I take a deep breath. I shouldn't dwell on that. It'll only drive me crazy if I do.
What if no one has noticed I'm missing?
No. I'm not going to think like that either. Of course they'll have noticed I'm busy. Maybe not as quickly as if Mathias and I were on good terms, but when I didn't show up for class and wasn't in my room, they'd have worked it out.
And it's only a small leap from there to the Shadow Association being responsible. Especially as Tobias knows about the summons I got, even if the other two don't.
I take a deep breath and count to ten. It's going to be okay.
As much as I don't want to have to be rescued, I have to accept that this time I might need to be. And it's just fine by me. Anything that gets me out of here is good by me.
A scuffing sound outside the door catches my attention. I perk up, hoping it's someone coming for me so at least I have something to do.
No such luck. The person carries on their business with no clue that I'm dying of boredom behind a door. Though dying may be a bit melodramatic of me. I have everything I need to survive, and they'll let me out of here eventually if they think I've finally accepted the craziness that is the Shadow Association.
Why they think locking me in a room and denying me my freedom is going to convince me to join them, I'm not sure. I don't think I understand the motivations of the people in charge to work that one out.
A yawn creeps up on me unexpectedly. I've been awake for a long time, and a lot has happened, no wonder I'm tired.
A small patch of darkness peeks out from under the rickety bed. I crawl over and tuck myself into a ball beneath it. This isn't the first time I've slept like this, and if I stay here, it won't be the last either.
Sleep takes me surprisingly quickly given the circumstances and the fact I'm used to my comfortable bed back at Scythe Grove Academy. And I let it. If I want any chance of a successful escape attempt, then I need to be in my best form, and sleep is the way to do that.
I'm woken by the scrape of the key in the lock.
I scramble to my feet, still blinking the sleep out of my eyes. I don't want to be cowering on the floor when Ms Margery comes in, she'll think I've been broken and will lord it over me.
The door swings open, revealing two women on the other side. Ms Margery isn't a surprise, but the familiar woman in a smart suit standing next to her is.
Fear flashes through me. Is Agent Fielding part of this? Could she have been working for the Shadow Association the entire time?
"See, we kept her here as soon as we realised she was dangerous," Ms Margery says, gesturing in my direction.
I frown. That doesn't make any sense. They're keeping me here because I won't behave the way they want me to, not for any other reason.
"Hmm. I see that." Fielding's expression is indecipherable, making it impossible to tell what she actually thinks.
She turns to me, a serious expression on her face.
I start to ask a question, but she gives a minute shake of head.
Confusion floods through me. What's going on here?
Fielding steps forward so she's blocking Ms Margery from view.
"Trust me," she mouthes at me, not making a sound.
I don't respond in case the wrong person sees.
"Syxe Weston, you're under arrest for the wrongful reaping of Erica Ferris..."
My eyes widen. Uh-oh. That's not good. What happened to Erica...
Oh.
Trust her.
She's getting me out of here. Maybe.
"You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence." She pulls a pair of handcuffs from her belt.
I gulp. I've heard about how uncomfortable supernatural handcuffs can be. They're supposed to block magic as well as holding hands secure.
But prison sounds preferable to being kept in a cult.
I hold out my hands.
Fielding doesn't waste any time clipping the handcuffs into place. They're tight, but not as much as I thought they'd be. And while I can feel an ever so faint tingle of power from them, the magic blocking isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because I'm not actually trying to use my reaper powers.
"We need her scythe too," Agent Fielding says sternly.
"We can't let that get into the custody of humans," Ms Margery insists snidely.
Fielding pushes her hair back to expose her pointed ears. "Then it's a good job I work for a supernatural agency."
Ms Margery purses her lips but still gestures for one of the guards to fetch my scythe.
I have to admit to being relieved. I may not have had it for long, but being without it, even for a short amount of time, has been hard. I'll be glad to have it back in my grasp.
Except that I'm being arrested. I should probably focus on that more than my scythe. I'm not going to get many chances to hold it while I'm in a cell.
It seems prisoner is a good way to describe myself after. I wish the Leader was here so I could throw that in his face.
Maybe not the most gracious of responses on my part, but well deserved.
The man reappears with my scythe in his hands. One look at the way he's holding it and it's clear he isn't a reaper. I wish he was handling it better, but at least it's back within my sights again.
"Give it to my colleague, please," Fielding says, nodding to a man I don't recognise.
The second agent is more reverent than the Association member when he touches it, reassuring me that going with Fielding quietly is the right thing to do.
The three of us march through the Association headquarters, drawing attention to everyone we pass. I hold my head up high, daring anyone to stop Fielding from taking me out of here.
As soon as we step outside, some of the tension within me releases. I may be under arrest, but I'm out of the prison that could have truly destroyed my life, especially when what I'm being charged with is clearly a bogus offence.
