Exordium (Emberhold Academy #1)

25. Reverie

Chapter 25

Reverie

I opened my eyes to hazy sunlight shining in through my window. I couldn’t believe that I had slept all night. Since Nathan had been gone, I usually only got three or four hours of sleep.

Sitting up, I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Pantar was already gone, he probably went hunting again this morning. Taking Zane’s shirt off, I brought it up to my nose and inhaled deeply. His smell comforted me. I knew it was the reason I was able to go back to sleep after the strange dream I’d had about Nathan. I folded his shirt and placed it under my pillow, grabbing my robe, I headed to the bathroom to shower. Chloe must still be sleeping because I didn’t smell coffee or hear her moving around.

I turned the water on as close to scalding as possible and let the water cascade over me. Thinking back on my night with the twins, I couldn’t help but smile. Their acceptance just cemented my feelings, and I knew they were meant to be mine. Knowing about my ability to bond without the ritual should’ve made them want to take things slower. Not informing the Council of the incident was risky and could put them or their families in danger. But if anything, it seemed to excite them more.

Now, if only my Psycho would return. The ache I felt at his absence was intense. I knew I loved him but didn’t realize how much his presence comforted me. Knowing he always had my back gave me an undeniable sense of security. Hopefully, bonding with the twins would strengthen me enough to communicate with him and find out what the hell was going on. He should have been back by now. The only thing keeping me from losing it completely was Zeke and Zane and knowing that if he had been killed, I would feel it.

Getting out of the shower, I threw my long, dark hair up in a towel, slipped on my robe, and went to my room to get dressed. These days, my clothing choices were repetitious. My hair was the only thing I changed, I wore Viking braids. My mother had taught me to do them a few years ago. Mom said that she wore them during battle, and since I was meeting with ShitStorm later today, I felt like the hairstyle was appropriate.

Looking in the mirror, I was satisfied with the result. I grabbed my bag and left the room, almost running into Chloe.

“Hey girl, you look ready to kick some serious ass! You’ve got to teach me how to braid like that.” Chloe smiled, heading into the kitchen to make coffee.

“How about I do your hair tonight before meeting my parents?” I smirked waiting for the explosion.

“Yeah, that sounds……. WHAT??!!!! I’m meeting your parents. Bitch, you better explain!” Chloe ran over to me and grabbed my shoulders, shaking the shit out of me.

“Calm down and quit shaking me before you give me whiplash!” I was laughing so hard I could barely speak. “I wanted to introduce your brothers to them, and we thought you might want to tag along.”

“Hell yes, I do! Oh, shit, I should probably skip class so I can decide what to wear. Should I bring a gift? What does your mom like? I bet she would love some donuts from Java and Jam! I should head there now. See you later, my most favorite person in the world, except for your mother,” She slammed the door behind her. I stood there with my mouth hanging open, left silent in the wake of Hurricane Chloe. It was amazing that she had that much energy before coffee.

I waited for the coffee, grabbed a to-go cup, and left for class. I wanted to get there early and maybe grab a seat by Jet. He’d kept his distance lately, and I wanted to check in with him. The fact that he was a found Passive concerned me and was part of why I had agreed to help Instructor Storm. Not that Jet needed any help in that area. He zipped through the courses almost as fast as I did. As good as he was it seemed like he might have had some kind of training.

Unfortunately, initiation wasn’t just about physical skills; knowledge of other dimensions was also necessary, as well as past initiations. I wanted to help him with these things if he’d let me. I was just going to ignore the reason I was so concerned.

Leaving my building, I saw Zeke waiting, holding a small white bag,

“Hey, handsome, how long have you been out here?”

He smiled and pulled me in for a hug, “Not long.” After squeezing me hard, he handed me the bag. Opening it, I could immediately smell the delicious aroma of glazed donut holes.

“I wanted to make sure you had breakfast before class. I know you haven’t been eating right since Nathan was taken.” Zeke gave me a concerned look.

I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him, “Thank you. It’s very thoughtful.”

He immediately pulled me back in for a longer kiss. “It’s not hard to be thoughtful when you’re always on my mind. Are you headed to History?”

“Yes, I thought I’d get there early and see if Jet needs help with anything.” I dug into the bag and ate one of the delicious little dough balls.

“I’ll walk you.” He took the bag from me and popped a donut hole in his mouth.

