Chapter 14
Holy shit.
We make it back to the basement without being spotted, and I collapse onto my bed with the almost catatonic little girl. Max immediately strips and gets into the shower. The stink of gasoline has to go.
“Call Willow,” I say softly to Alexis. “This poor baby might be better off having another girl around.” I hadn’t missed how she’d shied away from Max and Alexis, burrowing herself into my school sweater.
“OK, if you think that’s best, pulu.”
“I do.”
From outside my bedroom, I hear Max singing (loudly and off-key) Just Like Fire by P!nk.
The girl’s body is rigid with tension.
“It’s OK, sweetie, no one will hurt you here. We won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.” As I talk, Lumina dances around in my veins, eager to help.
Alright, Amirene. Let’s see what we can do for this sweet child.
I wrap my arms a little tighter around her.
She feels like she’s made of birds' bones—so light that a strong breeze could carry her back into the sky.
—Don’t fly away today, little bird. We’ve got you—
Closing my eyes, I reach inward, connecting with the energy inside me. My magic isn’t so erratic today; it flows like honey, warm and thick. I let it seep through my skin, a gentle, golden radiance that I hope feels like a sun-warmed blanket.
"See?" I whisper, letting a few lilac and golden sparks drift between my fingers like fireflies. "It’s just light. Just a bit of magic to keep the dark away."
The girl’s eyes track the sparks.
For the first time, her pupils aren't completely blown out with terror. She reaches out a finger, hovering just an inch from the glow. When she realizes it doesn't burn, her shoulders drop another fraction of an inch.
“Can you tell me your name?” I ask, brushing a matted strand of hair from her forehead. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t, but I’d like to introduce myself properly. I’m Theo. And my bestie Willow is coming to hang out too.”
The little girl shudders.
“No, no. She’s nice. You'll like her. I’ve never met anyone who makes better hot chocolate.”
Suddenly, my head thumps with a fuzzy, static-heavy message. It’s Cosmo.
—Theo. I’m in. Ludo escaped from his cell—
I stiffen, trying not to let the girl feel my anxiety. —So find him! Gods, Cosmo. Find my janitor—
—Simmer down, Wilso....whole base is… frenzy…dragon thinks…kid safe?—
The little girl is staring at me, her head tilted, as if she can sense the silent conversation humming in the air. It’s frustrating how broken up his thoughts are, but I get the gist.
—She is—
His inner voice begins to break further. Whatever wards they have are interfering with our current connection.
—...safe…basemen...nderstood?—
"Not really understood at all," I mutter aloud.
The girl flinches, and I immediately go back to my soothing tone, projecting peace as hard as I can.
Outside my bedroom, I hear footsteps then a shriek.
“Argh! Larsen. Put it the fuck away!”
“I’m just like fire, baby…”
“Gross.”
There is a tap on my door. "Theo?" Willow's voice is gentle and full of care. "I'm here."
"Come in, Wills."
The door creaks open, and she slips inside.
She doesn't rush over, doesn't even look the girl directly in the eye—Willow understands she’s like a hunted animal, and eye contact is a threat.
"Who do we have here?" she asks softly, leaning against the wall.
The girl’s grip on my sweater loosens just a fraction and she raises her head to watch, as my bestie sinks onto the floor a few feet away from the bed, making herself smaller, lower.
“This is our new friend,” I whisper. “She hasn’t quite shared her name yet, but I know that she’d love one of your hot chocolates.” —Probably without the rum—
—Well, duh—
Willow takes out her phone and sends a quick text. “Duncan will bring some down and leave it outside the room for us.” She smiles at the child. “It’s going to be alright, honey.” Her voice catches for a split second. —Gods, Theo. The poor little thing—
—I know. How do we help her?—
I see Willow frown, then smile slightly. She reaches into her pocket and withdraws a tiny wooden bird. “You know, when I was little, I used to get scared a lot,” she says, “so my grandpa made me this. It’s a kingfisher. He said it would protect me.”
The little girl stares at the carving.
Willow places it on the edge of the blanket. “If you like, you could have it now. I think my grandpa would like that.”
There’s a pause, then slowly, the girl uncurls one hand from my sweater and reaches for it.
Her fingers are trembling.
"There you go," Willow breathes. She looks up at me, and I see the glint of unshed tears. With a determined nod of the head, my dear friend goes on to tell the girl a story about a kingfisher helping a little girl find her courage.
Our guest seems to listen intently until there’s a noise outside the room, followed by a gentle knock. Duncan’s voice tells us drinks are outside.
“Now, sweetie, how about some cocoa?” When Willow opens the door, I get a glimpse of Alexis.
—Can we talk?— he asks me.
I hesitate, not wanting to abandon the kid, but my instinct tells me Wills is going to be way better at this than I am. “Can you sit with her for a bit?" I ask.
