And then I gasped.
It wasn’t a full-out war outside, but there were dozens of groups fighting on the Spellcasters front lawn, their figures illuminated by the light of the moon reflecting off the lake. Some with glowing red eyes were recognizably demon, while others, like the two massive trolls who were trying to pound an aether-wielding fae into the ground, were their allies.
As I watched the troll’s fist nearly pummel the fae. I wished they were closer and that I could help, but it was better to remain incognito while I could. My range wasn’t that far, anyhow.
I even thought I saw a few shifters—felines of some type—prowling around Merlin Amphitheater. A shudder dashed down my spine as memories of the Colosseum came rushing back.
“Odie! Come on!” Eva grasped my wrist and pulled, informing me that I’d actually stopped dead in my tracks on the threshold between the school and the outdoors.
I surged and joined my friends.
“Let’s go for the Furies next,” Hunter said, his tone determined. “I don’t know if we have to kill all of them, or just one. They’re a triple goddess, so who knows if they can survive alone or not?”
I was about to reply that any of the royals would do, when a sharp, stinging pain cut across my arm.
“Crap!” I glanced down. My arm had been sliced open by some type of blade.
Blood welled up and poured down my bicep onto the ground. I glanced around, but only saw friends in my immediate vicinity. Twisting my neck slightly, I noticed that a few demons were dive-bombing from the dormitory tower windows.
Perhaps the attack came from there?
But still, what the heck? If someone was trying to attack me, why not be serious about it? Why not just end me, instead of giving me an annoying flesh wound and disappearing like a coward?
A dangerous shriek, identifiable as belonging to one of the Furies, hit my ear, erasing my questions.
As one, everyone in my group glanced over their shoulders. The demons were just now exiting Spellcasters.
Well,exitingwould be too mundane of a term. Breaking down the doors and stampeding toward us with fire blazing in their wake was more like it.
However, they weren’t unopposed. To my great relief, I saw Francis and Simone, still alive and in the midst of the demon mob, snapping necks as they ran.
It seemed that although the demons were powerful and could use vampire-killing fire, the vampires had a knack for outmaneuvering them. Thank the universe.
“I love those goddamn vampires,” I whispered.
“Let’s help them out,” Eva said. “We’re in the open, away from other fights. Here is as good a spot to mow them down as anywhere. We don’t want them to go after anyone else.” She gestured to the smaller groups of warriors.
I couldn’t agree more.
Being inside the school was fine when we believed that breaking up a celebration was the key to our success. But it had obviously been a ruse, and then finding ourselves in the entryway, poised below the demons, in a position of danger, had been less than ideal.
Now we were on even ground, albeit still vastly outnumbered.
At least, so far, no one had broken away from their own fight to attack us on other sides. Perhaps we’d get lucky, and land a fatal spell on one of the Furies. That might help hundreds of fighters on our side.
We began shooting off spells. The wolves, who had been shielding us, rushed forward and took care of a few demons, mostly wraiths and fenrirs, who had muscled their way to the forefront. They sank their jaws into the demons, ripping open their flesh and spilling blood across their own snow white fur. Once the wolves left the creatures on the ground, one of the witches would finish them off with a spell—just in case.
The Furies flitted among the opposing press of darkness, clearly trying to stay out of the witches’ line of fire. I suspected that, for the first time in their millennia-long lives, they feared death.
I had just downed another demon, leaving the force that followed us outside greatly reduced, when a familiar voice sounded behind us. I darted a glance behind me, and saw Headmistress Wake emerging from the woods.
A giant, orc-like demon chased her, too slow to keep up, but determined enough to keep chugging along. A girl with moon-white hair down to her navel was at the headmistress’ side, shooting flames and gusts of wind from from her hands—a fae, then.
The headmistress was running backward, her hands extended and shooting beams of blue magic at the giant demon. Her magic hit the beast, and he fell with a defeated whine. The white-blonde girl sent a blaze of fire at the creature, and though it twitched a few times, I knew it wouldn’t be long before it burned to death.
Internally, I cheered. The headmistress was in the same squad as my parents, and she was kicking major ass.
Twisting back around, I joined my friends, shooting off two more killing curses at one of the Furies, who managed to wriggle her hourglass frame away from both.