Fielding manoeuvres me into the car without saying a word. I don't mind. I'm sure I'll get an explanation once we arrive at the station.
And I hope more than anything that it's not going to be that I'm really under arrest.
13
Fielding slips a small key into the handcuffs and twists. "There you go," she says.
I rub my wrists, more because it's what I've seen people on TV do when theirs are removed rather than them actually being painful.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"I'll debrief you in a moment, but first, there are some people in my office that I think will want to say hello first." She gestures towards it as if I haven't been there before.
I frown. "Am I under arrest or not?" I ask, wanting to be sure about that before anything else happens.
Fielding chuckles. "Not."
"Oh."
"Office," she insists. "I have some paperwork I need to sort out while you do that."
I nod and head in the direction she's indicated. Despite being reasonably sure about who is waiting for me, a small part of me worries that it's going to the Leader gloating that I can't escape from him.
I glance towards the station exit, wondering if it's worth trying to make a break for it.
But no. That's not a good idea. Running away from the Shadow Association is one thing. Being a fugitive from the Supernatural Retrieval Agency is another, especially with no pre-planning or any kind of preparation.
I sigh and make my way towards Fielding's office.
The moment the door opens, tears spring to the corners of my eyes and I launch myself into Mathias' arms.
He hugs me tightly, not saying anything. My relief at seeing him overshadows all of the bitter feelings I've had towards him over the past couple of days. I'm just glad to see him.
I pull back, only to be pulled into another hug by Juliet.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispers.
"What h
appened? How are you here? What day is it?" I ask, my gaze flitting between the two of them.
A small smile twists at Mathias' lips. He's probably amused by my barrage of questions, but all of them are important to me right now.
"It's only been a day and a half," he says. "When you didn't show up for class, we were worried. I went to your room, but no one was there..."
"For good reason," I point out.
"I suppose you can call getting kidnapped a good reason."
I wince. "Can we not use that word?"
"What do you want us to use instead?" Juliet asks. "The only thing I can think of is forcibly taken and I don't think that's much better."
"Not really, no," I admit.
"Anyway, while I was there for the third time, Jenny from next door came with an email she'd found in the printing room and asked me to give it to you."
"The email that said it was from you," I supply.
He nods. "Except that I knew I didn't write it. There wasn't too much guessing in working out who would have done something like that. We went to the address from the email and found a distraught Erica there."
"Which wasn't too much help considering neither of us can understand her."
Ah, yes, I can see that being a potential issue.
"But Tobias came and translated for us."
"The rest was fairly self-explanatory," Juliet says. "I contacted Agent Fielding and explained the situation and she promised to get you out of the Shadow Association house. We don't know what she did, but here you are."
"She arrested me."
Mathias raises an eyebrow. "What for?"
"Unlawfully reaping Erica."
Mathias chuckles. "Well, that's one way of doing it."
"Is she okay?"
He nods. "She's gone back to her house to wait for us. She wants to talk to you when she gets a chance.
"Maybe after some sleep," I say. I'm not sure I have the brainpower to deal with an apologetic ghost straight away.
The door opens again and Fielding steps inside.
"You know you can all sit down, right?" she asks, looking at the three of us with barely contained exasperation.
"Sorry, we got distracted," I admit, choosing the seat closest to the desk and sitting on it.
The other two follow my lead and perch themselves on the other chairs.
Fielding sighs and places herself behind her desk.
A multitude of questions chase around my mind, the main one being why she decided to help my friends and come get me. I can understand why George feels as if he owes Juliet, but not what this woman thinks she owes any of us.
Maybe she just did it out of the goodness of her heart, but I doubt that.
"Are you hungry?" she asks.
I shake my head despite the slight rumble in my stomach. I want answers more than I want food.
"After we're done here, am I allowed to go back to the academy?" I ask.
She nods. "You're not under arrest, you haven't done anything wrong. You will need to check in with me regularly to make sure you're safe, and we've increased security around the academy."
"You can do that?" I can't keep the surprise out of my voice.
"Alongside the faculty staff, yes. We also have a cyber team working out how someone managed to hack into Mr Carey's emails," she says.
"Oh." I lean back in my chair. "Why are you going to so much trouble for me? I'm no one special."
An incredulous expression crosses the agent's face. "You were a kidnap victim. We treat that with the utmost seriousness."
"But if I was just a kidnap victim, you'd have been arresting the people who kidnapped me, not arresting me in order to get me out," I point out.
"That's an astute observation," she agrees. "But to a large extent, this isn't about you in particular. Anyone in your situation would be as useful to us as you are."
"Right..."
Neither of my friends says a word. It's probably for the best. I don't want Fielding to stop talking when I'm finally getting some kind of explanation about what's going on.
"What makes you special to the department is the people who kidnapped you."
"You mean Ms Margery and the Leader?"
