Page 47 of Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)

August

He needed to sit down.

August braced himself against one of the pews, hands clasped firmly over the back. He tried to steady his breathing: inhale for four…exhale for four. The last thing he wanted to do was break down in front of the rest of the group. They’d never let him live it down.

After Headmaster Silas had stumbled upon the scene, he’d relocated them to the Opal Chamber to discuss what had transpired.

He had even sent a Housemaster to fetch Wren from Pettyworth House, determined to get the full story.

They all stood scattered around the hall now, with Masika and Irene leaning against the front pews, and Emilio and Olivier seated a couple of rows behind them.

Wren was sitting next to Louise, an arm wrapped protectively over her shoulders.

August, preferring to keep his distance, had made the decision to stand on the other side of the pews.

At first, nobody spoke. A bone-chilling silence filled the grand hall, nothing but the faint creak of the wind rattling the trees outside. Silas, who was standing in front of the arched doorway that led to the Ether, watched them with unnerving stillness, waiting for someone to break.

Unsurprisingly, it was Irene who finally snapped.

“Are we just going to sit here for the rest of the night staring at one another?”

Silas sighed. “I suppose that’s entirely up to you.”

“We told you. We don’t know what happened,” Masika shot back. “The shadow creature came out of nowhere—”

“I know where the shadow creature came from,” Silas interjected. The entire group flinched, looking around in surprise. Even August couldn’t hide his shock. “It followed Ms.Loughty from the Shadow Lands.”

“But why was she able to get there in the first place?” asked Olivier. “Aren’t there supposed to be protective wards?”

Silas nodded, a dark shadow passing over his features.

“There are. Or…perhaps there were. ” He sighed, rubbing his face in exasperation.

“This is exactly why this Decennial is so important. Why it’s critical we create a task force against the Demien Order.

They are…they are destroying our wards. Weakening our defense system. ”

“But don’t you set those protective wards?” Irene asked with a bitter chuckle.

A weighted silence flooded the room as Silas pushed himself away from the Ether’s doorway, striding closer.

When he spoke next, authority dripped from his voice, a stark reminder of the power simmering beneath the surface.

“I do, Ms.Bamford. And they have kept Blackwood safe for more years than you can even fathom. But everything reaches a breaking point…and we have reached ours.” His words echoed in the hall.

“The Demien Order has been planning an attack for years. I can feel it coming. The catalyst. And if we do not act now, then I fear when the time comes…we will not be ready.”

Emilio shuddered. “Then…if you know where the shadow creature came from…what do you want from us?”

“That creature was created by someone highly skilled in the dark art of shadow magic. In order to destroy it, one must be able to rival them in power.” Silas looked between the group. “I need to know who. ”

August immediately glanced over to Louise.

Her face was devoid of color, teeth chattering.

He let his gaze travel over the group. They each seemed to be thinking the same thing, a silent understanding washing over them.

If they told Silas the truth—that Louise had somehow cast the shadow magic—there was no telling what would become of her.

August sighed, gritting his teeth. He stood up slowly, the old wood creaking beneath him.

“We don’t know who destroyed it.”

Silas cocked his head. “Is that so?”

“I tried to destroy the creature with a surge of corporeal magic, but I wasn’t strong enough. And then it was just”—August snapped his fingers, the sound reverberating in the hall—“ gone. ”

Silas let out an exasperated sigh, glancing among the group. “Is that true? None of you saw who destroyed it?”

Emilio shook his head. “All I saw was the aftermath. There was no one else there.”

“I didn’t see anything either,” Olivier chimed in next to him.

Silas slid his gaze to Irene and Masika, who simply shook their heads in response.

“I see…” Silas nodded, slowly slipping off his leather gloves.

“Well, then it seems the threat to Blackwood is even greater than I initially thought. Because if we do not know who destroyed the creature, then that means they are still out there. Waiting. Hiding within our very halls.” He glanced down at his pocket watch, cursing softly beneath his breath.

“I must meet with the Council and inform them of the attack.” He looked up, a severe expression on his face.

“I am once again going to ask for your discretion. We will investigate the matter further, but there is no need to burden your classmates until we have more answers.”

The group nodded in understanding.

