Page 20 of Gothikana

‘For real?’ Erica exclaimed from her side, disbelief evident in her voice. ‘Why?’

Troy shrugged, picking out more grass. ‘Who the hell knows? It’s a story.’

‘Thestory,’ Jade picked up again, giving them a glance, ‘says they did terrible things to their hostage for a while before finishing in some kind of sacrificial orgy. I don’t know the exact details or anything…’ Her voice trailed off.

‘No one does,’ Troy supplied, looking up at Corvina. ‘But it’s said that after a few times, people at the university found out what was going on and decided enough was enough.’

Corvina listened with rapt attention, the light on the lawn shifting as a cloud passed over the sun, the tower behind them casting long, eerie shadows on the ground.

Jade looked at her with her solemn green eyes and swallowed. ‘A different, larger group of Verenmore students followed them into the woods one night and found them surroundedby blood.’

‘What happened then?’ Corvina asked, invested in the tale.

‘They lynched them.’

A chill stole over her.

The sensation of ants crawling over her skin returned tenfold. Corvina gripped her arms as a shudder wracked her frame.

‘Jesus,’ Jax muttered from his place, exchanging a look with Corvina. ‘That’s… something.’

‘Yeah.’ Troy threw the grass. ‘They’re said to haunt these lands, the woods, the castle, everything, still looking for their killers. It’s said that they still take a sacrifice on the night they were killed.’

‘Don’t tell me,’ Erica voiced her thoughts as Corvina felt her jaw slacken in realisation.

Jade nodded, holding her own arms. ‘Yup. They were all murdered in the woods on the night of the Black Ball.’

CHAPTER 6

Corvina

The aftermath oflearning that little legend had been a thoughtful silence. Ethan had insisted that it was just a story, a piece of oral history that had been passed down student to student, a legend to explain the mysterious disappearances of people. Jade had agreed, even as she’d swallowed and fidgeted, her body unable to comply with her words.

They had gone for dinner and Corvina had let the myth settle in.

She’d never been afraid of ghosts, never really encountered any. Her mama had told her they were real, that they were good and bad, helpful and harmful, and that she needed to be aware of that if she ever encountered one. Corvina never had, and she didn’t even know if shebelieved her mother about it. All she’d had were the voices, and those whispers in the dark didn’t scare her; they were familiar. At least, they had been.

But something about this story unsettled her. Maybe it was the voice she’d heard in broad daylight in the woods, or the constant flickering of light in the corner of the room wherever she was. Something about this legend unnerved her. Maybe it was the legend itself — it clearly made everyone uncomfortable.

Hours later, she said her prayers and turned off the light, still unsettled. Jade had gone with Troy after dinner, so Corvina had finished some of her reading for her classes and decided to turn in early.

The tower began to settle in for the night with some groans and creaks. A cloud of bats flew outside her window on their way to somewhere, nocturnal and creepy. Shadows weaved around the room from the little light outside.

Something made the hair at the nape of her neck prickle. Suddenly alert, she lay on the bed silently, keeping her body still as her mind tried to understand what was going on.

A flicker.

She watched quietly as in the corner of her room, the one where she’d lit the incense, the smoke flickered softly, once, twice, before the shadows and smoke began to sway together.

Phantom ants crawled over her exposed arms.

Clutching her blanket to her chest, she watched as the smoke took a shape and drifted away toward the door. She closed her eyes, shaking her head.

No, it was an illusion of light, or perhaps even her mind playing tricks on her.

‘Find me.’

The soft, feminine voice echoed in her head, followed by that ugly coating on her tongue and that rotten smell. Heart pounding hard in her ears, Corvina opened her eyes.

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