“Hey, I thought you bought those for me?” I grabbed the bag back.

“I did, but I made sure there was enough to share.” He winked. “I may have had an ulterior motive.”

“And just what would that be?” I smiled at him.

“Other than seeing your beautiful face, I wondered how Chloe took the news of meeting your parents.” He grinned.

I laughed, “I didn’t get another word in after giving her the news. She started talking a mile a minute and headed out the door.”

“I can’t wait to see her reaction when she meets them. Zane and I made a bet. He’s taking the speechless option, and I’m going with verbal diarrhea.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I punched him in the arm, “Hey, watch it. That’s my friend you’re talking about.”

Zeke rubbed his arm and grinned, “Holy hell, that’s quite a punch you have. My girl is strong!” He looked proud like he was personally responsible for that.

“You got that right, so you better be sweet to Chloe or else.” I held up my fist and growled. I tried to keep a serious face, but when he suddenly crossed his eyes at me, it was so out of character that I started laughing.

“We’re her big brothers, and she expects us to be assholes. If we weren’t, she’d be disappointed.” He said innocently.

“Sure, she would.” I smirked.

By the time we reached my class, we had finished the donut holes. Zeke took the bag and threw it away.

“I’ll see you at lunch. Zane will be here to walk you to Biology.”

“Y’all know I can get to class fine on my own.” I reached up to cup his cheek.

Turning his head to kiss my palm, he said, “We know you can, but it makes us feel better to do it. You wouldn’t deny us that, would you?” Zeke pouted. He could pass for Zane with that pout and flirty eyes.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to deny y’all anything.” I sighed.

“Good.” He leaned down to kiss the tip of my nose, then turned and walked away. I continued to stand there staring at his ass, completely mesmerized. I tilted my head to the right, then the left. Yep, it looked damn good from any angle.

“Hey Bitch! Quit staring at my brother’s ass.” Chloe jerked me into the classroom.

“Where the hell did you come from? I thought you were skipping class?” I held my hand to my chest and tried to keep my heart from jumping ship.

“Nope, I decided not to deprive you of my company.” She rolled her eyes, “I called your name, but you couldn’t tear your eyes away from Thing One’s booty.” She pulled on my braid. “All of us Moons are blessed with exceptional glutes.” She slapped her ass and a guy walking in behind us tripped over his feet. She waggled her eyebrows, “Now come on Jet’s saving us a seat. Let’s hurry before the thirsty bitches steal it.”

I followed behind her, laughing. I didn’t even try to deny the accusation. Thing One’s booty was worth staring at, although to be fair, Thing Two’s booty was just as nice.

Jet watched us walk his way and stood, motioning for me to take the seat next to him, putting Chloe on his other side next to the aisle. This was a surprising turn of events since he had been avoiding me for weeks.

“It’s about time you got to class. I’ve been saving these seats for a while.” Jet said, his eyes darting around the room like he was looking for something.

“Are you alright?” I observed him in concern, he looked a little stressed.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” He glanced in my direction but continued to watch our surroundings with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t know. But you’re looking around the room like you expect us to be attacked at any time.” Chloe was watching him in concern.

He turned to Chloe and started to reply but stiffened when Storm walked through the door, closing it behind him. I was surprised at Storm’s appearance, too.

“Hello, class. I’m lecturing in Professor Austin’s place today. We have a lot to cover, so please take your seats.” Storm smirked, and I could swear I heard panties dropping. I would admit he was handsome, especially today. He wore jeans and a black Henley, his dark hair brushed back from his face, touching the top of his shoulders in tousled waves, like he frequently ran his fingers through it. His green eyes were piercing, his very presence demanding attention.

Stepping behind the podium, he began, “Today, I want to talk about the ritual we perform when Passives are trying to form or become part of a Faction. The ritual is performed here, at Emberhold, but in special cases, and with the Council’s permission, the ritual can be performed in other settings. It’s been vital to Aurathions for centuries to bond Passives together and reveal the center of a Faction, the Nexus. I’m sure most of our born Passive students have looked forward to performing it and having their abilities revealed. Found Passives have probably heard many accounts of what it is and how it’s performed, but today, I’ll give you the facts, so you know what to expect.”

