Chapter 3
T he assembly room was designed for graduations and special events. But tonight, the stage at the back of the room was taken up by a row of seats, each occupied by a goyle that I didn’t recognize.
No, wait, there were six goyles and a human. The human representative, no doubt.
More seats had been set in a row, backs against the base of the steps, taken up by more goyles, one of which was my sire.
Lionel Basque fixed his attention on me, assessing, probably checking to ensure I didn’t fall apart.
He’d been there for me after, and even though it didn’t make up for the years of radio silence, it mattered.
“No one will touch you, Cameron. You’re a Basque, and I won’t allow it.” He hadn’t held me. Hadn’t comforted me with physical touch, but his words had shown his support.
And he was here now. To speak for me if needed, and that mattered.
A side door opened, and Prasan’s mother entered, followed by two cloaked alchemists.
“What are they doing here?” Touron whispered.
“Lie detectors, no doubt,” Shar said.
“They’ll probably be scanning our thoughts during this whole thing,” Curi said.
I had nothing to hide. Not any longer.
Prasan’s mother took a seat at the base of the stage while the alchemists flanked it, their faces hidden inside their hoods, hands clasped so that they were hidden by the bell sleeves of their cloaks.
The door opened again, and Levi slipped into the room. He stayed in the shadows, looking up at the stage. Of course, Ulrickson would be up there somewhere. Which one was he?
The one in the middle with the stunning sapphire eyes like Levi?
Yes, he had the same straight nose too, but that was where the similarities ended.
Where Levi’s mouth was full and generous, this goyle’s mouth was a thin slash of a line.
Where Levi’s eyes held warmth and compassion, this goyle’s gaze was cold and calculating.
He was a Halle. Serath’s uncle. But I saw nothing of my mate in him.
He spoke, his mouth barely moving with the words. “You have been called to give oral testimony on the events of…” He looked down the stage toward the drapes that covered the side exits, where a small man was huddled over a notepad.
The man looked up, a startled expression on his face, pushed his spectacles up his nose, and recited the date of the cadet exam. A date etched into my memory but obviously not important enough for Ulrickson to remember.
Ulrickson nodded curtly at the man before continuing.
“We have studied your written accounts of the evening in question and spoken to the goyles who witnessed or were part of the awful events, and we’re confident that we have a good understanding of what transpired; however, memory is a complicated beast, and there may be details buried in your subconscious minds.
We will wish to view those.” View? What did he mean?
“We’d also like to discuss the graynite behavior witnessed. ”
Another goyle sat forward. “You say that there were five graynites to begin with. That they attacked you with the goal of eliminating Miss Basque. This makes sense as she is our only viable Basque at present. Eliminating her would give the graynites an advantage. But your statements also assert that several more graynites joined the fray toward the end of the battle and attacked the first troop of graynites?” He swept his gaze over us. “Is that correct?”
We all nodded and mumbled yes.
“This is unusual behavior for graynites,” the goyle said. “Our history of conflict with them shows that their strength lies in their unity.”
“Maybe there are fractures in their camp,” another one of the council members said.
“Yes, Iram. It wouldn’t explain why they would want to save our cadets.”
“Who says they were saving them?” Iram asked. “Maybe the second troop was simply taking the opportunity to eliminate the first. The cadets could merely have been a distraction.”
I’d been thinking about this over the past few days, and it didn’t make sense.
Ignus saving me didn’t make sense. He’d tried to kidnap me once; if anything, I’d have thought he would have been on the side of the graynites trying to kill me…
unless…Unless he wanted me alive and was working with the second troop to take me, but then why hadn’t he taken me? It had been the perfect opportunity.
“Miss Basque? Are you listening?” Iram asked.
Shit. “Sorry?”
The goyle pursed his lips, clearly irritated with my lack of attention. “You say that this Ignus creature saved your life?”
“Yes.”
“The same creature who attempted to kidnap you a few weeks ago?”
“That’s correct.”
“And why would he spare you? Why not take you with him?”
“Do I look like a mind reader?” Had I said that out loud? The stunned silence in the room said that yes, yes, I fucking had.
“No, Miss Basque, I do not think that you’re a mind reader.” His tone was clipped. “But I think it’s time we employed the mind readers we do have to do our fact finding. Who knows…you may learn something.”
Two more alchemists entered, each carrying a large glass ball. They came to stand in the center of the room, putting them between us and the council. I met Lionel’s gaze and saw my confusion echoed on his face. He was just as out of the loop as I was.
