Fallen Academy: Year One

by Leia Stone

  I frowned. “You don’t think I can do it?”

  That hurt. Bad.

  His face fell. “No, that’s not it at all. I think that since I met you, demons have had it out for you. I think there’s a very real chance that the demons in your training will know who you are and… I don’t know, maybe I’m just being paranoid. Just be safe, okay? Joining the Fallen Army is the best thing for you, but if you feel you’re in grave danger in there, you pull the plug, all right?” He reached for my face but thought better of it. We were in a roomful of his colleagues, after all.

  By pull the plug, he meant fail. There was no way that was happening.

  Crossing my arms, I looked him up and down with my cockiest glare. “I’m going to pass the shit out of this test.”

  A slow grin crossed his face. “That’s my girl.” He winked.

  Three winks. I was collecting them and committing them to memory.

  We walked quickly to an all-black short bus marked with the number four. There were over two-dozen buses from the looks of it.

  As I stepped on with Lincoln, I saw there were about eight Fallen Army soldiers sitting in the back. I recognized Chloe’s brother, Donnie, as one of them. I knew he was in Lincoln’s brigade. They both probably requested our team. One quick glance at Luke told me he was totally freaking out to be on the same bus as him.

  After I took a seat next to Shea, the bus took off.

  This is happening.

  I’d never been outside Angel City or Demon City. The war zones were crazy, from what I knew. People were killed there daily, food was in short supply, and demons were constantly wreaking havoc on the innocents. Rape, murder, and God knew what else happened on the regular out there. Growing up in Demon City, we saw the somewhat civilized side of the demons. They didn’t attack their own kind or in their own territory, so all of this was going to be new to me.

  Once Lincoln finished talking to the bus driver he stood, staring down on all of us. “All right, will the two team leaders raise your hands,” he bellowed.

  Nervously, I extended my arm into the air and looked to see the other team had of course selected Tiffany. Her Light Mage insignia was glittering on her uniform.

  Bitch.

  I prayed Shea could brew up a diarrhea potion that would make her ass explode.

  Lincoln nodded to someone in the back, and a young brunette in her early twenties stood, walking over to the blonde Light Mage. I recognized her from the beach, but I didn’t know her name.

  “The leaders will be fitted with a magical device. If at any time they deem the training has become too dangerous, they can press the button and my team will burst in and save the day. At that time, your entire team will fail the gauntlet, so only press it if someone’s in mortal danger.”

  We all shared nervous looks. I could see now that Lincoln had a matching device on his wrist.

  He held onto the rail at the top of the bus as it turned and headed out of the city. “Everything we do in the Fallen Army, we do as a unit. A team. If you can’t work as a team, you have no place in this army.” His eyes fell on Tiffany.

  Ha. Take that.

  “There are eight lower-level demons loose in an abandoned industrial building, four for each team. It’ll take all of the skillsets you’ve learned here at the Academy, and all of your teamwork, to kill them.”

  I glanced over and saw Tiffany blanche. She’d probably never killed a demon. None of them had. Not that I had any demon kills on my record, but I’d nearly killed Shea’s boss, and we’d fought those demons in the gym, so we were more prepared than most.

  “Once you’ve killed all four, you may exit the building, and join us. We’ll send anyone who’s injured to the healing tent, and then we’ll all celebrate,” Lincoln explained.

  Tiffany grinned, high-fiving her sheeple like she’d already won.

  The bus had reached the edge of the city already, the ominous concrete walls rising up like sentinels in the night.

  “A final word of warning. Passing the gauntlet is not worth a life. If at any time you feel anyone on your team is in mortal danger, you push that button. I will have no lives lost on my shift. Do you understand?” His eyes bored into each one of us, lingering on me the longest.

  We all nodded nervously.

  “The correct response is ‘sir, yes, sir,’” Lincoln informed us smugly.

  Oh hell no. I was not going to have to start taking orders from him, and calling him ‘sir,’ was I?

