Chapter Thirteen
All students were required to return to their dormitories and sign in. Teachers were dispatched to Dragon’s Bluff to round up anyone off campus. Bryn sat in the first-floor lounge chewing her fingernails and waiting for Clint and Ivy to walk through the door. When her friends crossed the threshold, she ran to hug them.
“I was so worried about you guys.”
Ivy sniffled. “We didn’t know anything had happened. Mr. Stanton showed up at Fonzoli’s and announced that all students were to return to campus and sign in at their dorms.” She blinked rapidly. “When I saw…”
Clint pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “It’s all right. We’re safe. The Directorate will investigate and figure out what to do.”
Clint speaking favorably about the Directorate? That was new. “Do you really trust them to protect you?”
He shoved his hand back through his hair. “The Directorate is kind of like your parents. You may try to sneak around and break some of their rules, but when things turn ugly you know they’ll take care of you.”
The way Clint kept his arm wrapped around Ivy sent a pang of envy through Bryn’s chest. If Zavien and she were still together, would he put his arms around her? Wait a minute. Where was he?
“Have you seen Zavien?”
Clint and Ivy scanned the room.
“Maybe he was at the theater building.” Ivy said.
Bryn pushed her way through the crowd to the front door where people were checking in.
“Has Zavien Blackthorn signed in?”
The woman taking signatures flipped through the pages on her clipboard. “He hasn’t. Don’t worry. We haven’t rounded up everyone from Dragon’s Bluff.”
Bryn checked her watch. “When should I start to worry?”
“Anyone who isn’t accounted for in thirty minutes will be declared missing. Security is searching the campus for anyone who might’ve fallen in a rift.”
She shuddered. What a horrible way to die. Now what? With no other options, she went to sit with Clint and Ivy. Every time the door opened, she checked for spiked black hair.
“If he dies before he has a chance to apologize, I’m going to be pissed.”
Ivy patted her arm. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’ll live to apologize and everything will go back to the way it’s supposed to be.”
Time crawled. Bryn stared at the clock, willing the hands to move. It felt like she was in a slow-motion sequence from a movie. People around her talked while the sound of her own heart drummed in her ears.
When twenty-five minutes passed, she shot to her feet. “I can’t take this anymore.” Without a clear idea of what to do, she approached the front door.
The lady with the clipboard gave a sympathetic grin. “Worried about your friend?”
“Yes.” Bryn’s throat felt tight. “Can I go check with the medics?”
“Sorry, I have orders to keep everyone here.”
Bryn growled in frustration. “I have to do something.”
The woman looked Bryn up and down. “If I tell you to stay here, you’re going to sneak out, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what I thought.” She pulled a sheet of paper from her clipboard. “This is a list of students who are unaccounted for. Take it to the medics and find out how many of them are patients and how many are still missing.”
Bryn exited the building, shifted, and flew toward the science building where the medics were housed. No sign of Zavien outside. In the medical center, she found Medic Williams and her colleagues treating more than a dozen injured students.
“Bryn, we’re spread thin. I could use your help for the minor cuts and scrapes.”
“I can do that, but first, I’m supposed to ask if any of these students are being treated.”
Medic Williams took the list. “Five of these students are here.” With quick efficiency, she checked off the appropriate names. Zavien wasn’t among them.
He’d been by her side during most of her trips to the clinic. She’d thought for sure he’d be here. “So, no sign of Zavien?”
“Don’t worry. The professors enlisted some of the older students to search the rifts. I’m sure Zavien is helping.” She pointed toward a group of students who sat on a bench in the hallway. “The minor injuries are over there. Ask if they mind you healing them, since you aren’t licensed yet. If they have issues, tell them it’s a forty-five-minute wait.
Bryn approached a red-haired girl cradling her right arm.
“Medic Williams asked me to help. I’ve had some training. I can cure minor cuts.”
“This doesn’t feel minor, but do what you can.” The girl extended her arm, which was covered in a blood-soaked towel.
Bryn lifted the cloth and discovered a six-inch laceration on the girl’s forearm. She closed her eyes and visualized her life force as a ball of white fire in her chest. Opening her eyes, she pictured the fire flowing down her right arm into her fingertips. As she traced her fingers back and forth over the girl’s wound, she imagined the skin undamaged. After a few minutes, the edges of the cut began to come together. The skin closed until all that was left was a pink line.
