Ravenfire

Rumours are like wildfires. They spread quickly with a burning rage, hungrily consuming everything around them, and spread even faster when there’s a strong gust of wind fanning the flames. But like wildfires, they began from a single source.

I intended to find that source.

I wasn’t the type to socialise, so I imagine most of the students I pulled aside and cornered to interrogate were probably surprised to have been targeted.

“Who did you hear the rumour from? The girl called Pepper said she heard it from you,” I inquired the student as he cowered in fear at the corner of an isolated school hallway. One thing I loved about gothic castles was that there was no shortage of isolated hallways.

“Please! I didn’t do it! I merely passed it on,” he begged and attempted to run, but I blocked his way by slamming my palm against the wall.

“You can leave when you’ve answered my question.” My tone was intimidating and my face icy cold.

“Remina, what are you doing?” I heard Toad’s voice behind me.

“Not now, Toad. I’m busy,” I replied.

“Heh. Extorting students for their lunch? Can I join?” Toad asked eagerly.

“I’m not here for their lunch. I need to know who started that rumour about me turning into some phantom.” I was getting slightly impatient.

“Oh. That’s easy. It was me.” His tone was so casual that I wasn’t sure whether he was being serious or not.

“That was you?” I was in disbelief.

“What? Are you going to beat me up for it?”

I released the trapped student from his plight and faced Toad instead with folded arms. “I need to know more details. Was it really me you saw?”

“Actually, I wasn’t sure who I saw. I was walking late towards the dormitory one evening and saw the silhouette of a student transforming into some weird thing. When I went to take a look, I saw a black phantom with a scythe. Its face was like a… Like a plague doctor mask.” He made hand gestures to describe its shape. “I normally don’t get scared, but I ran that night. I never saw it again. I told Leslie the story, then she decided it was probably you.”

I shook my head in dismay. “Of course it was Leslie.”

“She was probably the source of the other rumours too.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Looks like I found the real arsonist here.

“Toad, when did you see the phantom?” I pressed for more details.

He tried to recall. “It was… Friday night.”

Friday. The day before the dead student in the hallway was discovered.

Some student turns into that hungry phantom and kills another student. Seems simple enough, right?

“Thanks, Toad. You gave me the info I needed.” I was genuinely grateful.

“Remina, if you’re thinking of catching that phantom, I respect you for having the balls, but be very careful. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous. I don’t want you to be the next one dead. Good luck.” He gave me a friendly pat on the shoulders and walked away.

I sighed and walked through the hallway on my way to the dormitory. It was already late. If I took too long and went past the curfew, I would have to sneak in again.

Unbeknownst to me, a little slithering reptile was speeding through the hallway. It jumped, wrapping itself around my leg like an overly clingy girlfriend. I was startled, shaking my leg instinctively to free myself. I stopped when I recognised the silver snake.

“Salamander’s snake? Where’s your master?” I asked, surprised.

It hissed at me.

“Hey! You bit me during the Martial Club tryouts. I will not hesitate to behead you and mount your little snake head as a trophy where Salamander can see it,” I threatened it.

It let go of my leg and started moving around erratically. I was no expert on snake body language, but it seemed like it wanted me to follow.

“I need to be back at the dormitory before the curfew,” I explained.

It hissed impatiently, wrapping itself around my leg again. This time, tighter.

“Fine! You’re never going to leave me alone, aren’t you? This better not be a trap.”

The silver snake led me to an isolated corridor with a stone statue of the Autumn Meister Ophelia at the end. It jumped on her arm and signalled me.

“What do you want me to do exactly?” I folded my arms.

It curled up on her palm for a moment and moved away. It continued to point at the hand.

“Her hand?” I reached out and touched it. I noticed it was some sort of mechanism. When I pulled it down, a secret entrance opened to my right. My eyes widened. The snake jumped on my shoulder and comfortably curled up around my neck. It was adorable, but I also felt like it was holding me hostage.

“What kind of trouble did Salamander get himself into this time?” I muttered to myself.

I walked inside and saw a spiral stone staircase leading all the way down. I took a deep breath and descended the stairs. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I breathed a sigh of relief when I ended up in a regal room with tasteful decorations instead of a creepy dungeon.

