I squint for a moment, my eyes widening as something occurs to me. “Was he trafficking them across realms, too?”
Her nose wrinkles, and she looks at that far spot on the wall at ceiling level, which I’ve decided means ‘yes’, but she also doesn’t know everything about that. I have to lean back against my chair as that admission makes my own emotions spiral immediately; Rebel, Reck, and I were trafficked across realms, and Reck was traded/sold a second time. I always wondered how that was even possible with all the permissions people need to have to go between the realms, but I figured it was because there were Fae doing the trafficking themselves, like a twist on a changeling myth.
Unfortunately, my new friend just revealed that might be the tip of the iceberg, and I have no idea what I’m going to do with that information.
Twenty-Four
ZAVIDA
Jasper has been surprisingly quiet since the jovial bear called him out. An introspective dragon isn’t a common occurrence, and I think it’s about time my lover had a good think about how dumb he’s being. I’ve done my best to help him work out his feelings and traumas surrounding Kat for months. However, this time, he needs to figure out what he’s doing wrong on his own. Otherwise, I fear Slash is right—he can’t expect to ever be mature enough to run an entire realm and not turn into his goddamn dad.
None of that means I don’t love him, nor does it mean I don’t get why he’s so fucked up—I just want him to grow up a little.
“This place iswaytoo fucking big to search in any worthwhile fashion,” Lucas grumbles before he coughs. “Why iseverythingin this place so enormous? Does the King have an inferiority complex or something?”
That gets a choked laugh out of my prince, and he stalks over to look at the bear. “You really don’t have a filter, do you, kid?”
Shrugging, Lucas rubs his hand on the back of his neck. “I do, but I don’t see how mincing words helps us if we’re all gonna be buddies and shit.”
Ignatius pokes his head out of the bathroom near the edge of the field, making a weird sound as he moves back to the group. “That area needs a deep cleaning, but it’s clear. Maybe we should…” He stops to cough into his hand and then goes on, “move on? I don’t think we’re going to find anything in the arena.”
What is with the two of… oh, shit!
Turning to Jasper and Angelo, I wave my hands until they’re paying attention. “Guys… we forgot…”
The elder twin frowns as he tosses a bunch of towels on the ground beside the lockers. “Forgot what? How to keep this damn campus clean? Because I gotta say, Darkstar is fucking failing at that big time. It wasmuchless shitty when we were here.”
Jasper snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yes, when you spent as little time as possible anywhere on campus, you noticed a sizeable difference in?—”
My tails fan out, shivering as my Kitsune pushes a loud, foxy screech out of me without my permission. They both shut up, and Jasper blinks in surprise as I glare. “Sorry to be dramatic, but… I think Iggy and Lucas are going to suffocate if we don’t get those… things? The air, Jas, we forgot about the air.”
The prince’s eyes widen, and he smacks his palm on his forehead. “Shit, shit, shit! We did. Zav, you need to go into one of the rooms and use your power to find the Doc. Once he comes here, he can help them, and you can find out if any of the others are having problems. If they’re not outside as we have been, it might not be as bad.”
I frown, watching the tall polar bear sink to the ground as he coughs. “On it. Back soon.”
That said, I zip into a portal rather than running because I may have noticed this at the end of the two non-demon blooded folks’ ability to stay oxygenated appropriately. When I step out in front of Dr. D’s office, I rap on the door hard, hoping he’s listening. Luckily, the door opens immediately and I’m able to pant out, “Need help. Arena. Visitors. Air.”
His robes shiver, and the demon’s flames increase on his head as he stares at me. “That is quite unfortunate planning, Master Zavida. Come inside so I can grab my things, and we will travel there via my powers. You must breathe, though, and calm yourself should I need assistance. Is Master Kit okay?”
I follow him into the office, closing it behind me as we enter the exam area. “K—Kit isn’t there. Um, we have some… unofficial visitors… on campus. He’s in the room with some… friends… and we’re… uh, giving tours of the campus in groups?”
Dank puts his mask on, and even with it on, I feel the look of disbelief he’s giving me. “Your visitors must have come a long way to be so affected by our environs. Would that be why you did not bring them here rather than travel to fetch me?”
This old goat is so fucking sharp he could cut diamonds.
“Yeah, sort of?” I scratch my chin as he gathers a bunch of things and stuffs them in his black bag. “The Prince is anxiously awaiting us so his guests don’t… die.”
A rusty chuckle echoes in the room, and the ancient demon holds up his hands, summoning a portal with so little effort that it scares me. “The young are so very dramatic. They won’t die ofsuffocation this quickly; the effects take quite a few hours to set in.”
I turn red as I gesture for him to follow me into the portal quickly. “Um, the guests in the groups have been here for a couple of hours. We sort of forgot about this issue because some of themdohave demon blood, and…”
The physician makes a worried sound, bustling past me into the void at my words. When we both appear in the arena, I’m shocked to see both the professorandthe bear on the ground, sprawled out. Anxiety fills me as I worry it took too long, but Angelo grins at me.
“We knocked them out, so they’d breathe more shallowly.”
Jasper turns to look at the doc sheepishly. “Sorry, Dr. D. I really didn’t know what else to do when they started turning different colors. Clocking the assholes was all I could think of quickly.”
The doc’s robes shiver again, and I arch a brow as a feather escapes. “Prince Jasper, you should know better than this. Allowing non-demonic beings to walk our realm without equipment or spells is irresponsible.”
