AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That there are creatures in there that Erikel brought with him. Creatures that have the others scared.”
The professor tilts her head, assessing Raven as if trying to decipher a lie. “That’s not possible. It’s—”
“Ari purposely went through the barrier, choosing to be in the forest to help protect his herd. They’re not safe. None of us are. This is already a volatile situation, now isn’t the time to be keeping magical creatures that could help us trapped to be killed off on a whim. Now is the time to be gaining their trust in the hopes of having their aid when the time comes.” Raven’s chest rises and falls rapidly as she throws her hands around in frustration.
“Raven, you must be mistaken,” Figgins starts, shaking her head dismissively, and Raven holds her hands up high as she vibrates with agitation.
“Do I look mistaken? I’m dead fucking serious, and you’re not listening to me.”
“Raven, take a deep breath. Maybe we need to calm ourselves so we can repeat what you’re saying in a way the professor understands,” Creed offers, glaring at Figgins when he mentions her.
“I don’t need it repeated, Creed. I understand what she’s saying, but I’m telling you, it's not possible.”
“What makes you say that?” I interject, intrigued by the fact that Raven is throwing all of this information at her and she’s refusing to let it stick.
“Because I put the wards up myself. I always know who is tethered to the forest.”
I glance at Raven, knowing she doesn’t have the answer, but there is something Ari didn’t let us do when we last went to visit.
“When we went to the forest last week, searching for Raven’s familiar, he refused to let us step through the barrier becausehe believed this information to be true. If there’s one thing we can all be certain of, especially since it was Raven’s familiar that saved us all at the outpost at Shadowmoor, that’s the fact that he is highly protective of her in every way. He wouldn’t choose to be in that forest if he didn’t believe it to be true,” Creed states, saying it far better than I could have. I’m well aware I’m a lot more caveman than him. She would have been lucky to get anything more than a shoulder barge.
Figgins at least looks to be considering his words, but I get the feeling she’s going to be too stuck in her ways.
Clearing my throat, I try to tamp down my building rage to approach the situation a little more calm and collected like Creed, but nothing comes out. Thankfully, Raven takes a deep breath and takes control of the situation once again.
“Professor Figgins, all I’m asking is for you to come and take a look with us. I’m not wrong in what I’m saying. We need these creatures. I know it in my heart and soul. Just… please, come and look with me.”
The five of us stare at the professor, hope warring inside of us, until she finally clears her throat and straightens her cloak.
“Fine, but it can’t happen until the weekend.”
“Thank you,” Raven murmurs with a sigh of relief. “We’re going to need to act fast once we’ve been there, but I appreciate you agreeing to this.”
Figgins nods, glancing over my shoulder to the classroom behind me. “That being said, you misspoke in there, Raven. You’re going to have to sit out for the rest of the lesson. The rest of this stays between us,” she adds, and we all mutter our agreement.
I’m up for an early finish, so it’s no issue for me if we leave now.
Hiking my backpack up my shoulder, I settle my hand on the small of Raven’s back and steer her away from the class withouta backward glance. Creed, Eldon, and Zane are right with us and we don’t slow our pace for a single moment until we’re walking down the pathway to our home.
Once the front door clicks shut behind us, Raven sags in relief. She rests her chin on my chest and for just a second, I cling to her, inhaling her scent and getting my fill before it’s back to business.
“That’s a plan for the creatures on the agenda. We’re going to have to try and shoulder it until the weekend. Is that going to be okay for you?” Eldon asks, flopping down on the sofa as he looks to Raven, who nibbles on her lip.
“I’m already feeling the strain from the distance between us. The weekend might be a struggle,” she admits, and it only makes me softer on her. The fact that she so openly shows her vulnerability to us now knocks me off my feet.
“We’ll make it happen,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her forehead before I drop down onto the sofa. “For now, though, I think we need to take a look through this thing.” I pull the book on magical artifacts from my bag, waving it in the air for a second. It’s practically been burning a hole in my backpack and I’m desperate as hell to understand everything in here, even more desperate than I am to understandwhyLeila went hunting for it to begin with.
I still can’t make up my mind about her. It’s exhausting.
“I’ll get everyone a drink while you have a glance over it,” Raven states, breezing past us all with that natural sway to her hips that holds us all captive. “But I think we should understand everything there is to know about the Poten’s Ruby first.”
None of us answer, our eyes glued to her sweet ass, and it’s only when she turns to head back to us that we realize she’s waiting for some form of acknowledgment. A knowing grin takes over her mouth and not one of us tries to cover our tracks.Instead, she takes the manuscript from my hands, sits down, and starts to read it herself.
I watch as her eyes dance over the pages, her finger lingering in certain spots for a few moments as she clearly thinks over what she’s reading. When she turns the page to find the entry she was reading has ended, she flips back to where she was and releases an exasperated sigh before leaning back in her seat, offering us nothing.
“What—”
“It’s the most ridiculous shit,” she grunts, cutting my question off as she wipes a hand down her face and sighs. “All it says is exactly what Burton said about it yesterday, along with a listing of where in history it has been used before. This is the kind of shit we’re supposed to be taught in this place. Instead, we’ve got the old head professor hiding the damn thing. Why hasn’t someone destroyed it? What greater dangers are lurking out there?” Her frustration is clear.
