by Demi Dumond
When I got back to Malachai, the situation had deteriorated. There were dozens of students ready for mayhem and it sounded like there were even more in the halls waiting to push their way in. So much for the curfew. Where were those stupid sentinel bats when I needed them?
One student pointed an angry finger at me. “She started this whole thing, and only she can end it.”
“What are you people talking about?” I shouted. “How can I end it?”
“The monster wants you,” Another student shouted
“How do you know?” I asked. “Are you and the monster on a group chat or something?” I had dealt with stress by using sarcasm my whole life, and this mob scene was only seconds away from getting out of hand. I had to find a way to get them to come to their senses. If that was even possible.
As it was, the only thing holding them back was Malachai glaring and waving that gun back and forth at the crowd. There was no way the two of us were going to hold them back for any length of time, though.
Assuming my stance, I let them see that I was preparing for my aggression spell. The handful of students in Kiln’s class with me stepped back, causing a cascading wave of students backing up. But they only got angrier.
“I don’t want anybody else to get hurt,” I screamed. I decided not to call my magic after all. I felt like a show of good faith was my only option.
“Neither do we,” A shout from the back said. “It’s you or us.”
Oh shit. That’s when I knew that it didn’t matter what happened next. Or whether it was right now, ten minutes from now, or a week. This mob wasn’t going to stop coming until they got what they came for. Me. Dead. I took a step back. My mind raced with fear.
A vicious snarl sounded from just outside the door. I knew that snarl, it was Rafe. He pushed and fought his way inside the room, his face contorted in rage as he headed straight for me. I thought for sure I was done for.
Then he stood next to me and turned to face the crowd. “Nobody gets to her except through me.”
Every hair on my body stood on end as I reacted to his proximity and to his rage. He was probably only protecting me because he thought I was his mate, whatever the hell that meant, but I had to admit that at the moment, I was feeling very, very protected.
There was no way this mob was going to attack me with Rafe ready to disembowel people and Malachai waving a gun. Maybe I had a chance after all. Wait, Malachai usually had a flaming sword, not a gun. I wondered where the gun came from and how he knew to bring it tonight. Why he was here with it right now.
He saw the questions crash across my face, because when I looked over to ask him, he gave me a sad smile. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but there was no other way.” Then he took a step back, aimed the gun at Rafe, and fired.
40
Keira
I saw Rafe hit the floor with a loud thunk. The minute he was out of the way, the crowd rushed me. Time slowed down and my brain had trouble processing everything that was going on.
My head swiveled back to Malachai. He took a step back, getting out of the way so the crowd could take me. I couldn’t believe this was how it was going down.
“Why?” I screamed at Malachai. And as the hands were grabbing me and pulling me out the door, it was still the only question on my mind.
Then I was out of the door and into the hallway. Malachai was out of sight. I started fighting back against the mob. I kicked, and bit, and punched, and scratched for my life.
“No!” I screamed, my survival instinct kicking in, “there has to be another way.” But nothing was going to slow them down or stop them. It was like they were in a feeding frenzy.
When I looked up, we were all the way to the double doors that led to the courtyard outside. It was so dark out there. I remembered the frightened student running across the courtyard, the monster right behind. I tried not to remember the next part, but the sounds and the images were seared into my brain.
I froze in panic, for just a moment. And that was the moment they chose to push me out of the doors, face first onto the cement steps of the courtyard.
I looked up. I heard the metal sound of the deadbolt locking the doors. I saw the faces of the crowd shouting down at me. Then I heard something else.
I turned my head to the sound of footsteps. It was Malachai, his faint golden glow lit up the dark night as he ran. But why was he out here and where was he going?
The gate. Where Jack had tried to get through. He was going to get killed too, only he was going to do it trying to escape. I couldn’t figure out why he had done any of the things he had done tonight.
He was almost there. “Malachai, no!” I yelled, worried the next thing I’d see is his golden form laid out on the lawn like Jack had been.
Then I realized my mistake. I should not have yelled. I shouldn’t have attracted any attention to myself at all.
I looked back up at the faces of the students, but they weren’t looking at me anymore, they were looking above me, into the forest beyond the courtyard. Their faces held a mixture of fear and expectation. I was afraid to turn around and face the woods.
I looked back to where Malachai had been, but there was nobody. He was gone. Had he gotten through? How? The events of the night were all a mystery to me.
That’s when I felt the ground underneath me rumble and shake. The monster was coming.
41
Keira
The rumbling intensified and I heard a crashing noise from the forest. The dragon was headed right for me.
I got to my knees, watching the forest until I saw it appear just behind the tree line.
When I saw it break into the clearing headed my way, it didn’t feel real. My body must have gone into shock. Vaguely, like in a dream, I felt my back hit the double doors.
It was like an out of body experience. I watched myself bang on the door until my hands started to bleed. Then I heard myself screaming.
I knew it was over when the students on the other side of the door backed up. I could see their faces frozen in fear. By then I was too afraid to turn around. I didn’t want to see it coming.
