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“Well, yes. The wound is quite deep and sloppy. This helps avoid infection, avoids further bloodshed, and will minimize the scarring.”
Riley looked at Blaire with sadness in her eyes. “She’s going to scar?”
The nurse sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. There’s no avoiding scarring due to the severity of the wound and her inability to heal like a Vasirian.”
Blaire stared at the gauze on her arm.
“That said, please keep your stitches clean, and come to the medical department should you have any complications—redness, fever, infection, and the like. Should none of that arise, come by in two weeks and we will assess if it is time to remove them.”
The nurse wheeled the IV stand to the door, carrying a large chest with a bag resting on top of it with her. “I’m sorry this happened to you.” She left without another word.
Silence settled in the room. Blaire couldn’t believe that in a place of education something so horrific could happen. But considering this wasn’t a standard university filled with humans, it wasn’t so far-fetched. She had relaxed since being attacked in the courtyard when she first arrived. With friends, other students warming up to her, and Lukas, she had been lulled into a false sense of security. Blackthorn wasn’t much safer than the outside. The monsters were just different.
The professor locked the door behind the nurse when she left, then turned to address them all.
“I wanted to wait until she left, as I don’t know who on staff we can trust with this next bit of information I wish to share with you all.” Professor Velastra crossed the room back to Blaire’s bedside. “I believe the Order may be behind this heinous act.”
Lukas dropped his forehead to Blaire’s shoulder, muttering, “Son of a bitch.”
“Why can’t we trust the staff?” Aiden asked, slumping down onto Lukas’s bed, and running a hand through his hair.
“If the Order is behind this, it’s quite possible they have others on staff who are aware of their motives. If they get wind we are suspicious of them, I fear what the consequences might be. You can trust the staff in general, but not with this information. It would be reckless to go around pointing fingers, in any case.”
“Why would the administration do something like this?” Blaire asked.
The professor sighed, sitting down on the chair beside the bed.
“While they are Blackthorn administration, they are much more than that. The seven members who preside over the Order not only determine the fates of the students here within Blackthorn Academy and its branch locations, but they have strong connections to government officials”—she waved a hand—“and some other not-so-savory organizations.”
Mera finally spoke up from her position against the wall next to the closet. “They also preside over Vasirian in both North and South America.”
Nodding, the professor added, “Correct. Unfortunately, this information isn’t in your guidebook, as it’s something taught to our students from a young age. To give you a crash course lesson, two other councils oversee other Vasirian in the world the way the Order does for the Americas. A council located in Asia presides over the Asian region and Oceania, and a council located in Southern Africa oversees that region. Then, there’s the king…”
“King?” Blaire asked.
“Yes. There isn’t a council like the others located in Europe because the Blackthorn Clan themselves are located there. They have their own sub-council that oversees the affairs in the European region. But at the head of the Blackthorn Clan sits King Adrian Blackthorn, succeeding his father after his passing a few months ago.”
The Vasirian world was much bigger than Blaire thought. With councils all over the world, the Vasirian population must be fairly large. How had no one ever discovered them? And they had a king? It was all a bit much with everything she’d just gone through.
“The Blackthorn Clan are the be-all and end-all for our kind,” Mera added.
The professor nodded at her. “Yes, they are the quintessential element when determining the standard our race lives by. For centuries, they have set the rules and regulations that govern our kind.”
Kai shook his head and spoke up, bringing the conversation back on topic. “Why would the Order want to take Blaire’s blood, though? What value is her blood to them?”
“I suspect they wish to conduct experiments, considering this is the first time in known history that a human has manifested a Korrena mark.”
“But I don’t have a mark.”
The professor looked at Blaire. “The mark doesn’t permanently present itself until the bond is sealed, but in its early stages it can be seen on occasion by the other half of the pair.”
Blaire shook her head and pursed her lips. “No, I’ve never seen a mark on Lukas.”
“Is it possible humans aren’t able to see the mark?” Aiden asked, rubbing his neck as if trying to calm himself.
“Well,” the professor turned to look at Aiden. “That may be a possibility. But as it seems their mark is presenting itself on the side of the neck, Blaire may never have noticed it because of Lukas’s long hair.”
“Blaire did have her hair up on the first day I saw it.”