“What’s going on?” Curi said under his breath.
“No clue,” Sharniza replied.
The other two alchemists took a step forward, and the air crackled with strange energy.
Gooseflesh pricked my skin. Sharniza sucked in a sharp breath, and Curi groaned softly, but before I could look at either of them, the center of the room was filled with images.
Cadets running in battle against…graynites.
Oh…oh god, this was that night. A projection of that fucking night.
I spotted myself running one moment, evading the next, and then from a different angle, held captive by Prasan.
My pulse raced, blood galloping through my veins, rushing to my head and filling it with a buzz of a thousand bees as Serath came into view with his back to me.
The angle of viewing changed, sweeping round so we could see his profile, but beyond that, I’d been saved by Ignus, his form a shadowy figure at my back for barely a moment.
I remembered what happened next…I knew what happened next, and I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to relive this.
My head was suddenly tight, as if someone was pressing on it, gripping it. Squeezing.
I cried out and clutched my head.
“Basque is resisting,” a male voice said.
“Miss Basque, you will allow the alchemists to do their job.”
I didn’t want to see this. I didn’t want to watch him die again, but what if there was something in my memory that could help? What if I’d subconsciously picked up on something that could be vital?
“Miss Basque!” Ulrickson snapped.
I exhaled and relaxed, allowing the alchemist into my mind. But the pressure remained, a resistance that I wasn’t in control of.
“Miss Basque, you will stop this at once!” Iram ordered.
But I wasn’t doing anything.
The projection stuttered and froze on the image of Serath’s profile, and a fist squeezed my heart. The vise around my head tightened as the alchemist tried to get in.
My vision blurred, and the pressure on my mind increased.
“What are you doing?” Lionel asked. “Two alchemists? You’ll hurt her.”
“We must know what she’s hiding,” Iram insisted.
A fiery blade lanced through my head, and I cried out, knees buckling. They were crushing me. Crushing my head, and the pain was so intense that I couldn’t draw breath to cry out.
“Stop it!”
“Let her go!”
“Oh god, she’s bleeding.”
“NO!”
The pain cut out, leaving me clearheaded, on my knees, palms kissing cool wood.
A droplet of blood hit the floor. My blood.
I wiped at my nose with the back of my hand, leaving a crimson smear across my skin.
Across the room, Derek’s large menacing form loomed over the two unconscious alchemists who’d tried to crack open my brain.
“Cameron…” Sharniza gently grabbed my arm. “You okay?”
I allowed her and Curi to help me up as the room broke into a cacophony of exclamations.
“What is it?”
“Surround it!”
“Extinguish it.”
Like hell. I broke free of my friends and rushed forward to place myself between Derek and the alchemists, my back to my buddy’s chest. “Don’t you dare touch him.”
The council was on its feet, wary and…fearful.
I wasn’t ashamed of the stab of satisfaction that gave me. These fuckers needed to know they weren’t all-powerful. That we gave them power with our compliance.
Lionel pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped away from the stage so that he could look up at the council.
“This is my fault,” he said. “I neglected to mention that Cameron has a unique shield. This is Derek.” He aimed a closed-lipped smile over my head. “Say hello, Derek.”
“He’s not a puppet.” I turned away from them, dismissing them in favor of my friend. “It’s all right, buddy. I’m fine.” He continued to stare at the council, his body vibrating with rage. I placed a hand on his chest. “I’m okay. Honestly.”
He exhaled and slowly dropped his gaze to my face. “Are you sure, my Cameron?”
I forced a smile. “Positive.”
A muscle feathered along his jaw as he looked back at the stage. “If you try and hurt my Cameron, I will hurt you.” His diamond eyes narrowed, chest rumbling in a low-grade growl. “Do. Not. Touch.” He misted into shadow and melted away.
Nandini rushed over to the alchemists and crouched to take each one’s pulse. “Their pulses are strong.”
“That thing can’t be permitted,” another council member said. “It’s dangerous.”
“No more dangerous than any goyle’s shield.” Yarrow strode into view. I hadn’t seen him come into the room. “Derek is a part of Cameron. He is her shield made sentient.”
“How is this possible?” Ulrickson asked.
“We don’t know, but there is much we don’t know about halfbloods.”
“It hardly matters,” Lionel said. “Cameron felt threatened, and her shield protected her. It’s a natural response.”