28. Corvus

28

CORVUS

As we make our way back towards MistHallow, I feel a sense of unease. Everything Malachar revealed sits heavily on all of us, but especially on Addy. I watch her out of the corner of my eye, noting the determined set of her jaw and the fire in her eyes. She's scared, I can tell, but she's also angry. That will get her so far, but then she has to accept that this is how it is.

The forest around us is too quiet. I extend my vampire senses, searching for any sign of the shadow creatures or other threats. So far, nothing, but that doesn't mean we're safe.

"Everyone stay alert," I murmur, loud enough for the others to hear. "We don't know what we might run into."

Zephyr nods, his shadows curling around us protectively. Ignatius's hands are wreathed in flames, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Zaiah's white eyes glow faintly, scanning our surroundings.

As we approach the campus of MistHallow, the devastation becomes apparent. Parts of the school are in ruins, smoke still rising from some of the buildings.

"Fucking hell," I mutter, taking in the destruction.

"It's worse than I thought," Zephyr says, his voice tight.

We pick our way carefully through the rubble, heading towards what's left of the dining hall. The silence is oppressive, broken only by the crunch of debris under our feet and the occasional crackle of dying fires.

"I expected more," Ignatius says.

"More what, exactly?" Addy asks.

"Destruction."

"MistHallow is a magickal place. It'll be fixed completely by tomorrow. It's doing its best," Zaiah chides, almost lovingly of the Academy.

As we round a corner, we come face to face with a group of shadow creatures. They're different from the ones we've encountered before - larger, more solid, with glowing red eyes that fix on us with predatory intent.

"Fuck," I spit out, dropping into a fighting stance.

Before any of us can stop her, Adelaide raises her hand. The shadows seem to hesitate, their forms wavering. Then, to my utter astonishment, they bow.

"They're not the enemy," she says.

"Holy shit," Zephyr grits out. "How can we fucking tell them apart?"

"You don't. I do," she says and marches on, making me fall in love with her all over again.

"What a woman," I state.

"She is incredible," Ignatius replies.

We continue on, the shadow creatures falling in behind us like some sort of dark honour guard. It's unsettling, to say the least, but I can't deny the advantages of having them on our side.

The dining hall is a mess when we arrive; tables are overturned, and food is scattered everywhere. But miraculously, the synthetic blood dispenser is still intact.

"Thank fuck for small mercies," Addy mutters, making a beeline for it.

As she drinks her fill, we stand around her protectively.

"Enough," I say, once she has had her third cup full.

She nods reluctantly but places the cup back down. "Library it is, then."

We make our way through the ruined corridors of MistHallow, our footsteps echoing in the silence. The shadow creatures continue to follow us, their presence a constant reminder of the bizarre situation we find ourselves in.

As we approach the library, I can feel the magick in the air intensifying. It's like static electricity, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Something's different," Zaiah murmurs. "The energies are shifting."

We push open the library doors and come to a halt. The room has transformed. Books float in mid-air, their pages fluttering, caught in an invisible wind. The statue of Morgana has come to life, her stone eyes following our movements.

"Well, this is new," Ignatius says, his voice filled with awe.

"Or very old," I correct him.

Addy steps forward, her hand outstretched towards the statue. As her fingers brush the cold stone, there's a flash of light, and suddenly, the floor beneath us begins to shift.

"Everyone, grab onto something!" I shout as the ground starts to tilt.

We scramble for purchase as the floor turns into a steep slide, sending us tumbling down into darkness. I reach out, managing to grab Addy's hand as we fall. I can hear the others yelling, their voices echoing in the dark.

We land hard on a cold stone floor, the breath knocked out of me. As I struggle to my feet, I hear Zephyr's voice.

"Is everyone alright?"

A chorus of groans answers him. Slowly, we all get to our feet, taking stock of our surroundings.

As we gather our bearings, I realise we're in a vast underground chamber. The air is so potent I can almost taste it. Strange, pulsing crystals embedded in the walls provide a haunting, shifting light.

But our moment of calm is short-lived. A low rumble echoes through the chamber, and the ground beneath our feet begins to shake.

"What now?" Ignatius groans, flames dancing at his fingertips.

From the shadows at the far end of the chamber, we hear a guttural growl. Something's coming, and it doesn't sound friendly.

"Everyone, be ready," I warn, dropping into a defensive stance.

A massive creature emerges from the darkness. It's unlike anything I've ever seen - part beast, part shadow, with glowing runes etched into its dark hide. Its eyes burn with a preternatural light as it fixes its gaze on us.

"Fuck me, that's big," Zephyr mutters.

