"Really?" Sally whispered once they were inside. It was warm in the woman's office, and a deep red fire was beating in the background, a man also stood there - Levi thought it must have been Markus - but when the man turned around, Levi realized it wasn't him.
"Sally, Levi, I'd like you to meet Aloysius Milliard, the head of the New York Academy. It appears we aren't the only Academy being attacked by this Hybrid, it also appears that we are not the only ones of our kind as we have often thought. Aloysius has offered for him and his Academy to join in an attack. We are preparing war already." Headmistress spoke calmly, but with a slightly annoyed edge.
The man nodded and walked up to meet them. He was wearing the full gear, only it looked different, with a red mark of paint going down the sleeves of the carefully cleaned leather. His face had a tattoo of a full moon on it, coloured completely in red. His eyes were blazing purples just as the teachers at the Luna Academy's did.
"Hello, it's completely true what your headmistress has said, we're preparing for war."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
(Kit's P.O.V)
Kit was unable to open her eyes, she was finding herself scared that if she ever closed them that her entire posture would break down. There was a hand in front of her, holding something before her face that looked like fresh clothes. As Kit opened her eyes to inspect them, a wave of dizziness flooded over her, causing her great pain that she managed to surpass.
"Look hear Miss Stone!" The witch spoke gushingly between two black teeth. "You must wear these for tonight’s banquet; I heard Master has some plans up his sleeves for yak!" She thrust the shirt and pants through the cell door and Kit watched as they landed on the ground before her.
All she wanted to do was stick her hands through the bars and choke the woman to death... but she couldn't because Claudius had dripped nightshade on them, so if she ever tried escaping then she'd burn herself brutally.
"I'm not going to a banquet!" Kit spat, aiming a gaze as cold as ice towards the lone figure who stood on the other side. "If you think I'll do anything for you then you're completely wrong. I'll kill myself before I can do one good deed for you." Kit's harsh tone was even, yet it had the correct amount of anger to intimidate the witch.
The hag only raised a withered hand and stepped back, "just a warning, Master won't be happy, especially since his plans have started falling through." The witch cackled merrily over at Kit, watching the girl as her hands clutched over the iron bars.
She shook the bars, feeling the most gruesome pain shooting over her hands, probably blistering them. "Ouch! She gasped, her breaths becoming ragged and uneasy. She shrunk back and away from the bars hating her defeat. "What plans?"
The witch smiled, "nothing out of the ordinary, Kitara Stone, just some very clever things he was thinking through the other night... then it hit him!" The hag made that last word hang in the air, darkening Kit to question it.
"What? What plan?" She stepped back, feeling her legs quivering from exhaustion. Her mind wondered aimlessly towards Levi's sad and betrayed face as she said her last goodbyes. There wasn't much else to do. "I already promised you that if I gave myself over, nothing bad would come to them... to my friends and my Academy!" Kit's hands shot up again, hovering over the metal but not close enough to touch it.
The hag shook her head, "my dear, have you not thought it through yet? Has the lesson reached her stupendous mind? You can't trust a witch or Claudius for that matter." The witch grinned and stepped backwards until her back pressed up against the hard-wooden door. "You best get some shut-eye, Miss Stone, we got some very important things for you!"
The witch opened the door, casting a mass of light to poor in. Kit wanted so badly to run after the witch, but the light hurt her eyes which had only seen dark the last few days. "'I'll kill you one day!" Kit yelled after her, then the sound of the door shut... leaving her in complete darkness. Alone as always.
* * * * * *
*Levi's P.O.V*
"What's the plan of action?" Levi asked very suddenly, feeling momentarily unable to help himself from asking. He was confused about this whole war plan and inside him he just wanted to yell until his heart’s content. But he kept everything inside.
Headmistress turned her back from where stood by the window, watching the penetrating rain as it dripped down like spider webs. "I plan on attacking soon, Levi, but patience is what we need as Aloysius brings over his students and instructors." She turned towards Sally, whose head was pointing down as she stared at her shows. "Sally, would you please ask the guards outside to bring in Syria?"
