by Lan Chan
“So is air!” one of the girls in the far right of the room called out. The hissing started again. I didn’t know many of the faces in the room. I recognised a boy named Kieran who sometimes sort of stopped to say hello to Sophie. There were also a few faces from my Herbology and Potions classes. Everyone else was a stranger. I couldn’t tell whether that was an advantage. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I couldn’t turn my head fast enough to catch them staring at the same time. I had no allusions about being low-key considering my association to Kai. But this was starting to get on my nerves.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to concentrate on what Professor Aisling was saying. “You will all know that one thing all species, supernatural–” she swept her gaze over us and then rested it on me, “–and human, have in common is that our bodies are made of mostly water. Out of all the natural disasters the Earth dimension faces, a flood is the disaster that brings about the most destruction in terms of both physical and human casualties. It creates disease that lingers far longer than the water might. We can survive without food for weeks, but a few days without water and our bodies shut down. Let’s not forget that most life on this planet resides inside the ocean.”
Just the uttering of that word had a cold shiver running down my spine. Once again I tried to dredge up a memory of why I had such an aversion to the ocean, but I couldn’t find anything. I’d been four when I’d first seen it, standing on the pier in St. Kilda Beach with Nanna. She had me on her hip. I clawed at her shoulder, wanting to get away from the roaring that I knew even then would grab me and smash me against the rocks.
Isla rapped her manicured nails against her desk. It pulled me from my memory and allowed me to refocus on the professor. For a second, I thought she might have done it for my benefit. But that couldn’t be right, could it?
The professor continued to discuss both the benefits and the destructive properties of water. By the end of the class, I was getting thirsty. When the bell rang, I resolved to get to the dining hall and chug as much liquid as I could. “Don’t forget that our next class will be in the lagoon.”
Half the class cheered. I looked to Isla for an explanation. “Mermaids,” she said.
All thoughts of merpeople slipped from my mind as soon as I walked into the dining hall. I hadn’t imagined the way the sound of voices babbling cut out momentarily. The goblin in the line in front of me stood with a rigid spine. Was it my imagination or had her moss-coloured skin turned a darker shade? She was pressed up so close to the Fae in front of her that it could be considered spooning. I couldn’t even feel the presence of the person in line behind me. They had left a wide enough gap for two others to slot in. Yet nobody wanted to make cuts. Nobody except the Nephilim, of course.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Adam said, slotting himself behind me. He tapped me on the shoulder. I wanted to throw my tray back and leave but there were too many people watching.
“Are you okay?” Adam asked. His voice was low. Why did it irritate me even more that he was trying to be considerate? A flash of another set of wings that I’d seen this morning when I stepped out for class was the answer.
“Are you hungry, or have you been sent here to spy on me as well?”
He chuckled. “I’m here of my own free will.” We reached the start of the buffet. I grabbed a glass of nectar water and set it on my tray. “Having said that, I won’t make any excuses for my fellow guards.”
I really hated that he was so jovial. It made it vastly more difficult to be annoyed at him. He knew it too, because he grinned at me when I scowled at him.
“If it helps, we had to put a tail on Kai for months after…” he trailed off without realising it. Though the Nephilim tried to make light of what happened to Kai’s family as a way to move on, they never quite seemed to be able to brush it off. It had the effect of turning everything sombre. And it made it impossible for me to stay angry.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Just tell them to stay out of my way. And they better not be listening in to my conversations.”
His ears pricked up. He leaned in like we were co-conspirators. “Anything interesting I should know about?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Having chosen my food, I stuck my nose in the air and left the line. It was a mistake. I should have stayed with Adam for as long as I possibly could. When I caught up with my so-called friends, they were engrossed in a conversation about the Sisterhood.
“My da says they’ve been commissioned to add another wing to the Dominion prison,” Roland said. I set my tray down. The conversation cut out.
“Don’t start,” I snapped.
