Chapter 12
Friend or Foe, I Don’t Know
ANNA
Islammed the door and paced like a caged lion. What the fuck was that? My hands wouldn’t stop trembling.
Malakai.
Had he drugged me? I hadn’t drank anything. Was it something I’d inhaled?
Had he done anything at all, or was it me?
I stopped, forcing myself to take a deep breath. I’d truly wanted him to; I still did. I didn’t know him. I knew nothing about him. This place wasn’t short on attractive men, but that wasn’t within reason.
A sharp rap at the door made me jump.
I snapped it open.
Isabella jerked.
“Hey,” she said. “How was your session?”
“Fine,” I snapped, turning away, but leaving the door open.
“Okay,” she drawled, giving me a perplexed look. “I had mine with Caelan today. He’s amazing. I already feel like I’m learning. He said he’d be at the party tonight!”
My brain blanked.
“Party?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Everyone’s going. Caelan introduced me to one of the other Aurkai, too. Her name’s Saryna. She’s so cool! I can’t wait to introduce you to her.”
I’d only been half-listening, but the last part of what she’d said caught my attention.
“Wait,” I said. “The Aurkai are going to be there?”
“Yeah,” she said, “At least some of them. I don’t know about all of them. I hope so. I can’t wait to see the others. I want to make a good impression on them. They’re the key to getting to Adept. So come on, please come with me! Let’s get ready!”
She was right. The Aurkai were the key. And if they were there, then I needed to be there.
“Alright,” I said. “Where is it?”
“Some place called The Catacombs,” she said, her face skeptical as she flicked her hand out. “Whatever that means.”
I stared after her.
The Catacombs?
This was going to be interesting.
The spiral staircase was narrow, the stone steps worn smooth by centuries of tread. The flicker of sconces along the curved walls cast long shadows, guiding us deeper underground.
“You’re sure this is where it’s at?” Isabella called ahead.
“Yes,” Riya said, laughing. “Relax, I promise there are no bodies.”
“Anymore,” I whispered to Isabella.
She was wide-eyed and I sniggered. Ever since I’d explained to her what catacombs were, she wasn’t nearly as peppy.
The air grew colder as we descended. At the end of the stairway, a short, narrow landing opened into a vast chamber, unlike anything I’d imagined.
My breath caught.
The room was enormous, its ceilings arching high above, supported by thick stone pillars.
Black plush sofas formed intimate clusters around low tables.
Deep red pillows were strewn across the seating areas.
Students lounged about, some on the sofas and some leaned against the walls, chatting with their friends.
A blazing fireplace was the only source of warmth in the room.
Despite the chill from the depth, and the fact that it was called The Catacombs, there was an elegance to this place I found intriguing—the mix of shadow and light, a timeless presence woven through the cracks in the stone.
I ran my fingers along the wall as I moved further into the room, feeling the faint indentations where ancient iron bars had once been anchored.
Dungeon cells. The realization made my skin crawl.
These walls had held prisoners once, and now they cradled laughter, flirtation, and the low hum of conversation.
A group of students sat nearby, their heads tilted close together as they murmured between bursts of laughter.
One was leaning against the arm of a sofa, a smirk curling his lips as he toyed with a silver ring on his finger.
Another couple, seated near a table draped in a crimson cloth, was locked in an intense exchange.
Small clusters of students were in various alcoves of the chamber.
Crumbling stone pillars of a collapsed wall set a haunting mood and made it easy to disappear in the middle of a crowded space.
I caught snippets of conversation as I passed: debates about old Valyrian texts, whispered rumors about professors, and boasts about some daring feat accomplished in the training hall.
“You’re new.”
Startled, I turned to find a tall girl with long, straight blonde hair and curious eyes. She wore confidence like armor, her lips quirked in a knowing smile.
“I—yeah,” I admitted, brushing my hand nervously against my sleeve. “First time here.”
“Figured.” She pushed off the pillar and gestured toward the nearest group of students. “Don’t let the old dungeon vibes freak you out. The main chambers are tame. Try to stick to the well-lit rooms, though. You never know what you will stumble upon if you go in much deeper.”
“That’s what she said.”
I turned and found Eli smirking and quirked a brow. Isabella giggled and smiled when she saw the tall blonde.
“Saryna!”
She smiled at Isabella and gave her a brief hug.
“This is my friend, Anna. She’s the Initiate I was telling you about that won the tournament last week,” Isabella said.
