Whatever the hell normal was, anyway.
Charlie went to put his fingers on the keys again, but I grabbed his wrists when I heard the doors of the chapel open behind us. I wasn’t sure who it was, but I had a gut feeling whoever was coming in wasn’t up to any good. I’d been working on my intuition lately, and I wasn’t about to doubt it now.
“Get down,” I hissed. I dragged Charlie to the floor, and we scampered past the balcony and behind a wall. Oberi scrambled behind us, ducking into cover just as the door slammed shut.
On the floor below, I could hear several footsteps. I dared to peek around the banister. A lump rose in my throat as I caught sight of the Warden marching into the chapel, Professor Cusak trailing nervously behind.
“What do you mean the girl’s mother is investigating? I told you to get rid of her!” the Warden hissed.
Cusak’s voice trembled as he replied, “She’s been difficult to exterminate. A strong succubus like her isn’t easy to destroy.”
“I don’t care what methods you employ, just do it,” the Warden demanded. “We can’t have this going public!”
“But my lord, the other parents are already asking questions—”
“Then get rid of them as well,” the Warden replied coolly. “You have a variety of resources at your disposal to make them seem like accidents. We can’t have these families discovering the truth. It’ll be a catastrophe for the Institute.”
I shivered. Oberi’s breath across my cheek was hot as she listened closely to what the Warden had to say.
“They’ll want answers,” Cusak whimpered. “If they learn of the Infernal Underground and our plans—”
My eyes widened. The Infernal Underground? What was that?
A slapping noise echoed throughout the chapel, and I realized with horror the Warden hadhitProfessor Cusak. “I’ve told you never to whisper that name,” the Warden seethed. “It’s forbidden.”
“I’m sorry, my lord,” Professor Cusak replied. “It’s only— the inmates in Cellblock 9—”
“We’ve all but exhausted our resources there. We know there isn’t a demigod in Cellblock 9. We’ve already tried to find one,” the Warden replied. “Those degenerates are useless. What we’re looking for is within the student body.”
“Why not take the ones you’ve already suspected?” Cusak asked meekly. “The Mitoh girl, perhaps, or the people she associates herself with?”
I nearly choked when he said my name. Charlie slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from crying out.
“Do you think it is thateasy?” the Warden thundered. “Ava-Marie Mitoh, though a chosen one and extremely promising, is the daughter of a chieftain, who will certainly raise war if she goes missing. Her little friends are no different. The fae girl is the daughter of a king, and the warlock boy comes from one of the most powerful families in the Miriamic Coven. Use your head, Cusak. We cannot ignite a war before we are prepared to fight it. We’ll take the Mitoh girl once we’ve perfected the spell, and not before.”
Spell? What spell was he talking about? This was getting worse by the second.
“What about the blind one? We could try him,” Cusak offered. “He has no family, no one who will speak out.”
There was a long silence, and I knew the Warden was greedily considering the idea. I trembled with fear as I thought of Charlie being taken. Charlie sank down against the wall, nearly to the floor.
Then the Warden spoke. “I already have Jaymin Vengier investigating. We make our move at the proper time.”
Cusak gave a tiny mew of fear, and the Warden said, “You’ve disappointed me, Cusak. You need to be punished.”
I heard a gargling sound, then an array of terrifying screams. The cries of agony grew in intensity, nearly shaking the walls.
Oh my ancestors! He wastorturingProfessor Cusak!
Charlie grabbed me and dragged me close, like he thought he could protect me from whatever was going on down there. I felt Charlie’s heartbeat quicken as Cusak’s screams rose throughout the chapel. Involuntarily, I buried my head in Charlie’s sweater, trying to block out the noise.
Athumpsoundedas Cusak’s body fell to the floor, and the Warden sneered, “You don’t want to disappoint me again. You are all too easily replaced, and I have no trouble disposing of you in order to find someone who can do the job. You have until the end of the year to correct this, Cusak. Otherwise, you force my hand.”
The Warden walked out, his sharp shoes slapping against the hard floor. A few moments afterward, we heard Cusak give a couple of sobs. I dared to peek out again, and saw that Cusak had used a couple of the pews to drag himself to his feet. He shuffled warily out of the chapel, head bowed and looking meek.
Charlie and I didn’t dare to speak until both of them were long gone. He was still holding on to me, and I didn’t want him to let me go. This was fucked up.
“They’re doing everything they can to trap us,” Charlie said.
