21
ELODIE
The room moves around me while I remain frozen, watching as every piece of the puzzle falls into place. Rion’s arm is gone from my shoulders, his whole presence disappearing in a flash, only to immediately return, wielding a familiar pair of axes at his sides. Kael is a step behind him, brandishing a set of daggers with a ferocious snarl on his lips, but there’s a hint of trepidation in his eyes.
Jude.
Fuck.
My gaze darts to Thorne, who remains bare-handed, just like last time, to find him blinking at me with guilt in his eyes.
He’s going to blame himself. He’s going to think he broke whatever vow he’s decided to commit himself to, but that’s not what’s going on here. He didn’t weaken the protection; someone else did. His lips part, but I speak before he gets a chance.
“Let me grab my sword and we’ll get the hell out of here.”
“Let’s think this through first,” Rion states, spinning the axe handles, and I shake my head, but before I can speak, someone else beats me to it.
“This is my fault.” I spin around in a panic, but it’s not Thorne I come face to face with; it’s Kael. I shake my head, readyto protest, but he continues regardless. “This is because I didn’t follow through on his command yesterday. We should have seen something like this coming,” he states, and I gulp, guilt trickling down my spine when I consider what I was getting up to instead of prepping for an expected attack.
Dammit.
“You’re right. If this is Jude’s Rebellion, then it’s because you didn’t play your part last night, but thank fuck you didn’t. And as much as I agree with the fact that we should have been prepared for this, we’re also allowed to breathe and exist. Otherwise, what is it all for? I’m not interested in surviving just to make it to the next obstacle; I’m here making mad fucking memories on the way because we deserve that too;shedeserves that,” Rion reiterates, pointing a steel axe in my direction, and I gulp, the wolf leaving me at a loss for words once again.
Kael nods, the response from Rion seeming to calm his inner stress. “Did anyone check my cell phone?” he asks, his fingers twitching around his daggers as Thorne shakes his head.
“Until we can ensure that his text messages can’t have an effect on anyone who reads them, we’re not checking anything. We were lucky we all glanced at his command last night and it didn’t sway us,” Thorne states, and my eyes widen. I hadn’t considered that.
“Why has the magic changed now? Like how?” I blurt, and Thorne visibly grimaces.
“I’m trying to focus on it, but it’s impossible when I can feel an impending threat. The carnal instinct to protect and survive takes over. Someone has managed to affect the wards that protect The Vale enough, which is weakening everyone else to allow it to happen,” Thorne explains, wiping a hand down his face as I nod in understanding, trying to absorb it all. “Something tells me this is probably what happens every time,but I’ve never realized since I’ve never linked my magic to it before,” he adds, and I sigh with defeat.
“It’s another confirmation that there are people in The Vale working for Jude,” I breathe, and the silence that rings through the air is deafening, confirming my suspicion.
“The real question is, are we going to join the insanity?” Rion asks, and when I peer at him, I find him staring directly at me.
“As opposed to what? Hiding?” I ask, and he nods once, the move short and sharp, as if he’s containing his own emotions, and my eyebrows pinch.
“I won’t hide,” I state, and Kael clears his throat.
“If it is Jude, and let’s be honest, we all know it is, then we also know who he’s coming for.” His eyes darken as he speaks the truth and I shrug.
“I don’t have it in me to selfishly put others in harm’s way. Besides, waiting here like sitting ducks is what they probably expect, and I’m not just going to sit around waiting for my fate to just happen to me. Especially not when my best friend is out there too. I’d rather grab fate by the hair and make it my bitch,” I declare, fueling myself with each word.
My pulse thunders through my veins, growing stronger with every beat until it’s strong enough to carry me toward the door. Rion follows me instantly, remaining a step behind as I quickly unlock my dorm room door to grab my sword.
I definitely need to consider something else in the future because it looks far easier to carry two smaller items than this long chunk of silver. I keep my complaints to myself for now as I grab it from under my bed, discarding the sheath here before turning toward the door.
Rion is no longer alone. He’s flanked by Kael and Thorne, each wearing stormy eyes and mouths set in thin lines. They don’t like the idea of this, I can sense it, but no one tries to stopme or overpower my decision, and that fact alone seems to build me up with more strength.
Nodding toward the stairs, Thorne takes the lead while Kael and Rion stay on either side of me. Even as we step outside into the mid-morning sun, they maintain position in an almost protective stance around me. I don’t fight it, not if it stops them from complaining about my decision, but it does make my nerves rattle through my bones as I consider the possibilities.
Halfway to The Vale, my panic increases when I realize I have no idea where Ocean is. I should have sent a text message before I left, but my cell phone is sitting in my backpack in Rion’s room.
Trawling through my thoughts as fast as I can, I yelp, pointing to the left as we reach the outer walkway of The Vale. “Institute Two, we need to head to Institute Two,” I insist, recalling the conversation with Ocean.
No one argues, but I don’t get the sense that they’re happy to follow my lead. The entire Vale is already in chaos. Screams echo through the air, rage charges the energy around us, and a fire burns in the distance.
“I think that’s the library,” Kael states, nodding toward the blaze, and my heart lurches in my chest.
