“You know more about the ’Mentals than you admit, don’t you?” she blurted out, trying to choke back the tears. “You got that albino, and you always have a far-off look when I ask about them. Did a ’Mental hurt you too?”
“Yes,” said Frank. “But, I’ll tell you another time. I wasn’t surprised at this revolt. If anything, I’m surprised it took them until now.”
“What’s going to happen?”
“I don’t know, Suzie. It’ll be a while before school goes back to normal, and if what Athanasius said is true, war is coming.”
“I won’t be able to go home will I?”
“Suzie, this is home to me. Maybe it’s meant to be home to you as well.”
“I can’t think. Everything’s confused. Maybe I should stop trying to figure things out and should go along with whatever Sindril wants.”
Frank laughed. “Suzie, you’re upset and in shock. But the day you stop trying to figure stuff out? Well, I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Frank rose and went to her door. She didn’t want him to go, but wasn’t sure how to ask him to stay. She remembered her kiss with Billy and felt her cheeks turning red.
“You try and rest. I’ll stay here tonight, it’s crazy out, and everyone’s on lockdown anyway. They’re probably looking for the last ’Mentals.”
“I hope they don’t find them.”
“Me too,” he said.
“Frank,” she paused. “Thank you.”
He nodded and opened the door.
“First time the world doesn’t smell like strawberries,” she mumbled as she lay down.
“What?” he asked.
“Strawberries.”
Frank gave her a confused look; then left her room and closed the door.
She stared at the ceiling.
Blood.
She could still see it. Still hear the scream. Her own scream.
Blood.
The grin on Sindril’s face, his teeth forming a bloody blade.
She closed her eyes.
* * * *
The College burned.
Deaths ran screaming around her, fleeing massive shapes with leathery wings.
“Run,” screamed Athanasius.
She turned to the ’Mental. His face was burning. Fire licked her heels, tracing tongues of orange heat onto her legs. She should be afraid.
“Run!” he screamed again. His head fell off into a pool of blood.
The flames crept higher, dancing between Suzie’s thighs, setting her clothes ablaze and leaving her naked.
A pair of green eyes emerged from the inferno.
“Be strong,” said Billy.
The ground vanished in a river of blood.
The eyes stared at her, watching her through flames of orange and gold.
“Be strong,” said Frank.
The sky burned into a cloud of ash.
One of the green eyes blinked.
Blood soaked her feet, hissing where it met the fire.
“Be strong,” said Athanasius.
The eyes watched her, she knew those eyes.
The green eyes.
Her own eyes.
Suzie awoke covered in sweat.
* * * *
Most of the College had been unaffected by the ’Mentals’ revolt. Only the buildings near the Hall showed noticeable damage, yet the entire campus was quiet. Young Deaths hurried to their classes without looking up, whispering to each other in hushed voices. She hadn’t seen Frank, Billy, or the others since the morning, but hoped they would come. She snuck out of the Ring of Scythes, grateful it was open, and walked to the library.
When she entered the dusty old house, she ran straight for the bookshelf and pulled on the red book, jumping through the words “Librvm Exelcior” when the bookcase swung open. She ran down the spiral staircase as the white flowers slowly began to glow behind her. Sindril might know about the house, but not the library. She hoped that was true. This was still her place, her sanctuary. The only place she felt safe.
Light came from the library beneath her, and she stopped on the staircase until she heard Frank’s voice.
“She’ll be here soon,” he said.
“We shouldn’t be here,” said Jason. “What does she hope to gain?”
“I want Sindril to pay,” she said, walking into the library. Frank, Billy, and Jason sat at a table covered in old books. The room felt more like home than Eagle Two.
“We should start with what happened that night,” said Frank. “The Styxia feast was five days ago. We’ve waited until now to tell where we were. We’re all worried, but we need to trust each other.”
Suzie glanced at Jason. She couldn’t help it. Did he honestly believe Sindril had tried to save them, or had it been an act?
“Suzie, you asked us to come,” said Billy. “What do you think we should do?”
“Frank’s idea is good. I want to hear what happened to everyone the night of the feast.” She glanced at Jason again and he turned away.
“It’s still a blur,” said Billy. He forced a smile at Suzie. The side of his face was bright red, with tinges of black in parts. Dried blood and early scab tissue covered the cut beneath his eye. It would leave a massive scar. If he wasn’t her friend, his face might have frightened her. Looking at him, she understood that he was more than just a friend. She wasn’t repulsed. She only felt sorry for him, and wished she could reach out and touch that kind face, one of the first to smile at her in this strange world. The first boy to kiss her.
“Frank and I were in the hall, up near the front,” he continued. “The speeches were droning on and on, and all of a sudden Frank leans over and points out that the ’Mentals were missing.”
“The servants,” interjected Frank. “I noticed they were gone, which was strange. Then Sindril got up and started talking. A ’Mental ran into the room with bright red eyes. He yelled something and shot fire right out of his hand. The table where the Council was sitting split in two and suddenly twenty ’Mentals were yelling and running everywhere. They started shooting flames in every color, and one of ’em honestly looked like he was flinging icebergs through the air. Deaths I didn’t recognize were hit and vanished. The Council was screaming and I turned to look, when a blast of fire hit Billy. He’s lucky it wasn’t any worse.”
