"Weapons, you mean," Izzy said, anger beginning to eclipse her fear and confusion.
"Commodities to be exploited by corrupt people for their own gains."
"I don't get involved in all that. I'm here for my own gains, know what I mean?" he said as he rubbed his thumb and fingers together in the international gesture for cash before folding his arms, a motion that made his biceps bulge.
"Why Trent?"
"He's strong as an ox, his endurance is unmatched, and he even heals faster than most. They'd have paid more for Jake, but taking the Dean's son would never fly. I should've picked someone less well liked than Trent, though. It was a misstep I won't repeat next time."
Next time.
"You're going to keep doing this?"
He shrugged his wide shoulders, eyebrows raised. "Why wouldn't I? By the time kids’ parents start calling, I'll be on my way to Turks and Caicos with my millions." He spared a glance down at the watch on his wrist and rolled to his feet. "I've got to go. I am supposed to meet up with some of the other Professors to discuss some new timed obstacle courses. I'll bring you back some food and water."
Panic clawed at her chest as she strained against her chains.
"Wait. When will you be back? How long will I be here?"
"That's the cool part. My client was still in town after purchasing Trent. I just got off the phone with him and he’s thrilled with the bonus offering. Especially one as tough as you,” he said with a wry grin as he swiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve. “I'll be taking you to him before sunrise tomorrow. I can get back before anyone knows I'm gone. In the meantime, you might as well try to get some sleep. You won't be able to escape. The chains are made of triple reinforced titanium made in our own labs. Trying to break them will only get you injured. Even Trent couldn't snap them." He prowled toward the door like he didn't have a care in the world. "Don't worry, Isabelle. Your new owners won't hurt you. In fact, it's in their best interest to keep you healthy. I'm not a monster..."
"I don't know how you think this is going to work," she croaked, her breath coming in short gasps as she fought against the sudden rush of claustrophobia. "Don't you think the others will notice I'm gone soon?"
"Yes. I do." Sloane grinned. "Which is why it’s a good thing I have the note you left on Professor Baxter’s door letting him know you’ve opted to leave. I plan to keep an item of your clothing to plant outside the castle walls so the others will assume you’ve been killed by...whatever lives out there. Sorry you couldn't hack it here at Nightgrove, Isabelle. You'll surely be missed."
With that, he exited the room, closing it behind him with a snap. The clang of locks tumbling sounded like doom as she slumped deeper into her seat in despair.
She considered screaming, but her lungs already ached and who knew if her hollers would only bring Sloane back even faster?
No. She needed to try to escape before he returned. It was her best chance.
For endless minutes, she tested the chains, only to give up in frustration as she realized he’d been telling the truth about at least one thing. She wasn’t breaking out of them anytime today.
Surely, the others would eventually come looking for her. No way after their little pinky swear pact the girls wouldn’t know something was amiss if she tapped so soon after their conversation. Not to mention her meet up with Jake. He would eventually go check on her in her room if she was a no-show.
Jake.
A spark of excitement shot through her as she hunkered lower into her chair and used her hips to twist and turn until the chair rocked so far to the right, she almost flipped over. Just as she righted herself, she caught sight of a little black insect as it skittered across the floor.
Orville.
Excitement welled up inside of her as she spoke soft and slow. “I don’t know if you can see me, but it’s Izzy. Max, Rebecca, please get help. Sloane has me held captive somewhere in the castle. I think it’s somewhere below ground because--”
An echoing sound had her turning toward the door. Footsteps?
Sloane was back. But no...multiple footsteps. A whole squad of people. “Hello?” she called, pulse hammering as she tried to scuttle her chair closer. Another noise sounded at the door and sparks flew from the lock. She watched in awe as the whole thing lit up like a Christmas tree. A second later, the knob fell away, blackened and useless as the door swung open.
