Page 88 of Architecti
She bristles, her eyebrows shooting up.
“Is that really what you’re asking?”she says, pulling me into a section of tree cover between House Inferos and the Restricted Records building.
“I’m aware that we shouldn’t really discuss it, given the campus has taken the stance of no on the resurrection.But intellectually, I wondered where you sit.”
She pinches her mouth and then nods.“I am ambivalent, truth be told.I think very few things that are black and white.The resurrection included.”
It’s a non-answer, but I suppose I didn’t expect anything else.As staff, we’re not really allowed to have public opinions.I guess I expected her to be honest with me.
“Have a lovely afternoon,” I say and give her a weak smile.
“Fine.Wait,” she says.
I halt.
“I’m sixty-forty.”
“Against?”
She doesn’t answer.I turn to face her.“Sixty-fortyfor?”I raise an eyebrow at her as she nods, a hint of pink crawling up her throat.
“I suspect that it may unlock new magics for us.I certainly feel like it would for me.I think our hierarchy, both demonically and within the institution, is far too male.Is Architecti a chaos agent?Yes, but she’s also female.Call me a misandrist if you will, but I rather think a female leader might do some good for once.”
This was more like the answer I was looking for.I dig in my bag and pull out the ragged paper Midnight drew the symbol from my neck on.It’s frayed and crinkled where I’ve kept it on my person, shoved in pockets and bags ever since.I hand it to her.
“What’s this?”she says, turning it this way and that.
“A contract rune.”
“Well, I gathered that, but it doesn’t look like any I’ve read before.”
“No, nor me.I was headed to the Restricted Records building as there are some texts I want to compare it to.So far, I’ve been unable to match the linguistic shapes to any necro language we’re aware of, let alone translate it.”
“Where did you get it?”
I take a deep breath.Once I tell her this, there’s no going back.“It was on my body.”
Her eyes widen; she scans the symbol again.“Your contract…” she whispers.“My gods, Lucy.Tell me you’ve translated it.”
I shake my head.“It’s incomplete.I thought I’d be able to translate it with what I had, but it seems I’ve failed.”
“Then make it appear again.Isn’t this everything you’ve ever wanted?”
“It is.But getting the symbols to appear is complicated.”
And by complicated, I mean lethal to my tenure and Midnight’s Demonic Favour if we were caught.
In the evenings, I help Midnight consolidate the classes she took in the day.I’ve been trying to moderate how hard we work, but she keeps pushing until she has a nosebleed or passes out.
The level of determination is admirable, if a little extreme.But the real issue is that every time we train, it’s excruciating for both of us.I have to position her body, help shape her hands.We’re constantly in each other’s personal space, our lips and mouths millimetres from each other.Her scent, vetiver and grapefruit, is intoxicating.It worms into my nose and makes my body ache to touch her.Each night, I have to fling myself away, only to suffer by watching her curl shadowy fingers of magic around her toned arms.That’s without her thighs bulging in her jeans.I’m not sure if it’s from all the work she does on her motorbike or the combat training she does for the reaping job, but what I do know is that I’ve worn a callus lump inside my cheek from biting it.
Thalia glances from me to the rune and then her expression glimmers.“By complicated you mean… it appeared after you?—”
“Yes.Thank you, we don’t need to go into the details.”
She chuckles.“You’re such a prude sometimes.I’ve heard of people eliciting other emotions to get the runes to appear, but quite often, a jolly good fucking does the trick nicely.”
“Demon’s sake, Thalia.Do you have to be so crass?”