Diana eyed Roland meaningfully, but he didn’t take the hint. Now that they’d gotten over being startled at my appearance, he ploughed on. “Apparently, Giselle Hartnett is still unconscious, but they’re worried about how they’re going to contain her given she can phase through physical objects.”
Something under the table thumped. Roland jerked. I imagined Diana had stomped on his foot. I let my head sink. “It’s fine.” There was that word again. “You may as well get it all out while it’s fresh.”
Trey sat on my left and placed an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t take it personally, eh.”
I speared some chicken on my plate. “Hard not to when everybody keeps staring at me.” The last part went up a couple of octaves. I made the point of staring around at the tables in front of us. Some heads dipped but most of them ignored me. I groaned.
It was at that point that Sophie arrived. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot. It was no wonder given she had snuck into bed at three in the morning. The light from her lit palms had woken me and I couldn’t get back to sleep. It was just as well. I’d been having a dream where I was drowning, and I couldn’t move my bloody arms or legs to try and swim.
She gave me a weak smile and sat down opposite me beside Diana. Not bothering to hide her fatigue, Sophie yawned.
“How did it go?” I asked. She’d been in Seraphina trying to revive Astrid.
“She’s not responding as yet,” Sophie said. She picked up her fork but did nothing beside move peas around. “The stuff they used is some kind of toxic chemical. It’s been magicked to stick to her skin. No matter what I do to try and get it off, it feels like my magic won’t even sink in.”
I patted her hand. “You’ll figure it out.”
Diana exhaled. “That’s really messed up,” she said. “Evan told me the mages from the First Order have stepped up their surveillance of their quadrants.”
“Tell me about it,” Trey said. “I can’t get in or out of the Reserve without getting the third degree. And I’m only half human.”
Trey’s mum was human. I’d met her a few weeks ago when I was trying to learn about everything going on inside that part of the Reserve.
“Maybe if the Nephilim would let me talk to Giselle,” I said. But that was a moot point. Until Giselle regained consciousness, there was nothing to talk about. We really didn’t even know if she was going to have the full spectrum of her powers.
Sophie cleared her throat. “Umm...Kai told me to let you know that we’re going back tonight. And probably every night until we can figure out how to cure this thing.” I had always thought my poker face was pretty good so I was sure it wasn’t my expression that gave away the turbulence that shook my insides. Truly, I couldn’t really even pinpoint what was upsetting me.
“Okay,” I said.
“Lex.”
I wished everybody would stop saying my name like that. Like I was a hair’s breadth away from losing my shit.
“Don’t worry about it. Just do whatever you can to cure Astrid.”
That was all well and good, except when I went to Potions class, Sophie’s usual desk beside me was empty. Charming, Sophie’s favourite salamander, huffed smoke when I dared to ask him to light up my cauldron. Her absence was a massive hole in my life.
I felt it all the more after dinner when I came back to an empty dorm room. Feeling mopey
, I got into my pyjamas and used the mirror to contact Basil. I was surprised when he answered pretty much straight away. I was not surprised by the scowl on his tanned face. I took me a second to digest the sight of Skander’s face peering back at me. I brushed away the unease that always had me dredging up thoughts of seeing that face up close inside the Dominion prison.
“It’s about time!” Basil said. The vein in his brow jumped. This version of Basil was always annoyed at me. As weird as it was to have had a grown man in my room, I felt the strain of not being able to access him whenever I wanted.
“Hello to you too.”
“Don’t start with me, Alessia.” Oooh. He was using my full name. I was in for it now. “You were supposed to call last night.”
Somebody made a soft murmuring sound in the background. The side of one of Odette’s many multicoloured skirts swept onto the corner of the mirror. I raised a brow at him, but this seemed to fuel his annoyance. “Don’t even think about saying a word.”
I would have totally done it if I didn’t think it would hurt her. She was really nice. Too good for him and his grumpiness. But I zipped my lips and tried not to smile.
He huffed out a few breaths. “How are you?”
I tracked the mirror around the room to show him how empty it was. “She’s very busy at the moment,” Basil said. I slumped against the wall and balanced the mirror on my crossed legs.
