He’d wanted to fuck her in the ruins, but after knowing everything that had happened there, she wasn’t keen. So he took her back to the castle and into the Vault, locking them in, sating her and himself, over and over again, while a sexy masquerade Ball took place right upstairs.
“Will we always be sneaking around?” she asked him, their clothes on one of the armchairs, the one with the lion heads, as she lay on top of him on the couch.
He played with her fingers, constantly rubbing her new ring, obsessed with seeing it on her.
“If nothing happens tonight,” he rumbled after a few minutes, “there won’t be any reason for it. I’ll come out as a Board member. Of course, I won’t be teaching any of your classes after that. But I will bend the rules for us.”
“I hope nothing happens tonight,” she murmured, watching the darkened fireplace, listening to the calm beating of his heart as he stroked the naked line of her spine, mindlessly pausing to play some melody with his fingers.
While her feeling of something wrong hadn’t entirely left her, she hadn’t heard or seen anything since finding the body in the shack.
“Has Ajax found anything yet?” she rested her chin on his chest. “Any update?”
“If he has, he’s not telling me,” he continued playing with her back. “I’m a suspect in his investigation.”
Indignation roiled over her. “You didn’t do it.”
A side of his mouth tipped up. “No, I didn’t.” He looked into her eyes seriously. “But never doubt I’m not capable of it, Corvina.” He pushed a strand of her hair back from her face. “If someone even touched the hair on your head, I would do much worse to them without any remorse. And I’m smart enough and rich enough to never get caught.”
Corvina ignored the flutter in her belly and asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time. “Exactly how rich are you?”
He shrugged. “Rich enough. It took me some time getting used to having money,” he looked into the black fireplace. “The home I was in wasn’t a good place. If they had money, it never got to us. I had three pairs of clothes I had to wash and wear, and no money of my own to get anything. One time my friend was injured and I couldn’t even buy a bandage for him.”
Corvina’s heart ached hearing him talk about his past, but she stayed quiet, listening.
“That’s why a lot of kids turned to… not good shit,” he muttered. “I was getting used to that way of life. And then suddenly this old rich guy came out of nowhere, took me to what seemed like a mansion, and told me all of it and more was mine. It was… disconcerting.”
He went silent for a bit.
“Tell me about your friend,” she lay her head down on him. “The one you were looking for when you found mama. Did you find him?”
“No,” he exhaled. “He died in a fire that happened in the home soon after I left.” Suddenly he chuckled. “Old Zelda had been right about him too. He ended up eating flames.”
Corvina had no clue what that meant but she didn’t ask.
The sound of shouts from upstairs suddenly infiltrated their cozy bubble. They both straightened, looking up towards the door.
“What’s going on?” Corvina wondered as they dressed up in haste.
His tone was grim. “I hope it’s not what I’m thinking it is.”
Someone missing. God, she hoped not.
They went up the stairs within minutes, emerging into some kind of commotion, completely unnoticed. She headed to the side, separating from him as he went up to one of the professors to inquire what was happening.
Erica came out of nowhere, her eyes wild. “Where were you?! We’ve been looking all over the place!”
Corvina blinked. “What’s going on?”
“We thought you and Jade had gone missing,” Ethan told her in a grave voice, running his hands through his hair. “She’s not with you?”
Corvina shook her head, her heart pounding. “You haven’t seen her?”
Ethan and Erica shook their heads.
Jax stood by their side, his eyes narrowed on Corvina. “You were gone for hours. Where did you go?”
Corvina felt a hot wave of anger flood through her at the demand in his tone. “That’s none of your business, Jax. The priority is finding Jade.”
Corvina watched Kaylin walk into the middle of the entryway, clapping her hands for attention. Everyone fell silent.
“It’s with a very heavy heart that I need to inform you,” she began, and Erica gripped Corvina’s hand for support. “There have been two disappearances tonight.”
A murmur went through the crowd, and Corvina stood stunned.
Two?
After a century of single disappearances, suddenly there were two? What the fuck?
