37. Chapter 36 #2
“Ez?” Ivy murmured, stepping closer to him.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at her. She squeezed his hand tighter. Still, no reaction.
“Ezra.” Her hands slid up his chest. His heart raced wildly beneath her palm, and her breath caught in her throat. Shit, he was having a panic attack. She cupped his cheeks, tilting his head to get him to focus on her.
“Ezra, breathe with me.”
But he couldn’t get his breathing to calm. “Ivy, I—I—”
She reached for one of his hands again, prying his fingers from its tight fist until she could lay it flat over her heart. Then she moved her other hand back to his chest and called to her magic, willing it to weave with his into a healing spell to soothe him enough to get his breath back.
A golden light rippled through their bodies, fast at first to match his rhythm. It slowed, washing over them like waves lapping at the shore. His breathing evened out, and when she returned to his face, tears were sliding down his cheeks.
“Ivy,” he said, his voice a strangled whisper.
“I’m here, E—” before she could finish, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her body tight against his as a sob choked out from his mouth. She ran her hands up his back as he trembled against her. “You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m here, Ez.”
They stayed like that for…she wasn’t sure. And she didn’t care. The clock was ticking on finding what was below, but there was enough time to make sure he was okay.
He pulled back from their embrace, rubbing a palm against his reddened cheeks to brush the tears away. “I’m sorry, I d—”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” She interrupted. “Nothing, okay? Do you want to talk ab—”
“God, no,” he said, half-laughing before clearing his throat. “Not right now.”
She wasn’t sure what the specifics were exactly, but she’d hazard a guess it was something to do with his father.
He hurts people, regardless of whether they’re a friend or an enemy.
Even if they’re family. That was what he’d said to her one day at the lake.
And on Halloween, he mentioned how he was trapped, far away from everyone.
Nausea built in the back of her throat. How could anyone, let alone his own father, do something like that to him?
“Whenever you want to talk about it, I’m here for you,” she murmured. “Let’s turn back. Next month we c—”
“There isn’t an exam next month because of finals,” he muttered, letting his other hand drop from her back to run it through his curls. “We still have time. I can keep going.”
“Are you sure? We can a—”
“I’m sure,” he said, his voice firmer, as if he shoved whatever fear that bubbled to the surface back down.
She nodded, sensing there was no use in arguing, stepping back from him and taking his hand before approaching the staircase again.
They pushed forward, their footsteps a little slower and quieter against the stone.
The stairs were never-ending, and she could sense Ezra’s magic tugging at the edges of hers, warning they should turn back.
As she was about to give in, a simple wooden door came into view at the bottom.
“Ivy, we’re almost out of time.”
“Not yet,” she told him, keeping her eyes fixed on the door. “We’ve come this far, I’m not turning back until I see what’s behind there.”
“We’re already at ten minutes.”
“Which means we have twenty until the exam ends.” She sighed, turning to check on him. His face was flat, but controlled. Like he was trying his best to stay calm. “One look, then we leave.”
His chest expanded with a large inhale before he nodded once.
They walked down the remaining steps, and Ivy reached out for the doorknob. The metal had rusted over the years, scratching her hand as she twisted it. The door clicked and creaked open loudly.
“What the…?” Ivy said quietly, her mouth agape.
In front of them was another hallway. Instead of stone like the ones above, it was dark, worn paneling and torn wallpaper.
Dust-covered paintings hung on the walls, and cobwebs dangled in every corner and on the unlit hanging lamps.
She took a step inside and stifled a cough. The air was stale and…rotten.
“What is this place?” Ezra said, his voice so quiet Ivy would’ve missed it if they weren’t miles underground.
“Another one…another one…another one,” a ghostly moan came from somewhere near them. She turned, but saw nothing.
“A friend…a friend…a friend,” a high-pitched voice giggled. She turned again. Still nothing.
“Must protect it…must protect…protect the door,” a deep, chambered voice rattled ahead of them. She stared down the hall where the ghost of an elderly man, hunching over in rags, dragged chains in his hands and hobbled toward them. His beard was long and scraggly, and his cheeks were hollow.
“Who…who are you?” Ivy called out. “What is this place?”
The ghost stopped, and Ivy’s breath stilled as his head inched over to glare at them. “You cannot be here.”
“Ivy, we g—”
“I ask again, what is this place?” Ivy asked, trying her best not to cower. The ghost didn’t respond, as if he didn’t know she was speaking to him, only that they were intruders in his space.
Ezra yanked on her hand, pulling her back. “What are you d—”
“GET OUT!” the ghost screamed. At an otherworldly speed, the ghost charged at them, and a rush of air pushed them through the door, and it slammed shut. She yelped, sparks of pain shooting through her back as they fell against the stone stairs.
“What wa—”
Ezra grunted and groaned as he moved. “Question it later. We have to go now.”
They made it back to the exam room with only a few minutes to spare.
Ivy’s lungs were on fire, and she nearly collapsed, but at least they weren’t stuck.
With one last pull of the lever, the ceiling above them glowed an ethereal shade of blue, and the room faded back to the small exam room.
The door transformed into a normal wall, and by the time she turned around, a blue envelope sat on the small desk between the four of them.
“I can’t believe you had an encounter with a ghost!” Liam gasped, running his hand over his short curls with a bewildered smile on his face. “And it spoke to you? God, I wish I could’ve been there.”
Maeve leaned into the couch cushion with a yawn. “That’s what you’re shocked by? How about there’s a whole other building or at least a room beneath the exam hall?”
“Think back to what the ghosts were saying—another one, must protect—it points to the fact that other people have been there and something is being guarded.” Liam rose from his chair and threw his arms in the air. “This is huge.”
“It is,” Rhea said, pacing around the living room. They found her after they finished so they could fill her in. “But we don’t know what or who. Or even when. Ghosts lose the concept of time, right? Who’s to say when they actually last saw someone or if whatever needed protecting still exists?”
“You have a point.” Ivy studied the cipher splayed out before her on the coffee table. The message after the exam gave her four more letters, meaning she could spell out words like why, know, want, and. None of it would lead her to the answers the cipher held.
“It’s something,” Ezra said before stretching his arms above his head.
“We should find out more about it before the next exam. Briar mentioned you need to remember the night of your ritual. That could help if we can find a way to do it. In the meantime, maybe the library would have some histories on the school or who the ghost was an—”