She raises an eyebrow. "I need you to give me a full statement about what happened so we can understand the situation," she says. "Then I'll explain the rest to you. But I don't want your recollection of events being interfered with by what I have to say."
I nod. "Do you need me to write it down?"
She shakes her head. "We'll record the conversation, I'll have someone transcribe it, and then you'll sign it once you've read it over to confirm it's an accurate summary of events."
"Okay." It's better to get it over with, especially if it gets me answers once I'm done.
She reaches out and presses record on a small box.
"This is the witness testimony of Syxe Weston." She nods
I launch into a recollection of the past few days, not sparing any of the details. I can't see his face, but I can feel the tension leeching off Mathias behind me. He's not happy about the way things have played out.
I don't blame him. I don't suppose I'd be happy if the situation was reversed either.
While I'm talking, Fielding scribbles down the occasional note.
"Do you know the names of the two men who were part of your kidnap?" Fielding asks once I'm done.
Ah, her notes must be questions.
"I'm sorry, I don't. I've never seen them before. When I lived at the Shadow Association house, I didn't have much to do with most of the adult members. I think they were probably trying to hide the supernatural parts from us."
"That's okay. What about Ms Margery's surname?"
"We only ever called her Ms Margery. I don't think I ever thought about whether she had a second name." Now I think about it more, it's foolish for me to not have paid more attention.
"And the Leader?"
I shake my head before remembering I'm being recorded. "Yesterday is the first time I ever saw him," I admit.
"I suspected as much. Thank you for sharing. If you think of anything else, you can add to your statement or make a new one."
"Okay."
She clicks off the recording device and takes a deep breath.
"The reason you're important to the Supernatural Retrieval Agency is because we've been building a case against the Shadow Association for years. Ever since we realised one of the main houses was in Scarborough."
"Oh."
"Up until now, we've only had a couple of testimonies from people who joined the Association as adults and left soon after. They haven't seen much, and everything was voluntary to begin with. You're the first person who has left the Shadow Association after living there as a minor."
"That you know about," I point out.
"Do you know of anyone else?"
I shake my head. "But I doubt I'm the only person to have left. We don't always stay in the house. We left to go to school and work. It would have been relatively easy for someone to slip away if they really wanted to." It probably wasn't as easy to stay away given my recent experiences, but that's another matter.
"True. But those people aren't coming forward."
"Probably because the kids all think they're human. I had no idea I was a reaper until a few months ago."
"Even though you could see ghosts?"
Heat flares to my cheeks. Now I know what I do, it is kind of obvious. "Yes, despite that."
"Interesting." From the expression on her face, I suspect she really does find it so.
"What do you need from me?" I ask, taking a guess that it's something or she wouldn't be giving me the whole spiel.
"We need your testimony. Everything you can remember about the Association. How it's run, how many people live there, any names you can recall..."
"What if I forget to tell you something?" I don't want to be the reason a case doesn't stick.
"We'll set up interviews where we can work through what yo
u know. Anything we specifically want to know about, we can ask."
"That sounds good."
"I'm glad. But you should rest first. I'll be in touch and we can set up the first interview."
"Thank you." I appreciate the chance to get back to the academy and enjoy some time with my friends before I have to delve into all of that. I guess it's not as urgent as my recollection of my kidnapping as it's already in the past.
As if called by the mention of rest, a loud yawn escapes from me.
Mathias is on his feet instantly. "We should get you back to the academy."
I nod. "That would be nice."
Home sounds good. Perfect, actually. I can work out the rest later.
Thank you for reading Shadow Prophet, I hope you enjoyed it. You can join Syxe, Mathias, and friends in the conclusion of the Scythe Grove Academy series, Shadow Oracle: http://books2read.com/shadoworacle
* * *
You can also download a free copy of Juliet’s story, Grove Captain here: https://books.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/ja6lf07zkg
Author Note
If you're interested in learning more about the Supernatural Retrieval Agency, you can in the complete series of the same name which starts with Harpy's Mission. The series is set in a different city, and follows new recruit, Harper, as she discovers what it means to be an Agent. There's a medium burn romance with her partner, Elias, and plenty of action (plus an oversharing cupid!) Or, if you want to know more about the City of Blood, where Syxe's mother disappeared, you can in the complete series of the same name which starts with Drop Of Blood. It follows spy, Chloe, as she embarks on her mission to try and bring down the city. As with each of the other series set in the Obscure World, you can read each series completely on its own (and you can skip any that don't interest you!) one of the main reasons I write multiple series in one world is because it allows me as a creator to see a bigger picture, which is something I enjoy writing. It also allows me to have brief cameos from past characters. But I endeavour to make each and every series its own contained thing too.
Anna Weston's escape from the City of Blood is actually one of the first things that came to me about Syxe's past - I've known that was going to be what happened to her mother since before the series had titles, covers, or magic system.
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