They took me to the principal’s office in the administration building. Liam’s dad and Vice Principal Chandler were standing together by the wall. There had to be another ten council representatives taking up space in the room.
Behind the oakwood desk was a warlock. His clothes were all completely black with a silver broach of the moon on his lapel—the only thing giving his faction away. He stood as I approached and placed his hands on the desk to make himself look even bigger than what he was.
The Black Cloaks shoved me forward and finally released their tight grip on my arms. I could feel all the blood rushing back into my hands and making them tingle.
Nobody spoke for a long time.
I wondered if this was my opportunity to confess and throw myself down on the floor as I begged for mercy. If that’s what they were waiting for, they were going to be waiting for all of eternity.
There was no way I would admit being guilty of anything. Yes, I didn’t have powers, but I was not a threat to anyone, let alone the supernatural community as a whole. I was as significant as a grain of rice to an elephant.
I. Would. Not. Break.
If only I could get my sweaty palms to stop giving away my nervousness. I licked my lips so my mouth would have some moisture.
Surely they would have to get tired of standing around for so long? They should have better ways of getting me to talk than just making me stand in a quiet room with more than a dozen sets of eyes gawking at me.
Come on, already.
They would all want to eat eventually. They couldn’t stand there all day and wait for me to start the conversation. They were the council people, it should have been up to them to get me to talk. At least ask me some questions or something.
Allow me to defend myself.
Tell me what I was supposedly guilty of.
Just do something before I got so tired I would sit on the floor.
The warlock stood upright and placed his hands on his waist. Was he trying to look like a superhero now? If he was, he was missing his cape billowing behind him. He also didn’t have the right hair—his buzzcut was too short. No luscious long locks there.
He slowly walked around the desk as my gaze followed him. I wouldn’t look away. I didn’t have anything to be guilty of. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Yes, I did appear to be a roach, but it was because of a curse. None of what I was going through was my fault.
And I certainly hadn’t been mouthing off to any humans about supernaturals. I definitely wasn’t going to be accepting any punishment for that.
The warlock made his way all around the desk to stand in front of it. He perched on the edge and crossed his arms. If I leaned forward, I would be able to touch him, he was so close to me.
He pursed his lips. “Show me your magic,” he said.
Out of everything I was expecting him to say, it wasn’t that. For any other witch or warlock attending this academy, it would have been so simple. Unfortunately, he made the one demand that I was completely and utterly unable to perform.
“I’m not very good yet,” I said. I cast my eyes downward, hoping I came across as a shy and inept witch, rather than one trying to hide something.
“It doesn’t need to be complicated. Just show me something you can do.” As he spoke, he gestured with one hand, like we were just having a conversation instead of something much worse.
“I don’t have a spell book here.”
“You can’t tell me you haven’t memorized anything.” The warlock laughed and glanced at Principal Dunlop. “Your professors teach better than that, don’t they?”
The principal nodded. “Of course we do.”
His slithery gaze returned to me. “Do some magic, witch, or this is all over right now.”
I was trapped. A deer in the headlights. I couldn’t run and I couldn’t do any magic to save myself. Really, we were just wasting time now. I wanted the torture to be over and I couldn’t see any way out.
So I muttered a spell. “Water, earth, wind, and fire, goddess Aurodite never tire, move that pen to the right, and then completely out of sight.”
Needless to say, the pen didn’t move.
The warlock gestured to the pen with a feigned look of confusion on his face. “The pen is still there. Such a simple spell and it didn’t do a thing. What could that possibly mean?”
He was just being facetious now and his lackeys were lapping it up. A few giggles emerged from our audience. He lifted up the pen and dropped it again, making it fall on the floor and roll underneath the desk.
“I made it go out of sight,” he said smugly. I was ready to smack the guy across the head. Seriously, he was getting on my last nerve.
“I told you I’m not very good,” I replied flatly.
“Even a terrible witch should have been able to do that spell. Or at least made the pen tremble a bit. You’ve got no magic.”
I clamped my mouth closed. I really didn’t know what the right answer was. Did I tell him the whole story about the curse? Or would that be admitting guilt and they would know for sure that I was a non-supernatural?
I needed to phone a friend but I guessed they wouldn’t have that as an option for me. Maybe best out of three questions?
“Take her away,” the warlock said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
The Black Cloaks immediately stepped closer to me again. Now was the time for me to start panicking.
Chapter 16
“Stop! I’m not a non-supernatural,” I yelled as hands wrapped around my arms. “You have to hear me out. I’ll explain everything.”
The warlock put up a hand to stop everyone. “You’ve got thirty seconds to explain yourself. Go.”
“The Nightshade Coven cursed my grandmother’s descendants. They bound my powers so I would not be able to use them when I came of age. Please, if you speak with Samara Oakford, she will be able to explain everything. I promise this is just a mistake. You have—”
“I’ve heard enough. It’s all a desperate act of nonsense. Take her away.”
