Time passed. Fifteen minutes went by, then half an hour. Professor Waldron never showed up. Where was he? It was weird for him to be late.
Elijah and his friends were still tormenting Alexei. Most of the class had tuned in to watch the spectacle, though nobody stepped in to interfere.
I wanted to stick up for Alexei, but I knew if I did, his reputation as a Companion would be ruined. As a male Arcanea, you were supposed to be able to stand up for yourself at all times. If someone else had to intercede on your behalf, you’d be seen as a coward, and weak. People would never let you forget it. It would be worse than the bullying. I didn’t want Alexei branded with that kind of label, although I longed to do something about it.
Alexei was going to explode any minute. I tapped Stefan on the shoulder and gestured to Alexei. “Looks like Eli’s about to get a talon in the face.”
Stefan gave a stony expression. “Right.” Stefan stood up. “Hey guys, let’s fucking blow. It’s obvious Waldron’s not coming.”
There were mumbles of agreement, and chairs were scraped backwards as people got up to leave the room. I felt like my time had been wasted.
I thought Elijah would get bored and go somewhere else, but that didn’t happen. Three of his thugs trailed behind as Elijah continued to shout insults at Alexei.
“Hey, chicken boy,” Elijah shouted. “Why don’t you come back and polish my boots? They need cleaning.”
“Fuck off, Eli,” Alexei called behind him, but he didn’t stop walking. That was smart. He wouldn’t be able to take four on one, and he knew it.
I caught another figure lingering behind. Theo was following them. He kept a decent distance, although the gaze he gave the situation was calculating.
Couldn’t let him have all the fun, right? “Hey, let’s go,” I said, dragging on Stefan’s arm. “There’s trouble.”
Stefan’s eyes sparked. “Trouble? I’m in.”
Thought so. Stefan was always ready for a fight. We came to a broad hallway in the west wing. Elijah and his group were still far ahead of us, though Theo was closing the gap.
“Hey, chicken boy, I’m talking to you!” Elijah called again. He went to grab Alexei’s shoulder to turn him around, and that’s when it happened. Alexei lost his patience. He changed into a griffin and lunged at Elijah with his beak exposed.
Elijah didn’t even flinch. He grinned as he transformed into a wolf and pounced. Two Companions at his side morphed alongside him. Both of them were alicorns; one gray, and the other black.
Elijah held Alexei down while the alicorns took turns kicking him with their hooves. Alexei struggled to get Elijah off of him, but he was powerless to do so while he was getting kicked in the face.
I meant to stop the fight before it happened, but now that it had turned into an all-out brawl, there was no stopping it. I changed into a wolf and knocked Elijah off of Alexei, while Theo, who had gotten there before I did, galloped with his horn down at the other two alicorns. He drove them away and started fighting the black alicorn, the one I knew as Zander.
Alexei staggered to his feet and was able to start battling the gray alicorn, Oren, lashing out with his beak and talons.
Now that it was a fair fight, Oren looked scared. He backed away and shook his head as Alexei’s attacks pressed him into the wall.
Stefan wasted no time at all and changed into a dragon, his massive form swelling so that it took up the hallway. His back hit the ceiling, causing stones to crumble from above onto the floor below. Elijah’s dragon friend, Andrik, changed as well, his red scales contrasting sharply against Stefan’s black coat. The two dragons lunged at each other. Windows shattered and walls crushed as they wrestled, slamming their bodies against the stone.
We were causing a ruckus. Any moment now people would come running. I put my teeth to Elijah’s throat and growled. “Not so big when it’s a fair fight, are you?”
Elijah snarled. He made a go at my jugular, but I swiped his muzzle away. He kicked me away, then called to his friends, “Let’s get the fuck out of here!”
You didn’t need to ask Oren twice. He was already fleeing down the hall, his hooves making a clatter on the stone. Alexei was bleeding, but he stood victorious, his head held high as he watched Oren make a break for it.
Zander gnashed his teeth as he waved his sharp horn in the air in Theo’s direction. “I’ll be seeing you later.”
“I count on it,” Theo said darkly. Zander turned and ran after Oren, though I’d say it was far from a cowardly flight. If anything, the look in his eyes that he gave Theo before he left posed a threat.
Stefan and Andrik were still tangled up in each other, though they were human now, and throwing punches. A particularly rough punch from Stefan knocked Andrik to the ground. He hastily got up and gave in, turning to go after Elijah.
“Sure you don’t wanna go again, An-dick?” Stefan called scathingly after his opponent. Andrik flipped him off before the four of them disappeared behind a pillar.
The hallway was completely destroyed. Stefan and Andrik had done most of the damage. They’d even put a hole in the roof. But the rest of us had done our part, too. There was blood from Alexei, and maybe a few others. Place looked like a freaking crime scene.
I heard excited voices coming from around the corner saying there was a fight. That wasn’t good.
“We gotta go,” Theo started, looking around in a panic. It was like he suddenly realized what he’d just done and was paranoid he’d get caught for it. Alicorns were stingy with the rules like that. Didn’t want to be seen as anything but goody-goody.
