Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)

Vivian stopped her story, and I saw the fear in her eyes that the snake would bite her a second time and trigger the poison. But she quickly masked the expression and continued talking. She wasn't just omitting facts or sidestepping questions like I had about Jasmine's death. The Reaper girl was outright lying, but the asp didn't seem to notice.

She must have found some way to beat the snake's magic, I realized. Some way to tell huge, whopping, horrible lies without it biting her like it was supposed to. Another bloody loophole, as Vic would say.

So I ignored her words and focused on Vivian herself. If I could figure out how she was fooling the snake, maybe I could stop it. I studied the other girl, but Vivian looked the same as I remembered, and there was nothing special about the black cashmere sweater and designer jeans she had on. The only jewelry she wore was a gold ring on her right hand.

I eyed the band. It was actually quite plain, compared to some of the oversized bling the other kids had. Instead of diamonds, the ring sported two small faces, one turned left and crying, the other turned right and laughing. Vivian had once told me that it was a Janus ring, in honor of the Roman god of beginnings and endings who had two faces, one looking back into the past and the other peering ahead into the future. The two faces also symbolized Vivian's secret loyalty to Loki.

The longer I looked at the ring, the more the faces seemed to move and change, until they were both turned and grinning hideously at me, the ruby chips of their eyes gleaming Reaper red-

Wait a second. Ruby chips? I didn't remember there being any gems on the ring before. I pulled up all the memories I had of the ring. Creepy faces, yes. Rubies, no. No diamonds, no emeralds, no jewels of any sort. I frowned. So why would there be gems on it now?

Maybe it was the rubies' red flash, but I thought of the box that the Reaper had stolen from the library-the one that had belonged to Apate. The Reaper had lifted the box up, and the jewels on the surface had sparkled, along with smaller bits of gemstones-just like the chips on Vivian's ring.

My eyes narrowed. So that's why the Reaper had wanted the box. Apate was the Greek goddess of deception, so it only made sense that her box and all the jewels on it would have some sort of magic, some sort of power that was letting Vivian lie to the Maat asp without being bitten.

I opened my mouth to shout out my theory when another thought occurred to me. According to what Linus had said, Vivian had been in Protectorate custody for weeks now. Even if they really believed that she was Nike's Champion, there was no way they would have let her out of their sight, not even for a minute, which meant that she couldn't have been in the library last night with the other Reapers. No, someone else must have stolen the box and given the ruby chips to Vivian, so she could pull off all her elaborate lies today. Vivian had to be working with someone, most likely a member of the Protectorate-someone who was probably in this very room.

Linus, Inari, Sergei, Agrona. My gaze went from one face to another, but they were all looking at Vivian, listening to her story, and scribbling down notes. Nothing out of the ordinary there, and none of them did anything remotely incriminating, like give the Reaper girl a sly wink. The same thing went for Alexei and the other guards. They were just doing their jobs and standing watch.

Frustration and anger surged through me once again, but there was nothing I could do but sit still and keep my mouth shut. I doubted the Protectorate would believe that one of their own was working with Vivian, and my accusation would only tip off the Reaper that I was on to him or her. So how was I going to get out of this situation? Because, Reaper or not, if enough members of the jury believed Vivian, it was going to be lights out for me-permanently.

"And I've been on the run ever since Loki was freed," Vivian said, finishing her ridiculous story. "Wrongly accused of being his Champion when I've been serving Nike this whole time. I was just lucky that I was able to get a message to the Protectorate, to all of you, so I could come here today and finally clear my name."

"You couldn't clear your name with a bucket of bleach," I snapped.

Vivian just gave me a sad, wounded look, like she couldn't believe I would say something so hurtful. Her poor, pitiful me act only made me that much more disgusted.

The asp tightened its grip around my wrist, almost as if it agreed with my anger. I looked at the small, jewel-toned snake. It was really the only impartial creature here. At least, it would have been if Vivian hadn't found a way to fool it. Stupid magic loopholes-

Magic loopholes . . . magic loopholes . . .