Then, I heard voices in the room. I quickly hid behind a cabinet as I took a slight peek and eavesdropped on the conversation.

I saw Salamander tied to a chair with ropes and his mouth gagged with a thick piece of cloth. He was struggling furiously to free himself. In front of him, Leslie and Arabella were keeping an eye on his attempt.

“Now what to do with trespassers?” Leslie mused as she paced the room.

“We need to teach him a lesson. He might go out and tell everyone about the Nightwillows club room,” Arabella suggested.

“Oh. We will teach him a lesson alright. No one who steps in here uninvited gets to leave unscathed.” She flashed a smirk at Salamander.

I wasn’t sure what Salamander’s snake was expecting me to do exactly, but I was too entertained by the scene to even make an attempt at anything that might win the scaly one’s approval.

As my eyes curiously scanned the room to admire the paintings, I saw it right there on the table close to me. The very book I was after. Emrys Blackthorn’s diary. His name was etched in gold onto the cover of the black leather-bound book. I slowly moved towards it, but Salamander’s snake wrapped around my leg and tried to make it obvious that it didn’t want me getting distracted.

“I’ll get back to him after I take the book, alright? Consider it my reward for coming here,” I whispered to it.

The snake loosened its grip and allowed me to snatch the book. My arm hit a vase accidentally when I did. It fell and broke, alerting everyone to my location. I cursed in my head. I knew I messed up.

Leslie was terribly disappointed to see my face. “Ravenfire? You’re here too? Seriously! Just how many people already know of this place?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, Leslie. I guess your secret club sucks at keeping secrets.”

I glanced at Salamander who was just as surprised as Leslie to see me here. He was so shocked that he just outright stopped struggling to free himself.

“Though to tell you the truth, I actually have no idea what’s going on right now,” I added, hoping someone would do a little recap. “Why do you call yourselves the Nightwillows anyway?”

“Because Leslie Willows started this club and we meet here at night,” Arabella explained.

I nodded. “Huh. I was hoping I could make fun of you, but that actually makes sense.”

Leslie threatened me, “Don’t breathe a word to anyone about this place or your friend will get what’s coming to him.” She pointed at Salamander.

“Relax. I just want this book.” I held up the diary and looked at the poor little snake boy who was still squirming while tied to a chair. “I’d pay to see you torture him though.”

Salamander’s snake immediately gave me an angry headbutt, which surprisingly hurt a lot. “Ow!” I curled up in pain.

Leslie and Arabella both looked very confused about my relationship with Salamanader.

I slipped the diary into my bag. “Alright. So are we going to talk or do we have to fight this one out?” I readied a fire spell, disregarding the fact that more than half of the room was flammable.

Arabella readied an ice spell in response, while Leslie stood her ground still hoping to negotiate. I could tell they weren’t keen on fighting in their own territory.

“I’ll hear out your proposal,” Leslie said firmly.

It was time for my untested negotiating skills to shine. “I leave with the book and with Salamander. We’ll leave you and your club alone. Your secret is safe. We’ll not alert the professors or any students about the existence of this room. Do we have a deal?”

Leslie was sceptical. “I don’t trust you to keep your word, Ravenfire.”

I shrugged. “Look, it’s either that or we fight. I’m fine either way.”

The silver snake hissed at the two girls to back me up.

Leslie clenched her fists. She clearly hated the idea, but she had no choice if she didn’t want her fancy clubroom to go up in flames. “Go. Take him with you. And don’t ever come back here!” she shouted angrily.

I quickly untied Salamander and pulled him out of the secret room. We walked until we were far away outside under a large oak tree. I drew a sigh of relief. He was silently standing in place, processing everything that just happened.

I rudely interrupted his thoughts for the sake of annoying him. “You know, a word of thanks might be appreciated? I did rescue you from Leslie’s clutches.”

His blank expression immediately turned into a glare. “I hate to be in your debt. I’m thankful for your timely rescue, but we have to settle this tonight. I need that book. I’m not leaving here without it.” His hand glowed white, ice forming on the surface of his skin. He was serious.

