13. Raven

RAVEN

Seconds drift into minutes which fade into hours. I keep walking, putting one foot in front of the other, despite having no fucking clue where I’m actually going or even if I’m even heading in the right direction.

The sandstone beneath my feet hasn’t changed, going on for miles and miles as I wonder if I’m stuck in a time loop or something. The only sign that the world is moving around me is that the sun is slowly setting. It’s falling to my right, my only indication that I’m moving south. It’s a risky move, but after considering how doom and gloom Shadowmoor and Ashdale are described, I would assume that this is the complete opposite. I am betting all my chances on the fact that I’m still north of Silvercrest. If I ever find a town or a sign, then I can reassess.

It serves as a reminder that I was supposed to be getting ready for the party now and I wonder if anyone has realized I’m not there. The Bishops are likely enjoying some peace and quiet, and Leila probably won’t notice until she’s ready to leave.

I’m going to die out here.

Perfect.

What a way to go, and at the hand of Sebastian too. That’s what pisses me off the most.

Is this where my life starts to flash before my eyes? The world tilting on its axis to remind me of all the mistakes I’ve made and all the things I never got to experience?

Sighing, I roll my neck, trying to ease the tension that has caused my muscles to bunch together.

I need to stop being so dramatic and keep pushing. Something will eventually appear on the horizon; a glimmer of hope, somewhere to take shelter, or even somewhere to find a drink. At this stage, I’d take a mirage, anything, just something more than the orange and cream rock formations surrounding me.

Hiking my backpack up my shoulders, I kick at the stones as I walk. As if seeing the sandstone in every direction I turn isn’t enough, I’m covered in it too. It clings to my uniform and skin with a vengeance I wish to harness for myself.

“Raven.”

I freeze, a chill running down my spine as I glance around. Where the fuck did my name just come from? When nothing appears, I’m sure it’s a figment of my imagination and I continue walking. I’ve only taken a handful of steps when I hear it again.

“Raven.”

It’s like my name is floating on the wind, cocooning around me as the rest of the scenery remains the same.

“Raven.”

Wetting my parched lips, I spin on the spot. “Hello?” My voice is meeker than I would prefer, but my spine is ramrod straight with anticipation.

All I can hear is my breath, surrounded by silence, which confirms it’s all in my head.

Fuck.

Placing the sun to my right again, I take two more steps before I’m stopped dead in my tracks by a hard chest. I gasp, startled by the obstruction, and look up to find Creed staring down at me with a frown firmly locked in place.

“Creed?” I’m sure he’s the mirage I’ve been waiting for, but when I lift my hand to his chest, testing his actual presence, he doesn’t disappear. “Creed?”

“Where the fuck have you been?”

My head rears back, my eyebrows pinching at his tone as I wave my hand around. “Where does it look like I’ve been?”

Shaking his head, Creed squeezes my shoulders before taking a step back. “Don’t go anywhere.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him where the hell he thinks I’m going to go, but it’s too late. He’s already disappeared. Glancing from left to right, I blink, confused as hell over what’s just happened, when a rift rips through the air in front of me. One by one, the Bishops step through the anomaly, their frowns getting darker as each one lays eyes on me.

I’ve been pleading for help, a savior to spite the depressive wasteland I’m stuck in, but by the looks on their faces, I’d rather face this mess alone.

“Where have you been?” Brax grunts while Zane and Eldon glance around at the bleak surroundings.

“Don’t ask—”

I wave my hand, cutting Creed’s response off as my nostrils flare. Avoiding Brax’s glare, I stare at his chest. “Does this look like somewhere I would choose to come to? I have no fucking clue how I got here, I just arrived here from the transport. I’ve been walking for hours, miles, and nothing has changed around me. So, I really don’t need you showing up and yelling at me. If you’re here to be helpful, I might find it in me to use my manners and say thank you, but your surly attitude isn’t making it likely.”

“Raven, we’ve been looking for you for hours,” Eldon explains, swiping a hand down his face.

They have?

“Why?” I fold my arms over my chest, putting an invisible barrier between us as I still refuse to meet their gaze.

“What do you mean why? Why wouldn’t we? You’re a part of our house,” Zane states, like that makes perfect sense. I’m almost sure he will bring up the damn housemate handbook again, but to my surprise, he doesn’t.

“We were waiting for you at the gateways in Silvercrest, Raven. What happened?” Creed asks, his voice remaining calm, lulling me into a sense of security I instantly don’t like but fall victim to anyway.

“Sebastian happened,” I groan, squeezing my arms tighter together. “None of that matters now. Can you please just take me back?”

No one initially answers, reluctantly making me lift my eyes to meet Creed’s for the briefest second. The moment I do, he nods. “I can do that, but this conversation isn’t over.”

“I didn’t expect it to be.”

He closes his eyes and I watch in awe as he lifts his hand above his head and slowly slices it down to his knees, opening a rift before my very eyes. So Creed created the rift? What the fuck?

I keep my lips locked tight as he nods for me to proceed. Despite my uncertainty, I reach my hand through first before stepping to the other side, surprised that no weird sensation runs through my veins as I cross over to find myself in our house.

Home.

Shit, I didn’t think that was ever going to happen.

I don’t glance back as I charge for my bedroom door, but before I can reach for the key in my pocket, I’m blocked off by a bulky frame.

Brax.

Sighing, I turn away from him and head for the kitchen. I can feel all of their eyes on me, watching my every move as I grab a bottle of water and guzzle it down in one breath. I can’t imagine what I look like, but I don’t care.

