by Tom Early
“Of course I do. I’m guessing you know why she wasn’t here today?”
“I do.” Didas waved his hand over the desk. The wood shimmered, then gave way to a vision of an all-white room that I recognized immediately, along with the fragile-looking girl sleeping in the bed in the middle of it. “Your friend Aria is still in a coma. Despite the fact that Janus University has healing magics second only to Asclepius, we are unable to wake her up.”
I froze. “But… she came to see me, in the spring. She was better. She told me.” My brain couldn’t accept what it was seeing. Aria looked so small, her dark skin far too pale as she lay on the snow-white sheets.
I wasn’t looking at Didas’s face, but I could hear the cold amusement in his voice. “I’m afraid you didn’t, actually. You see, our reports indicated that you were slipping further into depression with every day, unable to cope with what you’d done. Or what your body had done, but I imagine at the time you weren’t able to discern the difference. We needed you better, so I arranged for a little display to… help you along.”
I stared at him, numb. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, it was just that… I hadn’t fully grasped that Didas didn’t see me as a person until that moment. “You can’t just play with people like that.”
Didas stared flatly at me, and I braced for another attack as that gray light started to hum through the air again. “I think we can both agree it was for a good cause,” Didas said finally, and the thrum of energy abated, “and it did nothing but help you in the end. But you’re missing the point. I believe that you will be able to wake Aria up, if you successfully gain the powers of Winter.”
“As far as I’ve seen, Winter’s power doesn’t seem to be about healing,” I responded, once again pushing everything to the back of my mind. It was starting to worry me that I was so good at that. “What makes you think that I could help?”
“As far as we can tell, the reason we cannot wake Miss Aria up is because a portion of Winter’s power still lingers inside her, preventing her wounds from healing. The hope is that you can remove that influence once you have full control.”
I swallowed back the bile that threatened to rise up my throat, glancing down at Aria’s terribly still form. “And if I don’t go along with your plan….”
“I prefer to remove unnecessary drains on university resources,” Didas said. It was the most civilized threat of murder that I had ever heard. And it worked. I was already responsible for taking Aria’s wings. If I was the reason she then got killed…? I shook my head, remembering how bad I was last spring. It would be a lot worse than that.
I glared at Didas. “You know I can’t say no to this.”
“That was the point,” Didas said bluntly. “Hate me if you want, but I hold all the cards. Your choices are to go along with my plan or to die, along with everyone you’ve ever cared for.”
“Fine,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I’ll go along with your plan. But I still don’t understand what you’ll get out of this. After I get merged with Winter, what then?”
“The hope is that you’ll have worked past your anger by then,” Didas said, “enough to recognize just how much in debt to the university you’ll be.” He tilted his head. “Perhaps enough to help us deal with a few of our own problems, as we discussed back at the Trials.”
“You want me to be your weapon,” I said.
“Precisely.” Didas looked at me, and I saw something colder than anything I’d ever been able to summon lurking behind his eyes. “And I intend to use you to rid my university of certain lasting threats, once and for all. After that, you will be free to do as you will. I give you my word.”
“And if I don’t take you at your word?”
“It hardly matters. I have other ways of making you cooperate,” he said, and suddenly I was reminded of Sam, back at Obsidian, of my parents, of Tyler. The man in front of me would have no qualms about using them against me. Of that I had no doubt.
I let out a breath, steadying myself, and pushed down the vortex of guilt, anger, and helplessness that swirled in my mind. If I had to sell myself into servitude to Didas for a while to keep my friends safe, to right what I’d done to Aria, I would.
“Then I guess we have a plan,” I said. I’d go along with what Didas said. And if he was ever foolish enough to turn his back to me, I would kill him. I wasn’t a killer. I didn’t want to be one. But some people needed to be gone, all the same.
Didas held my gaze and nodded, clearly satisfied with whatever he saw there. I had to hand it to him—as much as I despised him now, he knew exactly how to control a situation. He motioned to the door behind me, a small smile on his lips.
