Page 32 of Tear of Destiny

I can’t breathe, and everything starts spinning. My heart thumps against my chest as if it’s trying to burst my ribs open. And I know what that means: these are its last panicked beats, a final desperate attempt to keep me alive.

“I figured the last guy would have learned his lesson after our fight. Instead he sends a girl. As if we’d assume you were no threat. But nothing gets past me.” His voice sounds far away, growing fainter and fainter. And I know why.

My mouth opens; I gasp convulsively for air, but I can’t draw a single breath. My eyes wander one last time to Patricia; her ghostly form is no longer hovering above her. She’s just lying there like a corpse, and I realize I’ll soon look like that myself.

But just at that moment, I detect movement to my right.

Andrew shouts. “So, he finally shows up!”

The Noctu has to let go of me to deal with the little fox who has just pounced on him, biting him and launching one attack after another. Andrew’s bird is trying to get its claws into Yoru, but he’s fast.

I slump to the floor, coughing and spluttering. I desperately suck in air as though it might disappear again at any moment. Andrew’s still distracted. He’s sending his key spirit a command to finish off Yoru. So I summon all of my strength, lurch past Andrew, pull the door open, and call to Yoru, who’s just clamped his jaws around Andrew’s shin, “Come on!”

I know I’m too weak to send Yoru enough odeon for us to survive this fight. Sometimes running away is the best strategy. So I run down the corridor as fast as my trembling legs will carry me. The adrenalin helps. I need to get back to the recreation room, anywhere where there are people. Andrew can’t attack me there. I hurtle around a corner, glancing back to check that Yoru’s still behind me. But he’s not alone. Andrew is in hot pursuit. My heart feels as if it’s about to burst out of my chest, hammering hard against my ribs as I continue to run.

I turn another corner and dash downstairs, sensing a hex whizzing over my head. I duck, but I don’t dare turn around. Yoru is with me now, running as fast as he can.

I hear noises ahead of me and hope that I’ll make it. Yoru alsosenses that we’ll soon have company, which means he has to hide. He’s torn because I’m in danger, but he has no choice, and Andrew’s spirit will have to hide too.

I reach the corridor to the recreation room, and I’m relieved to see a couple of the residents. They look alarmed when they see me sprinting toward them – and even more so when they see Andrew chasing me.

I finally get to the door, fling it open, and burst into the room. All eyes turn to look at me, and I try not to look too distraught. I walk quickly away from the door toward Kate. She can tell that something horrible must have happened.

I bend down and say quietly to her, “We need to get out of here.”

She nods, and we both glance at the door as Andrew appears.

Chapter 15

Kate and I enter the school building in silence. We’re each absorbed in our own thoughts. I was so relieved when we finally got out of the retirement home. For a while, I wasn’t sure if we’d make it – if we could get past Andrew. I couldn’t explain to Kate right away what had happened. But she understood that we were in danger. Andrew didn’t take his eyes off us for a moment, but at some point, he was called away by one of the other nurses and had to leave the room. We seized the opportunity. As soon as we were out of the home, Kate and I ran. I kept feeling like Andrew was pursuing us, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. And anyway, he got what he wanted. He drove me away, and I’m not about to show up there anytime soon.

The Noctu don’t seem worried about me passing on the information to the Tempes. I guess they’re pretty confident that they can continue to safeguard the goddess. There’s a reason they left her there even after Charles showed up. I’m pretty convinced that the male visitor Andrew mentioned must have been Charles. Did he report the goddess to the Tempes? Are they maybe planning an attack on the retirement home? I can’t be sure, and I have no idea what to do. Kate is similarly clueless.Should I go to the school principal and tell him that there’s a goddess at Two Trees? Did Charles already tell him? And what was Frida’s role in all of this? Should I try to find out more about the part she played?

Images of Chloe flash through my mind. I still remember clearly how the Tempes kept her locked away, and what happened to her in the end. Can I live with being responsible for another death? Even if it’s a goddess of destiny? And Patricia’s in a coma. Sure, her spirit still seems to be awake, and apparently, she can continue her work. But she’s basically defenseless. Yet she didn’t seem to be afraid of me exposing her. Is that because she knows I’ll never bring myself to do it? Or is she just that confident in the Noctu’s ability to protect her?

It doesn’t matter. Whichever way I look at it, it’s best if I keep this knowledge to myself and try to find out more. Should I try to locate the library? Is it my destiny to find it? And if so, do I want to go down that road? And more importantly: what will I find there? My head is buzzing with all these questions. It’s too much; I just want some peace and quiet.

I say goodbye to Kate and head to my room. I wish I could talk to somebody who knows more about the goddesses, the Tempes, the Noctu…

Ayden springs to mind. Could I go to him? It’s been a while since we last spoke, and part of me is afraid of seeing him again. But I can’t deny that part of me craves it.

I don’t want to have any more secrets from him. That was what wrecked everything between us in the first place. But what will he do if I tell him about the goddess? Will he go to his father? Will they head straight out to bring Patricia in? They’d have to fight the Noctu and risk their lives. I gulp, and my hands clench into fists. I don’t want anything to happen to him.

But my feet start carrying me in the direction of his room. I want to be open and honest with him, even if it’s too little toolate – way too late. But I still want him to know. And I need somebody to talk to. I need him.

I walk decisively along the corridor, pause outside his door, and take a deep, tremulous breath. Then I knock and wait. Nothing happens. I try again, but I don’t hear any sounds coming from his room.

I feel a surge of disappointment. I wanted to see him, hear his voice – even if only for a minute. Maybe he could have helped me. I turn to go back to my room, but I pause and consider waiting for him in the corridor. Then I hear a voice approaching.

“I hope Grandpa agrees. You know how persuasive I can be. I finally convinced my parents to let me move to San Francisco. But Grandpa sees things differently. He says he has no time and couldn’t take care of me, and thinks I should stay with my family. But my parents are hardly ever home, and I’m not a child. I can take care of myself. Anyway, I figure I can soften him up.”

Another voice laughs, and this laugh is so familiar that it cuts me to the quick. Ayden.

“I believe you. Once you set your mind on something, nobody can talk you out of it.”

“Oh yeah, I’m tenacious. And I love San Francisco. It would be a dream come true to live here. I could see Grandpa more often, and who knows – maybe I could even switch schools and come here. That wouldn’t be a bad thing – we could see more of each other.”

Now they’re close enough for me to recognize their faces. It’s Claire, old man Cunningham’s granddaughter, and I feel a stabbing pain when I see her. She’s walking unusually close to Ayden, smiling broadly at him. She turns to gaze into his eyes, which look radiant. Her long ash-blonde hair is woven into an elaborate braid, and her tight jeans and slinky top look amazing on her.