Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere by Bella Forrest Page 0,8
such creatures are unlikely to pop up during a hunt.” He gave an awkward laugh, as if we were supposed to understand an inside joke, before hurriedly continuing. “But I still think there’s value in the history of beasts, because that can give us insight into current and, potentially, future creatures.”
Well, he’d certainly had the right person bump into him, if he was into all creatures ancient and terrifying. I’d seen one just over an hour ago. I could still feel the cold touch of his wispy tendrils against my neck if I allowed myself to think about him for too long. The truth was, I wanted to know more about Leviathan—what made him tick and what his history was—for a reason similar to why Nathan researched that kind of creature: to gain insight. Plus, as the old Irish proverb went, better the devil you know. Being in Ireland and all, now seemed like the perfect chance to put that into practice.
“Ancient? You mean, like Echidna and Leviathan?” I laid the big names out on the table, and uttering Leviathan’s gave me a momentary shudder. Chaos, I hated him, and I hated that his words were the ones that brought me comfort.
Nathan smiled. “Precisely. True monoliths of Purge beast history. That’s actually why I messaged your mother initially, as she’s one of the only living people with any first-hand knowledge of the fabled Mother of Monsters.” I could practically feel his excitement bubbling up to the surface. “Say, she didn’t tell you anything about Echidna, did she?”
I shrugged. “Probably nothing you haven’t already heard.” That wasn’t exactly true, but I didn’t want to get into the naming curse thing with the clock running down to the wire on our getting to the assembly. Still, it served to know that there was someone in this Institute with an interest in Echidna who might be able to shed some light on her in return for some anecdotal tidbits. I could call in that exchange later, perhaps.
“I hate to interrupt this monster fan club meeting, but we really need to get going unless we want to be unfashionably late,” Genie interjected, tapping an imaginary watch. “Which way?”
Nathan gestured to a cluster of black-suits striding along up ahead. “Follow them. I need to drop these papers off before I go to the assembly, but I’ll see you again soon.” He looked at Genie, but his words were directed at me. “I really would like to bend your ear about Echidna, if you can find time over the next week or so? You might have some information that you don’t think is important but could radically help my research.”
“Sure,” Genie replied for me. “She’d love to, and you can compare monster sketches until the cows come home. But, right now, you need to do your thing and we need to do ours. So, thanks for the directions, and sorry for knocking you on your ass.” She grabbed my hand and hauled me away, and the two of us sprinted down the corridor to catch up to the dwindling group turning left at the top of the hallway. I glanced back to find Nathan watching us go. He jolted a second later and gathered his folders to his chest, as though remembering what he was meant to be doing. I saw him muttering to himself as he cut down a different corridor in the opposite direction.
Poor guy… I doubted he’d forget Genie in a hurry. Then again, I’d never seen Genie so astonished by a guy before, unless you counted Marius. But that was mostly for show on Genie’s part—Marius wasn’t truly Genie’s type. In fact, I had no idea what Genie’s type was, in the real world. She did always have eclectic celebrity crushes. And maybe Nathan fit that eclectic bill, too.
We pursued the black-suits down another hallway as they breezed through a set of double doors at the far end, and we, less than gracefully, stumbled in after them. The moment we entered, we were dragged into a current of people, all jostling for space in what looked like an annex room. Another set of towering double doors loomed up ahead, but they weren’t open yet—which meant we weren’t late, after all.
“Why are there so many people? I thought orientation was just for new hunters,” I whispered to Genie, grasping her hand tightly to keep from getting separated. I knew the Institute was home to more than just students—new and seasoned alike. Like a