I’m aware that a conversation is going to need to be had before they’ll let me leave. I’d rather get it over with sooner rather than later, so I take a seat on the coffee table, not wanting to sully the sofa with my dirt from the wastelands. I kick off my shoes and tuck my legs under me.

Hoping to deflect from myself for a moment, I turn to Creed, who takes the seat across from me. “You can do that?” I ask, and he nods, aware I’m referring to the rifts. “Is that why you’re grouped with the psychics?” He nods again, still not engaging in a conversation, but there are things I would like to know here too. “Where was I?”

“You were in the surrounding wastelands of Ashdale,” Zane explains, sitting beside me.

Dammit. I definitely should have been heading north instead of south.

“How did you guys find me?” I look down at my hands, not wanting them to see any sign of vulnerability in my expression.

“That would be me.” My eyes widened in surprise at Creed. “I’m still training, so it took some time, and I had to call out your name in hopes of you responding, so thanks for that.”

Is this guy seriously thanking me when it was him who found me?

“I think I should be thanking you.” I hate to give in to them but, surprisingly, none of them make a big deal out of it.

“How did Sebastian get you out there, Raven?” Brax asks, cutting the conversation back to me.

I shrug. “I was stepping through the gateway after everyone else in my group, and he shoulder checked me into another rift.”

“Fucker,” Eldon grunts, mimicking my thoughts as I swipe a hand down my face.

“I shouldn’t be surprised. Not after his last attack.”

“You do know what the wastelands surrounding Ashdale are known for, right?” I can’t help but spy Brax pacing back and forth in front of me, but I keep my head low.

“Nope.”

“How? How can you not fucking know? Do you want to die? Is that it?” His words bite, raising my defenses even higher as my hands clench. Despite the annoyance and anger consuming me, I simply shrug, not offering him more. But it seems he isn’t willing to accept that. “Don’t brush me off, Raven.”

He crouches in front of me and I force my gaze lower. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me genuinely vulnerable. I can play timid all day long. I can avoid their gaze, step back from their demands, and save all of my ruthlessness for when it’s needed most.

I’m very aware that I’m outnumbered here, and at the academy as a whole. I can’t talk a big game when I have zero magic to back it up, and knowing that Creed and Zane used their abilities to find me is only another reminder of that.

“What are you hiding from us, Raven?” Brax pushes. “Why is it such a hard fucking task to tell us why you don’t know things like what the wastelands are known for? Why can’t you share your magic abilities? For this to work, we must be on the same side.” His words surprise me, but they don’t make me relent. His hands suddenly land on my upper arms, shaking me a little. “Look at me, Raven! All you do is avoid my gaze, and it’s driving me insane!”

My mouth pops open in shock as my gaze immediately finds his. His eyes hold me captive—one brown, one green, both brewing a storm ready to rage before me. I frown when his hands clench tighter around my arms, and I look down to find his fingers a cold shade of gray. What the hell?

“You’re hurting me,” I mumble, not in any distress at all as I stare at the startling difference and he quickly releases me. Leaning back, he quickly removes his hands from view and when they return a moment later, they’re tanned and calloused again.

Eldon did mention earlier that Brax was under the shifter category, but what is gray like that?

“Raven.” I blink at Eldon over Brax’s shoulder. “The wastelands. If you had been there in another hour or two, you would be dead. Why don't you know that?”

Leaning back in my seat, I make eye contact with all four of them and decide to relent on one fact at least. “I left Amber Glen when I was four. Until the day I arrived at the academy, I hadn’t spent a moment outside of Shadowmoor.”

“Not even one?” Zane blurts, brows touching his hairline as I nod.

“You aren’t taught anything beyond the borders of Shadowmoor because you’re never going to leave. You heard them in class the other day. They suppress the region and the people within it. Until now, there was no reason for me to know anything at all.”

“Fuck,” Eldon grunts, and I’m sure there’s a glimpse of sympathy in his eyes, but I look away before I can confirm it.

“What else aren’t you telling us, Raven?”

I gulp despite myself, feeling Brax’s intense gaze as he waits for an answer.

“There’s nothing more you need to know.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Raven.”

“Stop thinking you deserve to know everything about me. I’ve survived this long on my own. I can continue,” I bite back, my gut clenching with how he keeps saying my name. It stokes a fire in my heart and coils my veins simultaneously.

“What aren’t you fucking telling us?”

I scoff this time, untucking my legs and planting them on the floor beside him, but he doesn’t move as I loom above him. “Like I trust you.”

“Show me your magic.”

My eyes flash to his, my nose wrinkling as we both glare at each other.

“No.”

“We’re the only ones here looking out for you. If we weren’t set on finding you, you’d be unknowingly getting ready to battle with fucking serpents right now. Show me your magic.”

Serpents? No thanks. But despite my relief at being saved, I still don’t have the guts to admit the truth. “No.”

“You said you were a medic, right? Heal me.” He extends a finger, and I watch in surprise as it turns gray again. His nail sharpens as he brings the pointed edge toward his arm and panic kicks in.

He wouldn’t. He fucking wouldn’t.

The tip pierces his skin and before I can stop myself, I stretch out and grab his wrist. “Don’t.”

“Heal me.”

“No.”

“Heal. Me,” he repeats, digging a little deeper as a knock sounds on the front door.

“I can’t,” I admit when it’s clear he’s not interested in whoever is on the other side.

“Why?” I shake my head, but he presses harder and blood droplets trickle down his arm.

Fuck.

“Because I can’t, okay? I’m a fucking Void.”