“I know,” I said. “I’m not blaming her. It’s just crappy timing.”
“For the record, I still don’t like this Terran Academy business.” He brushed at the top of his hair. “I tried to get the Council to allow me to go with you for at least the first weekend, but the Sisterhood put the brakes on that. You’d think I would get some compensation for the fact that someone in their order bound me for so long.”
“I don’t think they really care about reparations. But I appreciate you trying to help.”
It hit me then that I really wanted him to come with me. I’d kept a small distance as I worried about Skander resurfacing, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted Basil to be there when I met with the Sisterhood for the first time. He seemed to know them better than anybody else.
“You’ll be okay,” he said. I seriously had to reassess my poker face. “There’s nothing they can throw at you that you won’t be able to handle.”
I glanced over at Sophie’s empty bed. At the wigs on the window ledge and the big chest at the end of her bed. She’d told me she had spent years on her own at Bloodline. I had a flash of myself just as lonely at Terran. I heard a crack and realised I was trying to crush the glass.
“Thanks, Basil,” I said. Then I remembered something. “Can I ask you a question?”
He eyed me warily. I was a blurt-it-out kind of girl, not a hedging-her-bets one. “Sure.”
“I’ve tried to ask the Nephilim, but they have this annoying habit of shying away from topics about Luc…” My voice cut out. A warning shot of pain splintered through my mind.
“Lex?”
I groaned softly. An internal inspection showed me the well of my magic in turmoil. I was startled by the erratic pulse of the darker magic. It was like somebody had thrown an electrical charge into a pool of water.
“Lex!”
His frantic voice receded to be replaced by a sinuous tone. Don’t fight it, Alessia, Lucifer crooned. You and I are the same. You don’t need these lower beings. I tried to breathe through my mouth. The hedge magic layered itself over the black. It gave me a moment of reprieve. Seizing the opportunity, I hissed, “Lucifer.”
The pain amplified until I thought my head was going to explode. “Lex!”
I scented something metallic in the air. Dampness dripped down from my left nostril. “You’re bleeding,” I heard Basil say. I swiped me sleeve over my nose and held it there. My eyes were watery. Basil’s were wide. He glowed an iridescent orange. The first signs of a portal opened up behind him.
“I’m okay,” I said. “You don’t have to come.” My voice was muffled by my arm. “Just in a bit of shock still from everything that’s happened.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded as best I could. “Gimme a sec.” I ran to the bathroom and blotted my nose with warm water and a face towel. My blood had created a patch of crimson on my sleeve. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t freak me out. The nosebleed subsided as quickly as it came on. As long as I wasn’t thinking about the Lucifer situation, I imagined I’d be alright. Until I wasn’t. Until we all weren’t.
Basil’s concerned face was still in the mirror when I returned to my room. “Everything alright?” he asked.
“Yeah. Funny how these things happen.” The lie slipped out as easily as they always had. I’d become a master liar on the streets. It was the guilt that I wasn’t used to. I hated lying to him, but there was no other way to explain it.
“You were saying something about Lucifer. You’re not still hung up about that prophecy?”
I remained quiet in the hope that he would go on one of his rants. My patience was rewarded. “You know that of the Seraphim, Azrael is Lucifer’s only match for power. The others gave up some of their strength to create the Nephilim. It is impossible for Azrael to leave the underworld without a replacement. This means that despite his captivity, the Morning Star remains the strongest of the seraphim. But as long as Ariel and Gabriel continue to watch over his containment, we are safe.”
I attempted to clear my thoughts and try to skirt around the topic. “How do you explain the prophecy then? What if he gets out?” I said it in a rush but speed didn’t trick the curse. The feeling of an ice pick burrowing into my head rocked me forward. I pretended to slip off the bed to cover up the whole-body spasm I had. Basil raised a brow at me but didn’t appear alarmed. “Everyone sees things differently,” he said. “And it’s not possible for him to get out. By all accounts, he was bound by a blood pact made by the seraphim and Gaia. Only his blood can release him. His angel blade was also removed and hidden. Without it, he isn’t at full power.”