“Better?” Bryn asked.
The girl’s shoulders relaxed. “Much better. Thank you.”
“Can you drop this at the Black dragons’ dorm on your way out?”
The girl took the paper and left.
A Blue male sat next in line. He held a cloth to a wound on his forehead. Before she could speak, he said, “I’ll wait for the real medic.”
“Are you sure? It’s going to be a while before anyone else can help you.”
“Positive.”
Jerk. “Your choice. Anyone else want my help?”
A Green male pointed to the girl leaning against his shoulder. “Help her.”
The dark-complected girl held out her arms, which were covered in superficial cuts and abrasions. Healing the minor damage was easy. Doing this felt right. This was what she wanted to do. Feeling sure about one thing in her life was a relief.
She healed three other students and sent them on their way, then she checked with the stubborn Blue. “Change your mind yet?”
“No.” He scooted away from her like she was about to force herself on him.
“Stop being an ass and let her heal you,” a familiar voice ordered.
Jaxon came to stand by her side. His clothes were uncharacteristically wrinkled and mud-splotched, but she didn’t see any blood.
“Are you injured?” she asked.
“No. I was sent to check on our missing students.” He pointed at the Blue with the head injury. “Heal him so I can take him back to the dorm.”
Bryn turned to find the Blue still wearing the expression of disgust, but he dropped the cloth from his forehead. Jaxon must outrank him in some way. The cut was shallow, and she healed it with ease.
Before Jaxon could leave, she said, “Have you seen Zavien?”
The blond gave her a look that was part pity and part scorn.
“Don’t judge me,” she snapped. “Just answer the question.”
“I haven’t seen him.” Jaxon raised a brow. “Do you think he’s asking anyone where you are?”
“Jerk.”
He feigned confusion. “Are you referring to me, or Zavien?”
At this point, she didn’t know. Making her way over to Medic Williams, Bryn asked, “Heard anything about Zavien?”
The woman didn’t look away from the wound she was closing. “No.”
“I’m going to find him.”
No one tried to stop her. Bryn left the science building and came up short when faced with the devastation to the campus grounds. She closed her eyes and inhaled, hoping to catch Zavien’s scent. All she detected was the sharp smell of green grass and the loamy scent of freshly turned earth.
Vivian and Octavius worked to repair the damage. Half a dozen adult Orange dragons labored alongside them.
Where had the Orange dragons come from? Had Octavius contacted his Clan and asked for aid? Mr. Stanton seemed to be supervising the cleanup. Curious, she walked out to meet him.
“Be careful, Bryn. The ground is literally shifting under our feet.”
A loud rumble reverberated through the soles of her shoes, and part of a nearby fissure closed.
“Who do you think did this?” she asked.
“We don’t know. Octavius and Vivian came to me minutes after the attack. We contacted their Clan and they offered aid.”
“The Directorate will blame them,” Bryn said.
“At first they will. We’ll find out who the real culprits are after an investigation.”
“Have you seen Zavien?”
“He helped us look for stragglers earlier. I haven’t seen him in a while.” Mr. Stanton grabbed Bryn’s arm as the ground beneath their feet groaned. “You’d best relocate. This isn’t a precise science.”
Okay. So he’d seen Zavien, and Zavien hadn’t asked about her. Frowning, she stalked toward her dorm.
Inside the student lounge, she spotted Clint and Ivy sitting at the small café. Ivy waved Bryn over, but her expression wasn’t happy.
She pulled out a chair and joined her friends. “What’s up?”
“I have news you aren’t going to like.” Ivy patted Bryn’s arm, like she was trying to console her. “Zavien came back twenty minutes ago. He saw us, but he didn’t stop to visit.”
The ugly truth crashed down on her. “He didn’t talk to you, which means he didn’t bother to ask about me. How could I have been so wrong about him?”
Neither of her friends answered.
“With all these rifts, it wouldn’t be difficult to hide his body,” Ivy said.
Clint gaped at his girlfriend. “Don’t encourage Bryn, or we’ll spend our weekends visiting her in jail.”