, and my instincts told me that if the professors at a school for demons were scared, then there was cause for serious concern.
My second instinct was to figure out where the hell Camilla had gotten to. I cursed myself for letting her out of my sight. I’d been so distracted with the music and the dancing and the...Wilder that I hadn’t remembered that I was on a mission.
But no—I had to find my friends. It wasn’t even clear to me what good warning Morgan and Teddy would do, but at least we’d all be on guard. And if something dangerous was about to happen, I’d want them by my side.
In my panic, I failed to realize that of course everybody at the ball already knew something was going on. The entire faculties of Elysium and Hades weren’t just going to suddenly leave the room for no good reason. The DJ was still playing music—Lady Gaga this time—and there were still pockets of dancing, but it was impossible to miss the nervous chatter.
The Elysium students and Hades students processed the situation in very different ways.
“Something terrible is happening” or “this is fucked up” the demons were muttering to each other. The angels were far less cynical. “They’re just planning some kind of surprise finale,” I heard a boring-looking blonde guy saying to a boring-looking blonde girl.
Teddy was still on the dancefloor with his Elysium girl. I spotted Morgan milling about over by the punch, trying to act all casual even though the look on her face told me that she was very worried about what was going on.
Camilla, however, was nowhere to be seen.
“What happened?” Morgan asked. “Did you and your favorite professor go off for a snog?”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course not. It was about my exetasis.”
“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
“Just stop,” I snapped. “Lattimore came to fetch Wilder, and it was obvious something happened with the relics. He seemed really worried. There’s some bad shit happening.”
“So we can tell,” Morgan said.
“Where’s Camilla?” I asked. “I think she’s—”
“Behind you,” Morgan said.
I swear, I could feel those eyes on me. Why was Raines always sneaking up behind me? I really wished he’d start approaching me like a normal person, you know, from the front.
“Can I speak to you in private?” he asked in a stuck-up voice, like somebody had shoved a stick up his ass.
I whipped around.
“I don’t know,” I said snidely. “I don’t want to take away any of your precious time with Octavia.”
Raines stared at me, and I wondered if maybe I’d gone too far.
“Very funny,” he said shortly. “Please. We need to talk.”
“Is this really a good time for one of your lectures?” I asked. “Can’t you see there are more important things happening right now?”
I turned back over my shoulder, scanning the dance floor for Camilla. No dice. Which just further solidified that she was up to something.
When I looked back at Raines, his eyes flashed red, so he must’ve really meant business. “This is important.”
“If you’ll excuse me for a moment,” I said to Morgan, “Raines is due to give me a talking to where he says a few vague things and warns me about something or another. I’ll be back in a few!”
I followed Raines to another hallway just outside the ballroom. I had a pretty good feeling what this chat was going to be about.
“I saw you go off with my half-brother,” he said as soon as we were alone.
“Relics are being stolen, the entire staff of two schools are freaking out, and you want to yell at me about talking to your brother?” I said in disgust. “I get it. You have a shitty relationship with him. And you’ve got a dumb little crush on me, so you seethe with jealousy any time you see me talking to him. Give me a break. Now’s not the time.”
“Let me guess,” Raines said. “He told you about your sun line.”
My mouth snapped shut. I folded my arms. “So?”
“So he only knows about that because of me.” Raines’s eyes flashed. “Because I have it, and he doesn’t. He’s always been jealous. Like, fanatically jealous. Felt like it wasn’t right, or fair, or whatever, since he’s the legit heir. So when he saw you had it too, and realized I probably talked to you first...he’s just going to use you as a pawn, Nova.”
“He’s my professor,” I retorted, a hollow feeling eating at my chest. “He was proctoring my exetasis.”
“He’s manipulating you,” Raines said shortly. “You’re not that stupid, Nova.”
“Don’t try to make this about me,” I said. “You couldn’t care less what’s happening to me. You just care about getting back at him. You don’t want to save me from being a pawn, you want to make sure I’m your pawn.”
Raines’s eyes blazed red, and he stepped towards me, closing the space between us so that we were almost pressed together. “How dare you—”
Under my high heels, the floor trembled.
The rumbles started slowly at first, but quickly built up speed. The chandeliers swung from the ceiling, with one even falling to the ground and breaking Phantom of the Opera–style. But most foreboding of all were the flames on the torches—they’d turned from blue to black.
This was more than an earthquake. It was pure chaos.
But was it little-c chaos or capital-c Chaos?
I stood still, unsure of what to do. But when I heard screams coming from the direction of the ballroom, I sprang into action. I needed to get back there.
“What are you doing?” Raines screamed, running after me. “It won’t be any safer back there!”
“I don’t care!” I called back. “My friends are in there!”
And as if the forces of Chaos could hear me—if that’s what this was—the ceiling in front of the hallway back to the ballroom collapsed in a waterfall of stones and dust. My heart nearly stopped, and I only just jumped back in time to avoid getting clobbered by a chunk of ex-wall.
“Shit.” There wouldn’t be any way to get past all the rubble. Some sort of demon telekinesis power would’ve really come in handy right then. But nope, I was still useless, and Raines didn’t seem to have any ability to deal with the mess either. “Shit, shit, shit.”
The shaking underfoot got stronger, like a truck was passing outside—only it was a monster truck, and there were a hundred of them. From the pile of rubble, a thin crack spiderwebbed up the wall, then overhead, then split into more cracks spitting dust and splinters. The tapestries and wall hangings around us clattered to the ground, littering the way out. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the ceiling would fall in on us, and yet I remained frozen in my tracks. I needed to get to Morgan and Teddy.
“Nova!” Raines grabbed me by the arm. “Come on. We need to go the other way. Now.”
I was sick of Raines’s demands, but I knew he was right this time. Staying still and worrying about my friends could be a death sentence.
I ran as fast as I could, but th
at wasn’t so easy when the ground beneath my feet was trembling at full force. I needed to move carefully, or else I’d probably trip and fall flat on my face. I kicked my heels off my feet.
Sorry, Morgan, I thought. But those aren’t gonna get me far.
Even seeing more than a few feet ahead of us was impossible. Those ominous black flames didn’t do much in the way of lighting the way, and the falling torches and demonic coats of arms weren’t helping.
“Hurry!” Raines said.
“I’m doing my best,” I said. “This isn’t exactly easy, you know!”
Right, the shaking grew even stronger, with an earsplitting slamming sound like a giant whump.
“Ah!”
I whirled around. Raines had fallen to the ground, and he was struggling to get back up.
“Raines!” I ducked to the ground, dropping to a crouch, my dress billowing around my legs as I tried to get him to standing. But the floor was pitching wildly underneath us now, and even once he got back up, it only took us two steps before the shaking threw us back to where we’d been, or even further back towards the falling ceiling.
Another whump, like an elevator making a hard landing, and we were thrown back to the ground.
Running wasn’t doing us any good. There was nothing left to do but just hope for the best.
My life didn’t flash before my eyes. But I did feel oddly at peace. I closed my eyes and channeled as much as I could given the circumstances. I cleared my mind of fear and negative thoughts.
And then, moments later, it stopped.
No more shaking, no more crashing chandeliers, and no more black flames. Everything was back to normal—other than the wreckage that littered the hallway.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
Raines shook his head, dust flinging from his hair.
“Is it over?” I said, panic in my voice. “Is it coming back?”
“No,” Raines said, rising to his feet. “I think the situation is under control.”
I swallowed. “Was that...Chaos?”
“If it wasn’t Chaos, then I don’t know what it was.” He gave me a long look as he helped me to my feet.