“Amazing,” I smiled at him. “Even with war on the horizon, I don’t want to leave this era or realm anytime soon.”
“And we won’t let you leave!” Howley, Dasha’s bespectacled and outgoing beau, called out, pulling a smile from me.
We waited while Ayla conferred with the headmasters, relishing being home, and listening to Dasha talk about what had been happening while we were away. Finally, what felt like years later, everyone had come through the portal and joined us in the courtyard.
“Let’s regroup,” Sana said, standing on the bench that Headmistress Cristala had once announced my first visit to Faerie from. “Clearly, you all got past the school wards with the directions given.”
“And a bit of help,” Headmaster Ezra admitted from where he stood with his students. “One of the alumni, an old friend, was our guide.”
Headmistress Cristala moved toward the center of the courtyard and sidled up to the vampire headmaster. “Of course, a vampire cannot get in without a fae. I’m pleased you found an escort.”
For the millionth time, I thought Spellcasters should consider taking a few pointers from the fae academy where security was concerned. If they had, perhaps the demons wouldn’t currently be using the school as a home base.
My jaw tightened just thinking about it. Now that we were back, I couldn’t help but want to run to Spellcasters. To help liberate the people I called friends and peers from the clutches of those monsters. But that would be a foolish move.
The demons would expect us to want to reclaim Spellcasters. If we were going to take it back at all, we would need fighters. Even more than we’d already recruited. That meant first freeing the prisoners that the crooked PIA members had locked up.
“More recruits will join later today and throughout the weekend.” Dasha took the stage. “At least two hundred shifters have volunteered to fight, and I’m sure that more will join as they hear of the cause.” She paused for a couple breaths. “However, I’ll admit that, lately, we’ve had to be more careful in our recruiting efforts.”
Headmaster Ezra nodded. “We have, too. The demons have been finding and killing recruiters. Only three vampires have died so far, but it’s made everyone else wary of seeking magical kin.” His lips twisted into a frown. “There’s a rumor going around that this could be because there are demon supporters within our ranks, assessing those who are weak or acting alone.”
“Is there evidence to support that theory?” my dad asked from the back of the room, his arms crossed over his chest in an appraising manner.
“No,” Ezra replied. “But there’s no denying that people are dying. I only mention this so that, if you do bring people into the fold, you’re careful.” His eyes shifted to me, and then to Eva. “Not all of us can sense when demons, or demon supporters, are around, but if you know the person, and they’re acting strange, think twice before telling them of our cause.”
People in the crowd squirmed, and murmurs flew around the room. It was not a welcome idea, to believe that someone you knew, potentially someone you’d trusted, might not be a good person after all. I’d already experienced it when I learned that David Chena was a mole and demon peon, enacting their plans for them, and using the PIA’s resources to do so.
“So what would you say our forces are up to now?” Headmistress Wake began striding down the aisle toward the front of the room.
“Five hundred, give or take those who chicken out, which is inevitable,” Headmaster Ezra replied. He nodded to the fae who had congregated on one side of the courtyard. “Of course, that’s not including the many Riverlands soldiers I see before me. Most of the others we’ve recruited are waiting for a call to action. In the meantime, they’ve been working in the shadows to keep their communities safe.”
“So around six hundred . . .” Headmistress Wake closed her eyes as if the number pained her. When she spoke next, her tone was tighter, more strained. “By all accounts, hundreds, potentially thousands of demons were let into our world the night that the Hellgate broke open. And that’s not counting the ones that were already here, biding their time. If Ishtar and Lucifer call them to battle, theywillcome. And Spellcasters defenses are already down.” Her cheeks darkened. “As everyone knows.”
The vampire headmaster nodded. “Don’t feel poorly about the loss of your school, Priscilla. If anything, I’ve come to consider it an advantage.”
“Anadvantagethat my student body is at the mercy of devils? That some of them have already died!” the witch snarled at the vampire. “What an idiotic claim.”
The vampire flashed a bit of fang before he caught himself and muscled his expression into a mask of calm. “I apologize. That came out wrong. I did not mean that we are at an advantage because your students are captives.”
The headmaster moved to meet her, his cape billowing behind him. When he stood before her, he lifted his palms to the sky and gestured to the many witches in the crowd. “I meant to say that the royals are in a place with which you’re intimately familiar. Your academy drew them in, corralled them, which makes it easier for us to fight them. We have the advantage because Spellcasters alumni and students know the academy well.”
His eyes drifted from Alex and me, back to Eva with interest. He obviously knew about me and Alex, and suspected something was different about Eva too. “Two of those students, perhaps three, if I’m not mistaken, are of particular interest to the devils. Your students and alumni are uniquely positioned to lead us into battle. And if you so wish it, the vampires will follow your every command.”
Headmistress Wake blinked at the claim that the vamps would follow us. After a prolonged silence, she gave a tight nod. “We’d appreciate that assistance, Headmaster Ezra. I apologize for my outburst.” Her cheeks grew even redder.
I’d never seen the headmistress embarrassed, and when my gaze slithered over to Diana, I noticed her mouth was hanging open. Apparently, it was uncommon.
“As you might imagine,” Headmistress Wake continued, “I am embarrassed over my profound failure as a head of school.”
My heart went out to the woman. She was a force to be reckoned with. At times, I’d despised her. But if anything was true in this world, it was that in spite of many obstacles, most of which she could never have foreseen, she worked to keep the academy safe.
“No one could blame you, Priscilla. We need to look forward, not dwell on the past.” Dad piped up again. “Now that we know we’re steadily building an army, the next question becomes what about the ex-spies the corrupt portion of the PIA took prisoner?” He folded his hands together. “Does anyone know the location of the prison?”
“And if you do, what state are the prisoners in?” Alex added. “I can’t imagine they’re healthy.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling foolish. I hadn’t even considered such a thing. To me, we would liberate the jail, and then march on to Spellcasters.
Dasha let out a low whistle. “Bird shifters have located the prison. As they flew over, they noticed a few people moving outside. They looked to be on some sort of magical leashes and were weak—one collapsed and died on the spot. It will take time to heal them, but some might be strong enough to fight.” She scanned the crowd. “How many here consider themselves experts in the healing arts?”
