by Marian Gray
Maggie placed a hand on my shoulder. “How about we team up tonight? Now that you’re single—” she winked. “Why don’t we go scout out someone for you to bring back here.”
I sighed. There was only one man in that room that I wanted to spend any time with, but he was also the one that wouldn’t even glance my way. I was invisible to him. He had ceased looking at me and peered through me instead. “That sounds like an excellent idea.” I forced the enthusiasm and turned to Sara and Eddie. Both still hovered nearby. “What do you two think?”
“Count me in.” Sara tossed back her head and downed her drink.
“I think I’m going to go ahead and stay up here actually,” Eddie said.
“Are you sure?” He tended to be more introverted, but I hadn’t thought he would go so far as to isolate himself from the crowd.
“One hundred percent.” He smiled, strolling away from us.
“What is he up to?” Sara asked.
“I’m not sure.”
Maggie grabbed my hand and yanked me to the balcony rail. “I hope you’re prepared for this,” she said as we looked out over the crowd.
“For what?”
“The selection.” She licked her ruby red lips. “There’s not a single man here that’s going to turn us down. This is the closest we’ll ever get to fame.” She paused for a brief moment. “Well, the closest I will ever get to fame, and I intend to enjoy it to its fullest.”
I swallowed a hard lump of discomfort. I didn’t want to chase after another man, but at the same time I refused to let the world see the emotional wreckage site that Elijah left in his wake.
“How about him?” Sara pointed out a tall, long-faced boy.
Maggie’s lips drew into a thin line as she shook her head. “No bejants. Magistrands or older.”
“How do you know he’s a bejant?”
“Trust me. I know.”
“All right. How about them?” Sara pointed to a small circle of older male students.
“They’ll work.” Maggie’s lips wrapped into an impish smirk. “I’ll be right back, ladies.” She sauntered down the spiral and into the crowd with her hips swaying.
“What is she doing?” I asked Sara.
“Going to fetch us some men, I think.” Her tone was inquisitive, and her eyes lit with excitement at the prospect.
It wasn’t long before Maggie returned with all four of our targets following her in a row like a mother duck with her ducklings. “Shall we?” She motioned to the seats. I fell into the end of the line, hoping to melt into the background.
“Not much of a partier?” A man with short black hair and a sinewy build asked. I stared at him, unsure of how to respond. I did enjoy parties and social gatherings but they weren’t easy when you were still healing. “I’m not really either,” he said to save the conversation. “I prefer smaller gatherings.”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, it’s pretty chaotic in here.” We sat together on a small couch big enough for two. “What’s your name? I’m Kim Blackwood.”
He chuckled. “I know very well who you are. I’m Sam Kowalski.”
“Kim.” Sara grabbed my attention. She nodded toward Eddie. He was perched in an armchair beside Beth. The two were fully engaged in conversation. Every few seconds she laughed, and he grinned in response.
“Is that your friend?” Sam asked. “The one talking to Beth Anderson.”
“Yes.”
“He’s brave. I have a few classes with her. She’s a rather intimidating individual.”
“If someone were to ask me to use one word to define her, that would be it—intimidating.” Beth was not the gentle, scared heroine of generations past. “So, you’re a magistrand then? I’m assuming because you’re familiar with Beth.”
“I am.”
“What specialization did you choose?”
“Augmentation. I want to get my license in spell-crafting. I come from a line of spell-crafters. My great grandfather was Sobieslaw Kowalski. He pioneered spell-crafting in Europe during the…”
I bobbed my head, hearing his words but not listening. My sight pushed past Sam and tunneled to Elijah. His attention continued to be focused on Kinsey. It was a punch to the gut and validated that there was an attraction there, despite his claims of the opposite.
“What about you,” Sam’s voice heightened in volume. “Do you know what you want to specialization in?”
“Casting probably. It’s the one thing I excel at.”
“Makes sense. It’s in your blood just as strongly as augmentation is in mine.” Sam’s light eyes glanced down to the dwindling liquid in my cup. “Want a refill?”
“Sure, thank you.” I handed him my glass, relieved to have a moment to myself.
“Kim, let him go,” Sara hissed from the couch to my left. “Elijah’s not even sitting over here. He’s deliberately over there so you both can enjoy the evening in peace.”
I hadn’t realized my stare was that obvious. My back leaned into the cushions, feeling heavier than it ever had before. “It just—” I started. “I can’t. It’s not that simple.”
Before Sara had a chance to reply. A growing chant for shots echoed from below. Ryan rose from his seat. “You heard the people,” he yelled at us. “Shots!” He snatched a half-empty bottled from a side table and sauntered to the balcony with a single stumble in his walk. Everyone stood to join him, myself included.
I took four steps before I felt a hand on my arm. It yanked. “You need to stop confiding in her,” Eddie said.
“What? Who?”
“Sara,” he whispered, while his eyes glanced to her. She stood with the team, grinning from ear to ear.
“Why?”
He sighed. “You haven’t figured it out yet?”
I shook my head.
“She’s the informant. She’s the one feeding the Emporium all the gossip about you. She was the student they quoted saying that you’re not ashamed of your short-comings and believe you’re better than all of us.”
