Page 74 of Crimson Shadows
I purse my lips. “So, you knew about the book.”
He grins. “Of course I did. But you were excited to contribute.”
“Contribute? How dare you? You couldn’t have gotten this far without me. We are a team, remember!”
“I don’t need reminding.” His casual tone is infuriating, but that’s the point. He is doing this on purpose.
Resisting the urge to growl at him, I nod swiftly, moving carefully between the towering monoliths. As I pass each one, I hear faint whispers, like voices just on the edge of hearing. Somesound enticing, others threatening. I try to focus, to find the one we need.
Suddenly, I feel drawn to a smaller stone near the centre of the circle. Unlike the others, its surface is smooth, unmarked. As I approach, the whispers grow louder, more distinct.
“This one,” I say to Zephyr, reaching out to touch the stone.
As my fingers brush its surface, I’m hit with a flood of images and sensations. Secrets of the past, present, and future swirl through my mind. “Ahh!” I cry as it overwhelms me and becomes too much. I am dangerously close to losing my grip on reality when Zephyr’s hand closes over mine, anchoring me.
“Focus, Adelaide,” he says, his voice cutting through the chaos in my mind. “We need a stone that whispers secrets, not the secrets themselves.”
With effort, I pull myself back, concentrating on the task. I feel the stone beneath my palm start to shift, and when I pull my hand away, a small, polished stone rests in my palm. I can still hear faint whispers coming from it, but they’re contained now, manageable.
“Empathetic abilities?” Zephyr murmurs, staring at me as if I just crawled out of the rocks surrounding us.
I don’t even know what he means, so I ignore him, tucking the stone safely away with our other items. “One more to go. The cup that never empties. Let’s end this.”
We make our way back towards the main buildings of MistHallow, both of us scanning our surroundings for anything that might lead us to our final item. As we pass by the dining hall, a thought strikes me.
“Wait,” I say, grabbing Zephyr’s arm. “What if it’s in there? A cup that never empties would be pretty useful in a dining hall, right?”
Zephyr considers this for a moment, then grins. “Princess, I think you might be onto something. Let’s check it out.”
We slip into the dining hall and look around. “The refill station,” I murmur and make a beeline for it with Zephyr hot on my heels.
I thrust the book at him, and he grabs it as I peer around the back of the drinks dispenser and laugh. “Gotcha. You, my friend, are out of order for a while.” I snatch it up, just as Lyra and Corvus rush into the dining hall, scanning the area for whatever it is they were after. Apparently, it is the same item I’m currently waving about in triumph.
“Time to bounce,” Zephyr murmurs as Corvus and Lyra charge us.
“Hey!” I yell as Zephyr grabs my arm and moves us through time and space to the main Hall, where we shimmer into view, making me feel nauseous.
Everyone in the room turns to us. Professor Ellis stands at the front, a look of surprise on his face as we approach with our collection of magical items.
“Well,” he says, his voice carrying across the hushed hall. “It seems we have our winners. Congratulations to Mr Nightshade and Miss Black.”
There’s a smattering of applause, some genuine, some grudging. I can see Lyra and Corvus arrive. He is pissed off but not at me. He shoots me a grin, and I smile back, hoping things are okay between us.
“And now,” Ellis continues, as the rest of the groups arrive behind us, “it’s time to announce our new House Captains.”
My heart starts to race. This is it, the moment we’ve been working towards. I didn’t even know there was a House Captain until Lyra mentioned it and I didn’t even want it until Zephyr threatened me. But I know, and I want it so badly, I can taste it.
“For Athens House,” Ellis says, “the new Captain is Zephyr Nightshade.”
I turn to Zephyr, grinning. He accepts the title with a regal nod, but I can see the pride shining in his eyes.
“And for Carthage House,” Ellis continues, and I hold my breath, “the new Captain is Corvus Sanguine.”
For a moment, I’m sure I’ve misheard. But as I see Corvus step forward, accepting the title with a gracious smile, the reality sinks in. I wasn’t chosen. Despite everything I’ve done, everything I’ve accomplished tonight, it wasn’t enough.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Zephyr, concern etched on his features. “Adelaide,” he starts, but I shake my head.
“It’s fine,” I say, forcing a smile. “Congratulations on your captaincy.”
