I pulled the sword out, a guttural cry echoing through the room. Trying hard not to lose my grip on the handle, I brought the blade down on the dark mage’s neck. The impact jerked my elbows and shoulders as the blade struck bone, slicing through part of her neck. The dark mage’s head hung at an odd angle, her dark eyes still containing deathless life as she stared at me, eyes wide.
Yanking hard, I attempted to pull the sword free to strike again, but it wouldn’t budge. She wouldn’t be dead until she was headless or burned.
Gentle hands covered mine, and I looked up to see Mr. Hastings. He gave me a short nod and I let go of the sword,stumbling a few steps backward. He yanked the sword free and swung, the blade finishing the job. The woman’s head hit the ground as my legs gave out and I fell.
I couldn’t move. The copper and cooked meat tastes and scents that permeated my senses vanished. Mr. Hastings came into view as my vision blurred. Behind him, a small shape appeared through the open doorway. It came closer and dark brown eyes came into view—or were they black?
Warmth and something soft brushed up against me and then darkness hit.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Selene
Aphantomsharppainpiercedthe side of my stomach and I sat up straight. My pajamas were soaked, my heart pounded, and I was breathless. Slowing my heart rate and reminding myself it was just another nightmare, I closed my eyes. This nightmare wasn’t easily recalled like the others. The pain lingered, but the images of what the dream consisted of weren’t there. I shook it off.
I grabbed my phone and saw it was almost seven a.m. I had no messages, and my phone said there wasn’t any service. Sydney slept, a quiet snore rhythmically coming from her. The end of the bed was oddly free where Chaos usually slept, and a slight breeze filtered in through the window. He must’ve been impatient for his walk this morning. Now that the academy knew about the little dragon, we left a window open for him so he didn’t feel caged. Actually, he had torn the window screen and then we decided we would leave it open if it wasn’t a scheduled snow day.Our windows faced the woods and helped keep him out of sight from most students when he flew into the trees.
Sighing, I swung my legs off the bed and headed to the bathroom to wash up. My phone buzzed the moment I set it on the counter, and I glanced at it to see my dad was calling.
Huh.
Must be whatever he did when I had left made it so he could still call me with no service. But why was he calling so early?
“Hello?” I answered quietly.
There was some sort of commotion and then the line was disconnected.
A hard, frantic knock came at our dorm room door. I ran out of the bathroom, sharing a glance with Sydney, who had sat up at the noise. I opened the door while the person on the other side still pounded against it.
“David.” I assessed his heavy panting and the sweat lining his forehead. “What is it?”
“Dark mages andDemonherrats,” he breathed out. “They have Ender.”
“Where is he?” Alarm set my adrenaline on fire.
“They went toward the front of the main building,” he said. “I saw them snag him on his run. I came straight here when I couldn’t call anyone.”
“Couldn’t call as in didn’t have your phone or there was no service?” I glanced at my phone in my hand.
“No service,” David panted.
I nodded as understanding dawned. The lack of service was most likely due to the dark mage attack, not the normal faulty signal. The person on the inside must have had something to do with it—and the dark mages getting through.
I picked up my phone and tried calling my dad again. The phone rang but there was no answer.
“It doesn’t work,” David said.
“Headmaster John was just able to call me, but it got disconnected.” I then tried Vivian and Priscilla. The line didn’t even ring. “Sydney. Go warn Vivian and then get to my father.”
I immediately set foot out the door, not wasting precious time throwing shoes on. A natural habit of mine was sleeping in similar daytime clothes, so my cargo-style joggers and loose tank top were better to fight dark mages in rather than theLet’s Avocuddlepajama set I’ve seen April wear.
“Father?” David faltered behind me, but I didn’t slow.
“John is my father,” I said, realizing that he hadn’t been privy to that information.
There was a short moment of silence.
“Do you think they will be able to make it to the headmaster in time to warn him?” He caught up to me.
