THE VOID BEAST

CHAPTER 16: THE DEPARTURE

I walked back to the dorm in a daze.

The corridors were empty, the torches casting long shadows across the stone floors. My footsteps echoed in the silence, each one matching the rhythm of my racing heart.

Someone who loved her. Before you were born.

I replayed the old man's words over and over, turning them in my mind like a stone I couldn't put down.

What really happened seventeen years ago? Who loved my mother? And what could possibly be happening in those mountains?

The questions burned in my chest.

If my mother isn't a mere maid as the strange woman said... if the old man is keeping her picture in this great school... and my father is a member of House Vex... then having a rabbit as my beast can't be a coincidence.

I looked down at the rabbit padding beside me. Her cloudy eyes were fixed ahead, her ears twitching at every sound.

And the fact that the rabbit is strange... that was beginning to disturb me.

I reached the dorm door and pushed it open gently. Jace was still awake, sitting on his cot, his fox curled beside him. He glanced at me as I entered, then looked away. The anger was still visible in the set of his jaw, the tightness in his shoulders.

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. What could I possibly say that would make this right?

I lay back on my cot, facing the wall. The rabbit hopped up beside me and curled into a small ball.

Whatever happened seventeen years ago... I have a feeling it's not over.

I stared at the stone wall, my mind churning.

I told myself I'd wait. I told myself I'd get stronger first. That was the smart thing to do. The safe thing.

But the truth about my mother isn't going to wait for me to be ready. The answers are out there, and every day I stay here is another day the trail gets colder.

If I wait until I'm strong enough, I might never find out what really happened.

I can't wait anymore. I have to go now.

If anything should happen, I won't drag Jace with me. He doesn't deserve that.

I closed my eyes.

I have to go. I have to find out the truth. And I think the answers are in those mountains.

---

I waited until the others' breathing had evened out—Jace's still tight with anger, Finn's slow and peaceful, Orla's almost silent. The moon crept across the window, its light shifting from one stone to another.

When I was sure no one would wake, I moved.

I sat up slowly, my heart pounding. The rabbit stirred beside me, her cloudy eyes blinking open. She looked at me, her head tilting slightly.

I hesitated. Should I take her with me? Or leave her behind?

She stared at me with those pale, unblinking eyes. Her ears twitched, and for a moment, I could have sworn she was waiting for my decision.

If I died in those mountains, she would be miserable without me. It's better to die together than to leave her alone in a world that doesn't want her.

I scooped her up, tucking her into my coat. She pressed against my chest, warm and still.

"Let's go," I whispered.

---

I crept through the corridors, keeping to the shadows. The rabbit was silent against my chest, her body still.

The academy was dark. Most of the torches had been extinguished for the night. Only a few flickered at intersections, casting pools of orange light across the stone.

I moved slowly, checking every corner before I turned. My heart hammered with each step.

Then I remembered. The record. Five entered. Four died. One returned unable to speak of what he'd seen.

For the first time since leaving the dorm, my courage faltered. Maybe I was walking toward the same fate.

I went anyway.

The rabbit stiffened against my chest. Her ears swiveled forward, pointing down the dark corridor. I froze, listening.

Then I heard it. Footsteps.

A guard emerged from a side corridor ahead. His lantern swung at his side, casting long shadows across the floor.

I was in the middle of a great hall—no cover, no corners to hide behind. I pressed myself against the wall, my breath held.

The guard was thirty paces away. He hadn't seen me yet—his gaze was elsewhere, scanning the opposite direction.

I couldn't go back. I couldn't go forward without being seen. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to disappear.

The guard turned. His lantern light swept across the passage.

I felt the light wash over me.

Then a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me sideways. A door opened and closed behind me in one smooth motion.

I opened my mouth to scream—

A hand pressed over my mouth.

"Shh."

My heart hammered as I looked at the person who'd pulled me in. The dim light from a small window revealed his face.

Jace.

He pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed toward the door.

We listened.

