Dark Abandon

by Nicole R. Taylor

  “Like I’m invited to that,” she scoffed. Gathering up her books, she pushed away from the table and stalked out of the kitchens, leaving me standing there like a lump.

  I sighed and shook my head. I got it, I really did, but I was reaching out to Madeleine the best I could. If she really wanted to belong—even in her own irreverent way—it was up to her to reach back.

  Problem was, I wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  12

  I stopped by the infirmary before I headed to the library.

  I hadn’t been given a schedule for my extra detention classes yet, so I was taking advantage of my final minutes as a somewhat free woman.

  Lingering outside, I peered through the windows of the infirmary. It was a similar set up as the London Sanctum—rows of beds with white curtains between each, tables and medical equipment scattered here and there, and a skeleton staff. It seemed like some of the faculty rotated in and out between teaching, covering the places where they were spread too thin.

  The historical aspect of the Academy had even spread here, and I was surprised to see it looked more like a World War II-esque trauma centre than a school sick bay. Hints of modern technology were amongst the antique decor, only adding to the mystery of the queer alternate future world of the Naturals.

  Kayla was propped up in bed towards the back, the covers pulled up around her waist. She was wearing bright pink pajamas and her hair was loose and wild as she chatted excitedly to Trisha and Maisy—likely telling them everything that’d happened last night.

  I spotted Trent as he pushed out into the hall, his eyes rimmed with dark circles. It looked like he’d been up all night.

  “How is she?” I asked, noticing he was wearing the same clothes he’d worn to the party. “She seems okay.”

  “She’s going to be fine,” he replied, stifling a yawn. “But she doesn’t remember what happened to her or how she ended up in the forest.”

  “I suppose that’s to be expected. It looked like she hit her head pretty hard. What did they say happened to her?”

  “She was hit by something,” Trent explained. “It knocked her out cold, but I heard them whisper about traces of Darkness.”

  I frowned, thinking back to the shadow creature. The Infernal had said that thing had attacked Kayla. Had the demon stopped it from doing something worse? It seemed the likely conclusion as they’d been arguing about maintaining their cover.

  “She’s lucky,” I said. “We must’ve startled it.”

  We stood in the hall, the silence of the empty Academy heavy around us. Trent threw me a look and scuffed his boot against the polished concrete floor. What was with the eighteen-hundreds and terrazzo?

  “You can say anything to me, you know,” I stated. “I’m not in league with ‘The Man’.” I air quoted.

  “I can’t believe that kid was possessed,” he blurted, shaking his head in disbelief. “Stewart Granger. He was, like, only fourteen and that demon possessed him. They took him away this morning and no one will say where he went.”

  I knew he’d been taken to the London Sanctum where Ramona would test for mutation. He’d be safe with her and Jackson. Hopefully, he hadn’t been infected but if he had, maybe it wasn’t too late to reverse the effects completely. Only time would tell.

  “You know what can happen when someone is possessed by an Infernal,” I said.

  “Yeah. He could get soul sick.”

  I patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sure they’ve taken him to one of the Sanctums. They can monitor him better there. They don’t like to say too much about these things for safety reasons.”

  “I know. It’s just…”

  “I get it,” I said, attempting to be reassuring about all the secrecy. “When I first showed up, it annoyed the hell outta me, too. I like to know what’s going on. I still don’t half the time.”

  “But you seemed so calm.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been out there, I suppose. Being purple has its drawbacks.”

  “I thought you had it easier… you know, being touched by Arondight and all.”

  “I thought so, too,” I drawled. “But it doesn’t make me any more special than any other Natural. I should’ve waited for the teachers.”

  “But you saved Stewart,” he argued.

  I sighed, conflicted on what stance I should be taking. One of these days I’d run headfirst into danger and not be so lucky.

  “Trent…” I turned and looked him over with a frown, “how did you get that beer?”

  “I, uh…” He trailed off, looking sheepish.

  “I’m not going to dob on you,” I murmured. “I’m just trying to help. Ever since I found out who I really was, demon activity has been on the rise. They think we’re one step away from finding Arondight, and they’ll do anything to stop us.”

  “Is that why a demon was on the grounds?”

  “If there’s a way through the wards, you have to tell someone,” I murmured. “Kayla could’ve been possessed or worse.”

  “Did I do this to her?” he asked, his eyes widening. “Did I let it in?”

  “I don’t think so, but if there’s a vulnerability in the wards, it might happen again.” I gave him a stern look. “Do you understand?”

  He nodded, looking back at Kayla. It was still open for debate if he was going to follow through and tell someone about the smuggling operation the students had going on. I just hoped he made the right decision.

  These kids were going to have to grow up fast if they were going to make it.

  As I walked through the Academy towards the library, I realised just how much I was missing the chaos of the London Sanctum.

  It wasn’t just Jackson’s absence that had me down, but Romy, Valeria, Alo, and even Martin’s. At this mashed-up manor house in the Cotswolds, I felt as if I was wedged between two worlds and this time, it wasn’t the human and the supernatural. It was the teenagers and the grown-ups.

