Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I SAID WHAT I SAID. SADLY
I wake up with perfect vision and happy thoughts.
It might be because I slept ten hours, or because it’s Sunday, my favorite day of the week.
I plan my morning while still snuggling under the covers, though knowing I have detention at nine makes me want to cram as much as I can into my limited time.
Checking in on Orion is high on my list until I read the latest email advising the lockdown has been extended and claimed more residents of Nom House.
I wonder if I should email back to ask if I’m included until I realize that, if I was, I wouldn’t be able to get out and do the things I want today.
It’s an easy decision to leave things as is.
I know Orion is okay. He messaged me last night, and we chatted for a bit until he said he was going back to sleep. I made him promise to reach out if he needed anything before I let him leave our chat, though.
Even though it’s super early and on the chilly side, I hop out of bed and change into my sports gear, deciding a run will be a great start to my day off. It will give me the opportunity to try a shielding exercise I found in one of the tomes last night before I have to face Magikster Ballin.
The fact I haven’t been able to find a single reference to shielding in any Thales reference materials or their online library aligns with what I’ve seen so far—in this world at any sign of weakness, the vultures will swoop in to destroy you.
Perhaps it’s a gross exaggeration, but the lack of compassion I’ve seen and experienced makes me think a lot of the beings here are clueless dumbasses.
Not that I’d say that out loud. Though they wouldn’t listen if I did.
I tie my hair up into a high ponytail before brushing my teeth, then rush through making my bed and putting everything away, so when I get back, I can take a shower, study, and hopefully chill out.
Locking up my room, I lean against the balustrade to do a quick quad stretch. I was still sore from gym where we had to run the obstacle course before going into yesterday’s shenanigans. Now I ache all over. A run is definitely the best thing I can do for my body.
Clear, sunny days followed by cooler nights, so typical of fall are the reason this is my favorite time of year. Given how early it is, I’m the only one outside. The peace of the morning doesn’t mean I get lazy and stop scanning my surroundings, though.
It’s because I don’t trust these beings that I stick to the main path, jogging toward the dining hall.
Keeping my pace steady, I take my time to warm up properly and wait until the aches and pains have dulled before even thinking of going faster.
But the speed is good; it gives me the chance to see the Thales gardens and buildings.
Usually when I’m walking to or from classes, my head is down, and I don’t get the chance to take in the age and beauty of my surroundings.
Everywhere I look oozes history, and wealth.
The gardens are immaculate with trees so tall, you’d be hard-pressed to circle your arms around them.
Each of the gray stone buildings features opulence along with intricacy.
I stop in front of one drawn by the sheer number of carved stone gargoyles sitting along the roofline, until I realize they’re on top of a demon building.
My legs move a little faster without much effort after that discovery.
At the same time as my Thales tour takes place, I also try my hand at visualizing a strong barrier around myself.
The tome said what you build your shield with is as important as the intention of protecting yourself.
The ancient drawings surrounding the text spoke of using something impenetrable, like limestone or basalt, which helps explain the concept and also dates the book.
Of course, knowing I was reading from a tome written maybe a thousand years ago made me spiral in awe for a while, because of its history but also how they wrote things simply clicked.
The suggestion of visualizing giant slabs of limestone as the material for my internal wall was easy to conceptualize.
My parents had photo albums full of ancient temples and walls in Greece.
By the time I’m running past the maintenance area, I’ve made progress on my internal shields, laying half the wall. Once I’ve got the hang of the metaphysical process, each row happens faster and faster.
Then, since it is my visualization, I get creative and make the shield my own.
In between the limestone, I add the glittering gold threads I see when I look inside myself.
I squish them between the cracks, using the fibers like mortar.
I also use the strands of neon purple that linger even now after my run-in with a certain magikal.
The two meld together effortlessly, and strength radiates from them.
I feel like a bit of a badass for figuring this out myself. By the time I’m at the sports fields, my wall surrounds me, letting me focus on my run.
