“Hit the showers,” Captain demanded. “You, too, Pipsqueak. Andbe quick about it!”
I started to get to my feet, but Captain kicked my legs out from under me, and I landed flat on my back. People roared in laughter.
Marcus scrambled over to me. He helped me up, before the two of us took off to the showers.
The showers were in a room next to the Happy House, and the guards let us pass. I felt along the wall and found that the room was one big open area filled only with pipes. There weren’t any stalls or anything. The floor was wet and slippery, and it wasn’t properly graded for draining. I found a knob on the wall and twisted it to get the water warmed up. Ice-cold water splashed into my face, spraying at odd angles from the broken pipes.
I stripped off my shoes and jumpsuit, then rinsed my clothes under the water. They stunk of piss and vomit, and I figured a quick wash might help.
“See any soap?” I asked Marcus.
“None,” he said as he stripped down.
It’s like the guardswantedus to die of infection down here… and pneumonia, apparently, because the water wasn’t getting warm.
I did the best I could to rinse out my jumpsuit, then squeezed the water out until it was damp. I hung them over a pipe, but I paused when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
“Bad news,” Marcus whispered under his breath. “It’s Digger, Deuce, and a whole gang of losers— six total.”
Apparently Digger had dodged that noxite dart, because he was fully conscious and ready for a fight. I didn’t know how they’d slipped past the guards stationed outside the showers.
On second thought, I bet Captain sent them in here after us. He always liked to pit students against each other. It was his kind of entertainment.
“Told you the Bandit wouldn’t last a day down here,” Digger said.
Deuce laughed in agreement, before he uttered, “Get ‘em, boys.”
I heard the crackle of a spell and ducked as it whizzed overhead, and I knew they were coming for me.
Fuck it. I’d survived the streets; I sure as hell could survive down here. I quickly reached for my jumpsuit and flipped it off the pipes toward a guy running at me. I spun around and wrapped it around his neck. He went to cry out, but only the first note of a sonic scream came out before I silenced him. I pulled the fabric as tight as I could, before dropping him and moving on to his friends.
Two guys jumped on me, while the others went for Marcus. I figured these guys were warlocks or elementals because I easily matched their strength. Didn’t mean they weren’t fucking good fighters, though. Without my magic, I felt completely disoriented, and it was hard to tell where the fists were coming from.
A fist landed against my gut, which quickly transformed into a battle spell that blasted me into the wall. The back of my head slammed into a pipe, and I felt blood spring from the wound. Deuce and Digger roared in laughter as they watched on. They’d rather see the show and let their cronies fuck us up until they could finish us off.
Fuck it. I’d finishthemoff.
I got to my feet and flung myself at one of the guys, tackling him. We landed hard on the ground, and I forced his face into a puddle. He sputtered, but the sound stopped almost immediately.
Water entered my nose, burning my sinuses. I realized he was Toaqua— a water elemental. He forced the water through my airways, then out my nose again. He formed the water in a ring around my body, pinning my arms to my sides as the water turned to ice. I strained, but the ice tightened around me until I felt the crack of ribs.
Fucking hell!
I bit back a curse and flexed my muscles as hard as I could. The ice broke to pieces and clattered to the floor.
Marcus, somehow, managed to hold his own. He must’ve kicked one of the other guys, because someone tripped and landed into the elemental asshole. I heard Marcus grunt as he fell to the ground, but it had to be intentional, because he slid past me and knocked over one of the other guys like a bowling pin. All the sparring and working out we’d been doing this semester was apparently paying off.
“You four are useless,” Digger sneered. He threw himself at me. He landed a few blows to my broken ribs— which hurt like hell— but I got in a few good punches myself.
I didn’t know what Digger’s warlock powers were, but he couldn’t have been too strong, because he was throwing more punches than he was battle magic. I’d seen Marcus perform incredible feats of magic as a warlock. Digger was acting like he’d barely seen a spell in his life. I threw a punch, and my fist landed against his jaw, but he only responded by punching me in the side. He could fight— I’d give him that. But so could I.
I stumbled back a few steps, wiped my bloody nose and taunted, “That’s all you got? I thought you were saving your magic for me.”
It hit me then. Diggerhadbeen saving his magic for me, but that one measly spell he’d blasted off in the Happy House was all he could manage. I’d never known Digger’s warlock Cast, and I realized maybe he didn’thaveone. Marcus had told me he had to undergo a ceremony to unlock his powers, gifted by his goddess.
“Was that all you had?” I taunted. “You have no magic because you’re not good enough for your coven?”
“You know nothing about me!” Digger sneered.
