“I’ve never seen such a bad case of energy depletion,” she says, her voice tight with anger. “Never!”
Maxon and I both drain our potions. Color rushes back into his cheeks, and I feel better almost immediately, the foggy exhaustion lifting from my brain. As it does, I suddenly remember the questions burning in my head, the thing I meant to do once we got back.
“I need to go talk to Professor Dal,” I mutter to Maxon out of the corner of my eye when my back is turned. “Can you stay here with Kaia? I’ll be right back.”
Maxon looks like he wants to protest, but he knows it’ll be too suspicious if we both leave, so he reluctantly agrees. I feel a little guilty leaving him, knowing that he’s about to be bombarded with questions, but I need to talk to Professor Dal before I speak to the headmistress.
Something still feels off about this, and I can’t decide if the demon was making shit up to freak me out or if someone was really leading reapers to it. None of this make sense, which makes me go back to my original theory that the demon was able to somehow open a portal just enough to pull a student out. I turn the theory over in my head the entire walk to Professor Dal’s office.
“Good evening, Ms. Blake,” Professor Juvan says, coming out right as I get to the door. It’s always locked and I couldn’t get in if I tried. “Can I assist you with anything?” He eyes my dirty clothes and rat’s nest hair, eyebrows raised.
“Actually, yes. I need to talk to Professor Dal? Is he in his office?”
“He is,” she says with a smile. “I just saw him in there. Head on in.”
“Thank you,” I say, and duck in through the door, walking as fast as I can without looking suspicious.
I stop right outside his office. “Professor Dal?”
The door is ajar and I peer inside. A large fire roars in the fireplace, crackling and popping and calling me to it. I’m still so freaking cold and I want to go in, sink down onto the couch, and have warm tea and cookies again, just like I did my first night here.
“Professor Dal?” I call again, and knock on the door. It swings open when I knock, and I step inside, drawn to the heat of the fire. It looks like Professor Dal will be back shortly. Waiting in here won’t do any harm.
Head spinning, I go over to the fire and hold out my hands. How the hell did the Red Skull figure out how to open a portal?
It doesn’t make sense, but if anyone can dissect scary demon behavior, it’s Professor Dal.
One of the logs falls, sending a wave of embers flying out. I step back to avoid them, and then go over by Professor Dal’s desk to grab a fire poker so I can move the logs around.
But then I see something that gets my attention. It’s my name, written on a list on his desk. I shouldn’t snoop, shouldn’t see if it has to do with my grade in his class or anything. But then I see Maxon’s name.
And Blaze’s.
And Kaia’s.
“What?” I whisper, and inch closer, stealing a glance behind me at the open door. I suck in a breath and sink my teeth into my lower lip. I lean in and read the names on the list, some of which have been scratched out.
Dorian
Terrence
Blaze
Kaia
Maxon
What the hell? Half the people on that list are dead or—holy fucking shit.
I jump back as everything clicks into place. It’s Professor Dal! My hand flies to my mouth to cover the scream that wants to come out. The Red Skull hasn’t been sneaking in to steal students. Professor Dal is sending them right to it!
I know for a fact he set up Maxon and Blaze, telling them they were worthy fighters who were better than the rest. He’s been saying the same thing to me…though really, it makes no sense whatsoever for him to have sent me on that mission this morning.
But he did, because he knew the Red Skull would show up. No one would have suspected it if I died. I was new, inexperienced, and thought I was special. How sad that I died. What a shame.
I back up slowly, shaking my head back and forth. Professor Dal was the one who pressed the story about Terrence running away. He’s the one who lied about Blaze sneaking off on his own.
He’s covering this all up…but why? Why is he working with a demon? I turn, eyes going back to the fire. I stare at it until my vision goes blurry.
