“We have no other choice!”
“She’s right, Az. Let’s just speed up and get the fuck out of here!” Elders said, pulling Azazel back. I hated not having him at my side. He was too vulnerable at the back, but I knew he wouldn’t let anyone else take the spot.
Elite Bargain was moving so quickly that I nearly stumbled down the last flight, my knees and ankles aching when we hit the final landing. She took us through the door, leaving her mask off and walking with her chin up. We followed silently, none of us willing to risk bringing any attention to ourselves.
Thankfully, there were still quite a few elites still in the building, making us less conspicuous to the guards. But I saw by the way their heads turned that they were watching us. Four of them tracked our steps, one even stepping out of their position against the wall.
“Hey, you all! Where are you headed?” the elite asked, their face hidden beneath their mask.
Elite Bargain stilled, turning to face them. “We’re headed home. We just finished a pretty large brew and we’re all pretty fucking tired. Why?”
So smoothly she lied, that the elite seemed almost embarrassed for asking, their gloved hand reaching up to scratch the part of their cloak that covered their hair.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m just trying to do my job. Could you all remove your mas—”
“Yeah, we’re trying to do our jobs too. Do you know how long we’ve been stuck in our lab? Do you understand how much extra work and hours we’ve had to put in? If you did you’d leave us the fuck alone and bother some other poor soul!”
Woah. All of Elite Bargain’s screaming during grunt training had been leading her to this moment, apparently.
The elite stumbled back a step, raising both hands up in defeat. “Sorry. I’m sorry. Go on.”
She nodded, whipping her head to the right and heading for the doorway. We all followed, none of us so much as making eye contact with the guard who quietly leaned back against the far wall.
My right foot had just made it through the doorway when someone loudly threw open the main doors.
“Our wards have been breached! Shut the base down! Everyone, remove your masks! No one leaves until I’ve looked them in the fucking eyes!”
Shit.
I continued through the door, my breaths turning to pants as we began to run again.
“You all! Come back here!” shouted the same guard who had already questioned us. We didn’t so much as slow our pace, Elite Bargain leading the way to the closest edge of the wards. The hill that led up it was large and mostly vertical, making me silently thankful for all the heinous running Azazel had made me do over the last few weeks.
Wheezes began to sound from all of us as we hit the halfway point, shouts coming from the building behind us. A single beam of magic hit the grass to my right, and something within me came to life.
A burst of violent, burning magic lit me up. I turned, letting the others pass me, readying for the fight. I pictured all of the bodies nailed to doors at the shops back home. I thought of my parents’ lifeless eyes. And in those memories, my rage ignited.
Now at the bottom of the hill, a group of at least a dozen elites were running towards us. Though not all of them bore their masks, they each somehow oozed eagerness, as if the fight was all they dreamed of. Artie’s body flashed across my eyelids as I blinked, and I realized I wanted the fight too.
“Remind us why we chose you, Nova Tershetta. Show us what you’re made of.”
With the stars’ voices echoing in my ears, their silent treatment apparently over, I spread my arms and faced my palms towards the incoming elites. Otarn said my conscience was performative. Here was where I proved her right.
A burst of pure, silver magic released from each of my palms, the recoil of it sending me flying to the ground. I hit hard, screams meeting my ears as I dug my fingers into the dead grass.
“Nova, we have to go! Get up!” Az grabbed me, lifting me from under my arms. I stumbled against him, feeling lightheaded. Feeling angry enough to ignore the dizziness and turn to fight. “I don’t think so.”
Az swept me up, his arms holding me against his chest in a cradle as he ran. The cores had stopped where I assumed the wards ended, each of them sending off blasts of pure, isolated magic as we ran towards them. Zura and Elite Bargain were on each of Az’s sides, throwing blasts behind them when they could. Another burst of magic came our way, forcing us to separate. It hit right where Elite Bargain had been. She was now a few feet from us, her eyes wide.
And then a dark, twirling mist of shadows sliced her head in half.
Her body collapsed immediately, her brain pouring out of her skill like liquid. I screamed, trying to wrestle out of Az’s hold, but he only gripped me tighter, practically leaping past the wards.
“Grab onto me, now!” he screamed. A second wave of attacks shot towards us, catching Elders in the shoulder and Caleb in the leg. They both managed to still grab onto Az as they groaned, Zura screeching in pain at my side from what had to have been a hit.
I turned, looking at Elite Bargain’s single remaining eye as we shadow walked away.
Chapter Thirty-Five
