28. Lucy
Lucy
One Hundred And Fifty-Two Days To Go
T he high of discovering the rune is celestial dampens as nothing else surfaces and the weeks blur into months. The academic year drains faster than I’d like to admit. Not least because Midnight’s clock has become my own.
My deal with her to help me break my contract won’t supersede hers with my father—his came first. So no matter what, if he reaps her, we’re both screwed.
There haven’t been any more Societas breaches on campus since Malifax ended himself.
And the Veil tears have slowed too, though not ceased.
Father concluded Malifax had been causing a good portion of them, at least the ones where they appeared to have been cut rather than bulged and frayed naturally.
Father added more security guards to protect the students—and me—but the way they loiter both around campus and House Inferos has further added to the tension on site. It seems to leak from the walls like sweat.
Students hurry and skitter across campus rather than meandering and indulging in academic chat.
It has also made studying with Midnight difficult. Security doesn’t give a toss why you’re out late. They want you indoors in safety, and they’re happy to tell Chancellor Arcadius about anyone who disagrees.
“Good afternoon, Professor Corvine,” Thalia’s chirpy voice says as I stroll towards House Inferos.
Aurelia is with her. My eyes narrow as I study the pair, they’re awfully friendly. Midnight won’t like that, and I can’t say I’m a fan. Aurelia seems to sense she isn’t wanted and makes her excuses and heads inside House Inferos.
I give Thalia a hug. “For how dire things are on campus, that is a very perky attitude.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I feel like things are going my way at the moment. Got a few projects in the works I’m rather excited about.”
“Well, I’m glad someone is.” I smile and glance at House Inferos wondering if her mood is anything to do with Aurelia.
“You seem less perky,” she says.
I weigh up telling her. She’s my closest friend here, a mentor and someone who propelled my academic career. But things are odd at the moment. While there haven’t been any further break-ins, it does call into question who you can trust.
“Where do you sit with the Societas?” I ask, amazed that the words slip out.
She bristles, her eyebrows shooting up.
“Is that really what you’re asking?” she says, pulling me into a section of tree cover between House Inferos and the Restricted Records building.
“I’m aware that we shouldn’t really discuss it, given the campus has taken the stance of no on the resurrection. But intellectually, I wondered where you sit.”
She pinches her mouth and then nods. “I am ambivalent, truth be told. I think very few things that are black and white. The resurrection included.”
It’s a non-answer, but I suppose I didn’t expect anything else. As staff, we’re not really allowed to have public opinions. I guess I expected her to be honest with me.
“Have a lovely afternoon,” I say and give her a weak smile.
“Fine. Wait,” she says.
I halt.
“I’m sixty-forty.”
“Against?”
She doesn’t answer. I turn to face her. “Sixty-forty for ?” I raise an eyebrow at her as she nods, a hint of pink crawling up her throat.
“I suspect that it may unlock new magics for us. I certainly feel like it would for me. I think our hierarchy, both demonically and within the institution, is far too male. Is Architecti a chaos agent? Yes, but she’s also female.
Call me a misandrist if you will, but I rather think a female leader might do some good for once. ”
This was more like the answer I was looking for. I dig in my bag and pull out the ragged paper Midnight drew the symbol from my neck on. It’s frayed and crinkled where I’ve kept it on my person, shoved in pockets and bags ever since. I hand it to her.
“What’s this?” she says, turning it this way and that.
“A contract rune.”
“Well, I gathered that, but it doesn’t look like any I’ve read before.”
“No, nor me. I was headed to the Restricted Records building as there are some texts I want to compare it to. So far, I’ve been unable to match the linguistic shapes to any necro language we’re aware of, let alone translate it.”
“Where did you get it?”
I take a deep breath. Once I tell her this, there’s no going back. “It was on my body.”
Her eyes widen; she scans the symbol again. “Your contract…” she whispers. “My gods, Lucy. Tell me you’ve translated it.”
I shake my head. “It’s incomplete. I thought I’d be able to translate it with what I had, but it seems I’ve failed.”
“Then make it appear again. Isn’t this everything you’ve ever wanted?”
“It is. But getting the symbols to appear is complicated.”
And by complicated, I mean lethal to my tenure and Midnight’s Demonic Favour if we were caught.
In the evenings, I help Midnight consolidate the classes she took in the day. I’ve been trying to moderate how hard we work, but she keeps pushing until she has a nosebleed or passes out.
The level of determination is admirable, if a little extreme.
But the real issue is that every time we train, it’s excruciating for both of us.
I have to position her body, help shape her hands.
We’re constantly in each other’s personal space, our lips and mouths millimetres from each other.
Her scent, vetiver and grapefruit, is intoxicating.
It worms into my nose and makes my body ache to touch her.
Each night, I have to fling myself away, only to suffer by watching her curl shadowy fingers of magic around her toned arms. That’s without her thighs bulging in her jeans.
I’m not sure if it’s from all the work she does on her motorbike or the combat training she does for the reaping job, but what I do know is that I’ve worn a callus lump inside my cheek from biting it.
Thalia glances from me to the rune and then her expression glimmers. “By complicated you mean… it appeared after you?—”
“Yes. Thank you, we don’t need to go into the details.”
She chuckles. “You’re such a prude sometimes. I’ve heard of people eliciting other emotions to get the runes to appear, but quite often, a jolly good fucking does the trick nicely.”
“Demon’s sake, Thalia. Do you have to be so crass?”
She shrugs, laughter making her lips twitch. “It’s only sex.”
“ Anywaaay , it’s only ever happened with one partner and it’s not really… well, that’s complicated too.”
“Is it, though? Don’t you want answers?”
“I really do.” I want to break the hold Ignatius has on me more than anything.
She squeezes my arm, encouraging me to go for it. But I push her off.
“They’re mortal…”
That makes her stand tall. “Okay, that is more complicated.”
“Exactly.”
The sun dips low in the sky, though its attempts at showering the campus in warmth are limp at best. Winter is almost upon us.
The buildings, usually covered in lush, green, creeping ivy are scant.
While the ivy remains, it’s sparser than in high summer.
This deep into autumn, the campus buildings are covered in gnarled twigs and branches amongst the dark green leaves.
Thalia scratches at her scalp and draws my attention back to her. “Is there any chance of you falling in love with them?”
I shake my head. “It’s very unlikely. They are… younger than me. Our lives aren’t exactly on the same path.”
But something about the way the words come out seems… wrong? I’m not lying. At least, I don’t think I am.
“If that’s truly the case, and you’re not in danger of falling for them, then your magic is safe. Invite Complicated over for dinner and ask them very nicely to get on their knees for you.”
I give her a gentle slap on the arm, and she chuckles. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I like to think of it as chaotically cheeky. But I’ll go with incorrigible.”
“Thank you,” I say.
She winks. “Sometimes a little chaos is worth the results. Just stay safe and be discreet.”
As she walks off, I have to wonder whether she knows exactly who Complicated is.