Chapter 135 135- Do Not Let Him Quiz You On Anything
BLAKE
I fly back to the Academy as fast as my wings will take me, pushing harder than I should, cutting through the air with none of the control or precision I usually maintain. There’s no smooth landing, no slowing descent, just speed and urgency and a growing sense of dread that tightens in my chest the closer I get. I haven’t even landed before I know something is wrong. There are people everywhere, strangers, not students, and the moment they see me, they scatter. Not casually. Not uncertainly. They run. My eyes sweep the courtyard as I drop lower, and that’s when I see it. Blood. A lot of it. Smeared across the stone near the fountain, dark and unmistakable even from above. And in the middle of it… a body. Completely still. Lying in a pool of red that has already begun to spread and dry at the edges. This one is definitely dead. I don’t need to get any closer to know that. I land hard, shifting back the second my feet hit the ground, barely steadying myself before I’m already reaching for my phone. I try Lexi again. Nothing. Not even ringing this time. My jaw tightens as I stare at the screen. Did she turn it off? Did it break? Did something happen to it? My heart is racing now, faster than it has any right to be, that same sharp instinct from earlier screaming louder, more urgent. Something is wrong. I shove the phone away and force myself to think. Dorms. That’s the most likely place. She was supposed to be with Ellorie–Rae, but she could have gone back to her own room. And even if she didn’t, there are only a few places she would willingly go. I can rule them out quickly. That’s the plan. Efficient. Controlled. I head toward the dorms at a fast pace, senses stretched wide, searching for anything, any scent, any sound that might point me in the right direction. That’s when I catch it. Faint, but familiar. Ellorie–Rae. I stop abruptly and turn, following it to the side of one of the buildings. She’s slumped against the wall, half–collapsed, looking like she just… stopped moving and never bothered to correct it. I might have missed her if I wasn’t actively searching for anything connected to Lexi. There’s already a bruise forming along her cheek and forehead, dark and swelling. My eyes narrow slightly.
“Ouch,” I mutter under my breath. I crouch down beside her and nudge her side, not particularly gently.
“Hey.” I prompt. She groans, her face scrunching up as her eyes crack open slightly. She looks completely out of it, unfocused, sluggish. Between the head injury and the very obvious smell of alcohol clinging to her, it’s hard to tell what’s causing what.
“What happened?” I ask, keeping my voice sharp and direct.
“Dunno,” she mumbles, her words slurred.
“Head hurts… Where’s Lexi?” She asks. Still. Well. That’s… not helpful. But it is bad. If Ellorie–Rae doesn’t know where Lexi is, then Lexi is not where she’s supposed to be. I straighten slowly, my mind already shifting into something colder, more focused. I should leave her. She’s alive. She’s conscious, barely. She’s not my priority. I turn to go. Then stop. Because I can already hear Lexi’s voice in my head. Lecturing me. Arguing. Telling me exactly why leaving her drunk, injured, and alone in the middle of whatever this is would be unacceptable.
“Damn it…” I mutter. I turn back, grab Ellorie–Rae, and haul her up without much ceremony, slinging her over my shoulder. It’s not dignified. Not even slightly. But I don’t care. She’s not going anywhere on her own like this, and I’m not wasting time trying to carry her properly. Her room isn’t far. I memorised the location the moment the two of them started spending time together. Just in case. Good decision. I move quickly, ignoring her weak protests and the way she shifts slightly over my shoulder, and head straight there. When I reach the door, it swings open without a key. I pause for half a second. Huh. The Academy doesn’t usually do that for me. It helps Lexi. Not me. I step inside anyway, filing that thought away for later.
“Guess you approve,” I mutter under my breath as I cross the room. I drop Ellorie Rae onto her bed in an undignified heap. She barely reacts, just groans again and curls slightly into the mattress. She’ll be fine. Probably. I’ll send someone to check on her later. Right now, she’s more drunk than anything else. Good enough. I turn and head for the door again immediately. Now, Lexi. I don’t slow down as I leave the room, my focus narrowing into something sharp and dangerous. Next stop. Her room.
No longer burdened by a drunk djinn, I break into a full sprint down the hall, my footsteps echoing sharply as urgency claws its way through me. My heart is pounding, not from exertion, but from something far worse. Fear. Real, cold, suffocating fear. The corridors are empty. Not a single student in sight. That’s wrong. Completely wrong. This place should be full of noise and movement, but instead there’s nothing. Silence. I grit my teeth. They’re hiding. Of course they are. Whatever happened in the courtyard wasn’t quiet, and those strangers weren’t subtle. Anyone with half a brain would have locked themselves away and stayed out of sight. Which in some ways makes this easier, less people in my way. But it means no one is here to tell me anything. No one saw where Lexi went. No one can help me find her. And if those hunters are still here… my chest tightens. I push faster. I reach Lexi’s door and stop so abruptly it almost sends me off balance, and for a split second, my mind just… blanks. Because there’s barely a door left. It’s been destroyed. Not just broken, destroyed.
