Free Inquest by J. F. Jenkins Page B

do." He shuddered at the idea of his nightmare coming true. "But how would Chanel get here and –"
    Kale shook his head. "Chanel was your guilty conscience. You know you don't dream of the future often. This is probably the first time you've had a dream that was metaphorical as well as literal. If you go to that activity night..."
    "I'll cheat," he mumbled. "And Cheyenne?"
    "It gives her a path into your heart as she gets more in touch with the darkness. You didn't see Cheyenne, you saw Persephone. Lucien is manipulating her every chance he has, and as much as Persephone the First likes to think she's the tougher of the two, it is Cheyenne's heart that is keeping both of them from being lost forever. She is the strong one, though she comes across as weaker."
    Teague let out a quiet whimper. "Maybe all of this was a mistake. Maybe I should just...not do this."
    "Don't give up. There is a lot of good you can still do. While you can't stop Cheyenne from seeing Zes at the prom, you can touch the goodness inside of him. Let him know he can trust you. And whatever you do, avoid her because she is going to try and kill you."
    "M-me? Why?" Teague gasped.
    Sighing, Kale patted Teague's ankle through the blanket — a small, but appreciated, paternal touch. "She wants you dead so she can use your Fate powers to unlock another Fate. Or rather, that's what Lucien wants, and he's letting her do a great deal of his dirty work, since she can manipulate Zes and others of your peers a lot easier than him. She can also get inside of places guarded by the campus angels. He's a demon. There are wards in place to keep his kind out."
    "And Cheyenne is nothing but a harmless nymph." He frowned. "Why does he want to unlock the powers of a certain Fate? I'm confused."
    "I wish I was allowed to tell you, but you'll remember it soon enough. I'm confident you will." He smoothed the blankets around Teague. "Go back to bed. If I can see you again undetected, I will. Your dream is over, and just remember what I said about faking sick. Don't put yourself in the line of temptation."
    Yawning, Teague shifted to his side. "Sure thing."
    Kale left the room, leaving Teague alone in the dark quiet of the night. He tried not to be insulted by the man's suggestion that he couldn't keep himself in control. After all, Teague knew all too well the repercussions of making a move at inappropriate times. Cory was the master at that and provided more than enough examples of why it was important to wait.
    I have to trust Kale. There's a reason he's an Elder. Still, it made him sad. It was more proof as to why he needed to keep as far away from Halyn as possible. Distractions weren't an option.

 
    Chapter Eight
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    After his nightmare, Teague took it upon himself to avoid everyone, especially Halyn. Faking sick wasn't too hard to do, since he wanted to puke from the combination of fear, nerves, and heartbreak. Halyn's disappointment was evident any time he saw her in the hallway or during mealtimes. She pouted at him a lot, and for a while, she kept trying to talk to him any chance she got. His responses of only a few words did their job — they pushed her away. The night of prom, rumor went around school that she went to the dance with a senior boy. She spent the night in his dorm room.
    Kale had better be happy. The loneliness was suffocating him all over again, and with no dreams and no word from Denver, he was down to using the last of his options. Going to the underworld. At least it gets me away from here for a little while.
    The past few times he'd gone to the underworld, someone else had brought him. Denver had been his source for transportation between the realms. Through observation alone, Teague was pretty sure he could replicate the spell accurately enough to go there and back.
    Taking a cleansing breath, he closed his eyes, focusing on the dark magic within him. He'd never used it. Darkness scared him. The idea of being lost in it, letting it