Page 56 of Rogue Witch

I force myself to describe Chelsea and the guy with the ropes around their necks, the strange audience in the coliseum, and the weird wolves. Raith casts somber glances at Caleb as I describe the satisfaction Ariel took in bending the group of students to her will.

“Did you recognize the four students who were handling Chelsea and Robert’s ropes?” Raith asked when I finished.

“Sorry.” I shrug. “I didn’t. Maybe they’re from another school?”

“Maybe,” he replies. “Did you recognize any other students there?”

“One girl who ran. I don’t know her name.”

“That’s a start,” he says. “We’ll have you look at some pictures. I want to know who was there and what they were doing.”

“The girl I recognized didn’t do anything,” I say. “When Ariel told the four students to get me, two of them ran. The girl was one of them.”

“Okay. Tomorrow, we will take written statements and look at pictures.” He regards me. “Did the Shadows touch you at any time?”

“Me?” I blurt. “No. In fact, I was surprised by the way they stopped when I told them to.” I’m blabbing.

Raith straightens. “What?”

Oh God, I said the wrong thing. I look at Caleb. “You know, when the wolves were attacking you and Jonas was running? I-I shouted at them to stop and they did.”

“They did what?” Raith demands.

“Stopped, halted, you know, stopped chasing Jonas.”

“Ah,” Raith says. “They didn’t actually follow commands. Shadows instill fear by staying in sight, hovering, and chasing their victims.”

“Oh,” I say, and resist looking at Caleb—or Stoney, who I know is staring at me.

“I first saw Ariel when she led the gang that chased Jonas,” I continue. I have to change the subject. “Her and another guy had a band of kids with them. Anthony is the guy’s name. Strangely, he wasn’t present for the hanging. I don’t really know anything about Shadows and how they…control a person.”

“They don’t control a person,” Raith says. “They play upon a person’s fears, anxieties, and lust.”

“Lust? How does anyone have time for lust in that hellhole?” I think of the wolf and how beautifully naked he was, but that hadn’t put me in the mood for fucking.

Raith shakes his head. “Lust of anything—sex, power, money, you name it. Everyone lusts after something.”

“I guess Ariel lusts after power,” I say. “I think others were infected too, but not everyone turned into a monster. That must mean there’s some choice involved.”

“Well, it implies that the results show what’s in a person’s heart,” he says.

Raith Vanderkoff is talking about heart? I wasn’t sure he believed people had hearts.

“What does that mean for Ariel?” I ask. “That chick is a psycho. I guarantee you no one will want to attend class with her—and I’m at the head of that line.”

“You won’t have to attend classes with her.”

I hesitate, wondering why Raith gave in so easily, but decide to see what he does. I’m too tired to fight. “Can I go?” I ask.

Raith hesitates. I’ve never seen Raith hesitate about anything and that worries me.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” he says, and I’m surprised by the compassion in his voice. “It’s about Seton Alexander.”

I draw a sharp breath. “Has something happened to him? He was taken in the Reaping?” Aside from Stony, Seton is the only other friend I have. Tears rise to the surface. “He can’t—”

“No, no,” Raith cuts in. “He wasn’t taken in the Reaping and he’s unharmed. In fact, he can’t be harmed. There’s no way to say this but straight out. Seton is the Greek demigod Tychon.”

I stare. Of all the things Raith could have said, the ridiculous idea that Seton is the demigod Tychon wasn’t even in the universe of possibility.