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This had been a very violent death. Those thoughts always hit harder.
My Mortana magic sensed death permeating the hall, and I could feel the void where his lifeforce was meant to be. But it was gone now—severed far too early. Professor Perez was only in his forties, and he was already gone…
Several of my Mortana classmates must’ve felt his death as well, because someone gagged, and another began to sob loudly. Even Leroy cursed under his breath.
“Out of the way!” someone barked.
I looked up to see my advisor, Professor Warren. He forced the crowd of onlookers apart, and several nurses from the infirmary followed behind him. He stopped dead when he saw the sight in front of him. The nurses gasped.
I spotted my friends in the back of the crowd. They must’ve come from the cafeteria. Nadine’s eyes watered as she took in the scene. My heart slowed slightly at the sight of her. She had a way of calming me down when no one else could. But there was nothing she could do that could take away the true horror of this moment.
I sat back. I couldn’t bring myself to stand, because I was still shaking. “It’s too late,” I told Professor Warren in a hoarse tone. “He’s already gone.”
“What happened here?” he demanded.
“I—I don’t know,” I stammered.
“Everyone is to return to their classes,” Professor Warren instructed. “This hallway is off-limits for the rest of the day.”
He was firm, and people respected him. The crowd began to disperse slowly. A few people didn’t move right away, because they were too shocked by what happened. Gregory stared for a few moments longer, before turning and nearly ramming into Professor Leto. I didn’t know he’d followed me.
Leto barely noticed him. He was too engrossed in the scene, gazing down at Perez’s lifeless body with a hungry look in his eyes. It was more like he was looking at a fresh, juicy steak than a corpse.
Leto looked far too pleased about this—almost like he was admiring his own handiwork. The warning we’d received in the library crossed my mind.
He has come to kill.
It couldn’t have been him. I’d been in class with him for the last hour, and he hadn’t left my sight before the screams started. He had a rock-solid alibi.
Could that be what Perez meant by his last words… It wasn’t him? Perhaps he knew something was amiss within the school, and he knew I’d suspect the demon… only Professor Leto wasn’t responsible.
I didn’t know what to make of any of this. It had all happened too fast.
The crowd dispersed until there were only a few people remaining, including the professors and nurses.
I got to my feet, but Professor Warren stepped in front of me. “Stay, Lucas. You’re going to have to answer a few questions.”
“Uh… okay,” I said. I glanced down the hall, where Nadine stood. She pointed to herself, then to the cafeteria, to tell me she’d be waiting for me there. I nodded to her, and she turned toward Talia and Grant to leave.
Two figures rushed down the hall, and the students parted to let them through. Headmistress Verla and Sheriff Baker slowed when they spotted the body. All the color drained from Verla’s features.
Sheriff Baker threw his shoulders back. I wasn’t surprised to see him here. He’d been hanging around the school lately, managing Miriam’s Executors. “Everyone stand back,” he ordered. “This is an active crime scene.”
Warbright shook as he got to his feet and backed up so far that his back pressed against the wall. He was a necromancer, but he was still pretty young, in his mid-thirties at most. Necromancer or not, it was pretty clear he’d never dealt with a human corpse before.
Professor Leto had been right about one thing. Even warlocks with death magic weren’t comfortable with human death.
Verla slowly approached Professor Warren. She grabbed his arm, but she never took her eyes off Perez. When Professor Warren caught the surprise in her features, he put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze before releasing her. It was meant to be a kind gesture, and she snapped back to attention.
“Someone better start talking,” Verla stated firmly.
“I heard Professor Warbright scream….” I started.
Warbright cleared his throat, but his voice shook. “I was headed to the cafeteria when I found him. We had planned to meet for lunch to discuss our teaching plans for next week, as we teach the same freshman-level Mortana class. I tried to stop the bleeding, but it was too much. I yelled for help, but the injuries appear to be caused by a complicated battle spell. There was nothing I could do.”
“You have blood on your hands,” Sheriff Baker snapped. It wasn’t a question, but an accusation.
“I—I was trying to stop the bleeding,” Warbright stammered. He looked back at Perez’s lifeless body and choked up. He threw his hand over his mouth, before realizing he had blood all over his hands. He doubled over and tried not to gag.