I stood there, dumbfounded. But I was hesitant to discredit Eddie’s claim. He had been nothing but a great friend, while it was difficult to deny Sara was rather ambitious and passionate when it came to the Emporium. “How do you know?”
“I’ve seen it. She takes notes on your conversations. I knew you and Elijah had broken up before you told me because I saw it in one of her notebooks.” His tone softened. “And I had heard her say that quote at the beginning of the year. I didn’t tell you because I assumed it was just a case of everyone not knowing each other that well.”
“Why are you telling me all of this now?”
“Because I’m tired of seeing you get hurt. I hoped you would find out on your own or that you two would naturally separate, but the opposite is happening, and she hasn’t stopped selling off your secrets.” He rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something earlier. It was cowardly.” My mind struggled to wrap around the betrayal. At the same time, I knew Eddie. He wasn’t a liar. “Perhaps now wasn’t the best time to tell you.”
“I think it was the perfect time to tell me.” I turned on my heel and marched to where the traitor stood. Anger flared through my limbs. My hand latched onto her arm and fingers dug in. I reeled her around with a hard jerk. “I know it was you.”
Sara’s eyes squinted and lips upturned. “Ow, Kim! What is wrong with you?” She tore her arm from my grasp.
“You’re a backstabber,” I yelled just as the music dimmed.
“Kim?” Beth stepped forward to calm me, but Eddie placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
I knew there were eyes and lights on us, but my fury burned brighter than it all. “How could you do this to me? I trusted you, Sara. I thought you were my friend.”
Sara held out her hands in helpless defense. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar!” My finger rose to point right at her face. “You’ve been selling the Emporium stories about me! You’ve been taking every little g
lib I tell you and turning a profit from it. Don’t even play coy now.”
“Kim, you don’t really believe that was me?” Her voice wavered.
“How could it not be?” Everything aligned in my mind. “Every time I told you something, it appeared in the news a week later—twisted and commercialized. What kind of person does that?” My body threatened to burst into tears. “You and Eddie. You were the only two I ever trusted. How could you do this to me? You made my life a living hell.”
“Boohoo!” A familiar voice called from below. “So dramatic, Blackwood.”
“Shut up, Lili. No one wants to hear your voice,” Eddie snapped.
She folded her arms across her chest. “And who are you? Her dog she sends to bark at the fence every now and then?”
“No, he’s my friend. Something you would recognize if you had any.”
“Well, I guess we just have different types of friends. Because you don’t see me confronting any of them for selling me out. It makes one wonder what kind of person you must really be if people value money over your friendship.”
“So, that’s what you’ve reduced this rivalry to? Personal attacks? What happened to the Lili Banach that declared this a civil matter only to be dealt with during a duel? It must be difficult to live up to family expectations when you’ve been snuffed out so early in the race.”
“If you were down here right now, I’d—”
“You’d do absolutely nothing,” I cut her off. “We both know I would destroy you, Lili. Despite what some of you may believe, I didn’t earn my spot on the team by spreading my legs. I got it because I demonstrated power and agreed to go to private lessons—while all of you were out drinking and socializing—I trained. I know what the Emporium claims.” I glanced over my shoulder at Sara. “But they're wrong, and their source was unreliable at best. Ryan Rosewall was never in the picture.” I swallowed hard. My chest puffed out as every emotion imaginable swelled within. “But Elijah Harlow.” My breath stifled just from uttering his name. “Perhaps the Emporium got that bit right.”
My eyes watered as I stared down at the crowd, but I couldn’t look anywhere else. I couldn’t face my teammates. I couldn’t look at Sara or Eddie. And most of all, I couldn’t face Elijah. A glimpse at his stolid expression would break me. I turned and made my way to the staircase.
“Kim.” I heard Maggie call after me. Her tone was heavy with sympathy.
My heel hit the first step with a thud that shook the silent room. The sound quickened as my feet gathered speed. By the time I reached the floor, my legs pumped into a run, carrying me from the room. The observatory door slammed behind me, but I didn’t quit running. I sprinted out of the building, down the cliffside steps, and onto a small courtyard that overlooked the midnight woods.
My body collapsed onto the grassy ground, and a sob shook out into the night air. Just as soon as it came out, I swallowed it back down. I couldn’t be seen like this.
My hand reached for my clutch to retrieve a tissue, but my fingers felt something else. A hard, square. It was a folded piece of paper. I fetched it from my purse and pulled apart the layers. A bright red rose tumbled onto my lap. Its petals were rich with color, and its stem held strong and sturdy.
I love you, Kim.
It was the only thing scrawled across the page, but I knew who it was from. My chest tightened.
James needed to be brought in.
Chapter Forty-One
It was the middle of the night when I left my dorm. My holmgang uniform clung to my body with my scaled chestpiece buckled to my torso. Soft leather boots wrapped around my feet, and my wand remained out, held in my hand.
I had prepared for war. I wasn’t sure what James was capable of anymore.