The beast charges, its massive form shaking the ground with each step. We scatter, narrowly avoiding its initial attack.

"Ignatius!" I shout. "Light it up!"

"Way ahead of you, mate!" A stream of fire erupts from his hands, illuminating the chamber and momentarily blinding the creature. It roars in pain and fury, thrashing wildly.

Zaiah's eyes glow brighter as he reaches out with his djinn magick, trying to manipulate the space around the beast. "I can't hold it for long!" he grunts, sweat beading on his forehead.

Zephyr's shadows dart forward, wrapping around the creature's legs, trying to slow it down. But it's strong, breaking free with a mighty heave.

"Stop," Adelaide commands, her voice ringing with authority.

To my utter amazement, the creature halts mid-charge. It's struggling against some invisible force, its eyes fixed on Addy.

"We're not here to fight," Addy continues, her voice steady despite the strain evident on her face. "We seek knowledge to save MistHallow."

The beast regards her for a long moment, its gaze seeming to pierce right through her. Then, slowly, it begins to change. Its form shifts and shrinks, the shadows melting away to reveal a book.

A very old, very powerful-looking book.

"Whoa," I mutter, as Addy steps forward to pick it up.

"It was a test," Zaiah says, his voice filled with awe.

Addy nods, running her fingers over the book's worn cover. "And I think we passed."

As if in response to her words, the shelves around us glow. Books float down, arranging themselves on a large table that materialises in the centre of the chamber.

"These must contain the information we need," Zephyr says, approaching the table cautiously.

I nod, still on guard. "Alright, let's get to work. We need to find out everything we can about the merging of realms, our roles in it, and how to control it."

We each grab a book and settle in to read. The texts are dense, filled with arcane knowledge and complex magickal theories. All shit that is way above my pay grade.

I look up from my book with a huff. The information is fascinating but incredibly dense. I'm reading about the nature of the barriers between realms, how they've weakened over time, and the potential consequences of their complete dissolution.

"Anyone else's head feels like it's about to explode?" Ignatius groans, pushing his book away.

"Join the club," Zephyr mutters.

Zaiah, however, seems completely absorbed in his reading, his eyes darting back and forth across the pages at an inhuman speed. Sometimes, I forget just how much knowledge a djinn can process.

Addy looks up from her own book. "I think I'm starting to understand some of this," she says slowly. "The merging of realms. It's not realms as we know it. It's me and her."

"So, the NetherRealm is her, and you are the Earthly Realm?"

"Something like that."

I nod, piecing together what I've learned with her insights. "And our roles are not meant to stop it or control it. We're meant to guide it, to ensure that the merging happens in a way that doesn't destroy everything in the process."

"Yeah."

"But how?" Zephyr asks, frustrated. "How are we supposed to guide something that could potentially kill Adelaide?"

"I think," Zaiah says, "it has to do with our individual abilities. Each of us represents a different aspect of reality, a different type of magick. Together, we form a sort of balance."

Ignatius snaps his fingers, a small flame dancing between them as he thinks. "Right, like how I represent transformation and purification."

"And my shadow magick," Zephyr adds, catching on, "it's about balance between light and dark."

I nod, feeling a sense of clarity dawning. "My vampiric nature bridges life and death, mortal and immortal."

"And I," Zaiah says, his voice filled with wonder, "I'm meant to be the bridge itself. My djinn abilities allow me to create and manipulate pathways between realms, but I need our combined power to create it. Without it, I'll fail."

We all turn to Addy, who's been quietly listening to our musings. She takes a deep breath. "And I'm the Nexus," she says softly. "The focal point through which all of this happens. The conduit for balancing and directing the energies of the realms."

"With Crimson Shadow as the wild card," I add, unable to keep the edge from my voice.

Addy nods, her expression troubled. "Yeah. She's complicated. As Queen of the NetherRealm, she wants to go home, but how dangerous is that?"

We all fall silent, contemplating the enormity of what we've learned. It's a lot to take in, a responsibility greater than anything we could have imagined when we first came to MistHallow.

"So," Zephyr says after a moment, "I'm thinking that we do this as soon as possible. I hate waiting. It pisses me off."

"Yeah, same. Action over inaction. We do this at nightfall."

Adelaide draws in a deep breath. "At nightfall."

"Do we know anything else about the ritual?" I ask Zephyr.

"Blood and sex," he answers with a wicked grin.

"Sounds like a good time," I say with a laugh, but I catch Addy's eye. She is nervous, and rightly so. Everything hinges on her being able to separate from Crimson and force her through to the NetherRealm while staying alive and not destroying any realm while she's at it. No pressure.