Mazen just laughed and flipped him off. He seemed alotmore relaxed now that he wasn’t attached to Lola all the time. I was pretty sure that was the whole point. Twist Mazen into doing something he couldn’t come back from since he’s the only one immune to Apep’s stare and baby trap him so they’d always be connected.
“There has to be a pattern,” Khalid said. “Serial killers usually pick their victims for a reason. We need to figure out what they all have in common.”
“Lola is pretty nasty. How do we know she’s not just having her boyfriend take out people she doesn’t like?” Alexios said.
“No, I think Erica was just in her way. She needed Radames and me for something. I haven’t told himeverything, butI told him Lola tried to drug and rape another student and he should probably stay away from her. He pointed out he was never as taken with her as I was and all he’s really trying to do is graduate so he can go back to Egypt to be a priest like his baba.”
“He still wants to be a priest after finding out magic is real and he’s the reincarnation of a god?” Khalid asked.
“No, I get it,” Sage said. “If he was devout, then all of this is proof that his god is real, too. It wouldn’t have changed his beliefs, it would have just made them stronger. If it keeps him away from Lola, then it’s a good thing.”
“Are you getting any feelings around Radames?” I asked.
Because we couldn’t rule him out. We couldn’t rule anyone out that we hadn’t personally vetted.
“He feels closed down and repressed. He’s hard to get a read on.”
“That about describes him,” Mazen said. “He’s also rather judgmental, but rarelysaysanything shitty. He just looks at you like you know he’s thinking it.”
“I mean, I do that, too, but for different reasons. There’s nothing wrong with it. Sometimes, a well-placed glare lets someone know what they just said was probably the dumbest thing ever uttered,” I said.
“So, we need to figure out who had a connection to everyone on the other side of the school who got hurt, right? I actually prefer them to this side of the school. Of course, I hadn’t really met any of you. I play rugby after class most nights and then we all go drink at the tavern. Most of the supernatural students and older reincarnations hang out there. I seeyouin there when Liam gets a bug up his arse to grace everyone with a song and you really need to do that more, mate. The rest of our year barely goes except Mazen and Radames and Radames barely talks to anyone when he’s there and doesn’t partake in alcohol.”
“Lola hates the tavern and won’t go, so her followers won’t, either. Most of our year are her followers.”
“Excuse me, but how can she hate the tavern? You aren’t allowed to sing if you suck and if you try, they throw fruit at you. Either way, you are entertained,” Liam said.
I thought I was going to hate the tavern, too, but I thought it was a pub where drunk university students could sing off key and mangle the lyrics. It wasn’t like that. Everyone who got up was fantastic, and I didn’tmindbeing able to pelt fruit at someone assaulting my ears.
“Listen, Lola hasterribletaste in music, but she thinks it’s everyone else whose music sucks. She didn’t even like it when she heard Liam sing.”
Which was odd becauseIhad particular taste in music. No one in the tavern was singing the genres I liked, but I still enjoyed myself because they were good. Liam had some kind of magic when he sang. He healed the trees and helped Khalid change back. I wondered if Lola not liking it and avoiding the tavern was a clue to killing her for good.
“Yet another reason to get stabby with Doris,” Liam growled.
“Apep could be an older student. Did you see anyone around the people who died or disappeared?” Khalid asked.
“Um, I’m not sure what my big super power is, but I’m pretty sure it involves fire and not being able to tell who is about to be the victim of homicidal void beings. I don’t exactly know who I’m supposed to be paying attention to,” Adrian said.
“No, but I’m supposed to have that ability,” Sage said. “They keep us separated from that side of the school unless they know who we are and that we need to be in special classes with supernaturals. If they are picking their victims from the tavern, I might be able to feel it. And Ialwayswant to hear Liam sing.”
“Good because I’ve listened to my baba talk about his work. Every serial killer has a pattern with their victims. Ithasto be the same with gods. Even knowing what I know about Apep, I don’t know how he’s picking his victims or the point of everything he’s doing.”
It was a start. Khalid and I needed to do a deep dive in the supernatural dark web, but sticking Sage where Apep might be hunting victims was the best idea we’d had so far.
Even with everything going on, we still had to go to class. We honestly really needed our shifting class. Khalid got stuck and Lucian’s bat was still fighting him. Liam was slowly turning into something a little less human and I hadn’t figured out shapeshifting at all.
“Has anyone shifted or felt their animal since the last class?” Professor Theron asked.
She always started the lesson by asking, even if we sometimes went weeks with no one having an answer. Khalid and Adrian’s hand shot up. I still didn’t know who the fuck Adrian was, but it wouldn’t shock me if he was the original incubus.
“I accidentally shifted and then I got stuck,” Khalid admitted.
“Interesting. Yet, I’m not looking at a jackal. I take it you figured it out?”
“Not exactly. Some bad things were happening when I shifted and I couldn’t figure out how to change back. Sage pet me and had Liam sing. I figured it out.”
“The Horned Godisnature. When Liam figures out how to use his magic, he could just command all of your animals to come forth. Some of you have met Morgana, who is a year ahead of you. She and I can do it as well, but none of us are going to do that. It’s traumatic to your beast and if you yank them forward before they are ready, they’ll never trust you or work with you. Adrian, tell me what you felt and if it has anything to do with your penis, I’m going to get creative with my arrows when you least expected it.”
