Chapter 20 Rune #3
“No,” each of my mates said in sync.
Sylver didn’t hesitate either. “Out of the question.”
“It was just a thought,” I protested.
“Rune.” Sylver pinned me with a look. “Dark magic from the Veil doesn’t play by the rules. It’s not a venom you can metabolize or whatever you do to toxins. It’s a corruption that rewrites your DNA.”
“Exactly,” Katie added. “You are not letting that stuff anywhere near your soul.”
I sighed dramatically. “Fine. No consuming dark magic. You’re all no fun.”
Pandora could consume it. Granted, she puked it back up and killed it, but still.
“Field assessment,” Eleanor cut in gently, redirecting. “Witch neutralized. Dark residue purged. Subject debriefed. I’d say containment is successful.”
Ivy nodded. “We can call this a successful mission.”
Zuko cracked his neck. “Do I not get to torment anyone?”
“Not today,” Dimitri answered.
“Rune,” Jarvins said in my ear, with a hint of warning. “I saw that look when you were talking about dark magic as poison. After this sim, you and I are having a conversation.”
I blew out a breath. “Yes, Professor Jarvins.”
The clearing shimmered around the edges as the trees blurred, and the ground dissolved into light.
The witch, the relic, even the splintered tree fragments all pixeled apart as the simulator turned off.
We stood in the simulation chamber. I pushed my hair out of my face and glanced at my squad for this class and found that I liked it.
Ivy looked exhilarated. Solon was still staring at my leg like he was trying to figure out how I’d kicked the tree.
Sylver stood with a smile. Katie was already writing more notes.
Eleanor was smiling softly as she wrung her hands together.
Slater grinned at me. Zuko met my gaze. Koa looked relieved that the mission was over.
Dimitri watched me with a soft, steady gaze that made my heart skip a beat.
“Squad One,” Jarvins said. “Nicely done. Your containment was clean, and your purge of dark magic was efficient. No collateral damage. No overspill of the dark magic or infections to anyone else.” He chewed on his twig, eyeing us.
“Enforcers, you responded fast. Sylver, your relic work was solid. Koa, you handled the subject’s backlash well.
Dimitri, good use of compulsion. Zuko, next time maybe don’t mention wanting to torment someone.
Eleanor, your emotional framing kept the subject from panicking sooner.
And Rune, impressive reflexes. But,” he said pointedly, “you will not try to consume dark magic like it’s a fun new flavor of poison. ”
Everyone looked at me.
I crossed my arms. “I said what if. It was hypothetical.”
“Hypothetically,” Jarvins continued, “you would end up hollowed out and lose your soul. Dark magic from the Veil isn’t a joke. It’s a disease. Stay away from it.”
“Yes, Professor,” I said. “For real this time.”
Katie nodded vigorously. “We will physically restrain you if necessary.”
“I’d physically restrain my venom baby any day,” Slater flirted, but the worry in the bond told me he was anything but carefree.
Dimitri elbowed him.
“Pandora relies on that relic to contain dark magic when she can’t be present to purge it,” Jarvins told me. “She’s survived things most of us can’t imagine. Leave the dark magic to her, okay?”
My irritation melted at Pandora’s name. Respect flared instead.
I nodded. “Got it. No dark magic snacks. I swear to the Fates.”
Magic rippled over me, and I knew the Fates themselves had just bound me to that promise.
Relief swept through my bonds as they felt it, too.
Jarvins clapped his hands. “Overall: you passed. Cooperatively. Which is rare for a first run with a new squad.”
Ivy fist-pumped.
Solon nudged her with his elbow, grinning.
“Dismissed for now,” Jarvins told us. “You’ll receive written evaluations and a short reflection assignment. Two pages. Each perspective matters.”
Groans escaped all of us but Katie, who looked excited.
We started to disperse, but Jarvins called out, “Rune. Stay a minute.”
The squad trickled out, talking softly as they went.
My mates touched me as they left, promising to wait for me outside the simulator.
Then it was just me and Jarvins.
“You did well,” he said simply.
“Is this where you yell at me?” I asked with what I hoped was an innocent expression.
“Do you want me to?”
“Not particularly.”
He snorted. “Then, no. This is where I remind you of something very important.”
“Which is?”
“Rune,” Jarvins sighed, “you’re uniquely suited to poisons, venoms, and potions. You are literally built to walk into hazardous situations and walk back out with ease. Not surprising considering your parents.”
“Compliment accepted.” I raised a quick brow.
“But not everything that looks like poison is yours to play with,” he continued. “Dark magic is Veil-sourced. It’s anti-Fates. It doesn’t just make you sick. It eats the soul and corrupts it. It makes you want it while it’s killing everything you are.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “I really do understand.”
“I know you do,” he said, eyes sharpening. “But I also know you. Your dad already told me that curiosity is your worst and best trait. So, I’ll say it plainly. If you ever feel the thought of dark magic tugging at you? You tell someone. Drecken. Sabine. Your other mates. Me.”
I forced a wobbly smile at how much he seemed to care. “I promise I will. I won’t seek it out or do anything stupid. I promised the Fates. They just held me to it.”
Jarvins studied my face for another beat, like he was double-checking my sincerity. “Good. I lost a close friend to the dark magic plague a few years ago. I don’t intend to lose anyone else. Now get out of here. Your overprotective mates are pacing outside the door.”
“They’re not overprotective,” I protested weakly.
He lifted a brow. “Really?”
“Okay, they are,” I conceded. “But I like them that way.”
I gave him a respectful nod of my head and headed for the doors. They hissed open, letting me step out, and sure enough, four of my mates were waiting for me.
Dimitri leaned against the simulator wall, his red eyes tracking me the second I walked out. “It was about the dark magic, wasn’t it?”
Zuko sat on the ground, spinning a knife between his fingers. “Of course it was.”
“You know how venom baby is.” Slater was sprawled on the ground next to Zuko.
Koa stood in front with his arms crossed. “We clearly weren’t the only ones who noticed her interest in it.”
Dimitri pushed off the wall first. His hand slid around the back of my neck. “You freaked us out.”
“Which part?” I asked. “The kicking the tree or the hypothetical dark magic theorizing I did?”
“Both,” Koa said simply.
I huffed a small laugh and kissed Dimitri’s lips before pulling away. “I just promised Jarvins not to mess with dark magic. I meant it.”
“We know,” Koa assured us. “The Fates sealed that promise you made. We felt it in the bond.”
“You were incredible, though,” Zuko muttered. “That tree never stood a chance.”
“Yeah. I support deforestation when it’s hot,” Slater added.
“Deforestation is bad.” I frowned.
His eyes widened. “I would never support deforestation.”
“But you just said—”
“I support you, venom baby.” He winked.
A teasing smile played at my lips. “I know, Havoc baby.”
Dimitri’s gaze seared into me. “Next time, let me pull you clear of the tree.”
“Next time, trust that I can handle it,” I countered.
He huffed, lips twitching, but he didn’t argue.
I had to admit that I was enjoying the classes in term two much more already since I had more of my mates with me during class.