“I did nothing of the sort.” Sister Cross opened her mouth. Eva wasn’t done. “Maybe if your stupid order wasn’t so damn insane, you could have just asked. You could have said, ‘hey, did you steal my augur?’ and I would say, ‘no!’ and you could get on with your investigation instead of wasting all this time.”
Sister Cross opened her mouth again.
Eva cut her off. “Now look at you. You’re injured. I’m injured. Professor Lurcher is injured. You’ve made enemies. And–worst of all–Shalise, your precious–” Eva cut herself off before she said daughter. She couldn’t tell Shalise’s facial expression well, but her head was buried in Sister Cross’ chest. “Your precious Shalise was nearly incinerated. And it is all. Your. Fault.”
Silence reigned as her rant came to an end.
Eva slumped back against whatever she was leaning on. She hissed as her shoulder hit it. Pain lanced through her back enough for Eva to tilt herself onto her good shoulder.
Wayne Lurcher kept his head forward as he asked, “why would Eva kidnap an augur?”
“She’s a diabolist.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
That ruffled Sister Cross’ feathers. She narrowed her eyes at the alchemy professor. “We’ve had her under surveillance since November. The augur was the one watching.”
“A kidnapping is not a spur of the moment thing. If Eva kidnapped her, why did your augur not see her planning and executing this?”
“That’s–”
The door swung open. Dean Turner headed a group of teachers. Franklin Kines followed just behind her with Isaac Calvin and Alari Carr at his heels.
Eva did not miss the dean’s eyes running over her hands. She used her left hand to pull her right hand between her legs in a small attempt of hiding them.
The dean’s eyes left her quickly enough and rounded on Sister Cross.
“So, not only did you attack one of my students, unprovoked, without warning, in their school-assigned dormitory, and with no evidence that they were in any way at fault, you also had them under illegal surveillance?”
Alari Carr immediately rushed to Eva’s side.
Eva pinched her claws between her legs and tried to shrug the history professor off. She hoped she moved quick enough to avoid her hands being seen.
Alari seemed too preoccupied inspecting the wound on Eva’s back to care.
“That’s a lot of charges against you.”
“She is a diabolist. A demon attacked.”
“False accusations as well.” Martina Turner tsked her tongue. “Miss Eva had a trying experience last November. We are well aware of the extreme circumstances the necromancers put her through and that she had dark magics forced upon her. And you seek to vilify her? I know your order has issues with those,” the dean lifted her hands in the most exaggerated air quotes Eva had ever seen, “‘tainted’ by dark magics, but this is extreme. She’s a thirteen year old–”
“Fourteen,” Eva said. Her birthday was the seventh, not that she’d mentioned it to anyone.
“She’s a fourteen year old girl. How can you live with yourself.”
Sister Cross grit her teeth. Harder. “If it wasn’t her, then the situation is worse than expected. My augur is missing and a rogue demon is running loose in town.”
Alari Carr gasped at that. The gasp barely made a noise but she was nearby and fussing over Eva.
Much to Eva’s chagrin.
“I must organize my nuns.” With that, Sister Cross popped out of the room. A cold wave of air was left behind in her wake.
Shalise stumbled forwards, no longer having the nun to support her.
With a few deft steps forward, Martina Turner caught the girl and held her close. “Are you alright?”
Shalise nodded. She was obviously–even to Eva–still crying. Her arms twitched forwards, almost like she wanted to hug the dean. Shalise managed to restrain herself.
“Alari, please see that Eva receives treatment with Nurse Naranga. Isaac, please move ahead of her and ensure the hallways are clear of students. We don’t need a spectacle for Miss Eva.”
They both nodded. Isaac moved out of the room. Alari flicked her wand in Eva’s direction. Eva slowly levitated on a cushion of solid air.
It didn’t feel very steady.
“Franklin, would you see to it that Wayne–”
“I can take care of myself,” Professor Lurcher grunted.
Martina Turner looked at him for a split second before nodding. “Suit yourself. Franklin, keep watch outside the room. No one is to enter. If Miss Rivas returns, direct her to my office.” She took a glance around the room, notably pausing on the remnants of Eva’s attack. “We’ll get someone to discretely clean soon.”
Eva’s floating cushion slowly pulled her out of the room. Very slowly. And a bit shakily. Alari Carr’s heart rate had been high when she entered room three-thirteen. It was skyrocketing now. Eva frowned. She had great doubts in the abilities of the professor.
The professor probably had the same doubts.
“Miss Ward,” the dean said softly, looking down at the girl that she had grasped by the shoulders, “would you like to retire to the infirmary? If not, there is a very comfortable couch in my office you may rest on.”
“I’d rather be alone,” she said with a sniffle.
