Chapter 7
Elias
Breaths roll in the air as I let out a long sigh. I only killed two of them, two that would never survive the second-semester exam anyway. The message was clear though: I don’t have a problem killing students.
Blood drips from the tips of my fingers and Velis purrs inside my chest with satiated glee. The remaining students stare at me with wide, frightened eyes—except for Finn. That defiance in his gaze makes me want to take him apart piece by piece, slowly, until he begs for death only I can grant him.
Velis coils against my thoughts and mutters, Leave the boy alone. Amser will retaliate if you hurt him.
I roll my eyes. Terra’s Shadow is the cause of so much unwarranted trouble. I wait beside Nekane as the headmaster releases the Houses and directs them to meet in the mess hall for the banquet. I need to inform him of my unfortunate circumstances with Terra.
Nekane pulls the purple hood of his cloak up as snow starts to fall and the wind picks up. He narrows his red eyes at me as he whispers, “Trouble getting here on time? I heard from Kallos that you took down Barkovah last night. What was the holdup? Emerai and Dr. Cein nearly sent reinforcements.”
I keep my expression impassive as I straighten, ignoring the blood on my white cloak. “I ran into complications.”
Nekane raises a brow at me, his red eyes searching for information.
“Two complications,” I clarify. Terra and her fucking dog.
“Elias, I’ve known you for six years and this is the first I’m hearing of the Assassin of Fernestia having godsdamn complications.” Nekane crosses his arms and glowers at me. I am not forgetful of our history. Six years of unrelenting torture, training, and brainwashing, yet our friendship still stands in some fucked-up, contorted way.
I shrug, trying to keep my temper reeled in the best I can. “Well, I wasn’t expecting to find my Shadow Mate in that shithole, Navasik.”
That gets his attention. Nekane grabs my arm. “Your what? You’re joking, right?”
I grimace at his grip. “Have I ever made a joke?”
His face pales and he looks up as Emerai struts toward us. “No—I suppose you haven’t.” He releases my arm and shakes his head. “How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know. I’m hoping to speak with Dr. Cein regarding it and how he would like to proceed.” Nekane nods thoughtfully but doesn’t bother responding as Emerai stops before us. We both give him a curt bow.
“Headmaster.”
Emerai grabs a fistful of my hair and lifts my head. “What the fuck were you doing out there, Elias? Do you have any idea how exasperated Dr. Cein is about your delay? You were given directorders and your delay alone practically threw off the entire operation.”
I stare into Emerai’s eyes indifferently.
“He had complications.” Nekane laughs beside me. He always was Emerai’s favorite, probably because of how sadistic they both are.
“Explain,” Emerai mutters, his eyes narrowing. He looks shockingly similar to Nekane. If I hadn’t been at Phase One with them when they were initially captured, I’d think they were brothers. Their dark hair is the exact same shade and length. Their only significant difference is their eyes: Nekane’s are haunting red, while Emerai’s are dark blue.
“I found my Shadow Mate, sir. I brought her with me; she’s in the Nova House as we speak.”
He looks at me, calculating what to say. “Was she the woman that stopped you from killing Kallos’s new brat?”
Nekane scoffs. “I was hoping you’d kill him anyway. Cocky little fucker, that one is.”
You and me both. “Yes—she is the Time Nova. The other Crescent Shadow we’ve been searching for.”
Emerai doesn’t give away what his thoughts hold, only looks at me with cold eyes. “I’ll contact Dr. Cein and let him know the circumstances. Keep her close, I don’t want her Shadow getting too attached to anything else for the time being.” He releases the vice grip he has on my hair and straightens his golden cloak. The sun brooch at the center gleams with his power funneling through it. I surpass Emerai in strength, but Cein recognized my inability to show better judgment when it comes to holding order. Emerai is his perfect puppet master, pulling all the strings while the doctor is away.
“Yes, sir.”
He turns to head to Alkrose for the banquet, but he stops and glances back at me. “You haven’t bred her already, have you?”
My pulse spikes and I have to school my expression into indifference. Yeah, I watched Raine fuck her on her knees while I was tied up like an animal. The very thought makes my teeth grind. “No, but her blighted has. She’s on herbs, so we don’t need to worry about that.”
Emerai barks out a harsh laugh as he resumes his stride. “Well, at least he’ll be dead before long.”
Nekane looks at me with a borderline concerned expression. “Let me guess, she wouldn’t let you kill him either.”
I level him an annoyed look because he can already see the way she’s ruining my reputation as the heartless one. “No—I most certainly did kill him. She reversed time and undid it.”
My old friend laughs as he grabs my shoulder roughly. “I like her already.”
The mess hall is a loud, expansive room. The arched glass ceilings above allow natural light to flutter in, but the sconces add a warm glow to the ambiance. Walls made of stone as gray and cold as my heart hold all the students of Alkrose within them. It’s a room that contains many grim memories, a place I despise yet also call home.
How long has it been now… Nekane said six years, but somehow it feels much longer than that. My memories are blurry and drenched with blood. It’s hard to pick everything apart and lay it out exactly as it should be.
But I remember enough.