The guard's footsteps echoed in the hallway. They grew closer—closer—until I could hear the soft scrape of his boots on stone.

The footsteps stopped.

Jace and I held our breath. The rabbit was still against my chest, frozen.

The guard's hand touched the door handle. I heard it turn, heard the slight creak of the wood—

Then a voice cut through the silence.

"Is there any problem?"

The old man. His voice was calm, unhurried.

The guard hesitated. "I thought I saw—"

"I'm sure you saw wrong," the old man said. "What could possibly be wandering around at this hour? Come. I need to show you something in the records room."

The guard lingered for a moment. I could feel his presence on the other side of the door, his indecision hanging in the air.

Then the footsteps moved away.

Jace and I exhaled together.

We stood in the darkness, breathing hard, our hearts still racing. The rabbit pressed against me, her body trembling slightly.

"Thank you," I whispered. "How did you—"

"I followed you," Jace said. "I knew you were going to do something stupid."

I stared at him. "You followed me? I thought you were asleep."

"I saw you packing earlier," Jace said. "You weren't subtle."

He shook his head. "I've been watching you long enough to know when you're planning something reckless. And I was right."

"Jace, you shouldn't have—"

"If I hadn't, you'd be in a cell right now." His voice was sharp but not angry. "You didn't even check for guards before crossing that hall. You walked straight into the open."

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it. He was right. I'd been careless.

"Still," I said, "you shouldn't have followed me. I don't want you to get caught because of me."

"Too late for that." He crossed his arms. "I'm already out here, and I'm already involved. So what's the plan? You're going to the mountains, aren't you?"

I didn't answer.

"I thought so." He sighed. "Fine. I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not."

"Look, I—"

"No." I met his eyes. "I'm not going to let you risk your life for me. You have a future here. A family. A father who loves you."

"A father who would want me to protect my friends."

"This isn't about protecting me," I said. "This is about me protecting you."

Jace was quiet for a long moment. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a small bag.

"Then at least take this."

I blinked. "What is it?"

"Supplies. Food, water, a knife, a flint. I packed it earlier, just in case." He pressed it into my hands. "You can't wander into the mountains with nothing but a rabbit and a dream. That's not bravery—that's stupidity."

I stared at the bag. Then at him.

"Jace, I—"

"Don't thank me. Just promise you'll be careful."

I nodded slowly. "I promise."

"And take the secret passage."

I frowned. "What secret passage?"

Jace glanced around, then lowered his voice. "There are passages beneath the academy. Old ones. My father showed me them when I was a child—he's a groundskeeper here, and sometimes the groundskeepers use them to move supplies without being seen."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I've never told anyone about it."

"Why are you telling me now?"

"Because you need it more than I need to keep the secret."

He led me to the back of the small room, where a faded tapestry hung on the wall. He pulled it aside, revealing a narrow wooden door.

"Behind this is a corridor that leads to the outer wall," he said. "From there, you can slip into the forest without being seen. It's not a direct route to the mountains, but it'll get you past the guards."

I stared at the door.

"If they discover I helped you," Jace said quietly, "my father could lose his position."

I stared at him. "Then why are you doing this?"

Jace shrugged. "Because you're my friend."

"Just come back," Jace said. "Promise me you'll come back."

"I promise."

We stood there for a moment, the weight of the promise hanging between us.

Then I pulled the door open.

A dark corridor stretched ahead, the air cool and damp.

"Goodbye, Jace," I said.

"Goodbye, Darian. Be careful."

I stepped into the darkness and pulled the door closed behind me.

---

The corridor was narrow, the walls rough stone. I moved forward, one hand on the wall, the rabbit pressed against my chest.

Behind me, I heard the soft click of the door locking.

I was alone.

I remembered the record again. The mountains. The expedition. Four dead. One returned.

My heart was pounding, but I kept walking.

I walked faster.

I didn't know what waited for me in those mountains.

But somewhere beyond those walls was the truth about my mother.

And something told me the mountains had been waiting for me too.