Order members filled the headquarters, the cabin lit by a roaring fire. Red stains colored the floorboards. The elder members told us, with a wink and a nod, that at the time Headquarters was built, even the trees bled red. I knew better. It had been painted the scarlet to honor Order members who had died fighting the Greater Evil, a constant reminder of our own fate. I brushed a strand of frizzy auburn hair away from my eyes as I hefted the cage higher on my shoulder. Aaron trembled beside me. He never was particularly fond of crowds.
The rumble of voices hushed as the members watched us enter. I swallowed, ignoring their curious stares and looked confidently ahead of me. A desk emblazoned with two swords, the sign of the Order, sat at the center of the room. The Captain looked up from his map. Even in the limited light, the scar that ran from his temple to his lip glinted, sinister.
“Melody,” the Captain said. He removed his eyeglasses and let them hang from his meaty fingers. Grey speckled his black hair. The floor creaked under his weight. My stomach clenched as I removed the cage from my back.
“I’ve brought the stone and a prisoner,” I said. The Captain raised his eyebrows. Just stay strong. If he hears fear in your voice, you’re done for, I reminded myself. I was tough, raised on the streets. I knew how to deal with a military man.
“Are you sure?” he asked and gestured toward the cage. I looked down, my heart sinking inside my chest. The Specter had torn a hole in the side of my magic cube. Vanished. Must have disentangled herself during Aaron’s teleport. My hands shook as I forced myself to meet his eyes.
“She was here a minute ago, I swear,” I said. Digging into my tunic pocket, I produced the ruby. “But I do have the stone.” A sharp edge of the rock dug into my hand and blood oozed from the cut. A silvery spark of my magic stitched up the wound.
He shook his head, frustration oozing from his eyes. “Without a prisoner, the stone is useless.” He waved the congregation away with his hands. “Back to work.”
“Rogue, Henderson,” he pointed at two younger men at the back of the room, “Go out and try to catch that Specter. She can’t have gone far.” With a nod, they disappeared into the night.
“You, come with me,” he said and beckoned me toward the desk.
His reading glasses skittered across the table. I crossed my arms in front of my chest. Anger boiled in my veins.How did the Specter escape without my knowledge?
“Do you know how much everyone here has sacrificed for you? You have failed us.” His voice was heavy. “Again.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. Okay, I might not have been the most accurate shot in the entire Order, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t trying. “I would just like to point out, sir, that last time was not completely my fault. I was outnumbered.” He shook his head.
“This isn’t about blame. I put my trust in you and it’s gotten us nowhere. There is a war going on out there. We can’t afford any mistakes.” He sighed and replaced his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
“I’ll give you one more chance. Find out what the stone does. If you can’t, you don’t belong here.” My throat closed and I tried not to choke as my eyes burned. The Order had been the only home I’d ever known. He couldn’t just take it away from me. I stormed out of the room toward the Novice barracks.
“Since the Specter escaped, does that mean we won’t be getting promoted?” someone asked. I turned around to see Aaron looking up at me from under his thick spectacles.
I shoved him in the shoulder. “We have a lot more than that to worry about,” I replied. My head pounded as though my skull was about to split open. He fell silent and ran his hand nervously through his hair. I ducked under the wooden archway to my room. The dirt floor crunched beneath my shoes. I tumbled toward the shaky structure of my bunk bed. The other Novices were sound asleep. They were able to doze through a hailstorm.
Pulling off my boots, I ignored his worried expression as he stood in front of me.
“What?” I looked up at him angrily.
Aaron’s shoulders bowed forward. “Nothing. You look tired. Get some rest. I feel like we both could use some.”
“Yeah, you must be tired from standing and watching me save your sorry little butt,” I said to his retreating back. He just shook his head and disappeared through the archway toward the male barracks.
I pulled off my tunic and slipped into my night shirt. The soft material caressed my skin as it beckoned me to sleep. Just relax, I told myself. You’ll be able to figure something out. I placed my knife back into the waistband of my shorts. Sliding under the covers, I listened as the sounds of the Order, those who worked around the clock, receded into the distance. Those sounds, which had been so familiar to me, sent a jagged pain through my heart. I couldn’t afford to lose my home.
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