There was nothing stopping the Black Cloaks this time. They clamped down on my arms and dragged me away while I was still trying to explain. Nobody was listening to me. Nobody cared. They had found a scapegoat and that was all that mattered to them.
I was taken through the building and to the main foyer. Vice Principal Chandler hurried behind us and then took the lead. “Her room is this way.”
My room? Were they going to do a search now? They weren’t going to find anything. I had nothing they could use against me. There was no evidence that I lacked magic.
I was taken all the way up to room 396 and pushed through. The Black Cloaks stood at the door, blocking me from getting out and anyone else from getting in. Vice Principal Chandler came in with me.
“You need to pack all your things,” she directed. “You won’t be returning here.”
“What is going to happen to me?” I asked. I sounded pathetic but I couldn’t help it. I was terrified of what was going to happen to me. I thought this day would eventually come but I was never actually prepared for it.
“I suspect you’ll be kept under lock and key until they figure out what to do.” She had a kind tone to her voice that I appreciated. At least she didn’t see me as a monster.
“What I said back there was true.”
She smiled. “If that’s the case then I’m sure you will have a chance to discuss it with them further. Be quick now, we don’t have much time.”
She turned her back and stared out the window, giving me some shred of privacy while I gathered up my things. I had spent so little time in the room that it never really felt like home to me. Packing it all up wasn’t a big deal.
I glanced at the mirror and saw Liam’s message. It would have been nice to stick around and see it every day as I got ready for classes.
Goddess, I was going to miss Liam.
And Cress.
And most of the professors.
My whole world was crash
ing down around me and it would soon be over. They would cart me off and lock me away. Kill me when they decided to get around to it. My face would probably be on the news tonight. My parents would know that I had been caught. We’d all been waiting for this day, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
As I lifted a stack of books, the first threatening note I received fell to the floor. It fluttered and landed writing side up. I quickly scooped down to pick it up before Vice Principal Chandler or the Black Cloaks saw it.
When I stood up, I saw Liam’s message on the mirror again. I paused. Looked again. Looked at the note in my hand.
It was the same handwriting.
The cursive letters were identical, even down to the smallest loop. They had to be written by the same person. Coincidences like that didn’t just happen.
Liam was threatening me. He had been from the start. The reality of that felt like a physical kick to the guts. I stumbled back until I hit the bed and then sat down. I was lost for words as I struggled to comprehend what I had just discovered.
All those nice things Liam had said to me. All the time we had spent together. All the kisses we’d shared. The whole time he had been lying to me.
What was his plan? Was he just keeping me close to make the betrayal even more bitter? How many other things had he told me been complete lies? Had I even known the real Liam after all?
Nausea rose up and swept over me like a wave. I wanted to vomit and run away and get some air and scream all at once. I couldn’t believe I had been played so very thoroughly.
I had thought it was shapeshifters that gave me trust issues. Now I had a very large reason not to trust warlocks. I would never make that same mistake again. I would never get that close and allow someone to hurt me so badly again. I wouldn’t be played for a fool twice.
Another, even more troubling thought occurred to me. Liam had been in Brushwood the same night I was. We had danced together in that all-consuming way. What if he was the one that spilled the secret about supernaturals to humans? He could have done it to frame me.
And it certainly worked, didn’t it?
If it was him, he managed to get the whole council to come to Shadow Academy and seek out the one person he was trying to get rid of.
Me.
He’d played me and the council like a charm. He was nothing more than a puppet master and we all dangled on strings he controlled.
What a bastard.
I should have listened to Cress all along. She knew he was bad and I didn’t listen to her. I should have trusted her werewolf instincts and stayed the hell away. It might not have saved my life, but it would have saved my heartache.
“Are you all finished?” Vice Principal Chandler asked, barging into my thoughts.
It was hard functioning when I was just ripped into a thousand tiny pieces and didn’t know exactly how I was going to pull myself together again.
“You must get going,” she said.
I looked into her kind eyes and wished she was my mother. I wanted to pour out everything I had just learned and be comforted by someone.
“Eden?”
I needed to move. As much as I wanted to shut down and crawl under the covers on the bed, I couldn’t. That luxury was no longer afforded to me.
“I’m almost done,” I finally replied.
Getting to my feet, I managed to scrunch up the note and shove the last few things into my bag. The last thing I did was pick up one of Rosa’s makeup removers and smudged Liam’s writing on the mirror into one messy cloud.
I would leave all thoughts of Liam behind. He would remain at Shadow Academy and no longer exist in my mind. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hurting me any further.
“I’m ready,” I said.
Whatever was about to happen, it couldn’t be worse than how I was feeling in that moment. Not even death would compare.
The Black Cloaks took my arms and dragged me away.
Chapter 17
I’d never been to the council chambers before. They were a series of large buildings—five in total. I guessed one for every faction.
