Chapter 19
Power comes in many forms and can be converted or subverted using the appropriate mechanisms.
NOTATION ON NIGHTSbrIDGE ACADEMY SCHEMATICS
I woke up the next morning to a growling stomach and no idea how I’d gotten to bed…fully clothed.
I lay under the duvet for long seconds. Gray morning light filtering in from between my drapes, slowly lighting up the room.
Images trickled up to fill the gaps in my memory—Darla examining my hand and telling me it was fractured, not broken, much to everyone’s surprise.
Benedict saying something about having strong bones.
Darla tutting and smearing healing ointment over the swelling before wrapping it firmly.
And then… Then she’d insisted I take a tincture for the pain, watching as I drained the vial before telling me that it would make me sleepy.
Everything was a little fuzzy after that.
I guess when she said that the tincture would make me sleepy, she’d actually meant it would knock me out.
The insistent throb in my hand told me that whatever pain relief I’d been given had worn off, and if I could feel it, I’d be in agony. I’d have to be careful and try not to injure it any further.
There was a gentle rap on my door before it opened a crack and Clary popped her head in. Her bangs were pushed back by a headband today, giving her a fresh-faced, youthful look. “Good, you’re awake. Pip delivered breakfast.”
My stomach growled again. “Thank fuck, I’m ravenous.”
I shoved off the duvet and padded into the sitting room after her, breathing in the delicious aroma of coffee and bacon. Benedict and Dori knelt around the coffee table, busy lifting metal domes off plates of toast and bowls of bacon and scrambled eggs. They looked up as I joined them.
“Ah, sleeping beauty awakens.” Benedict handed me a cup of coffee, and I took a spot on the floor opposite him.
“I’m assuming I passed out?” I took a sip of my beverage, sweet and strong, just the way I preferred it.
“You keeled over like a log,” Dori said. “We thought you were dead.”
“You should have seen Darla’s face,” Benedict chuckled. “Thought she was about to have a coronary.”
Clary elbowed him. “That’s not funny.”
He sobered quickly, shaking his head. “So not funny.”
I set my cup on the coffee table. “What happened to me?”
“Adverse reaction to the tincture, it seems,” Clary said.
“Like an allergic reaction, at least that’s what Darla thinks.
Although it’s never happened before. She checked in on you several times until she was satisfied that your pulse and heart rate were normal, and that you weren’t going to suddenly stop breathing. ”
“Vitra was pissed,” Dori said, eyes going round. “You should have heard him telling Darla off. It was kinda terrifying, and poor Darla looked as if she were going to cry.”
That hardly seemed fair to Darla. “It’s not her fault. How was she to know how I’d react?”
“Right?” Dori agreed. “That’s what we said. But he refused to leave until Darla assured him your vitals were steady.”
He’d come back to check on me and stayed, huh? Did it matter that much to him if I lived or died? Or maybe there was a penalty if I died on his watch. “Good to see that he’s taking his mentoring role seriously.”
Clary buttered a slice of toast and took a huge bite, and my stomach reminded me once again that I’d missed lunch and supper yesterday.
I grabbed a plate and began loading it up with toast, bacon, and eggs. “Why can’t we eat here all the time instead of trekking to the Main Building?”
“I dunno,” Benedict answered around a mouthful of food. “Rules are that meals are to be taken in the Main Building unless we’re sick or the weather is too bad to make the trip.”
“I’m assuming breakfast has been provided because I fall under the sick category?”
“Must be so,” Dori said. “This wonderful spread was here when we woke a little while ago.”
Benedict raised a slice of toast and winked a kohl-rimmed eye. “Thanks for that.”
We ate in silence for several minutes, and I lost myself in the simple pleasure of a cooked meal. The bacon was crispy, the toast thick and delicious when lathered with butter, and the scrambled eggs were fluffy and flavorsome.
The gnawing in my stomach ebbed.
“So, what are you going to do today?” Clary asked me. “You have a free day, don’t you?”
My unexpectedly long sleep had stolen my chance to plan. I shrugged. “No idea.”
“How about you come to class with us?” Clary clapped her hands together as if it were the most exciting idea ever.
I stared at her, deadpan. “How about no.”
Benedict snorted into his coffee cup.
Clary’s face fell, and I immediately felt like a bitch. She was trying to be nice after all. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I must still be under the effects of the tincture.”
