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“‘Our squad.’ Whoever wrote this was Elias’s friend,” Raine says as he narrows his eyes at the note. He has a point; the way the writer speaks of Elias is knowing. “How many of the Fernestians look like they’ve been here as long as Elias?”
I nod. Only the professors, really. The Darkfly soldiers are far beneath the Bleeding Suns and I haven’t seen Elias so much as acknowledge them in passing. “Yeah, you’re right. So we’ll start with them. We shouldn’t keep our sights too narrow, but if we notice anyone who's been here for six years, they are worth looking into.”
Raine grins and somehow this castle filled with dread and malice feels less burdensome.
“Hey, Raine.”
“Yeah?”
“Once we get rid of your blight, we should try to escape this place, all of us. I think we could do it—I can talk Elias into it too. He acts tough and brutish, but I don’t think he really wants to be.”
Raine hands the note back to me and firms his lips into a thin line. “Don’t get your hopes up for either of those things. I don’t see a fate in which I survive—and Elias will never turn against Fernestia. His hands are too red.”
There’s truth in that. How does one turn back when they’ve already done so much damage? There’s nothing left to salvage. The debts are far too great.
We put the books back and head out of the library.
I consider how we’re going to check the professors’ handwriting. They each have studies like Elias’s, I’m sure, so we can sneak into them and compare when I find an opening. Arthur is the only one I think I can just ask. I’m not sure how I feel about the others and where their loyalties lie. Nekane is going to be the hardest one, and I can’t even think about Kallos right now without feeling his chest and erection.
I close my eyes and think about who to start with as Raine and I eat quietly in the mess hall. The other House tables are filled, chatter roaring into the arched ceilings, but the Nova table is empty for the most part. Edgar and his friends are nowhere to be seen, besides Tamaris and Alani. Ash sits close to them, making me wonder if they’ve gotten over their quarrels. Ash has been keeping to himself these past few days. He’s prickly and guarded, spending most of his time alone in his room or whisked away for portals. He is one of Fernestia’s main assets, that’s for sure. The Portal Nova.
Tamaris nudges Alani. “Your Shadow is worthless for riding.”
Alani slumps her shoulders and nods reluctantly. “Yeah. Of course I get stuck with the stupid Shadow.” She drops her fork and crosses her arms. Her hair is pulled up into a high ponytail with a pink bow at the band.
I tilt my head with amusement and ask, “Dare I ask what the form is?”
She glowers and shakes her head. Tamaris spits it out for her. “It’s a fucking salamander.”
Raine chokes on his drink and Ash cracks a grin. Alani looks mortified and pulls Tamaris’s long, black hair. Her head jerks to the side and the two instantly start bickering. Ash, Raine, and I laugh at the exchange. I know her riding form is important and can affect her performance in the second semester, but at least she can summon it. That was one of the requirements to avoid being sent to the frontlines, wasn’t it? Small win.
The doors to the mess hall swing open as a group of new students enter. These must be more from Barkovah—they’ve been coming in waves through the portals. I wonder why. Perhaps it takes a toll on Ash and he can only process a certain amount of people at a time.
Raine looks at the new students as well, his eyes cold and uncaring. “I don’t recognize any of them.”
Ash leans on his arm, palm pressed to his chin. “They’ve been moving people from Cyprin as well, so I’m not surprised you don’t recognize them.”
“You can tell where they’re coming from?” I ask.
He nods and looks without interest at the frightened students as they filter through the room. “My Shadow scans anybody that passes through.”
I give him a sympathetic frown. “Isn’t that tiring?”
Ash’s eyes flick over to me like he doesn’t believe my compassion. “Yeah, it is,” he says coldly.
The dense silence draws over our table as Tamaris and Alani take their arguing elsewhere.
I let my eyes trail up to the professors’ table at the head of the room. I think of the note we found as I look at each instructor. Raine can check Moss and Flick. I will check Kallos, Nekane, and Arthur’s studies. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for the opportunities to arise, but I might be able to recruit help.
I glance at the Cosmos table and quickly find Finn and Kai. They’re talking with their books strewn out in front of them, preparing to train after dinner. I think the easiest way to get into Kallos’s study would be having them distract him. Kai seems good at that kind of thing and Finn is so eager to be on good terms again I think he’ll do anything I ask of him.
Perfect. I’ll ask them tonight.
The courtyard stretches alongside the entirety of the lake. At the other end lies a smaller building that looks more like a structure I’d find in Barkovah. It’s single-story and bunker-like. Now that I think about it, it’s not on our maps.
I let my curiosity fade as Raine and I approach Finn and Kai.
Side by side, they raise their right hands into the air and continuously try conjuring their Shadows. Finn’s brows are pulled tightly together, irritated that he can’t seem to summon his.