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2:29 pm P P P
Chapter 135 135- Do Not Let Him Quiz You On Anything
04
Splintered wood, shattered frame, the entire thing torn apart like something ripped through it without hesitation. Not kicked in. Not forced. Obliterated.
There are scorch marks too. Magic. Strong magic.
“Shit… shit, SHIT!” The words rip out of me as I shove the remains aside and storm inside.
“Lexi?!” I call out desperately. Nothing. No answer. No sign of her. The room is a mess. Her things are scattered, overturned, thrown aside like they were searching for something, or someone. My gaze sweeps the space frantically, my senses stretched to their limit, searching for anything familiar. She’s not here. I move to the bathroom, pushing the broken door aside, and freeze. Untouched. The door is broken in, but the room is completely untouched. For a split second, my stomach drops. What if they found her immediately? What if she didn’t even make it this far? What if they got to her before she could hide, before she could run, what if she’s already… No. I force the thought down hard, jaw clenching. That doesn’t fit. If they had her… if they had actually caught her… they wouldn’t still be wandering around the courtyard. They wouldn’t be searching. They would be gone. Fast. Quiet. Efficient. Which means…
“She got away,” I mutter under my breath, the words tight but grounded. My chest loosens just slightly, relief cutting through the panic. Not safe. Not yet. But not taken. That’s something.
“They thought she couldn’t hide in here…” I add, glancing around the untouched bathroom again. Which means she either wasn’t here… or she outsmarted
them somehow and escaped. Good.
“Where IS she?” I demand, my voice sharp, echoing slightly in the wrecked room. My pulse is hammering now, urgency surging back stronger than before. This couldn’t have happened long ago. It can’t have. The Academy hasn’t fixed anything yet, and it always fixes things quickly. Unless… unless it’s prioritising something else? No. Focus. Lexi isn’t here. So WHERE is she? My room? The thought hits immediately. If the Academy helped her, if it moved her… That’s where she would go, right? Even if she is mad at me. I spin and bolt back into the hallway, heading straight for where my door should be. Except when I get there, I stop again, frustration flaring. The nameplate is gone. The warning sign is gone. And the door doesn’t even have a lock.
“What?” I snap, already pushing it open. Storage closet. Not even a normal one. A chaotic mess of random objects, piled and crammed together like some kind of ridiculous lost–and–found. Under any other circumstances, I’d be tempted to sort through it, catalogue it, see if anything is worth keeping. Not now.
Not even close.
“You moved it,” I realise, stepping back into the hall, my voice low and tight. My chest feels too tight now, every second ticking past without finding her
making it worse.
“Which means she’s probably there. Stashed away somewhere safe.” I remark. I look down the corridor, jaw clenched.
“Take me to her,” I order. Nothing. No response. My patience snaps slightly.
“Don’t do this,” I mutter, forcing a breath in, then out. I try again, quieter this time.
“Please.” I add. For a second, there’s nothing. Then, the lights flicker. Everything goes dark except for one at the far end of the hall. Relief hits sharp and
immediate.
“Finally.” I complain. I move toward it without hesitation, only for it to go out the second I reach it, another one lighting up further down, to the left. A guide. Fine. I’ll take it. I follow, fast, my thoughts still racing despite having a direction now. How do I know this is right? The Academy barely tolerates me. Lexi was upset with me before she left. It’s not exactly on my side. What if it’s interfering? What if it’s slowing me down? I don’t trust it. Not completely. I pull the compass necklace from my pocket, gripping it tightly as I move, glancing down at it briefly. It’s not ideal, inside the Academy, directions are unreliable at best. North doesn’t mean anything when the building shifts and twists like this. I keep moving up at least a dozen flights of stairs. HOW!? This place isn’t even that tall! I’ve flown over it, I would know! I hate this place sometimes. But right now, It’s the only thing leading me to her.
“Lexi…” I mutter under my breath, the word low, tight, almost a promise as I push forward faster, following the lights deeper into the Academy. Finally I go up one last flight of stairs to a hallway with one single door at the end. And sure enough, my name plate and warning sign are stuck to it. I’ve found my room, and the compass is pointing straight at it.
