A whoosh of displaced air hit the far end of the bridge as five figures emerged from the shadows. My three parents, Rowan Clearwater, and Damien Clearwater.
Mom’s eyes went immediately to the bodies, then to our group, then to me. “Brief me now. We received a taunting message from the humans.”
Jesper straightened automatically, his clearly ingrained squad-leader reflex kicking in. “Human strike team with three waves. First hit the auditorium with tourmalyke gas and ground assault, second waited for us at the front entrance when we fled Apex Nexus, and the third ambushed us at the bridge. There was no prior detection. They were after Rune.”
Mom’s gaze sharpened. “All this for her DNA specifically?”
“A human from the third wave said orders have changed, and they want to take her in,” Jesper said, meeting her eyes. “They pumped enough tourmalyke into the auditorium to drop every supernatural in there. The only reason we’re all alive is because of Rune.”
Dad’s jaw flexed as his eyes met mine. “Did they take anyone?”
“No,” I said, voice cracking.
Mom looked past me, where students were barely standing and humans lay dead, then she looked back at Jesper. “Casualty report.”
My throat bobbed as I answered for him. “Four watchers are dead. One confirmed student is dead. It was Seth Corvus. House of Twilight fourth-year. He was a phantom. He took the strike meant for me.”
Rowan exhaled slowly through his nose, smoke curling from his nostrils.
Pops's phoenix flames scattered over his shoulders.
Dad let out a low hiss.
My mom’s face didn’t change, but her expression drew tight.
“Drecken,” Dad muttered. “Wards?”
Drecken was already casting, fingers tracing sigils into the air. Threads of arcane light spidered outward, connecting to existing lines of protection around the academy, the campus, the bridge, and the Houses.
“They didn’t punch through the main ward,” he muttered. “They slipped between secondary anchor points. They timed it for the new moon, when the wayfaer portal is shut down, and overloaded micro-barriers with direct impact.”
“Can you repair it?” Rowan asked.
“Of course,” he scoffed. “But that’s not the problem. The problem is that they knew exactly when and where to strike to get the maximum effect with the least resistance. Someone tampered with the wards from inside.”
Mom’s gaze cut back to me, to Tibby and his mates, then to my mates, then to the rest of the students. There was worry in her eyes, but mostly fury. “It wasss probably Vel when she wasss in charge of the year-one Houssse.”
“She’s dead now, but who knows what else she’s fucked with.” Dad sighed, rubbing his temples.
Mom’s lips thinned. “Either way, the timeline for our raid on their facility moves up.” She flicked her gaze to Jesper. “We were planning to raid that facility at the end of next week. We move it to three days. You will have the final intel by then, completesquad rosters confirmed, and extraction routes mapped. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jesper said immediately.
Dad surveyed the wreckage of the night. The destroyed formal, the traumatized students, the broken academy doors, the blood and broken glass, and the bodies. “I will address the academy tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll get everyone stabilized, patched up, and accounted for. We will confer with the Human Council within the hour. They will not like what I have to say. Drecken, thank you for fixing the wards. Rest now.”
Rowan’s gaze sought my mate’s with a sternness that made Drecken pause. “Tourmalyke is your only weakness. Take the time to heal from it.”
“I’m healed,” he mumbled, crossing his arms in a huff.
Mom walked directly toward me, cupped my cheeks in her hands, and pressed her forehead to mine. “You did good tonight. You sssurvived and protected who you could. You were ready. I am furiousss that this happened. I am furiousss they came for you. But I am proud of you. Do you understand me?”
My throat tightened. “Thanks, Mom.”
She pulled back, and Dad enveloped me in a tight hug.
“I don’t love how revealing this dress is, but I love that you’re safe now.” He pulled back and patted my head.
Pops grabbed me next, checking me over. “I agree. The dress is too much, but regardless, you look beautiful. The amount of blood tells me how well you did tonight. Great job, Rune.”
