25. Savage
Chapter 25
Savage
T he guards scatter as we stride into the dining hall of Animus Academy during late-night supper service. Every student in the hall goes still. Someone drops their plastic cup.
Maybe it’s the old blood on my body? As if I was going to stop to shower! We have no time for showering. Their shock could also be due to the Dabu pack sauntering in behind me. The three hyena animas have a reputation, even out of prison.
I zone in on the person I want.
“ Yoohoo , Raquel?” I call. “Get over here.”
Raquel, who’s sitting next to Minnie, drops their fork in shock, but stares at me, all wide-eyed and nervous. Sighing dramatically, I continue forward, while Lyle goes to speak with Theresa, standing at the buffet. Scythe steps aside to speak with the Forklift Twins who man the front door. This was his idea after all, but I’m the one who’s gonna execute it.
Students stare at me as I pass, nostrils flaring as they scent the death that follows me at all times now.
I gesture at Raquel, waving for them to come to me. “Come, come, Raquel. I need to talk to you.”
But it’s Minnie who gets to her feet. Yeti and Marduk remain sitting on either side of her, their faces wary.
“Savage, this is in no way, shape or form, hygienic.”
My brows shoot up. “I’m not worried about hygiene, Minnie.”
“That much is obvious.”
There’s a spare plate of pancakes on the table. I grab a fistful and shove it in my mouth. Carbs are always good at a time like this.
“Hey, that was mine,” Connor grumbles.
“Sorry, not sorry,” I say thickly. “Anyway, Raquel?” I jerk my head at the door. “I am in need of your services.”
Minnie narrows her eyes. “What for?”
“What, are you their lawyer now?”
“That’s exactly what I am.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not going to hurt Raquel! And they’re sworn to us anyway.”
“I-It’s alright, Min,” Raquel says, getting to their feet. “I’m coming, Mr Fengari.”
I nod enthusiastically, leading the way back out. To my surprise and annoyance, multiple chairs scrape back and my ears tell me the entire table is now following, Connor and Stacey as well. I roll my eyes at Scythe.
Raquel’s eyes light up when they see the Dabu pack have come with us. The pack greets our wolf anim like they’re old friends. I suppose they got along really well during our mission to the Naga House to rescue my regina’s mum.
We all head out to our hidden suite, and once everyone is seated, Scythe explains his idea.
“Raquel,” he says, “you are the strongest broadcaster we know.”
“After me,” I clarify, tearing into another pancake.
“After Savage,” Scythe confirms. “But Aurelia has blocked us out of her mind. She does…not want us to be in contact with her.”
Minnie bites her lip as if this upsets her. It upsets me too. More than I can even put into words. I need to do something with my hands, but I have no pancakes left. I stare at my palms, my fingernails crusted with dark red and black.
“Here,” a small voice says by my elbow. It’s Stacey, and the little lioness is pushing a colouring book and pencils into my hand.
I take them with a grunt, almost ripping the book as I open it and choose the black pencil. I begin frantically colouring the butterfly on the page. Black. All black.
Scythe clears his throat. “Aurelia may have blocked us out, but she may be open to others.”
“But the distance!” Minnie exclaims. “Drakos Estate is hours away by car, isn’t it?”
“I c-can probably reach,” Raquel says quietly. “It’s w-worth giving it a go.”
“If there’s trouble, you leave straight away,” Marduk says. “We don’t want them?—”
“Right.” Scythe takes out a joint and his silver lighter. “Be observant. Be careful. It’ll be bad if you’re detected.”
Raquel inhales slowly and gets out of their seat to sit on the floor as if it’s more comfortable. They look nervous. I suppose this is sort of dangerous.
“But it’ll be protected by intense dragon magic, right?” Connor says from his spot on the dining table.
“That’s why we are here,” Hyacinth Dabu says. “We’ve got a little workaround to trick any protective spells.” She begins to set up her cauldron, Bunsen burner, and ingredients on the dining room table. Connor and Stacey watch on with great interest as she lights it up and takes out a bit of hair from Xander’s hairbrush.
“Can you put clothes on now that they’ve agreed to do it, Sav?” Minnie says rudely.
“What, are you offended?” I exclaim.
“Yeah, actually. You have blood on your dick, did you know?”
Marduk gasps and slaps a hand over Minnie’s eyes. “Stop looking at his dick, regina!”
I cackle like a madman as Minnie tries to claw Marduk’s hands off her face.
Connor throws his jacket at me. “You can keep that.”
Sighing, I take the long sleeves of the jacket and tie it around my waist like an apron, leaving my ass out. “Happy?” I retort as Marduk frees Minnie and I come to sit down cross-legged opposite Raquel.
