Twilit Mage

Chapter 31: Trapped

She didn't have to wait long. Barely a moment after coming outside the sound of approaching footsteps cut through the silence, descending down the stairs and swiftly passing along the hallway to the place where she stood.

"Bonnie, you're acting strange!" the unmistakable voice of Hecate Solstice sounded down the hallway, less harsh and military than she was with her students and almost...confused. "Why do you suddenly need sleeping herbs from me? In case it has flown over your head, you can order those things everywhere!"

"I told you," Bonnie replied in that hostile tone she always used when talking to Ms. Solstice. "I discovered I ran out of them and ordering takes days. What if someone needs them now and I don't have any?"

"Because it's not like you could possibly have noticed you were running low days ago and ordered replenishments before going down to zero."

"I know I made a mistake, all right! I don't take advice from you!"

"I'm not giving advice. I'm only being honest." Ms. Solstice sighed, and her voice grew quiet, almost gentle. "You need to behave in a way that makes others trust you, Bonnie. I know many of them still don't. Which is a shame, because you're a capable woman when you stop goofing off."

Bonnie gave a sigh. "That's none of your business."

Their footsteps were close now, alarmingly close, and Mercury almost thought she could spot their silhouettes walking up to her in the distance. With a suppressed gasp she tore herself from the conversation, slid out of her hiding and slipped in through the door, hurrying across the room to catch hold of Raoul's arm.

"Did you find it?" she whispered in his ear. He nodded.

Outside the door the footsteps and voices came to an abrupt stop.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, her voice so close Mercury wondered if she could hear her frantic racing heartbeat.

Ms. Solstice's voice was even closer, fingers brushing from outside against the door. "Did someone just...run in here?"

"What?" Bonnie gave an audible scoff. "Hecate, you're paranoid–"

Before she could finish the sentence the door barged open, revealing a tall, deadly pale, furious silhouette standing menacingly in the doorframe.

Green eyes glowed inhumanly in the dim light. Sharp features distorted into a grimace of horror and fury. Pitch-black hair took a life of its own and started to float, whipping through the air as though it was trying to cut it. And a voice, sharp, poisonous and inhuman, slowly rose above the silence to hiss a single sentence.

"What – are – you – doing – here?"

Mercury shivered. Raoul flinched under her hands. This was all part of the plan, she reminded herself. Everything was going as planned. She had to play her role now. Easy as that. It was fine.

"I – don't know," she stuttered out, grateful no one could see how clammy her hands were getting. This isn't a lie, she tried to remind herself. This is the truth. You're telling the truth. "He told me to come down here because he wanted to show me something but he didn't say what and–" Raoul, I'm so sorry. "And I found him sneaking in here so I tried to stop him before anything happened and...and...and..."

Her voice faltered. Her entire body was shaking, clinging frantically to Raoul's arm that she was supposed to be holding captive. No good. It was no good. She knew. She could tell.

"It's true," Raoul jumped in, wearing a grin that was somehow both sheepish and completely reckless. "I just wanted to show her something, but she's too nice to break the rules and stopped m–"