“Then I believe you have a hall gathering to attend,” he said. “Good afternoon.”
Chapter Seven
AS EXPECTED, the moment I left Didas’s office I found myself back in the hallway. I glanced back; the door to my room was open, displaying a perfectly normal bed, desk, and my bags. I wanted nothing more than to face-plant onto the bed and maybe scream and break down or something, but I’d gotten really good at bottling up my emotions recently. It seemed wrong to break such a healthy habit.
So, instead, I stepped out into the hall and made my way to where people were gathering by the stairs. Sam stood next to the girl I’d seen with all the books earlier. Her stance looked relaxed and confident, but I knew her well enough to see that she was as tense as everyone else. She caught sight of me, did a double take, and motioned me next to her.
“What the hell happened to you?” she hissed. “You look like you got hit by a truck!”
“Really? That bad?” I said, not bothering to deny it.
“Your right eye is twitching, and it’s freaking me out.”
“Guess who just had a run-in with Didas.”
Sam paused and peered at me more closely. “Well, shit. I have some damage control to do now, don’t I?”
“It… wasn’t pretty,” I said. “I’ll tell you after this.”
I was subjected to one last soul-penetrating stare, and then Sam made her judgment. “Bullshit. You look like hell, Fay. Playing meet and greet with our hall can wait. You’re coming with me.”
I knew better than to protest as Sam marched me straight back to her room, threw open the door, and dragged me in without a care in the world for the many, many curious looks being leveled at our backs by the rest of our floor.
Sam’s room had changed since I last saw it. She’d already started putting her drawings on the wall behind her bed, and there was a mountain of books on the other one.
“Lailah’s a speed-reader,” Sam said by way of explanation. “I get the feeling I’ll be seeing this sight a lot this year. Now sit down and tell me what the hell happened.”
I did, not bothering to skim over a single moment of it. Sam had been my closest friend for longer than anyone else, and if there was one thing I had learned, it was that you do not try to hide something from her. At least not if she can tell something’s wrong. Moreover, Sam had made it abundantly clear that if I ever tried to deal with dangerous magic stuff on my own, she would make me regret it.
When I was done, Sam unclenched her fists from the bedsheets and let out one steady, uninterrupted breath. I couldn’t help but remember how close Sam had been to Aria back during the Trials, and how much she’d been looking forward to seeing her. I was surprised her wall didn’t have a new fist-shaped hole in it. I wouldn’t have blamed her for it in the least.
“Well,” she said, and her voice promised dark, ugly threats. “It sounds like Didas is even more of an asshole than we knew. I can’t believe he tried to use Aria to get to you like that.” Her fists clenched again, and this time the warping of the air around her hands was unmistakable. “I’m going to kill him once for what he’s done to Aria, and then I’m going to bring him back and kill him again for what he’s still fucking doing to you.”
“He didn’t try, Sam,” I said, feeling far too heavy and brittle. “He succeeded. Th
ere’s no way I can live with myself if I don’t help Aria recover. And he’s right about this being my only choice. Look,” I said and motioned to her window. As she turned to look, hoarfrost slowly began to creep up the glass, spreading out in patterns that once made me grin, and now turned my stomach.
Sam turned to look at me, her expression carefully composed. In other words, she was pissed. “And how long has that been going on, exactly?”
I shrugged. “A while. I didn’t want to make you worry, not when I was supposed to be better.” I held up my hands. “I’m sorry for that, by the way. I was an idiot for not telling you. It’s easier to handle when you’re in on it too.”
Her expression softening, Sam slowly reached her hand over to my face, as if she were going to cup it around my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into the contact. Suffice to say, the sting of her palm as she slapped me instead did a lot to remind me that yeah, I did kinda deserve it. Once I was finished rubbing the red mark on my face and wincing, Sam pulled me in for a hug.
