35. Chapter 34
After stewing on it over the weekend, she agreed that even though Rhea had betrayed Ivy’s trust, she understood why. She might’ve done the same if the roles were reversed, and no matter how she tried to spin it, Rhea did everything she did to protect Briar when Ivy couldn’t.
“And we’ll end our lecture on hallucinogenic flora there for today,” Thorne said to the class.
“As a reminder of coming assignments, there is a ten-page essay due next Monday on a topic of your choice about carnivorous plants. We’ll have a lab on Friday going over hallucinogens—and don’t worry, I’ve plenty of masks for everyone to wear to prevent any side effects.
Next Wednesday will be an exam covering these last two topics. Questions?”
The only noise in the room was the students packing their bags, so Thorne nodded and tidied her desk.
Ivy grabbed her things and put them in her bag, and the corner of her notebook caught on a glass bottle tucked in the corner.
As she pried it out, she saw the mushroom she had fallen on near the lake.
She’d forgotten to ask the professor about it.
“Excuse me, Professor Thorne?” Ivy asked as she approached the desk.
Thorne glanced up with a warm smile. Strands of her wiry salt-and-pepper hair fell out of her bun and into her face. “Yes, dear?”
“I was wondering if you knew what kind of mushroom this was?” She placed the bottle on the desk. “I fell on some of them over by the lake, and I had a strange reaction.”
“Ah, yes,” Thorne said, picking up the bottle and studying it closely.
“This is a little preview of our lab. These are malumorium. A fancy word for evil vision, a tad dramatic if you ask me. However, it can give quite nasty hallucinations. I try to harvest the ones growing near the lake so students don’t stumble on them, but I apparently missed some! ”
“What do you do with them once they’re harvested?” Ivy asked. “I work in Professor Abbott’s lab as an assistant, so I know there’s plenty she gets stocked by you.”
“Malumorium has a few different uses,” Thorne said.
She grabbed a pen and a slip of paper. “There’s this book in the library you can check out if you want more details.
The most common uses I’m aware of here at Arcania are in the medical wing.
The visions it creates are strong enough to rouse people back into consciousness.
In some of the necromancy courses, it apparently helps commune with spirits better.
Not my area of expertise. You’re better to ask Professor Walsh. ”
She took the slip of paper, tucking it into her pocket. There probably wasn’t enough time for optional reading, but she’d keep it in mind. “Thanks, Professor.”
Now that class was over, she had to find Rhea.
She wasn’t sure whether Rhea was in class, but since she was often in the library, Ivy checked there first. She searched through the stacks on each floor until she reached the third to find Rhea hunched over a book at one of the desks near the window.
“Hey,” Ivy said quietly, approaching her.
“Talking to me now?” Rhea said flatly. Her eyes darted to Ivy before returning to her book.
“I’m sorry.” She leaned against the cool stone wall. “I know you were trying to help. If you put yourself in my shoes, how would you react?”
“Probably the same.” Rhea stared blankly away from her book, crossing her arms on top of it as a makeshift bookmark.
The purple under her eyes was darker than before.
How little sleep had she been getting since Briar was taken?
“For what it’s worth…I’m sorry, too. I was only trying to keep her safe until she said the time was right. ”
“And…I suppose I should thank you,” Ivy said, dropping her gaze to the ground. “You were there for her when I wasn’t.”
“Why were you outside anyway? I thought you would be at the party all night,” Rhea said.
A flashback of Halloween night crashed into the front of her mind. In the midst of Briar being taken, she’d forgotten about the woman in the bathroom. Ivy didn’t even know her name. Her stomach churned, and nausea bubbled in her throat.
“Someone else was taken last night.” Ivy exhaled shakily as her eyes flashed back to Rhea.
“At the party. I went to the bathroom, and this woman was in there freaking out. I figured she’d had too much to drink at first. She ran away after I tried to help her, and when I left, I found her shoes leading to the exit. ”
But there was another door that went to…where?
