22. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“ E veryone calm down,” Nuala yells just as the room starts breaking out in panic.
It snaps me out of my shock, when she orders us to take care of Finn’s body while she leaves the room with Dryden, the both of them looking as focused as I’ve ever seen them.
While we do our best to execute the order as quickly and efficiently as possible, all I can think about is…
How do I prevent everyone here from suffering Finn’s fate?
When we’re done disposing of the body, we get summoned to the war room. Nuala and Dryden are already there, sitting at the table, talking in tense, hushed voices.
We all take our seats, Nuala observing me thoughtfully. What ensues is a moment of loaded silence, Finn’s death looming over all of us.
It makes me realize what I need to do. I first need to learn what it even was, what just happened.
And while it did seem to take everyone else by surprise as well, I still feel the need to ask, “What was that?”
Everyone seems to snap out of it.
Nuala shakes her head, frowning at me. “We’ve never seen anything like it happen before.”
“But they were his shadows, no doubt about it,” Lorcan says.
“There was no chance of him ever resisting them,” Jaeger offers. “Their compulsion was full-proof.”
“And they spread, quickly,” Dryden points out, “until they took the host over completely. Even without the compulsion to commit suicide, they would’ve ended up killing him.” He leans back in his chair, a deep frown on his face. “This, people, is a viral curse, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one more clever or sophisticated.”
“What are you saying?” Alaric asks with a nervous, incredulous laugh. “That this is a lethal, full-proof remote compulsion curse?”
“Yes,” Nuala somberly shakes her head. “And I believe it’s what Baldur’s scientist had been developing. I believe we’ve just witnessed our first instance of the shadow curse.”
Fuck.
*
I force myself to focus on my mission, on saving everyone in this room. “How do we protect ourselves against it?” I ask Nuala.
To my surprise, it’s Raven who answers, “We learn the mechanism.”
Everyone turns to look at her, which makes color rise to her cheeks. “Um, sorry, but back in the early nineteen-hundreds, I had this phase in which I only wanted to read medical books. And, when it comes to curses, the first step is always learning how it’s contracted and how it behaves.”
“Anything we can do in the next twenty four hours?” I ask, leaning forward with bated breath.
She shakes her head apologetically. “I’m afraid not.” Then, as if she suddenly remembers, “Unless there’s someone else here who knows more?”
No one says anything.
Damn it.
I feel Nuala’s eyes on me even before I turn my gaze onto her. I raise my eyebrows in a silent question.
“How does he know we have you?” she asks in a low, tense voice.
“Can you really be sure this is Cain’s doing?”
“He’s outside,” Dryden replies somberly, “along with an entire army.”
That’s what the two of them were doing — checking the premises for the source of the threat.
Some part of me does register everyone squirm at those words.
But I’m frowning at what Dryden just told me. “He’s broken through the wards?” I demand breathlessly. “Why isn’t the Academy disappearing? How do we make it?”
Nuala shakes her head. “I believe I already told you that particular magic only activates if the Academy is on the verge of being destroyed. This also means we’re not the ones in control of it.”
Damn it.
“What else do you have in the form of protection?” Lorcan demands.
“Nothing that could be used in this case,” Nuala replies, but she immediately turns her focus back onto me. “How does he know we have you?”
I move to shake my head, when an image flashes through my mind. An image of my tattoos glowing while my hand is reaching for Dryden’s. Fuck. “I… I thought he was nowhere near here,” I start apologetically, “and besides, I didn’t know he’d be able to detect my magic even if he was.”
Nuala’s eyes widen. “You used your Aurora magic from within the Academy walls?”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me not to?”
“You didn’t brief her properly?” Lorcan asks, all incredulous and a little condescending.
“No, we’ve never had the need to add special clauses for an Aurora,” Nuala snaps at him a little. “But that’s beside the point now. We need to figure out what to do, fast .”
“No, you don’t,” I force myself to say. I don’t exactly like it, but it’s the only way for me to save them all. I get up. “I think it’s become quite obvious we only have one solution.”
I start walking out of the room.
“You’re not surrendering,” Nuala calls out after me.
I turn to face her. It’s the only way for me to save them all. “Finn just died a horrible death,” I reply, “all because I blew my cover earlier tonight.”
She looks at me as if I’m being thick. “Do you know how many of them have died so far?”
I just observe her for a second. I could argue with her, or I could reassure her. I choose the latter. “You do understand what all this means?” I ask as I wave a hand around. “The fact that he’s asking me to surrender instead of taking me by force? He wants me alive. I’ll give him what he wants and find a way to turn things around. That way, no one else needs to die.”
This makes Nuala angry. “No. If we don’t have you , we’re back to square one.”
Everyone seems to agree with her.
Not without hesitation, I return to my seat and go back to trying to come up with some solution. “If we can’t defeat the army and if you won’t let me surrender…”
I put my feet up and look around the table, seeing everyone stare at me intently. My lips curl into a smile. “Tell me everything you know about Cain.”
*
Several of them exchange glances. “We already did,” Dryden finally says.
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter how small a detail it is.”
“No, Anna. The man can’t be seen anywhere except the battleground, and those who have seen him, say he can’t be killed, seduced, made to talk… It’s no joke when we say no one knows anything about him.”
I squint at him. “Oh but you know plenty, don’t you?”
I see confused faces all around me.
I lean back in my chair. “You’ve told me yourself. He’s ruthless but efficient, that’s how you described him. He’s the kind of man who’s always in control, wouldn’t you say?”
Most of them nod without so much as a second of hesitation.
I think for a moment.
I can’t only be considering the next twenty four hours. I need to capitalize on the situation as much as possible.
Luckily, there’s a plan forming in my head. “Alright. I’m not asking anyone to come with me, but I’m going to Nasgard.”
There’s a shocked murmur.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Nuala demands.
“Well, right now I have two objectives. Number one, get out of here. Number two, find out what Phinelis was talking about. This plan takes care of both.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Jaeger tells me through gritted teeth.
“ And there’s the minor detail you forgot about,” Nuala adds. “ Cain . Your plan is just to ignore him? You do realize that’s no better than surrendering to him?” she protests.
I raise my eyebrows at her. “ Ignore him?” I shake my head. “No, the plan is to piss him off.”
“Piss him off?” Lorcan echoes with a scoff. “Look, Anna, you are the Aurora, but you obviously don’t have a mind for strategy. Now, what I’m about to propose is a much smarter solution.”
“I’m with you,” Nuala suddenly says.
And just like that, everyone else is.