Six long tables extend through the massive room, one for each class. Technically there are seven strains, but due to the shortage of Solas Shadows, the few we do have room with Cosmos. The Nova table has been empty since myself and my comrades used it. My eyes linger where we shared many meals and conversations.
There used to be so many more people by my side. We all learned the hard way why it is important to let the Shadows take hold. To seal away the pain.
I take my seat at the head of the room next to Kallos; Nekane sits on his other side. Headmaster Emerai sits in the center, watching as the students filter in. Long ribbons of cloth lie across the ridiculously long tables, white with gold slivers of thread that dance into intricate thorns and vines placed as centerpieces.
The scent of roasted meats and bread fills my nostrils. The Culling Assessment is always followed by a great feast. Cruelness followed with generous accommodations for the survivors. Step one in brain-fucking these idiots.
“You look like shit.”
I tilt my head to look at Kallos; he watches me with that calm, sardonic expression he always has. So nonchalant and carefree.
“I’ve been up for three days. Of course I look like shit.” I close my eyes and try to think if I’ll sleep tonight or not. There are reports to file and it’s difficult to rest when Cein is upset. I consider myself a man to fear, but Cein is far more… creative than I am when it involves punishment.
“Care for a drink? I can whip you up a potion that can help with the looking-like-shit part,” Kallos offers dryly. Nekane nudges him to let him know he wants one too.
“Sure,” I mumble. I sense Arthur’s grim presence enter the room and slowly open my eyes to see the Nova House students filtering in.
The room hushes as the other students take notice of the sixth House they’ve yet to meet. Arthur walks like liquid smoke down the center aisle. To his left is the Cosmos House, and to his right is the empty table for the Nova House.
I straighten as I watch them walk in, looking a bit too eagerly for one in particular. I quickly disregard anyone who isn’t her.
My heart clenches the moment I find her.
She’s wearing her black tactical gear and a magnificent white cloak, the same as I wear. Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail, still reaching halfway down her back in beautiful rich waves. Her eyes flicker with awe as she takes in the mess hall, then her gaze lands on me and I steel my face to not give anything away.
I’m experiencing that strange, fluttering feeling in my chest when she looks at me again. It’s different than before and a bit painful. Do I miss her? Fuck, I need to stop thinking so much.
I glance away casually, looking for her brother, who callously greeted her in the foyer this morning. My search stops the second I see his sinister green eyes boring holes into mine. His power seethes from his skin like a mist evaporating off a lake, invisible to most, but well-trained soldiers like me can see it. Kallos stiffens next to me and Nekane utters a curse beneath his breath.
“What the fuck is that?” Kallos says in a low, dangerous tone.
“My mate’s brother.”
They both lean over to look at me, but I keep staring at Edgar. The evil inside that young man makes Velis coil uncomfortably inside my spine. I know then that Arthur’s suspicions were right. This is the Shadow we’ve been searching for.
Sully.
A girl with white hair pulls Edgar’s attention away and all the tendrils of hate in the atmosphere dissipate.
“We’ll need to have that one contained quickly.” Nekane leans back in his chair. “Possibly your mate too, if she’s his sister. Sibling Novas are?—”
“Volatile,” I finish for him. Both he and Kallos grunt their agreement. “I’m sure Arthur is already twisting his little strings of memories to keep him in check.”
Arthur makes his way through the tables and sits next to me. Emerai starts his speech but I’m much more interested in all the things I’ve missed during my time away.
Arthur seems to pick up on my heavy stare and looks over at me. His eyes are dull and he looks tired, but there’s a light within him that I haven’t seen since… well, since before they were captured in Fernestia all those years ago.
“Arthur, that boy—” I start, but he lifts his hand calmly.
“I know. Trust me, I know. I held his tainted memories for weeks.” He looks down at his table of Novas, small in number, but the power in the few is far superior to the rest. “He has darkness inside his heart as well as his Shadow.”
I study Arthur’s expression. He’s always been the emotional one out of us all, but his eyes are betraying far too much today. Has Edgar gotten under his skin somehow?
“Is he going to be a problem? I’ll move the blight class to tomorrow morning.” I write down a note to give to Emerai after the banquet. The report on my excursion will have to wait.
Arthur doesn’t answer my question. He only presses his lips into a firm line as he carefully observes the students. “He isn’t talking to Terra. That’s odd,” he says more to himself than to me. He pulls out his journal and jots some notes down. I’ve learned that note-taking is the only way Arthur retains things. Perhaps the Shadow within him devours little pieces of him so he has trouble remembering. I’ve always wondered why he’s so attached to his little notebooks.
I lean back in my chair and glance over to the Nova table again. Terra looks weary and doesn’t talk with anyone besides Raine.
Perhaps some of her emotions are returning to her. I think she’d be better off leaving them muted, but no one listens to me anyway, so I’ll just let things play out. “She’s fine. She turned off her emotions.”
Arthur grins somberly. “I know, and yet she still suffers.”
I don’t have time to delve into how he could possibly know that.
“You need to brief me after this so I’m up to speed with everything,” I mutter and let my eyes trail unwillingly back to Terra.