The class was focused entirely on him. Their attention was hanging on his every word. “Dionysus is commonly known as the Greek god of winemaking, fertility, ritual madness, and religious ecstasy. What is unknown to humans is that he was an Aurathion that had the ability of potion making and was Nexus to his Faction. He was only worshipped after Aurathions began visiting this world through portals. A few years after his Faction was formed, Dionysus mixed a powerful potion, golden in color, that Aurathions named the wine of Dionysus, which became an integral part of binding Passives together. A knife made of pure silver is used to cut each Passive’s palm; they then join hands over the Kapala, a small skull cup also made of silver and covered in precious Aurathion stones; after the Kapala is half full of their combined blood, a drop of the wine of Dionysus is added. If they’re compatible and one Passive is Nexus, the liquid in the bowel will turn fully golden.”

“What happens if they aren’t compatible, and neither are Nexus.” A student in the front row asked.

Looking annoyed at the interruption, he continued, “If they aren’t compatible, and neither is Nexus, then the blood will remain just that— blood.” Storm strolled from behind the podium and leaned against Professor Austin’s desk. “All that I’ve explained is true and part of why the war was fought. A significant number of the population in our world was growing restless. Fewer Nexus have been born as the years have passed, leaving many Passives no choice but to abandon hope of ever gaining their abilities. A serum was invented that allowed babies to access these abilities if administered during pregnancy- without the ritual or a Nexus.” He paused as a few of the students gasped at this revelation. “The Aurathions, now called Dark Faction, didn’t think it was fair that the serum was only available to embryos and wanted to see if it would work on Aurathions of different ages.” You could’ve heard a pin drop, most Aurathions knew nothing about any of this. “Does anyone know why the serum wasn’t entirely successful on adult Passives?”

I knew the answer but didn’t raise my hand. I felt like this lesson had taken a weird tone and had no idea where he was going with this. He looked around the room in expectation. I was surprised when Chloe raised her hand.

Storm nodded for her to speak, “Their abilities became unstable without a Nexus to balance them. Many lost their minds, and some even committed suicide.”

“You’re partly correct, Miss Moon, but that’s not the entire story. The General of the Tempest Faction didn’t show any signs of insanity and did, in fact, plan and execute the removal of all Factions that didn’t agree with his stance.” He stared out at the class like he was waiting for something.

I couldn’t contain myself, “I think his grasp on sanity is debatable. He did betray his people and start a war.”

Storm looked pleased by my response, “I suppose that’s true, but it depends on which side you were on, now, doesn’t it? If you were part of a Faction and already had your abilities, could you really judge what they did?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t ever cause chaos and grief for my people just to benefit myself. The loss of life and the destruction of our world weren’t worth the price. The serum was already proven to work on babies, and our future was looking bright, but greedy, corrupt Aurathions ruined that.” I spoke passionately, enraged by his words.

Storm smirked, but looked oddly proud, “Maybe, maybe not. You’ll never know what you would do because you already know you’re a Nexus and won’t ever have to live without your abilities. It’s impossible to judge them when you’ll never walk in their shoes.”

When I remained quiet, he continued, “Since it looks like Miss Hawthorne doesn’t have a response to that, I’ll continue my lecture.” I heard some tittering from his fan club in the front row. They were all just being shitty because they didn’t get to sit by Jet. I really hoped every single one of them developed hemorrhoids as big as their head.

“All of this could have been prevented if we still had access to scrolls before Dionysus’s time. Most of them were destroyed in a fire that some believe was done purposely. Stories have been passed down that imply our Aurathion Ancestors didn’t need a ritual. That we, in fact, just needed a simple blood exchange with a Nexus to bond into our Faction.” I couldn’t contain the gasp that escaped me at hearing this.

Storm stared directly at me and continued, “My family was lucky enough to obtain a few scrolls that were still partially intact. We were able to interpret a few of them and they allude to the loss of these abilities for reasons we’re just not sure of. They also refer to a hundred years with no new Factions until Dionysus formed his. The stunning part is that Dionysus formed his Faction years before he conjured his potion. In fact, some scholars believe that the potion Dionysus conjured was successful because it contained his blood.”

The class was completely silent, it felt like everyone was holding their breath, “It’s true that the serum was invented to help Aurathions have access to their abilities without needing a Nexus to stabilize them. What isn’t known is that we’re running out of the wine of Dionysus and when we do, unless a Nexus if found with blood as powerful as his, able to create a Faction without the ritual, our race will die out.”