“First-year undergraduate student, Jade Prescott,” Kaylin looked distressed, “and master’s student, Roy Kingston have both been missing for over three hours. The castle premises have been searched for them and given the recent discoveries, the Board has ordered an immediate search of the woods and the surrounding grounds. I advise all students to return to their towers. Those who wish to join the search party, meet at the Main Hall entrance in ten minutes in more suitable attire.”
Students hurried out of the area, some to change and return, some to stay back.
Corvina exchanged a worried look with Vad and he gave her a nod.
She took off her heels and ran across the grass on naked feet to her tower, climbing up as fast as she could and getting to her room. Quickly stripping and putting on her one pair of pants and sneakers, she left her room, halting in a corridor for a second.
It was a clear full moon night, which meant the entire area would be bathed in light. If there was any movement happening, it would be visible from the top of the tower. It was worth the few minutes to risk going up.
Decision made, she ran up the stairs to the attic room, pushing the door open and hurrying to the window, panting as she looked down from the height, trying to spot anything out of place. Students gathered on the cobblestoned path, the woods looking as they did beyond that, the lake even further.
Corvina squinted, trying to see anything unusual when she spotted the smoke. Coming up from the left part of the woods, big plumes of smoke curled up towards the sky.
She knew exactly what was in the direction.
Running out from the room, she went down the tower and sprinted to the people gathered for the search, stopping breathlessly as Kaylin spoke about going in groups of three.
“The ruins,” Corvina panted. “There’s smoke coming from the ruins. I saw it from the window.”
“What ruins?” someone asked.
“Slayers Ruins,” Vad spoke, already jogging into the woods. “Rest of you, search the grounds. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Corvina ran after him, aware of Ajax on her tail.
They ran down the incline for a few minutes, and soon the familiar crumbling wall came into view, the ruins she had been in just hours ago puking smoke into the air.
She saw Vad stop at the beginning of the wall, extending his arm out to stop her. She collided into his arm with the momentum, and stopped, watching the scene before her in horror.
The piano she had been sitting on just hours ago, having one of the most beautiful moments of her life, the piano Vad had spent days repairing, was up in flames, completely destroyed as the fire ate it alive. Nothing else in the ruin was touched except the piano.
“This is personal, Deverell,” Ajax looked at the grim scene with his keen eye. “And the fire makes me wonder if it’s not connected to the burned female we found.”
Vad stood still, just watching the fire take up the instrument he loved. Corvina slid her hand into his in silent support, not understanding why anyone would burn this in the ruins, not unless they had something against Vad or his grandfather.
A scream from somewhere in the woods broke them all from their silent consideration, spurring them into action. All of it seemed to be happening so fast, a night that had been beautiful suddenly spiraling into one of horror with each passing minute.
“Where did it come from?” Corvina ran towards the sound, her heart pounding both with the pace and with the anxiety.
They stopped at a point in the woods, looking all around before Ajax groaned in frustration. “Let’s split up. We’ll cover more ground that way.”
“I’m not leaving her,” Vad declared clearly, and Corvina appreciated that. She didn’t want to be left alone. But there was one of the girls, hopefully both of the girls, somewhere in the woods, and they could find them better if they did split up. Ajax was right.
She touched Vad’s shoulder.
“He’s right. Go check the tunnels,” she suggested. “You’re the only one who knows them. I can check around the lake. Ajax can see go see the shack.”
Vad looked around, frustrated, reluctant.
Ajax nodded, already taking off in a hurry. “Just yell if anything goes wrong.”
Vad turned to her, giving her a hard kiss. “I don’t care if a bat frightens you. You fucking scream, got me?”
“I will,” she promised. “Be careful.”
He nodded, gave her another kiss, and ran in the other direction.
Corvina jogged down to the lake, the woods flying by at her pace, and emerged into the clearing by the bridge. Under the pale moonlight, the water shimmered, a reflection of the moon bright on its surface.
Corvina ran up the bridge, breathing hard, and turned in a circle, looking to see anything untoward. All she saw was a lake placid and dark, and woods eerie and silent. Too silent, even the nocturnal creatures weren’t making sounds at the moment.
