“Um, okay?” I was beyond confused, but I’d do anything for the man who practically raised me.
“Promise me, Emmaline.” He gripped my hands, crushing the letter between us.
I hated the idea of waiting to solve the mystery of the letter, but there was no way I could refuse. “I promise,” I sighed as an invisible weight settled on my shoulders. These would be a long few cycles.
He patted my shoulder. “You’ll understand everything when you read the letter.”
He looked considerably less burdened when he gestured the boys forward. “Neil, can I talk to you for a minute now?”
Neil and I exchanged glances as we traded places. He joined his father on the bench while I went to stand by Gray.
“What was that about?” Gray looked at me, and then at the letter in my hand.
I shrugged, not even sure how to explain.
Neil’s sharp gestures spoke of his agitation in contrast to Howie’s smooth expression. Next to me, Gray grew tense.
After a few minutes, Neil gave a curt wave to Howie and marched in our direction with a stormy expression. He tilted his head toward Gray. “Father wants to talk to you before he leaves.”
Neil didn’t stop walking. What was wrong with him? I reached for him, but he was already long gone. With a sigh, I shook my head. Maybe he’d tell me later.
Gray sauntered over to his dad. They both gazed at Neil for a time, and then Howie hugged Gray. The tension ran from Gray’s shoulders and Howie said something else and patted his back. When they finished speaking, they waved me over.
Howie gave me one final hug. “Remember, Emmaline, trust me when I tell you that you are more than you give yourself credit for.”
Shoulder to shoulder, Gray and I watched Howie stroll to the front gate where his security Magicals waited for his return. They must have already been to the menagerie because Howie’s mammoth salamander was saddled and ready to go. I waved as the three of them disappeared through the front gates.
Gray was equally sad about Howie leaving, so I invited him to spar, but it had gotten late. Darkness shrouded campus in a cloak of shadows during our walk back from the weeping willow. Despite us having walked the path hundreds of times over the last nine years, in that moment, it lacked its comforting familiarity.
The wind whispered through the trees, raising goosebumps on the back of my neck. I stepped closer to Gray, and my breathing sped up. Everything was fine. The ominous-looking black blobs were really the familiar shapes of buildings on campus. It was like someone was watching us.
I peered over my shoulder and shivered. “Do you feel that?” I whispered to avoid disturbing the night around us.
“Feel what?” Gray asked loudly.
“I don’t know, but it feels like something is wrong.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. I unclenched my fists and took a deep breath. There were Koban around campus. I didn’t need to be afraid.
Gray stopped and looked around, listening intently. “I don’t see or hear anything out of place.”
I eyed the path ahead of us. “Let’s just hurry back.”
Gray easily matched my quick pace with his long legs. “Relax, Emmie. We’re safe on campus.”
“Still, I’ll feel better once we’re inside.” I tugged on his arm. “Let’s hurry.”
When we made it to the library, I leaned back against the door and released a breath.
We located Ivy and Neil at the only occupied table in the back. The library was strangely deserted, but considering it was Noxday, maybe it wasn’t so strange after all. Most students were out, enjoying their day off from school, not hanging around the library.
We’d been scolded too many times for being loud in the library, so Gray and I approached quietly.
Books were spread out on the table in front of them. They were probably studying for the final tests. As we grew closer, a few snippets of conversation drifted to me.
“You should tell her how you feel.” Ivy held a book in front of her with a white-knuckled grip.
Neil crossed his arms with a stubborn expression I knew well. “I can’t.”
“Who are you protecting here?”
Gray glanced at me and cleared his throat. “How was the homework?”
His loud whisper made Ivy jump in her seat.
Ivy encouraging Neil to confess his love to some girl was like a punch in the stomach.
She shot me a guilty look, and I bit my bottom lip and stared at the ground. It was too hard to look at either of them at the moment. Who did Neil love, and why did Ivy encourage it? The question was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t find the courage to give it the final push.
“It was fine.” Neil leaned back in his chair and twirled his pencil in his fingers. “How was sparring?”
“It was good. Emmie totally kicked my butt.”
Neil shot me a grin that lifted a corner of his mouth, but didn’t fully erase the concern in his expression.
The awkward silence was as unwelcome as it was unusual.
The campus alarm broke the painful silence. The harsh, keening noise was extra loud in the tomb-like library. My breath whooshed out. At least something broke the awkward silence.
Neil stood, toppling his chair. “We need to get back to our rooms.”
An explosion went off somewhere across campus, and the phantom smell of charred grass, the scent of Andley’s attack, assaulted my nose. I gasped in rapid shallow breaths and grabbed my elbows with my shaking hands to hide their trembling.
Ms. Ventor’s voice echoed across the campus on the wind. “All students return to your rooms. This is not a drill. All students, return to your rooms.” The announcement repeated again and again while horrible scenarios flashed through my mind.
Miss Hallis, the librarian, scurried to us. With shaking hands, she gestured to the door. “Hurry, kids. You need to go.”
I tried to move my legs, but fear froze me in place.
“Emmie, move!” Neil pushed on my back, and I shuffled forward, Ivy and Gray close behind.
