Page 30 of Messenger of Death (Ouroboros Academy #2)

W e decided to figure out where Erica went missing next because it felt like someone should.

Lucian was good. He had already found Erica’s phone and where it went offline.

Except when we got to the spot, someone was already there.

The plants looked sick like where Lola was hurt, but Mazen was there pacing and ranting to himself.

He looked and sounded deranged. I knew what Sage said, and I trusted her instincts, but it looked like Mazen had already gone over to the dark side.

“Hey, buddy,” Liam said, stepping towards Mazen because he was also insane.

“What are you doing here?” Mazen snarled.

“Trying to figure out what happened to your original teammate since no one else seems interested.”

Mazen’s shoulders drooped, and he instantly calmed.

“Me, too. She was sure she was the original gryphon. Erica had a wicked sense of humor, and we were becoming friends. Erica and Lola didn’t get along at all and I never got that.

Erica didn’t seem like the type to victim blame or not want to help someone, but she took an instant dislike to Lola.

Lola isn’t the type to sit there and let anyone insult her, so Radames and I tried to keep them apart.

Then Erica just disappeared. She wouldn’t have gone back and left the school over Lola.

She was excited about being a gryphon and wanted to learn.

I feel like I’m the only one who even gives a shit she’s missing. ”

Sage had her magicks, and I had mine. Death surrounded Mazen, and that was before he got into that pool and started unlocking his magical powers.

He could have gotten those tattoos to survive like he said he did and only killed bad people, but most people with those tattoos killed who they were told to kill or they got murdered themselves.

And Mazen could have enjoyed it enough to keep doing it when no one was giving orders.

“We give a shit,” Sage said. “We might get a little more insight than you if you’ll let Liam heal the trees so they can talk.”

“You’re shitting me,” Mazen growled.

“Mate, I’m an ancient nature and fertility god. If I can figure out how to do what I did where Lola got hurt, the trees can tell me if anything different happened. It’s all connected, so even if these trees weren’t in the same clearing as when Lola got hurt, they still know about it.”

Mazen just cocked an eyebrow at Liam.

“I just keep splitting my pants accidentally shifting into a big black dog and I’ve made it thunder a few times. I haven’t figured shit out.”

Liam just shrugged.

“I accidentally healed the forest and passed out. We’re going to have a lot of accidents.”

“Your accidents don’t leave you stranded in the courtyard naked.”

“Oh, those horny tree fairies would love that.”

Mazen just smirked.

“They do. But I’m with Lola. At least, I think I am. She seems to be flirting with you and everyone else.”

“Yeah, what was up with that? I sent Sage to Alexios because I thought I’d have a better chance of finding a lab partner than Alexios would.

I wasn’t expecting Lola to volunteer and flirt with me.

I’m a lot of things, but a cheater isn’t one of them.

Sage hasn’t agreed to be my girlfriend yet, but I’m still faithful. ”

“Did we need to have that conversation after the bathroom?” Sage asked.

“Oh, we’re having that conversation because I want to hear you say you’re ours, but not here. We have a job to do.”

“I couldn’t tell you why Lola decided to be your lab partner. She drives me insane because I never know what she’s going to do. She just decides to do something and does it.”

Sage had this look on her face. I could tell she was feeling something and not saying it. She did that sometimes. I figured it was up to her to tell us when she was ready.

Liam was able to heal the clearing before because he just got so angry. Now that it was his second time seeing the forest like that, it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t summon that same kind of righteous anger. He just kind of…walked around in circles grunting.

“You look constipated,” Lucian said.

“Really wanting to kick you in the kidneys right now, Prince of Darkness.”

“Why don’t you sing?” Sage said. “I’ve read enough that the sirens have magic when they sing, but you had some, too, when you were doing karaoke. The whole tavern was entranced. It might help you focus.”

Liam nodded and started singing. He wasn’t doing a song where he spoke most of it this time, he was actually singing. Liam was talented enough that if he wanted to form a band and do this for a living, he definitely could.

And Sage’s instincts were spot on, as usual.

The dead flora started being replaced by greenery and all these native flowers started growing up from the ground as Liam launched into about four songs.

There was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead when he stopped, but it looked like we were in some nature conservatory now.

Mazen looked around in wonder.

“Must be nice to have magic that isn’t destructive.”

“Aren’t you a God of Storms?” Sage asked. “If there’s a drought or a forest fire, then a God of Storms is going to come in handy.”

“You’re kind. I don’t know why Lola hates you so much.”

Sage just grunted like she didn’t give a shit, but I didn’t like that at all. The majority of the reincarnations were under Lola’s sway until the compulsion wore off. We didn’t need her targeting Sage.

“The trees say the same thing. They said the predator came to the clearing angry. She screamed in fury and things went black again. Unlike with the other predator, there was no blood on the ground or fight. The blackness came and when the blackness left, there was no one in the clearing. The only trace anyone had ever been there was the sickness that was infecting them, but it’s a slow rot, so none of us noticed it during the trials. ”

“Other predator?” Mazen asked.

“Lola makes the animals uncomfortable,” Liam said. “Whoever she is, it’s some big predator and the animals are avoiding her. It’s why only the trees saw what happened. Has she said anything about what she might be?”

Mazen shrugged.

“She hasn’t been all that interested in finding out. Radames is out of our dorm room at all hours looking into it, but he doesn’t want any help.”

“Well, we have more questions than we did when we started. Whatever this blackness power is, it poisons nature, can stop a dragon from shifting, it can disappear someone, it can make people think what it wants, and the person who wields it is extremely strong and violent. Sorry, Mazen, I know what Lola is saying, but Ivar, Ari, and Alexios all know who they are and they didn’t have that power in their original life,” Sage said.

I was glad someone brought it up. The last thing we needed was an out-of-control Set loose on the world and he looked like he was two seconds from doing something stupid when we found him in the clearing.

Mazen ran his fingers through his hair and looked pissed again, but not at us.

“I know all that. I pay attention. It’s kept me alive and out of prison.

I’m not telling any woman her memories of her assault are fake, much less my girlfriend.

I’m trying to help her find the right memories without calling her a liar like some of the professors are doing.

She can’t help someone fucked with her mind. ”

No, she couldn’t and I felt terrible for her, too. But enough professors had suggested that her memories might not be entirely accurate for her to at least ask about the possibility.

“Listen, I’ve gotten all I can from the trees and they are telling me they need help where Star disappeared and Kira was killed, too. Are you going to be okay, mate?”

“I don’t like feeling powerless. If magic wasn’t involved, I already would have found who was hurting girls here and killed them.”

We left Mazen pacing the clearing. Everything he said made sense, but Set was a violent god, and I just wasn’t sure I believed any of that.