  Hopefully, Aiden had some good news because I was becoming a junkie looking for her next hit of the good stuff.

  I fist-bumped Galahad’s suit of armour as I walked past—well, as close as the glass cabinet would allow me—and made my way through the warren of books, artifacts, and curious students to the office at the back.

  I nudged open the door with my boot and leaned against the jamb. Aiden was buried under his usual pile of books and papers, his glasses halfway down his nose. He really needed to get those things tightened.

  To my surprise, Madeleine was sitting in the opposite chair with an open book in her lap.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” I declared.

  “Scarlett,” Aiden said smiling.

  “Hey, Madeleine.”

  She glared at me and rose to her feet. “Thanks,” she said to Aiden, “I’ll see you Wednesday.”

  Gathering her books, she smiled at him before whirlwinding from the room. I stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a strategically placed shoulder.

  “She thinks I’ve sold out,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. She must get extra tutoring. I didn’t even know that was something Aiden did outside of hiding in his office. “You tutor her?”

  “Twice a week. She’s a good student,” Aiden remarked. “She’s got great aptitude, but she’s unhappy.”

  “She doesn’t fit in at the Academy, but she’ll find her place once she graduates.”

  “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

  I smirked. “I am.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “It’s good to see you in one piece, by the way.”

  “I’ve got a knack for getting into trouble.”

  “You’re getting quite the reputation for it, though I’m sure those students are glad you were around.”

  “Tell that to Islington,” I complained, sitting on the chair next to the overflowing desk. “He’s put me under house arrest.”

  “Well, technically you are a student.”

  “Thanks for the reminder.”

  Aiden c
huckled and patted me on the arm. “Don’t worry about Liam. He’s not too bad under all the stiff upper lip.”

  A laugh escaped me and I began to relax. Islington really did have a stick up his arse.

  “We had a scare, but everyone’s going to be fine,” Aiden went on. “I hear your friend Wilder is out looking for evidence.”

  My laughter faded. “He is?”

  “Something about figuring out how the Infernal could hide on the grounds for so long. The alarms went off over a month ago. That’s a long time to lurk without anyone noticing.”

  I tensed, realising Aiden didn’t know anything about the mutations. Perhaps I should keep it that way… for now.

  “I can see that look in your eye.” He shook a finger at me. “My brother gets it when he talks about fighting demons. You want to be out there helping with the search, but I promise, you’ll want to be in here when you hear what I’ve found out about your coin.”

  “You have?” My focus shifted and my eyes widened. This was the hit of good news I was hoping for. C’mon, bang of serotonin.

  Aiden chuckled and opened the desk drawer. Retrieving a plastic baggie, he opened the snaplock and gave me back the coin.

  “It’s not a bale seal,” he said. “It’s proof of membership.”

  “Membership? To what?” Remembering Greer’s theory about a secret society that protected Arondight, my ears pricked up.

  “Ordo Enim Geminae Flammae,” he said. “It’s Latin for the Order of the Twin Flames.”

  Twin flames? “Arondight and Excalibur.”

  Aiden nodded. “Arondight is called the Indigo Flame, and before Excalibur was broken, it was known as the Argent Flame.”

  “What’s argent?”

  “Argent is the tincture of silver,” he explained. “Humanity and Naturals were obsessed with heraldry and status back then. It was all knights and chivalry and power through bloodlines. Tinctures were a way to define the limited colours and patterns used in various coat of arms. It was a massive faux-pas to mistake one family for another.”

  I snorted and turned the coin over in my palm. “So basically, it’s just a posh way of saying silver.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So this Order… They probably knew where Arondight was.”

  Aiden clicked his fingers. “Which means we have to find them.”

  I turned the coin over in my hand, studying the worn surface. He was one step away from becoming the Natural version of Indiana Jones, but I wasn’t so quick to leap when there were still so many unknowns.

  The puzzle piece seemed to fit with my memories of my parents. Why no one knew them, why Markzoth had been hunting them, why hiding me had been so important. They’d laid down their lives to protect me because even then, I’d held a piece of Arondight inside me.

  Still, it seemed so fantastical. My parents were part of the Order of the Twin Flames—tasked with protecting the whereabouts of Arondight and maybe even the recovery of Excalibur. Markzoth knew it, the druidess knew it—and they were both waiting for me to resurface. Something had been put into motion the night Wilder and I met, but what? The End of Times?

  I ran my fingers over my scar and despite myself, I felt my Light simmer underneath the surface.

  If the Order was still around, wouldn’t they have found me by now? I’d well and truly made myself known by killing greater demons and uncovering the Inquisitor’s betrayal, but what if the Order died with my parents? That could mean I was the world’s last hope. Arondight was gone, and I was the only thing standing between humanity and total annihilation.

  It seemed as if the rediscovery of the lost sword was inevitable. Either that, or there was an incoming plot twist.

  “There has to be a reason I found this,” I whispered.

  “It’s definitely not a coincidence,” Aiden said. “There’s a clue we’re missing though, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

  What if I needed this to access something? Like a hidden cache, or a secret meeting chamber, or the actual place where Arondight was hidden? When the Codex showed me the sword, it was hidden behind a shimmering veil of water.

