I knew what I had to do before I could leave Shadowick. It was the same thing I’d planned on doing when we all arrived.
We had to stop my grandmother.
I pushed my hand deeper into my pocket and felt the charm to open Shadowick Academy. I took a deep breath and looked outside again, debating whether I truly wanted to risk leaving her compound in the dead of night.
I closed the curtains and turned from the window before pacing the room again. Every instinct inside me was screaming that time was running out. It wasn’t in some vague, magical sense either.
The Priestess would only have patience for so long.
Shadowick Academy wanted something, or maybe it wanted me, but either possibility was unsettling.
The room around me felt strangely alive tonight. The candles along the walls flickered unevenly despite the lack of breeze, and every now and then the shadows near the ceiling stretched just a little too long before settling again.
Sleep wasn’t happening. Not even remotely.
I wandered toward the bed and sat on the edge of it just as something scraped softly against the outside wall.
My head jerked toward the sound as another scrape followed and another a soft tap rapped against the window.
Fear instantly climbed into my throat as I moved carefully toward the glass, already feeling hedge magic stirring in my fingertips.
But when I pulled the curtain aside, Barlen stood outside, balancing on the narrow stone ledge like a goblin who had absolutely no concern for his own survival.
I rushed forward and opened the window. “Are you trying to die?”
“Yes,” he whispered quickly. “But quickly and quietly.”
I blinked at him.
“Hurry.” I motioned for him to come in.
He climbed awkwardly through the window with considerably less grace than I expected from someone who moved like a ghost ninety percent of the time. His boots hit the floor, and he immediately shut the window behind himself before turning toward me.
“The compound changes patrol routes every hour after midnight. The corridors have extra guards.”
“What are you doing?”
He ignored me and reached into his coat, pulling out a folded dark cloak. “Wear this.”
I took it automatically before narrowing my eyes. “You’re helping me leave.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His expression tightened slightly, and for the first time since meeting him, he looked tired. Truly tired deep in his soul.
“The Priestess already marked me,” he said quietly. “There’s no reversing it.”
My stomach sank.
“What do you mean by marked?”
His gaze flicked toward the door before coming back to me. “There are consequences for disappointing her. I’ve survived this long by being useful, but usefulness only stretches so far in Shadowick.”
A strange chill worked through me.
“She’s hurting you.”
