Gray's Disappearance [October Short Story]

Hey peeps!

This month's short story is more like a "here is what's happening in the Academy while Gray is having fun in the abyssal hells" type of thing. Everything here is a mild "spoiler" for what is about to happen in Death Lord Arcanist, so if you want everything to be a surprise, don't read, but if you want some insight into what everyone is doing about Gray's disappearance, here you go!

Shami

Gray’s Disappearance

In the cool embrace of the morning sun, where serenity should have reigned, I felt nothing but disquiet. Was disquiet the right word? Yes. I had to trust myself more—and I had to fret about words less when my twin was missing. The shadows at my feet stirred, a visual representation of the worry in my heart. With each step I took, pacing the long halls of Astra Academy, my anxiety grew.

Where was Gray?

Where was Nini?

The door to the headmaster’s office opened with a strained creak, and I stopped, my thoughts abruptly ending.

“We are being summoned,” the darkness said—my eldrin’s voice both stern and soothing. Thurin knew what this meant, and how it upset me.

I briskly entered the headmaster’s office, securing the door behind me. Thurin, a flowing shadow, stuck close. Inside, Headmaster Venrover, Archduke Kross, and an unfamiliar woman awaited my arrival.

In the corner of the room, Venrover’s all-seeing sphinx rested on a couch. Her unusual visage consisted of three eyes—two that were human, on her human-like face, and one that was centered on her forehead, radiating a luminous golden glow. She remained motionless and was silent as I approached the headmaster’s desk.

“Hello, Sorin,” Venrover said in a calm voice.

I noticed an underlying unease in his tone. The headmaster seemed on edge or uncertain, which worried me. That meant they hadn’t found Gray or Nini yet. How was that possible? All-seeing sphinxes were known for their ability to locate things. Gray wasn’t that sneaky. And Nini wanted to be found.

Right?

“Where’s your damn brother?” Archduke Kross demanded.

He wore the same outfit from last night’s celebration—dark velvet robes with typhoon dragon scales sewn throughout. The regal flare was impressive, but it was all lessened by the wrinkles and dirt at the hems. He had been all around the Academy grounds.

I shook my head. “I was hoping you all had found him. I don’t know where Gray is.”

“Liar.” The archduke whirled on his heel to face the headmaster, his face growing red. “Make the boy tell us what he knows. He’s Gray’s twin brother, isn’t he? He’ll know.”

“I asked Sorin here to perhaps shed some light on the investigation,” Headmaster Venrover stated. “That doesn’t mean I think Sorin knows his brother’s exact location.”

The woman in the room puffed her curly blonde hair. She wore a white and green dress, an absurd amount of jewelry, and enough exhaustion for ten people. The bags under her eyes could be seen from the roof of the Academy.

The arcanist mark on her forehead resembled a small bird, but I didn’t see one in the room. If Gray were here, I suspected he would recognize the mystical creature. As it stood, all I knew was that this woman was an arcanist.

“I just want someone to find Knovak,” the woman said. She rubbed her eyes, her face puffy. “I don’t care what it takes. We have the coin. Just hire someone.”

The headmaster tensed. “Miss Gentz, I understand that—”

“You don’t understand. Don’t say that. He’s missing. Something is wrong.” She shook her head. “He was feeling detached and lonely. I could see it in his eyes. He was upset by something. He didn’t have many good friends.” Hot tears streamed down the woman’s long face. She dabbed them away with her wrists.

It worried me that Knovak was also missing.

Technically, Ashlyn was gone as well, but I didn’t worry about her as much. She was rather capable.

But why Knovak, Nini, Gray, and Ashlyn? That was a weird combination of people to vanish into the night. It didn’t make any sense to me—and that frightened me more than the actual event.

Archduke Kross pointed at the headmaster. “This is all your fault. It’s because you kept the Academy locked up. Apparently, at least four of your students disappeared like a fart on the wind as soon as they could.”

“I doubt this has anything to do with the students feeling pent up,” Headmaster Venrover stated.

“Oh, it is. That boy—Gray—and my daughter both approached me, wanting to wed.” Kross snapped his fingers and then angrily paced back and forth, his steps loud. “They eloped. I know they did. I didn’t give them my blessing, and now look what’s happened.”

“I don’t think Gray would do that,” I said, interjecting myself into the conversation.

Everyone turned to me. Their eyes reminded me that they desperately wanted answers.

“Do you have any evidence for your claim?” Headmaster Venrover frowned. “We would love to hear any theories you may have, Sorin.” He was a thin man, but his eyes always held more depths than others around him. It was as if the headmaster had seen many things in his life—like no matter what I said now, nothing would surprise him.

But I didn’t know where Gray or Nini had gone.

That upset me.

“Gray didn’t elope with Ashlyn,” I stated. “Because if he had, he would’ve told me.”

“Ha!” Kross threw an arm up in the air. “Do you hear this nonsense? He’s protecting his brother while that scoundrel defiles my daughter.”

Venrover rubbed his chin. “Would it really be defiling if it’s a loving relationship?”

“Now isn’t the time for your ridiculous questions! And of course it is. My daughter is far above that boy’s station, and now everyone knows of their tryst. No other word can capture the essence of a beautiful flower being dragged through the mud.”

“Everyone knows?” I asked.

Archduke Kross shook his head. “Did you hear all the whispering? The instant they vanished, everyone knew what had happened. My daughter was spirited away by some lowborn con artist.” He slowly dragged his hand down his face, as if he wanted to rip the embarrassment clean off his expression. “What am I going to do about this?”

