by Abbie Lyons
And now I was exhausted.
Trudging my way back to the dormitories, I mentally flicked through what my results could possibly mean. Was it possible to get those answers wrong? Wilder would’ve said something. He seemed distracted, anyway.
As I walked, another set of footsteps echoed behind me. I turned over my shoulder to see a massive kyrios striding a few yards behind me, his eyes glass-black and staring straight ahead. Honestly, I couldn’t get used to the sight of them. They were like the world’s creepiest school resource officers.
I slowed my pace. The kyrios did too.
I picked up. So did he.
Even though I knew he was there for protection—for all of our protection—I kinda didn’t like being stalked this close. I needed at least a few minutes of privacy to recombobulate after that test. And if Wilder was right, and I was going to end up on some watch list just for uttering the word “relics,” then I definitely didn’t want this guy tailing me right this instant.
Up ahead, on the right, was a door with the words LAVATORIUM FILIAE inscribed above it—perfect.
“Just going to the bathroom,” I said, more loudly than necessary. “Then I’ll be on my way.”
The kyrios’s footsteps stopped, and I swung open the door. I wasn’t 100% clear on demons’ attitudes towards gender roles, but this guy was going to give me a little privacy, at least.
Inside, the bathroom was pretty epic, with a giant fountain in the center to wash your hands and an entire shelf of differently-scented soaps and lotions. Back in my former life, I’d’ve been lucky to find a tampon machine that didn’t just eat my quarters.
I sank onto one of the stone benches and held my head in my hands. All my confidence had totally washed away. To hear Wilder tell it, not only was I getting iffy exetasis results at best—my outlaw’s crossing notwithstanding—I was on thin ice just by mentioning the relics. But if whoever was using them to create chaos got away with it, I’d probably get blamed anyway and expelled.
My stomach clenched at the thought. No more gorgeous castle. No more beautiful dormitory and gourmet meals. No more uniforms and textbooks and magic—well, watching other people do magic, anyway.
No more friends.
A tear trembled out of my eye and down my cheek.
Fuck.
I hated being weak.
A soft rustling sound echoed across the expanse of the bathroom. I jerked to attention, and my heart sank.
The one thing that could make tonight worse had just emerged from a stall.
“My, my, my,” Camilla said. “Poor little human lost her way?”
“Shut the fuck up, Camilla,” I said through my teeth.
“Ugh.” She wrinkled her nose, delicately splashing her hands in the fountain water. “You’re vulgar, did you know that?”
“Takes one to know one,” I shot back. Not the most original insult, but I was operating on about 5% battery, here.
“Hmph.” Camilla patted her hands dry and tucked her hair behind her ears, examining herself in the mirror. She stared at me in the glass. “You threaten me one more time and I’ll have that kyrios in here in two seconds.”
“What, can’t even stand up for yourself?” I got to my feet. “You know what, Camilla? I’ve learned something about demon purists. You’re not just bigots. You’re afraid. Afraid that people like me, half-demons like me, might actually have something more powerful than you do. Might be able to fight Chaos better. Might actually be the ones who should call the shots.”
I was advancing on her, step by step, my Docs echoing against the smooth tiles. Camilla stood straight, but I could see that look in her eyes.
“It’s just you and me here,” I said. “Your cronies aren’t around. There’s no audience to back you up. So I have to wonder, if half-demons are so worthless, why do you look so scared?”
Camilla thrust her shoulders back and got right in my face.
“Listen, you little half-breed,” she hissed. “You—”
“No, you listen,” I shot back. “I know what you’re up to, Camilla. With the relics. You’re the one causing chaos.”
“What?” Camilla said. “Prove it.”
“I heard Collum and Aleksandr talking about you,” I said. “In the hallway.”
Camilla went pale. “No you didn’t,” she spat. “Prove it.”