Her eyes flickered to me with new interest. “Right. The one Caelan insisted on training himself.”
Her expression never changed, but her gaze was intense. I looked away first.
She reminded me a lot of my mom—the blue eyes that seemed to peer into your soul, the thick, long blonde hair.
But those traits weren’t that uncommon.
“How do you like Nightfall so far?” she asked.
I nodded awkwardly. “It’s different. I had no idea what to expect. It’s certainly been a journey.”
She smiled politely. “I imagine the tasks are shocking for most. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “Do you know why Caelan wanted to train me? I didn’t realize he’d chosen to do so.”
Saryna’s expression twinkled with curiosity for a moment, but Isabella grabbed her arm.
“Saryna,” Isabella squealed. “Look, Isaac is here!”
She pulled Saryna away, and I gave her a brief smile and subtle wave goodbye.
Every one of the Aurkai I’d met had been odd.
All in their own ways, too. They were like abstract works of art that could be interpreted in any number of ways, but you’d never guess the artist's original intention.
It was all bizarre. Why were they so strange?
And whenever I asked them where they were from, no one gave me a straight answer.
Roslyn, Blake, Melanie, Caelan, Malakai, and Saryna.
All of them were manicured, well-dressed, extremely confident, and yet had dissimilar accents, styles, personalities, and preferences for social exposure.
Yet they were all descendants of the original families that created Nightfall.
Malakai had made a disparaging comment about Caelan—did that mean their families were at odds?
As if summoned by my thoughts, Malakai strolled past without noticing me, coming from the deeper dungeon corridor. My body stiffened, the intoxicating delirium of his kiss still fresh in my mind.
“Finally,” he said from the other side of a still partially formed stone wall with several pieces having been busted out.
I watched from the shadows, my gaze following his.
It was Blake.
“You know I never come early to these things,” Blake muttered, a smirk on his lips.
Malakai clasped hands with him and leaned in for a brief hug.
“If I can get you to come at all, you mean,” Malakai said. “Sometimes I question if I am your best friend or if it is that piano of yours.”
Blake laughed with a handsome, wry smile and looked away sheepishly.
“I am here,” he said. “And only for you, my friend.”
My chest sank.
They were friends? The image of the raven flashed across my mind. I’d seen it on Blake’s clothing. It was like the symbol I’d seen in The Raven Room. They knew each other from Raven Falls.
Others were crowding around them, but one woman in particular stood out—Melanie.
She touched Blake’s arm with one hand, then his cheek with the other, pulling his mouth to hers for a kiss she clearly intended to be deeper than it was.
Blake turned away from her with fury all over him.
He moved away, putting space between himself and Melanie, but she followed him.
She grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but her expression was pleading. He didn’t look at her for several moments before sighing and returning with her to one of the corridors that led to deeper dungeon rooms.
I glanced at Malakai and found him watching me, a smug look on his face. I quickly looked away, but he was coming over. Panicking, I glanced around for anyone I knew. Seeing Caelan, I moved quickly to his side and grabbed his arm.
“Hey!” I said in an awkward, jovial tone.
He glanced down at me with one eyebrow raised. “Anna?”
I smiled intently for a moment, trying to think of a reason for invading his personal space.
“I didn’t expect to see you at a party like this,” I said, finally.
I still saw Malakai in my peripheral vision. He was watching me but after a coy look of amusement, he moved on.
“Are you drunk, Anna?” Caelan asked incredulously.
I let go of him after confirming Malakai was out of sight.
“Oh, no, sorry,” I said. “Just, uh, trying to avoid this guy.”
Caelan looked behind us. “Who?”
“It’s no big deal,” I said. “Sorry for barging in.”
He grinned. “You are a strange one. At least have a drink with me.”
I glanced over his shoulder and noticed Saryna across the room. She was still with Isabella and Isaac, but our eyes met briefly.
“Sure,” I said.
Caelan and I sat down, but he kept glancing over in Saryna, Isabella, and Isaac’s direction. Isaac was holding his violin like a baby, chatting vivaciously as he showed it to them.
“I hear Isaac’s quite the musician,” I said.
“Yes,” Caelan said. “I hope he will play.”
“There are a lot of talented people here,” I said. “Especially the Aurkai.”
Caelan glanced at me curiously. “What makes you say that?”
“I had my private lesson with Malakai yesterday,” I said, watching Isabella laugh as Isacc leaned in close to her while he played.
Caelan’s interest piqued. “How did that go?”