It’s her, but not as I’ve seen her in any pictures. This version of her looks haunted, her face contorted in a mixture of fear and determination. The spirits pull at her, and she fights against their grasp, her mouth open in a silent scream.
The vision dissolves as quickly as it appeared, but the image burns itself into my memory.
Headmistress Briar’s composure cracks for a moment—her eyes widen, lips parting in surprise. But she recovers almost instantly, lifting her chin and addressing the guardian in a voice that allows no argument.
“Guardian, you will stand down. Now.”
The creature ruffles its feathers, and it sounds like the clashing of swords. For a terrifying moment, I think it will refuse to obey, that its massive beak will descend and end me right here.
Instead, it pushes off with explosive force. The sudden release of pressure tears another scream from my throat as air rushes back into my lungs. Massive wings beat the air, creating a windstorm that whips my hair across my face.
The guardian rises into the night sky, but instead of flying away, it disperses, its solid form dissolving into a swirling column of black feathers and mist. A ripple of magic surges outward from the dissipation, knocking several frozen students off their feet.
As quickly as it began, it’s over.
The guardian is gone.
Silence descends, heavy and uncertain.
I curl onto my side, my shoulders bleeding, acutely aware of hundreds of eyes fixed on me. No one speaks. No one helps me. They just stare, their faces locked in horror, suspicion, and fear.
Orion is on his knees in front of me in a heartbeat and I’m pretty sure it’s Eliza at my back. “Poppy? Are you okay?”
How do I answer that?In the past two minutes, I’ve been attacked, impaled, watched my mother being consumed by ghosts, and will certainly be ostracized by everyone who witnessed the dysfunction that is my life.
“Hopefully, I’ll bleed out and won’t have to endure the humiliation of facing people after that.”
Orion lets out a soft chuckle. “Likely not. The healers will fix you up. But don’t worry, I don’t think anyone even noticed.”
I close my eyes. “Oh, good.”
Headmistress Briar approaches with measured steps, her expression unreadable. When she stands over me, she looks past me to where Laurel stands. “Heal her and then take her to my office.”
Two women in gold cloaks rush to my side. They ease me onto my back and then each of them lays both hands on one of my shoulders and the affected areas below. The moment their healing powers engage, my eyes roll back in my head, and I sag with the removal of pain.
Magic is still a foreign wonder, but it’s nice to know it isn’t all about power and control.
Too soon, the warmth of their healing ends, and I open my eyes to find Laurel frowning down at the blood soaking through my shredded shirt in wet, scarlet blooms. “Wylder!”
“I’ve got her.” Orion peels off his t-shirt, and with Eliza’s help, gets my arms into the sleeves and tugs it down to cover mybody. Then, he scoops me off the ground and stands as if I weigh nothing.
I expect the movement to make my shoulders burn in protest, but no pain comes. “Thanks, but no thanks. Put me down. I’ll walk.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. The only thing more humiliating than what happened would be being carried away afterward.”
“Your call, Popstar.”
Orion sets me down and holds me steady, so I don’t stumble forward on shaky legs. Sadly, despite my shoulders being healed, the panic and adrenaline are still doing a number on my nervous system. And now, with the physical pain gone, humiliation burns through me like wildfire.
What just happened? And why the hell did it have to happen to me?
I’m about to ask Orion about what the mark of a demon clinging to my bones means, but he shakes his head. Wylder catches up with us and won’t even look at me.
Laurel sure as hell isn’t looking at me.
It’s like Orion warned me. I’m a pariah because of my mother.
