Thirty minutes later, we take our typical seats in Fiend Studies. Frost was already waiting, as usual, and stubbornly looks out the window despite Maven giving him a curious look. They still haven't found their footing after exchanging secrets the other night.
Probably because Frost is a fucking idiot.
Meanwhile, as the professor waits for everyone else to take their seats, Crane rocks slightly and pulls at his wild hair, eyeing everything around us as if it's all crawling with ghostly spiders. I can sense the heaviness in Limbo around him. He isn't sleeping,and there's no fucking shot in hell that he would ever accept if I offered to help him with his parasomnia.
I pause, frowning. Was I actually just considering helping Silas fucking Crane with his sleep troubles?
Good gods. This camaraderie is like a disease. I must be more careful, or we'll all be braiding one another's hair and getting matching tattoos.
I shudder at the thought.
But I reconsider offering my help to him when I see Maven's face fall as she notices Crane's struggle. She's careful not to show emotion or weakness around people outside our quintet, though, and merely looks forward with her lips pressed tightly together.
I can't stand knowing that our girl is unhappy.
Finally, the professor clears his throat and announces that First Placement has officially been rescheduled and will take place in three days. Whispers immediately fill the room as students turn to each other with wide eyes. Aside from Decimus flirtatiously asking Maven if she wants to sit in his lap for exposure therapy, our quintet remains relatively silent.
Maven rolls her eyes but takes Decimus's hand under the desk, resting it on her thigh. I'm on her left side and rest my hand on her left thigh, curious to see if she'll push me away or tense up even minutely as she always does, regardless of who is touching her.
But this time, she doesn't.
Whether it's the subconscious therapy or her attempts at exposure therapy…it's working.
Decimus must think the same thing because he catches my eye over her head and grins. I'm beyond pleased, too, but I opt to flip him the bird with my free hand.
There will be no brotherly bonding today, thank you very much. Not on my watch.
After the rest of the classroom calms down, the professor clears his throat. "Now, then. We've gone over all known monsters and creatures found in the Nether, and you will be presenting what book you studied. But before we get to that, did anyone find anything of unique interest on this subject while browsing Everbound's wonderful libraries?"
A few students raise their hands and share tidbits, but Maven looks at Crane again with a puckered brow. Finally, she sighs as if she's made a decision.
Then she raises her hand, which takes the rest of us by surprise. Even Crane glances over with a perplexed frown.
"Yes, Miss Oakley?" the professor calls on her. He looks equally surprised, which makes me think she's never raised her hand in a class at Everbound.
"I read something that mentioned revenants."
The professor's eyes widen into saucers and his brows nearly reach his hairline. "Did you, indeed? Dear gods, this is exciting! I'm sure none of you are aware of this, but I have quite a love for learning about extinct monsters. I actually studied this particular being extensively many years ago. Which book did you find that in, may I ask?"
Maven impersonates a shy wallflower, feigning a timid shrug. "I don't remember the title."
Her performance makes me grin, but then she glances at me and the others in our quintet meaningfully. As if she's telling us to pay attention.
"No matter," the professor says, beaming at the rest of the classroom. "Well, what a treat. Since Miss Oakley has brought it up, I may as well indulge all of us. You see, as with every type of extinct monster, revenants have ceased to be taught or written about. They were all wiped out during the Great Wars hundreds of years ago. Here, let me just?—"
The overly excited professor moves to the chalkboard and begins writing notes to accompany his lecture. Meanwhile, Crane is now entirely focused, and Decimus, Frost, and I are riveted to the spot.
If Maven wants us to hear this, does that mean…?
"Trapped between life and death, a revenant was a uniquely powerful reanimated being which quite infamously used a now-defunct form of magic calledterai per vitam—or "weapon of life." In other words, through slaying the living, it could siphon a life force and use it to wield unspeakable levels of highly destructive dark energy, an unholy subset of dark magic all its own."
No wonder Maven wanted us to pay attention. My dark little obsession is keeping her promise of telling us what she is.
Namely, a revenant.
"These were powerful aberrations," the professor goes on. "Especially considering they would reanimate as many times as necessary to fulfill their given purpose. You see, at their creation, these beings would be assigned one objective to fulfill, typically one of vengeance or justice. And once they fulfilled their purpose, their soul would immediately pass on to the Beyond."
The temperature of the classroom drops, which means Frost is just as agitated as I am hearing that Maven might die as soon as she fulfills some unknown purpose.My hand tightens on Maven's thigh, but when I look at her questioningly, she stares forward without reacting.
