Frowning, Sienna unsheathes a familiar dagger and hands it to the other professor. “I want that back.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles, setting it amidst a pile of assorted weaponry. “You’ll get it back.”
“One last thing.” The witch looks between the three of us, her hesitancy keeping her silent for far too long. “Be careful if you get surrounded. Find a safe place to wait out danger rather than rushing toward it, or you might not come back tonight.”
I hold her gaze until her mind unlocks, remaining careful not to use too much of my power to alert her to my influence over her mind. “Speak plainly. Why are you nervous?”
“The wards,” she mumbles, her words sluggish. “The oldest ones are strong, but the new ones are flickering. They won’t hold during the solstice.”
“What do you mean?” Sienna asks, frowning. “The academy won’t protect us?”
“Too many creatures siphoning magic from the same source at the same time,” I surmise, unsurprised that latest magical wards struggle to hold with so many bodies straining to tap into the same power source. “It means that their latest rule banning murder among students is too weak to protect everyone.”
Those not strong enough to defend themselves could easily be slaughtered. I know a fair few vampires who will be craving blood after weeks without a fresh meal. Though draining life completely is a sacred act, sampling the buffet is not, and there are a fair number of fledgling vampires enrolled at Heartsflame without the foresight to know the difference. Dmitri will have his work cut out for him if he’s to report all the accidental drainings from tonight’s event—or attempt to stop them altogether.
A pity that his talents are wasted on such menial tasks.
“We have staff members on standby as medical aides,” the witch assures us, regaining her composure.
“Of course you do.” I smile as coldly as the ancient crypts that lie beneath our feet. “Yet no one will lift a finger if the danger is too perilous, I’m sure.”
The witch’s face pales. “We do our best, but we’re no different than the rest of you.”
The fact that former students, unmated ones at that, become staff who can’t shield the student body is infuriating.
“Not having a dedicated healer on staff cripples you.” I stare down my nose at her, though the witch’s incompetence isn’t directly her fault. From what I understand, there hasn’t been a master healer among witches in centuries. It’s a lost art, and those who know the skill aren’t keen on sharing outside their covens. Shifters can’t heal non-shifters, vampires have little desire to heal mortals, and merfolk practices won’t work above water.
Students are truly on their own tonight.
Clearing her throat, she moves on and nods toward the teleportation circle. “Step inside, and I’ll send you off to the arena.”
Revyn wraps an arm around Sienna’s waist and leads her past the outermost circle of runes. “Have you eaten?” he asks, his brow furrowing. “I brought you food earlier, but the bastard guarding your door wouldn’t let me in.” His jaw tics, and I empathize with his frustration. Not only did they magically seal Sienna’s bedroom door at Alistair’s behest but they also set two guards on duty all day and night.
Protection for Alistair’s true mate—or for the students our wild wolf will be unleashed upon tonight?
Leaving her balcony unmonitored was a foolish oversight...unless Alistair wanted her to break out.
The thoughthascrossed my mind.
“I’m fine,” Sienna assures Revyn, cracking her knuckles and loosing the laces of her corset. “I’m gonna pay that bastard backfor thinking he can control me.” Her eyes glow a brighter shade of gold as she rolls her shoulders and bounces on her heels.
Magicsnapsaround us, and we’re instantly teleported to a frozen lake, its matte surface dusted with snow. Magic folk of all kinds slip across the ice in a frenzy of movement. Pained screams rip through the air, and blasts of fire erupt in the distance, brightening the sky before disappearing and plunging it back into darkness.
Only the moon shines light on the battlefield...and it isbloody.
“It’s a fucking free-for-all,” Revyn marvels, baring his teeth in a wide grin. “This should be fun.”
Funis a subjective word. I’d much rather be licking blood wine off my lover’s body until we succumb to eternal ecstasy, but to each their own, I suppose.
Stepping past the circle of runes, we take in our surroundings. Half a dozen bodies litter the ground at our feet, a few newly deceased while others lie beneath a magical shield with their number hovering on top. Two violet number threes, a blue one, a green five, and an orange seven didn’t make it past the first step in this so-called arena. The dead do not wear numbers; their lifeless bodies speak for themselves.
None of us linger to mourn the lost souls.
Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my curiosity, but it’s only the little redheaded witch waving wildly at us from a cluster of nearby boulders.
How stupid to give away her position.
“Hey!” Gemma shouts. She quickly looks around for enemies before waving at us again. “Over here!”
