House of Ravens (The Nightfall Chronicles Book 2) (19 page)

While the others travel ahead, I find the Night Raven in the catacombs. A black roof has been installed for the chamber since I was last here, true to Zorin's words. Evie opens it for me and sets a flight path for the hospital.

En route, I ask Evie to contact Crixus.

After a brief pause I hear his voice. "Nightfall, what a pleasant surprise."

"Crixus, I assume you've seen the news about Curatio Domus?"

"Yes."

"We could use your help," I say.

"We cannot jeopardize our plan to intervene in a dangerous, and ultimately meaningless, mission. Even if you succeed, you gain our cause nothing. If you fail, we lose too much."

I want to argue, to point out why this does help us, but I don’t think it will sway him. Nor will he sway me. "So you won't help?"

"No. And I would strongly advise you to stay out of it as well. Let the Orders deal with it."

"I understand your position, but I'm still moving forward." I disconnect the call.

We are nearly at the hospital when Evie says, "Scarlett, you have an incoming communication."

"From who?"

"Varian. He must have noticed the Night Raven."

I freeze. Why does he want to speak with me? "Put him through."

"I see you emerge once again, Nightfall," says Varian.

I keep my lips from shaking. "The Sons of Eden must be stopped."

"Agreed. I will not oppose you."

I can't trust him, but he has no reason to lie. "Keep the Orders away from the building. I will diffuse the explosives."

"Very well."

"Communication over," says Evie.

"Good. Trix, how are you doing?"

She speaks through my eGlass. "We're nearly in the building."

"Keep me up to date." I examine the city below. Hundreds of people crowd around the hospital. Some to cry for relatives, others to watch the spectacle, and a few to film the whole thing. If this had been a hospital strictly for Zeniths, their concern would be replaced with cheers. It makes me sad.

"Evie, take us down to Adam."

She does. No one interferes, as Varian promised. The Night Raven hovers above the hospital's roof. The cockpit opens, and I stand face to face with Adam.

He smiles, amplifying his voice with his eGlass. "Come to join the celebration?"

I feed my speech through the city's speakers. I want everyone to know I oppose this. "There will be no celebration, Adam. You will accomplish nothing today."

He frowns, his wrinkles creasing. "You are wrong. Today I will destroy the Hospitallers."

"The Orders would demolish this hospital themselves, before they meet your demands."

"Ah," he says, raising a finger. "But if they do, then they will have proven they care nothing for their people. Riots will break out. The Orders will crumble. I will still win."

I gasp. His view of himself is higher than I even realized. He may choose to be a martyr, rather than surrender today. I ask Trix for an update. They're already in the building. I have to be careful. "One day, the Orders will fall, but not in this way. Consider what will happen if others take up your example. They'll threaten innocents, kill good people for power. What will be left in the end?"

"Innocents? Good people?" He spits off the roof. "They are sinners. They believe they know better than God. They believe mankind must be altered, when it is already perfected."

I shake my head. "Not everyone in this hospital is part of Hospitaller. There are innocent patients."

He chuckles. "I know you do not believe my arguments, but consider these patients. They have decided that humans are better than Zeniths, that Nephilim should not even be allowed existence. Yet are we not all God's children?"

I must be careful how I respond. His question is a trap, asking me to choose between humans and Zeniths. "If we are all God's children, then why do you threaten to kill hundreds of them?"

He frowns. "If they die tonight, then I have saved them from further corruption. It is my duty to protect their souls."

Evie interrupts. "Scarlett, three minutes left until midnight."

Trix updates me. "We've disabled the first explosive. Zorin knocked out the guard."

I turn my attention back to Adam. "And what of
your
soul? Is it your destiny to die tonight? Is there no more good you can do?"

He raises his hand, and I spot the detonator in his grasp. "What I accomplish today," he says softly, "will echo through the ages."

"You have three minutes left," I remind him, scared he's ready to pull the trigger.

"Two minutes now," he says. He trembles. Is he losing his courage?

"Leave now," I tell him. "Join me, and we will create such an echo, it will surpass anything you have imagined." I play to his ego, hoping the promise of victory and the fear of death sway him.