The words bounced around in my mind. Sure, Vivian had used the jewels' magic to fool the asp, but she wasn't the only one here with power. Maybe there was a way I could prove my innocence-and Vivian's guilt once and for all.

Linus stared at Vivian, then me. "You both tell a convincing story. But what I find most interesting is that the asp hasn't attacked either one of you, yet obviously one of you must be lying. At the very least, you can't both be Nike's Champion."

Everyone's eyes focused on the asp on the table. The creature flicked out its tongue, almost like it realized we were all staring at it, but it made no move to bite either one of us.

"You should go ahead and confess, Gwen," Vivian said. "Make things easier on yourself."

She smirked at me. I glared back at her.

"And that concludes the interrogation," Linus said. "Rest assured that we will carefully review everything you've both said today . . ."

He started talking about exactly how the Protectorate would make its decision. It was all very blah, blah, blah, so I ignored him. It was obvious that the Protectorate didn't want to believe me, but I didn't think they'd wholeheartedly swallowed Vivian's story either. I could see the doubt in even Linus's face about what she'd told them. But I was determined to show everyone just what a liar Vivian really was.

Professor Metis had once told me that there was more to my psychometry than just touching objects and seeing things. That was the mental aspect of my power, but Metis had said that there was a physical component to my magic as well. That I could touch people and actually influence them, get them to see what I wanted them to see, feel what I wanted them to feel. I'd done it once before with Nott, when I'd showed her memories of my Grandma Frost. Those memories and my love for my grandma had convinced the wolf to go protect her when Vivian and Preston had been on their way to kill her.

Now, I was wondering if I could do the same thing with the snake.

My gaze dropped to the Maat asp, which was still wound around my wrist. I wondered what the creature would do if I showed it what had really happened-if I showed it the truth about Vivian.

I had no illusions that I would be found innocent by the Protectorate. At the very least, I'd broken enough rules to get expelled from the academy. At the very worst, I'd be found guilty of conspiring with the Reapers, hauled off to prison, and eventually executed. Something that was a real possibility with one of the Protectorate members likely a Reaper in disguise. Either the snake would turn, bite me again, and trigger the poison in my veins that would kill me, or the Protectorate would find me guilty and chop my head off later. Either way, Vivian would win.

Using my magic on the asp was the only move I had left in this weird, twisted game Vivian had dragged me into, so I focused on all the memories I had of her, both as herself and when she'd been hiding behind a rubber mask as the Reaper girl. I called up all the images I had of that night at the Garm gate, when Vivian had freed Loki and then stabbed Nott. Rage pulsed through me, along with the memories, but I forced myself to be cold, calm, and keep my emotions under control. Finally, when I had all the images, all the memories, all the feelings, firmly fixed in my mind, I concentrated on the asp wrapped around my wrist, on the soft, smooth feel of its cool velvet skin against mine. Then, I pushed the memories at the creature, using my psychometry to show them to the asp-every single one.

I felt the asp tense, as the memories invaded its mind, the sights and sounds and feelings that weren't its own. It wasn't as easy as it had been with Nott, probably because the wolf had trusted me and this creature didn't. It was harder to show the images to the asp, harder than I'd thought it would be, and I was soon sweating from the effort. I could feel the asp pushing back, trying to shove me out of its mind, but I hung on until I got to the final image I had of Vivian-her riding up into the midnight sky on a Black roc with Loki strapped in a harness behind her. Me helpless to stop them, my life's blood draining from where Preston had stabbed me with the Helheim Dagger.

Come on, I thought to the snake. I'm the one telling the truth, not her. We both know it. So do your job, and bite her . . . bite her already . . . bite her right now!

The asp snapped at the Reaper girl.

Vivian must have sensed the change in the creature because she jerked her hand back at the last possible second, and the asp only ended up biting empty air.

Everyone froze.

But the snake wasn't done. It struck at her again and again, in a frenzy now, as though it wanted nothing more than to kill her. I knew the feeling because it was mine-one I'd also shown the asp. Vivian leaped to her feet and yanked on her handcuffs. They must not have been magically reinforced because she was able to use her Valkyrie strength to break the metal links, along with the chain that shackled her to the table. Vivian stumbled away from the table, making sure she was out of range of the writhing asp, before she stabbed her finger at me.

