Shadow Oracle by Laura Greenwood

Six

"Why is this so heavy?"Mathias mutters as he stumbles under the weight of the coffee machine box.

I put out my hand to steady them both.

"You're the one who insisted on carrying it on your own," I point out.

"I know, I know. Will you get the door?"

I eye him warily, hoping he's not going to fall over or hurt himself in the process of getting the box to my room. Once I'm sure he's going to be okay, I head to the door to the Sakura Grove common room and push it open.

"Why don't you put it down for a moment?" I suggest once he's inside.

He shakes his head. "It'll be harder to pick it up again."

"We could just take it between us."

"It's fine."

I narrow my eyes, unsure whether or not I fully believe that's true.

"Are you just saying all of this so you get coffee sooner?" I ask.

"Maybe."

I let out a small laugh. "All right, let me get the next door for you."

It takes us another five minutes to finally get the box through the door to my room. "All right, let's get this set up," he says.

"Rest first."

"But coffee," he protests.

"Will still be there for us once you take a break," I point out. "We can try and come up with some ideas for what to do about Cain? Or you could tell me what to expect from the obstacle course."

"Fine. But then you owe me two cups of coffee."

A soft snort escapes from me. "Are you seriously trying to tell me you wouldn't be having coffee more than once otherwise?"

The way he smiles at me sends my stomach flipping over itself in the most pleasant way. I never thought anyone would make me feel the way Mathias does, but each and every day he proves how much I mean to him.

I sit on my bed and wait for him to join me, sparing a moment to consider how comfortable the situation is and how at odds it is to the way I felt about my bed in the Shadow Association dorms. It's normal for me to have Mathias in my room here, or even Juliet. At the dorms, I'd have hated it if anyone stood within touching distance of my bed.

I suppose it's because of who I'm spending time with. Mathias is much better company than Annalise ever was.

"Erm, Syxe?"

"Hmm?"

"What's that?" I follow his gaze to where a small white envelope sits on the floor by my desk.

My heart sinks. I know the answer even without picking it up.

"It wasn't there when I left," I whisper.

He nods and leans down to pick it up before sitting on the bed next to me. He turns it over in his hands, revealing the Shadow Association logo on the back of it. I resist the urge to fidget uncontrollably.

"Want me to open it for you?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I can do it."

He holds it out to me. For a moment, I'm not sure if I want to take it. There's something to be said for staying in denial about what they want.

With shaking hands, I take the envelope.

"You can just give it to Fielding like it is," Mathias suggests. "You don't have to open it before she's seen it."

I force a smile onto my face, but from the way he's looking at me, I can tell it's not very reassuring. "I have to open it. If I give it to Fielding without reading it, all that's going to happen is me wondering what it is and why they want me this time."

"It could be them offering to leave you alone."

I let out a short laugh. "Sorry."

"It's okay, even as I said it, I knew it didn't sound right. But you never know. Sometimes strange things do happen."

I reach out and take his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze so he knows how grateful I am that I don't have to go through this alone. I don't think I'd have managed to stay free of the Shadow Association for as long as I have if it wasn't for him and the others.

Slowly, I open the letter, being careful not to rip any of it. If it needs to be used as evidence, then it's going to have to last.

Syxe Weston,

Your presence is required on the Saturday after next.

This is not a request.

The Shadow Association

I let out a loud sigh. "Why are these things always so uninformative?"

"Because then you'd have something to prove they were up to no good," Mathias points out.

"Hmm. I suppose." I put the letter down on my bedside table, trying not to let it bother me more than it should. "I guess they don't think I'm in prison, then."

"I don't know, they might have sent a letter to Gevang just in case."

"Why would I be in prison in the Midlands? Surely they'd send me to a prison closer to here?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. Gevang's the only supernatural prison I know the name of. I have no idea if there even is in Yorkshire."

"There has to be, the supernatural population has got to be big enough that there's more than one prison for us."

"I assume so. Gevang used to only be for witches and warlocks, but they expanded to include everyone else too. Maybe some of the more specialised facilities shut down when they did?"

"I'm not sure why you're asking me, I had no idea about any of this," I remind him.

"Humans know things we don't, sometimes."

"True." Probably because supernaturals can sometimes get too caught up in what they are and not consider what everyone else is. "But it's immaterial if neither of us plan on ending up in prison."

"I certainly don't," he agrees.

"I've been meaning to ask. When Fielding arrested me to get me out of the Shadow Association building, she said she was doing it for wrongfully reaping someone. Would that actually get me arrested in real life?"

He nods. "But it's not too serious of an offence the first time, especially if you can prove it wasn't intentional. If it's a problem that keeps happening, then they'll punish you, but I'm not sure how."

"So, don't do it."

He chuckles. "Yeah, basically."

It sounds like another reason not to join the Reaper Guard, though I don't say that out loud. I don't want to influence his decision on the matter, especially when I haven't even made my own.

"It sounds like the Association could be reasonably sure I was here then," I say glumly.

"Hmm. Good point. Will you tell Fielding about the letter?"

I nod. "I have a meeting with her in a few days, I'll take it to her then."

"Good idea."

"Why don't we go and grab some lunch?" he suggests.

"We've got the coffee machine to set up."

"We can do that when we get back," he points out. "But getting your mind off that letter is my first priority."

I sigh and lean my head on his shoulder. "What would I do without you?"

"You'd survive. Just like you're doing now."

His belief in me is an alien concept compared to everyone who has previously been in my life. But it makes me feel like I can do anything.