“Nice save,” Benedict muttered.
I ignored him and continued. “I don’t want to come to classes, but I will come to the Main Building with you guys. I could do with exploring to get my bearings.”
“And tonight, we can take you to Coral Isle!” Benedict said. “You can get a look at the arena before your date with Tamina.” He arched a brow, a slight smirk on his lips.
Was he hoping that I’d see a few fights and get put off? “Sounds lovely.”
Dori drained her cup. “We’ve got to leave in fifteen. Can you be ready, Ana?”
I looked down at my rumpled uniform. I did have another to alternate, but I’d rather get this one washed and pressed before I risked the spare set. With the shitty luck I’d been having since getting here, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was targeted again and ended up bloody, muddy, or both.
“I don’t have to wear a uniform on my day off, do I?”
“Nope,” Clary said. “You can pop the clothes you want washed down the laundry chute in the hall. I’ll show you.”
We gathered up the plates, popping them onto the trays they’d been delivered on, ready for the SDA to collect, before dispersing to our bedrooms to get ready.
I quickly washed, then changed into wide-legged trousers and a thick tunic top with a wide belt. My wool coat went nicely with the outfit, and my ankle boots finished off the ensemble.
I grabbed my bag, tipped out the books, and replaced them with my cryptozoology journal and sketch pencils.
Maybe I’d find a quiet nook to draw in. Goodness knows I had plenty of updates to add.
Critters had evolved after The Overshadowing, and the Horrors and Echoes had entered Nova Terra because of the event, so maybe there were commonalities between the two.
My stomach fizzed with excitement, but I quickly tempered my enthusiasm. I wasn’t here to further my knowledge on cryptozoology, I was here to find the Libra Veritas. Nothing could come between me and my goal.
I could still sketch, though.
* * *
We ran a little late because I insisted on dropping in on Darla, just to let her know I was fine and that I didn’t blame her for what had happened. The relief on her sweet face made the few minutes we spent on the detour worth it.
Outside, the sky was heavy with gray clouds, and the air was misty and wet where it touched my skin. A sharp, cold wind cut through my wool coat, eager to chill me. It was a relief to get into the Main Building.
“Meet for lunch?” Clary asked as we hurried past the vaulted windows and toward the stairs to the first floor.
“Sounds good.” We parted in the corridor above and they rushed to make their lessons on time, while I slowed to an amble, stepping to one side to let several students pass.
It wasn’t long before the passages were silent, and I was the only one walking them.
I stopped at the arched windows to look out at the tumultuous ocean and beyond to Coral Isle.
It would be an interesting evening, followed by a weekend where I could get to know my tower mates a little better, and maybe do a little more sleuthing about campus.
But for now, I needed to make a mental map of the Main Building as best I could.
I didn’t want to rely on other students to get me from A to B.
It would be hard to snoop if I needed someone to accompany me everywhere.
I left the window and headed back down the corridor, taking turns at random and making mental notes of landmarks—various landscapes that filled the space between classrooms, or the intricate tapestries hanging between sconces.
My explorations took me past the common room and into an area I recognized.
The dining room doors were shut, a notice pinned to the wood stating that the room was out of order.
Looked like we’d be lunching back at Bramble.
I dove deeper into the building, away from any windows and natural light.
The passages were lit solely by the anemic glow of wall sconces and seemed a little narrower, but there was something familiar about this area.
I’d been here before, coming from a different direction.
I realized why a moment later when I spotted a vaulted arch leading to an intersection.
One corridor was brightly lit, the other was shrouded in shadow.
I’d definitely been this way, but Dori and Clary had led me away because it was restricted.
Restricted, what a deliciously dirty word. I glanced quickly around to make sure I was alone, then ventured into the shadows.
The walls here were gray stone, and the wooden floor looked scuffed and old. A dark wooden door, set in a vaulted arch, sat at the end of the passage. The wood looked solid—thick and heavy. There were intricate patterns carved into it, but not enough light to make them out clearly.
The desire to know what lay beyond was an insistent tugging in my chest. A quick peek couldn’t hurt, could it?
There was no door handle, so I pressed my palm to the wood and pushed. It didn’t budge, which made sense. Restricted usually meant locked, but there was no denying the flare of disappointment in my chest.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
I spun away from the door, hand going to my chest as a stocky figure barged toward me. “You. Come ‘ere.”