A Drop Of Haunted Blood [REMOVING FOR PUBLICATION DEC 1] [WATTYS WINNTER 2023]

Chapter Four: Five Star Prison Cell

The sun had gone down during the meeting, leaving the world outside the castle windows dark. Felix slowed and peered through one, marveling at how many stars glittered in the sky.

"Since I'm leading you to a room and not a dungeon, I think the king is going to assign someone to train you," Kendra said.

Felix jogged to catch up to her. "You think that'll be hard to do?"

"Maybe. You do pose a challenge. But with everything that's on the line, I'm sure at least a few teachers will be up to it."

Felix wasn't convinced Kendra believed what she was saying but nodded anyway.

"How are you feeling?" Kendra asked.

"Awful," Felix admitted. "I'm exhausted. And—" He wasn't sure what to think about his family. They were dead, but they weren't really gone, right?

Then again, he hadn't heard a word from them since leaving his house. What if the Guardians were wrong about his ability?

"I can't promise you'll feel better in the morning, but I'll do everything I can to help you, okay?" Kendra sighed. "I know some of the people on the council didn't seem to care about you, but I promise everyone's just trying to do what's best for the Brightlands. It's been hard for us, recently. We've lost a lot of family and friends."

"Is there some kind of war going on?" Felix asked, recalling what May had said to him. All I know is that there's some kind of magical war, and I'm not sure we know which side is the right one.

"The past few years have been quiet, but the Guardian Uprising was only the beginning. It's inevitable that the people responsible will be back. They failed eight years ago, but we didn't defeat them, either." Kendra hesitated. "Don't go around talking about all this, okay? They generally don't like to tell students about it until they've graduated from the academy."

"Academy?"

"Bright Academy. It's our training program. A large portion of the castle is devoted to it."

"Do you guys just throw the word 'Bright' in front of everything?"

Kendra chuckled. "I guess so."

A few more turns brought them to one of the towers. Felix tipped his head back to stare at the staircase spiraling upwards. "I know this is a castle, but is there by chance an elevator?"

Kendra strolled up to the wall next to the staircase and lifted a painting of a forest, revealing a panel of buttons. "The Brightland family is a big fan of aesthetics, so some of the more convenient features of the castle are hidden." She hit a button marked with an up arrow, and a faint chime came through the wall. A hairline crack appeared in the wallpaper, and a moment later, an elevator door slid open.

Inside the elevator, Kendra hit the button for the ninth floor.

"Hey," Felix said. "How did you and Archer know my family was attacked? You were at my house right after it happened."

"Your father called us when Gideon showed up," Kendra said. Her expression darkened. "We came as fast as we could, but—not fast enough. I'm sorry."

Felix drew out the chain around his neck and fiddled with Mom's ring until they came to a stop. Outside the elevator, stairs continued spiraling upwards. A hallway circled the outside of the staircase, lined with doors.

"Are these all bedrooms?" Felix asked.

"Dormitories, yes, technically," Kendra said. "You're the only person on this floor, though."

"Oh."

Kendra walked to the door opposite the elevator and turned the handle. It swung open. "Go ahead and get settled. I'll be right back with the key."