“I can’t prove it,” I said, and as I said it, I realized that maybe they weren’t talking about Camilla. Raines had said they were trying to stop him from confronting Wilder. And I never heard them say her name. Only that “she” was pissed about the security measures. And “she” could have been anyone.
Including, I realized, me.
“Didn’t think so,” Camilla said calmly. She flicked a strand of my hair over her shoulder, which for some reason infuriated me.
“Stop it,” I cried. “You’re using the relics to create chaos just to pin it on me. To get me expelled, or...or I don’t know what. But you have to stop lying. Someone’s going to get hurt. You’re lucky no one died during the ball while you were off underground.”
“Underground?” Camilla wrinkled her nose. “I wasn’t underground any more than you were.”
“So where were you?” I countered.
Camilla’s cheeks went pink. “I don’t have to tell you that.”
Something tingled at the back of my neck.
“Fine,” she said. “Fine! You want to know where I was? Collum and I snuck off. The Hellwater made me all...I don’t know.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not lying. You can ask Zelda or Ruby if you don’t believe me.”
The tingling got stronger. I couldn’t deny it—this was that vibe.
The vibe I got when pulling my three-card monte scam.
The vibe that told me when to run and when to stay.
The vibe I’d trusted my whole life, demon or not.
“Gods,” Camilla said, shoving me back a little. “What in hell’s name is wrong with your eyes?”
I stared up into the mirror. A soft, golden glow emitted from my eyes, flickering gently in the reflection.
Then I blinked, and it was gone.
“You should learn to control that,” Camilla said, brushing off her shoulders, in the tone of someone scolding a dog who isn’t house-trained. “Just because you’re jealous that I made out with one of the Infernal Three doesn’t mean you get to accuse me of treason. Because I’m innocent, human.”
And I knew Camilla was telling the truth.
AFTER FOUR HOURS OF terrible sleep, I jolted awake. As I blinked to consciousness, I saw that Morgan’s bed was already empty. The grandfather clock in our room read 8:25, which meant I had just over half an hour before our first class.
I leapt up, going through my usual routine in double time. I was dying to tell Morgan what had happened. She’d gotten back from her own exetasis at a much more reasonable hour (so, like, one a.m. as opposed to two) and was passed out by the time I returned to the room.
In two minutes flat I’d brushed my hair, splashed some water on my face, and thrown on a clean uniform. Grabbing my satchel, I dashed through the hallways, out into the common room, and towards the refectory.
“Whoa! Slow down!” Morgan’s cat-lined eyes widened as I skidded to a stop by our usual table. “You look rough, girl. Take a load off, as you Americans say.” She kicked out a chair for me, and I sat.
“Here.” She pushed over a cup of coffee. “Late night? I was zonked from my exetasis so I didn’t wait up. Did you have to do that bloody test thing? Felt like I was taking my stupid O-levels or something. I swear, if the best way demons have come up with to test our mental acumen is by doing some weird numerology bullsh—”
“Morgan,” I panted, not even sipping my coffee. “It’s not Camilla.”
Morgan arched a brow. “What now? You mean with the relics?”
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed, and told her what Wilder had told me.
“So the profs will rat us out for so much as mentioning t
he r—the r-word?” Morgan said, her voice lowered a few notches.
I nodded.
“Bloody hell.” Morgan flicked her gaze to where two kyrioi were looming by the door to the upstairs hallways. “So what else? How d’you know it’s not her?”
I explained about last night: the exetasis, Wilder’s warning, the run-in with Camilla in the bathroom and my mini-interrogation.
“My eyes have only done that once before,” I said. “And I just...I felt that she was telling the truth. I know it means something.”
“I’ll say,” Morgan said, and threw a glance back at the Infernal Three. Well, the Infernal Two—Raines was still missing. “It means that Collum has much lower standards than I anticipated.”
“Morgan.” I rolled my eyes, although I’d have been lying if I didn’t say the same thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Sure, Collum associated with Raines, my second least favorite person at Hades, but I didn’t think he’d stoop so low as to make out with my first least favorite person.