“Izzy!” Miguel tumbled into the room with Ashley, Aiko and Jake hot on his heels. Half of them were dressed in their pajamas, but they were armed to the teeth like some ragtag band of teenage assassins. She didn’t care how silly they looked as relief hit her like a one-two punch.
Her eyes filled with happy tears as Jake tossed a rucksack on the floor and began to rifle through it, and the others crowded around her.
"How did you find me?” she asked, voice trembling as the girls rushed forward to hug her. “I just remembered about Orville and then you were here!"
"Jake came to our room and said you were supposed to meet him somewhere and didn’t show. He got worried, which made Rebecca think to check Orville’s video feed. We couldn’t see you, but we heard the audio and a lot of what Sloane was saying. We started looking for you, without any real direction until you were able to knock Orville out of your pocket. Rebecca noticed that the walls looked damp, which made us go into the lower levels of the castle. Molly picked up the scent of chloroform the second we walked down the steps and we made tracks here as fast as we could," Aiko said, her words coming in a breathless rush as she jerked a thumb behind her. "We have them, along with Max, looking for the Dean to lead her here in case we needed back up."
"Perfect. I need to get out of these chains, fast, so hopefully no backup will be necessary. Sloane is tough and ruthless. I’d feel much better with some distance between us and him."
Jake straightened and held up a tiny device that looked like a common refrigerator magnet. He wore a bow on his back that made him look like an oversized medieval bowman. "Courtesy of Max and Rebecca."
"What is it?" Izzy asked as he moved behind her and began fiddling with the titanium restraints.
"Your wrists are going to get really cold for a second, but the girls assured me it wouldn't damage your skin or tissue, even though it might feel like it, ok?"
She couldn't very well argue in her current situation, so she nodded as she squeezed her eyes closed.
“Hold my hand,” Ashley murmured, as she laced her fingers with Izzy’s.
Jake hadn’t been kidding. The sensation of the chains against her skin went from cool to icy-hot in an instant and she had to bite back a groan of pain. Ashley made low, soothing sounds and then suddenly, it was over, and the chains crackled into shards and clinked to the floor.
“It worked!”
Jake rubbed briskly at her wrists for a second and then released her to stand. She shot him a grateful smile. "Thank you, guys. We've got to get out of here before your collective good deed is punished.”
“How did you know Sloane was a part of this?” Jake asked, his gaze probing hers as if looking for a sign of her deceit.
“I didn’t,” she said, and she stood on still-shaky legs. “I went to see if I could sneak into one of the offices to make a phone call. He caught me about to walk into his, and I guess he assumed I’d figured out that he was behind Trent’s disappearance. We need to hurry, now. I don't know how long we have. He said he was coming back soon with food and drink."
"He certainly did. And look how you repay my kindness."
Their heads all whipped toward the door as Tyson Sloane stepped in, looking as cocky and assured as ever.
Jake stepped to the front, pulling Izzy out of the way, and let out a primal growl.
"You hurt my friend!" Aiko shouted, the hurt and betrayal evident in her voice. She didn't wait for Sloane’s response as she lobbed a fireball straight at his chest.
Sloane laughed and a wall of flame appeared before him as he put his hand up. Aiko’s attack puf
fed into nothing with a pitiful fizzle. “Your power compared to mine is like a campfire’s is to a volcano,” he said as he casually blasted a fireball the size of a minivan at them.
Izzy dashed sideways, tackling Aiko to the floor with her. The fire winged past them, so close, Izzy could smell the singed tips of her hair as she rolled them both to their feet.
Jake was advancing on Sloane now as Sloane retreated to the other side of the room. “You won’t be able to get close enough to hurt me with those fists, boy,” he said as he sent a massive rope of flame towards his legs. Jake jumped and was nearly clipped by a second whip that would surely have sliced his head off like a laser beam, just as surely as it had melted a boulder during the exhibition.