His eyes are sad. "They annihilated nearly the entirety of your race. How can you protect them? How do you not hate them?" His words feel personal. Does he remember he speaks to a crowd?

"I hate what occurred, but… a friend once told me, vengeance and justice cannot be the same. And I would rather have justice."

Another update. "Only one bomb to go, N."

"One minute left," says Evie.

I need to keep Adam talking and unaware of time. I don't think of my lessons in speech. I don't think of what I believe. I let the words take hold of me. "The people you will kill today did not destroy my race. They did not draft the laws that torture Zeniths. Are they innocent? No. None of us are. And we all are punished for it. So if you are to punish these people, be fair. Be just. Do they deserve to die?"

Adam flinches, his lip quivering. He speaks quietly, as if to himself. "It's too late, now. I have no choice. They killed my people. They…"

What does he mean?

"They turned the world against us. I did not want anyone to know, in case they hated me, in case they found me… but, now in the end…" A silver glow surrounds him.

No. He can't be.

And Adam unleashes his wings. They drift in the wind, silver, like mine. He raises the detonator. The last bomb is still active.

"Now," says Adam. "I rejoin my people." He presses the trigger.

The corner of the hospital explodes. The building shakes beneath us as metal, glass and fire rain down on the people below.

I fall to my knees, tears burning my eyes. "Trix, Zorin—"

"We're still here," says Zorin. "I'm sorry, we weren't fast enough."

Adam raises his arms, no doubt expecting the explosions to reach him. They do not.

His eyes widen in panic. He presses the trigger again. It doesn't work.

Adam drops the trigger, his eyes red. He looks to me. He looks peaceful.

And then a gun fires.

The bullet hits Adam in the head.

And he falls to the people below.

Adam was torn apart by the mob. The Inquisition Officers did nothing to stop it. I closed my cockpit and disappeared into the sky. 

Now, I'm back at the War Table with my Dark Templars. Trix is flicking a coin so that it spins upright. Zorin is reading an old black book. And TR sips on a beer, laughing at something funny on his eGlass. None of us want to face what just happened. 

I consider asking about the media response, but I don't. People died in that hospital because we weren't fast enough, weren't smart enough. And they died at the hands of a Nephilim.

I've never felt great pain for the loss of Nephilim. I suppose I never truly considered them my people. But today, I saw that pain in Adam's eyes.

The world did a terrible thing when it nearly annihilated my kind.

I can't let it happen again.

But today, there is no more work.

So I allow everyone their distractions. Because we tried our best. And tomorrow we will try again.

Ours is a hard life. No reason to make it harder.

***

It's with a heavy heart that I leave the Cathedral and return to Castle V. Too many lives lost, all in the name of justice. I'm starting to wonder what I'm doing as Nightfall. Am I making a difference for the better, or am I making everything worse? I just don't know anymore. And I feel tired to my core. So tired.

When I arrive at the Castle, I find Wytt in the Common Hall alone.

He looks up when I come in. "Where have you been?" he asks. His eyes are red-rimmed and he seems angry.

"At my apartment," I say. "I needed space after everything with Kai and Jax."

"Did you hear about what happened at Curatio Domus?"

I nod. "I came back as soon as I heard. Is Corinne okay?"

Wytt shakes his head. "No, she's not. She got a call from Sarah at the hospital. Charlie—the girl you met—was killed tonight by the rebels. She'd just had her transplant, and it was working. She was getting better and was about to be discharged from the hospital for the first time in years. Now she's dead. Corinne could have really used her best friend."

I'm stunned for a moment, first at the news that the sweet girl I met on the first day of APD is dead, and then at Wytt calling me Corinne's best friend. But I guess he's right. We are best friends. All of us. I hang my head in sadness. I've failed them again. It seems no matter what choice I make, I fail someone.

"Where is she now?"

"She went back to the hospital. There's a memorial."

I turn to leave, and Wytt speaks again, stopping me. "She went by your apartment. You weren't there."

I don't know what to say to that, so I don't say anything.

To save time, I use my wings to fly into the city as discreetly as I can, and head to the hospital. I was here as Nightfall, now I'm coming back as Scarlett.