I was sure Basil was trying to say comforting things. But all I heard was the phrase, “only his blood can release him.”
In the cavern beneath the Fae forest, Lucifer had been adamant that my blood was the key to his freedom. His blood. It couldn’t be.
“I should try and get some sleep. I’ve gotta wake up early to train with the nymphs tomorrow. Could you please see what else you can find about where Gaia might be located?”
I had a feeling he knew it was a lie, but he didn’t say anything as I signed off. “Oh, by the way, when are you going to take this mutt?”
“Huh?”
He rattled the mirror. “The dingo! It’s been chewing on everything in sight. I don’t have time to look after a wild animal.”
“And I do?”
“That’s not my problem.”
“But you live inside a shifter stronghold. Can’t you just let it outside?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Lex,” he said it with a strained tone. Like I was some sort of moron. “You know animals have a greater-than-human ability to detect supernatural energy. If I put the dingo outside, it would go out of its mind barking.”
“Well if I bring it here, I’ll have the same problem!”
“He,” Basil corrected me. “He’s a male. And why can’t you take him with you to Terran?”
I almost choked on the rebuttal. But there wasn’t really anything I could say to that. Why couldn’t I take him to Terran? Aside from the obvious which was that they might not allow animals? It seemed to go against everything low-magic witches stood for, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility.
“That’s the only option,” Basil said. “If he stays here much longer, one of us is going to end up skinned and hung over the fireplace.”
I blew out a breath. “Fine. I guess I can just try.”
“You could just release him out into the wild.”
“I guess.” I didn’t know why I hadn’t
thought of that already. Why couldn’t I release a wild animal back into the wild? The image of all his scars hit me again. I shuddered. Feeling more than responsible, I sighed.
When Basil was gone, I walked over to Sophie’s nightstand and picked up a handful of salt from her stash. I could use cafeteria salt, but it didn’t have the same feel as hers. Sophie had that effect on everything associated with food. Sprinkling the salt on the floor, I walked around in a wide circle as I spoke an incantation and drew the sleep circle. I tapped my foot on the point of the star I had imagined and the circle hummed in blue. Satisfied, I brushed salt grains off my pants and crawled into bed. The ritual was soothing. It had always been. But no amount of salt could dampen the fear that suddenly had hold of me. If it was true that my blood somehow belonged to Lucifer, it meant that he had gotten a pretty big chunk of it. Even if he wasn’t able to escape at the moment, there was every possibility that he would in future. And I couldn’t even warn anyone he was coming.
11
I tried to drag in a breath but something crashed against my nose and mouth. Saltwater. Icy cold and stinging in its intensity. It smashed into my body from all directions. Something dragged me into the depth of the water. I cried out, but as soon as my mouth opened, I was assailed by the salt and seaweed stench. My eyes darted around me as I tried to kick at whatever had hold of my ankle. The light in the sky that had been above me faded as the darkened water engulfed me. My chest thumped with the strain of lack of oxygen.
I thrashed and kicked up, but it was no use. My arms were plastered to my side. The only light now came from the twining of purple threads that bound me. I tried to reach for the reserves of power inside me, but the purple leeched it away.
Something touched my cheek. When I turned, ice crystals formed in the water before my eyes. It numbed my skin. I was mesmerised by the solidifying water. It ate up my surroundings until I was no longer able to move.
Something bright dropped down beside me. It was a beacon of light in an otherwise oppressive gloom. The water didn’t so much as part but peel away from his form. It shoved at me instead, increasing the pressure all around. The figure that had dropped into the water spun in slow motion. Even in the midst of drowning, I recoiled from Lucifer’s touch. He was a speck of sunlight in a dark cavern. I knew better than to fall for the sympathetic look on his face. Like I was a wild animal he was trying to rescue. He reached out a hand to me. His perfect mouth formed words that I couldn’t decipher in my current state.