  Everyone else shouted, “Sir, yes, sir,” but I mumbled it. I had major problems with authority, which probably wouldn’t serve me well in the army. I’d definitely have to work on that.

  We were passing through what used to be Burbank, California. I tried not to gape at the sight of the blown-out houses, scorch marks up the walls, abandoned cars, and half-burned lawns. A few soldiers patrolled the street with a spotlight, but otherwise it was deserted. Off in the distance, a massive explosion rang out, causing all of us to jump.

  Lincoln nodded. “Demons love blowing shit up. You’ll learn that. This area of the city is pretty deserted, so it’s considered somewhat safe, but ten miles out it’s still an active war zone.”

  “People live out here?” I asked, horrified and suddenly super grateful for my cushy life at the academy.

  He nodded, looking out into the wasteland of burned homes. “Most couldn’t afford to leave. Then Angel City erected the wall and started filling up. By the time they decided to join us, the demons had taken hold.”

  Oh God. Are they trapped out there? I felt sick just thinking about it.

  The bus pulled into the parking lot of an abandoned industrial building, the number four spray-painted on the side. It rose up four stories high, some windows were blown out and the roof looked ready to cave in.

  “This is us. An old sewing factory. A big staircase splits the building in two. Tiffany’s team will take the left, and Brielle’s team will take the right. The demons were released in there about an hour ago, and are magically bound from exiting any of the doors or windows, so they’re going to be pretty pissed,” Lincoln stated.

  Great.

  The bus doors opened then, and Lincoln started to walk out.

  I stood, looking down at my team. “Double-check your weapons, and make sure your suits are fully zipped up. We’re bound to encounter another Snakeroot demon.” They nodded, making sure their skin wasn’t exposed where it didn’t need to be.

  Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Let’s go. Don’t screw up,” she barked at her lackeys.

  Her three teammates jumped up and trailed after her, pushing past us as they went.

  When Tiffany passed Luke, I saw him visibly flinch as his hands balled into fists.

  “Don’t worry, she’s going to get her payback.” I whispered to him.

  He took in a deep breath and nodded.

  We all stood, and exited the bus as the rest of the Fallen Army soldiers trailed after us. They started to take up a perimeter around the house, pulling out their weapons, and looking up at the ominous building. I glanced up at one of the windows, and saw a shadow pass across it.

  Lincoln threw a duffel bag at my feet, and another at Tiffany’s. “Headlamps, glow wands, and lanterns. The building has no power.”

  Awesome. Fan-freaking-tabulous.

  I knelt down and unzipped the bag, distributing the items to my team before I put on my headlamp, and then stuck two glow wands in my outer thigh pockets. I used a carabiner to hook one of the lanterns to my waist.

  “Luke, beast out. I want to go in full power,” I instructed, and he nodded.

  Lincoln looked at me with a slight grin. “Good call.”

  “Thank you, sir.” I raised an eyebrow.

  That only made him grin wider. God, he’s so gorgeous. Why won’t he deflower me already?

  “Can we start now?” Tiffany asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Maybe I could hurt her during the training exercise, and make it look like an accident.r />
  Lincoln scowled at her. “We’ll start when I say we start,” he snapped.

  Each and every member of my team sported a gleaming smile at his words.

  Tiffany’s mouth popped open in shock as she stared at Lincoln, then turned her back to him.

  Lincoln clearly didn’t want anything to do with her, and she needed to learn that real quick. Their families might’ve been friends, but that’s where it stopped.

  Luke walked around the other side of the bus to strip down and shift. I noticed Donnie, Chloe’s brother, break away from his place, near the front door where he’d been talking to another soldier.

  “Good luck, sis,” he said, pulling her in for a side-arm hug. He was super good-looking, not the least bit feminine in demeanor, but Luke swore he was gay. I guess that would teach me to stereotype.

  She smiled. “Thanks. Did Mom make you request to watch over me?” She put one hand on her hip.

  He looked down at her with a wicked grin. “Of course.”

  She chuckled, showcasing her fangs. “Well, we’re going to do great. We have a solid team.”