“We’re seriously going to fight over the diary? Fine.” I stood firmly in place, lighting a fire at the tip of my finger.

We were about to unleash chaos until Salamander’s silver snake moved in-between us and hissed at both of us like a school teacher scolding students. Salamander stood down, perhaps realising the futility of brute force.

“Let’s find a private place to talk,” he said and walked towards the academy’s garden hedge maze where we found a stone bench to sit on.

Above us, the night sky was clear, adorned with countless stars that twinkled. The air was crisp and invigorating, with it the fresh scent of flowers nourished by Spring magic. We were surrounded by candles, lit remotely with my Summer magic. It was a wonderful evening for a romantic rendezvous. Sadly, I was stuck here with that prick Salamander who was probably still salty about the fact that I rescued him.

He began his interrogation. “How did you find the secret clubroom?”

“Your snake gladly showed it to me.” I glanced at his snake that gave a single nod to confirm the truth of my statement.

His face looked disturbed after finding out that his dear pet snake chose me instead of any other person to help him. “And what about the diary? How did you know about it?”

I let out an annoyed sigh. If I wanted Salamander to trust me a little and share some information that would help me, I would have to answer his questions properly first. “Emrys Blackthorn himself told me.”

“That’s impossible. He’s dead.”

I raised my Focus. “Apparently, dead men do tell tales if they’re mages. This was his Focus. He used it to contact me and told me to find his diary.”

“How is that even possible? His Focus should have been destroyed by the fire. Let me see that…” Salamander stepped closer to examine the snake pendant. Once he was done, he looked rather disappointed. “It’s real. I’d recognize the signature Blackthorn craftsmanship anywhere. But why do you have it?”

“The professor thinks the thief dropped it accidentally while running. It was left in a snowy field near where I lived.”

He paused to think. “Alright. I’ll believe you.”

“And you? Why do you need the diary?” It was my turn to ask questions.

He hesitated for a long while before he finally started speaking, “I foresaw my own death. Each time, a different possibility. Only one of those visions involves me facing the murderer at this school. It’s the best chance I have at changing my fate. That’s why I risked coming here.”

I wasn’t expecting that kind of answer.

“You’ve seen his face?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. I only know that I’d get stabbed by… someone. It’s not much to go on unfortunately.”

“So why are you looking for the diary?”

“There’s a recipe inside for a potion that will help me see the visions clearly. If I can see who stabbed me, I’ll have a better chance at avoiding that situation.”

I leaned slightly closer. “We’re obviously investigating the same thing. Emrys Blackthorn warned me that the academy is in danger and that his diary would be needed to stop it. You’re after some murderer who’s in this academy right now. There’s a high chance we’re after the same person. I propose we work together and share the diary.”

Yes, I was desperate enough to get new leads that I resorted to working with Salamander.

Salamander drew a deep sigh. “I’m not fond of the idea of working with you, but this exchange of information could benefit us both I suppose. I accept.”

“Come on. Let’s open the diary.” I reached for my bag and pulled out the book that we worked so hard to acquire, placing it on my lap and moving closer to Salamander so he could see it properly.

When we opened the leather-bound diary, we were disappointed to find pages full of strange symbols with not a single writing we could read.

“It’s written in some kind of code,” I said as I examined the pages further.

“Great. Another hurdle to deal with.” Salamander groaned.

“At least we have the diary with us this time. Now we just need to find a way to translate this.”

“We certainly won’t find it tonight at this hour. Let’s scour the library for information tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll keep the diary safe. My snake watches over my bag so theft will be less likely if it’s with me.”

It seemed reasonable. And if he was going to be stingy with it, I could always take it by force. “Alright.” I handed him the diary.

“Thank you,” he said almost sincerely.

His snake slithered onto my lap, curling up comfortably. I smiled smugly seeing Salamander’s annoyance at his own Focus forming a bond with me.

“Could you please not make friends with my snake?” he pleaded.

I smirked. “Is it really up to you to dictate your snake’s social life?”

“When it comes to you? Yes.” He sighed and forcibly picked up his Focus, turning it back into a necklace. “Let’s go. This place is infuriatingly romantic.”