The girl looked up, her eyes widening. "Syria's here? Of course," she nodded towards us both before sweeping out the room like a ghost. The poor girl must be confused and worried.
Headmistress turned back towards Levi, her expression darkening, her cheeks palling. "Look, I don't mean to make you so confused, but Aloysius will be here soon, and we'll have to plan war, for the time being, would you mind going down to the alchemy lab and asking Miss Libelled to make potions and medicine, just whilst Aloysius is still arriving?"
"Oh certainly, we might need some of that." Levi bit his lip after a small curt nod before disappearing out the door just as Syria stepped inside, followed by Sally. "Sally!" Levi grabbed her arm before she could step inside.
"Hey!" Sally yelped, obviously not seeing Levi's sharp action coming. He shook his head at her. "Levi, what is it?"
His full lips set into a thin line as he gazed worriedly in the room. "They want me to get medicine, lots of it, what other reason would they need it unless this war is going to be bigger than expected," He crossed his arms over his chest and heaved a sharp sigh.
Sally's lips parted in shock, "you don't say!" She threw her arms up and punched his shoulder playfully. "This isn't like the other times, this is much worse, we're going up against hybrids why else would we need so much medicine." She asked sympathetically.
He tilted his head forwards, so he could whisper without the two women in the other room couldn't hear. "Because they know that half of us will be hurt... and will most likely turn into Hybrid's by the end of the night." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah... that's true sadly, but we will try our hardest not to, after all, all those girls he took forever catching will have turned already. "Sally laid her hand over his shoulder. "We best to start stocking up this medicine then... and a whole bunch of Wolfs bane."
"We should put it on all the weapons as well!" He added, "then we save Kit and go home after killing Claudius!" He smiled at himself.
"Yeah genius it's going to be that simple!" Sally said sarcastically, leading him down the steps towards the alchemy lab. He cocked his head to the side and stuck his tongue out at her.
"Haven't you got any imagination?" He asked coolly as they rounded up towards the door.
She shook her head, "not in this world at least."
* * * * * *
*Syria's P.O.V*
"You're kidding me, right?" Syria asked. She was seated at a table after talking with Headmistress for over an hour about the war. They'd gone through plans about what to do when someone walked through the door.
"Kidding about what?" It was Aloysius, his still figure stood through the door looking not a day older than twenty-five. Syria stood, as did Headmistress and they walked over to where he was to greet him.
Syria smiled, "Aloysius, I presume, I only just heard about your Academy," she shook her head incredulously. "Such a small world and how stupid we were to have not assumed we were the only ones in it."
Aloysius flashed a smile, his white teeth beaming, "indeed, it was so strange, but I remember spotting two teenagers wondering around the streets in the rain, they even saw me... I was going to slit the girl's throat when I realized that she was one of my kind! So, I bolted back through and down the alleyway, not sure whether I should be sure. I found you all though, in the end, and now look at us!" He smiled again.
Syria laughed, "the two 'teenagers' must
have been Levi and Kit when they were on their task, funny you should say that because I'm sure they mentioned they saw a figure dash at them on their task."
Headmistress spoke up this time, "that's correct; I do remember them saying that! How strange to know it was you all along.”? Headmistress rounded back towards the window with a strange look on her face, but she didn't say anything else.
"Yeah." Aloysius spoke evenly, gritting his teeth together as he did. "What's the plan?" He paced around the room with a growing smirk.
Syria didn't trust him very much; she could feel that something odd was about him. "Look, the plan is going to be difficult, you said you're going to get your Academy students over here to battle alongside ours? Am I correct?" Syria's tone shifted to slightly less even.
Aloysius's face tilted to the side, "yes, they are ready down the stairs, Syria." He sat down in the seat that was behind Headmistress’s Sibyl's slim figure and leaned backwards, pulling his hands behind his head casually. Syria's eyes narrowed at him.
