Page 71 of Angel Lost

The angels surround me, slowly moving in. I back up, feet crunching on the broken glass, tripping over the outstretched hand of one of the comatose angels. As I stumble, it hits me. There’s no way out of this. They recognize me. And if they didn’t, Reye isn’t going to keep her mouth shut. She’s accepted her lot. I slip my knife back into my robe pocket, slowly holding my hands in the air. The closest angel rushes me. Roughly, he drags my arms behind my back.

“I apologize,” I say, forcing the words out. My eyes catch the gaze of the most senior-looking angel in the room. I look at the floor. I sense more than see them relax.

Beside me Reye pipes up. “Aether Lorelei was never told about this side of the academy. She only started this term.”

“She’s a final-year student,” growls the angel holding my arms tight at my back. He gives my wrist a sharp yank, and I wince.

“Think about it,” Reye presses. “In first year, it takes a whole semester before the naturals are told what happens with the gifted. She saw the correction process without knowing what it was. Shethoughtshe was defending me. Defending me the same way you are all doing now.”

There’s a lot of grumbling and scowling, but eventually I’m marched back to the main campus, deposited in the reception, and instructed to wait for the dean.

The reception hasn’t changed, still all beautiful plants and glossy marble. Tranquil music plays in the background, harmonizing with the water from the fountain. But somehow, it’s no longer calming. Now I know the darker truth behind the academy, it’s like there’s a sinister energy pulsing here too. I close my eyes and hold my breath. There’s no sinister energy, I just didn’t know. I let out the breath and open my eyes. The giant mirror opposite me reflects my pale face. I hold my own gaze. Reye wants to stay here. Reyewantsthis life. She told me so. If she wants this life, fine. Who am I to stop her? I was only ever good at looking after number one anyway. It’s how I survived.

It’s time to put myself first again.

This time when I see the dean it’s not in her beautiful office but instead in a neutral-toned meeting room. Her face is tight, her expression sour. On the polished wooden desk between us sit three photos. One of each of the professors I knocked out. Her elegant, manicured nail taps each photo in turn. My tongue is dry, stuck against the roof of my mouth, my palms sweaty. I have to play this right.

“Sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” I blurt. “I didn’t understand.”

“And now you do?”

I nod, my head bobbing. “Reye explained. How if she wants to keep her aether that treatment has to happen. She explained afterward. After I attacked the professors.” I hesitate, cringing. Why did I mention that? She clearly knows what happened. I don’t need to draw attention to it.

Davina throws back her head and laughs. I lick my lips.

“My dear aether,” she says between chuckles. “I have to congratulate you. First on your ability to admit to being wrong, to making a mistake, and second on your power to knock out the tutors.”

I take a sip of the water in the cardboard cup in front of me, watching her over the rim. This doesn’t fit with the tyrant Kai describes.

Davina stands, pushing her chair back, and beckons me to follow her out of the room, down the corridor. “We’re training adults here. When things are kept hidden, secret, they tend to come out in the worst way. This was my fault, Aether Lorelei.”

I stop in my tracks, and she throws me a graceful smile over her shoulder.

“But of course it was. It escaped my attention that you didn’t know there are two types of students here. I assumed Kai would have told you. But he didn’t, did he?”

I shake my head mutely, forcing my feet to follow her.

“Hm. That young man…” She pauses at a plain door just past her office. “Anyway, this is not on him, it’s on me. Let’s start at the beginning? Come, sit, have coffee with me.”

She presses a thumb to the electronic pad and the door slides silently open. “Normally students aren’t allowed in my quarters. I need a spot for me. But you deserve it. It took guts to stand up against something you thought was wrong.”

I trail in behind her. We walk through an elegant hall, a dining room, and out into a stunning high-domed conservatory overflowing with lush greenery. Beyond it a private beach of glistening white sand leads down to the edge of the lake. The area is screened from the rest of the school by dense shrubbery.

We saunter toward a small French table and chairs on the sand, floodlit by a trio of stunning wrought iron lampposts. I glance back uncertainly at the building.

“How did I not notice this? From the water I mean?”

She titters, settling her flowing robes into one of the ornate chairs. “Ah, there’s a little trick to keep it hidden—the ley lines were used to persuade people to look away. If they are determined and know my sanctuary is here, of course they can come, but…it’s enough for a tired headmistress to keep students out.” She gestures impatiently at the chair opposite her. “Sit, sit, Aether Lorelei.”

Dean Davina rings a tiny bell and a hada appears almost instantly.

“Will you have a fae wine? I know I suggested coffee but…” She shrugs. “It’s a little late for that, even though you must be exhausted from expending so much energy.”

Ice slithers through my veins. I should be more tired. If I were truly a second aether, I’d be dead on my feet. I feign a yawn. “I think I’m running on adrenaline. I’ll join you, but I may flake after a few sips.”

The dean nods, relaxing back.I have to be more careful.We wait until the hada returns, two beautiful crystal glasses balanced precariously on a silver tray, the glasses nearly half as tall as she is.

I take a small sip of mine.

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