Ylva hadn’t been in the hallway before.
She was now. It wasn’t a teleport. Juliana had seen her move. It was less of a walk or run and more of a glide. The sudden drop in temperature with her appearance was plain to see on everyone’s breath.
The landlord’s wrist was caught in her firm grip just an inch away from Zoe’s face.
Black lines started spreading up his arm. He watched, face surprised but still angry. That surprise and anger bled away into fear as he started screaming.
“Ylva!”
Zoe’s hand was on Ylva’s arm almost as fast as Ylva had caught the landlord’s.
As soon as her fingers brushed against Ylva’s skin, a pair of cold, dead eyes turned towards Zoe.
Zoe’s back stiffened. She did not release Ylva’s arm. “Thank you,” she said. “But he doesn’t need to die.”
Ylva’s gaze slowly drifted back to the landlord. “This man attempted to harm one under Our protection. Moreover, his duties do not require the harming of others. His actions came unprovoked.”
“I know. But it was not an offense worth his life. Incarceration and fines for assault or battery would have been the standard procedure. However, if you let him go,” she said, turning to the landlord, “and he leaves us to our investigation, I’m sure we can all forget about what happened.”
Ylva stared for just a moment before releasing his arm.
The landlord fell to the ground. He scrambled away, using one arm and his legs to push away from Ylva. His other arm, the one that Ylva had touched, was slowly returning to its normal color. The black veins were receding.
“I’m sorry Mr. Murray. But we need to get back to work.” Zoe paused with a blink of her eyes. “Wait. Who was it that rented out that room?”
The landlord just stared. As if he couldn’t quite believe that he was being asked a question in such a calm manner after what had just happened. Being told that he doesn’t need to die, thereby implying that Ylva had intended to kill him, would be enough to shake anybody up.
At least, it would have shaken up Juliana. As it was, she could barely believe that Zoe hadn’t even asked if he was alright.
Maybe the situation was just that dire. Or maybe she didn’t want to offend Ylva.
Once the disbelief riddling his face passed, it looked for just a moment like he was about to start shouting again. That stopped the moment Ylva moved.
It wasn’t a big move. Just a light shift of her shoulders.
“Some woman and her boyfriend,” he said as fast as he could. “They destroyed the wall a week ago. I should have kicked them out after that, but they repaired it and promised to buy enough paint to give the entire hall a new coat. I swear, if I see them now–”
“You should find me,” Zoe interrupted. “Or a member of Brakket’s security team. Do you have their names?”
There was a slight pause as the landlord got back to his feet. “I got the names they registered with. Gertrude and Clementine, I think. No last names but they paid well so I didn’t ask.” He took a few steps backwards. “But I want you and your friend out of here by five o’clock. You hear me? Consider this your eviction notice.”
He didn’t wait for a response. The landlord backed up another three steps, turned, and started running.
The key word being ‘started.’
Both Eva and Juliana had stepped to the sides to allow him to pass by unhindered.
As soon as he caught sight of Eva, he jumped back again, this time towards Zoe and Ylva. He clutched one hand to his chest, taking a moment to breathe before edging past Eva. The moment he made it past, he flew down the stairs. Juliana could barely hear him mumbling about freaks on his way down.
If Eva heard him, she gave no indication. Her attention was solely focused on Zoe and Ylva.
“That was interesting,” Eva said as she walked up to the two women.
Zoe sighed. “He isn’t a bad man. But,” Zoe trailed off with a glance towards the room, “we did cause an explosion in his building.”
“If you need a place to live, there’s always room at the old prison.”
“Thanks Eva. I think I’ll try to remain around Brakket Academy. If anything happens,” again, she glanced off towards the destroyed room, “I’d hate to be too far to notice. The dormitory buildings are going to be empty enough that it shouldn’t be a problem to find a room inside.”
Eva’s shoulders dropped ever so slightly. “That’s probably for the best. With how empty the prison is these days, I’m going to be spending most of my time at the dormitory.”
After a quick, noncommittal hum from Zoe, she said, “Lucy?”
“With Nurse Post. I think she’ll heal. The important thing is to ensure that no one is around to hurt her anymore.
“Now,” Eva said, “did those hunters leave anything behind for Nel to track?”
“The room was devoid of personal affects. Not a single hair was found in the shower drain or on the pillows.”
“They knew of Us,” Ylva said. “They would have researched those that serve Us. Nel’s abilities have been taken into account.”
“Before we were… ah…