"It's Gwen! She's done something to the asp with her magic! I know she has!" Vivian shrieked.

This time, I smirked at the Reaper girl. "Why would you say that? Because the asp finally wised up and realized what a liar you are? It tried to bite you, Vivian. You-not me. At least someone here has finally seen through your lies."

Vivian's gaze flicked to the dais, as though she was looking to someone there for direction or possibly even help-as if someone there was a Reaper just like she was. My eyes narrowed, and I followed her gaze, but I couldn't tell exactly whom she was looking at. Sergei, Inari, Agrona, Linus. It could have been any one of them. I didn't think Logan's dad was a Reaper, but I hadn't thought that Vivian was Loki's Champion either. If there was one thing I'd learned since coming to Mythos, it was that appearances could be very, very deceiving, especially when it came time to decide who to trust-and who not to.

Apparently, the asp realized that Vivian was out of range because it stopped snapping. Instead, the snake decided to wind itself around and around my wrist before putting its head down onto the table. Its black tongue flicked against my skin, and a sense of understanding filled me. The asp knew the truth of what had happened. I just hoped this display would convince the Protectorate as well.

"Did you see that, Linus?" Nickamedes said, surging to his feet. "Clearly, the asp knows who is guilty and who is not. I demand that you release Gwendolyn and drop all the charges against her immediately."

"The trial is over, Nickamedes," Linus replied, eyeing the snake. "But we have not started our deliberations yet. The asp's actions are hardly conclusive in this case. We will decide who is telling the truth-Miss Frost or Miss Holler-and we will act accordingly."

Linus rapped his gavel a final time on the table, and everyone got to their feet. Nickamedes went over to Linus and started arguing with him, while the other members of the Protectorate looked on, along with Grandma Frost and Metis. Raven walked over, carefully uncurled the snake from my wrist, and put it back into its wicker basket, while Ajax stepped forward and unchained me. I stood, and the two of them moved off to the cell that Raven had gotten the basket out of earlier.

That left me standing across the table from Vivian. Although I wanted nothing more than to attack her, I knew I wouldn't even get a chance to reach for her before Alexei or one of the guards watching would drag me back. So I settled for glaring at her instead.

"I'm going to kill you," I said in a cold voice that only Vivian could hear. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon. For my mom and for Nott and for everyone else you've ever hurt in your miserable life."

Vivian smiled, completely unconcerned by my threat, although that spark of Reaper red still flashed in her topaz eyes. "Oh, I imagine that you'll try, Gwen. But I won before at the Garm gate, and I'm going to win again this time too. You'll see. And by the time you figure out what my plan is, it will be too late for you-and everyone you love."

With those ominous words, Vivian walked out of the academy prison, flanked by her three guards, and all I could do was just stand there and watch her get away-again.

Chapter 19

After the guards whisked Vivian off to parts unknown, Grandma Frost came over and hugged me tight.

"Are you okay, pumpkin?" she whispered. "I know how awful it was, seeing her again. If I'd had any idea she was going to be here . . ."

Grandma's voice trailed off, and I could tell she was thinking the same dark thoughts I was-that the world would be a better place without Vivian in it.

"I'm okay," I said. "At least I got through to somebody."

While the others were still arguing, I told her about pushing my thoughts at the asp and how I'd been able to show it what Vivian was really like.

"I just wish I could do the same to Linus," I said. "I could, if I touched him."

Grandma shook her head. "It's not worth the risk, pumpkin. Vivian's got them so turned around, I doubt he'd believe you. He'd probably just think that you have her telepathy magic."

I wondered if that was the real distinction between my magic and Vivian's-that she could worm her way into people's brains and make them see things that weren't really there without laying a hand on them. So far, I'd only used my power to make Nott and the asp see my memories, things that had actually happened, and I'd had to touch them to do it. Another way Vivian and I were eerily similar but still different.