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Alfredo is waiting outside my room and leads me to the basement level. An uneasy feeling overcomes me when we take a familiar route. And when I see the statue resembling a Chinese terracotta warrior, I feel simultaneously hot and cold. I try not to glance toward the stairs, at that door that leads down to the cellar Alessandro used to imprison all those key spirits. Where he died. I realize it’s no coincidence that Alfredo’s leading me past it. He wants to observe my reaction and rattle my nerves.
I only glance briefly at the door, then deliberately turn to look at Alfredo, banishing all the emotion from my face. He frowns irritably, which I interpret as a sign that his stunt didn’t get the desired reaction. We continue on our way, going down another level and then following a long dark corridor. The air is cool, and I assume that behind all these doors are cellars and storage rooms.
Alfredo stops in front of one of them. He opens the door, enters the room, and flips a switch. Bright ceiling lights flicker on, casting a cold light over the room. There’s not much to see here. To the left is a wall of cupboards, but other than that, it’s just an empty training room with laminate flooring.
“This is where we’ll spend most of our time for the next while,” Alfredo explains, spreading his arms as if he’s welcoming me into a palace.
I glance at Yoru and then at the shadow that’s just come through the door. I saw Alfredo’s spirit in the dining room, but it’s another thing to have this huge animal so close to me. The large caiman moves its massive body across the floor, flicking out its tongue as it plods over to its master. I hate to think how imposing it looks once it’s transformed. I prepare myself by sending odeon to Yoru, and Alfredo doesn’t waste any time either.
“We’ll start with a few rounds of sparring and see if I can tease out your gift.”
I’m not sure what he means, but I have no time to think about it. Alfredo sends odeon to his spirit, which takes on the appearance of a creature resembling a dragon. Its scales look like they’re made of gleaming iron. It now has spines along its back and head, which make it look even more dangerous.
I have to sidestep quickly when Alfredo immediately sets his spirit on me. The ground beneath me starts to quake, and it takes all my concentration to maintain my balance. Yoru hurls several fireballs at our opponents, but before they reach their targets, walls of dust shoot up from the floor, towering above us and intercepting our attacks.
I don’t let this put me off and continue to attack. The fireballs fly around aimlessly because I can’t see the caiman behind the walls of dust. He must be there somewhere, and I hope to lure him out of his hiding place with my hexes.
“You’re making so many mistakes,” I hear Alfredo say in a patronizing voice. “Which is why I can’t understand how Alessandro wound up dead. I know you were involved. There’s no doubt in my mind. Your story only makes superficial sense to someone who didn’t know my brother. He would never have started a fight with a pair of Noctu, let alone in our house.”
I try to ignore his accusations and concentrate instead on the sparring, but it’s hard. The air around me is becoming increasingly oppressive and stuffy. I can’t breathe properly.
“I’ll find out the truth. I owe it to Alessandro and my family. He certainly had his flaws, and maybe he did things that others would consider objectionable. But what do they know? When you have great ambition, as my family does, then you have to pay the price and sometimes employ unorthodox methods.”
“Your brother tortured key spirits,” I spit at him. “He locked them up, neglected them, and then removed their body parts while they were still alive. Just to transfer their powers to his own spirit. I would say that price is too high.”
“You have no idea. You’re an outsider. Sure, you somehow got your hands on a key and a spirit, but you don’t belong in our world.”
“Well, maybe it takes someone like me to hold a mirror up to people like you and your family.”
He lets out a scornful laugh. “What a quaint idea. But you’ll soon learn your place, and I’ll find out how my brother really died.”
No sooner does he say these words than I feel the oxygen level in the air plummet. I can’t breathe. It comes as such a shock that I lose focus for a moment. Alfredo’s keys spirit dashes out from behind a mound of dust, and I see its tongue dart out of its mouth, followed by a jet of green. I don’t have time to dodge it, and a couple of drops land on my leg. Agonizing pain instantly eats into my flesh, making my blood boil. Within seconds, I feel as if my body is being consumed from the inside out, and I can’t feel my limbs anymore. Everything around me fades away, and I perceive nothing but this intense pain. But I notice that my point of view has changed, so I must be lying on the floor, although I don’t remember how I got there. It doesn’t matter because I’m dying. My innards are being devoured by an enormous predator. It’s tearing at my flesh, my sinews, and pulverizing my bones. I scream at the top of my lungs, but it’s not enough to express my pain. Why is he doing this to me?
I don’t notice Alfredo approaching. Suddenly he’s standing over me. I see his feet and then hear his sinister voice. “Do you see the threads?” He scrutinizes me, and I look up at him in agony. “Hmm, I guess not. You’d be looking at my chest if a thread was there. It clearly didn’t work. I should have worn you out more first before my spirit poisoned you. But it was a lesson anyway.”
His words echo in my head as I slowly sink into darkness.
Chapter 22
Ikeep seeing those eyes and that smirk – sinister and cold as ice. They’re so familiar to me. I’ve seen them somewhere before. Alessandro’s, I realize.
His stare pierces me deeper and deeper. I hear a voice, distant and faint. It’s whispering. Is that Alessandro too? His image flickers in front of me very briefly. I see the cellar, the mutilated key spirits. Their stench fills my nostrils. I keep walking, and then I see Alessandro’s pale face, his huge eyes, his corpse. It’s such a shocking sight that I scream and jump back.
I wake up with a start in my bed, drenched in sweat. An unfamiliar closet, a desk, shelves… At first, I don’t know where I am, but then the memories return. This is my new home. My room at the Fabricis’.
I run my hand through my sweat-soaked hair and look down at the floor beside my bed where Yoru is curled up. He lifts his head when he senses that I’m awake and looks at me attentively. Did we really fight Alfredo earlier? Was I attacked and poisoned by his caiman?
I hold my head in my hands and try to remember, but all I can recall are Alfredo’s words. Then darkness engulfed me. Did I dream all that?
That question is answered when I move and feel a sharp pain in my leg. I draw back the covers and see that I’m still wearing my training gear. But the right leg of my pants has been cut off, and a bandage is wrapped around my thigh.
So it wasn’t a dream. It did happen. I guess I was given an antidote, which they presumably have a good supply of in this house in case there’s an accident with the spirit – or for when Alfredo feels compelled to torture teenagers.
The memory makes me shudder. How long ago was that? What’s the time? I search for my phone and find it on the nightstand. Three in the morning. Exhausted and confused, I put my hand to my brow and try to comprehend what I’ve gotten myself into. I suspect Alfredo will continue with these training methods. The idea makes me shudder. I need to think of something fast to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I don’t want to go through that again. I remember a comment from Alfredo: that he wanted to make me see the destiny threads. His was trying to put me under immense strain. The poison was intended to push me over the edge into a state that activated my gift. What am I supposed to do if it happens again? How do I get my ability under control? I sigh. I need to find the answers to all of these questions as soon as possible.
I reread the message from Ayden, and although I’m pretty sure he’s sleeping right now, I decide to reply. I hesitate for a moment, not knowing what to say, and then opt for the truth.
“I really wanted to say goodbye to you too. I miss you. I’m doing okay; the room is nice, and I dined with the family. I’ve already completed my first training session. That didn’t go so well, and I’m racking my brains over how I can have any kind of chance against Alfredo and his spirit. But I’ll figure it out. Can’t wait to see you again in school. Love you.”
