Crimson Frost (11 page)
Chapter 11
Logan and I spent a few
very
enjoyable minutes in the stacks before Alexei started clearing his throat. The Spartan pulled back and dropped his arms from around my waist, although his blue eyes flashed with laughter.
very
enjoyable minutes in the stacks before Alexei started clearing his throat. The Spartan pulled back and dropped his arms from around my waist, although his blue eyes flashed with laughter.
“I think Alexei’s getting impatient,” Logan said. “That, or he’s just jealous that he’s not back here with someone.”
I thought of how Alexei had looked at Oliver in the gym this morning. “Maybe. Either way, I have to get back to work, remember?”
“Did anyone ever tell you that playing hooky is more fun than working?”
This time, I laughed. “Never. But that’s what I have you for, Spartan. To tell me these things.”
I stood on my tiptoes, leaned forward, and kissed Logan on the nose. He let out a playful growl, but I slipped away before he could wrap his arms around me again.
By this point, it was after eight, and most of the kids had left the library. I guess since I hadn’t been at the checkout counter for them to glare at, they’d decided to go back to their dorms for the night. Well, that was one small favor, although I knew things would be just as bad tomorrow. Maybe even worse, as more and more kids found the courage to mess with me, with Helena Paxton no doubt leading the charge. But there was nothing I could do about any of that tonight, so I tried to put it out of my mind.
I’d thought Logan would leave as well, but the Spartan wandered out of the stacks and planted himself on a stool behind the checkout counter. I gave him a questioning look.
“I’m staying here, and I’m walking you back to your dorm tonight.” His face darkened. “Just in case some more jerks decide they want to take matters into their own hands where you’re concerned. I called in reinforcements too. They should be here any minute.”
“Reinforcements?” I asked. “What reinforcements—”
The sound of shoes smacking against the marble floor caught my attention. A second later, Daphne strode into the library, followed by Oliver. Daphne marched down the center aisle, her enormous Dooney & Bourke purse in one hand and her cell phone held up to her ear. Both the purse and the phone were pink and matched the rest of her clothes. The Valkyrie was the only person I knew who could wear one color from head to toe and totally pull it off. I would have looked like a wad of cotton candy if I’d tried to wear so much pink at once.
“Yeah . . . yeah . . . uh-huh. Glad you’re having a good practice. Okay, we’re at the library now, so I have to go. Talk to you later. Bye, babe.” Daphne hung up and slid her phone into her purse. “Sorry about that. Carson’s stuck at band practice and can’t make it.”
“You and Oliver are Logan’s reinforcements? You guys came all the way over here just to walk me back to my dorm?” I asked. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Daphne gave me a sharp look. “Are you kidding? After the way Helena and her flunkies surrounded you in the dining hall this morning? One of us is going to be with you everywhere you go from now on, Gwen. I only wish I’d been there this morning to bitch-slap Helena back down to size.”
I hadn’t mentioned the incident at breakfast to Daphne, not wanting her to worry, but Logan must have told her, along with the rest of our friends.
“You don’t have to do that,” I protested, not wanting to drag her and everyone else into the middle of my problems with the other kids. “Besides, isn’t that what Alexei is for? Guard duty?”
The Valkyrie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Alexei, who was standing behind me in his usual position once more. “Apparently, he’s not up to the job, since he almost let you get lynched this morning. No offense, Bogatyr.”
“None taken,” Alexei replied in a mild voice.
“Anyway,” Daphne said. “We’ve all agreed, so there’s no point in arguing with us, Gwen. No point at all.”
The Valkryie sat down at the study table closest to the checkout counter. Pink sparks of magic hissed and cracked in the air around her, telling me just how riled up she was on my behalf. I glanced at Logan and Oliver, who had the same sort of determined looks on their faces, and I could tell that nothing I could say was going to change their minds. I loved them for their concern, but it made me feel guilty that they even had to defend me in the first place. Being my friend shouldn’t be so hard—or dangerous.
“Thank you, guys,” I said, blinking back tears yet again. “I appreciate your standing by me. I know that being my friend isn’t always easy. Especially not right now.”
