An empty room greeted them.
Papers were strewn about Eva’s desk and her book bag lay underneath. If Eva really was gone, Juliana might take a brief peek; so long as Arachne was gone as well.
Irene set her bag down near Juliana’s bed.
“Can I offer you some–” Juliana stopped herself. “Well, our fridge and cupboards are empty. I’ll owe you something as thanks.”
Irene waved a hand. “That’s okay. I’m glad to have helped.” She wandered over to Eva’s desk. “What’s all this?”
“Hmm,” Juliana said with a peek over her shoulder. “New version of the scrying packets, maybe. She doesn’t use regular pens when she draws out the real ones.”
“Ah, well,” Irene glanced around the room almost nervously. “I guess I’ll be heading out now.”
“There’s no rush. I don’t know when Eva will be back, but I’m sure she won’t mind.”
“Shelby wanted me to help her with a thing when I got back, so I couldn’t stay long anyway.” Irene half skipped to the door. She paused with her hand on the handle. “Tell Eva I said hello.”
And with that, she was gone.
“You’d almost think she was avoiding you.”
Juliana whirled around. Metal turned to liquid beneath her shirt.
All her adrenaline meant nothing as she faced the speaker.
Eight red eyes poked out from beneath the covers of Eva’s bed. Arachne ducked back under the sheets leaving just the crest of her hair… things visible.
Juliana took a moment to allow her heart to come down to a more normal pace.
“I’d say she’s trying to avoid Eva, actually. We just spent two hours shopping together.”
“Why would anyone avoid Eva?” came the muffled response. Despite the muffle, it was almost a growl.
Deciding that might not be the safest topic, Juliana just shrugged. “Where is Eva anyway?”
“She went to the library an hour and a half ago.”
“And left you here?”
“She didn’t want to run into any nuns in the hallway with me hanging off of her.” The woman sighed from beneath the covers.
Juliana shuffled her feet. She thought about putting her new clothes away, but the atmosphere turned sour with Arachne acting dejected. “I’ll go see if I can’t drag her back up here.”
Arachne gave no protest as Juliana slipped out of the room.
Dealing with Arachne normally wasn’t much of anything. Except when Eva instructed, Arachne would all but ignore Juliana. A moping Arachne was far more uncomfortable to be around.
Juliana walked back down to the first floor and into the dormitory library. It wasn’t nearly as big as the main campus library, but it had several copies of all grade’s schoolbooks. There were a good number of extra books for extracurricular study.
Being smaller, none of the shelves were higher than Juliana’s head despite her rather petite stature. For now. Her mother would tower over nearly everyone she came across and one day Juliana was sure she would too.
No long black hair could be seen over the tops of the shelves. She walked up and down the few aisles anyway, in case Eva was kneeling down.
Juliana had yet to receive any kind of notice from her mother. She had just gone home Sunday night. There was no way she didn’t get a call about the golems on Tuesday morning, if not the night before. Juliana half expected to get pulled out of Brakket Academy, for good, by Friday.
Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Despite all the goings on, she’d actually been having fun at school. Even if most of the classwork was below the level of her mother’s tutelage.
Without finding her quarry, Juliana stopped by Mr. Sunji’s desk. The curly-haired man peeked over the rims of his glasses.
“Can I help you?” he asked in a soft voice.
“Have you seen Eva? A girl, slightly taller than me, black hair down to just below her hips,” she added at his puzzled look.
“Oh, I’ve seen her. She comes in with you sometimes.” Juliana nodded a confirmation. “Yeah, came in an hour or two ago. Only stayed about fifteen minutes. Haven’t seen her since.”
“I see. Know what books she was looking at?”
“Sorry. I don’t usually pay much attention unless people need something.”
Juliana sighed. “Thanks anyway Mr. Sunji.”
He nodded her off with a polite smile. Juliana doubted he knew her name. Not that it mattered.
Juliana headed back upstairs, ready to tell Arachne the bad news.
— — —
“Wakey-wakey.”
A hot sting burned into the side of Eva’s face. Her neck creaked as her head twisted to one side.
Her eyes snapped open. Sawyer’s wide grin was mere inches from her face.
“There we go. I was worried we killed you.”
The bone thin man stood alone in a small room. At least, the part she could see. He moved his hands just behind Eva’s head. There was a light clicking noise and a band tightened around her forehead. It held her head straight forwards, she couldn’t move it an inch in either direction.
A single light bulb hung from its cord just behind Sawyer. The dim light was barely enough to reach the rocky walls of the room. A barred door was firmly wedged in the opening.
If Eva didn’t know better, she’d think she was in one of the older buildings at her prison. She inspected every inch of that place. None of the buildings looked this much like a cave.
Eva tried to shout at him. Her mouth wouldn’t move. Rather than the cold grip of a specter, leather was taut against her mouth and chin. She couldn’t even move her lips.
“Ah yes, your restraints. I did them myself, quite proud of them. Go on, struggle.”
Eva tried. She didn’t even move. Something was wrapped around her forehead, several points on her arms and legs, and all along her torso. Judging by the cool air, she wasn’t wearing much other than her restraints.
“Not even a budge?” Sawyer tsked his tongue. “You should really try lifting a little. Exercise never hurt anyone.”
Eva was willing to bet she could arm wrestle the skinny little twig in front of her. With the restraints on, she couldn’t do much but glare.
“I wouldn’t worry about it anymore though.” He moved back and to the side, out of Eva’s vision. She tried to cast a fireball at herself. Even if her fireballs were weak, they should work on the restraints.
Or not.
The fireball fizzled out before it even left her fingertips.
Eva took a deep breath through her nose and tried again. Same response.
“Fascinating,” he said. “Do you have an implanted focus? Or is that… No matter. Magic doesn’t work in the dungeons. Can’t have our precious prisoners accidentally acquiring a focus and escaping, now can we?”
Eva let out a low growl. He was lying, of course. Magic did work. At least, it worked for her. Just not further away than her body.
She tried stepping straight forward.
Eva groaned. It felt like walking headfirst into a wrecking ball.
“Unexpected. Something just pinged against the anti-teleportation wards. Was that you?” He pinched Eva’s cheek from off to the side. “That school must be something special. I almost regret attacking it now.
“Now then,” he said, “apart from all your other tricks, blood mages are tricky sorts. Let’s test just how tricky you are, hmm?”
He walked back in front of Eva. In his hands was a small steel rectangle. It looked like the kind of thing a fat businessman would chop off the end of his cigar with. Kind of. Sawyer’s cigars must be made of steel.
Two sharp slices rang as Sawyer tested it on the air.
Eva tried to pull away as he brought it right next to her ear. The bindings gave no quarter.
He sliced it in the air again.
“Now, the test.” He knelt before her.
Without being able to tilt her head, Eva couldn’t see him.
Another slice through the air.
Eva kept her breathing calm and steady. Whatever he was going to do couldn’t be that bad. The contraption was too small for a foot. It would just be a toe.
Toes aren’t even big deals, really. Just little stubs of flesh and bone.