24. Raven

TWENTY-FOUR

RAVEN

Irun my hands down the lapels of my blazer as I take a deep breath and smile at myself in the mirror. I might be wearing this stuffy uniform, trapped in this damn academy with the enemy as our leader as I await his next move, but determined positivity keeps the weight of the world from my shoulders for the first time in a long time.

It’s Monday morning, which is a fresh day and a fresh start.

After speaking with Rhys over the weekend, there’s been a lightness among us that I’ve never actually felt before. Hope is real and it’s present in all of us. The Monarchy is coming, we just have to bide our time, remain alert and vigilant, and everything is going to be okay.

We’ve seen it all by now. It’s surely impossible for anything to shock us.

Hitching my backpack up my arm, I head out into the lounge with a noticeable bounce in my step to see my guys laughing among themselves. Seeing them smile makes me grin wider. Creed notices me first and jumps from his seat. His arm is around my shoulders in the next breath and he’s hurrying me toward the door.

I giggle. I don’t know why, I just do.

Fuck.

The floor vibrates with the footsteps of the others chasing after us and we’re laughing freely as we step out of the front door to where Leila waits. We manage to calm down as she raises her eyebrows at us.

“Good morning, you guys,” she says with a smirk, falling into step with me as we head up the path.

I lean my head on Creed’s shoulder. “Morning, how’s everything with your father?” I haven’t seen her since he refused to let her come to the party, and the way her face scrunches up says it all. “That fun, huh?”

“The funnest,” she retorts with an eye roll, and I grin. “Did you learn anything good at the party?”

I don’t doubt myself for a single second as I catch her up with exactly what we heard Sebastian and Ruben talking about. It’s not much, but it’s something. My gut tells me the target is on my back, but I’m not going to let that drag me down. I’m quite sure my brother has had his sights set on taking my life since I got here, I don’t see that changing any time soon.

“So I didn’t miss out on anything fun then,” she says with a sigh as we approach the academy building, and I shake my head.

“Well, that depends,” Eldon starts, a sparkle in his eyes as he waggles his eyebrows. “Raven and I—”

“Shut up,” I grumble, and Creed shoves him on my behalf, but that only makes him laugh louder.

Leila shakes her head at him and steps in closer, nudging her arm against mine. “There’s a meeting tonight,” she breathes, keeping her voice low, and I nod, glancing at the others.

“Perfect, what time?” I ask, my mind already going a mile a minute.

“Seven sharp.”

I nod. “Are you free beforehand?”

Her eyebrows rise. “I can be. Is everything okay?”

“I hope so,” I reply, taking a deep breath. After much consideration and a lot of back and forth, I’ve decided I’m going to trust this girl wholeheartedly or not at all. So here we are. “I want to be in that meeting room before anyone shows up. Can we make that happen?”

“Definitely. Is there a reason why?” She seems more intrigued than suspicious, and I don’t know why, but it gives me the confidence I need.

“There’s mention of a table in the book you gave us. I want to know if it’s the one down there.”

Adrenaline coursesthrough me as we cut across the grounds of campus, discreetly heading toward the Nightmares Guild chamber an hour earlier than the meeting. Fuck stealth mode when you have a hot guy who turns invisible on demand.

My fingers are laced with his, Leila on my other side, while Eldon has his hand on Zane’s shoulder, creating a chain with Brax and Creed connecting too.

Leila has her free hand clapped over her mouth as she tries to hold back a giggle of excitement. Her being here is another show of trust, but also her presence means I can’t get distracted by the Bishops either.

My kryptonite is my men, in every way. Both a positive and a negative. I’ll protect them until death, but they distract the fuck out of me.

Slipping through the bushes, the entry point to the guild comes into view. We take our time, making sure the coast is clear before heading down the steps. I hold my breath, but no one appears as we reach the bottom and head into the main room. All that greets us is the golden table standing as prominent as ever in the center of the room.