Oliver shrugged. “We wouldn’t really be friends if we bailed at the first sign of trouble, now, would we?”
I smiled at him and then busied myself lining up the carts behind the checkout counter so he and the others wouldn’t notice me wiping the tears out of the corners of my eyes.
Logan moved over to talk to Daphne about the band concert. Carson wasn’t the only one involved in the event. The Spartan, along with Oliver and Kenzie, was in an honor guard that had been assigned to watch over the band members, since the concert was taking place at the Aoide Auditorium and not here on campus. Apparently, staging the concert at the auditorium was an annual Mythos tradition, one that the Powers That Were were determined to uphold, despite the fact that Loki was free. I guess they and the Protectorate wanted to send a message to everyone—students and Reapers alike—that the Pantheon wasn’t afraid and that they weren’t going to hunker down and hide from the war that was coming.
Oliver drifted over to me. Alexei watched us both from his spot against the wall of the office complex.
“Logan told us what happened this morning,” Oliver said in a low voice only I could hear. “I’m sorry that Alexei didn’t help you. He seemed so cool when I met him over winter break. But now that I know he just stood by while you were facing down those other kids . . .”
Sad longing made his shoulders droop, and the same miserable expression was on Alexei’s face as well. I knew that if I asked him to, Oliver would ignore Alexei and pretend they’d never met. But Oliver had been there for me when I’d needed him, and I wanted my friend to be happy, even if it was with Alexei.
“Go,” I said, giving the Spartan a little push. “Go talk to him. This trouble that I’m in doesn’t have anything to do with the two of you. If you like him, that’s good enough for me. I just hope he’s good enough for you. Because if he hurts you, Protectorate or not, I will totally kick his ass.”
I paused. “Or maybe get Daphne and Logan to help me kick his ass. Not sure I could do it by myself. Either way, his ass will definitely be kicked.”
Oliver flashed me a grin. “Did I ever tell you what a good friend you are?”
I grinned back at him. “Well, this good friend thing doesn’t last very long. So you’d better get over there and talk to him before I change my mind.”
Oliver’s grin widened. He straightened his shoulders and walked over to Alexei. The two of them started talking in low voices, and it was like Alexei suddenly changed into a completely different person. He was so serious when he was watching me, so remote, so reserved, but with Oliver, warmth filled his face, his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled, and his whole body was totally relaxed. It made my spirits lift a little to see the two of them together.
While I’d been back in the stacks, Nickamedes had set out one more cart of books that needed to be shelved. Since everyone else was busy talking, I grabbed the cart. I’d just started to roll it around the counter when a loud yawn caught my ear. I looked down and noticed Vic staring up at me out of the top of my messenger bag.
“Finally waking up from your latest nap?” I asked.
The sword blinked. “Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do, you know. Not until you find us some more Reapers to kill. I was just dreaming about Lucretia and how I plan to cleave her in two the next time we meet.”
Lucretia was Vivian’s sword, which talked just like Vic did. From what I’d gathered, Vic and Lucretia were old enemies, since Lucretia had been passed down through Loki’s Champions over the years, just like Vic had been handed from one of my Frost ancestors to the next. The swords were just another way in which Vivian and I were eerily similar, along with the fact that we were both Gypsies gifted with magic from our respective gods. While I’d been given psychometry, or touch magic, Vivian had what she called chaos magic, although really it was more like telepathy. Either way, the Reaper girl’s power let her make people see and hear things that weren’t actually there. Sometimes, I thought that Vivian and I were like the opposite sides of the same coin—so alike in some ways and so very different in others.
“I don’t have any idea where Vivian or Lucretia are,” I told the sword. “You know if I had the slightest clue where they were hiding, I’d be out there leading the charge against them.”
“I know, I know,” Vic grumbled. “And more’s the pity that you don’t know. Because I would be happy to cut them to pieces for you.”
His half of a mouth turned down into a sullen pout, as if he’d just lost out on his favorite treat. I sighed. I knew if I didn’t do something to cheer him up, Vic would be in one of his
moods
for the rest of the night. And people thought teenagers were temperamental. Please. They should spend some time with Vic.
moods
for the rest of the night. And people thought teenagers were temperamental. Please. They should spend some time with Vic.
