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.