Suzie’s heart caught in her throat, imagining the pain he must have endured.
“When I woke up,” said Billy, “the place was deserted. I staggered to the side and found Frank. I don’t remember how I got the cut. Frank helped me home and I fell asleep. When I awoke, you two came in, looking scared as hell.”
Suzie walked to Billy and embraced him. He patted her back, but she knew he was embarrassed. When she let go, he fell backward, breathing hard.
“I’ll take him to get help,” said Jason.
“No,” said Billy. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been hurt worse in boskery. Let me stay a few minutes.”
Suzie doubted he’d ever been hurt like this, but she didn’t want him to go until they’d formed a plan. She looked at Frank, who was staring into space.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” said Frank, nodding. “But it was bad. The ’Mentals poured out of the wall, probably through a hidden entrance. I think some of them got into the Council’s heads, sort of like the albino did to you, because the Council started screaming. Sindril was one of the first to grab a scythe and he started swinging like mad. I tried to pull Billy under the table, but a blast of flame hit him before we made it. I pulled him under after that and we hid until the fighting died down. I think they tried to attack Lord Coran himself, but the ’Mentals never got close. A couple of the Council were hurt, and a ton of other Deaths died, but the Council got away.”
“Which Deaths died?” asked Jason. “Is it anyone we know?”
“Couldn’t tell you,” said Frank. “I watched a few die myself, but I have no idea who they were. When a Death is killed in this world, it’s as if they never existed. Their
entire existence is ripped from the universe, even from memory.”
“Has it always been like that?” asked Suzie. “What about Lovethar? The one other female Death? If she was executed, how do people remember her?”
Frank laughed. “She wasn’t executed, obviously, or at least not on Widow’s Peak like they say. It’s not what actually happened to her. It's just a story. She wasn’t killed, not in this world anyway.”
Suzie had already guessed the Lovethar story was made up. Did it connect to what was happening now? Why would they lie about the only other female Death?
“Never seen ’Mentals this angry,” said Frank, continuing his story. “But the Deaths were even worse. Hann looked like he wanted to kill everyone, and a few Deaths started swinging their scythes, hitting everything in their way. I was watching from beneath our table when a ’Mental swung his arm and snapped the table in two. Samuel, one of the Gray Knights, got a scythe and swung it like a damn boskery blade. He tripped and the blade opened up Billy’s face before I dragged him to the side of the room. I had to fight off a couple of guys myself. Used my fists, since I didn’t even have a scythe, but luckily the roof gave in and helped me out. Part of it fell on one of the guys I was fighting, and I was able to drag Billy away.”
Frank's scratched face looked tired. Next to Billy’s charred face, Frank looked fine.
“If Billy got killed,” said Jason. “We wouldn’t remember him? Like he never existed?”
“It’s weird,” said Frank, “but that’s how it is. The Curse of the Deaths they used to call it.”
“I’m glad you both made it out all right,” said Suzie. “Jason and I were together, but I’m sure we remember things differently.” She had toyed with the idea of letting Jason tell the story first, but she didn’t want to hear it. She told them everything, starting with Athanasius’s strength cake, which she still had one piece of left, and ending with Sindril’s murder of the ’Mental. She even told them about her dream, and the visions she’d been having of fire and green eyes.
“A ’Mental with green eyes worked for Athanasius,” she said. “I had forgotten until a couple of days ago. In my dream I thought they were my own eyes.”
“Most ’Mentals have strangely-colored eyes,” said Frank. “It probably is related to a ’Mental.”
“I didn’t want to believe Sindril was a murderer,” said Jason. “He seemed to save us. I hadn’t met Athanasius before, and in all the confusion, I—”
“Sindril’s the original reason we formed this group,” said Billy, wincing. “He was up to something. Suzie herself said he planned to kill her.”
“He definitely wanted his men to watch us,” said Suzie. “They stayed at the house for three days. No one followed me here, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Sindril knew.”
“But you came anyway?” asked Frank.
“Even if he’s upstairs, he can’t hear us,” she replied. “If he was coming to the library, we’d hear the bookcase open and see the lights on the stairs. I’ll go check now, to be double-sure.” She walked up the stairs to the closed bookcase and looked through the invisible wall. The house was empty. She paused; her heart beat wildly against her chest, but the house was deserted. She turned and came back down. Billy looked around the room uneasily.
“He isn’t here,” said Suzie. “I think he hasn’t found this library, and maybe he’s stopped the meetings for now. Given what’s happened, he’s probably too nervous to leave the College.”
“Maybe,” said Billy. “But let’s keep this brief. I need to rest.”
“I didn’t realize Athanasius was your friend,” said Jason, looking uncomfortable. “Maybe I wanted to, I mean maybe I was—”
“It’s okay,” Suzie replied. “But I’ve had enough. I want to learn what’s going on.”
“Even if we found out, what would we do?” asked Billy. “We’re two first year Deaths, and two second years. Nothing we can do if the head of the school’s up to something.”