Jake pulled back towards Izzy and the rest of the group. “I just need an opening to get close enough to get my hands on him and I’ll be able to beat him. Miguel, Aiko, Ash, make sure you do any of your fighting from afar,” he murmured, tossing Izzy the bow that had been on his back and three strange-looking arrows. “Another gift courtesy of Rebecca and Max. If we can get past his fire shield, they’ll neutralize his powers for at least a minute.
That was a big if, but Izzy nodded, letting her fingers curl around the weapon that felt like home in her hand.
From across the room, a huge sheet of flame shot towards them, clapping downwards towards the floor like a hammer. Her roommates and Miguel were far enough back that she didn’t have to worry about them as she dashed backwards with all of her speed and, now a considerable distance away, nocked an arrow.
When the sparks faded, she saw that Jake had run forward and feinted right to avoid the attack, and was now trying to close the distance between he and Sloane in the massive room. Off to the side, Aiko and Miguel were trying in vain to get an attack past the massive whips of fire he had summoned to deflect them. Ashley was next to them, shooting fallen stones from the walls at him like bullets, but his shield of fire was melting them on contact.
Izzy held her ground, arrow at the ready, as she waited patiently for a shot. As Jake leapt and dodged each of Sloane’s attacks, he moved inexorably closer and Izzy began to pray under her breath. Because Sloane had been on the move, too, albeit slowly, and had managed to put himself between Jake and the Elementals. She had to make a move, or else it would be open seasons on Miguel, Aiko, and Ashley, who didn’t have the speed to avoid a full on Sloane attack.
A moment later, she saw her chance as she was focused on deflecting a rock that Ashley had pelted at him from the front. Izzy sprinted to the side until she had an angle and quickly released her first arrow, aiming for his center mass.
Her jaw dropped in shock as the arrow dropped much quicker than expected and skittered across the floor a few feet in front of him. This was nothing like shooting a normal arrow and the weight difference made it like learning to shoot for the first time.
And now, she only had two shots left.
Sloane turned towards her and grinned. “You just wasted the one and only chance you’re gonna get, little girl,” he said. Then, he charged Aiko and the others, burning the floor into a melted field of magma as he ran. Jake began to make his way around the massive field of molten rock, but Izzy knew he wouldn’t make it to the others in time.
Izzy nocked another arrow but was dismayed to see that he had wrapped his fiery shield around him like a ball. She cursed under her breath.
No openings or breaks in concentration at all. Expelling power in those doses like that was draining. Surely, he had to be getting tired, but he was like an endless supply of stamina. How could they hope to beat someone like him?
“Fall back!” Izzy shouted to the Elementals.
Miguel and Ashley nodded and ran toward the far wall, but Aiko stood her ground, veins bulging as she shot a massive whirlwind of flame towards him from her hands. It was a true spectacle, and just enough. His barrier wavered for a moment in the wake of the huge attack and he put his hand out and obliterated it with a gout of flame that was entirely blue. While his barrier was still down, Izzy loosed her second arrow. She felt a rush of excitement as it flew straight towards him. But that joy turned to dread as his barrier returned, turning it to ash an instant before it would’ve landed. She readied another, refusing to give up. If she failed, she and her friends would all die here today, of that she had no doubt.
One chance left, make it count, girl.
Sloane clearly realized he would have to neutralize the Elementals if he didn’t want Izzy to get another shot at him. He moved to finish off Aiko, who was wobbling groggily after letting out so much power at once, but was interrupted by a massive bolt of electricity from Miguel slamming into his barrier with a loud crack. The collision nearly knocked Sloane on his butt and bought enough time for Aiko to scramble over to Miguel and Ashley, where they drew her between them.
Izzy looked up to see that Jake had taken good advantage of the distractions and had made his way around the field of molten rock to join the others. He must’ve figured out that time was on their side. Despite seeming like he had an endless well, eventually, Sloane’s fire would burn out. If the four of them could keep some pressure on him to give Izzy another opening without getting themselves killed, they had a chance to win here.
