Nonsense

Chapter Ten: Under | Part 5

Thirtyx’s eyes scrunched shut against the pain, which was probably helpful. They couldn’t entrance him if he couldn’t see them.

He thought. Was Professor C humming?

He couldn’t cover his ears with his hands bound. Much as he didn’t want to focus on the venom crawling up his arm, it would keep him rooted against the disarming effects of Selkie charm. He clung to it, tracing every millimeter the ache traveled.

A finger tapped his forehead and moved across it in wide, arcing strokes. His eyes suddenly burned and itched as if they’d been splashed with a caustic chemical. Instinctively, he opened them wide to blink the irritant away.

The burning ceased immediately.

Blinking revived the searing pain for the instant that his lids closed. They were forcing him to keep his eyes open. As he moved his gaze to the ceiling, he saw that the headmistress had brought out a trancing amulet now that the ruse was over. One, two…

The humming was distracting. The venom snaking through his shoulder was distracting. Three!

But there was nowhere to move his gaze. Professors Bavarren and Dexerro now flanked the headmistress. Bavarren had procured a pocket watch and Dexerro a signet ring on a chain. They filled his field of vision. No matter where he looked, one of them would be in view.

One…

He forgot that blinking hurt. Maybe he could only blink on the threes.

Two…

The venom had reached his heart now. The pain spread into his abdomen and toward all his limbs, but it subsided to a dull ache as the toxin diluted. The ache was less effective at keeping him rooted in the moment.

Two… or was it three?

He was watching the signet ring. Pfah!

When he tried to move his gaze, it fell immediately on Azirenne’s swinging amulet. It was harder to move his eyes now. The rhythm was so soothing…

He slammed his eyelids closed, letting the fiery sting shake him from his stupor. It brought Rhea and Benn’s training back to the forefront of his mind.

There could come a time when you realize you’ve been caught. Once you fall far enough, there aren’t many ways to keep from slipping under, but you can set yourself up to break out quickly.

Thirtyx didn’t want to admit he’d hit that point, but when he wrenched his eyes back open, they went straight to the pocket watch. If he wanted to keep the secrets safe, he needed to shelve his pride and form a new plan.

If they’re entrancing you to disable you, your mind will settle in some sort of puzzle. The more confident you feel, the easier the puzzle will be to solve. It will draw from what you’re thinking about—focus on something comfortable and simple, like a maze.

Thirtyx wasn’t feeling too confident, nor did he think he could imagine a maze amidst the aches and stings and swinging pendulums. But that was alright. They weren’t trying to disable him.

If they’re entrancing you for information, you’ll slip into a dreamlike state. The scene will draw from what’s on your mind, but your entrancer can influence it with the questions they ask. Stay strong and remember that it’s still your mind. You’re the one in control.

He needed to stop thinking about Rhea and Benn. If they were in the scene, his entranced, disoriented counterpart would tell them just about anything. But what chance did he have of conjuring a scenario that didn’t include them, especially when the professors would ask about their whereabouts?

He was running out of time. He’d barely noticed that Bavarren had tapped his forehead to remove the sigil keeping his eyes open. They knew they had him. 

He’d have to rely on an absurd, last-ditch idea to have any shot at withstanding this.

If you have no other options, think of the most ridiculous things you can imagine.

Thirtyx had laughed at the instruction when he first heard it, but Rhea and Benn were dead serious.

“Really. Fill your mind with nonsense. Some of the nonsense will become part of your scene, and it will discredit anything else you say. Your entrancer won’t know what’s real or fake.”

“That can’t really work,” Thirtyx had said. “Won’t they keep pushing until you say something believable?”

Benn’s eyes had glimmered with mischief. “Not if the secret you’re keeping is also a little absurd. Like where you hid Rhea’s sketchbook. See if you can trance it out of him, Rhea.”

A thrill of hope filled Thirtyx. Rhea had tried three times and failed, even though he’d said during each trance where he’d put it. But that had been an eleven-year-old wanting her doodles back, not expert magic users highly motivated by what they believed was a matter of safety.