The casual cruelty of the question made my magic flare dangerously. “This conversation is over,” I said, leaving no room for argument. “We’re leaving. And if someday you two come to your senses, we can try to work it out. Until then, I don’t want to hear from you.” I glanced at Amelia and she gave me a little nod. “Neither of us do.”
Silence.
“Go,” my father said.
Then, without another word, he took our mother by the arm and led her into the house. And I, feeling a strange juxtaposition of grief and freedom, took Amelia by the hand and led her back through the front door out onto the grounds.
We were free.
Chapter 28
Archer
“Ican’t believe we just did that,” Amelia said as we headed for the far edge of the Quinn property so we could teleport out. “It… It’s all gone.”
“But we’re free,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze. “We can finally start to live.”
“But for how long?” Amelia asked, her voice wavering slightly despite her earlier bravery. “Archer, we literally have nothing now. No money, no connections, no magical support network. And the people we love are back at the academy facing god knows what kind of consequences because of us.”
The weight of our situation hit me fully for the first time since we’d walked out those doors. We were free, yes, but we were also completely on our own. No trust fund to fall back on, no family name to open doors, no safety net if things went wrong. And worse, Valen and Lila were probably still dealing with the fallout from our father’s accusations.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “People survive without family money all the time.”
“Do they?” Amelia stopped walking, forcing me to turn and face her. “Archer, we don’t even know how to do our own laundry. We’ve never had jobs, never paid bills, never had toworry about where our next meal was coming from. We’re completely unprepared for real life.”
She was right, and I knew it. Our entire existence had been cushioned by wealth and privilege. The most mundane aspects of daily survival were foreign concepts to us. But the alternative was going back, submitting to arranged marriages, and pretending that everything we felt for Valen and Lila was just manipulation.
“Then we’ll learn,” I said firmly. “We’ll learn fast. Because I’d rather struggle and be with someone I love than live comfortably in a gilded cage.”
Amelia studied my face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “You’re right. And honestly? The idea of marrying Constantine Pemberton makes me want to set myself on fire, anyway. At least this way I get to choose my own disasters.”
Despite everything, I found myself smiling at that. “That’s the spirit. Now come on, we need to get back to Widdershins before they do something irreversible to Valen.”
We reached the edge of the property where the anti-teleportation wards ended, and I began gathering the magical energy needed for a long-distance transport. But as I started to cast, Amelia grabbed my arm.
“Wait,” she said urgently. “What if it’s too late? What if they’ve already driven him off campus or taken him away? What if walking back into that situation just makes things harder for everyone?”
The possibility made my stomach clench with fear. What if my father had already convinced the Elder Council that Valen was a predator? What if by the time we got back, he was already gone, banished from the academy and possibly facing criminal charges?
“Then we’ll deal with that when we get there,” I said, though my voice shook slightly. “But I’m not going to abandon him,Amelia. I can’t. Even if there’s only a small chance we can help, I have to try.”
She squeezed my arm. “Alright. But if things get weird, let’s get out fast, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed, beginning the teleportation spell again. The familiar tingle of magic coursed through me as I focused on the academy grounds, visualizing the stone standing circle just outside of the school gates..
The world dissolved around us in a rush of color and sensation, and moments later we materialized in the center of the stone ring at the edge of campus. I immediately felt the difference in the magical atmosphere. There was a tension in the air that hadn’t been there when we’d left, like the entire academy was holding its breath.
“Something’s wrong,” Amelia whispered, echoing my own thoughts. “Can you feel that?”
I nodded, scanning the visible portions of campus. There were more security officers than usual patrolling the walkways, and I could see students rushing back to their dorms in panicked silence. Whatever had happened since our dramatic exit, it had clearly escalated.
“We need to find Lila,” I said quietly. “She’ll know what’s going on. And she’ll probably be with Valen too.”
A loud boom across campus made both of us spin in the direction of the Elemental Arts building. It vibrated through the trees and then my chest. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach in an instant.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked, knowing Amelia wouldn’t have an answer.
“We should find out,” she said, starting that way.
