Half Blood Rising novel Chapter 26

Karina was a bit shocked seeing me awake and ready for action around seven o’clock in the morning. Apparently, everyone was done with Moscow and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

She jumped on me, hugged me, and asked millions of questions before she allowed me to explain anything at all. She had no idea I’d woken up in the middle of the night and bumped into Lachlan in the kitchen. Everyone else was a little shocked, too, when they saw me at breakfast looking lucid and not a giant mess.

“I mean, you can all stop staring at me. I’m fine, well, and I ain’t planning to kill anyone today.” I tried to joke, but it just added a bit more fuel to the fire.

“It’s not a joke,” Dimitry said in his thick Russian accent, and I thought he should audition for films, he would have been a great actor.

I started eating, realising my stomach was growling with hunger, while everyone else was staring at me. Roxanna made excellent coffee and eggs. I was going to miss her.

“Okay, I mean, we’re heading back to Kiev soon enough,” I said, thinking I owed the group an explanation, but first, I needed to speak to Oldman about everything that had happened that night. Apparently, she’d already returned to Kiev for an urgent matter, and I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her yet. Our flight was leaving this afternoon. In a way, I was looking forward to getting back to a normal routine. I was so done with being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“How are you feeling?” Judas asked me, and I was a little surprised that he’d asked the question first. I placed a large pancake on my plate and splashed some syrup on top. I was bloody starving.

“Good, the dark energy has almost diminished, and I managed to sleep for a while,” I said and started eating.

Lachlan was watching me as usual, sitting opposite me. That seemed to satisfy Judas and everyone else, at least for now, because for a long moment, no one was saying anything. We were all trying to enjoy our breakfast.

It wasn’t going to be easy to reveal the real truth, but we were all partners and they needed to trust me. This nightmare was behind me, but the horrific memories remained. I could still hear the mage’s terrifying screams, but I just had to breathe.

After breakfast, Dimitry had given a little speech, praising us all for the job we’d completed, wishing us good luck in the future. It was possible that, at some point, we would return to Moscow, but for now, everyone seemed to be done with Russia.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Karina asked later as we were packing in our room. The plane was leaving in about three hours, and our ride was going to arrive at any moment.

“I’m not a hundred percent, but I’ll get there. The whole thing is complicated,” I told her, trying to fit everything into a small suitcase. “Once I talk to Oldman, I’ll explain everything, but please, bear with me. I just don’t want to scare you.” She seemed to accept my answer, because she nodded and didn’t press any further on the subject.

An hour later, we were sitting outside our gate ready for departure. The airport was busy, and I felt a little sick. Nerves about flying were slowly getting to me, but once onboard the plane, I ended up sitting next to Lachlan. He even held my hand during take-off.

“I’ve got you, beautiful, so chill out and just enjoy the ride,” he said once our seatbelts were buckled, and everyone else was settled. My heart was thumping loudly inside my chest during the entire flight. I was scared, but Lachlan kept talking to me, trying to distract me from my nerves and the fact we were several thousand feet in the air.

I was overjoyed when we landed and managed to go through security quickly. A van with the Moonlight logo was waiting for us at the airport. It was extremely humid once again in Ukraine, and I kind of preferred it that way. Russia’s summer seemed disappointing.

“I hope we won’t have to leave for another mission anytime soon. I’m kind of exhausted,” Karina said, once we returned to our dorm. Nothing had changed there, it was basic, and it stunk of mould a bit, but it was our little home. I was so relieved being here again.

“I hear that,” I said, jumping on the bed. It was going to be a relaxing day today, but first, I needed to head to Oldman’s office, so I could get this conversation over and done with. “I’ll be back in a bit; I think the principal is in her office, and we’re overdue for a chat. Don’t start any parties without me.”

“Don’t sweat it,” she said. “I think the boys want to have drinks at the bar down the street later, that’s all. We aren’t planning anything else.”

I took a deep breath and told myself she was probably expecting me. The council hadn’t arrested me yet, so I had nothing to worry about—at least for now. However, I didn’t want to celebrate too soon.

Several minutes later I stood outside her office, still a little hesitant, suddenly filled with anxiety that soon I would have to leave Moonlight. Oldman must have sensed me outside, because she opened the door as I was just about to walk back to my room. This was absurd. I told myself that she was on my side.

“I was just about to send for you,” she said, giving me a smile. “Come on in.”

She was diffusing some essential oils and the smell calmed me instantly. I wasn’t planning to hide anything, I needed to be open and honest about what happened out in the field; otherwise there was no point staying at Moonlight. Catherine Oldman was fae, and maybe she had similar experiences with her magic.

We sat down and silence filled the space for a little while.

“So, let’s just get straight to the point, shall we?” she said. “The High Council has been pressing me to question you, but I have managed to steer them away for now. Tell me everything you remember from that night.”

I was slowly calming down, and I had a feeling she had something to do with it. I took another deep breath and started talking. She didn’t need to know I had a little disagreement with Lachlan or the fact we’d been intimate. It wasn’t relevant, but everything else was.