Page 100 of Gothikana

Corvina’s heart ached hearing him talk about his past, but she stayed quiet, listening.

‘That’s why a lot of kids turned to… not good shit,’ he muttered. ‘I was getting used to that way of life. And then suddenly this old rich guy came out of nowhere, took me to what seemed like a mansion, and told me all of it and more was mine. It was… disconcerting.’

He went silent for a while.

‘Tell me about your friend.’ She lay her head down on him. ‘The one you were looking for when you found Mama. Did you find him?’

‘No.’ He exhaled. ‘He died in a fire that happened in the home soon after I left.’ Suddenly he chuckled. ‘Old Zelda had been right about him, too. He ended up eating flames.’

Corvina had no clue what that meant but she didn’t ask.

The sound of shouts from upstairs suddenly infiltrated their cosy bubble. They both straightened, looking up toward the door.

‘What’s going on?’ Corvina wondered as they dressed in haste.

His tone was grim. ‘I hope it’s not what I’m thinking it is.’

Someone missing. God, she hoped not.

They went up the stairs within minutes, emerging into some kind of commotion, completely unnoticed. She headed to the side, separatingfrom him as he approached one of the professors to enquire what was happening.

Erica came out of nowhere, her eyes wild. ‘Where were you?! We’ve been looking all over the place!’

Corvina blinked. ‘What’s going on?’

‘We thought you and Jade had gone missing,’ Ethan told her in a grave voice, running his hands through his hair. ‘She’s not with you?’

Corvina shook her head, her heart pounding. ‘You haven’t seen her?’

Ethan and Erica shook their heads.

Jax stood by their side, his eyes narrowed on Corvina. ‘You were gone for hours. Where did you go?’

Corvina felt a hot wave of anger flood through her at the demand in his tone. ‘That’s none of your business, Jax. The priority is finding Jade.’

Corvina watched Kaylin walk into the middle of the entryway, clapping her hands for attention. Everyone fell silent.

‘It’s with a very heavy heart that I need to inform you,’ she began, and Erica gripped Corvina’s hand for support, ‘there have been two disappearances tonight.’

A murmur went through the crowd, and Corvina stood stunned.

Two?

After a century of single disappearances, suddenly there were two? What the fuck?

‘First-year undergraduate student, Jade Prescott’ — Kaylin looked distressed — ‘and Master’s student, Roy Kingston, have both been missing for over three hours. The castle premises have been searched for them and given the recent discoveries, the Board has ordered an immediate search of the woods and the surrounding grounds. I advise all students to return to their towers. Those who wish to join the search party, meet at the Main Hall entrance in ten minutes in more suitable attire.’

Students hurried out of the area, some to change and return, some to stay back.

Corvina exchanged a worried look with Vad and he gave her a nod.

She took off her heels and ran across the grass on naked feet to her tower, climbing up as fast as she could and getting to her room. Quickly stripping and putting on a pair of pants and sneakers, she left her room, halting in a corridor for a second.

It was a clear full moon night, which meant the entire area would be bathed in light. If there was any movement happening, it would be visible from the top of the tower. It was worth the few minutes to risk going up.

Decision made, she ran up the stairs to the attic room, pushing the door open and hurrying to the window, panting as she looked down from the height, trying to spot anything out of place. Students gathered on the cobblestoned path, the woods looking as they did beyond that, the lake evenfarther.

Corvina squinted, trying to see anything unusual when she spotted the smoke. Coming up from the left part of the woods, big plumes of smoke curled up toward the sky.

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