Corvina shook off a shiver and stilled herself, trying to see anything.
Something light drifted on the surface of the dark water, shimmering just like in her dream. Corvina gripped the edge of the railing, identifying Roy’s hair in the water.
“Vad!” she screamed as loudly as she could. “Ajax! Down here!”
“Corvina?” she heard Ajax’s shout from far away, possibly from the shack.
“By the lake!” she shouted back, her heart sinking as she saw Roy begin to drift down.
Corvina looked down at the water, the dark, reflective water. She wasn’t the best of swimmers, but she just had to go in long enough to keep Roy afloat while Ajax got there.
The legend of the lake came to her and she shuddered.
Fuck.
Do it. Do it. She will die if you don’t, Corvina.
Corvina nodded to herself, took a deep breath, and jumped over the railing.
The cold water engulfed her whole, her vision completely lost under it, no light infiltrating underneath. Flapping her arms, she somehow managed to break the surface, gasping as she gulped down air, letting her eyes settle for a moment.
The light hair floated away, and Corvina began to swim towards it, hoping to reach Roy before she drowned, hoping she was still alive.
She heard a splash from the side and saw Ajax jumping into the lake, swimming in hard strokes towards them. Emboldened by his presence, Corvina finally reached the girl, gripping her around the waist in the murky water, and brought her head out, holding her out of the water until Ajax reached them, her arms going numb with the heavy weight she was holding up while her legs began to get tired trying to keep them both afloat.
Ajax thankfully got there in a few minutes, taking Roy’s weight and dragging her out and Corvina began to follow.
And something moved in the water.
Corvina stilled, panicking, her heart beating a million beats as she took a deep breath, needing to get out, her dream coming to the forefront of her mind.
Something slid against her leg.
Just a fish, she muttered to herself. It’s just a fish. Get the hell out.
Adrenaline surging through her veins, she somehow started swimming harder, trying to outrun whatever was in the lake with her, her chest heaving with the exercise, her body exhausted but somehow barely hanging on.
She reached the edge of the lake just as something slid across her feet again, and got out of the water, cold, shivering, trying to grapple with the fact that she had just jumped in the dark lake and made it out.
Ajax was trying to give Roy mouth-to-mouth while alternating with chest compressions, going tirelessly. “C’mon!”
She didn’t respond, not until Corvina counted his twenty-third attempt. That’s when black water came out of her lungs, her chest heaving hard even as she remained unconscious.
“We need to take her back,” Ajax said, picking up the girl. “Run to the castle,” he told Corvina. “Get some fire and blankets and dry clothes going. Get the doctor from the medical room in the Main Hall. Go!”
Spurred into action, she ran as fast as her body would allow to the castle, emerging into the clearing where some students huddled together waiting for any kind of news.
She told Kaylin what had happened, changed into borrowed pair of clothes from the hall, and began to get everything ready, waiting for them to come out.
Minutes passed.
Some groups of searching parties returned to the clearing with nothing to report. Some students left to go back to their rooms. Some stayed right where they were, worried about legend becoming real on the grounds of the castle.
Vad didn’t return even after what felt like hours, and a flutter of anxiety began to vibrate in her belly. He had to be searching in the tunnels, the tunnels only he knew about. She didn’t even know how many there were, much less where. It would obviously take time. There was nothing to worry about, not yet.
She kept trying to rationalize it, gripping her arms and rocking on her heels, hoping he came out of the woods soon.
Some movement from the front of the woods had her stepping forward, as finally, Ajax burst out of the thicket with Roy in his arms, his body shaking.
“Hurry, get me a blanket!” he yelled, and she noticed he was drenched from head to toe, his teeth chattering slightly as he ran with the bundle in his arms, taking her straight inside the Main Hall.
Some people ran away to bring blankets, and Corvina sprinted after Ajax, finally able to see Roy still unconscious in his hold. Kaylin had ordered the staff in the Main Hall to quickly build a fire which was thankfully going. Ajax put Roy down and changed into warm clothes while someone cut Roy’s dress and covered her with blankets.
