Immortal Consequences(19)

“Mr. Dupont…it’s your turn.” Wesley’s gaze shifted to Emilio. He pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose and offered Emilio a rueful smile. “Mr. Córdova. I have to say…I’m quite surprised to see you among this group of troublemakers.”

Emilio shuddered. “Trust me. So am I.”

Olivier sprang to his feet and clasped his hands together. Next to him, Emilio wilted.

“Don’t worry, my love,” Olivier whispered, offering him an apologetic grin. “It’ll be painless. I promise.”

Emilio looked up at him through his lashes. “You owe me.”

Olivier’s heart twisted. “I know.”

He turned his attention toward Wesley, pressed his shoulders back, and strutted into the room.

Inside, he found a small and unassuming office. The corners were filled with mounds of dust, an iron chandelier hanging precariously from one of the ceiling’s wooden slabs. A large bay window sat against the eastern wall with a rather impressive display of books scattered beneath it. Housemaster Birdie stood with her arms crossed, with Housemaster Russo beside her. They were a comical pair. Complete opposites. The Sun and the Moon. And then there was Wesley, who Olivier found couldn’t really be compared to any sort of celestial formation.

He could, however, be compared to a nervous ferret.

“Go—go on. Take a seat,” Wesley muttered behind him, placing a gentle hand on Olivier’s shoulder. Olivier reluctantly followed his orders, approaching the old mahogany desk at the far end of the room.

He didn’t spot the figure lurking in the darkness until he’d sat down.

“Mr. Dupont. I’m quite intrigued by what your friends have so generously shared with me this evening.”

Olivier nearly jumped out of his skin. It wasn’t like he hadn’t met with the infamous Headmaster of their school before, but given their current situation, his presence was an unwelcome shock.

“Headmaster Silas.” Olivier cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “We’ve had quite the night. Though I should probably clarify that the six of us aren’t exactly friends.”

Silas emerged from the shadows. The sharp thump of his walking stick rattled against the walls as he approached Olivier, a calculated smile on his lips. He wore his usual navy peacoat, his dark, gray-speckled hair slicked back. Olivier often wondered how old the Headmaster really was. He appeared to be in his late thirties, give or take, though some students believed he had never truly been alive. That he was actually God himself. Others believed he was something else entirely, an eternal being beyond their comprehension.

In Olivier’s humble opinion—it was all a bunch of bullshit. And Silas, as intimidating as he might be, was only a man.

“Ah, I see.” Silas paused in front of the desk. “Then what word would you use?”

Olivier let out a wary chuckle. “Uh, perhaps…unfortunate acquaintances?”

The Headmaster lifted the corner of his mouth into a smirk.

“Be that as it may, the six of you have gotten yourselves into quite some trouble. I believe a range of infractions has taken place tonight. Ignoring curfew, dismantling protective wards, breaking into faculty-only buildings…” He tapped his gloved fingers against the golden head of his walking stick. “I can’t say I’m exactly thrilled. In fact, I’m very disappointed.”

Olivier swallowed the knot in his throat. “Understandably so.”

Silas narrowed his eyes. They were usually a warm shade of brown, but engulfed by the darkness of the office, they appeared almost entirely black.

Olivier did his best not to squirm under his gaze.

“There is, of course, the matter of Louise Nordain.”

Olivier tensed. He hadn’t been expecting that. “So…you know?”

Silas chuckled. “Of course. This is my school. I pride myself on knowing who is coming in and out of it. In fact, I was the one who found the girl and carried her back inside.”

“It was you,” Olivier whispered, straightening in his chair. “Then you saw what happened. She harnessed shadow magic, didn’t she?”

“Here is what I will tell you, Mr. Dupont.” Silas assessed Olivier for a moment, lips pulled into a placid yet unnerving smile. “What the six of you saw tonight was…rather concerning. It appears that our enemies are growing bolder in their tactics to lure students away from Blackwood.”

“The Demien Order,” Olivier muttered under his breath.

Silas nodded. “It appears their recruitment strategies have been failing them. We’ve had a historically low number of students leave Blackwood the past decade, and it is evident that we aren’t the only ones who have noticed.”

Olivier edged closer. “What are you saying?”

Silas sighed, leaning his weight against the desk. “The shadow magic you saw tonight was not coming from Louise…but was being used against her. We believe they were attempting to untether her soul from Blackwood in order to abduct her.”

“Is that even possible?” Olivier asked, bewildered.

Silas gave a solemn nod in response. “It appears so, though thankfully they were unsuccessful this time. But…I am certain they will try again. The Demien Order will stop at nothing in their pursuit of chaos. They will sow corruption in the souls of Blackwood until our precious balance is disrupted.”