Page 27 of Lost and Bound

Blood doesn’t lie. It can’t, whispers through my thoughts. Admittedly, it takes a second to register because it doesn’t sound like the usual voice I hear when I talk to myself. And then it shuts off, kind of confirming, no matter how much I wished it were different, I need to accept the truth. This is my lot now.

I shake it off with another smile. “It is a human saying because, you know, only a few days ago, I was one. Anyway, potluck is the perfect description for what we’re eating. I’ll let you borrow that phrase anytime you want.”

He keeps looking at me, assessing me, really. His eyes roam my face while he considers something. He shakes his head before talking. “It’s weird. I forget that this is new to you. It’s like you’ve always been here.”

He confirms my sentiment toward him without realizing it. The Thales part, not so much.

“You probably haven’t even had a chance to take a breath and sort through any of this. And, babes, your injuries. Have you even had a chance to feel them today? Probably not. After today, I mean, they’re even worse. Complete baptism of fire.”

I point at him. “That’s a human saying, for sure.”

“No, it’s not,” he argues, batting my finger away with a piece of bread. “The Greek word baptizō means to immerse or dip. Thus, a ‘baptism of fire’ refers to being entirely immersed in divine fire. Considering, once upon a time, it’s said the gods walked among us and they had the divine touch, I’d say it’s from our world and is yet another thing the humans stole.” He finishes with a sassy and massive bite out of the bread he was waving around.

I follow him and start to eat. The warm spinach and mushroom quiche is delicious. I look over at the food being set up for all the other sects, wondering who had this for lunch.

Before I can ask, Orion fills in the blanks. “It’d be from the purple team, the magik users.”

“Because it’s…”

He rolls his eyes. “From the earth.”

I take another taste, savoring the flavor and noticing it’s definitely more intense than back home.

Orion decides it’s time to test my memory, his eyes moving to a group of students. “The shifters.”

“Are green.”

He nods in agreement and pulls his gaze back to me and our food. “The shifters are where we get our protein. Although they’re big eaters because of their super-fast metabolism. So when we get protein, it’s a big deal.” He takes a mouthful of the fluffy white mashed potatoes. “The celestials, your friends in gold, only eat white foods, and we get a lot of our food from them because—get this—they’re super fussy and overly demanding.” He points to his plate, and there is an imbalance of white on it.

I didn’t notice before, but now it’s hard not to. My thoughts go back to last night’s dinner, which was rice and dinner rolls. Given it was white and knowing now who it was prepared for, it’s hard not to assume they were handmade.

Their loss. I take another scoop of potatoes, and they are so delicious I could eat a whole plate of them. I twist around, seeing who we’ve missed out on. The demons in their black couldn’t survive on liquorice alone, so I look to Orion for more information.

“Let’s leave it at, if they eat actual food, it’s charred meat only. Similarly, the vamps don’t eat anything prepared here. They still come for the social aspect, and they’ll have their own drinks on offer, but nothing from the vampires or the demons is served at Thales. And when I say leave it at that, another day I’ll tell you more, but seriously, Maya, I think you’re already at saturation point.”

I nod, agreeing with him, and we eat in companionable silence, while peering around the hall, which is getting busier by the minute. Even the celestials have rejoined us, but they all look dimmer, if that’s even a thing.

As I look around at the students, I try to figure out who’s the king and queen bee of Thales. All schools must run the same, right? There’s always a group of students who are the most popular, the best-looking, and the most powerful.

“I can’t figure it out. Are the celestials I had a couple of run-ins with today the self-appointed royalty of Thales? Or was it the vampire who tried to eat me, or the shifter he fought with? Is it bad that I can’t figure it out? Does that mean there’s more than one group who rule?” I’m not panicking. I’m talking fast, though, and my eyes keep jumping from table to table.

Orion barks out a laugh that makes a few people turn to look at us. I kick him under the table, but he ignores my worries.

“A couple of things. First up, the most… I don’t know if dangerous time is the right word, but mornings are generally when there’s a lot of drama. Dinner is usually pretty chill since everyone is worn out after the lessons and gym class. Throw in that each section has its own drama to deal with that usually happens, like with the celestials, nearly every day. Given how quiet they are, I’d say they got a reaming, probably by one of the Archangels. I wish I cared, but honestly, I don’t. But you’re right—everyone who’s here at the moment is on a similar level in terms of ‘power.’ Each student here can argue black and blue that they’re at the top of Thales, but they’re all less than the real top of the school. You watch how all the people giving us shit now preen, but are quick to grovel when they’re in attendance.”

“Can you be more specific? Who are they?”

“They are Bael Morningstar, Emrys Nuada, Arlan d’Perigord, and Cane Remus, also known as Professor Cane. Four of Quin-state’s best. Tragic backstories brought them together and bonded their future.”

“They’re actual brothers?”

“Not by blood, but they have that whole brother vibe going on. You go against one of them; you go against all of them. No one would challenge them because there’s hardly anyone in Quin-state who can match their skill or the natural affinity they each have with their gifts. Council are equal parts, frothing at the bit, and beside themselves with worry when it comes to them.”

“Why?” I ask.

Orion leans in closer. “Individually, they haven’t even come close to their gifts or powers manifesting fully, and as a group, they haven’t aligned. When those things happen,” he says, making a weird hand gesture I interpret as either a bam or fireworks. “Time will tell if Council has the ability to keep them in line with their vision, or if they become another issue for Council to deal with.”

“So, they are aligned?”