Moonfire Academy (NaNoWriMo 2023)

Chapter Nine

Ezekiel aided Cressida with Malakai, and they headed toward the academy. The roots twisted and turned, forming the last section of the wall. Renin stared at it before her gaze shifted to the headmaster, who stood at the entrance of the Academy, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Bring him to the infirmary."

Cressida came to a halt, her brain registering a searing pain in her stomach. Blinded by concern for Malakai she hadn't realized there was an arrow the size of her palm buried in her side.

She continued into the academy and down to the end of the corridor into the infirmary. Since attacks of this magnitude weren't normal, the infirmary wasn't stocked with large amounts of herbs or potions that would aid Malakai in the healing process. For six months, they had been locked in the academy grounds without the ability to restock anything.

She watched in silence the headmaster scour through all the cabinets, noting the empty containers. Her gaze shifted to Malakai who lay motionless on the bed, his breathing slowing down to a concerning pace. 

The headmaster paused, his back facing them, hand clasping the desk with empty containers scattered on it. "Is he able to heal on his own?"

Renin lowered her gaze, but Cressida still noticed the tears glistening in her silver eyes. "I'm not certain. We all know to heal from this, he must have had his full energy and he didn't."

The headmaster glanced at her. "He overused his magic teleporting the clan's children into the academy." He shook his head. "You children need to learn to not use your magic in large amounts at once--"

"He was already drained of energy before that," Ezekiel stated. "Having sexual intercourse might not seem tiring, but it does drain us of energy. He didn't feed afterward either."

The headmaster faced them, eyebrows arched. "Okay, then perhaps he needs to feed." He grasped the pendant of the necklace around Malakai's neck, the tart-like liquid spilling from it coating his fingers. "Did anyone see what sort of arrow was it?" He yanked the necklace off him, tossing it across to the table. "Or who was the archer?"

All eyes were on Cressida. "It was mine." 

"Yours?" The headmaster stared at her credulous. "Cressida, if anyone knows this, the vampire king will presume you attempted to kill his son."

"I helped save him."

"It wouldn't be the first time someone pretended to save someone when the truth was that they had set everything in motion in the first place."

"That's ridiculous. I put my own life at stake for Malakai."

"Where were your arrows?" asked the headmaster.

"I can't remember." If she informed them that she had left her bow and arrows in her dorm, they would point accusative fingers at Zephyrine's pack. Perhaps they had every right to suspect they would be behind the attack on Malakai. They believed him to be the vampire prince, and they had accused his father of killing the alpha.

"Perhaps the vampire king will see this as someone attempting to place blame on you." The headmaster contemplated something before his gaze shifted to Cressida. "You are the first werewolf to put her life at risk for a vampire." A faint smile graced his lips. "And everyone witnessed it."

"Now, they will see me as a traitor."

"Some might, but there will be those who will see you as a great alpha to follow. Not many would set aside their feuds to do what is right at the moment."

She glanced at her hand. "I accepted my position but I don't feel different. I know when my father died and my mother decided to step down from the alpha position, the pack dispersed in human lands, but shouldn't I still feel the connection to them?"