“I’m joking,” she said. “Mostly. No, what it means is that you have a built-in lie detector of sorts.”
“When I can figure out how to use it,” I said. “Which I pretty much can’t. I’m like a broken clock that’s right twice a day.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Morgan said. “Go use it on our buddy Collum over there. See what’s gotten into him. Honestly, and I know this isn’t the point here, but I’m shocked. Like, I couldn’t be more shocked if Camilla snogged Teddy.” She paused to swig some tea, then frowned. “Hang on. Where is our Ted?”
I looked at the table—nothing there, not his bag or his blazer or anything. Then I scanned the refectory, as did Morgan, but nope—no Teddy.
“Maybe he’s just ill again,” Morgan said. “He has been looking terribly peaky lately.”
“Maybe,” I said. But something seemed off. Not off enough to spark a tingle at the back of my neck, but still—
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the two kyrioi stationed at the door sprang into action. With huge strides, they closed the distance between their post and the entrance. Beneath one of their jackets, a crimson blade glittered with what looked like a heatless flame.
As they passed, I heard them barking something to each other—something I didn’t recognize until I heard the words.
“—cella scansoria—”
I widened my eyes, and Morgan followed my gaze. She spun back to face me.
“Elevator,” I said. “They just said elevator. In Latin.”
Morgan blinked. “So...congratulations on paying attention in class, then?”
I shook my head. “That’s the thing, though. We don’t learn words like that in the textbook—it’s all useless ancient vocabulary. I only know it because I heard Teddy say it that one time and thought it was funny, like, of course Teddy would have found out this word...” My mind was spiraling faster than I could put words to thoughts. “But he couldn’t have learned it in class. And if he knows it, and the kyrioi know it...”
“Oh my God,” she gasped.
“Exactly.”
“Should we...” Morgan cast a nervous glance around the room.
I jumped to my feet. “I think we have to.”
Before I could reconsider, I had shouldered my bag and was walking as quickly out of the refectory as I could without arousing suspicion.
“Nova!” Morgan called after me, and I slowed just enough to let her catch up.
“What d’you suppose is going on?” she panted.
“I don’t know,” I said, breathing heavily myself, “but I don’t like it. Did you see which way they went?”
Morgan shook her head. We’d come to the grand staircase, and I paused, trying to think.
“The elevator’s that way,” I said, motioning, “but if we just charge after them—”
“We have to find Teddy first,” Morgan said.
“Right.” I squeezed my eyes shut, heart pounding. “Okay. It’s not like he can make the elevator work by himself, so maybe he’s just nearby. Like in a side room or—” I snapped my fingers. “That’s it.”
“What is?”
I took off down the stairs, flipping my hair out of the way to call back to Morgan. “There’s this anteroom...thing. I was there after the ball, when—”
When Raines saved me.
I shook the thought away.
“Anyway, there’s another opening to the elevator there. So maybe...”
I let the sentence speak for itself as I picked up the pace, twisting behind the grand staircase to where Raines and I had emerged only a few days ago. My feet took the steps two at a time as I dashed to the waiting room and the elevator doors.
It was darker than it had been the night of the dance, with only a single brazier burning with its blue flame. The doors were bolted shut, like they’d been before, but now the bolts had massive chips in them, welts, like someone had been striking at it with a giant axe.
“Holy...” Morgan’s eyes widened as she skidded to a stop behind me. “Something’s been at it.”
“Or someone,” I said, spinning around and squinting in the dark. I didn’t see any kyrioi, or any flaming daggers—a good start. But where was—
“Nova?” A voice said from out of the darkness. “Morgan?”
“Teddy?” Morgan and I said in unison. “Is that you?”
A shape emerged, a body in roughly the shape of our friend, and relief was so instantaneous that I just started babbling.