“What do we do now?” Leila asks as we move closer.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

Zane drops the magic and I release both his and Leila’s hands. I run my fingers over the table, unsure where to even begin, and the others do the same. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, it looks like any other table.

Doubt swirls in my gut as I drop to my knees and crawl underneath. Scanning the length of the gold from left to right and back again, I come up empty handed. It doesn’t help that I don’t know what we’re supposed to be looking for.

I sigh, ready to give up when the smallest glint in the far corner catches my eye. Inching closer, my nerves frazzle. The closer I get, the brighter it shines. Reaching out, everything slows around me. I should call out to the others, but my tongue is like lead in my mouth.

Grasping it, I gasp as my eyes slam closed and images infiltrate my mind. Murmurs mingle, consuming me as person after person appears on the back of my eyelids, revealing conversation after conversation that the table has stored.

Holy fuck.

It really is the artifact from the tome. But if I don’t gain control of what it’s showing me, I won’t walk away any wiser. Taking a deep breath, I think about what I want to focus on, hoping that will narrow down what plays for me.

I’m intrigued as hell by the other artifacts now, and I think that’s what makes everything else disappear but Burton.

He’s sitting at the table with his elbows braced on top and a grin on his face.

“The artifact is hidden,” someone explains, making Burton’s smile widen.

“Good.”

“Do you think anyone is on to us?”

I don’t know who is talking. I recognize the voice, but I can’t place it.

“On to us? Why would they be on to us? We’re aiding everyone, keeping them safe from the Basilica realm. If anything, they’ll be praising us,” Burton retorts. “Besides, it will be safe in the mountains of Ashdale. Especially with the desert surrounding it. No one is going to find it.”

The pair of them chuckle and my gut clenches.

“With the table and Poten’s Ruby, we’re going to have quite a collection,” the other person states, and Burton nods eagerly.

“You’re forgetting that I also have the location of the gateway to the Realm of Shadows,” Burton adds, causing my eyebrows to lift in surprise. I can’t decide if this man is helping the realm or helping himself, and I don’t like it.

“Three. You have access to three artifacts. You know what that means, don’t you? The more you gather, the more intense the artifacts become, they’re stronger, more indestructible.”

“I know. That’s the point,” Burton states, leaning back in his seat with a sigh which echoes with relief. “It’s perfect.”

“What else is on your list?”

My eyebrows bunch together as I try to place the other person’s voice, but I keep falling short even though it sits on the tip of my tongue.

“I want eyes on the golden warrior. My gut tells me he’s got something, possibly the onyx with the way nothing affects him,” Burton says, choking me with more facts. “And I want the crown, but the whereabouts of that have been hidden for the past ten years and no one has a clue where to begin. The last known sighting was in Amberglen, but some believe it to be with The Monarchy.”

I need to be making a note of all of this.

Holy shit.

The vision fades and I drop my hand, letting the real world come back into view.

“Raven?”

“Yes?” I croak, shaken with shock.

Creed crouches down to meet my gaze, surprise flitting through his gaze. “Did you see all of that?”

My eyes widen as I nod. “You guys saw it too?”

“Yeah, it played out like a projection on the table.”

Crawling out from under the table, I stand, dusting myself off as I glance around at everyone. “Did any of you guys manage to see the other person? I could only see Burton.”

Eldon shakes his head, but as he opens his mouth to speak, the thud of footsteps garners our attention.

“Fuck. Quick, this way,” Leila whisper-shouts, waving for us to follow her farther into the room where a small alcove sits in the shadows. She tucks herself away in the corner and the rest of us follow suit. Zane accesses his magic, and without a word, we all connect once again to become invisible.

My heart races in my chest, but the curiosity over who it could be is short-lived as Burton steps into the room. Fitch is a step behind him, dragging someone along with him, and my frown only deepens when I see it’s Sebastian.

Burton tugs at the lapels of his blazer as he circles the table. “I’m assuming no one saw you,” he says, turning to watch Fitch release Sebastian in the middle of the room, who sits defeated where he’s left.