The rumbling became earthquakes. They knocked me off my feet. Then a giant claw grabbed my leg. I was pulled down the cement steps and through the courtyard.
I screamed and grasped for anything within arms-reach, all the while knowing it was useless.
And then I was inside the tree line, being dragged through the forest. A rock glanced off of my head, causing me to curl upward into a ball.
The monster finally stopped inside the forest when he got to a cave. I tried to look around and get my bearings, but the monster swung its arm, throwing me into the darkness of the cave.
I went flying through the air until I landed hard on the ground to a chorus of snapping sounds. What the fuck? I could hear the dragon pacing at the entrance of the cave. What was he waiting for? Just come kill me already.
I knew after being dragged through the forest that I must be injured. That I should have been in pain, but truthfully, I didn’t feel anything at all. Hooray, shock. And probable head injuries.
I shifted uncomfortably on the ground. It wasn’t like I expected it to be comfy, but it was really uneven and sharp.
I moved my hands into the magical stance for my protection spell. The light from the magic should allow me to see a little. It only took a moment and then I released my magic.
The sparks flew from my hands forward into the cave. I was laying on a bed of bones and skulls. The horror of it all hit me just as my magic faded leaving me in darkness again.
That’s when the dragon entered the cave. Fiery breath escaped the giant maw, lighting the cave in uneven bursts as he made his way forward.
There was only one thing left to do. I decided not to die screaming if I could help it, and if I could inflict a small amount of pain, then all the better.
My hands went up into my magic stance. I was going to give this fucker all the dark magic I could muster. I channeled all of my
fear, rage, and desperation into one final spell and then I opened my eyes and let it go.
The dark purple flames that erupted from my hands and lit up the cave were impressive.
The dragon deftly took a step to the left, dodging the spell. It roared. Then it stepped forward and lunged with its head. Instead of eating me, it watched me.
I went back into protection spell mode so I could see what the fuck was going on. I tried to alter the spell in my mind so that it lasted longer to light the massive cave. Then I let it go.
What I saw when the cave lit up purple again, I could not believe it. The dragon was standing in front of me, in its own magic stance.
“What the fuck?” I asked out loud. The dragon had dodged the spell. Like it understood. How could the dragon understand magic? What did that mean?
The dragon was still standing there, not moving. I had to figure out what was going on here. I readied another spell, this time casting a wider net so that I could get a better look at the rest of the cave.
The cascading light did as expected and lit the whole place up. I looked around and couldn’t believe what I saw. A backpack, with the Blood Moon Academy logo on it. It was weathered and dirty, but it was the same exact backpack that I had. What the hell? Was the dragon a student?
Darkness again overtook the cave, all except for the creature’s feral yellow eyes staring back at me. I got lost in those eyes, and for a few minutes I could swear that I felt the creature. I could feel its magic and its longing. I could even feel its heartbeat. The magic was different than mine, but it still felt like dark magic. The dragon didn’t attack. If I had to guess, I would say that it was trying to communicate with me.
I was strong enough to feel the difference now. The next thing I knew, the cave filled with magic. Waves of purple, black, and gold hit me from all sides. I tried to hang on, but the last thing I saw were the creature’s eyes and a blinding light. Then everything went dark.
42
Keira
I woke with a horrible headache, a dry mouth, and a million sharp pains in my back. Where was I? I couldn’t see anything, but there was a light in the distance.
I crawled toward the light, and every inch of the effort hurt. When I finally got to the light outside, the events of the previous day started coming back to me.
The dragon, the cave, the magic, the backpack. The mob that had attacked me. Ian left for dead. Malachai. The emotional pain matched the physical pain I felt.
I stood, looking over my blood-stained body. Okay, so that’s why everything hurt. Wait, the dragon. Where was it? I looked around, making sure it wasn’t lurking nearby waiting to pounce. But there was nothing but trees and the wind and the sounds of the forest.
Something about last night changed my mind about the dragon. It hadn’t killed me, for one. It dragged me all the way out here for a reason. I felt a connection. It all felt so real. I had to figure out what it meant. But not right now.
I located the morning sun and started making my way slowly away from the cave and in the general direction of where I assumed the academy to be.
When I finally limped into the courtyard, I guessed it was almost lunchtime. I heard the shouts of fellow students as I made my way toward the statue. I could feel the stares and gave them all a double middle finger salute.
Afraid the mob would assemble to finish me off, I had planned on staggering all the way to my dorm room and into the bed.
But I sat down heavily as soon as I got to one of the stone benches, exhausted and still bleeding. I was fully prepared to throw dark purple fireballs if need be, I just needed a breather first.
A familiar face came over. Bree. I stared at her with caution. Was she here to finish me off?
“Keira, you’re okay,” she said, sitting down next to me on the bench.
“No, I’m not” I said. “Do I look okay to you?”
“You’re alive,” she whispered reverently. “The monster took you last night, I saw the whole thing.”