“Thankfully,” she said, her voice soft next to my ear, “I’m used to you being an idiot by now.”
“Now let’s start planning for how to come out ahead in this,” Sam’s voice continued in my mind. “And since I’m guessing Didas probably has every inch of this place bugged in some magic way, we’re going to do it with Synchrony.”
I couldn’t help the surprised huff at the sudden spell, and I couldn’t help the laughter that rolled through me after that. My whole body shook with barely contained, more than slightly hysterical laughter, and Sam held on to me for the ride as I pressed my smile into her shoulder.
“You’re ridiculous, Sam,” I said, still laughing. “I can’t believe how you can do stuff like this without even stopping to breathe.”
“Oh, believe me,” Sam growled, “I am royally pissed off about him using Aria as a bargaining tool, but I believe in finding constructive ways to deal with my anger.”
“Such as your dad’s old cruiser, with a crowbar?”
“That was one time,” she retorted. “Anyway, Didas said there’s nothing you can do right now other than get used to the idea, right? So we have time to make sure you make it out of this as you, and not just some pawn.”
“Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
I heard what sounded like a muffled “don’t mention it,” and then Sam was brushing her hair back into place.
“Want to go rejoin the hall meeting?” she asked, once again looking perfect.
I sighed. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad do I look right now?”
Sam squinted and made an “ehh” gesture with her hand. “You’re hovering somewhere between ‘I got hit by an emotions truck’ and ‘please don’t breathe in my direction, I’ll fall over.’”
I ran a hand through my white hair, trying to smooth it down. “How about now?”
“That did absolutely nothing. Now you just have messy hair.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
Sam led the way back out of her room, and we both hastily introduced ourselves to the rest of our floor. Not everyone was present, but there looked to be at least thirty of us. With the exception of Septimus, a short-haired girl with an angular face and slightly pointed ears, and two twin black-haired boys with sharp canines and glowing golden eyes, everyone seemed to be human. The girl I’d seen going to Sam’s room, Lailah, was standing somewhat apart from everyone else. She seemed to be splitting her attention evenly between the milling group of people and the book in her hands, but she was clearly paying attention, since she gave Sam a nod as we approached.
I’ve always been horrible with remembering names, so the result of the group of people introducing themselves was mostly just a headache. There was one boy named Dimitris who had very loudly introduced himself to me and then promptly given Sam a hungry once-over. Sam gave him a cool look in return. He looked a lot like Aiden, but his dark hair was curly, and his lips were fuller, and he lacked Aiden’s new beard. I wondered if Sam would break his arm too for irony’s sake. Knowing her, she probably would. The twins introduced themselves as Carter and Miles. Carter had an impish grin on his face, while Miles was more stoic. Their appearances reminded me of Theo, the boy from the Trial who could transform into a leopard. Something about the almost feral gleam in their eyes and the loping way they walked.
“I think we might have werewolf twins on our floor,” I whispered to Sam as they moved past.
“You do,” Carter called back from where he was definitely out of earshot, grinning right at me. “And I’ll forgive you for gossiping about my handsome mug already.”
I could feel my face heat up and turned away.
“Way to talk about the people with super senses, Fay.” Sam snickered. “That couldn’t possibly go wrong.”
“Shut up.”
Then there was Lailah, who was much taller than Sam, almost as tall as me. Her introduction consisted of a nod, a quick scan from her sharp brown eyes, and then her nose was buried in her book again. Her clothes were plain but well made: a dark purple skirt and a spotless, pressed white shirt standing in stark relief against her deep brown skin. Her hair was braided and pulled into an elegant ponytail, with what looked like glimmering orange and yellow stones woven into it. I didn’t recognize what she was reading.
