Page 161 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

He dug into it, grabbed a pen and paper, and passed them to the creature next to him. They kept handing the objects over until they reached Amelia. Dead silence fell over the room while every single face followed her, waiting to see what she would do.

She was wondering the same thing.

Amelia stood before the empty paper. Her vision blurred. She blinked a few times, forcing her sight to focus, but the haze grew more and more intense until it rendered her blind. The white swallowed her.

“Amelia!” Mikhail shouted.

Through the white, as if on a film strip, numbers and letters swirled around, one after the other, after the next, ordered and faint. Amelia stretched out her hands, groping the space in front of her, and reached for the pen and paper. Without seeing it, she wrote down every number and letter she had noticed in the white, her hand moving furiously to keep pace. After the last one had been transcribed, her vision cleared.

Mikhail was standing next to her. “Are you all right? Your eyes turned white.”

Amelia handed him the paper. “Here is your answer.”

He took it, frowning. “What is this? Coordinates? You know what, it doesn’t matter. Amelia, let me take you to your room.”

She leaned on the table, noticing that the space around her had been emptied. “Mikhail…”

It was time for the message Amelia needed to pass on to Mikhail. She didn’t want anyone else to hear, so she drew closer, her lips barely moving as she whispered the words that made her blood run cold. Despite convincing herself that she felt nothing for him, and passing on this message would not affect her in any way, her proximity to Mikhail dissolved her composure. At that moment, she was not the Oracle, but simply Amelia – the girl who wouldn’t have captured his attention under different circumstances.

Mikhail pulled back, confusion etched on his face. “What?” he asked, his gaze searching hers. “Amelia, I know you’re upset, but let’s talk.”

But there was nothing more to say. Amelia’s task was done.

“Call Zacharia. He will give me a ride to the city,” she said.

“I cannot let you go. Not before, not now.”

Amelia glanced around the room. The members of the Council were watching them intently. She was losing her ground.

“Someone call Zacharia!” She raised her voice at them.

Mikhail grabbed her hand. “Amelia, you will be in grave danger. I know you’re confused. But if you allow me to help you adapt—”

“I need to be alone.” She pulled her hand away. “Please, call Zacharia.”

“No.”

“Mikhail…” The necromancer cleared his throat. “This is the Oracle. It would be best to do as she asks.”

Mikhail stared into the other man as if he had just woken up from a dream. Seconds passed until he finally faced her. “I’ll drive you, then.”

“Mikhail, I don’t want you to,” Amelia whispered, her voice laced with despair.

He held her gaze for a long second. And another. She was tempted to count, but she couldn’t think past everything left unsaid between them.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. Then, with abrupt movements, Mikhail yanked out his phone and barked an order into it, his eyes never leaving hers. “Come to the hall!”

Amelia sighed, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Thank you. Please, tell Dave that we’ll meet soon and…take care of him.”

She braced for his touch, but it never came. Only his words, delivered in a whisper meant for her ears only. “Amelia, I apologise for my blindness and for blaming you. I…”

He trailed off. The silence between them became oppressive. She only looked up when Zacharia appeared, his expression detached.

“Take Amelia wherever she wants,” Mikhail commanded.

She headed for the door, but Mikhail’s voice followed her, firm and gentle. “Reach out to me when you’re ready. I’ll be waiting.”

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