She places the mugs on my desk, then crouches next to me and the child. The girl doesn't flinch this time. In fact, she leans slightly towards my friend.
“No problem. We are going to get along just fine."
I gently slide out from under the girl, transferring her weight to Wills. “I'll be back, but you’ll be safe with Willow. She’s the best.”
Then I step out into the outer basement and fall into Alexis’s arms. “How is she?" he asks, keeping his voice low.
I shrug and whisper a reply. “Impossible to tell. Cosmo was trying to tell me something else, but his thoughts were too fuzzy. Should I go closer to the compound?”
“No, I think…” His words are cut off by an alert signal coming from his back pocket. A second later, my school tablet also starts blaring.
Alexis curses as he pulls out his phone. “All school safety alert. There’s to be another head count, plus a randomized dorm search.” He looks up, eyes weary and worried. “I guess they’re trying to find the fire bomb culprits.”
“Shit.”
Maximus hurriedly shrugs on a sweatshirt. “What shall I do?”
“Run. Get back to the tower right now,” his cousin replies.
“But…” Max meets my eyes. “I can’t abandon you all.”
“You have to go, Max. I need you to be safe. Make sure Donovan and Wes are OK, too. Please?”
He blinks, looking like he wants to argue, then sighs. “Fuck. Alright then.”
“Thank you.”
As Max shoots up the stairs at full speed, I gently open the bedroom door again and explain about the development to Willow.
“So we’ll have to go assemble in the foyer,” I tell her.
Willow immediately wriggles the little girl around to face her. “Honey, we have a challenge coming up, and you know what my grandpa always said? Never back down from a challenge.”
I join her to explain to the child. “Me and Wills have to go and line up to be counted, so you’ll have to stay down here alone, just for a little while.”
The pitiful whimper the girl makes, breaks my heart.
Alexis steps into the room. “We’ll have to hide her,” he adds in an undertone. “This dorm search isn’t going to just be about petrol bombs, I imagine it’s about finding the missing child.”
He’s right, of course.
“The tunnel entrance,” I say, getting up and heading to the back of the room. When I move the sheet of corrugated metal, the tunnel entrance is revealed.
Dark and cold.
“Yes, that will do. Get the kid, bring blankets,” Alexis tells me. “I’ll cast light and warmth to last for a couple of hours.”
Willow looks heartbroken as we place the child into the tunnel. “You won’t be here long,” she says, stroking the girl’s hair. “Try and sleep. And don’t forget your kingfisher. He’s there to keep you safe.”
The sirens on our tablets sound again.
“Headcount starting in two minutes. We’ve got to move.” Alexis drags the iron sheet back into place. The child’s wide eyes meet mine for a second, then go blank as she retreats back into herself.
Willow’s lip trembles. “I’ll stay with her, she shouldn’t be alone.”
“No, Bloomhower,” Alexis sighs. “If you’re missing from the count, then they’ll definitely search Defectivum. This is the only way.”
“Gods, alright.” She gulps. “We’ll be back as soon as we can,” she calls through the metal sheet. “I promise. I promise. I promise.”
???
Alexis, Willow and I sprint up the basement stairs.
Students are milling around looking worried and confused. Alexis races out of the door as Bilderblast starts shouting out that we need to line up.
“Get your IDs ready, kids, and don’t give them any lip. This can all be done peacefully and swiftly. Hopefully…”
Whatever he was going to say next is drowned out by the front door crashing open.
We scramble into our positions. My hands are shaking so hard I have to shove them into my pockets.
These aren't the school guards.
These are the Conclave’s ‘Peacekeepers’. Storm-trooper types dressed in matte-black tactical gear and carrying long batons that crackle at the end.
“Eyes front! Silence!” the lead soldier barks, his voice distorted slightly by the full face helmet he wears.
The head count is brutal and fast. A soldier walks down the line, shoving a biometric scanner into our faces. One by one, our IDs beep green. I hold my breath as he reaches me.
Beep.
He moves to Willow.
Beep.
"Count is verified," the lead soldier calls out. "Initiate search."
Willow and I meet eyes.
—This shit is insane—
Soldiers fan out, moving with a synchronized efficiency. I watch, paralyzed, as they race up the stairs towards the dormitories, but relax a little as none of them glance at my basement door.
From our position in the foyer, we can hear splintering wood and shattering glass.
Bilderblast moves forward, “Hey, now. That’s enough.”
The soldier shoves him back with the butt of his weapon. All the remedial students gasp. “This search is by the command of the High Magus,” he barks. “Any interference will result in immediate detainment.”
His radio crackles, and the hallway falls silent as we all listen to the message.
“Floor two, clear.”
“Floor three, clear.”
“Top floor, clear.”
“Get back to the ground floor, search offices and the basements.”
Oh, shit.