“I’m going to the dean,” Ivy said resolutely. She pushed herself away from the wall, nearly tripping over her own feet from how quickly she moved.
“Wait, what?” Rhea asked as she rushed to keep pace with Ivy.
“People are disappearing on her campus.” She rushed down the flight of steps with Rhea. “She needs to do something, anything more than what she’s doing.”
“And you think she will? Those blueprints were hiding in her office after all,” Rhea whispered.
“It’s worth talking to her. If nothing else, maybe I can catch her in a lie.” Ivy stopped before going to the next flight. “I won’t mention Briar.”
“Fine,” Rhea said. “I have a class, though. Fill me in later?”
She marched across campus to Arcania Hall and into Wren’s office. When she walked through the two propped-open doors to the waiting room, the assistant peeped from around the chunk computer monitor.
“Hi, do you have an appoi—”
Ivy didn’t wait to hear the rest. She didn’t have an appointment, and she wouldn’t make one. She pushed the door to the dean’s office, swinging it open so quickly she barely registered the arguing voices inside. Wren wasn’t alone. They were near the bookcases, the man’s back to the door.
“This can’t keep happ—” Wren said, her voice loud and unshaken.
“It’s all under control,” the man said, his hand firmly on Wren’s shoulder.
“Right. You’re right, of course,” Wren said quietly. She broke contact with the person in front of her and turned toward Ivy. “What are you doing here, Ms. Heartwell? You’re interrupting a private meeting.”
The man glanced over her shoulder, and she faltered.
There was something familiar about him. His dark brown hair was perfectly coiffed, and slate-gray suit was neatly pressed.
It wasn’t until she saw his eyes that the connection clicked.
They were like a lake on a moonless night. Dark. Cold. So unlike his brother’s.
“Sorry,” she blurted. “I…I came here because another student went missing during the party on Halloween.”
Wren pressed her fingers to her temples. “Halloween is the most active night of the entire year. Our security and local police are already investigating. If you have a witness statement to give, talk with them.”
“Now, now, Ophelia,” the man said, a chilling smile stretching across his face. One that didn’t meet his eyes the same way Ezra’s did. “Perhaps I can alleviate some of the anxiety. I can provide some insight since I work closely with the chief.”
“You do?” Ivy asked, her gaze narrowed as he stepped across the room to her.
He held out his hand. “I’m Declan Thaler. You are?”
Ivy stared skeptically at the outstretched hand. Ezra’s words of warning echoed in the back of her mind, but what could he possibly do to her in front of the dean? Still, she didn’t shake it.
A quick breath shot from his mouth when he realized he wouldn’t get what he wanted, and his arm returned to his side. “I noticed a look of recognition when you saw me. My brother, Ezra, is a student here as well. We’re told we could practically be twins.”
“I don’t see the resemblance.” While they shared similar features, such as a strong jawline, the hair—which now that he was closer, it was clear he was holding the curls in place with far too much product.
Beneath the surface, he could’ve been a stranger.
Where Ezra was warm, Declan was cold. Day and night.
“Regardless…” He laughed bitterly, placing his hand on Ivy’s shoulder. “The police believe this to be an elaborate Halloween prank, and she got a little lost in the woods. There’s no need to worry.”
Her mind raced through the events of the night, trying to recount what had happened. but the memory of the woman was already fading. Maybe she was overthinking it. Between Callum and Briar, it was entirely possible she presumed another person was also gone instead of it being a holiday trick.
“A prank?” she asked.
He nodded, his hand giving one last squeeze on her shoulder. “Yes, that’s all it is.” His arm dropped back to his side again, tucking his hand into his pocket. “Now, I’m sure you have class, and I have to finish my discussion with the dean here.”
“Right, of course,” Ivy said, her brows furrowing together. She wasn’t sure how the conversation would go when she barged in here, but she wasn’t expecting it to be so…easy. “Sorry for intruding.”
“Quite alright, Ms. Heartwell,” Declan said, leading her into the waiting area. “Do tell my brother I said hello.” As soon as he escorted her out, the door to the office clicked shut.