Having Neil behind me steadied my breathing as the librarian hustled us along. We were halfway through when the library doors burst open with a loud boom and a streak of lightning shot through the room.
Neil’s hand snagged mine, pulling me to a halt.
Miss Hallis screamed. She flew backward before hitting a shelf of books that teetered slightly but remained upright. Her body slumped to the floor.
“Miss Hallis!” My breath caught. Her shirt smoked slightly, and she didn’t move. Was she dead?
Neil tugged me behind him, then faced the doors and the attacker. “Who are you?”
I peeked over Neil’s shoulder at an unfamiliar man in the doorway.
His dark pants and tunic helped him meld with the shadows of the entrance until he stepped forward into the library’s light. His figure was tall and lean like Neil’s, but the similarities ended there. His hair and eyes were brown, and where Neil was full of kindness, this man emanated hate. And while Neil’s gaze brought shivers of pleasure, the man’s glare would burn if it stayed on me for too long.
He stood tall and straight, hands sparking with dark energy. It sparked off his fingertips, hitting the floor with an angry hiss.
My breath caught with fear, despite Neil’s tight grip on my hand.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Neil Mastiff.” His voice made me quiver. Even just in a greeting, it seemed to carry darkness.
Neil’s grip tightened painfully, but outwardly, he looked calm and collected. “I wish I could say the same.” He took another small step forward and put himself even more deliberately between the three of us and the intruder.
“But you should be pleased to see me.” The man had a huge smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. “After all, I came for you.” His smile twisted into something more sinister.
“Look at his chin,” Ivy whispered behind me.
There on his chin was
a silver scar. My breathing sped up until I was almost hyperventilating. He was the man responsible for the disappearances of all those girls. But he said he came for Neil. Despite my panic, I couldn't shake the feeling his face was almost familiar.
“It’s him.” Gray’s voice was low with anger and his hands were balled into fists. “He’s the one who kidnapped Celia and sent Andley to attack.”
My gaze darted to Ivy and Gray and then back to Neil. The people I loved most were trapped together with a monster.
Chapter 13
“Ah, yes, little Andley from Ender,” the man said. “She was fun to collect, but rather boring to spellbind; a good choice to test the defenses of the school, which were quite lacking, by the way.” He sighed. “But a few sacrifices must be made.”
Neil stiffened, but he didn’t respond to the taunts. “Stay back,” he whispered tersely, never taking his gaze off the man standing ten yards away.
The man stared at us, eyes glimmering with amusement as he took a step farther into the library. “It wasn’t a bad trade, since Andley turned out to be a pawn, not the queen. But it’s time to move on to bigger pieces.” His gaze flicked between Ivy and Neil.
My breath caught at his casual reference to such horrifying acts.
“On my signal, make a run for it,” Neil said quietly. He squeezed my hand again. “Emmie, stay with Ivy and Gray, okay? Get help and protect the girls.”
I squeezed his hand back and nodded, forcing back tears. He wasn’t planning on coming with us.
The man advanced another step, clearing the door, and Neil said, “Go.”
Everything happened in a blur. One moment, the library was a peaceful sanctuary of books and stuffed chairs, and in the next, it was a battle zone. Neil flicked his left hand toward the man, sending three mini tornadoes charging at him while simultaneously raising his right, bringing a wall of flames up between us and the kidnapper. It extended all the way to the door, which Neil roughly pushed me toward with a blast of air.
We took off running, but the man was equally fast.
He sent his own blast of black magic at the tornadoes, while shooting another at the three of us, right through Neil’s fire. Electricity crackled through the air, and the hairs on my arms stood on end.
Gray shoved me from behind. “Emmie, watch out!”
I stumbled forward and turned.
A purple blast hit him in the back, and he collapsed on top of me.
“Gray!” Neil shouted. He froze in place, gaze glued to the unmoving form of his little brother. The man attacking him shot a purple bolt of electricity.
“Look out!” My voice cracked, and I wiggled out from under Gray.
Neil barely managed to evade the bolt, somersaulting out of the way.
Why was he attacking Neil instead of kidnapping him?
A bookshelf hissed and caught on fire. Neil ignored it, rolling back to his feet, and immediately launching a fierce counterattack.
I’d never seen Neil so furious before, but he’d never be able to fully focus if the rest of us were in danger. We had to escape and bring back help for him.
Ivy rolled Gray onto his back and put her head on his chest. “He’s alive,” she sobbed.
When she glanced up at me, her eyes were wide and face pale. The same fear trying to lock me in place and make my heart burst from my chest reflected from her face.
My body was icy and sweating, but I took a deep breath and swallowed my terror. A glance at Neil was enough to break through my hesitation. I owed it to him to be brave.
I gripped Ivy’s hand tightly for a second before I transferred my grip to Gray’s arm. “Grab his other arm. You watch the fight and use your water to protect us, and I’ll watch the front. We’ve gotta get out of here.”
Ivy swallowed, but she glanced at Gray and her expression resolved into one of determination. “Let’s go.”
Together, the two of us pulled Gray across the floor. We made it a few feet before Ivy threw up her hands and shielded us with water.
Bolts of lightning hit the water and sent sparks skittering across the surface. I screamed as a fine sheen of water sprinkled down on us.