  Just then, Luke padded out from behind the bus. His huge brown bear, with large black curled horns always had me awestruck and terrified simultaneously.

  Donnie’s gaze swept Luke up and down. “Yes you do,” he agreed appraisingly.

  Walking over to Luke, I fitted a headlamp around his horns.

  “All set?” Lincoln asked me.

  I nodded. Now or never. I was either about to become a member of the Fallen Army, a cocktail waitress at Chloe’s dad’s club, or… dead.

  Lincoln barked an order at his team, who readied their weapons, and stood in a rigid stance, clearly ready to break into the building and save our asses at a moment’s notice. Then he walked over to the steel door and opened it. Only lurking darkness shone inside, which sent my stomach roiling.

  Tiffany walked up to Lincoln, sashaying her hips, and he handed her a key. “Stay on the left side. Good luck, and don’t forget to use your button if needed.”

  She grabbed the key and rolled her eyes. “Save your recovery team for Archie. We’ll be fine.” Then they started into the building.

  Every time she opened her mouth, my hatred of her grew deeper and deeper, like a cavern.

  I was next. With one last settling breath, I took the key from him, his fingers caressing mine. Looking up, I met his gaze and wished I could kiss him.

  “Your wristband has a GPS tracker so—”

  “We’ll be fine. See you soon.”

  He nodded, pulling his hand back, but looking anything but convinced.

  “Let’s do this,” I told my team, then walked into the dark opening.

  A bunch of first-year students were about to take on four demons.

  No big deal.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The moment we slipped the key into the door on the right side of the stairs, I smelled it. Sulfur and oil. Demons.

  “Good luck, Archie,” Tiffany’s catty voice called from above me, as her team slipped in the door across the hall.

  “Watch your back, bitch!” Shea spat venomously, Luke growling at her side. A big-ass scary-bear growl.

  Tiffany’s face tightened in fear for a second, but then she slammed the door shut.

  “Whoa, okay. Got the aggression going. I like it. Now let’s take it out on the four demons inside,” I said to Shea, then pushed open the door.

  Luke was the first one in. He brushed past me, head down and horns ready to ram anything that got in his way. His spotlight spread out through the space, but I saw nothing but dusty half-broken sewing desks.

  Chloe was in next, Shea beside her, and I brought up the rear, closing the door and locking it behind me. I didn’t want any of these suckers getting out and failing us. Magically locked or not, I wasn’t taking any chances.

  I opened the carabiner at my waist and pulled the lamp out. Clicking it on, I rolled it into the middle of the room.

  “There!” Chloe shouted as movement crawled along the far-right edge of the wall. The little bastard passed into the light, and I saw tiny bat-like wings for a split second.

  “It’s a Yew demon!” I shouted, and then Chloe was off, like a hawk seeking prey as she cut through the room.

  Yew demons spit fire. If you got them going, they wouldn’t stop until the whole place was up in flames. Their only weakness was that they were pretty much blind and super slow, going off sound.

  Chloe was fast enough to distract him, zipping to his right. When he heard her coming, he spit a stream of fire into the air ten feet from where she’d been standing. He didn’t even sense her as she reached up and yanked him down by one wing. With a screech, he flapped madly as she pinned him to the ground. The little bastard spit fire onto the old hardwood floors but nothing alighted, and then Luke was there. Chloe maneuvered the Yew demon so Luke could take the small bat-like creature into his mouth. Then he shook his head vigorously until we heard the snapping of the demon’s neck.

  I knew there were three more in the building, so I didn’t pay too much attention to the Yew demon. Luke and Chloe had him. Instead, I spun in a circle and scoped out the rest of the space. The front area was pretty open, and led to a main room full of sewing desks, but the back part, past Chloe and Luke, seemed to have an office and another stairwell.

  Luke glanced up from his kill, and I walked over to pat his round rump. “Good boy,” I cooed.

  He reached around, head-butting my leg, and I laughed. “Okay, okay. Sorry. Awesome job, you badass mutha.”

  He hated being treated like a pet, but I wasn’t sure how else to talk to him in his animal form.