"Alright, we need weapons, lots of them. About an hour ago I sent Levi, and I think Sally went with him, to get medicine and weapons as well. When they get back, we'll send everyone into one room and tell them the full plan, which will be very interesting." Headmistress was the one who spoke and when she turned around she looked quite worried. Syria had never seen her so worried before.
Aloysius nodded, "thank you both, I shall send the order to the others, so they understand what they're up against." He stood from his seat, and before leaving, he bowed and nodded. "Until next time ladies."
When Syria heard the door slam behind him, her gaze shifted voluntarily towards Headmistress' frail face. Why did she look so sickened?
"Sibyl, I don't trust him," Syria paced the small room, her fingers brushing over a piano beside the fire, she realized that the highest key had been broken, snapped off. "What are we going to do about him?"
Headmistress sighed, "We have to trust him, and the only reason that you don't trust him is because you trust no one!"
Syria crossed her arms over her chest, "whatever, we'll have to just see how this war works out, if it does for that matter." She said, swiping a stray strand of blond hair out of her purple eyes.
Headmistress nodded in agreement, "whether this falls through, we shall see, but until then, we better warn the school because... we're headed towards danger."
* * * * * *
*Kit's P.O.V*
"Girly, we want to see your pretty blue eyes," the hag called through the cell doors. Currently, Kit was pushed up against the wall, her eyes concentrating on the ground. The door beyond was filtering in renewed light that hurt Kit's eyes, making them blurred.
She shook her head, "no way am I coming out there with you!" She called through gritted teeth, already searching around at her surrounding so she could stab something though the hags heart! As foul as it seems.
"Look hear Miss Stone, we put some nice fresh clothes out for you! Get into them!" The Witch cackled before closing the door, leaving only the slightest peak of light to cast through. She crossed her arms with a muffled sigh, feeling her breaths coming shorter from the lack of oxygen in the room. A terrible thought roses to her mind.
I'm going to die in here.
Without a second thought she shifted towards the pile of clothes that the witch had thrown on the floor. Absently, she began to sort thought them, looking for something more comfortable to wear. Her eyes found a plain white singlet top and a pair of black slacks.
Sighing she threw off her old clothes, which were caked with horrible mud, and slipped the brown sandal’s over her feet.
"Alright!" She banged against the metal bar, hissing when her hands came away burning. The only reason it could possibly be affecting her was because... it was nightshade but Wolfsbane! No wonder why it burned instead of stinging.
When she'd been tortured that other time, Claudius had used nightshade and it had stung rather than burned. But right now, when she touched the cell doors it burned instead of stung. Why was it like this? Was she a hybrid.
Impossible, I can't be a Hybrid!
Before she could yell again, the door burst open and a smirking witch strode through in long swift motions. "Good to hear m' dear!" She brought the keys that were near the door and unlocked the cell, hearing how it sounded when she flung it open.
Kit stepped forward the smallest step, hesitantly wondering whether it was a trick or a true thing. "How can I trust you?" Kit asked, feeling her fists forming at her sides. The hag smiled a small smile and shook her knotted head.
"Kitara, come, don't be absurd!" The witch made a menacing cackle and gestured for Kit to follow. When she still stood on the inside of the cell, the hag sauntered inside and grabbed Kit by her upper arms. "Come with me or I'll slit your throat, I will!"
Kit fought against the hag's iron grip, frantically trying to shake her off. "Let me go!" Kit tried to throw a punch at the hag, but she only cackled again, bending Kit's arm in a strange way that left and agonizing crunch!
she screamed from the pain and dropped to her knees, feeling unable to move her arm. "What... did... you... do!?" She asked between breaths, feeling all senses within her go crooked. The pain hurt more than anything else and she felt tears burn at the corners of her eyes, when she blinked one came down her cheeks.