Ivy grit her teeth. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him in.” Was she convincing me or herself?
Neil bellowed angrily. All at once, fire, earth, and air plowed into his opponent.
Despite Neil’s attack, another lightning bolt struck Ivy’s shield.
She flinched, and her arms trembled above her.
Neil was breathing heavily, but it didn’t seem like the other man was tired at all.
I was totally fine, but incapable of helping. I screamed my frustration. Why was I so useless at protecting my friends?
My infuriated scream drew the man’s attention for a second.
Neil struck him with a fireball. It blasted him into the wall, etching a seared outline around him. He must’ve used his magic to deflect it at the last minute, or he would’ve surely been fried. Neil hit him with his Air Magic, locking him in place.
The man’s smug smile was replaced with anger. Without moving his arms, tiny glowing purple glimmers flowed from each of his fingers toward Neil.
Neil attempted to knock them away with gusts of wind, but they ignored his efforts.
They formed a star around him.
He pulled up an earthen wall around him.
The air pulsed with a wave of dark energy before exploding
Neil’s half-formed wall crumbled, and he flew backwards, releasing his prisoner from the wall.
Through the open library doors, loud voices of teachers came from the other end of the hallway.
Tears of relief flowed down my face. We just needed to hold on a little longer.
The man’s head turned toward the door before looking at Neil with longing and disappointment in his eyes. Cold calculation took over his expression, and, with a casual flick of his wrist, he threw a purple net that covered the doorway.
Neil stumbled to his feet, holding his head with one hand.
“This isn’t over.” The man threw another bolt of lightning at the three of us, and with his other hand, threw something from his pocket at Neil.
Ivy hastily pulled her shield up again. It was hit with another bolt, and more water drizzled on us.
Through the mist, something shimmered through the air and shattered at Neil’s feet. Droplets of glistening glass sprouted from the ground like crystal plants, ensnaring his feet and ankles in seconds.
“Neil, no!” I threw a nearby book at the man with another angry scream.
He swatted it away. “At least I’ll get one of the pieces I came for.” The man stalked toward Ivy.
Ivy screamed, barely able to block another purple bolt. The teachers still hadn’t made it through the doors, and Neil’s legs were covered in an opaque crystal that relentlessly inched up his body.
I charged at him. “Stay away from her!”
A bolt crackled through the air toward my chest.
I quickly dodged left and reached his side before any plans had fully formed. So I punched him in the face.
His head snapped back, and we both froze. But then, I was too close to avoid his magic, and an electric blast caught me in the stomach. I flew through the air and smashed into the bookshelf behind me.
“Emmie!” Ivy and Neil cried.
My vision blurred. A haze filled my head. What…I blinked back floating dots and raised my head.
Neil’s wild-eyed expression disappeared as the crystal swallowed him in a prismatic jail. The burning bookshelf reflected off its smooth surface, without revealing even a hint of the boy trapped within.
Time froze and cold terror swept through me. No. No. No! “Neil!” My head pulsed with pain, and I stumbled forward.
Ivy screamed.
Everything blurred, and I raised my head.
Ivy slumped forward into the enemy’s arms.
I failed.
Weight pressed in all around me and darkness swallowed me whole.
Nurse McKay’s face slowly came into focus. Her eyebrows were drawn together in concern and her mouth pulled into a frown. When I met her gaze, her eyes crinkled with relief. “Emmaline, can you hear me?” Her question was muted by the pounding in my head.
I moaned and pressed the palm of my hand to my forehead.
“She’s awake,” she announced in an overly loud voice.
I groaned and closed my eyes.
Heavy footsteps pounded, growing louder as they approached.
“What am I doing on the floor?” I pushed off the floor with one hand, and Nurse McKay helped me sit up.
“What do you remember?” Mr. Mizuno’s voice demanded.
I held my aching head with one hand. “I remember—” I stopped. “I sparred with Gray outside, then we came into the library to find Ivy and Neil.”
The library was a mess. About fifteen feet away, another group of teachers huddled around someone.
“Gray!” I tried to stand.
“Emmie, you’re not in any shape to move around,” Nurse McKay scolded.
“Gray was hit. W-we have to help him.” The room spun around me. Or maybe I was spinning. “Where’s Neil? He’ll know what to do.” I squinted at them and held a hand to my pounding head once more.
Mr. Mizuno’s shoulders slumped. “You don’t remember?”
“Remember?” In the back of my mind, there was something screaming for my attention, but I shied away from it, focusing instead on my fuzzy memories. Bit by bit, they came into focus until everything slammed painfully into place. The last hour rushed back with razor-sharp clarity.
“Emmie, are you in pain again?” Nurse McKay’s voice called to me.
A tear dripped onto my hand. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, promising myself I’d have the courage to see for myself when I finished.
One. Two. Ivy and Neil were talking about a girl Neil loves.
Three. Breathe in. Four. Breathe out.
Ivy recognized the man with the scar from Headmistress Elsie’s description. Why did he look familiar to me?
Five. Six. I balled my hands into fists.
Unleashed Magic (The Chronicles of Andar Book 1) Page 16