Chapter 10 – — A History of the Fissures, Vol. II #2
I laugh, “What are you doing here if things like this gross you out?”
“I want to heal people, not dissect crawlers and twisted creatures.” She shudders. “Those are the exact things I want to stay away from.”
I slide off the bench and stretch my legs. “Come on, you don’t have to touch it. Let’s get a closer look. Besides, it’s not a twisted creature. He said it’s a herald. They only have a bad reputation because they look scary.”
She sighs but gets up with me.
Most of the class has formed a line down one of the aisles, only a few people going up at a time to speak with the professor and peer inside the creature’s open cavity. The air near the front smells worse, thick with something organic and faintly sweet, like decay masked by preserving chemicals.
“The Mirror Ceremony is supposed to be after dinner tonight,” the angel with silver threaded through her braids says to the guy standing next to her. “I hope it doesn’t get pushed back again.”
“Yes, I can’t wait to meet my eidolon,” Lux chimes in, and they both turn to look at us.
“Er, sorry to interrupt.” She tucks a strand of pink hair behind her ear. “I’m Lux. This is Maelis.”
I give them a quick wave. I’ve never been big on shaking hands or hugs. I’m not big on any physical touch really.
Unless it’s Jace.
“Zuri.” The angel inclines her head, her gray wings shifting slightly behind her. “Pleasure to meet you both.”
I can’t help focusing on the guy next to her. He’s hot, and I don’t mean in the rugged, sexy way. He’s pretty and pampered looking with tan skin and a neatly shaved face, a strong jaw, and short brown hair styled like he cares about his appearance. No less hot for it though.
“I’m Killian,” he says, smiling, and then his pupils change, narrowing to vertical slits that cut through his emerald-green eyes like cracks in glass.
I swallow.
He’s a demon, gorgeous, and seems like trouble.
“You’re the human, right?” He looks me up and down with open curiosity, like I’m a fascinating specimen he’s never encountered before.
I make an exasperated sound. “Yes, I am.” I’m already tired of that question, and it’s only my first day of classes. “Anyway, can one of you explain to me what an eidolon is?”
Their heads snap toward me.
“You don’t know what an eidolon is?” Lux says it like I’ve admitted I don’t know how to breathe.
I want to roll my eyes, because she knows I don’t know much about anything when it comes to this school. Everything here is new and strange, and no one bothered to give me a handbook.
“You’ve seen some students with animals around campus, right?” Zuri asks, and I nod.
Elizabeth had the bat perched on my bed when we first met. And Draven was with that gigantic black wolf when I first saw him across the creepy garden with statues, though I haven’t seen it since.
“Are they pets?” I ask. “Do we get to pick a pet to keep us company or something?”
Zuri’s eyes widen like I’ve said something blasphemous. “No, eidolons are not pets. They are externalized soul fragments.”
I wait for her to continue because I have no idea what that means, but it’s Lux who speaks up.
“Ashwell’s core takes a piece of your essence and shapes it into symbolic form.
” She says it like she’s reciting something she’s known her whole life.
“They can appear when emotionally triggered or whenever you want them to. They assist you instinctively. It’s like a pet but far more intimate.
It’s bonded to you, tied to your soul, your essence, for life. ”
I’m not sure my mind is grasping it yet. How will the core current in this school extract a piece of my essence and merge it with a creature? What does that even feel like?
Zuri must see the confused look in my eyes. “You can think of your eidolon as a pet if that makes it easier to understand, but it’s a pet that can appear and disappear at will. It will be able to understand you and know you in a way no one else can because you’ll be connected on a deeper level.”
“The type of eidolon you get is supposed to represent your strengths too,” Killian adds. “The school already knows what you’ll excel at, and they give you an eidolon accordingly.”
Those slit pupils catch the low light as he turns his head. “But you don’t have current. You’ve probably never used current in your life, and an eidolon has never been given to a human before, so...maybe you’ll be the first bone year death tonight.”
I refrain from jabbing him with my elbow. Barely.