“What happened?” Kaylin asked, ushering people out of the hall. Corvina took a hold of Roy’s icy feet and began to rub them to get the circulation going, waiting for his answer.
“I have no fucking idea,” Ajax said gruffly, his teeth chattering. “I searched around the shack and found nothing. And then I heard you shout. She was lit up like a fucking beacon in all that dark water. No idea how she even got in.”
Corvina looked at Roy’s golden hair. “I was at the bridge and she was already there.”
Ajax looked up at her. “I saw you jumping in.”
Corvina shuddered, remembering the dark water, not understanding any of it.
The fire crackled, finally warming the room. Ajax sat still, looking into the flames. “I went into the fucking water to get her out, and I don’t know if it’s Deverell’s fable or fucking fish, but I felt things… moving around me in that water. Nothing touched me, but something moved. For a moment, I thought we wouldn’t get out.”
Exactly how she had felt, even though she didn’t voice it.
She didn’t know what was in the water, but something was.
Roy began to mumble, moving her head restlessly, before slowly opening her eyes.
Corvina let go of her feet, sitting back on her knees on the floor as Ajax looked to her. “Hey, hey, you’re okay.”
Roy blinked, dazed. “Where am I? Fuck, my head hurts,” she groaned, gripping her forehead.
“Yeah, almost drowning would do that to you,” Ajax nodded. “Why did you go in the woods?”
Roy began to sit up, and Corvina helped her, adjusting the blankets around her for modesty. “I-I don’t remember.”
“What do you remember?” Ajax asked, his tone one of an investigator.
Roy looked around, leaning against Corvina in her weakened state. “I remember dancing. Going out to get some air. And then nothing. It’s all a blank.”
“You have no idea how you got in the lake?”
Roy looked panicked. “I was in the lake? I don’t like that lake. Shit, my head is pounding.”
“She needs to rest in the medical room,” Dr. Larkin, the residing doctor on campus, interrupted from the door. “We have to keep her under observation for the night.”
Ajax gave a weary nod. “You rest. I will have more questions for you tomorrow.”
Corvina followed Ajax as he left the Main Hall, her eyes scanning the perimeter, finally taking a moment in what seemed like a rapidly devolving night, everything happening so fast she could barely process it.
“Vad hasn’t come back yet,” she gnawed at her lips, looking at the woods.
Ajax frowned. “It’s been over two hours, Corvina. He should’ve been back.”
“Maybe he got lost in the tunnels?” she knew how stupid it sounded even as she said it.
“He knows this mountain better than anyone else,” Ajax shook his head, his face grim. “I… are you sure he’s the man you think he is, Corvina? Don’t you think it’s all too linked to him? Doesn’t it make you even a bit suspicious?”
His questions hit her like little stabs, not enough to maim but enough to bleed.
She looked down at the ring on her finger, considering for a long minute if he could have manipulated her so well. She couldn’t believe that. He was her anchor in this madness. If she doubted him, she would drown.
“I trust him,” she told Ajax firmly, her eyes returning to the woods.
“Then let’s give him another hour. Some of those tunnels are long.”
Corvina took a deep breath, reassured by that, just as a ringing sound filled the air, one she hadn’t heard in this castle at all.
A phone.
Corvina watched as he took out one from his pocket.
“Your phone works here?” she asked, surprised.
“Special satellite,” he told her, pressing a button. “Squad members have these phones,” he put it to his ear. “Hunter.”
He listened to whatever the person on the other end said for a minute, his body tensing. “Are you certain?”
They must have said yes.
His jaw worked as he cut the call, turning to Corvina in his investigator mode, one that weighed lead in her stomach.
“They just identified the body we found in the shack,” Ajax told her, his eyes somber. “Five foot three female, died two years ago from blunt force trauma to the head, burned postmortem sometime in the last two months to make her harder to identify.”
“Okay,” Corvina drawled, not understanding where this was going.
“The dead woman is Jade Prescott.”