I find Corinne kneeling in front of a memorial left on the steps of Curatio Domus. Already pictures of those who lost their lives have been erected, and Eden Flowers are swaying and changing color, blooming and releasing beautiful scents into the night air. There are candles burning and crosses erected, and Corinne is crying at the picture of Charlie.

I sink to my knees beside her and put an arm around her. "I'm sorry."

She turns to me, her face red from crying. "Why did you bail again, Scarlett? Where are you always going?"

"I'm so sorry, Corinne. I should have been there. I didn't know." Tears fill my eyes, and her face softens.

She hugs me and our tears mingle. "I'm just glad you're here now. Thank you for coming."

We look back at the face of the young, beautiful girl whose life ended too soon.

"Why?" Corinne asks. "Why hurt innocent people? How is that supposed to bring peace or whatever it is they want? How does killing this girl make the world a better place for anyone?"

***

Pain has a way of testing us. It either breaks us or makes us stronger. Corinne threw herself into her studies even more after Charlie died.

We've all taken our studies more seriously since the attack on Curatio Domus. It's the second half of the quarter, and the Trial is around the corner. We all want to be ready. So, here we are, noses buried in our books.

Kai places a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, and I inhale it gratefully. "Thank you." It warms my hands as I sip on the delicious nectar. I already drank a packet of Life Force, but nothing can replace my love for coffee.

He kisses the top of my head and sits next to me, his books already spread out over the table. "You're welcome. How's it going?"

I look down at the law book laying open in front of me, full of highlighted sections and notes in the margins, all mine. "It's going… slowly."

Corinne grins over at us, and I can see her mind spinning. She loves even the smallest display of affection between us, as she believes it will lead to more soon. Maybe it will. We've been taking it slow since Halloween. This last month has been about us getting to know each other better, training, studying.

It seems that after Halloween comes the panicked cramming and studying phase of the quarter. For the last several weeks our trips to the city and nights hanging out chatting have gotten further and further apart as our workload in our classes increase. Now we only have a few more weeks until finals, and my eyeballs feel dead in their sockets from all the reading.

Wytt and Lana have become glued at the hip. Jaden and Corinne aren't dating, but he's joined our little gang of friends and brings his own charm. And even Akio is here, his wisdom adding something special to our interactions together.

"Who do you think's a shoo-in for the Boons from each Order?" Jaden asks.

Wytt looks up from his computer, where he's trying to hack into a dummy account I created for each of them to practice on. "I definitely won't be getting one from the Templars. But Scarlett, you'll get something, I'm sure."

"Maybe," I say. "It's the class I'm strongest in. But Wytt, you're awesome at Law and Order. I bet Inquisition has you tagged for something."

He rolls his eyes. "Wouldn't that make me instantly evil or something?"

Everyone laughs.

"What about you, Akio?" Corinne asks. "Have you given more thought to which Order you want?"

"I stay with Teutonic," he says. "It my only choice."

I frown, worried my new friend won't make the cut for that Order. "It's a tough one to get into if you're not a strong fighter. Have you thought about the Hospitallers? You're really good at those classes. You have the second highest score so far, next to Corinne."

He beams at the compliment but still shakes his head. "It not enough to do something you good at. Must do something that make you happy. That challenge you to be better than old self, Scarlett-friend."

"Is that why you want Teutonic?" I ask, genuinely curious. "To challenge yourself?"

"That part of it." His eyes drift as he thinks about something only he can see. "But it also for my family. My wife and children."

Corinne's eyes widen. "I didn't know you had a wife and kids. Don't they miss you?"

His eyes are sad, and my heart clenches as I sense what's coming. "I miss them. Very much," he says. "Before Nephilim War, I successful engineer and bring much honor to family. But then War happened, and town became battleground between Nephilim and Orders. Our houses were destroyed, farms burned, people died. My wife and children were in our house, trapped by fire and fighting. I come home from work but could not get to them. I found them all dead, too late to save them. I vow then to become a Knight, to fight to protect others. To bring honor to their memory."

The conversation drifts, and we go back to studying, until Wytt curses and smacks his keyboard.

"Did the computer hurt your feelings?" Kai teases.

"This coding doesn't make any sense to me," he says.

