8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
I t feels so utterly surreal, to have my eyes on Alaric’s back after a year of thinking I’ll never get to see him again. I’m barely registering the hallway he’s leading us down, Lorcan walking to my right, Raven whispering stuff to her boyfriend.
Then the initial shock wears off a little and I find myself being able to feel something other than happiness about my friend being alive and well.
It’s then that all the stuff that’s been fighting for my attention starts succeeding in getting through to me as well.
All the graffiti on the walls around me.
The feeling of the place truly being deserted.
The fact that my friend is wearing the enemy’s uniform.
I believe him, when he says there’s a Resistance. If he’s joined them, I also believe it’s Baldur’s fall they’re fighting for.
And I need to join them, that’s for sure and certain, but the whole thing is making me a little hesitant.
These are people I don’t know, with dynamics I’m not familiar with.
It doesn’t surprise me, when Alaric takes us down the gallery stairs and straight for the Main Hall. I’ve read somewhere that it’s the most protected room in the entire castle.
When we step inside, it’s a cozy fire that greets us, casting warm light all over a low wooden table, the six faded yet colorful armchairs around it, and the men sitting in two of them.
I note that they’re both wearing uniforms the kinds of which I’ve never seen before — light gray with lots of pockets, the only adornment being the small flame sewn into the top right pocket.
That’s all they seem to have in common though.
One is a short, lanky, dark-haired shifter in his early twenties and the other a tall, toned, blond fae in his mid-thirties, but that’s not where the differences end.
While the shifter is watching us approach with excitement he seems to be working hard to suppress, the fae is all but throwing daggers at us.
“Raven, Anna, Professor MacArthur,” Alaric addresses us as soon as we slow to a stop in front of the duo. Motioning at the shifter, he says, “this is Finn.”
Fixing his eyes on me, Finn opens his mouth, then promptly shuts it, his face flushing in embarrassment.
“It’s nice to meet you, Finn,” I offer.
He just swallows and looks away.
Hoping for an explanation, I glance at Alaric, only to see him suppress a chuckle, shake his head then motion at the fae. “And this is Dryden.”
It’s with a smile that I turn to lock eyes with him. His ice-blue eyes are just as beautiful as the rest of him — the wavy hair, the straight nose, the delicately shaped lips, but it’s in hostility that they’re narrowing at me.
My eyebrows shoot up.
“Um, well,” Alaric says awkwardly as he turns back to me, “I’ve alerted everyone of your presence here, the rest of the team should be here shortly.”
He takes his seat, signaling to us to grab more chairs from the row lining the wall to our left. We do, Dryden watching me closely.
Choosing to ignore this for the time being, I just squeeze my chair into the circle around the table and take a seat. I wait for Lorcan and Raven to get settled in as well, but as soon as they do, I jump straight to the point. “How are you here, Alaric?”
He takes a deep breath and clears his throat. “Jaeger and I got separated as we ran from the castle. Once I realized you weren’t coming back, I went into hibernation. I took one of Raven’s sticks with me so I’d wake up once you were all back. That was around two weeks ago, so I’ve been coming to the secret entrance to wait for you.”
“And why the hell are you in Baldur’s uniform?” Lorcan demands.
“When I first awoke, I came across Baldur’s troops. They forced me to join them. And now, I’m aspiring to be a sort of double agent for the Resistance.”
To this, Raven turns anxious. Just as she leans in to whisper something in Alaric’s ear, I hear footsteps, I turn around and I see Jaeger and de Groot walk in.
I spring to my feet. De Groot is looking at me with a cold expression on her face, but there’s relief written all over Jaeger’s face. “Jaeger. You can’t even imagine how happy I am to see your grumpy old face.”
She scans me. “You’re well.”
“I am.” And there are so many things I want to ask, that I end up silently nudging her to talk.
The two of them both take their seats so I lower myself back into my armchair as well.
“I couldn’t stick with Sieger,” Jaeger tells me, “but I made my way out of the castle. I found the Resistance, I joined them and so on and so forth.”
Despite her coldness, I turn to de Groot. “And what happened to you ? I feared you never ended up waking from hibernation.”
“I did.”
The impatience makes me want to yell at her, but I collect myself. “And then what?” I insist. “What happened to you, de Groot?”
She lets out a sigh. “I came this close to fulfilling my promise. I became the Pied Piper, you came to work at the Academy, I used the Flute on you…”
I nudge her to keep talking. “Then, just as I was walking to your room that night, to have a chat in private, someone knocked me unconscious and dragged me into a cell. It was only months later that…” I think I catch the briefest glance in Jaeger’s direction. “That I was found and released.”
It’s just at that moment that this fierce-looking woman in her early fifties walks into the room.
“Nuala,” I hear Lorcan whisper.
“It’s Emberlord MacArthur to you,” she says, coldly, as she takes a seat next to Dryden. Lorcan’s shoulders slump.
My eyes widen and I exchange a glance with Alaric and Raven. Is this his daughter?
Nuala turns her attention onto me. “As the leader of the Resistance, Aurora, it’s my honor to welcome you to the Academy. Will you be staying the night?”
The night? Wouldn’t they want me to join them?
To my surprise, Alaric looks as if he’s been expecting this. “Nuala…”
I signal to him that I’ve got this. “Well,” I start, looking her straight in the eye, “what I’d like to do is hear about your operation and lend a helping hand.”
It almost makes me jolt, when Dryden leans forward to speak. “Nothing I’ve heard about you so far, and I’ve heard plenty, makes me believe you’d be of any help to us, Aurora.”
For a moment, I just look at him, confused by the anger in his voice.
I glance between the gathered people, frowning. Then I take a deep breath, lock eyes with Dryden and say, “I guess my reputation precedes me, and rightly so.” I let out a sigh. “Look, I’m not one to shy away from taking responsibility for my actions. I know it’s basically my fault, what’s happening right now. But I’ll do whatever it is in my power to fix it, and I know that, if you only give me a chance, I’ll prove to be an asset.”
“Really?” Nuala drawls. “You’d do anything to help?”
Frowning, I nod. “Yes.”
“Even if it meant joining as a low-level Ember?”
I quirk an eyebrow at her. “Ember?”
I catch de Groot roll her eyes just as Nuala explains, “That’s what we call ourselves. We’re the last Embers in a world turned to ashes.”
My gaze darts to de Groot. It’s only then that I register the fact that she’s wearing her usual black robe and cloak, the only one not in uniform so far. I look at Nuala again. “Poetic, I like it. And yes, I’ll gladly join as the lowest of the low, as long as I can help.”
This seems to surprise both Nuala and Dryden.
“Alright,” she finally says, “I guess I have no objections then.”
“What about Raven and Professor MacArthur?” Alaric demands.
Nuala lets out an annoyed sigh. “You’re officially all members of the Resistance.”
“What do you mean?” Alaric protests. “It’s not official until we have the initiation party.”
“What about orientation?” I cut in. “I’m more interested in one of those.”
I think I see the anger in Dryden’s eyes turn into suspicion. Then he smirks. “We’re holding a meeting first thing tomorrow morning, to prepare for the next mission.”
I hold his gaze and smile. “Great, we’ll be there.”