The Devil Behind My Smile

Chapter 3 — Blackthorn Academy

“The one who has been waiting for you to wake up.” I stared at Lucien, trying to decide whether I wanted to believe him or shake the truth out of him. After everything that had happened, I was beginning to understand that every answer I received only created three more questions. “What king?” I asked. Lucien looked toward the dark staircase behind me. “The King of the Hollow Court.” The name meant nothing to me, but the moment he said it, the Hollow Crest on my wrist burned. I instinctively covered it with my other hand. “And why is a king waiting for me?” “Because he believes you belong to him.” My stomach twisted. “I don't belong to anyone.” Something changed in Lucien's eyes, almost like relief. “Good. Keep thinking that way.” I stepped closer to him. “You said my mother was hiding me from him. Why?” “Because if he finds you, he won't give you a choice.” “You still haven't told me what I am.” “Because I'm not certain.” “Then let's find someone who is.” I turned toward the staircase, but Lucien caught my arm. “Where are you going?” “To Professor Graves.” “She's not going to tell you everything.” “Neither are you.” I pulled my arm free. “At least she might tell me something.” He followed me up the stairs without another word, and I could feel his eyes on me the entire time. I wanted to ask why he was so determined to protect me, why my mother had warned me about him, and why every time I touched him, strange memories appeared in my mind, but I forced myself to wait. If there was one thing I had learned since last night, it was that asking questions too quickly only gave people more opportunities to lie. We found Professor Graves in the main hall, standing beside the tall windows with several teachers gathered around her. The attack seemed to have ended, but the atmosphere remained tense. Students whispered in groups, constantly glancing in my direction. When Professor Graves saw me, she dismissed the teachers with a quiet command and approached us. “You went downstairs.” It wasn't a question. “Yes.” Her eyes moved to Lucien. “I told you not to take her there.” “She went by herself,” he replied. “And you followed her.” “Would you rather I left her alone?” Professor Graves sighed. “Both of you are going to be the death of me.” I crossed my arms. “Then perhaps you should start answering my questions.” She studied me for a moment before nodding toward a private corridor. “Come with me.” We entered a large office lined with books, ancient maps, and locked glass cabinets containing objects I didn't recognize. Professor Graves closed the door behind us and waved her hand. A faint silver light spread across the room. “That is a privacy ward,” she explained when she noticed me staring. “No one outside this room can hear us.” “Good.” I sat in one of the chairs while Lucien remained near the door. “Start with the Hollow Court.” Professor Graves exchanged a glance with him. “You already know about it?” “I know its name. I know there's a king looking for me, and I know my mother was apparently hiding me from him. That's all.” Professor Graves sat opposite me. “The Hollow Court was one of the oldest supernatural kingdoms in existence. It wasn't governed like the other kingdoms. Its rulers were born with an unusual form of magic that allowed them to command creatures bound to the darkness itself.” I looked at my wrist. “The Hollow Crest.” She nodded. “The crest appears only in members of the royal bloodline.” My heart skipped. “So I'm royalty?” “Possibly.” “Possibly?” I repeated. “You either have the bloodline or you don't.” “There are other explanations.” “Such as?” She hesitated. “Someone could have placed the crest on you.” I frowned. “Can that be done?” “Not easily.” “But it can?” “Yes.” I looked at Lucien. He hadn't moved, but his expression had become unreadable. “Has anyone ever placed one on a person before?” Professor Graves didn't answer immediately. “There was one case.” “Who?” “Your mother.” The room seemed to grow colder. “My mother had a Hollow Crest?” “No. She tried to hide one.” I stared at her. “What does that mean?” Professor Graves opened a drawer and removed an old photograph. She placed it on the desk between us. It showed a young woman standing in front of an enormous stone building. I recognized her instantly. My mother looked younger, but there was no mistaking her face. Standing beside her was Professor Graves, only slightly younger than she was now. And beside them stood Lucien. My breath caught. He looked exactly the same. “How old is that photograph?” I asked. “Seventeen years.” I looked at Lucien. “You haven't aged.” His expression remained calm. “No.” “Why?” “Because I'm not human.” I leaned back slowly. “I already figured that part out.” Professor Graves took the photograph back. “There are things about Lucien you don't need to know yet.” “That's convenient.” Lucien finally spoke. “Elara.” “What?” “You don't have to trust me.” His voice was quiet. “But stop assuming