“Yes there is,” said Frank. “We need to take the fight to Sindril. We need proof he’s been meeting someone and that he’s involved in some plot. We break into his office in East Tower, and find the proof we need. Then make it public.”
“Are you nuts?” laughed Billy. “He’ll find us and kill us all, no one will even remember.”
“What do you think is going on?” Jason asked Suzie. “You’ve been suspicious the longest. What’s your theory?”
“I think Lovethar wasn’t killed,” said Suzie. “And she has something to do with the Dragon Key. She had a Dragon Key, and that’s why the Deaths are afraid of her. That’s why those pages about the Key are missing from the books. Sindril found out somehow, and now he wants to get the Dragon Key himself.”
“A lot’s missing from that,” said Frank. “Like what it has to do with you, or your visions. Was the ’Mental revolt a coincidence, or is it related? Don't forget that Sindril was in this house, apparently talking to someone. I still say we need to get in that office.”
“Maybe he was talking about the Key,” said Suzie. “Maybe some ’Mentals found out and he punished them. Or maybe it had nothing to do with all this, though it happened at the same time. I’m not sure, but I agree with Frank.”
“You what?” Billy stared at her. “You honestly expect us to march into East Tower, find Sindril’s office, and search…for what exactly?”
“I’ll know when I see it,” said Suzie. “And I’m the one who has to go.”
“Why you?” asked Jason.
“Because he invited me.”
“He what?”
“The first day of school, when I was upset, he told me to come to him any time I needed help. I’m going to do just that.”
“And then what?” asked Billy. “You ask him if you can search his office? Please, Headmaster Sindril, I suspect you of plotting something awful. I’d like to search around a bit?”
Suzie took a deep breath.
“I had an idea,” she said. “It’s honestly a long shot, but still might work. What’s the one thing that would force Sindril out of his office?”
“The end of the world?” asked Billy.
“Close,” she said. “The only thing that would get him out is another attack. Like the attack in the Hall.”
“But the ’Mentals aren’t even allowed to be servants now,” said Jason. “You heard the announcement today. Besides, how would we get them to attack?”
“You remember how angry Sindril got,” said Suzie. “When they attacked he went berserk. His scythe probably opened up Billy’s face. We need to replicate that, and make sure it starts right when I’m in his office. I’ll pretend to be afraid. I’ll ask to stay, and remind him how I was…” She paused for a moment, trying not to picture Athanasius’s blood. “How I was kidnapped, and he saved me.”
“That’s crazy,” said Billy.
“Absolutely insane,” added Jason.
“But it also might work,” said Frank. “One group could attack, if we could find a way to get them on campus.”
“Don’t tell me you’re friends with any ’Mentals,” asked Billy.
“The ’Mentals who attacked were all men,” said Frank. “And a lot of them were killed, and maybe even imprisoned. But they have to have families. Wives and relatives.”
“You want to start a revolt with women?” asked Jason.
“Not any women,” said Frank. “Female Elementals. Remember Cibran Alfar?”
“Your ’Mental friend,” said Suzie, “the one who mentioned the Dragon Key.”
“Before they stole his mind, Cibran told me a few things about the Elementals. He said women in his home were even more powerful than men. Suzie’s plan might work, since we don’t need a revolt to succeed.”
“What we need is a distraction,” said Billy.
“And while he’s out of the office—” started Jason.
“It still sounds too risky,” said Billy.
“Let’s take one step at a time,” said Frank.
“If we do this plan, we need something big before we can even dream about starting. Hell, it might take us until the end of term.”
“What do we need?” asked Jason.
“To find the ’Mentals,” said Suzie.
Chapter Seventeen
The Reaping
Suzie’s excitement lasted for three months before it started to fade. The school was apprehensive, and she hadn’t found a single opportunity to sneak away and look for the ’Mentals. They’d had meetings in the library twice more, but had only affirmed the plan. Even Jason and Billy wanted to help find the ’Mentals. Frank and Billy knew the general direction, but they weren’t sure how far away they’d have to travel. If they left the College for more than a day, they’d be noticed. It was already March. They didn’t have much time left.
Suzie suspected they’d be noticed whatever they did. She couldn’t tell if Deaths were following her, but she did notice people watching her more than usual. Sindril wasn’t letting down his guard. Every time she went to the library, she expected an encounter. Frank had suggested a new meeting place, but she refused to give in to fear.
The guard over the College was even worse. ’Mentals had been banished from campus, which meant no more servants at all. Everything took longer, as Deaths got their own food, did their own cleaning, and had to find their own supplies. Anxiety hung over the school. No one was sure who had died in the revolt, but some students whispered that as many as a dozen Deaths had been killed. No one asked how many ’Mentals had died.
“I understand your nerves,” said Hann, “but this Reaping will be crucial.”
Suzie tried to focus on the teacher, but kept drifting into fears about their plan. How would they find the ’Mentals? How could they convince them to help? She had to get into Sindril’s office. Yet even if she did, what was she looking for?
“Suzie,” said Hann. “Are you listening?”
“Yes, sir,” she lied.
“You gonna let a girl like her Reap a soul?” said Luc. “She’ll probably break down crying.”
School of Deaths Page 17
