38. Elsie
Elsie
Three long days had passed since Lukas had returned home from helping with the extraction. Calvin and Lukas had finished the extraction and had completely separated Aster and Arnold’s blood. It was a feat I was sure was more impressive than I could understand.
So now, Calvin was working on the tracing potion.
For three days. Despite Lukas’s willingness to help, it was a potion that had to be done alone.
Lukas had explained to me over the phone this morning that if he and Calvin were both in the room, their combined blood resonance would be too much.
So, Lukas gladly stepped out to come home.
It was a potion that could take a significant length of time to make if Calvin were even successful. We did not know the time frame, but I prayed Calvin could do it.
It was time for me to get some more of my things from my house to stay the weekend at Lukas’s, and I’d essentially moved in. I needed to bring more than just a few things each time, but I hadn’t fully committed to that yet.
When we arrived at my house, we went to my room to pack.
“Put this in your bag,” Lukas suggested, drawing my attention from my closet.
He was holding a red lingerie bodysuit, a devilish smirk on his face.
I moved over to him with the clothes I'd pulled from my closet, throwing them onto my bed.
When I reached for the garment, Lukas grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him, his lips easily finding mine.
It took no time for our kiss to heat, and Lukas pushed me toward my bed.
Giggling, I rolled away from him, leaving him panting on the bed. “I’m going to go downstairs and grab a few books.” I pointed to the lingerie still in his hand. “Put it in my bag.”
Then, I flitted away with a wink.
I traipsed down the stairs and pushed through the door of the library, my mind still lingering on the kiss with Lukas. We had enjoyed the last three days of alone time together after weeks of being so busy. And I was sure we would continue to enjoy it this weekend.
But that didn’t mean I didn’t need some books to read.
My mind was so preoccupied that it took me more than a moment to realize there was a figure sitting on the sofa next to the coffee table.
I froze.
Frederick Arnold sat in my library, flipping through a withered text. His eyes didn’t even lift, but I knew he was aware of my presence. His shoulders were stiff as his eyes continued to move over the words.
“Your father once told me about how great your personal collection was. I needed to come see for myself.”
Heart racing, I opened my mouth to scream for Lukas. Before I could make a sound, Arnold reached up with his wand and shot a spell at me, and I was too slow to dodge. My vocal cords stilled. No sound would come from my mouth, no matter how hard I tried.
“You know, I’m rather impressed with all the banned books you have here.
They could come in handy.” Arnold stood from his seat, tossing the fragile book down on the coffee table.
It was so not the time for me to be worried about one of my books, but I couldn’t help but wince as he abused the old thing.
I needed to run.
Carefully, I took a step back, readying myself to bolt.
“Don’t move, Ms. Clarke.” Arnold’s voice was low, surely too low for Lukas to hear. His eyes were on me like a predator watching its prey.
Still, I moved my foot again. Before I could spring into action, Arnold rushed forward and grabbed my arm, yanking me away from the door. His grip was like iron, and though I struggled against it, I was caught.
“You know, I told Aster to destroy all of those lab books. If she had followed my order, perhaps you wouldn’t be in this situation. But because she kept them, the Bristol boy discovered my handwriting. The two of you even discovered it in the staff library. Nearly had me caught then.”
I flinched in surprise, which earned a nasty smirk.
“Both of you are too stupid to realize that we keep cameras in the staff library. Of course, I saw you both realize it was the handwriting in the lab notebooks.”
I shook my head, trying to think of a way to get out of this. I didn’t have my wand, nor my voice. Physically, there was nothing I could do to overpower Arnold.
“You know, I used to be highly respected at Forrestbriar. The council knew I could rule the academy with authority. But they recently decided I was no longer fit for the job. They wanted to replace me. Me. All because there wasn’t enough growth in their numbers.
It seemed other academies had performed better, brought in more donors and students.
Had higher job placement percentages. So they thought they would remove me. ”
I struggled against his grip, not needing to hear his villain backstory. I just wanted to get away. But my fighting seemed to anger him, and he threw me against a couch. I tried to get up, but he shoved me down again. “Stay or I’ll do worse.”
Frozen in fear, I had no choice but to watch him as he paced around the table, leaning to pick up the book he’d thrown down.
“The love potion attacks were a means for me to become the savior of Forrestbriar. Aster would be the villain, sworn by my blood oath never to reveal my affiliation. She would harm the school, and I would save it by revealing her as the mastermind. I let it go on for too long, allowing my greed to wish for a greater disaster, so that when I swooped in and saved the school, I would save it from something much bigger. Your friends Noah and Henri revealed Aster before I could. Their saving the school still convinced the council that I was fit to stay in my position.”
I tried to speak again, knowing that I couldn’t. But my lips mouthed how much of a foul, bottom-feeding coward he was. If Arnold noticed what I said, he didn’t let on.
“Now that everyone knows it was me, I must find a way out. There was once a legendary magician who changed his entire appearance, even his DNA, to evade the authorities. I plan to do the same. I’m sure you have the right book on that, don’t you?”
I just looked at him, trying not to give him any signal. Of course, I knew the magician he was speaking of, and I had the book that talked about what he did, though not in enough detail that a fool like Arnold could replicate it.
“It’s unfortunate that you were in the middle of this, but there’s no changing it now. You’ll show me the book.” His jaw tightened. “Where is it?”
I shook my head, shrinking into the couch.
“Listen carefully. You will give me every book you have that could help me. Or I will make your death long and slow. Might even take you with me to draw it out.”
The option wasn’t life or death. It seemed to be death or worse death.
I was trembling, so I shoved my hands together and clenched them.
“Get up, and show me, and I’ll make your death easy.
” Arnold yanked me from the couch, his hand on my bicep as he shoved me towards the shelves.
Tears were now falling from my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them.
Reality was setting into my bones that I wouldn’t be getting out of this alive.
I moved carefully to a shelf, hoping that I might throw a book at him to distract him. Anything to get away.
Before I could reach for a book, the sound of the door opening halted my steps. Arnold squeezed my arm and yanked me to turn around, putting my body in front of his. I would have screamed if I could, seeing Lukas standing at the door, his eyes wide in shock and fear.
The next second, Lukas had his wand out, but Arnold was pressing his wand against my neck.
“Put the wand down, boy. One wrong move and she’s dead.”