CHAPTER 349: 349-THE HEADMASTER’S SON

Clementine:

"You know what I fear?" I asked. "I am afraid Joshua wants to go back because he has shown a lot of interest in the shadow earth eater. I wonder what he wants, who he wants to control, what he hopes for." I explained why I believed Joshua’s intentions were not simply to hurt us.

"In that case, if he asks for something destructive or for power, we will have to stop him with all our strength," Ian stated, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"Ian, what are you suggesting?" I asked as I watched his face.

"Clementine, I believe in killing monsters, whether it is my brother or Joshua," he stated.

As soon as he said that, cold shivers ran through me. Ian could sometimes be very brutal.

"Anyway, did you speak with Yorick about Rocco?" Ian asked, and I shrugged.

We both sat under a tree, with Ian leaning back against the bark, one knee raised.

I had my arm wrapped around that knee, almost sitting on his torso and leaning against him, while he held my other hand.

"Before I could, we talked about you and me, so they were not in the mood," I replied.

"If you want, I can speak with him," Ian offered.

His hand stretched toward his raised knee so he could easily touch my face with his fingertips, brushing my hair away.

"I am not sure why it felt like the headmaster was hinting at something," I uttered. "But do you think they will sit quietly and let us do whatever we want after we had caused so much chaos to them?" I asked Ian, noticing him zone out again.

This did not seem right. He had been drifting off a lot.

There were moments when I wanted him to talk about the North theories, but he would change the subject.

This time, he remained distant for too long, and I had to snap my fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

"Ian, something is bothering you, and I have questions for you too." I straightened my back, leaning away from him.

"What questions?" he stuttered, causing me to narrow my eyes at him.

"First of all, how do you know so much about the monsters? I know you told me you lived with some old man and all that. I want to know who he was, and this time do not make up stories. Tell me honestly," I demanded.

I noticed his body grow warmer because he was still holding my hand.

He straightened his back, stepped forward from the tree bark.

"He was my grandfather," he replied, and this time it did not seem like an excuse.

"Okay. And how does he know about the monsters? Has he been to the north?" I asked, watching him close his eyes, take a deep breath, and open them again.

"No," he replied, and once again he seemed honest.

"Okay. Who is the lurker? How did Zian manage to control a lurker or introduce one of his own men as a lurker? How did they get away from the eyes of the headmaster, the ringleaders, and the other lurkers? Where is that shady lurker?" I bombarded him with questions as my anxiety rose.

I remembered how difficult it had been to stop Zian from appearing here and controlling Ian.

I wanted to know how he had managed it so that nothing like that would happen again.

"Clementine, what I am going to tell you might upset you, but just know that—" Ian began.

His tone shifted. I had never heard him sound so guilty, and it did not feel reassuring.

I swallowed hard and moved closer, giving him my full attention, but before he could say another word, lurkers appeared around us.

We pulled away and stood up from the ground. The lurkers snapped their fingers in front of us, their signal for us to follow them.

"What is going on?" I asked Ian, confused.

"It is okay. I guess they want to take us to the hall. The ringleaders might have announced something about room changes, squad merges, or maybe the north," Ian replied, trying to comfort me while keeping my hand in his as we walked behind the lurkers.

As we reached the academy again, I saw the lurkers bringing in the other crusaders as well, which relaxed me a little because it meant we were not the only ones being taken to the hallway as if in an emergency.

The minute we entered the hall, I began to feel stressed.

My three mates were standing completely apart from one another, not even together.

Joshua and Oriana were already cast aside. Ian and I stood together, with Mira, Renee, and Sebastian on my right.

Once again, the headmaster stood on the platform, and it did not seem like good news.

"I know you are all a little shocked and surprised to see me again so soon. But I have been thinking about it, and I decided to be a little honest with you all," he began.

I must admit, I did not feel good about it. The way he spoke made Ian step away from me.

I glanced at him briefly, then looked forward again, keeping my attention on the headmaster and whatever he planned to say.

"Since you have accused me of snatching children from their homes and sending them to the north, making it seem like I enjoyed it or treated it as some kind of game, I want you to know that it is not true. I am a very fair person. So fair that among you stands my son as a crusader."

As he finished, everyone reacted at once, but for me it was the worst.

Everything turned so cold and loud inside my head that I struggled to control my breathing.

He had not said much, but it was already too much.

I could hear Renee and Oriana whispering, all of them asking each other who it could be, who the son of the headmaster was.

My head lifted sharply. I waited for him to say the name.

"Ian Hunt, step forward, my son," He said his name and the world beneath me shook.