every silence is a lie.” I stared at him. “Then give me one reason to believe you.” He looked at me for several seconds before saying, “Because your mother trusted me with your life.” I remembered the letter in my pocket and my anger returned. “My mother also told me not to trust you.” “I know.” “Then why would she trust you with my life and warn me about you?” Something flickered across his face. Pain, perhaps, but it disappeared so quickly that I almost thought I imagined it. “Because she knew both things could be true.” Before I could ask what that meant, the academy bell rang. This time there was only one deep chime, but every window in the office vibrated. Professor Graves stood immediately. “Stay here.” “Absolutely not.” She gave me a warning look. “Elara, listen to me.” “I've been listening all morning. Every time something happens, everyone tells me to stay behind while they decide what I'm allowed to know.” I stood. “I'm done with that.” “This isn't a game.” “Neither is my missing mother.” Lucien moved toward the door. “I'll check the eastern wing.” I followed him. “I'm coming.” “No.” “You don't get to decide that.” He looked at me, and for a second, something almost amused returned to his eyes. “You really are impossible.” “You've mentioned that.” “And yet you keep proving me right.” We left the office together. The halls were quieter now, but the silence felt wrong. There were no students talking, no teachers giving orders, not even the usual footsteps. As we approached the eastern corridor, I noticed several deep scratches carved into the stone walls. They looked fresh. “What did this?” I asked. Lucien crouched beside one of the marks. “Something that shouldn't have been able to enter.” “But it did.” He nodded. “Which means someone opened the wards.” I looked at him. “From outside?” “No.” His gaze lifted toward the end of the corridor. “From inside.” A cold feeling settled over me. “You think someone at Blackthorn let those creatures in?” “I think someone wanted them here.” We continued forward until we reached a set of enormous double doors. Silver symbols covered the surface, but several had been burned away. Lucien raised his hand toward the lock. “Stay behind me.” “I'm beginning to think you only know three sentences.” “And yet you keep ignoring all three.” He touched the door, and black energy spread beneath his fingers. The lock clicked. The doors opened slowly. Beyond them was a circular chamber with an empty stone throne at its center. I stopped breathing. Something about the room felt familiar. Not familiar like a place I'd visited, but familiar like a forgotten dream. I stepped inside. The Hollow Crest immediately began glowing. Lucien grabbed my wrist. “Don't touch anything.” I pulled away. “Why?” “Because this chamber belonged to the Hollow Court.” My eyes moved toward the throne. “Then why is it inside Blackthorn?” “Because after the Court fell, this room was sealed.” “By whom?” “Your mother.” I stared at him. “You knew this room existed.” “Yes.” “And you brought me here anyway?” “I didn't bring you here.” “Then why did the door open for me?” He didn't answer. I slowly approached the throne. The closer I got, the louder the whisper inside my head became. Not words this time. Memories. A woman crying. Fire. Screaming. A baby. My baby-self. Then a man's voice, cold and furious: “The heir must never reach the throne.” I stopped. “Lucien.” He moved closer. “What did you hear?” “Someone said I was the heir.” His expression tightened. “You shouldn't be able to hear memories from this room.” “Apparently I can.” I reached toward the throne, but before my fingers could touch it, the entire chamber shook. A crack appeared across the stone floor. Lucien immediately pulled me backward. “Get out.” “What is happening?” “The seal is breaking.” “Why?” His eyes dropped to my wrist. “Because you're here.” The throne suddenly began glowing with the same red light as my Hollow Crest. Ancient symbols appeared across the walls, one after another, until the entire chamber was covered in them. Then the stone throne split down the middle. Something was hidden inside it. A small black box fell onto the floor. I stared at it. Lucien went completely still. “What is that?” I asked. He didn't answer. I bent down and picked it up. The moment my fingers touched the lid, the box opened by itself. Inside was a silver pendant identical to the one my mother had given me when I was a child. My breath caught. “I have one just like this.” Lucien's face changed. “You shouldn't have that.” I looked at him. “Why?” Before he could answer, the pendant began to glow. A woman's voice filled the chamber. My mother's voice. “Ellie, if you're hearing this, then the Hollow Crest has awakened.” Tears immediately burned my eyes. I stepped closer to the box. “Mom?” The recording continued. “There is something I couldn't tell you when you were young. The man who is searching for you isn't the only danger. There is someone much closer to you who knows exactly what you are.”