He also did not mention if they were thaumaturgical in nature or if the eloko used some other magic system. Zoe Baxter might know. Eva made a mental note to ask later.
Eva quickly snapped her notebook shut and tossed it into her bag. Shalise was already out the door along with Irene and Shelby. The wavy-haired brunette had been distant, though not exactly unfriendly since the incident with Sister Cross just over a week before.
Understandable though it was, it grated on her nerves. It wasn’t like
Juliana fell in step with Eva as they walked out of the classroom. “Don’t worry about it,” the blond said.
Eva quirked an eyebrow at her friend.
“Shalise will come around. She’s just getting over the shock of walking in on a life or death fight between her roommate, her teacher, and her,” Juliana paused. She tapped her finger to her chin several times before shrugging. “And whatever Sister Cross is to her.”
“I know. I’m not holding it against her.” Eva flexed her fingers within her gloves. The lack of a cast over one arm felt so much more liberating. If only she could get rid of her gloves without a public outcry and condemnation.
“It would be like walking in on Devon and Arachne tearing each other apart.”
Eva gave a quick snort. “Probably not the same. I’d probably get popcorn and start cheering one of them on.”
“Which one?”
“Arachne, obviously. Devon is a lot of things but my bets go on almost anyone else in a fight.”
“You don’t think a,” Juliana glanced around at the other students on the path leading to the botany building. “You don’t think a person of his talents would have the means to defeat someone like Arachne?”
“He’s a researcher. He might have something up his sleeve. Based on every other time I’ve seen him in stressful situations, I wouldn’t count on it. He might be able to overpower the mind of something with less intelligence, but I doubt that would work on Arachne.”
Juliana made a long humming noise as they continued up the path.
Eva froze.
Right at the edge of Eva’s sight, it was there. Watching.
Beneath her shirt, Arachne gripped Eva’s back. Hard. Eva could see the small cuts where each of her legs clamped down.
Eva used some of the blood that dripped down to her dagger to send more flecks off in the direction of the bull. There were trees in the way. Lots of them. None of her friends would be able to see it.
A twisting in her stomach gripped her. The demon–the devil’s eyes were focusing on her even through the trees. She should walk. Go to class and pretend she hadn’t noticed.
Just as she was about to take a step forward, she changed her mind.
“You guys go on ahead,” Eva said. “I think I left something back at Bradley Twillie’s classroom.”
Arachne used three of her legs to repeatedly tap ‘no’ into Eva’s back.
Juliana stopped and glanced back, everyone else did shortly after. “I could come back with you, if you want,” she said.
“No thanks,” Eva waved her off while trying to keep the winces off her face. “It is just a pen. A nice pen, but just a pen. I’ll catch up in a few.”
“Sure,” she said with a slight slump in her shoulders.
Without another word, Eva spun on her heels and slowly walked back down the path. Her group of friends continued on their way with a moment of hesitation. Eva paid their quiet discussions no further mind and focused on dodging between other classmates she walked past.
The bull followed her as she walked. It kept its distance. Eva could see her own heart pick up the pace. For an instant, she thought of simply teleporting to the prison and finding Devon. Maybe checking on Nel as a pretense for hiding within Ylva’s domain for a few hours.
Arachne would not object. She ceased her poking, but had yet to relax her grip. Teleporting away would make her very happy.
That thought was banished from her mind. If it was following her, it likely wanted something. It didn’t seem overly hostile. If worst came to worst, she could always escape later.
Probably.
That kind of thinking is what got her captured by Sawyer.
Eva paused in her walking. There were no students around, just the bull.
After a deep breath, Eva walked off the path. She pulled out her dagger and bled out another few marbles of blood. It was too easy to get lost with no eyes. Arachne had no eyes beneath Eva’s shirt. Leaving a trail of blood would help return at the very least.
The bull turned and lumbered further into the woods.
Eva followed.
She had no idea why. It was stupid. A stupid idea that her master warned her about. He specifically ordered her not to even think about the royalty of Hell, let alone approach it.
Yet Eva walked.
She uncorked all the vials of Arachne’s blood she had hidden around her person all while leaving a thin trail of her own blood back to the path. The vigil she kept on the surroundings was constant. Eva would
It wasn’t long before the bull stopped moving.
Eva stopped with it at the very edge of her vision.
