Thalora

Chapter Thirteen: Spider's Web

Alyssa returned to her dorm room, her mind still reeling from the council's meeting. She couldn't shake the feeling that Headmaster Vael's words held a message layered with warnings and threats, woven through with the council's fractured alliances.

She sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers brushing over the teleportation key that lay on her nightstand. The temptation to reach out to Troy was stronger than ever, but she hesitated. Could Troy really be trusted? Was he just another Vael? It was as if the whole Academy held secrets, each one lurking beneath a mask, yet hidden in plain sight.

Alyssa's thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on her door. She opened it to find Kai and Lucas, both looking as troubled as she felt.

"Mind if we come in?" Kai asked. "That council meeting..."

Lucas nodded, his brows furrowed. "I don't know about you, but that Vael guy gives me the creeps."

Alyssa gestured for them to sit, her heart rate quickening. She needed to talk to them, to try and make sense of the unease that had settled over her. With a quick motion, she hid Troy's teleportation key in her pocket– but not fast enough for Lucas not to notice.

"What's that?" he asked, squinting.

"Oh, nothing... just... something I found," Alyssa responded with a little shrug. She then turned her attention to Kai, who flopped down on her bed, raking a hand through his hair.

"Did it seem... strange to you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "The way Vael spoke to you? Like he was trying to... I don't know, intimidate you?"

"He intimidates everyone," Alyssa said, letting out a soft chuckle. "But yeah, he does seem like a creep."

Alyssa shivered, her mind racing back to Vael's piercing gaze, the barely veiled interest lurking in his words. "But it's not just him," she murmured. "Did you guys see how the council watched me? Like they were waiting for me to... to mess up or react somehow."

"Especially Marla," Lucas added, leaning against her desk. "She's got this... strange vibe. Almost like she's up to something."

"They're all up to something," Kai added.

Alyssa didn't have an answer, but the thought of Marla's scrutinizing face filled her with a sense of foreboding. There was a rift within the council, an unspoken tension that simmered just beneath the surface, and somehow, Alyssa felt herself caught in the middle of it.

"I don't know what he wants," she finally said.

Kai and Lucas exchanged a glance, their expressions equally confused. Finally, Kai spoke, his tone serious. "We just gotta keep our heads down. For now, we don't challenge him. We play along until we know what we're up against."

Alyssa nodded slowly, though a sense of helplessness gnawed at her. Playing along meant walking a fine line, keeping her abilities hidden while also proving herself.

The three of them sat in silence, each lost in their thoughts. The council's scrutiny and Vael's unspoken challenge lingered in the air, and Alyssa could feel it, like a storm gathering on the horizon.

***

The Next Day...

The dense jungle stretched endlessly before them, a sea of thick foliage and twisting vines that seemed to close in tighter with every step. One of the ancient Eldarii temples loomed in the distance, its weathered stone structures barely visible through the dense canopy. Alyssa's legs burned with the strain of the hike, each step a battle against the unforgiving terrain.

She stole a glance at Kai, who marched beside her, his face glistening with sweat but set in determined focus and a look of steely concentration. Behind them, Lucas struggled to keep pace, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. His shirt clung to his back, soaked through with sweat, and his face was flushed with exhaustion.