“Very good.” Silas snapped the pocket watch closed. “You have one week to rest and prepare for the next trial. In the meantime, I will attempt to clean up this mess before it gets out of hand. Good luck, nominees.” And then he was gone, disappearing in a thick puff of black smoke.

Silence engulfed the air once more. August was seconds away from making his way out of the hall when a voice froze his legs beneath him.

“Wren Loughty,” Irene called out, sauntering toward Wren and Louise.

She twirled a dagger between her fingers, the blade gleaming in the darkness.

“I’m shocked. I would expect the others to lie, but you ?

” She pointed the edge of the blade toward Wren, a mocking smile on her lips. “I’m pleasantly surprised.”

Wren’s expression hardened. “If you have something to say, then say it.”

“Oh, don’t play dumb.” Irene chuckled. “This is clearly connected to the night of the… you know what. ” She mouthed the last three words and pointed to Louise, who flinched under her gaze. “ She cast the shadow magic. I know it.”

The others tensed as the words left her lips. Silas might have left them alone, but there was no telling who might be listening. Even speaking the words out loud felt like a risk.

“So—what do you want to do about it, Irene?” August jolted to his feet, crossing the distance between them. He loomed over Irene, staring down at her with defiance. “What’s your big plan? You want to threaten her? Force the information out of her?”

“We dip into Louise’s mind,” Irene replied without hesitation. “Scour her memories. Invade her consciousness until we find out what the hell is going on with her. If she’s harboring secrets…if she’s a Demien…we’ll know.”

Louise let out a strangled gasp, hugging her knees toward her chest.

Wren stood up protectively, hands clamped over the pew in front of her. “Absolutely not. That’s a complete invasion of privacy. Not to mention it could fry her mind. She could be in the infirmary for months. ”

“I’m with Wren on this one,” Olivier muttered warily. “We can’t start prying her head open.”

“This isn’t the time for morals.” Irene chuckled dryly. “We’re dealing with things beyond our control. Beyond our capabilities. And if the newbie has some sort of useful information hovering around in that brain of hers, then we ought to know what it is.”

“She’s right,” Masika said, though she didn’t look thrilled about it, grimacing as she spoke.

“If we don’t tell Silas the truth about what we saw…

then we need to at least figure out more on our own.

Because, though it pains me to admit it, this doesn’t feel like the end of our situation.

It feels like—” She paused, as if faced with an internal snag, and then continued. “It feels like the beginning.”

Silence enveloped the room.

And then—

“I couldn’t control it.”

The group collectively flinched, aware that the four words they’d just heard had come from the one person who hadn’t spoken in nearly an hour.

“I could feel it,” Louise whispered, eyes welling with tears.

“The shadow magic. It…it just sprang out of me. I saw that you all were in trouble and I…I was desperate.” Her teeth chattered as she struggled to get the words out.

“I don’t know how I did it…but I swear I’m not part of the Demien Order. I promise.”

“Do you have any idea how you cast the shadow magic?” Wren asked softly, kneeling in front of her.

“None,” Louise muttered, voice cracking. “It was like…an involuntary reaction. I wanted to find a way to save you all—and then it just happened.”

“But how did you know we were in trouble?” asked Masika, stepping closer.

Louise flushed. “Well…I…I snuck out to try to watch the end of the second trial. I heard a rumor that the contestants were going to emerge near the gates, and I thought if I waited around, I might see who crossed through.”

“And then you saw us get attacked by the creature,” whispered Olivier.

She nodded. “I know I don’t know you all that well, but…Wren is my friend. And even though it might not be obvious, I know she cares about you all. I just wanted to find a way to help…to do the right thing.” Her voice broke off, a sob rattling deep within her chest.

Wren lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Louise. Something sharp and unwelcome twisted inside August. A strange mixture of jealousy and fear that made him want to sink into his skin and disappear.

“You did what you had to do to save us,” Wren whispered into Louise’s hair. “You did do the right thing.”

Irene released a disgruntled sigh. “All right, fine. Let’s just take her back to her room. I can’t take much more of these waterworks.”

Olivier placed a gentle hand on Louise’s shoulder. “We can take her. She’s staying at Litterman.”

“Wait,” Masika blurted out. “What about Silas? What do we tell him?”

The six of them stared at one another.