The ovals are empty, and I’m half tempted to take advantage of no one else using them to run some laps, but ultimately exploring more of Thales wins out.
After a drink from the water fountain, I take the path at the back of the fields, running at full speed.
I’ve studied the map of the campus enough to know I’m a safe distance from the angelic, shifter, and vampire side.
The magik’s section is close but not enough to alter my course or change my workout.
At a fork in the path, I decide to explore the right trail. I know what drew me; it’s the ancient spruce and fir trees, the fresh, sharp smell so synonymous with these trees fills my lungs and brings clarity. I used to love trekking through the forest for this reason.
Setting my sights on the biggest tree as my turnaround point, I get close enough to touch it when a twig snaps.
It takes everything in me not to scream or spin around.
I use every bit of self-control to keep moving as I first intended.
I reach out for the tree, then stop, drawing in big breaths, appearing as relaxed as I can.
Movement from the corner of my eye confirms I’m not alone, but also that the threat isn’t only behind me, something I already figured.
Keeping my form as loose as possible, I steady my nerves as I listen and wait to see what happens next.
I already know there are at least two beings hiding out, but I suspect there are more.
I make sure the guy in front knows I’ve seen him, and he smirks as he steps out from the tree he was lurking behind.
The dark gleam in his eye matches the icky sensation he gives off, and the flash of his fangs doesn’t make me feel any better.
From the shadows another being steps out, and he most certainly has no intention of hiding the fact that he’s a vampire. If anything, he watches my face too closely, savoring my reactions. Like his friend, he’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt. They might look casual, but they act the opposite.
I move to keep them both in sight. And my instincts were right—behind me, someone else is creeping closer. That he’s a magikal throws me for a second, as I was expecting another vampire.
I step into the clearing, giving myself room in case I need to run.
The magikal stirs his fingers, and like on the field yesterday, I pick up on wisps of color floating in the air.
Unlike yesterday, when all I saw was vibrant purple, this time it’s a bland mix of colors, which I interpret as a measure of his strength.
He’s low on the spectrum compared to Emrys.
Maybe because I’m comparing him to the other magikal, a part of me is already expecting his next move, even preparing for it.
He stirs his fingers through the air more aggressively, and a ripple of energy follows. Malicious hunger dances in his eyes; he wants whatever he’s doing to hurt.
I feel the moment his spell hits, and for the sake of his ego, I pretend it hurts more than it does.
“What’s going on?” I ask him and his friends.
“We’re seeing if you’re worth it.” He changes his stance, not being subtle about his intentions.
But while he was doing that, I was checking that my shields were firmly in place still.
When he sends off another magikal attack, I school my expression, bracing for the worst, but aside from a slight breeze hitting my face, nothing else happens. His petulance grows at his obvious failure.
He looks at his hands, shaking them out before rubbing them down his face. I take a couple of quiet steps while he’s distracted, but his head snaps up before I can move more than a few paces.
“Is she moving, or is it me?” he asks the others; his earlier mood now replaced by obvious confusion.
His fangy friend grins widely. “They said the white would do that.”
“Really? I don’t remember.”
The three of them talk among themselves, acting like I’m not here and they’re not stalking me.
They laugh a lot, talking over each other as they recount what they can remember about the previous night.
Clearly, there was a party in the woods, and a lot of the other students were there. Everyone except the Noms.
I wait until they’re distracted before trying to leave again, but exactly like when I shifted the first time, my small movement cuts off their chatter. Their expressions, and intentions change in the blink of an eye. The three of them are back to being pack-minded and on the hunt.
No matter how hard I try to stay calm, my body betrays me, and my heart rate picks up. I want to race away, but running would be dangerous. It’s hard to see a way out, but I’m not going down without a fight, and I guess they see my determination because they get even cockier.
“Try again, Garth. I’m not sure I have it in me to chase her.”
The vampire is lying about the last part. I can see in his eyes how much a chase would excite him.