“Wanna go for a ride?” I asked.
Vic rolled his eye. “Well, it would certainly beat staring at the bottom of the bloody counter for another hour or taking yet another nap. Even I can only sleep for so long.”
I grabbed the sword, pulled the blade out of his scabbard, and propped Vic up on top of the metal cart so he could see where we were going. Then, I pushed the cart back into the stacks and started shelving the rest of the books.
Vic kept up a steady stream of conversation while I worked, going on and on and
on
about all the horrible things he was going to do to Lucretia the next time the two swords met in battle. Every once in a while, I chimed in with an
uh-huh
or an
of course you will
or even a
really?
But Vic didn’t need me to keep the conversation going. Sometimes, I thought the sword would have talked forever—whether or not he had an audience.
on
about all the horrible things he was going to do to Lucretia the next time the two swords met in battle. Every once in a while, I chimed in with an
uh-huh
or an
of course you will
or even a
really?
But Vic didn’t need me to keep the conversation going. Sometimes, I thought the sword would have talked forever—whether or not he had an audience.
Finally, I shelved the last book, turned the cart around, and headed toward the checkout counter. The library was closing in ten minutes, and I was more than ready to grab my bag and go back to my room for the night.
I steered the cart down an aisle until I came to a crossway in the stacks. A movement caught my eye, and I turned my head just in time to see someone duck behind a bookcase several feet away.
I froze, wondering if I’d only imagined the movement, if perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me. I squinted and looked through a gap in the bookshelves. Sure enough, a second later, I saw someone moving through the stacks up ahead and to my right. The figure had its back to me, so I couldn’t make out who it might be through the shadows that cloaked this part of the library.
I sighed. One of the reasons the library was so popular was because kids loved to sneak into the stacks and hook up with their latest crush—and we weren’t talking about just a little kissing, like Logan and I had done. Oh no. Lots of the Mythos students thought that going All the Way in the library was a supercool thing to do. Whatever. I always hated it whenever Nickamedes made me clean back here because I’d always find lots of disgusting things, including used condoms. Yucko.
No doubt the mystery figure was one of the warrior whiz kids who’d just made out with his current honey. Or maybe one of my classmates just wanted to mess with me a final time tonight. Stacking up books so they’d eventually tip over and scare me when I was working late was another game some students loved to play. And given what had happened in the dining hall, I wouldn’t put it past Helena or someone else to be lurking around, waiting to jump me and beat the stuffing out of me like they’d wanted to this morning—or worse.
Wary now, I pushed the cart forward, moving parallel to the shadowy figure. Apparently, for once I’d eased all the
squeak-squeak-squeaks
out of the wheels because they barely made a sound as I rolled the cart across the floor.
squeak-squeak-squeaks
out of the wheels because they barely made a sound as I rolled the cart across the floor.
I’d just stepped into another crossway, trying to catch up to the figure, when the edge of a black robe whipped around a bookcase twenty feet ahead of me.
I froze again, my knuckles cracking as my hands tightened around the cart’s handle. Because hookups or not, pranks or not, Mythos students did not wear black robes—Reapers of Chaos did.
Heart pounding, I grabbed Vic off the top of the cart and hurried after the figure.
“What are you doing?” the sword asked in a slightly muffled voice, since his mouth was underneath my hand. “Why are you leaving the cart behind? You’ve got to take it back to the counter too.”
“Shut up, Vic,” I murmured. “I think there’s someone else in the library.”
But the sword didn’t listen to me. “Of course there’s someone in the library. Your friends are here, remember?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “But none of them is wearing a black robe.”
Vic’s purplish eye widened, and I felt his mouth curve into a smile beneath my palm. “Bloody Reapers,” he said with obvious relish. “Let’s kill them all!”
I resisted the urge to tell him to shut up again and raced forward. We were on the back side of the library, behind the glass office complex, and once again voices murmured up ahead. I eased up to the edge of one of the bookcases and peered around the corner.
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