“I should expect not. So, what news do you have for me—or have you been neglecting your duties?”
I exhale slowly; down to business. “Lore was able to find the plans for the Academy and the surrounding areas in the library. But they’re dated ten years ago—”
“And what of the items?” The glee in his voice gives me pause and pain scratches at the back of my throat.
“We made an attempt to retrieve them from the vaults early this morning, but the security, reinforcements, and other layers of protection were too vast to get through,” I whisper, and he swears; the sound of glass breaking rings through the line.
“You need to get them, Serena. You know what happens to those who disappoint me.”
A lump forms in my throat. “I know,” I whisper. The scars on my back ache with phantom pain as if they are remembering as well. “But there is another way. From what I’ve heard, the only time they are ever taken out is during some kind of termly trial, but only one is taken out at a time, and it is only given to the winner.”
Master Rostova grunts. “We need those items, Serena. You will enter whatever this trial is, and you will win. And I’m to assume that you will be given the object for a period?”
I look to Lore and she nods, fluffing her wings. “The winner gets the item for twenty-four hours,” I say, hating the queasiness flowing through my stomach.
“Then you need to win, Serena, and then hand over the item…” He trails off and begins to mutter to himself. “No, that won’t work. We will need to stage a fight where we physically take it from you so they won’t suspect you and you can continue the mission.”
My heart sinks in my chest.
“Find out what this trial is and when it is, Serena. And then enter yourself into it. I won’t tolerate failure or excuses,” he growls before the line goes dead and the blood rushing through my ears falls in time with the beeping coming through the phone.
I drop it onto the bed and close my eyes. “Lore, I… I don’t know what to do.”
Her wings flutter, and she lands on my thigh. “You have to do what you must to survive, Mistress. I will find out what I can about this trial, and we shall enter. And once you hand over the object, you can complete the rest of the mission. And then we make our escape.”
Thoughts of my goddess flow through my mind. Since that day, she has remained absent from my thoughts. Initially, I had banished her out of anger, but now my heart aches to talk to her, to hear her musical voice in my mind and the warmth of her love. I open my eyes and push those thoughts away, focusing on the plain wall opposite.
“You will have to talk to her eventually, Mistress.”
“I know, Lore. Just… not yet. I can’t forgive what she made me do,” I whisper, and Keaira chooses that moment to hop onto my lap, meowing loudly enough to make Lore shriek and flap into the air.
“Oh, that devil! She does it on purpose!”
“I do not. You are simply a chicken. Easily scared.” Keaira says, and my jaw drops to the floor.
“Y-you can talk!?” I shout, but quickly quieten myself.
Keaira sits at the end of my bed and licks her paw before bringing it up to scrub at her ear. “No, I can project my words,” she says. “I cannot speak out loud, but everyone can hear me if I want them to. I simply haven’t felt the need to speak until now.”
I pinch myself, just to make sure I’m not asleep, and hiss at the bite. Nope. I’m awake. And I have a talking cat.
“Our goddess admits Her actions that night were not in your best interests, but She has Her reasons, which I’m sure She’ll reveal to you in time. Ariella told you to be wary of your Master, and I will reiterate that warning. You were meant to win that night.”
I sit up at her confession and eye the cat closely. “But how can she know that?” My eyebrows pull apart as I turn my gaze to the sunset beyond my window. “And if she does, why can’t she tell me why? What’s next? Why am I even here?”
Keaira shakes her head. “That is information I am not privy to. You will have to ask her yourself.”
I clench my jaw. “Maybe later…” I mutter. Then look back at the lynx. “I’m going to have a hard time explaining to the guys why my cat is calling them stupid. So, what are you, exactly?”
Keaira tilts her head in what I can only say is a cat’s interpretation of a shrug. “True. I would do that. But I am known by many names, just as your kind is.” She gives me a pointed look as she says this, and I shift in my seat. I glance up to my mirror where Lore has perched, and her eyes narrow on me; not even she is aware of that little secret.
“In essence, I am a child of darkness and chaos, as you are, but I was born from an earthly lynx as you were born from a human.”
“So, why are you here?”
Keaira rises to her paws before stretching and letting out a soft purr. “Because Mother believes something is amiss, and She can’t meddle. She also misses you. And She wants me to tell you that She loves you and understands why you shut Her out. And that She’ll be there whenever you’re ready.”
My chest clenches at her words, and I stare out of my window, focusing on the moon rising in the dusk sky. She wouldn’t interfere when I needed Her the most… She told me to… She begged me to kill them. And I did.
I glance down at my hands
