Sentry of the Arcane: Engulfed

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Sophie

"How can I trouble you all even more?"

After the first word leaves his mouth, I can feel my face drain of any colour, including the blush caused by Fitz. Seeing the smirk increase with more dark intentions after he finishes his question causes me to step back, my voice failing me. Suddenly, he turns to me and asks, "Oh, so she's also here. Need more proof that I killed Michelle and David?"

Hugging my arms, I look down, my screams while being tortured filling my head again. I almost don't realize that Fitz has stepped in front of me until he says, "Just shut up, Jacob. Or I swear to God that you'll be unconscious and the guards won't know why." You're safe, Fitz's voice fills my head after it becomes silent again. Don't let him make you scared of him. He's in jail.

He's in jail... I repeat to myself, smiling at Fitz once teal meets brown. After mouthing "Thank you," to him, I turn to Steven. "Should we start asking him?"

"Fire away," Steven says, much to Jacob's distaste. Grumbling curses under his breath, Jacob looks down at his hands as the male Percipient and I make out way to the criminal, Fitz taking the lead.

"You said that you were the last person to see Leila Leroy," Fitz says, slamming his hands down onto the metal table and silently glaring lethal daggers at the convicted murderer. "Just how did you-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jacob shouts abruptly, scooting his chair back. Standing up so he's at the same eye level as Fitz, the older brother of David asks, "How do you know that I saw her..? And that I was the last person! You can't prove anything!"

I back up slowly as Jacob's voice becomes louder and louder. Fitz, however, keeps his stone-cold expression and his emotionless gaze. "As I was saying," he says, venom evident in his tone. "How did you manage to contact her? Letter? Phone call?"

Jacob scoffs. "They would've really loved me if they'd let me have one phone call," he remarks, making my eyes widen. "Apparently, I'm too 'dangerous to be near a phone'. Also..." He glares at Fitz, causing the male Percipient to intensify his glare. "I didn't do anything to have her come to me, Fitz. She came to me."

He's telling the truth, Fitz transmits, startling me. So I can actually ask him some questions.

That wasn't one of the questions? I ask, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Then what was that for?

Fitz glowers at Jacob again. To see if he'd tell the truth, the male Percipient tells me. Out loud, he asks, "Why did she see you?"

"She just wanted to see me," Jacob reasons as nonchalantly as he can. "I knew her daughter from college."

"Tell the truth!" I don't even realize that I'm the one who yelled it out until I see that my fist is on the table, shaking slightly. "I know that you're lying," I continue to shout at him, prominently surprising him. "You're in jail! Your brother and sister-in-law are both dead, thanks to you..! So just man up and-"

Suddenly, Jacob's holding his hand out, and I brace myself to be threatened while in midair. Instead, I hear Steven shout, "Fitz!"

I glance up to see the male Percipient suspended in midair, somehow managing to glower down at Jacob. I then pale considerably when I see Fitz glowing a bright white. He did that, I think to myself. Before the... the- "Dragon..." I manage to whisper soft enough so I can only hear.

Before I know it, Jacob's flying into the wall and Fitz's dropping to the ground, not glowing anymore. A bloody mess, the older Grahams falls to the ground in a heap. "Don't screw this meeting up," Fitz seethes in Jacob's bleeding face once he slowly inches back into his seat. "You know that in three days, you'll be found guilty, and you won't be allowed to be visited by anyone. Sonia's right- man up, if you know what's good for you."

"How the-" Jacob suddenly pauses once Fitz glares at him silently. Making a noise that's a combination of a sigh and groan, Jacob looks down at his bruised hands. "Fine... You'll get our stupid answers..." He suddenly frowns more, but I don't say anything.

Instead, I force myself to enter Jacob's head yet again.

It's dark, but it's a suffocating darkness... Like I'm drowning. I have the feeling that I'm not supposed to be here, but I don't listen to my voice of reason. I force myself to plunge deeper, hoping with all of my might that I'll find a gleam of light somewhere.

And after what seems like forever, I finally find it.

Without thinking, I lunge at it, not caring about my throat burning and my lungs losing air. After my hands desperately close around the little orb of light, I'm forced to close my eyes from how blinding the white surrounding is.

And then I hear it.

Fitton told everyone...

I don't need a second to think to know that it wasn't my voice that said that. It was Jacob's.

Just as I make that connection, I'm suddenly yanked out of Jacob' consciousness. I don't even realize that I'm shaking until Fitz envelopes me in a warm embrace, making me remember that I'm not in Jacob's mind anymore. "What happened?" I manage to ask, still shaking.

"I don't know," Fitz admits. "One minute, Jacob's telling me that Leila, in fact, came to him- and the next, you're shaking and Jacob's trying to throw you into a wall."

The two of us then glance over at Jacob, who's lying on the table, looking up and bleeding even more. Glancing over at me, the man doesn't hesitate to jump to his feet. Quickly, he's levitating me, and Fitz levitates him simultaneously.

"Let her go!" Fitz shouts, making Jacob drift closer to the ceiling.

Jacob, unfortunately, ignores him. "You little BRAT!" he spits out, his eyes looking as if they need to kill... "You read my thoughts! How dare you!" He suddenly howls, aiming exactly where he should throw me.

Using his pause, I quickly gain control of the levitating Jacob and slam into the ceiling, not knowing what to do. I feel an invisible force disappearing, and I instantaneously force Jacob into the metal table beneath him.

And then I realize that I'm falling.

I try to use my telekinesis, but my mind is so full of scattered thoughts that I can't think straight long enough to stop myself. I close my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the immense pain that's sure to accompany my collision.

Yet once again, that doesn't happen.

Instead, Fitz catches me with his telekinesis, letting Jacob crash onto the ground. Steven forces Jacob up with his telekinesis while Fitz transmits, That was a risky thing you did there- reading his mind.

But do you know what he said in there?! I retort, my shock clearly showing.

What did he say? Fitz asks, his face still showing no emotion.

That Fitton told "them", I say. Once I see Fitz's face drain of practically all color, I realize my mistake. I don't think Fitton killed anyone, nor did Jacob say who "them" was... But I have the feeling that "them" may have something to do with all of this...

Jacob's groaning causes the male Percipient and me to turn towards him. After dropping his bloody self, Steven looks towards the two of us. "We should probably go," the forensic pathologist suggests, although it sounds more like a command. "We've caused enough trouble here."

"No..." I mutter. Pointing at the now-unconscious Jacob, I say, "He's caused enough trouble." As Fitz wraps his arms around my shoulders to lead me out, I can't stop looking at Jacob while he bleeds... and wondered if he felt more glee torturing me than me feeling utter nausea and disgust when I look down at his bleeding body