Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,50

But anything is possible.” Artex shrugs.

I stand suddenly, too tired to handle all the stares and assumptions about my life. “I’m ready to retire. It’s been a long day.”

“Of course. If the ladies are ready, I’ll show you to your bungalow.”

“Hold up. Daisy isn’t staying with us?” Phoenix asks, and I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. If those guys think a strip club is bad, imagine if they discover I have four boyfriends.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand the question,” Harry says.

“Don’t mind him. He’s just being overprotective,” I reply.

“Oh, don’t worry. Your bungalow is right next to the ladies’.” Harry smiles.

“Besides, this place is safe. No one can find it unless they’re meant to find it,” Artex adds.

“Not even a god?” Morpheus asks.

Harry’s face splits into a secret smile. He turns to Xavier. “You didn’t tell them why this place is so special?”

“I didn’t have the chance.” Xavier stands. “Maybe we should show them before we go to bed.”

“All right.”

Harry and Artex each take a lamp from the counter and head out using the cabin’s back exit. The path from the building splits into two a little ahead. One goes down the hill toward the lake and the bungalows that I can see as mere silhouettes bathed in moonlight. It’s so serene and beckoning.

The other direction leads into the forest, which is far less appealing. The brothers take that route. No surprise there. The light from the lamp casts spooky shadows as we go. Rosie, who is still mad at Toby and giving him the silent treatment, steps closer to me. She won’t talk to me either, but I’m not getting death glares from her anymore.

The walk is quiet; no one seems to want to talk much. I doubt the dark forest is making them as uncomfortable as I am. It’s not fear of the dark. I just hate nature. It’s stupid to feel this way. I’m no longer a Norm. If some wild animal decides to attack us, I can defend myself, and yet I can’t shake off the feeling.

Mercifully, the forest thins out after a few minutes, opening into a clearing at the foot of a mountain. A few yards away, the large mouth of a cave stares at us. Strangely, it’s not dark inside. There’s illumination coming from within. Immediately, I begin to feel weak, and the guys all grunt in discomfort.

“What is this place?” Bryce asks, rubbing his forehead.

“This is where lightning-glass is mined,” Harry explains. “It was Magia who first discovered the material back in Italy, and the secret was passed down through the generations. This particular source was discovered in the sixties.”

Phoenix hugs his middle, leaning forward. “Fuck. I feel sick to my stomach.”

“Yeah, me too,” Renata chimes in.

Morpheus crosses his arms and casually takes a few steps closer. “So, it affects Idols, but how can you be sure it will prevent a god?”

“Is it affecting you?” Phoenix asks.

“Why would he be immune to the cave?” Artex peers at Morpheus more intensely.

I elbow Phoenix’s arm to make him shush. He was about to disclose that Morpheus is a demigod. I don’t care that these guys are supposedly the Norm resistance. I don’t know enough about them to start spilling all of our secrets. And it’s probably the reason Morpheus has been toning down his powers.

“Yeah, it’s affecting me.” Morpheus frowns, peering at the cave through narrowed eyes.

“Why does being near raw lightning-glass affect them this way?” Rufio asks.

“The crystals emit a gas that’s toxic to Idols. The stronger the Idol, the more it affects them,” Artex answers.

“So, it would be really uncomfortable to a god or a demigod?” Bryce rubs his chin, deep in thought.

Phoenix pulls the front of his sweater up to cover his nose. “Are we getting poisoned by standing so close to the cave?”

“No. Poisoning only occurs when lightning-glass enters the bloodstream. But staying here too long will make you feel horrible.”

“That’s why you said we would be safe here, because of that cave. But that means we can’t stay at the bungalows tonight,” I say.

“They’re far enough. Did you feel anything before?” Harry asks.

“No, just now,” I admit.

“Back up.” Bryce lifts his hand. “If the fumes from the cave only affect us when we’re near it, how are they protecting the camp from invasion?”

“The fumes rise up, creating a miasma around the area, like a dome. It repels Idols, even if they don’t know the reason.”

“I didn’t sense repulsion when we got near,” Phoenix says.