We could mourn that student later, but right now everyone here was in peril.
The incantation raced through my mind as someone grabbed my arm. I spun to find Belle, her eyes filled with tears, clingingto me. “I’m so fucking sorry,” she sobbed. “This is the feeling, right? That scary shit that has been chasing you. I can feelit now, Paisley! I feel it!”
She was half-hysterical, and I knew we’d debrief later, but I couldn’t let anyone else die. “This is it,” I confirmed. “Ineed you to get back to your dorm now. This monster is deadly.”
She didn’t release me. “Not without you.”
“I know how to get rid of it,” I said in a rush. “Wait here.” I turned to wade through the crowd, which was harder than itshould be as students moved in both directions—the braver ones toward the creature, and the rest away. The creature scuttledacross the hall, and everyone backed up.
“Let me through,” I called. “I know how to get rid of it.” In their panic, no one was listening to me. Or more accurately,I couldn’t be heard above the screams.
The scent of death, a heavy copper, amongst other disgusting aromas, had me gagging, but I didn’t back away. One warlock was dead, but it wasn’t too late to save everyone else.When I finally got close, a familiar ash and sulfur smell filtered through the death, and I had no doubt this was created through the same energy as the one in the graveyard.
The beast let out another ear-piercing screech that almost drove me to my knees. There was power in both their presence andtheir calls, and wishing I could press my hands to my ears, I instead uncorked the vial, and tossed the ash at it, repeatingthe incantation.
My panic this time was less intense, having faced a creature like this before. My brain knew what to expect already, and howto deal with it.
As the ash landed on the monster, I sent my energy out with it, but I was too far away to touch it. My hands lit up, illuminatingthe hallway, and I lost sight of everyone. When my energy eased, I expected the monster to be gone, only to find a massive,serrated leg jabbing right for me. There was a split second where I registered that I was about to die,a-fucking-gain, only to feel a solid weight slam against my side, knocking me out of the way.
We landed hard, the air forcibly ejecting from my lungs until I gasped and flailed like a fish out of water. Whoever had savedmy life was on their feet in another heartbeat, and I managed to roll over, clawing my way into a sitting position.
A deep, familiar voice rumbled throughout the hallway, and once again it was Logan who’d ripped me from death’s grasp. “Everyoneget down,” he bellowed.
We were all blown back by his power, and the light it emitted made mine look like darkness. I shielded my eyes until the radiancefaded, and when I opened them again, Logan was gone, and so was the monster.
Chapter 22
Headmaster Gregor called an emergency assembly the next day. The crowded hall was a somber space, as students huddled in theirseats, faces drawn. “We lost one of our own last night,” he said, his expression grim. This was the most like a necromancerI’d ever seen the friendly headmaster act. “And if it wasn’t for the brave work of students in holding the creature back,it could have been worse.”
Logan, who sat in the third row, was the subject of even more attention now. Not that he showed any unease, even as hundredsof students turned to stare at him. Noah was at his side, the two of them looking as if they could take out monsters for breakfastand be in class before lunch. There was a capability about them, a strength and power that I’d rarely ever seen in adults,let alone students.
“He should mention Logan,” Belle muttered, staring at the spellcaster too. Most of the college had been gawking at him sincehe destroyed the monster.
“Yep,” Sara added. “He’s the real hero.”
Sara and Haley had thankfully missed the monster, but we’d told them all about it on the way here this morning. I hadn’t beensure my father and siblings were even going to let me out of my dorm for this meeting, but eventually they’d relented. Theirpanic last night after the attack, and before they found me safe and well, had been next level.
“Gerard Donovan was a third-year,” Headmaster Gregor said gruffly. “He was a necro student and showed exemplary magic and skills. His loss will be felt greatly in this community, and the wider magical world. There will be no classes today as you all take a mental health break to mourn the loss of a friend and fellow student.”
A student raised their hand just in front of us, and though the headmaster jerked his head in surprise, he did call on him.“What will be done now about safety?” the warlock asked. “Do we have any idea how that creature got into the building?”Or what the Hel it even was.
He didn’t ask the question, but we all thought it.
There was a moment where it seemed the headmaster wasn’t going to answer, the skin around his eyes tightening as he pressedhis lips flat. “We’re investigating the incident still, Mr. Lochin. Rest assured, your safety is our top priority. We haveelders and magical military on campus now for both security and to investigate this tragedy. We will be doing everything inour powers to ensure there is never another incident like this at Weatherstone. At the conclusion of our investigation, moreaction may be required. Including a possible magical blanket to limit any strong energy. For now, just take this time to bewith your friends, and remember your fallen classmate.”
He dismissed us, and the noise picked up as everyone got to their feet. Logan’s name was called by multiple witches and warlocks,but he ignored them all, exiting with Noah.
When we made it outside, needing a hit of sunlight and fresh air after the crowded assembly, Haley asked, “What do you wantto do today?” She clutched her paperback so tightly her knuckles looked white.
“We need to go to the library,” Belle said fiercely, brown eyes nearing black, as her anger took over. “The dark energyPaisley has been feeling is because someone is creating monsters here on campus. She’s been telling us for weeks, and we kept dismissing it as her unpredictable power or her imagination. And now a warlock is dead. We need to help her with research.”
Sara and Haley nodded, their faces somber. “We’re sorry we dismissed you, Pais.” Sara’s voice wavered. “It wasn’t that I didn’tbelieve you, it’s just hard to imagine anything dangerous in Weatherstone. I mean, outside of students like Annabeth, butwhen it’s an unknown and unseen threat... I really thought it was your power awakening.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, and I meant every word. “I’ve thought often that it was connected to my fickle, uncontrollablepowers. I also didn’t tell you guys everything. I skimmed over the ‘monster’ part of the equation because I wasn’t sure ifI was losing my mind. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you as soon as I was attacked in the graveyard.”
During our walk this morning Belle had asked me why I’d thought that defensive powder would work, and I’d had to explain thegraveyard attack. All of us decided it was more than a little worrying that this creature hadn’t reacted the same as the last.
“Now that we know everything, we can do better,” Belle said, as fiercely as before. “Now we know that stalking, icky feelingyou get at times is a dark magic–wielding asshole, who managed to figure out how to create killer monsters straight out ofour nightmares.”
