He sagged forward on his broom. “Yeah, but I think Captain’s getting tired of me. The guards are bored watching me getting my ass kicked around. He’s probably going to put me up against a group next time. I’m going to be killed eventually, to keep the crowd entertained.”
“That’s barbaric,” I said in disgust.
“What am I gonna do? They’ll never let me out. Might as well accept my fate instead of fighting the inevitable.” Ghost frowned. “Anyway, I never thanked you for healing my arm, so… thanks. Not a lot of people are kind to me. It’s a nice change.”
Ghost hurried off, and his white tomcat ran behind. I hoped Charlie would be able to help Ghost get out once he discovered who was fixing the fights. Then again, I didn’t even know ifCharliewould be able to escape fight club, and with nowhere to go, Ghost’s chances of surviving seemed slim to none.
I felt really sorry for him, but didn’t know what I could do… except help Charlie find some answers. Maybe he could get leverage over Captain somehow. That would be the only thing that could save Ghost’s life.
Kallie was waiting for me outside of my dormitory. She lay outside of it as a wolf, seemingly guarding it. She transformed back when I appeared.
“What’s up?” I asked. “You look tense.”
“Things have been weird since people have found out you’re a tricaster— nice job saving Ez, by the way,” she stated. “The rest of the students think you’re some sort of deity or something. I overheard a couple of people whispering they should go through your stuff, figure out if you’ve got something boosting your magic.”
“Do you think other inmates will figure out what I am, or what we are? The professors give lectures on demigods every semester,” I worried.
“I don’t think so. Most people in class don’t pay attention. You forget that no one is an outstanding student here at the Institute. Everyone here is too dumb to figure it out.”
“Not everyone. There are some smart criminals here. We aren’t the only ones,” I pointed out.
“It’s not the majority. I don’t think anyone’s made a demigod connection. If they had, rumor would’ve traveled around the prison already, and I haven’t heard anything.”
Let’s hope it stayed that way. I opened my cell door. It didn’t look like anything had been disturbed. I was the last one here.
I heard Marcus’ loud footsteps approaching long before he reached my room. He panted as he rasped, “Kallie asked me to meet you guys here…”
He trailed off, and both Kallie and I turned to look at him. His expression was flat, and his body was rigid, like he could sense something. At his feet, Rishi gave a hiss.
“What?” Kallie asked, annoyed.
Marcus began walking around the room. His eyes narrowed in concern. “Ava, how long has your cell been like this?”
“I’m sorry for the mess, but I’m kind of a disorganized slob,” I apologized, kicking a shirt out of the way.
“No, not that.” His lips tightened. “There’s negative energy in this room. A lot of it.”
“Huh?” Kallie tilted her head.
“Imeanthere’s bad spirits in here. Dozens of them,” Marcus said. “I can feel it.”
“Bad spirits? Like, dead people?” I yelped.
“Kind of? I’m not sure. You’ve definitely got some negative energy attached to this place… though it could be demonic.”
“What the hell? Why couldn’t I notice anything?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t, if they showed up over a long period of time, little by little. You’d have excuses to explain them away. Bad moods, bipolar swings,” Marcus said. He conjured a bundle of cedar.
“Are yousurethis place is stuffed with bad spirits?” Kallie asked skeptically.
“Absolutely,” he said. I lit the cedar for Marcus, and he started waving it around. “I don’t get it. I’ve been in here dozens of times, and it was fine last spring.”
“They must’ve flooded in here over the summer when we weren’t talking,” I said, depressed.
“No problem. I’ll clear it out now.” Marcus began waving the burning cedar around the room. As the smoke lifted, my attitude improved. I couldn’t feel or see the ghosts, but I could physically sense the energy in the room changing, from a heavy coat of despair to a light, airy tone of positivity. It was so significant that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed the difference.
“Any of you ghosts want to tell me what you’re here for, or do we have to do this thehard way?” Marcus asked. The room remained silent, but I didn’t think I’d be able to listen in on whatever the spirits were saying.
