I lead them across a wide grassy square, where students mill around talking in clumps. A few people look our direction. Not sure if it’s because we’re new or because I’m dressed in a school uniform and the guys are obviously instructors. I take a step away, realizing our close proximity is probably inappropriate. Neither warrior notices, both on high alert.
A peel of giggling laughter catches my attention, and I see a cluster of girls. A boy stands in the middle, tall and striking. The gray of his school uniform tie makes his eyes pop with color and the strong line of his jaw, and his casual ease brings the girls to him like moths to a flame.
They have no idea they’re dealing with a sociopath.
“There’s Marshal,” I say, nudging Agis toward him.
“And Rupert and Miya,” Armin says, nodding across the quad. Miya is dressed in instructor’s clothes while Rupert is in a uniform. He looks like the perfect school boy, finally dressed his age, compared to his usual warrior’s outfit that looks too big for his size.
A few moments later we all meet under a stone archway, thick with carved designs, leading toward campus.
“Any idea what the hell happened?” Marshal asks, looking down at his uniform in distaste. I’d never admit it out loud, but he looks breathtakingly handsome and my stomach flip-flops a little. His eyes skim over me, expression unreadable.
“No,” Armin replies, jaw grim. He looks behind us to a figure standing at the end of the pathway. “But I think he may.”
15
Hildi
The man facing us steps out of the shadow. I gasp when I see him. “Professor Christensen?”
He looks as confused as we do. He frowns. “Do I know you?”
Did he crack his head?
“I’m Hildi—Morgan’s friend.” He should know me but the blank look in his eyes says otherwise. I feel the men shift uneasily behind me. “Do you really not recognize me?”
He studies me for a moment and says, “You came through the portal.”
“That you opened,” Armin replies. “You were there.”
His head shakes, almost imperceptibly. “No. I wasn’t there, but another version of me could have been.”
“What do you mean by other version?” Marshal asks.
“I exist in every realm. My job is to document the history of the Raven Guard. I arrive at the point the portal opens, and the crusade begins when they cross over.” His eyes narrow. “But you came through the portal instead.”
“The Raven Guard couldn’t come. We took their place,” I say, hoping my tone sounds authoritative.
“A replacement?” he says with a whisper. “Is that possible?”
“We’re here,” Rupert replies. “By the way, where is here?”
“You’re at the Aeternum Academy—”
“The Eternal Academy,” Agis says. “Everyone here is immortal.”
Everyone but me? I wonder. Rupert’s eyes slide my way.
“Is everyone here part of the crusade?” Miya asks. He’s been quiet, watching our surroundings carefully.
“No,” Professor Christensen replies. “Not everyone. When I arrived, I was confused by the location as well. In the past the Crusades were fought over bitter landscapes. They’ve always been long journeys on unforgiving realms. The realms were always neutral territory. Neither Upper or Lowerworld, but this? This is a different environment.”
Everyone looks around the grounds. My eyes focus on a sculpture at the base of a large stone building. It’s a series of figures, some beautiful, others terrifying, with bared teeth, sharp claws and tails. In the center is a female, holding an orb in her hands. The orb is a murky black—swirls of shadows inside. I pull my eyes away, a nauseous feeling in my stomach.
“We’re in the Underworld,” I say. “We have no allies here.”
“She’s right,” the professor says. “This is not a neutral territory."