Chapter 6: A Name of Deceit
THUNDER cracked through the night sky like the roar of a dragon as I climbed the staircase in the old castle, careful not to make a peep. I didn’t have a lantern, but I had no difficulty walking in darkness after all this time.
The dark had always been on my side, ever since I was young.
Besides, I had a whole group of people I could count on now.
Leeds was in front of me, the twins took both of my sides and Dark and Jack followed right behind me. We were all wearing our school uniforms, so we probably looked like a cluster of shadows walking around.
“All right, my cute little kittens. It’s time for us to split up now.” Leeds stopped on the landing with three swords on the wall and handed me his keychain. “The teachers have gone night-night in the big room with all the beds. You know the one, right?”
“Of course. Dark and I will handle the target ourselves. Jack, secure this staircase as our escape route. Leeds, you stick with Headmaster Caterpillar.”
The headmaster alone slept in a room next to his office.
“If he turns out to be the demon, he might show up once he senses the teachers have been freed from their spell. If something happens, everyone needs to flee to the escape route and go straight to the chapel.”
“I drew my seal in the chapel this afternoon. Make sure to entice him into chasing after you so he doesn’t spot it, all right?”
Dark, carrying his cane under his arm, had his horns on full display. He’d left his hat in his bedroom, as it would obstruct his vision to wear. He felt conflicted about showing himself as a demon like that at first, but the twins managed to get through to him.
“You can hide your horns, but not your life itself.”
“There’s no need to be sad about having horns.”
It seemed like they wanted to tell Dark not to be preoccupied with hiding his horns—that being a demon with horns only made him more reliable for this job.
Their blunt attempt at encouragement worked. Dark had left his hat behind. He had his own unique sense of dignity, not wanting to show a weak side of himself to his beloved twins.
The twins had saved a demon but feigned ignorance as they joined us in tonight’s plan.
“What about us?”
“What about us?”
Their blonde hair swayed around their faces. I held my hands out to them.
“You’ll be guarding me. Don’t let anyone get close to me while I’m using my stigma, be it human, demon, or anything else that shows up.”
It was an indirect order to kill them. They nodded, their faces remaining completely unaffected. They grabbed my thumb and pinky.
Leeds put his hand on top of ours, followed by Jack’s tiny hand covering his.
“Anything for Alice!”
We felt strangely united as one after that vow to complete the mission.
The Liddell family possessed a bond that would always keep us marching forward, even to a place that meant certain death. Dark looked on at us with a smile. He didn’t ask to join the cheer, and I loved him for it all the more. He understood how sacred this rite was to us.
“All right. We’ll be on our merry way then.”
“Be careful, my lady, twins. You too, Knightley.”
Leeds and Jack bid us farewell before disappearing into the darkness.
We climbed to the fourth story and went straight to the room where the teachers slept.
“This is it. I’ll start by using my stigma on the closest bed,” I whispered to them and unlocked the door with the key.
Rain that had started to pour drowned out the sound of the lock. I asked Dum and Dee to watch over our escape route. Then Dark and I approached a bed.
The man fast asleep, a snot bubble growing out of his nose, was the orthography teacher. He was a popular, jovial instructor.
My heart ached when I thought back to his class. His name was one of the ones from the school history book. If he was under a spell of immortality, he would die as soon as I freed him from it.
I’m sorry. You can complain to me when we meet again in Hell…
I glanced at Dark to show him I was ready, closed my eyes, and focused my mind. I drew the crescent moon symbol in my head and felt the stigma on my chest start to burn.
Please release the captives in Ark School from their immortality.
The band of light escaped my chest and slipped through my clothes.
It turned again and again, wrapping the bed and teacher together in a cocoon of light.
“?!”
A chill suddenly shot down my spine. A red emergency light was flashing in my head. I sensed danger. My whole body and spirit informed me that a powerful enemy was near.
I whipped around, but the color of straw filled my vision.
What’s this?
I looked closer and saw it was the leg of a beast.
Just inches from my face, a carnivorous animal’s leg was floating there.
With my heart pounding in my ears, I slowly looked up at the ceiling.
An unbelievable sight had appeared over our heads.
The monster had the body of a lion, the head of an eagle, and a pair of wings. Its glaring eyes were gold. It looked down at us like we were prey.
“Don’t move.”
Dark raised his cane. The creature’s eyes stopped on Dark’s horns. It let out a cry of surprise.
“So you were a demon all along…?”
Though it looked like a monster, it appeared to understand human language.
Maybe we can negotiate with it?
Despite this first thought, a dark shadow flew past me before I could do anything.
“He who acts first wins the war.”
It was Dum who’d sprung to action.
Dark jumped on me, sending us tumbling to the floor just as the monster flapped its wings and rose to the ceiling.
Dee followed up by firing his crossbow.
“Support your men first and think later. What’s next, Alice?”
“We’re getting everyone out of here, of course!”
There was no other choice. The teachers had woken up, too.
I took Dark’s hand and raced into the hallway.
Dee rolled out behind him. All of us sprinted toward the staircase where Jack was waiting for us. I heard the flapping of wings just behind. The monster was chasing us.
It was a game of tag for our lives.
The feathers on the monster’s right wing were damaged, and the narrow hallway made it difficult for it to pursue us.