Page 132 of Plug and Drain

But it was hard to begin when she was staring at him like that—like she wasn’t sure what to do with him. Did she regret inviting him in?

Susie spoke, putting him out of his misery. “Why did you drink Oscar’s blood? Was that really necessary? Or was that just for show?”

She didn’t sound angry, but she was clearly uncomfortable by what she’d had to witness.

Arken hadn’t particularly relished drinking from Oscar—for a whole host of reasons. As a student, Oscar was his responsibility. Oscar had assaulted Susie, and then had nearly done so again. And then there was the fact that once Oscar was deceased, drinking from him felt wrong, just feeling the strength of the wolf’s blood in his veins felt like reaping the spoils of a robbery.

Arken did not share his flight of thoughts out loud. Instead, he shoved the mess away to the back of his mind.

He gave Susie a helpless smile. “I drank his blood because I’m pragmatic. It would have been a waste not to.”

She blanched. “Pragmatic?”

“I believe you share the same quality.”

Susie frowned. “And the pike? You threw his…spine onto it. And it dissolved.”

“What do you know about the pike?”

“Not much.”

“It was erected by Henrikk before I ever stepped foot onto Volmasque grounds. It is imbued with dark magic to remind me of some of my worst nightmares…and memories. You’ve no doubt heard the whispers it emits.”

That pike had haunted him during his early tenure at Volmasque.

“This wasn’t the first time you killed someone on the front steps, was it? I heard there was a professor a few years ago, who…”

Who I tortured, then killed.

A chill ran through him at the memory. Did she hope he’d deny it? He could only incline his head.

“Yes. Professor Atholomew. I was inspired to kill him from the moment I laid eyes on him. And I did so in quite a public manner—I impaled him on the pike. All to send King Henrikk a message.”

“Did it work?” Susie whispered.

His gaze flickered to her, then away. “I fear it only proved to Henrikk that he’d won; that my soul was corrupted. As for the pike, it, at least, was satisfied. It went silent for several years after that. Sooner or later, however, it always demands blood. I find I can hear it, even when I’m far from the academy.” He gave her a knowing look. “In my head.”

Susie shuddered. “That must have been awful. I’ve heard it whispering to students. Has it gotten louder? It seems more noticeable now than it did last year, but I thought perhaps it was my imagination.”

“In actual fact, you’re correct. The curse inhabiting the pike has been increasingly restless of late. It used to be quite loud. No matter where I was in the academy, it would project memories into my mind, forcing me to replay…terrible things.” He was silent for a moment as a distant memory drifted through his thoughts: a woman begging on Arken’s behalf for Henrikk to spare his life.

He continued. “After Atholomew died, I discovered that it’s possible to quieten the pike by giving it attention. It likes to whisper to students, which is how the punishment of polishing it came to be. Although, that only negates the effects marginally. Nothing quiets the pike quite like blood.”

He attempted a mock-cheerful expression, but he was certain he just looked weary. “That is why I threw Oscar’s spine at it. I fed the dark magic to quieten it.”

“That’s despicable,” Susie said.

Arken cringed. “Well, yes. I’m hardly proud of—”

“No, I mean…It’s absolutely horrid and despicable of Henrikk to make you relive your traumas like that. If I had to endure a constant daily reminder of all the things that have happened to me…” She cut herself off, reconsidering her words. A small frown creased her forehead—adorable. “Henrikk was incentivising you to spill blood in order to make the pike leave you alone. It’s a weapon to manipulate you.”

“Henrikk would prefer the term ‘motivate’.”

Susie scoffed.

“Most of his weapons are like that—indirect,” Arken said. “He enjoys manipulating others into impossible situations.”

Silence fell, then dragged. Neither of them wanted to talk about Henrikk, but there were still things left to be said. Arken steered the conversation back to where it had begun. “Keeping Oscar alive was not an option. Granted, I could have sent him away, but King Henrikk was there, and he was angry. I needed something to appease him.”