“Of course not. But we don’t have long. The meeting was called for seven, which is in thirty minutes,” Fitch explains. “Why is he here anyway?”

Burton’s jaw tightens as he shakes his head at Sebastian. “His control is wavering. His decisions are faltering. Guilt seems to have taken over him since he secured the target from Ruben.”

His what is what now? Why does Burton know about that? I thought that order had come from Erikel, especially since it was passed on to one of his men. Nausea burns the back of my throat as they talk about Sebastian like he’s not there, and he remains silent and still.

“How do you want me to handle it?”

“I’m sure punishment with a fresh load of magic will do the trick,” Burton bites, and Sebastian whips his head up, fear in his eyes.

“Please,” he rasps, trying to move back, but Fitch already has him by the collar.

I blindly clutch Brax’s hand as magic lifts Sebastian just off his feet. His school blazer, shirt, and tie are removed, revealing his back. My free hand cups my mouth as horror burns in my eyes.

His flesh is red and raw. Line after line of pain and brutality cover his skin, and the source of it now rests in Fitch’s hands.

A whip.

I glance at Leila out of the corner of my eye to see the same horror written all over her face. Any inkling that she had any knowledge of this is dismissed with the pain and disbelief that makes her tremble.

“Three lashings. Let’s make sure he has a reminder for the next few days,” Burton orders, and Fitch doesn’t need any further encouragement as he pulls his hand down and lets the sound of the whip cut through the air before it connects with Sebastian’s back.

Fuck.

Emotion clogs my throat. My brother is an asshole. There’s no lie in that, but has that been his own doing…or theirs? Either way, I can’t watch. It’s too painful.

The second and third lashes of the whip have Sebastian crying out, the sound is raw and jagged, but I force myself to remain where I am. I don’t have the whole picture, and until I do, I can’t reveal us.

“Now, remember your place, Hendrix,” Burton hisses, and I open my eyes in time to see him place his hand on Sebastian’s face, fingers splayed as he chants something under his breath. My brother falls to the floor a moment later.

I sense Leila’s panic and movement, and when I turn to face her, I see the tears tracking down her face.

“I can’t go home to him. I can’t,” she whispers, her bottom lip jittering with every word.

“You have to, Leila. This is bigger than us. Bigger than everything, and they can’t know that we know,” I breathe in response when I’m sure they haven’t heard her. She shakes her head vigorously, but Burton moves around the table, regaining our attention.

“Prepare for the gathering and get rid of him,” Burton hisses, waving a hand at Sebastian’s limp body on the floor. I expect Fitch to dismiss him, but before he can grab Sebastian, Burton has him by the scruff of his collar. “Do your job, or the next time, it won’t be a lashing; it will be your life. You thought you could hide this little guild from me? You fool.”

I frown, my heart racing so fast I’m certain it’s going to burst from my chest. Hide the guild from him? He’s the leader, what the fuck does that mean? I glance to Creed beside me, who shakes his head, obviously just as confused as I am.

“We even had to kick your daughter out of the guild to keep up with the ruse,” Fitch adds, taking Sebastian from Burton’s hold and tossing him over his shoulder. He’s unresponsive, but they continue to vocalize their disappointment in him.

Fuckers.

Who is Burton’s daughter, though? The only girl I know that’s been kicked out is… Genie.

She isn’t, is she? Surely, we would know about that connection, right? A quick glance at Eldon confirms he didn’t know that either.

We’re all fucked with the information overload.

“This is already making me dizzy,” Burton groans, swiping a hand down his face, and I watch in shock as his features change. His eyes darken, a scar appears, his hair lengthens, and his pristine suit morphs into layers draped with a fur coat.

Erikel.

Erikel is…Burton?

What the actual fuck?

I’m certain I’m going to pass out. There’s no denying it.

“Fitch, are you certain Burton has been disposed of properly? I can’t add to my troubles,” Erikel rasps, cracking his neck from side to side, and Fitch nods.

“I’m sure. Ruben did exactly as we asked and I made sure to dispose of him myself. Burton is gone.”