“Oh my God, Teddy, you had us freaked the fuck out. I heard the kyrioi say something about the elevator, the cella scansoria, and was like wow, that’s so weird that they said that, when Teddy just learned that word, and then I put it together with the fact that you weren’t there, and—”
“Nova,” Teddy said. He’d come forward just enough so that I could see his face, his hair falling in his eyes and over his glasses.
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
A burst of blue light seared through the room.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next thing I heard was a body hit the floor.
It was Morgan.
“Morgan!” I screamed, my voice like fire in my throat. Panic flooded me, every sense on high alert, and my mind cartwheeled into rapid fire—
Is she dead is she dead is she dead
« Stop »
I jerked myself back from my lunge to Morgan’s body at the sound of the voice. It was Teddy’s voice, but not his, not really his the way I knew it. It was deep and resonant and dissonant, like two recordings played back at slightly different pitches. I whirled around.
Teddy was floating.
His eyes glowed pure blue fire, with crackles of energy streaming from his arms, his hair and necktie floating as if he were underwater. In his hand was a long, massive blade, glowing a searing orange, at least eight feet long—and yet he held it like it was nothing.
“Teddy?” I said, my voice cracking. “What the hell—”
« Stop » he repeated, and, with a snap, he swooped impossibly fast through a hole in the wall—the hole that Raines had knocked down to free us.
“Nova?”
On the ground, Morgan stirred. Relief poured over my entire being, making me literally weak in the knees.
“Morgan!” I rushed to her side at the ground. She looked pale, and scared, but she wasn’t bleeding.
“Gods,” she said croakily. “What on earth—where’s Teddy?”
“Are you all right?” I glanced frantically around. “He’s gone. I need to—”
“Go get help,” Morgan said. “Now.”
“But you’re—”
“If the kyrioi find me, they’re not going to kill me,” she said, coughing. “But if they get to Teddy—”
She didn’t have to say it twice.
“Go,” she whispered.
I leapt to my feet and started running up the stairs.
It was all coming together in my mind. Teddy being sick. The
insane, out-of-nowhere dancing talent. The weird bursts of energy.
Chaos had chosen him.
As I rushed to the foot of the grand staircase, I had to stop and think. Where was I going? If I went to Dean Harlowe, I’d have to admit that I knew about the relics, and if that was going to get me in deep shit, I didn’t want to waste my time. Same with really any of the professors.
Except Wilder.
Before I could second-guess myself, I sprinted to the left, in the direction of Wilder’s office, wishing like hell that I could do that magical demon teleportation thing instead of running like a slob. I was sweating, my feet were sliding in my Docs, and I was scared. Scared in a way that I hadn’t been since I’d come to Hades.
Scared because for the first time I had something to lose.
Tears streamed down my face as I rounded a corner, and I wiped them away, only to run into something hard.
I fell on my ass, still crying.
“Nova?”
Raines didn’t ask before pulling me to my feet. His eyes widened. “Gods, Nova, what the hell is wrong?”
He didn’t ask before wrapping his arms around me, either.
It felt good—I hated that it did, but it did—but I also didn’t have any time for this bullshit.
“Stop.” I sucked in a breath, steadying myself. “Raines, get out of my way. I have to find Wilder.”
Raines’s eyes flared red. “Wilder? What do you—”
“It’s Teddy,” I said. “Teddy’s somehow gotten possessed, or something, by Chaos, and he’s the one causing everything. He just knocked Morgan off her feet and disappeared into that passage we were stuck in the other day, and now I need help, and I’m going to Wilder because, well, he knows that I know about the relics, and—”
“Nova,” Raines interrupted. “I know what you’re going to say, and I know you’re panicking, but you have to believe me: do not go to Wilder if you want your friends to live.”
If he had said anything else—anything—I would have told him to go fuck himself and kept on my search for a responsible adult.
But the fact was, I did want my friends to live. More than anything.
So he had my attention.