“Yeah,” I answered, “you and the rest of that Lord-of-the-Flies mob really did a number on me.”
“It wasn’t me,” Bree said. “I’m sorry about before. I’m done with all of that.”
She looked sincere. “Thanks,” I told her.
Bree scooted closer and whispered. “How did you survive? Did you escape? Or did you kill it?” She looked at me in awe.
For my part, I had no idea how to respond. Between the student body being willing to kill me to appease the dragon and Malachai stabbing me in the back metaphorically speaking and leaving, I wasn’t sure there was anybody I could trust.
I certainly didn’t want to tell her what I had learned about the dragon and magic, especially since I didn’t know what it meant. “Um, well, it dragged me to a cave in the forest and then it knocked me unconscious with magic. I think.” The whole thing was a haze now, and I was beginning to suspect that I had a concussion.
“All I know is that I woke up this morning and it was gone, so I came back.”
“You’re hurt,” Bree said, standing up and offering me a hand. “Let me help you to the infirmary.”
The infirmary was probably a good idea, but I didn’t want to move.
“Hey,” I asked, “is Ian okay?”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Bree asked. “He’s been out all night looking for you.”
“He’s in the forest?” I asked, alarmed.
“He was pretty upset about what they did to you,” Bree said.
“We have to get him back,” I said, trying to stand. I knew that the dragon and I had established some sort of rapport last night. I didn’t understand it, but I knew it was there.
I doubted that Ian would be given the same opportunity to bond with the creature that I got. “It’s not safe out there.” I wobbled and nearly fell before sitting back down.
“You’re in no condition to go anywhere,” Bree said. She motioned for a few nearby students to help. It was my turn to glare at them instead of the other way around. Still, they agreed to fan out and call Ian back to the Academy.
I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering what happened between Ian and I in the dungeon. The wound from his fangs between my legs still throbbed as it healed. I felt a connection to him I had never felt with another living soul. And he was the only one here who always had my back no matter what.
I decided to close my eyes and try to communicate with him. Please come back, Ian. I’m here. I had no idea if he could hear me or if that was even a thing, but it was worth a try. I opened my eyes.
The events of last night continued to come back to me in bits and pieces. “Oh shit, what about Rafe?”
“Rafe is okay. That bastard Malachai shot him, but it was a very small caliber bullet, so he’s going to pull through.”
“And Malachai?”
“He made it out,” Bree said. “Gone. If it makes you feel any better, he lied to all of us, not just you.”
“Sure,” I said. “That makes me feel great.”
That’s when I heard a zapping sound across the courtyard. We all turned our heads to see what was going on. The sound was coming from the same spot Malachai disappeared from last night.
A second later, Malachai appeared, stumbling forward into the grass. He got to his knees and looked around, glancing at the faces in the crowd until he found me. His expression turned to surprise, and he looked around him as if nothing was familiar.
I looked away, turning my attention back to the statue. A part of me was glad that he was okay. And that he was back. But a bigger part of me was still hurt and pissed as hell.
I wasn’t able to ignore him for long, less than a minute later, the golden fallen angel loomed over me, a look of concern on his face.
I stood long enough to slap him across his beautifully sculpted, angelic face. I hit him so hard my hand stung, but not as much as my heart. There was no way for me to hurt him as much as he hurt me. His expression never changed.
“Don’t look at me like t
hat,” I snapped, sitting back down. “You don’t get to look at me like that. Like you give a fucking damn about me because after last night I’m not buying it. You’re the same as the rest of them. Actually, you’re worse,” I said, my eyes searching the students around me who were obviously eavesdropping for any willing to make eye contact with me. None of them were.
He knelt in front of me, his face earnest. “According to my watch, I was gone less than an hour, Keira. I had to get out, I had to know what was going on outside the academy. I was always coming back for you. I thought I’d be back in plenty of time to save you.”
“Well, you weren’t,” I answered him. “I saved myself.”
Malachai already wasn’t paying attention to me anymore. He looked around, alarmed. “How is it already day out?”
“Twelve hours,” Bree said. “You haven’t been gone an hour; you’ve been gone twelve hours.”
“We have a problem,” Malachai said. “Something is very wrong here.”
“Yes,” I jumped in. “You and most of the other students here are all assholes.”
“No, listen,” He said. “You don’t understand. I’ve been here two semesters, right?” He looked to Bree, who nodded, like it was an official answer in a court of law in front of a judge.
“That’s what I thought too,” he said, “only ten years has passed in the outside world.”
“What?” I asked, looking from Malachai to Bree, who’s face had drained of color.
“It gets worse,” he said.
“How the hell could it get worse?” Bree asked.
“Nobody we know has ever left. No graduates, no flunkouts, nothing. Everybody who has ever left the academy that we know of never really made it out. They’re all dead.”
Malachai swallowed. “According to records in the outside world, if you graduate from Blood Moon Academy, you die. If you fail, then you die much, much faster.”