Page 118 of Divine Oaths

I spotted Kasem, perched in the back, dressed in a black three-piece suit with Westfield’s lily emblem. Like the other members of Sigma, he’d brought a mask with him, his the silver vulture from before.

Honey and Alaster sat next to him, Honey dressed in black and wearing her Theta veil, Alaster dressed in a red suit with a silver vulture mask as well. Like the board of trustees, Kasem and Alaster held golden flutes. Honey leaned over Kasem and whispered something in his ear before fishing his drink from him and exchanging it with her own.

My heart ached for him but I looked away, searching through the crowd for Vivian. She was supposed to be incognito, slipping in and out of the audience to keep a watchful eye on Jay’s possible appearance in the last hours before Kasem’s birthday.

A hand fell on my shoulder and I nearly jumped as Provost Henning leaned over me.

“We’re ready to begin,” she whispered.

I gave her a curt nod, glancing down at the piano as she retreated to stand in the back.

Trying to calm my beating heart, I closed my eyes, counting down as silence filled the greenhouse.

This wasn’t just for me. This was for every student at Westfield who’d been a victim of the curse, and for the ones still caught in Westfield’s twisted web of death.

It was supposed to be “Ave Maria,” and yet Chevalier’s “Scena” from Ernestine emerged in C Minor as I played. My fingers flew across the keys, each note a rebellious overtone of the spirits haunting Westfield, even those the school and the curse had tried to smother. I thought of my parents and the fire, of Kasem and Jojo, Vivian and Luke, Sarah and Danny, and all of the students who’d become casualties to Westfield as an institution. Faster and faster I played, letting the roaring melody consume me and everyone in the room in that moment. All of the loss, the grief, and the hope that lingered collectively in me and those around us, all of it coursed through my tragic rendition of the song.

When I finished, the audience was silent.

Kasem was the only one standing, his mask held at his side. His eyes were bright, and soft pride bloomed in his smile, as broken as it was. My hands were shaking. I didn’t realize they were until I stood for the applause that never came.

“Until the true history of Westfield is recognized,” I said, “then we will all be victim to the past.”

I bowed to silence and then I left the greenhouse.

There was a rush to the front. Professor Enlex and Provost Henning called for me to return, my phone pinging over and over again as merit points were deducted from my student profile.

I pushed open the door to outside, typing a message to Jojo, asking him where he was. His response came quickly. He was in an empty lecture hall, not far from the greenhouse.

I’ll see you soon.

In the dark, my footsteps were muted against the rush of wind whipping through campus as a storm approached.

“Slow down.”

Kasem had followed me from the greenhouse. Through the curtain of Theta’s veil, I could see him only partially, his tall figure stark against the shadowed night and the milky moonlight that beamed down on us.

“What are you doing?” I said. “The president’s about to give his address.”

I brushed strands of my hair from my eyes. It and the veil fluttered wild and foreboding in the wind as Kasem drew closer.

“I’ll go back soon.” He glanced at the greenhouse. “Honey told me you got Jojo to agree to the binding ritual.”

I didn’t answer him, just smiled, even though it didn’t reach my eyes, even though Honey had lied on my behalf.

“If he’s doing this, it’s because of you. The two of us will do anything for you.”

“Except be honest. At least, with me. That’s one thing you both have in common.”

Kasem hesitated.

“I suppose it is.” He was silent for a long moment, tentative, as if he wasn’t sure what he’d say or how I’d react to it.

“I have three more hours until midnight. If I don’t make it—”

“You will,” I said, cutting him off. “We’re going to break the curse.”

Angelica had been a practicing affinity wielder and a member of the Ԑnhye for decades. Vivian had every inch of the greenhouse on watch, and even Honey was staying close to Alaster to keep him in her line of sight. Whatever happened, we would be ready. We’d made sure of it. All that was left was finding a way to get Jojo to do the ritual.