Silence possessed the campus grounds. The path lights flared to life, following individuals on their way home. My feet marched a few yards off the footway to maintain secrecy. It was in a black sea of grass, weaving between the evergreens, that I descended the university’s peak. The old Scottish mansion nestled to the towering rock top transformed into a gothic horror at night.
As I traipsed into the dark wood, doubt slid into me. I had no way of finding the sorcerer, but I knew he was near. His mad obsession kept him close. Perhaps he was with me now, watching from the shadows and waiting to see what my next move would be. The thought sent shivers down my spine.
Crack.
A branch split on the forest floor. I froze. My heart pumped harder, certain it was him. I tried to lift my leg and step forward, but my muscles refused. “James,” I called out in a whisper. There was no reply. “Is anyone there?” A cool wind swept across the forest floor, rustling the pine branches. Terror trickled through my veins.
I took a deep breath to calm my frayed nerves. I had never known fright as I felt at that moment. The mixture of apprehension and mystery swirled together in the pit of my stomach, and I knew why it was there. I knew why it built in my gut so quickly.
I feared for my life.
James needed medical attention. He needed to be captured and turned in, but I didn’t doubt he would try to kill me if it meant his freedom. The thought brought tears to my eyes. My childhood best friend wanted to either marry me or snap my neck.
I closed my eyes. My head spun. I took several breaths until the rotation slowed. I needed to remember why I was here. I had wronged James by not helping him sooner. I had wronged Elijah by discounting his words and not taking his thoughts or feelings into consideration. And I had also done myself a disservice, allowing James to haunt me and strangle my freedom. Stopping him would rectify these situations, and I being the one to do it was my penance. There were few things that I could make right in my life, and this felt like one of them.
My leg lifted and boot set down ahead of me. I was going to fix this. My pace quickened as I hiked through the woods. “James,” I called out. “Where are you?” But he didn’t appear. I raised my wand. “Madea.” I gave the tip a small flick, sending a burst of red light high into the sky. It burned in the night for several seconds before fading into nothingness.
My bones shook when I saw it disappeared. I had just summoned a demon to my side.
The cold air pricked against my skin as I awaited his arrival. I didn’t know how long it would take him, but I knew his curiosity would be piqued if he did catch a glimpse of the light.
“Kim?” The sound drifted to me in a whisper.
I reeled around to face its source. “James.” I recognized his voice.
“Why are you out here in the middle of the forest?” He stepped out from the trees, revealing himself. His stature had grown a few inches, and his skin held an odd red hue.
“For you.” They were the only two words I could squeeze out of my mouth as I stared at the creature before me. The shy, sweet-natured boy from Virginia had transformed into a tall beast.
“Truly?” He took another stepped toward me. His tone held a mixture of both caution and excitement.
“Yes. Who else would I be out here for?”
His mouth bobbed open and closed several times in search of words to say. “You have no idea what this means to me, and how happy it makes me.” His body released a faint glow. “I knew I just needed to persist and be patient and that eventually you would come around. I’ll admit, after our last encounter, I began to doubt myself, but I’m glad I didn’t pull back. I’m glad I stayed the course—It’s all for us. This has all been for you. Your eyes, your smile, your smell. Together it makes you and with me is us.”
“What?” His babble was incoherent. “James, I’m not here to be with you. I’m here to stop you.” His face scrunched into a ball of discontent. “I’m hoping you’ll just walk back with me, but if not, I am prepared to force you to return to the university with me.” My hand tightened around my wand.
He didn’t move a muscle, but his voice broke the silence. It started in a low snicker and rose to a roar. The sound was discomforting. “Kim, my dearest and best friend—true love of my life
—you don’t really believe that will happen do you? We both know I’m not going to be brought forth to a committee that wants to strip me of my powers, and you can’t possibly believe you have the strength to outdo me either.”
My arm raised. “There’s only one way to find out.” I had come to him expecting a fight. There was no point in prolonging the situation.
His hands spread open before him. “I’m sorry, my love.” A spiral of fire shot from his palms.
“Rem.” I swung my wand and leapt to the side. My feet slid an inch across the loose ground, and when they stopped, I whirled my wand before me. “Exous.” A large burst of light pounded out from my wand like a shotgun.
James danced around the force with an agile nimbleness. His fingers twisted and lifted upward, roots sprung from the ground. Their needle ends wrapped around my ankles.
“Harek.” A slender line of smoke drilled into the roots. They sizzled and charred, turning to ash at my feet. My arm whipped before me. “Susa.” I lifted my wand high and slammed the point down hard. “Turbinis.” A crescent of wind surged toward him, knocking him in the chest before gripping and lifting him high in the air.
But he didn’t crash into the ground as I had expected. His arms tore outward, muscles bulging, as though he were breaking out of an imaginary straitjacket. His body drifted down to the earth, weightless.
He stepped toward me. Lifted his hand and squeezed.
I choked out as the pressure began to twist around my throat. The force grew and cut off my air. Panic spurred me. “Rem.” I wheezed. The oxygen rushed back to my lungs in a gulping cough.
“Surrender. Give yourself to me.” He offered terms of peace.
But I wasn’t going to give in. I slid back into my stance and raised my wand.
“More?” Electricity crawled along his hands.