Immortal Consequences(13)
They scurried across the main hall, pushing through mounds of dust and thick branches that had snaked their way through the windows. The floorboards were rotten and decrepit, bits of wood crunching with each step they took. Other than a grandfather clock ticking ominously in the distance, a piercing silence engulfed them, a dense nothingness that sent an acute chill up and down August’s spine.
He approached the spiral staircase near the back of the building and spared a single glance over his shoulder.
“Keep up.”
Wren paused at the bottom of the staircase. “Wait. You never told me how you got this information in the first place.”
“I have my ways.” He placed his hand on the railing and took his first step. “Now, why don’t you pocket your questions for later and follow me like a good little—”
He’d barely finished his sentence when he suddenly found himself unable to move, a dagger jammed into the back of his hand. He glanced down to find Wren staring back at him, blue eyes narrowed in defiance.
To be fair, he should have known not to turn his back to her.
“Would you like to finish that sentence?” Wren cocked her head to the side and pressed the blade down harder, digging into his flesh with ease. “Go on. I dare you.”
“You must be rather pleased with yourself.” August tried to yank his hand free from the blade, but it had been lodged too deep. “Come on, Loughty. You have to admit this is a bit unnecessary.”
“I’m not removing it until you tell me.”
August could hear the crunch of bones. The sharp rip of ligaments tearing. It obviously didn’t hurt, but Wren had shoved the blade deep enough to trap him.
“Did you really think I’d willingly follow you into a creepy abandoned building without more information?” Wren asked with a sneer. “For all I know you’ve brought me here just to push me off at the top. I’ll admit, it’s a clever plan. I’d be too busy rebuilding my bones to show up to class tomorrow. Not exactly the best look right before the Decennial.”
August groaned. “You are beyond paranoid.”
“No,” Wren shot back, stepping closer. “I simply know better.”
“And have you forgotten that you’re the one with the track record for pushing me off buildings?” August scoffed bitterly. “You’ve done it twice now. And both times conveniently right before an exam.”
She shrugged. “That’s not the point.”
August burned with anger. A sudden rush. And despite his usual restraint, he couldn’t stop the flames from bursting out of his fingertips.
“Jesus!” Wren flinched but didn’t release her grip on the knife.
August curled his fingers closed and extinguished the flames, black smoke funneling into the air.
Neither of them said a word, a thick silence reverberating between them.
Wren’s eyes flickered with amusement. “Having a difficult time controlling your emotions?”
“I’m fine.”
“The flames erupting from your skin beg to differ.”
“It’s just—” He inhaled deeply. “I’m tired.”
“Tired?” Wren echoed. “Really?”
“I’m…mentally tired, okay?” August bit back another wave of anger. The embers hummed deep inside him, the familiar itch building at the tip of his fingers. Pull yourself together, Augustine. “Is that what you want to hear? That sometimes, despite knowing better, I can’t control myself?”
Wren flinched. “No. That’s…that’s not what I want to hear.”
“Then what?”
“The truth.”
August let out an exasperated sigh.
This girl was going to be his demise. He was sure of it.
“I snuck into Headmaster Silas’s office.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “You—what? Are you mad? Why on earth would you—”
“I was bored,” he interjected with a nonchalant shrug. “I had some time to kill, and it just so happened that his office was unattended. And while I was scouring his desk, I came across a book.”
“A book?”
“It contained a list of names. Our names. All of them.”
“I’m not following,” Wren sighed.
“It contained the name of every student who has ever been selected for Blackwood. And there was one name I didn’t recognize. On the last page.”
“Another name…，” Wren echoed. “The one that’s crossing over tonight?”
August nodded. “Louise Nordain. Today’s date was written next to her name in red. And given the fact that we all arrived exactly at three in the morning…”
“She’s bound to cross over any second now,” Wren whispered.
August blew a curl away from his face. “Happy now?”
“Elated.”
Wren ripped the knife out of his hand. She’d begun sliding it back into her waistcoat when August snatched it from her grasp and placed it firmly against her throat. She stumbled, nearly falling backward, but managed to catch herself on the railing, her eyes snapping up to meet his.
“You arrogant—”
“Now, let’s play nice, Loughty.” August pressed one hand against the wall behind her, the other wrapped tightly around the hilt of the dagger. He knew she couldn’t feel the edge of the blade against her throat, but that didn’t matter. Hurting her was never his goal.