The Necklace: The Trial Realm

Chapter Thirty: This Is Bad

"What do we do?" I ask Serge, fear spiking in my bones. If Oliver is here...

"I go lead my teams in a search and you go back to the medical rooms. Lock the doors, and don't come back out until an all clear is sounded." He gives me my orders and then turns to go.

"Wait," I call after him. "How long could that take?"

"The Hub is a big place, Malikah, and if Oliver is the one behind this, he's lived here long enough to know all of the ins, outs, and hiding places it has to offer. Just go, watch your back, Newb." He gives me a half salute as he rushes out the door, the heavy metal clanging shut in front of me.

Dead bodies. He said they'd found dead bodies. This couldn't really be happening. Not in The Hub of all places, this is where we are supposed to learn about keeping order and protecting the realm, not attacking and killing each other. If it weren't bad enough wondering why Oliver would have done something like this to me, it got twenty thousand times worse now having to think why he'd do this to so many people.

Reda....

She'd been the one to really take an interest in helping me learn how to fight like a Custode and not just a scrappy street rat. It was because of her good advice that I'd been able to survive against a werewolf attack and now she's dead. She was the best fighter we had and she's gone. She'd told me something once that Oliver only picked the weak girls. I had brushed it off at the time, still buying into believing that maybe everyone was wrong about Oliver. But I'd been naïve and now I wish more than anything I could ask what she'd meant. She said he liked them weak and so she taught herself to not be weak. I'm not weak though either, and he definitely chose me too.

I reach out to put my hand on the door, only to take it back again. I didn't want to walk out there, into the halls. What would I do if I saw him again? I wasn't sure and I wasn't ready to find out either.

The longer I stood there though, the alarms ringing loudly, the more my confidence began to build. He'd tried to kill me once, if he wanted to try again, he'd have to do it fairly with us both knowing what's going on. He'd tried to trick me before, but I'd never fall for his lies again. I won't let him turn me into the weak girl he may have wanted.

I yank the door open and rush out into the hall.

Multiple teams are running everywhere, everyone looking dazed and confused. I pass Bryn and Maxum on my way and Max yells for me to get to a safe place and that they'll come find me when it's over.

I nod, wishing I could hug them both one last time before they run off into danger without me, but they're gone before I'd even be able to try.

I take all the twisting turns, fighting my way through groups and thinking how if Yael had been left to find his way in this chaos he'd never make it back, but eventually I find the medical wing I'd come from.

"Malikah!" Tawny rushes me the second I walk into the door. My breath catches being back in her arms. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Me too." I pull back, the others popping out of Raven's room. "I'm glad you're awake, but-."

"What's happening?" Noah demands, coming to my side, her small sharp features twisted with worry. "The others left so fast, they just told us to stay here and they left."

"Bodies." I tell them and everyone's eyes go wide.

"What do you mean?" Yael asks, chewing his thumb nail.

"I mean they found the bodies of two girls." I shake my head having to say it out loud. "They were both close with Oliver...they think he-."

"I should have killed him." Raven's fist clench at his sides and he stares down at the ground. "I had the chance."