To my surprise, Lana leans over and explains the hardest bit. I raise an eyebrow and everyone else is staring, too.

Kai whistles. "Impressive. I didn't realize you two found any time to study."

Lana and Wytt look at each other, and she nods and turns to us. "There's something we want to tell you," she says.

We all put down our books and wait. I have no idea what it could be. Are they getting married? Pregnant?

"Wytt and I aren't actually dating. We never were."

Corinne frowns. "Why would you pretend to be dating for so long?"

Lana sighs. "It's my parents. They sent me here, not to become a Knight, but to marry one. Preferably one with a pedigree."

"Like a Prince," Kai says.

She nods. "Like a Prince. But Wytt and I became good friends, and he agreed to fake it to keep my parents off my back so I could focus on my studying. As long as they think I'm making progress at marrying up, they won't pull me from the program."

My jaw drops. "They would actually take you out of here if you don't date someone of royal blood?" I can't even fathom this.

"They would, and they've threatened to. Which is why I needed Wytt. You can't tell anyone," she says, a look of panic on her face. "If they found out Wytt and I were just friends with no intention of marrying, it would be over for me. And I don't want to leave. I want to be a Knight. I want to make a difference with my life, not just as someone's arm candy." She looks at me and smiles. "I want to be a Templar."

"I had no idea," I say. "But if there's anything I can do to help, just say it. You're working hard to be here, more than anyone realized. You'll make a great Knight." And I feel a twinge of shame and sadness, because they are all working so hard to build something that I'm working to destroy.

But Jaden breaks my melancholy mood by throwing an arm over Lana's shoulders and smiling. "You know, I too am a Prince. If you ever need a new guy to fake it with, I'm always free."

***

We are all buried in books as we spend the week taking finals. We talk in murmurs in between classes, comparing answers to the tougher questions, speculating about how we each did. At lunch, gone are witty jokes and stories by Wytt, or the sketched masterpieces of Corinne. My fiends have been replaced by zombie students, eyes glazed over from the sheer volume of words being shoved into their brains. And I'm no different.

On the plus side, they no longer give me worried glances every time I pull out a Life Force instead of real food. Instead, their eyes light up with need, and I pass out packs to each of them like the drug dealer I've become.

We are all addicts now.

The day of my APD final I'm all nerves. I know I'm not getting a Boon for this class, but still, I can't just fail. I study, I cram, I do everything I can to prepare. After, my hands are shaking, and my brain feels like a Halloween pumpkin—gutted and set on fire.

Corinne joins me in the hall. "How'd you do?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Better than the first day."

She grins. "So you didn't put 'hands' and 'feet' and 'head' on your anatomy worksheet?"

I laugh. "No. I think I did pretty well on that part, actually, thanks to your torture study sessions."

We walk, enjoying a moment of non-studying before the next test. "That's great. You just need to do well enough to stay in the program," she says. "You're obviously meant for Templar, so don't stress too much about the rest."

For three days this continues, with no sleep, a lot of Life Force, and whispered pep talks until we finally make it to the last final—History, which is tedious, but not particularly hard.

What's hard is waiting to find out how we did. And who will get the Boons.

***

This is the day. With the relief of completing our finals comes the new stress of thinking about the Trial. They say without a Boon it's ten times harder to pass a Trial.

I need a Boon.

We sit in the Great Hall in full robes waiting for the Chancellor to announce our grades.

He limps up to the podium with his staff clicking against the stone floor. He looks older, more tired, than he did last time I saw him. I should visit more, find more time to talk with him. He knows stories of my mother I don't, and I'd like to hear them. We've shared tea and cookies a few times this quarter, in quiet moments after dinner, and he told me what she was like as a child and a teen. It's like getting to know her all over again. I never realized how much alike we are.

Were.

I'm shaking, and Kai reaches for my hand, holding it. My feelings for him grow stronger every day, but I know Nightfall will always stand between me and anyone I might come to love.

"You have all worked hard this quarter in the most physically and mentally challenging program in the world," my grandfather says. "Your scores broadcasted here today are a reflection of that work. But this is only half of the puzzle. Next comes the Trial. Some of you will have help. Others won't. And still others will not make it through to next quarter."