“Real reassuring,” I grit out. “I can’t wait.”
He smiles, showing off his perfect teeth. “Don’t worry, little human.” He leans in slightly, close enough that I catch the faint scent of something smoky. “I’m sure it will only hurt a lot.”
“Killian,” Zuri warns, but she’s laughing too.
“What?” He straightens, all false innocence. “I’m being supportive.”
“You’re being an ass,” Lux mutters, and I decide I like her even more.
“I guess we’ll find out tonight if humans can even have eidolons,” Zuri says, not unkindly.
Killian opens his mouth, probably to deliver another charming comment about my impending death, but we’ve reached the front of the line, and Nestor waves us forward impatiently.
“Come, come. Don’t be shy. Get your hands in there.”
We gather around the hollowstag’s open chest, and one by one we reach inside. The strings of current hum beneath my fingertips, warm and alive despite the creature being very much dead. It’s strange and unsettling but also fascinating in a way.
While we examine the creature up close, Nestor explains that for the first part of the year we’ll be covering all of the twisted creatures associated with fissures.
“Even though you aren’t training to be Vanguards, the elite war soldiers who fight on the front lines, you will be deployed to fissure sites eventually. You will be put in dangerous situations.”
He nudges my hand, encouraging me to touch an antler.
“And you need to know what you’re up against so you can protect yourselves properly. Without you, no one is getting saved. Dead healers don’t heal. Remember that.”
Lux fidgets next to me, not wanting to touch the creature, and Nestor gives her an incredulous look. “Alright, that’s enough touching for today. Back to your seats. I have reading assignments for you and I expect them to be done by our next class.”
We file back to our benches, and I find myself replaying everything he said. I found his class kind of exciting, minus starting it off thinking I might vomit up my breakfast. I have his class twice a week, and the reading assignments will probably be interesting.
I’m eager to learn more about what he knows about fissures and the twisted creatures.
There’s something about the way he talks about them, equal parts reverence and warning, that makes me want to understand.
I need to read up on the last cycles too.
I don’t even fully understand what we might be up against.
Lux nudges me as we gather our things. “You okay? You got quiet all of a sudden.”
“I’m thinking,” I say, tucking the reading assignment and syllabus into my bag for later.
“About the dead healer comment?” She wrinkles her nose. “Yeah, that one’s going to stick with me too. So what class do you have now?”
We spill out into the corridor with the rest of the students.
“Fracture and Form with Professor Cane and then a lunch break.” I pull the map from my bag and squint at the tiny labels. “After lunch, I have Triage of the Damned with Professor Bale. Then I’m done for the day...until the Mirror Ceremony tonight.”
“Bale?” Lux perks up. “That’s my dad’s class. I have him after lunch too.”
“Nice, so since it’s your dad, he’ll go easy on us right,” I say, laughing as I fold the map back up.
“Yeah, about that.” She gives me a wiry smile, and I frown.
“You’re better off claiming you don’t know me.
He’s not going to go easy on me because I’m his daughter.
If anything, he’ll be harder.” She fiddles with the strap of her bag that crosses her chest. “Something about not wanting to show favoritism and needing to toughen me up.”
“I’m sure it won’t be that bad. At least we can suffer together,” I say, buttoning up my black sweater and pulling my coat tighter around me before I reach the doors to the outside.
“Anyway, I have Endurance of Pain with Professor Clementine right now.” She sighs dramatically. “I’ve heard she makes students cry on the first day on purpose.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Oh, it’ll be a blast.” She gives me a mock salute. “If I don’t see you at lunch, assume the worst.”
She says the last part over her shoulder as she heads down the corridor, her pink hair bouncing with each step. I round the corner and push through the doors leading to the courtyard.
The freezing air hits my chest. I shove my hands into my pockets to keep warm while I try to get my bearings.
Everything looks the same. Stone and ice and spires all covered in a perpetual winter haze.
Somewhere across this frozen campus is Professor Cane’s classroom, and I have about five minutes to find it.
“Wrong direction.”