  “Come on. I think this place is four stories high, so there’s probably one demon on each floor,” I said to everyone.

  I grabbed the lantern, and we walked slowly to the back of the room where the office was. Pulling Sera from my boot, I peeked inside the office room. A quick scan told me it was empty.

  “This is going to be easy-peasy,” Chloe announced as she started up the stairs.

  “Don’t get cocky!” I shouted after her, running to catch up. “Hang back a second.” I placed a hand on her chest, and stepped in front of her.

  The lower-level demons were Yew, Snakeroot, Larkspur, and Castor, the latter being more dangerous than the others. Though any one of them could kill us, burn our faces off or make our lives a living nightmare.

  “You did a great job with the Yew demon, but let’s be cautious,” I urged. We’d reached the top of the steps, where there was an opening to another level.

  She nodded, and let me take the lead into the room. I gripped Sera firmly in my right hand, then stepped inside.

  The second I crossed the threshold, nausea rolled into me, making my mouth water as bile churned in my belly.

  “Lark… spur,” I said between dry heaves as the rest of my team burst into the room, flashlights shining.

  Larkspur demons made you physically ill while in their presence, weakening you the longer you stayed near them. Ten minutes in the room and I’d be puking my brains out, unable to do a damned thing to defend myself. I already felt the body aches setting in, like a really bad case of food poisoning, or the flu.

  ‘Sera, help,’ I called, holding my dagger in front of me. Larkspur demons were a menacing seven feet tall, and they packed a punch. If I could illuminate the room, there was no way he could hide.

  Sera’s light shot out of the tip of her blade and burst like a firework at the ceiling.

  Oh shit.

  The light had also shown him where we were. From his place near the far-left window, he was now running at us.

  “Infirmi!” Shea yelled, and a spark of yellow shot from her palm, slamming into the demon’s gut. His legs buckled, and he started to fall forward. Luke made a distressing sound from behind me, and I took a split second to glance over my shoulder at the Snakeroot demon riding his back.

  What the hell! My eyes widened. There were two of them on
that floor. I felt like I was going to throw up, but I had to push all that aside and deal with this, or we were in some deep shit.

  “Chloe, help Luke!” I shouted, my mouth full of saliva. Then I advanced on the Larkspur demon with Shea at my side.

  “I weakened his legs, but it won’t last.” she said, then turned over and retched on the ground.

  Wasting no time, I leapt onto the demon’s back as he was trying to stand and shoved Sera between his shoulder blades up to the hilt. The moment I sank the blade into his flesh, he roared and arched his back, using his incredible strength and speed to try and buck me off. I kept my hold on Sera as my body was flung up and outward, in a forty-foot arc across the sewing factory.

  This landing is going to hurt. Wait, I have wings!

  At the last second, my wings shot out, and I got all of two flaps in before I crashed into the far wall. I hit with the entire left side of my body, minimally slowed by my wings, and sank to the ground. Doing a quick assessment for anything broken, I tried to stand. My left hip was pinching fiercely, but it didn’t feel dislocated, at least.

  Looking back over to the fight, I saw Chloe chasing the Snakeroot demon while Luke was panting on the ground. The Larkspur demon had his hands around Shea’s throat.

  “Shea!” I roared and burst forward from where I stood. Launching into the air, I felt pain shoot into my left hip, but as soon as I let my wings take over, I was fine. Flying across the room, I slammed into the demon’s back, knocking him off Shea.

  ‘Keep me in him long enough and I can obliterate him!’ Sera ordered.

  She was in battle mode, and so was I. I wouldn’t lose any friends tonight, and I would not fail this test.

  The Larkspur demon hit the ground at an awkward angle and I fell on top of him, plunging Sera into the closest part of his body I could reach, which happened to be his groin.

  Take that, you bastard.

  Then I crawled over him, straddling his abdomen and trying to pin him down long enough to allow Sera to work. Being that close to him was making me feel like death, my whole body breaking out in chills as nausea rolled into me like waves crashing against a shoreline.