After that was a girl who looked so similar to Aiden that I did a double take. Her dark hair fell in perfect ringlets around her olive-skinned face, and her dark eyes looked at me in a way that would probably have been extremely alluring if I wasn’t, y’know, gay. I wasn’t sure what sort of dress she wore, but it looked like it probably cost about as much as my parents’ house. But it was her smile that reminded me of him the most. It was slow, amused, and calculating. This girl knew exactly what she looked like and was well versed in using her looks to her advantage. I only hid behind Sam a little as she approached.
“You must be Feayr and Sam,” the girl practically purred. “I’ve heard a lot about you two. The strongest contenders at your Trial, though you don’t look it. It seems we’re in for quite the fun year, assuming you two are as good as I’ve heard. Though from your appearances, I’m not expecting much.”
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, I’m impressed you can see past that bloated ego and all, but that doesn’t excuse you from an introduction.”
The other girl’s cheeks reddened, but she recovered quickly and gave Sam a sharp smile. “Sofia Ombra, at your service. You’re just as rash as my brother made you out to be.”
Sam groaned. “Great, another one of you. Ooh, I know,” she said, giving Sofia a smile of her own, “how about I stick to tradition and break your arm as a greeting too?”
“Um, Sam?” I whispered, edging more and more behind her back. Sofia looked ready to break something herself. “Can you not antagonize people we’ve only just met?”
I heard her sigh. “Right, right. Be friendly. It’s just a bit difficult to do that when the other person is being rude.”
“It might actually just be an inborn Ombra trait,” Aiden’s voice cut in, and everyone turned to where he’d appeared by the stairs. “We’re just naturally good at getting dear Samantha’s hackles up.”
All of the calculation I’d seen earlier left Sofia’s face as she smiled brilliantly and threw her arms around her brother’s neck. “Aiden! Oh, it’s so good to see you again. It’s been weeks, and Father wouldn’t let me join you back in Italy.” She pouted. “I don’t see why I had to remain in America while you got to have fun back home.”
Sam and I shared disturbed looks as Aiden gave Sofia what looked like a genuine, fond smile. It looked so out of place on his face that for a moment I thought I was just seeing things.
“One of the Family must always be in America, dear sister,” Aiden said, putting a hand on her back in a slight embrace. “You know that. We have to keep our holdings there secure. You should just be grateful that Father put that sort of trust
in you. Now, as good as it is to see you again, I do have to speak to the rest of your floor.”
Sofia took her time stepping back from her brother and didn’t seem to care one bit about the display of affection she’d shown and how counter to her first impression it was. Honestly, I liked her a little more for it. Sam mostly just looked confused.
“Excuse me,” Aiden said, clapping to get everyone’s attention, which was pointless, because everyone was already looking at him after Sofia’s hug attack. “Welcome, all of you, to Obsidian House. I am Aiden Ombra, of the House Ombra, next in line for the Shadow Regency, and I am to be your floor’s advisor. This means that I am responsible for keeping all of you happy with your living situations, and for acting as judge for any housing disputes you might have.” He inclined his head. “I am at your service.”
“Wait, you’re kidding me,” Sam said, her voice filled with unholy glee. “We have Mr. Shadows-and-Self-Importance himself as our RA? I’m going to laugh about this for weeks.”
“Quite,” Aiden drawled. “Assuming no one else has any pressing commentary, I’d like to get back to the rules. First off, any complaints come straight to me. If you attempt to resolve a situation without informing me prior to doing so, I will be upset. You don’t want me to be upset. Second, if you are so lost to your urge to fight, do not do so in Obsidian, or I will personally evict you from the premises. Fighting is to be done in either the Garden of Solace, and yes, the irony is noted, or in one of the sparring chambers in Ares. If you decide to settle matters anywhere else, it will end badly for both of you. Any questions?”
“Yes.” Dimitris swaggered up to the front of the crowd. “Why should we be afraid of you getting upset? You’re just another student.”
“Ah, yes, the Dukas boy.” Aiden arched an eyebrow. “I haven’t seen you since the last time your family came to pay its respects to my mother. How have you been?”