“Yes, actually,” Minnie says.
“W-What should I tell her?” Raquel asks.
My chest puffs out as all the damned, bloody things I want to say fly through my brain. “Tell her I want to spank her silly, and then I’ll?—”
“Tell her we love her,” Lyle interjects quickly. “Tell her we need her to come back.”
I cross my arms and grumble. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s good too.”
Raquel closes their eyes and so do I.
“What’s he doing?” Stacey whispers.
“He can go with Raquel,” Scythe explains. “As far as he is able. Since Raquel has never been to Drakos Estate before, he can guide them there.”
“Ready?” Hyacinth says, dipping a strip of cloth into the cauldron before pulling it back out all glisteny and steamy.
“Yes,” Raquel says, holding out their arm.
“It’s hot.” Hyacinth wraps the piece around Raquel’s wrist. “But it has Xander’s hair inside of it, which will trick the protections into thinking you’re him. You only have until it cools down to get in and out.”
I nod faintly as I link my mind with the wolf anim before me. Raquel accepts my hook and together we send our telepathic power across the land, north and west, towards Drakos Estate.
“Eyes on the prize, Raquel,” I say. “Let’s be quick.”
“Yes, boss.”
We soar over the land and I tug Raquel along with me. Nothing of great interest lies between the academy and Drakos Estate, just empty land, so it’s pretty easy to spot it from ages away. It’s a big black cube of power, sort of oily and dirty feeling. It’s nothing like the physical version of the place, and you wouldn’t guess what lies protecting it until you’ve gone looking for it.
You’d have to be a loon to try to get in.
“You’re on your own, now,” I say softly. “See if you can sense her. But I’ll keep watch from here.”
Raquel swears under their breath, but I unhook my mind from theirs, telepathically stepping back and watching from afar. I feel the wolf anim approach the barrier of the estate and they breeze right through. I hold my breath, all my senses alert, ready for any sign to get the wolf anim back out.
But too much rides on this. I need to talk to my regina. I need to know she’s okay. I need to know why she left me.
“Anything?” I ask Raquel, speaking out loud for the benefit of the rest of the room.
Raquel speaks softly, as if they’re worried they’ll wake something up. “Not yet. It feels sort of empty. Let me scope out the lower levels.”
I rage to think they have my regina in an underground cell or something. But knowing these fucking dragons, they would do exactly that.
“Calm, brother,” Scythe rasps in my ear. “Focus.”
I nod, but it’s irritating that I can’t feel Raquel anymore.
“Talk to me, anim,” I growl, clenching my fists to resist the urge to leap after them and feel it out for myself.
“There’s nothing here,” Raquel whispers, as if afraid someone will hear them. “I can feel faint movement, but it’s buffered.”
“Their protections are too strong,” Hyacinth says.
“We knew that going in,” I press. “But Aurelia—she might feel you if you’re close enough.”
“Aurelia,” Raquel whispers, as if she’s calling out. “Aurelia, can you hear me?”
I slap my knee. “I can’t even feel where she could be either. It’s like reaching out to a ghost.”
“Don’t say that,” Lyle growls from what feels like far away. I growl in agreement.
Raquel calls out to my regina again. “Aurelia? Oh, here’s something.”
“What?” at least four voices call out at the same time.
“It’s a dungeon,” Raquel whispers. “I sense wolves, though. Not dragons.”
A hint of warning prickles at my mind. A familiar magic. Dark and prowling low, close to the ground. It snaps at Raquel’s heels. My heart leaps.
“Abort mission!” I command. “Raquel, out! Those are Lunaris wolves!”
But instead of obeying me, Raquel lets out a blood-curdling scream.
“Lunaris?” screams Minnie. “Like Ruben Lunaris?”
“Raquel, where are you?” I shout.
“Stop!” Raquel screams. “Mr Fengari, help!”
“I’m trying!” I’m panicking now. I surge towards Drakos Estate, but Scythe’s cold power suddenly grasps my mind, holding it tight. “They’ll get you too. Leave her.”
“No!” I roar, getting onto my knees. I’ve never left a wolf behind. Not now, not ever. I strain towards Raquel, reaching out to try to hook them back to safety. “Raquel! Find me!”
Raquel screams again, this time in pure agony. And then their voice cuts off and I hear a thump in the room. Minnie and Stacey cry out. Sour panic fills the air.
Scythe grabs my mind in a grip like a cold current and forces me back to Animus Academy, where I open my physical eyes with a howl. I lunge for Raquel. But the wolf anim is slumped over, their eyes open and fixed in place.
Minnie’s arms are around the wolf anim, and she pins me with terrified eyes. “What have you done!”