The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 30

30

I didn’t know how much time had passed or how long we’d been here. It didn’t matter. I just needed to command the nothingness and twist it into something.

I pictured my wolf in my mind, drawing on the invisible connection I had with Hyde.

Once more, the smoke shifted and twisted into different shapes. Hyde's call grew stronger, his pain biting into my soul. He was distressed, alone, and he desperately needed me.

I tightened my fists, channeling the anger coiling within me. I was ready to fight whoever did this to my wolf. This bastard has something coming if he thought he could get away with this.

Shapes materialised in front of me, rising and emerging from the thick bed of smoke.

Flavia gasped. "It's a wolf!"

Excitement and relief filled my chest until I realised it wasn’t Hyde. Even so, this was a step in the right direction. That was what I reminded myself with as I fought the sting of disappointment.

Flavia rushed towards the beast, tugging me along with the string between us.

"Hey there," she said as we neared the big dusk.

His eyes flashed red, his growl a warning not to come closer. The exhaustion trembled through his body, his paws shaky in the smoke. His chest heaved with every laboured breath, and even in this state, it was clear he was not to be messed with.

"It's okay," I said, crouching down to make myself smaller. Azur was injured once and when she was in pain, she wouldn't allow me to touch her unless I posed no threat.

The wolf howled, straining against something.

"Look." Flavia pointed at his hind leg. "He's chained down. That must be how the thief is keeping the wolves here."

"Do you think he's spending all his time in the Veil?"

The blonde clacked her tongue. "Mmmm... I don't know how that's possible, but he must be."

I shrugged. "I don't know, you're the Veil expert."

"Hardly," she scoffed, crouching down next to me. Her dark wings fluttered slightly as she examined... nothing?

"Are you sniffing the smoke?" I asked, chuckling despite the dire situation.

"I am. Everything leaves traces, even here."

Both bemused and worried, I watched her shuffle around the chained wolf. When she stepped forward, he darted back as far as the silver bracelet allowed him. As she examined the smoke, he licked the bleeding wounds on his paw. The blood leaking down his leg pooled in droplets that disintegrated as soon as they hit the Veil. They sizzled, adding to the scarf of haze.

"I'm not sure how we can break the chain, but it should lead us to him." Flavia reached down to touch the silver constraints, hissing as she made contact. "They're definitely tainted with a strong poison. Whoever he is, he's a powerful elemental. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to control so many threads for this long."

I scratched my face. "Right... Only a skilled guide could have this many connections, right? Just like how professor Rada can only take us for so long, or how you're just able to take me?"

"Correct. The relationship between the guide and the guest is also important. For instance, if we didn't know each other, our connection would've long broken. It's only because we're friends that it's sustained for this long."

My stomach fluttered. Friends. She didn't just tolerate me, she liked me.

"What are you grinning about?" the blonde asked, a confused look crinkled on her face.

"Nothing. From what I can feel, Hyde doesn't want to be here. So it's a lot harder for the thief to keep them here?"

Flavia nodded. "Exactly. Only a high level Valkyrie could keep this many dusks under control, which is what confuses me. You said the thief was male?"

"Yes, I saw him," I replied, not sure what she was getting at. "Wait... Aren't Valkyries always female?"

"They are. All, except for the legendary four."

I pulled a face. Spending time with Flavia always highlighted just how much she knew and how little I did. I hadn't even heard about the legendary four, but from their name, I should. Stupid Academy and their absent teachers.

How was I supposed to graduate if they weren't actually teaching?

Flavia chuckled. "I can tell you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Sadly. You need to work on your poker face," she teased, giving me a little shoulder nudge. "You probably know the legendary four by their other name. The brothers of the wind."

"Oooooh."

"There we go."

"I do know about them. Four brothers, born from no father or mother in the beginning of time."

The blonde nodded, reaching out to the wolf and quickly darting back as he snapped at her. "Yes, but they're just myths. I'm not sure if they ever existed. And if they did, surely, they're not alive anymore?"

"Maybe not... It doesn't matter who he is, we'll find him. In fact... This chain is a direct link to him, right?"

Before Flavia could tell me not to, I grabbed hold of the silver chain, determined to find the person on the other end. The poisonous coating of the metal immediately reacted with my skin, sizzling and hissing as the two came together.

"f**k!"

Flavia tried to pull me away. "Drop the chain!"

Overcome with pain, I tried to let go, but it wouldn't let me. Almost as if my hands were fused with the chain, I couldn't pull away.

Attacked by the stinging sear, agony clouded my mind. The silver burned into my palms and introduced me to a whole new realm of hurt. The edges of the new wounds curled up around the chain, adding to the horror of the burned flesh.

Spots of black and white flashed in front of my eyes, colluding my sight. Tortured, torn apart by the unbearable pain, I wished for the agony to stop.

"I can't let go," I cried, crippling to my knees.

The thread hanging between Flavia and I vibrated, cutting deeper into my wrist as it battled with the new connection forging between me and the owner. Flashes of dark eyes and a sharp nose dominated my mind, attacking the bond with Flavia.

Our connection sizzled, the twine snapping and crumbling before it had time to reach the bottomless floor.

Cold eyes peered into my soul as the metal rings coiled around my arm, binding me to a heart of stone and a man I didn't know. His harsh voice boomed in my head as he became aware of my existence.

"Who are you. What are you doing with my wolves?"

Determined not to tell him my name, I fought against his penetrative thoughts. But how was I to hide myself when there was nothing here but me?

"Ylva Helgudóttir, you've made a big mistake," the voice spoke, sending shivers down my spine.

He knew my name. Panic arose, mixing with the darkness of pain. He knew who I was.

"Come here," he demanded and the Veil obeyed.

With a flash, the smoke shifted to reveal a thin, slender figure. Cloaked in a dark hood and a long coat, with fingers that reminded me of spiders, he cast his thunder grey eyes on me. Next to him, a muscled wolf bore his teeth. There were no metal chains around him and he wasn't running away either. That must be his own dusk.

The man’s breath rasped into the void, his eyes somehow looking in multiple direction. As he stared right into my soul, the chains around my hand tightened even more. He didn't need to utter the words to make me understand. Escape was futile.

Overcome with despair, worn out by the constant pain, my resolve slipped. His wolf growled as I sank down next to him, but his threat was the last of my worries. In fact, it was a sweet promise of release. An escape from the infinite sorrow of an eternity of grey.

I knew I had to fight, but I had no strength left. I was ready for it to end, for me to die. For good, this time.