Void Domain, Book 06 полностью

“Move? Out of the women’s ward?”

Prisons were, by definition, made to resist unwanted entrances and exits. The only places more protected would be military fortresses and maybe bank vaults. Though bank vaults lacked most amenities that made living possible. Not really a problem here, Eva could probably create the whole women’s ward within a bank vault if she tried hard enough.

Probably.

“I suppose I could change things around a little bit. What did you have in mind?”

But Shalise shook her head. “I-I mean, move out of your domain.”

Eva narrowed her eyes. She had the feeling that she knew where this conversation was headed. Asking anyway, Eva said, “to where?”

“P-Prax’s domain. I could control things there like you do here. So I thought it would be better if we didn’t… you know, have to hope that you come by to fix things up if they go wrong. And I could make more active defenses, right? Traps in his castle. And he has a castle, which is as good a defense as the women’s ward right?”

Closing her eyes, Eva crossed her arms. Yep, she thought, as I guessed.

“Sounds like a decent idea.” Snapping her eyes open, Eva bored her eyes into Shalise. “I have just one question. Was this Prax’s idea?”

Shalise flinched like she had known the question was coming. “He… may have brought it up once. Or twice. A handful of times.”

“I thought so. Last time you were there, your positions were reversed. You were in the back of your mind with him in control. Yet you had power over his domain. What if it is different this time? What if you don’t have control over his domain?”

Tilting her head off to one side as she often did when listening to Prax, Shalise nodded a few times before speaking. “In his words: I have more reason to protect this–” Shalise winced. Shaking her head, she said, “I think I’ll paraphrase instead. He’s scared of Zagan and of going back to the prison.”

“So you think that he will protect you.” It was a fairly selfish reason. That made it much more believable than him protecting Shalise out of the goodness of his heart. “With that in mind, I have one more question. Do you trust Prax?”

“No,” she said without hesitation. That brought a small smirk to Shalise’s face. Probably for Prax’s sake, though Eva wasn’t certain that Prax could even tell if she was smiling or not.

“But in this case, I do,” she said as her smile slid off. “I can feel what he feels, and I feel sincerity and fear.” Her head tilted to one side again. “Yes you are. Don’t deny it.”

“Alright,” Eva said before Shalise could get further in her one-sided conversation. “If you think it is best, I won’t stop you. Of course, I’m not about to explain the situation to Sister Cross. That can be your job.”

Shalise gave a nervous chuckle. “Maybe we should stay here.”

Catherine’s heels clicked in a steady rhythm as she walked down the empty hallway of Brakket Academy.

She considered running. The quicker she made it home, the sooner she could join in on her clan’s planned raid against those pathetic humans and elves. Well, they were all humans–probably–including her own team. But her team had chosen the demonic race, so their hearts were in the right place.

As it was, she was already a full half hour late because of ‘secretarial duties’ that she had been purposefully neglecting.

Thanks, Martina, she thought. Because of course Martina would choose today of all days to check up on my work.

Filing paperwork in its proper place had cost her dearly.

She wanted to teleport. It would have been so much simpler. Not to mention faster.

Again, Martina was standing in her way. The paranoid woman had banned everything that could potentially hint towards demonic activity around Brakket Academy. That, naturally, included the method of teleportation that both Martina and Catherine employed.

The one consolation Catherine had was that Martina had condemned herself to walking about like a common plebeian.

What she was afraid of, Catherine couldn’t even begin to fathom. Demon hunters were ruthless, no arguing that. However, Martina had Zagan on call. If he wasn’t around to swat annoying flies away with the back of his hand, what good was he?

Surely he wasn’t being kept around for his teaching skills.

Catherine shook her head. The idea was laughable.

Mid-head shake, Catherine stopped. Just in time to avoid three people coming around the corner.

“Ca–Professor Catherine,” Irene’s twin said as she jumped back. “What are you doing here?”

Ignoring the improper title–Catherine was not a professor, the diablery class did not count–Catherine eyed her student. Irene’s sister looked… worried. Perhaps just shocked at meeting someone in the hallway, but probably not. Moving on to the spawn of Governor Anderson, Catherine’s frown deepened. He was calm, but still had jitters.

Something must have happened that rattled them.