They were cold and sterile. Old, but perfectly kept. People rushed about in all directions looking important. They each stopped to stare at me while I was paraded through the long and seemingly unending corridors.
Finally, I was escorted to an elevator. I watched the doors close and felt like I’d never see daylight ever again. I tried to take a snapshot with my mind so I wouldn’t forget how it looked.
The elevator went down for a very long time. We were sinking into the middle of the earth where escape was all but impossible. I could feel the finality of the journey and wished things had turned out differently.
The doors slid open and revealed a corridor of bars. As we stepped out onto bare dirt, I could see they were cells. Upstairs may have been modernized but down there, it was all very medieval.
Only a few of the cells housed prisoners. They all had the same haggard look on their faces. Their hair was overgrown, their clothes little more than rags. I guessed I was looking at my future—unless they decided to kill me as soon as possible.
It was entirely plausible that they would make a martyr out of me. Publicly murdering me would be a good warning to any other roaches or supernaturals to keep the secret. Keep their mouths closed or they too could end up dead at the council’s hand.
The Black Cloaks found a cell they liked and pushed me in. I stumbled over a rock and fell against the wall. My ankle twisted in pain as I cried out.
The cell door was closed and enchantment thrummed though the padlock. There would be no escaping for me. Even if I had magic, I wouldn’t have been able to undo the spell placed on the lock.
“When can I speak with someone?” I asked.
They didn’t reply.
I was left alone so all I could hear was the sound of another prisoner with a horrible cough. Their chest was making a death rattle. I doubted they had long to live.
The cell had a camp bed made out of thick canvas. A bucket was in the corner. There was nothing else in the tiny cell that couldn’t have been more than eight foot square. I sat on the bed and covered my face with my hands.
Perhaps if I just kept my mind active, I could get through it. Maybe they would listen to me so I would be able to explain everything. They would have to look into the curse, make sure they gave me a fair trial.
Right?
I had to believe in something and there was little else that fit the bill. Maybe my grandmother would see me on the news tonight and come forward herself. The council would have to believe the legendary Samara Oakford. In the very least, hear her out.
Time seemed to stand still in the cell. I didn’t know whether it was night or day. I still had my watch on but I quickly started losing track of the days. How many passed? It felt like an eternity.
Food magically appeared on my floor twice a day. It was nothing more than bread and water. After scoffing the first serve too quickly, I made myself stretch it out. Just a little nibble on the bread and small sip of the water at a time.
My stomach was always growling. My teeth, hair, and hands were always dirty. I longed for a shower and a change of clothes. Even a little soap would have been appreciated.
And the smell…it was awful. The toilet bucket magically emptied only once a day. My filth, combined with that of all the others, left a lingering stench that I never got used to and never went away.
I soon felt as feral as the other prisoners we’d passed on the way in. I barely resembled human any more. I felt more like a wild animal that had been caged and forgotten about.
Every time someone walked past—which wasn’t very often—I asked them questions. I explained my situation and begged for them to let me speak with someone.
I begged to call my grandmother.
I pleaded to speak with a lawyer.
I prayed to the Goddess that she would show me mercy and send help.
All those things and I was still no further
ahead. I was rotting away in my cell. Sometimes I wished for a swift end. If they were going to force me to live out my natural life in that cell, I didn’t want to continue. There was no point in just existing for the sake of it.
I don’t know how many days I spent in the cell before a Black Cloak opened my door and grabbed me around the arms. It was long enough for me to be covered in dirt, my hair to be matted, and my hope just a shriveled memory.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked. I didn’t have any energy to fight him with. It was hard enough just walking. I hadn’t taken that many steps in a very long time. My feet were almost black from filth and they tingled when I placed them on the ground.
The Black Cloak didn’t reply and I didn’t really expect him to. He was an escort and nothing more. He would ensure I got to where I was supposed to be.
All the other prisoners watched me as I was marched by. We didn’t really talk amongst ourselves in the dungeon. Nobody had anything left to say and didn’t want to hear about someone else’s misery.
I wondered if the Black Cloak was taking me away to be executed. Surely the council had had long enough to think about it and decide on my course of punishment. Death was only the real option for me now.
We entered the elevator and it started its ascent. I saw myself in the reflection on the shiny wall and almost jumped. I looked like a crazy woman. My hair was a puff of hideously unbrushed strands. My skin was the color of dirt. I’d aged at least two decades. I was nothing but skin and bones.
I didn’t recognize myself.
When the elevator opened, it was far too bright. I instantly tried to cover my eyes with my hands but the Black Cloak held my arm too tightly. I squinted as I tried to adjust to all the light.
The foyer was still bustling with lots of people. It was daytime outside with a very blue sky. Everything appeared so normal—like no time had passed while I was being caged like an animal.
More people looked at me than the first time I’d walked through the building. This time they also turned up their noses at my disgusting aroma. I had stopped being able to smell myself a while ago.
Magic Bound (Shadow Academy Book 2) Page 11
