Cold fury seethed in my chest. I’d kill them all.
“Let’s go,” Orion said. “Let them go.”
The large Elemental before me narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure?”
Once again, I pulled in energy to fuel my magic, ready to take them all out. It wouldn’t take much. My shoulders trembled as I boiled over with the rage that needed to be unleashed.
“Void!” Orion called out. “Leave him. Let’s go.”
Slate lunged to attack again, but the Elemental, Void, stepped away, turning his back on Slate and joining Orion’s side with a casual and dismissive air.
If I hadn’t known Slate’s power any better, I would’ve assumed the glow coming from his hands was magic derived from his light. But its hue caught me off-guard, causing me to frown. Instead of the off-white glow that he usually emitted from his palms, it shone silver.
Just as quickly as it surged, it retreated into his body, making me untrusting of what I saw; it happened so fast.
My magic swelled while Slate’s calmed. As the Elementals turned to leave, I released another pulse in their direction, but a thick invisible wall blocked it, causing the pulse to roll down the side of the hidden barrier that protected the three Elementals.
Orion looked at me, regret dampening his eyes. “I’m sorry, nephew. But we’ll meet again. Hopefully, next time, it won’t turn to violence. We only want to help.”
“Help? Where was your help when I really needed it?” I shouted, directing my anger at him as if he was responsible for my fucked-up life.
Orion dropped his chin to his chest with a nod. “I’m so sorry.”
The Regent King and his two warriors strode to the opposite side of the building where it overlooked the alleyway below that housed our bikes. The three stepped up to the ledge just before dropping off the edge and plunging to the ground below.
My mouth opened in shock.
Surely, they wouldn’t just…
I took off into a sprint across the roof to peer over the side of the building. The three men remained upright, strolling away with their gilded skin hidden from the human world.
Chapter 9
Slate
Woodvine Academy sucked. It was full of pretentious, rich kids who wouldn’t know what work was if they were handed a shovel. I avoided them if I could. However, it didn’t stop the attention I received from the other students.
I couldn’t care less about human American history, but Kinetic kids were forced to attend human schools to attempt to blend in, as well as try to learn their weaknesses in the event they turned on us.
Teachers at Woodvine always seemed way too inclined to accommodate me, more so than with others. I didn’t find it fair and hated taking advantage of it. But today, I considered it a necessary evil.
I needed to catch the princess before she left the gym. According to Hazel, she would be there somewhere alone at the end of the day.
Ms. Hawthorne turned from the dry-erase board and projector to face the class as she lectured about Fort Knox. Whileshe droned on about the supposedly impenetrable fortress, I reflected on the rooftop incident two days prior with Chrome.
It appeared that Chrome was actually the long-lost Elemental Prince, which confirmed that Forest was lying and manipulating his Warriors to kill Elementals. But for what reason, it was still unclear.
I raised my hand as Ms. Hawthorne scanned the room. Her eyes lit up as her gaze landed on me. “Oh, Slate! Yes, how can I help you?”
“May I be excused?” I asked, not even bothering to give an explanation. She wouldn’t ask, anyway.
“Of course! Just be sure to let the office know,” she said kindly, a bright smile beaming wide.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, offering her a smile of my own before rising from my desk and packing my bag. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, Slate,” Ms. Hawthorne replied before clearing her throat and returning her focus back on Fort Knox and the rest of the class.
I swung my pack over my shoulder, feeling all sets of eyes on me as I strode for the door. The hallway echoed my steps as I hurried past the lockers and hooked a right, trying to find the closest exit to the gym. To my surprise, I caught a head of shaggy, glamoured blond hair rummaging through a locker.
