Chapter 24
1138 Words
24
I arrived at Flavia’s dorm room, only to find I wasn’t the only invited. Astrid emerged from the small kitchen holding a tray of steaming mugs of coffee and Sim was spread out all over Flavia’s lounge.
“What’s she doing here?” Astrid and I said in unison.
The Reaper shrugged. “Don’t look at me, I don’t even know why I’m here.”
I pushed the door shut, lingering at the entrance. “Where’s Flavia?”
“Here.” The blonde third-year appeared from her bedroom and sat down at the head of the table. “I asked you three here because I need people I can trust.”
That was a strange statement.
“Then why are the rest of the girls not here?” I asked. “Dagmar, Alva, …”
“No, what I discovered involves them too.” She gestured to the rest of the chairs, inviting us.
Astrid quickly placed the tray down and stole the seat on her right side. If that made her think she was more important, fine. I knew Flavia wouldn’t choose her confidant based on that.
“Alright…” I sat down on her left side and we stared expectantly at the Reaper lying in the couch.
He yawned and picked at his cape. “Fine. What’s up?”
Flavia waited until he joined us at the table and we all had a steaming mug of coffee in our hands before she talked. “I finally discovered how Oda died.”
A lump formed in my throat and I exchanged an uncomfortable look with Astrid. I didn’t know she’d been looking into that, but it probably wasn’t the best way to deal with her grief.
“How?” Astrid asked, breaking the strenuous silence.
“She was poisoned.” Flavia pulled a ripped page of a book from her pocket and placed it on the table. “I thought about this a lot while we were stuck in the bunker. When we got out, I had Doctor Wagner perform tests on her remains to see if we could find traces of the poison responsible for her death. He said it was nightroot.”
My heart stopped. “Nightroot? Are you sure?”
She nodded. “He says it’s an extremely rare poison. Not many people know about.”
“R-Really?” I looked from Sim to Astrid, hoping I wasn’t the only one that knew what it was. “It sounds familiar, I think we learned about it in class?”
My classmate shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of it.”
“Well, maybe you weren’t paying attention,” I snapped.
Flavia looked at me oddly, before shrugging it off. “I couldn’t tell the girls about it, because I don’t know if they’re all clean. They all had access to Oda, it could’ve been one of them.”
“What do you want from us?” Sim inquired.
“Justice.” She took a sip from her coffee, a dramatic pause for a dramatic statement. “I want you to help me find who killed my best friend. I want to know who made the poison, how it got here, who gave it to her. Look at the drawing of this old herbal book. It’s a jet black liquid, usually contained in a small vial that’s curved to protect the user from getting a drop on themselves.”
I didn’t have to look at the picture to know what the vial looked like. I had an exact replica in my pocket.
I’d been saving the last drops if I ever desperately needed to get into the Veil, but I couldn’t risk Flavia finding it. She’d crucify me and it would ruin all the progress I made. It would be the end of our friendship, for good.
I had to get rid of it. Now.
“Let’s get to it then, shall we?” I proposed, eager to get away from her vengeful eyes.
“Hold up,” Sim said. He thudded his scythe on the table and gestured to the drawing. “How are we supposed to figure this out? We’re not detectives.”
He made a good point. Maybe if I pushed that angle, she’d drop it. While it was sad that she lost her best friend, finding who did it wouldn’t heal her wounds. It was a witch hunt with no real solution at the end.
I gestured to the Reaper. “He’s right. What you’re asking is…”
“I’ll do it,” Astrid budded in. “I can collect time schedules, set up alibis, question where everyone was that day. If we can establish who was near her, we can narrow our suspect pool.”
A smile tugged on Flavia’s lips. “Excellent.”
“Great, let’s do that,” I replied. “I’ll help. Hey, I’ll even get Ryoko to—”
“No,” Flavia interrupted. “No outsiders.”
“Ryoko is not an outsider,” I countered. “You know she’s not. She went through the same thing as all of us.”
Flavia shook her head. “This is a Wind Child affair.”
“Really?” I gestured to the Elf balancing his chair on the two hind legs. “He’s not a Wind Child.”
Sim shrugged. “Hey, don’t look at me. I don’t know why I’m here.”
“It’s different,” Flavia protested. She rose from the table, her back straight and stately.
“No, it’s not.” I knew standing up would mean a challenge, but I didn’t want to keep secrets from Ryoko. Not even for the Heir.
We locked eyes in a mental stand-off. Her inherent power rolled over me in gusts of silver wind, each clashing harder against my chest.
I summoned my own magic, forcing it to block the incoming assault and turn the situation around. To an outsider, we just looked like two girls staring at each other. To us, we were locked in a battle of wits and wills.
Flavia barely flinched and responded by unfolding her wings. A great threat, but also a sign of respect. She’d never expose her wings to an unworthy opponent.
I buckled under the slashes of wind. They weren’t hurting me, it wasn’t that kind of battle. If I’d be able to unfold my own on command, perhaps I’d have stood a chance. But I didn’t.
I was forced to sit back down. Defeat…
The third-year nodded and folded her wings down. “So that’s sorted.”
As much as I wanted to argue with her, there was no use. “Yes, it is.”
She took a deep breath as she sat back down. “I can’t order Ryoko to help me, but as a courtesy to you, I’ll extend my trust. You can inform and include her as much as you see fit. If she messes up, it’s on your head. Understood.”
I nodded quickly, my eyes widening in surprise. This was highly unusual. Why did she give in after her victory? It didn’t make sense and I wasn’t the only one that felt that way.
“Rubbish!” Astrid shouted, earning her own glare from Flavia.
“Did I ask for your opinion?”
My classmate blushed red. “No…”
“I thought so. This discussion is over.” Flavia rose from the table and retreated back into her bedroom, leaving me with more questions than answers. Before I informed Ryoko and started questioning three hundred students, dozens of teachers and school staff, I had something else to do first.
I had to get rid of my vial of nightroot.
- Writer