  I held up the coin and started at the symbol. The twisting flame that was the heraldry of the Order of the Twin Flames. There was only one other place it’d shown up.

  “The stone circle,” I exclaimed. “The page from the Codex…”

  “Did you talk to Greer before she left?”

  My excitement started to fade and I shook my head. I was good at confrontation when it was a possessed corpse, but now that I knew her and Wilder were a thing just made everything ache. Unrequited love sucked. Big time. The next time I see Jackson, I have to apologise… again.

  Aiden coughed nervously. “I can put in a call—”

  “No,” I interrupted. “I mean, can we just keep this to ourselves? The less people who know, the better.”

  Aiden raised his eyebrows. “Do you have a way to decipher the code? Because I sure don’t.”

  I shook my head.

  “Codes like this aren’t just about finding the cypher,” he went on. “There’s Light involved, which makes this inherently more difficult.”

  “I’m used to uphill battles,” I said.

  “Scarlett…”

  I looked up. “What?”

  “Just be careful, okay?” He frowned, his gaze falling to my hand. “You’re the key to everything, you do realise that, right?”

  “Yeah, I know. I kinda wish everyone would stop reminding me, though.”

  “I’m starting to wonder if all the reminders are necessary considering your taste for adrenaline.”

  I laughed, mainly because it was the only thing left to do. I’d had my heart broken, I was in the middle of a conspiracy, I may or may not be the key to ending or saving the world, and I was a twenty-five-year-old high school student with one hell of an epic detention.

  I was officially in over my head.

  All I knew was that I couldn’t do it alone anymore. Only one person had been there from the beginning, and he might be reluctant and surly, but right now, he was all I had outside of this library.

  It was time to tell Wilder the truth.

  “Thanks, Aiden, but I’ve gotta go.” I pocketed the coin and made for the door.

  “Where are you going?” he called out after me.

  Turning, I flashed him a smile. “I’ve got to do a few things before I’m put on full lockdown.”

  “Like what?” He narrowed his eyes and put on his teacher face.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to break the honour code.” I crossed my fingers in a silent pledge.

  Aiden grimaced and pushed his glasses back into place. “Why do I get the feeling I’m better off not knowing?”

  13

  I wandered through the Academy, opening my senses.

  Searching for Wilder used to be so easy, but I’d closed myself off from him for so long and now it was like I’d forgotten how. Maybe it was a subconscious thing. I didn’t want to face the truth of his lack of feelings for me, so I was unconsciously protecting myself.

  If only it were that easy.

  He didn’t know I’d overheard and saw them the other night. I could pretend I was still ignorant, right?

  Right?

  Ever since I’d syphoned his power at the Necropolis, I seemed to know where he was. All I had to do was open myself to him, which had been a huge problem. I’d kept that book closed for obvious reasons, and now I need it and it wasn’t working.

  If I couldn’t find him, I knew he’d be hiding someplace high up. Rooftops were his favourite.

  I’d wandered for what felt like hours before I finally felt the familiar tingle in the back of my mind. He was close… and always had been.

  Ironically, I found him perched above the library. I had to go through a dark hallway and a dusty attic to find the trap door, but his Light was like a beacon to me now.

  I moved though the hatch, closing it softly behind me. A walkway wove ar
ound the interior of the roof, the border marked with wrought iron spikes. I didn’t know why people would come up here, but it was a feature of most of these old manor houses.

  Wilder had gone beyond the safety of the walkway and had moved out onto the tiles so he could dangle his boots over the edge.

  “Took you long enough,” he said.

  I grunted and sat next to him, kicking my feet in the air beside his.

  “I thought I would’ve seen you up here long before now, but I suppose we both know why.”

  “You’re still butt-hurt about that?”

  “I’ve seen the way the librarian looks at you,” he drawled. “You’re a real nerd magnet, you know that?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Are the insults out of your system now?”

  “Are they out of yours?”

  We eyed one another in the ultimate staring competition. A full minute passed, and just when my eyes were about to water, Wilder blinked, and the trance was broken.

  “Did you hear about Brax?” he asked.

  “Huh?” I’d been so wrapped up in my own little world that I’d forgotten about the drama with the Regula.

  “Wainthrope was sentenced today. That’s why Greer left so abruptly.”

  “I hope he got what was coming to him,” I drawled.

  “He did. His Light was stripped, and he was bound to the catacombs under Glastonbury.”

  “Glastonbury?” I made a face. “I hope his cell is directly underneath a mosh pit full of gumboot-wearing hippies.”

  Wilder snorted.

  “What’s that about Brax?”

  “He’s been appointed the temporary Inquisitor.”

  “Ugh.” It couldn’t happen to a better person. All the authority figures in this world were so surly it gave me a headache. “He’s one of us. Maybe it won’t be so bad.”

  Wilder grimaced and looked back out across the Cotswolds.

  “What?” I prodded. I didn’t like when he got that look on his face—it only meant trouble.

  “I always wondered why he wasn’t there that night.”