Chapter 12
For weeks there wasn’t anything amiss at the academy. Actually everything was going great. Aric now sat at our dining table, one of the few to venture outside their own kingdom, although I supposed he was one of us. His parents were Delhoon even if he was born in Collweya. Our little group had become pretty close, even Taz liked Aric. Vyce, the boy from the infirmary grew on me. He was funny and at least Taz had another boy to hang out with. There was no sign of the creature who’d killed the horse, nothing off-kilter.
Then I woke up screaming in the night. My clothes soaked with sweat, my hair stuck to my forehead.
Legacy held my shoulders, shaking me. “You’re dreaming,” she said over and over.
I blinked at her several times trying to get my bearings. The bedside candle was alight, casting long shadows in the room but giving off a warm glow.
Atticus, our cat, sat perched by my feet with concern painted in his eyes. “Who was the boy?” he asked.
“What?” I breathed, gently pushing Legacy’s hands off me. “I’m alright.”
She pursed her lips but sat on her own bed, giving me space.
Moving closer, Atticus asked, “The boy who dies in your dream? Who is it?”
It took me a second to process what he asked. I knew cats could read minds but his question caught me off guard. I shook my head, clearing the nightmare. It was the vision of Finnick dying, replayed in my dream exactly as I’d first seen it. “His name is Finnick,” I murmured.
“This was not an ordinary dream,” Atticus stated, not a question.
I threw my blankets off and snatched my boots from the floor, sliding my feet into them. Indeed it was not an ordinary dream, Finnick was going to die. Tonight. And I had to try to stop it.
“What are you doing?” Legacy asked, slipping on her boots, same as me.
“I have to try,” I said and moved to adorn myself with all my weapons. I wasn’t taking any chances. A few minutes later, I peeked out the door to an empty hallway. Bindy slept in the room across the hall and I didn’t know how my scream didn’t wake her.
Legacy and I got three steps before a door creaked open and I heard, “Where do you two think you’re going?”
I knew her voice immediately and slowly turned. It only took me a few moments to explain, and Bindy led the way to the boys’ dormitories. She wouldn’t wake anyone, we’d take care of this ourselves or risk exposing my curse. Something Bindy would allow Finnick to die to keep secret. It was her sworn duty to protect me in all aspects of my life.
Atticus made sure we didn’t run into anyone as we crept through the halls and up the stairs to the Delhoon boys’ dorms. “You’re sure this is where he’ll be?” Bindy asked in a low voice.
I swallowed down the anxious lump forming in my throat. “All I saw was a darkened hallway, one torchlight. But where else would he be at this hour?”
Paused at the top of the steps we decided he might be heading to use the toilet. Atticus knew the way and we followed him and when we rounded the corner that led toward the bathing rooms, there he was. His back to us, several yards away, moving toward a darkened doorway.
I panicked, not knowing what else to do and yelled, “Finnick!”
He abruptly turned, and looking rather confused, opened his mouth to speak. Something jumped out of the darkness onto his back. A feral screech tore into the night. Then its face sunk into Finnick’s neck.
Finnick screamed, clawing at the thing wrapped around him. If I wasn’t mistaken, it was—human. My blood turned icy, and a scream caught in my own throat. If it wasn’t a man it was something shaped very similar to a one, which was even more terrifying than if it had been a beast. A beast was at least supposed to bite.
I ran for him. Legacy was right beside me, sword drawn. Bindy disappeared and just as quickly as the creature jumped on Finnick, it was gone.
Bindy appeared at Finnick’s side while we still had half a hallway to run. She turned in a circle checking for the—person who’d done this. When we reached them, Bindy was on her knees and held his head in her hands, she looked up at me, eyes swimming in tears.
Blood pooled on the floor, slowly reaching my boots, and nausea hit me like a slap to the face. If I hadn’t yelled his name, if I hadn’t been here, he wouldn’t have turned his back. Maybe he would have had a fighting chance if he was facing the other way…
Dark spots formed in my vision and my legs went weak. I had to catch myself on the wall. This was my fault, Finnick was dead because of me. I slid to the floor and sobbed into my hands.
∞∞∞
I stayed in bed for four days. Legacy or Bindy brought me food, I only left to use the bathroom and even then I waited until it was absolutely necessary.
I’d forgotten what it was like to have a vision and then witness the death in reality. I’d seen so many over the years and then ignored them so I wouldn’t interfere, wouldn’t see it happen.
I couldn’t understand why I had this ability if I was powerless to change the outcome. I screamed “why!” into my pillow until my throat was raw. I cried until I had no tears left. I should be able to stop this. I should be able to do something and yet, if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have turned his back on the murderer.
Bindy sent Legacy and me to our room and told us not to tell we’d been there. She’d take care of it. Quietly his death was swept under the rug. Because if the truth got out, the academy might close and then the strong alliance between the kingdoms could fracture. This was a huge stepping stone and it seemed like someone was trying to ruin it.
Everyone knew Finnick died of course, but they didn’t know the truth. There was a funeral. I didn’t go. I couldn’t bring myself to face his parents. I wasn’t even sure what Bindy or the headmaster had told them about how he died. All I knew was that classes were suspended for a day, and then things went on as usual.
I stared at the ceiling, today it was enchanted to imitate a beautiful summer day with white puffy clouds in a blue sky and flowers shifting in the breeze that I swore I could even smell. Dandelion fluff skirted about and bees flew from one bloom to the next. It didn’t at all match my mood. If it had, there would be a steady drizzle from an utterly gray sky. Maybe some low rolling thunder too.
My door burst open and I flew up, clutching my thick blanket. Madison slammed the door behind her and snatched my covers then tore them off me. “The pity party is over.”
My mouth fell open and tears filled my eyes, threatening to fall. “Grand—”
“Madison,” she snapped.
“It’s my fault,” I cried, grabbing my pillow and stuffing my face into it.
Madison grabbed that too. “No, it isn’t. The fault lies with the person who killed him, not you.”
“But if I hadn’t been there—”
“He would have died anyway,” she said, her voice softening. “I saw his death too, tried to warn him.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and I told him to never go anywhere alone, even to the bathroom, but in the end it didn’t matter. He didn’t listen.” Pacing, Madison went on, “What’s important now is finding out what or who did it and why.”