"Now, now my dear, don't dampen your new clothes, that broken arm of yours will fix on its own, you're a half Hybrid after all, which means that if you ever get hurt then you heal almost instantly."
She heard every word that had just poured from the he’d mouth, yet she avoided it, not giving through just yet. "No! If you want me to believe you, then prove it, prove that I'm a 'Hybrid.'"
"That, Miss Stone, I can definitely show you."
* * * * * *
*Levi's P.O.V*
He heaved a sigh after carrying the last box of medicine's and herbs to Headmistress's office. Sally planted the second one after him matching his sigh. For the past hour and a half, they'd been sorting out the medicine and armour, making potions from the Alchemy lab and talking about the war. Always avoiding the most painful subject. Kit.
It pained Levi to talk about him, but when he spoke to Sally he kind of could, they were pretty good friends now and had anyone have asked him before whether they were friends, Levi would have said 'sort of' or 'maybe'.
"What would happen if we fall back?" Sally asked, her blue eyes growing wide with concern. "Would our entire kind be shortened?"
"Would it matter if we were shortened because I'm just not sure what to think," he shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall, his chest rising and falling rapidly with exhaustion.
"It would matter Levi, for one, we would never be the same and second we wouldn't be able to save Kit!" She said, letting the last sentence hang there between them. He felt the tension and instantly felt sad.
What was Kit doing now? Was she okay? Is she better without me? He had asked these question over and over in his mind and the other day when he was forgotten about it, he finally didn't feel like he was being crushed by a weight.
"Sorry!" She said quickly, turning the silence into a cacophony of stupid attempts of recovering her last sentence. He wasn't listening to her though, instead his vision was filled with nothing but Kit. He imagined the way her brown hair would spill down her shoulders in soft glossy tendrils of hair, going almost all the way to her waist.
He imagined her laugh or the way she looked at him with hunger and sometimes guilt, almost like it was her fault they were in this mess.
"-So stupid for bringing it up in the first place," she finished. He'd only caught the last of her sentence, but he forgave her instantly and a small smile rose to his lips.
"Don't worry about it, Sally, she'll be okay, we'll get her out of that dark place in no time." He said, not helping but to think of his big lie. Maybe they couldn't get her out, maybe she'd die there under the arms of Claudius.
"Don't worry, we'll save her. We
'll save our entire kind. Whatever it takes, right?" She asked, her big blue eyes looking Innocent. He smiled and nodded.
"Right."
* * * * * *
*Syria's P.O.V*
"Everyone calms down!" Syria warned as she faced the entire school at the podium. She had worked very hard to keep her attire in check, making sure she didn't seem too worked up about the possible war at their midst.
There were a few worried shouts from the crowd but most managed to listen to what she had to say. She saw Headmistress Sibyl out of the corner of her eye and felt slightly relieved.
"Alright everyone, as I have said, there will be a war against that wretched beast we've been discussing. The reason you've all been here, locked in your dorms. We will take it down, tomorrow during the day, at the break of morning. We will gather everything, weapons, potions and medicine, anything that will work to make us better."
The crowd looked worried and a few yelps came though, launching into a wondrous cacophony of murmurs.
"Please calm down everyone!" She called, " we will make sure the plan has been followed through to all of you. No one will be harmed unless you pay attention. You've been taught your entire lives for missions and if you choose to go through with this one then we can ensure you just how good of a warrior you all are."
A hand rose up and when Syria looked at the frail girl with frizzy brown hair, she began to speak shakily. "What is the plan exactly? Do we all have to go?" She was young, and Syria felt a pinch of regret reach its way up her throat.
"It's up to you all, if you're brave enough, if you survive through this then I'll make a promise." She let her words hang there for a moment, watching the one thousand fully and half trained students before her. "That promise is that I move you straight up to the Prefect, the blue-eyed rank!"
Voices rose up half in delight at hr words, after all, that was a very big deal to make. Fighting in trade for moving straight up to prefect. It was a very big thing to have said.
The Night Walkers Page 19