A sniffle drew my attention away from the archduke’s drama.

“Please,” Miss Gentz said. “Please, I don’t care if those two eloped. I just want to know if Knovak is okay.”

“He is an adult,” the headmaster stated. “And an arcanist. If he was feeling isolated, he may have left the Academy to chase a personal goal or dream in order to instill in himself a sense of pride.”

Miss Gentz shook her head. While most would say a crying woman was made ugly through grief, I disagreed. It was clear how much she worried—how much she cared. The archduke wasn’t upset because he was concerned for Ashlyn’s wellbeing. His reasoning was far more selfish.

“I don’t think Knovak left because of those reasons,” I muttered.

Once again, all eyes were on me.

Kross sneered. “Oh? Would he have told you why he was leaving as well?”

I half-nodded. “Gray would’ve told me if he was planning to web Ashlyn. Nini would’ve told me if she was planning to leave the Academy. Knovak would’ve made plans—he always has his favorite hat and outfits close by. I just… I know all three of them. None of them would’ve left without saying a word.”

They wouldn’t have.

Something was wrong. And since Gray was so involved with the Death Lords, I feared the worst, though I had no idea what it could be. If he were taken by those cultists, wouldn’t the headmaster’s eldrin be able to help us find him?

Maybe Gray was intentionally hiding from us…

I shook the thought away.

No. My brother would’ve told me. Something was definitely wrong. And Nini—she told me in confidence she didn’t want to be alone. She wouldn’t have run off.

The headmaster’s sphinx closed her golden eye. I glanced over, and the majestic creature elegantly leapt from the couch.

“I don’t see them,” the sphinx said, her voice a glass of water on a hot summer day. “No matter where I look, or how often I try—I see nothing.”

“Useless,” Archduke Kross shouted. Lightning crackled from his body this time, and the air grew spicy with sparks. “While the rumor mill churns out words of their marriage, I’ll find my daughter myself.” He whirled around, slammed out the headmaster’s office, and practically cracked the wood of the door as he threw it shut.

I glanced over to Venrover. “Will Gray be in trouble?” I motioned to the door. “Over these rumors?”

The headmaster didn’t reply. He stared at the door, his haunted gaze telling me something weighed heavily on his mind.

And also, that Gray was going to be in serious trouble. If everyone thought he ran off with Ashlyn, I wondered what would happen if he ever returned to Astra Academy.

If?

Why was my mind playing dark tricks on me?

I shuddered, the chill of uncertainty coursing through me.

“Everything will turn out okay,” the headmaster said, first while facing me, and then facing Miss Gentz. “There were no signs of a struggle, no sights of harm—and there is little chance they just vanished. If they are being held against their will, there are ways to find them.”

“How?” Miss Gentz asked. “Who can I call upon? W-Who can I talk to?”

“I know of an arcanist who is considered a frightening bounty hunter.” Headmaster Venrover sighed. “I hesitate to call upon him, however. He is rather… aggressive. And harsh.”

“Who? Who is it?”

Venrover rubbed one of his eyebrows. “He is quite famous—Lucian Nellit, the Dauntless.”

Miss Gentz’s brow furrowed. She wiped the last of her tears away. “Will he listen to someone like me? Surely, a man of his standing is not for hire.”

“Lucian isn’t an arcanist who takes coin for his services,” Venrover stated, his tone dark. “He specifically takes on tasks to help those in dire need. I’ve been tempted to call in a favor, specifically to speak with him on these matters.”

“You must.” Miss Gentz held her hands together. “And if you won’t, I’ll speak with him.”

The headmaster didn’t seem to like that. Why hold back? Why not immediately go to this man they called the Dauntless? Was he just so aggressive it could cause a problem?

“I’ll speak with him,” Venrover muttered.

“Thank you.” Miss Gentz exhaled, the weight of this situation clearly not leaving her. “But now I need to speak with my husband. I’ll be back in just a few moments.” She left without another word, not even a goodbye. The woman didn’t offer me a glance, and I wondered if it was because she was lost in her own world.

When I met the wise gaze of the headmaster, I straightened my posture.

“Have you heard from Nini’s family?” I asked.

Venrover nodded once. “They want nothing to do with this.”

His statement was as cold as the reality of the situation. Nini told me this—her family had disowned her. They thought she was a curse. They wouldn’t care if she went missing.

“Do you think Lucian will find her, too?”

“If I ask him to find her, he will not stop until he knows what has happened,” the headmaster replied. “But I should warn you—Lucian is the type of arcanist who takes justice into his own hands. If Gray, or Nini, or Ashlyn, or Knovak has done something that Lucian feels is against the greater good, he might not hesitate to dole out punishment. That kind of attitude worries me.”

“It worries me as well,” I said. I stepped closer to the headmaster’s large desk. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I think you should wait here and continue to go to your classes.” Venrover forced a smile, but the corners of his lips didn’t reach for his eyes. “If Gray’s connections to the Death Lords caused this, then I suspect only someone like Lucian can deal with the situation.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I also understood.

“Right…”

“Don’t worry,” the headmaster said. “Keep positive thoughts. I’m sure they will turn up.”

“I hope so.”

And I hoped if someone like Lucian got involved, he wouldn’t deem Nini or Gray a threat, considering Nini’s reaper chain, and Gray’s connection with a Death Lord…