Page 59 of Heartflame

“We’re still getting reports,” Elias replied, and I could hear the weight of responsibility in his tone. “But preliminary counts suggest somewhere between thirty and fifty students didn’t make it to safety in time.”

The number made my heart race. Thirty to fifty. Real people. People I might have passed in the halls or sat next to in class. People with families waiting for them to come home. The paranormal community wasn’t that big to begin with. Fifty of the upcoming generation lost was no small number.

“And the Purity Front?” I asked, my anger demanding action, demanding that I do something to make this right. “Do we know who they are? Where they’re hiding?”

“That’s where things get complicated,” Wild said, exchanging a look with Atlas that made my skin prickle with unease. “My mother, the woman you both saw, she’s been leading them again. Or at least, she’s the one orchestrating the attacks. But she can’t be working alone. Someone had to rescue her from the cube of binding and bring her back. She couldn’t have done that alone.”

“Of course she isn’t working alone,” I muttered, rubbing my hands over my face in frustration. “Nothing is ever that simple.”

“There are others with her beyond the undead,” Caden added, his blue eyes fixed on me with an intensity that suggested he was measuring my reaction. “Witches, mostly. People who believe in the Purity Front’s ideology and are willing to work with a necromancer to achieve their goals.”

“My grandfather will want to know everything,” I said, already thinking through the logistics of getting back to him, of reporting all of this in person. “He’ll want to know who they are, what they want, how many of them there are.”

“That’s why you need to go,” Elias said, standing up from the bench. “But before you do, there’s something else you need to know. Something about what happened last night that we didn’t have time to explain.”

I felt Quill lean against me, and I instinctively wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him closer. Whatever this was, I had a feeling we weren’t going to like it.

“My mother,” Wild began, his voice taking on that ancient quality it sometimes did when he was speaking about something serious. “She wasn’t always what she is now. She was once a powerful fae noble, one of the most respected members of the Seelie Court. But she became obsessed with power, with immortality, with the idea that magic should be used to elevate the worthy and eliminate the weak.”

“She sounds delightful,” Quill said dryly, though I could feel the tremor in his voice that betrayed his fear.

“She’s dangerous,” Atlas said flatly. “She’s had centuries to perfect her craft, and she’s not bound by the same moral limitations as the rest of us anymore. When she was sealed away, we thought we’d solved the problem. But clearly, we were wrong.”

“How did she escape?” I asked, my mind already working through the implications. “If she was sealed beyond the gate of death, there should be no way for her to return.”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Elias admitted. “We know someone helped her, someone with access to old magic, someone who knew the binding spells well enough to unravel them from the outside. But there are only maybe ten people in the world who would be capable of such a thing, that we know of. However, it’s possible the Purity Front has resources we weren’t aware of.”

The implications of that statement hung in the air between us like a sword waiting to fall. If the Purity Front had found a way to bring back a long destroyed magic like necromancy, what else did they have access to that we didn't know about?

“We need to go,” I said, looking down at Quill. “My grandfather needs to know about this immediately.”

“I know,” Wild said, standing up as well. “That’s why Atlas and I are going with you. We have a teleportation circle in the sanctuary, one that will get you directly to your grandfather’s estate without any risk of interception.”

I nodded, grateful for the assistance. “What about Quill?” I asked, not wanting to leave him behind but also not knowing if bringing him with me was the right call. “He’s my mate. I won’t leave him behind.”

“He goes with you,” Elias said simply. “We’ll contact his parents, let them know he’s safe. Your grandfather can arrange a meeting with them if necessary. But for now, he stays with you. It’s the safest place for him.”

I felt my heart do a little flip of relief in my chest. Quill was staying with me. Whatever came next, we’d face it together.

“Thank you,” I said to Elias, meaning it more than I could express. The thought of being separated from Quill after everything was not an option. “I won’t forget this.”

“Just make sure your grandfather understands what happened here,” Wild replied, his green eyes serious. “We’ll brief him on the situation, but he needs to understand that my mother is a threat to everyone. Not just the paranormal community, but the human world too if she’s given the chance to expand her operations. Now is not the time for hiding how serious the situation has become.”

“I will,” I promised, and I meant it. “I’ll make sure he knows.”

Quill squeezed my hand, and I looked down at him. He looked small somehow, overwhelmed by everything that had happened and everything we’d just learned. I hated that look on his face. I wanted to make it go away, wanted to shield him from all of this chaos and danger. But I was beginning to understand that wasn’t going to be possible. Not anymore.

“We should gather what we need,” Wild said, already moving toward one of the garden paths. “The circle is on the other side of the sanctuary. It’ll take us about ten minutes to get there.”

I followed him, keeping Quill close at my side. As we walked through that impossible garden, I found myself thinking about everything that had changed in the last twenty-four hours. The wards had fallen. Students had died. My grandfather’s carefully maintained secrets were unraveling one by one. I’d told Quill I loved him. And somewhere out there, Wild’s mother was planning her next move.

The weight of it all pressed down on me like a boulder.

“Hey,” Quill said softly, tugging on my hand. “You okay?”

I looked at him, at the concern written all over his face despite everything he was going through himself. “No,” I admitted. “But I will be. We will be. We’re not going to let them win.”

He nodded. “No we won’t,” he said, determination in his voice. “Not after what they did to everyone.”