As expected, Sloane turned his back to Izzy and ran at her four friends, provoking a smile from Jake that quickly faded when Sloane put both hands in front of him and unleashed a whirlwind of fire that made Aiko’s previous display look like a joke.
Jake dragged Aiko to the left as Miguel and Ashley moved right. Izzy felt like she was going to puke as her four friends rolled to their feet, unharmed. That was way too close for comfort, but she only had one arrow left and she had to wait outside the fray, even if it meant watching as her friends got pummeled until she got her opening.
You can do this.
Before the raging inferno he’d unleashed had even fully subsided, Sloane was already moving toward Miguel and Ashley while the others watched helplessly.
“Run!” Miguel shouted, grabbing Ashley’s shirt to pull her along with him.
And run she did. Away from Miguel and right towards the hulking fire user. Her face contorted as she stretched her arms towards him and, for a moment, Izzy almost thought she saw Professor Kristoff standing there instead of her friend as Sloane skidded to a halt, frozen in place like he was made of stone.
She’d done it. Ashley had immobilized him, but she couldn’t hold him long.
Izzy closed one eye, tightening her draw on the bowstring as his barrier of fire fell. She released the arrow and watched as it sailed towards him in what her enhanced senses made seem like slow motion.
He turned at the last moment, and the arrow struck him in the shoulder instead of the back of the head as she intended, but it didn’t matter. She’d scored a hit. He gasped for air in the oxygen-less bubble that now surrounded him courtesy of Max’s special arrow, as Jake closed the distance between them.
Sloane reached behind him and managed to rip the arrow out and toss it aside an instant before Jake got within an arm’s length of him, but without fire for at least a while longer, he was just a man.
“Let’s go now, tough guy,” Jake snarled as Sloane tried frantically to back away, putting an arm up in an attempt to blast Jake back.
Izzy’s heart sank when she saw the orange glow beginning to form in his hand, but Jake, with a display of speed that rivaled Izzy’s, knocked his hand aside with his left hand, sending a barrage of sparks flying, and hit him with a hard right to the face. Sloane’s already battered nose exploded like he’d been hit with a hammer instead of a fist, but he stumbled forward and managed to grab Jake’s arm.
Undeterred, Jake landed a crushing kick to Sloane’s kneecap just as Izzy saw the fire that would’ve burned Jake’s arm clean off beginning to form. He tried to regain his balance but his shattered leg bent like rubber beneath his massive frame. Jake landed one last left hook to Sloane’s face as he fell, for good measure. A moment later, Sloane’s stiff a
nd clearly unconscious form hit the ground like a ton of bricks.
Jake slapped him a few times until Sloane’s swollen eyes shot open.
“Where is Trent, you bastard?”
“I have no idea, my client was going to come to the school,” he said, wheezing with every breath.
“Tell us who it was,” Jake said, circling him with barely repressed rage.
“Secrecy is paramount to my clients. I don’t know anything. End me if you’re going to, but you’ve got another think coming if you think killing me will solve your problems here,” he croaked, head lolling to one side.
“What do you mean?” Izzy demanded, stepping forward.
Suddenly, Sloane’s eyes widened and his face contorted in pain. He gasped for air and reached towards the ceiling, as if trying to fend off the Grim Reaper himself, before letting out a final, rattling breath.
“No!” Izzy dropped to her knees and felt for a pulse, but there was nothing. She shook her head and punched the floor. No Trent. No Jessica. No answers.
Izzy heard several sets of hurried footsteps as Rebecca, Molly, and Max arrived on the scene. The Dean poofed into the room a moment later and hurried over to them.
She stood over the slumped and bloodied Tyson Sloane, nostrils flaring, eyes bright with fury as she lowered a trembling hand.
“He’s dead. Oh, thank god. Is everyone all right?” She turned and scanned their faces. “Jake? Izzy?”
“I’m fine,” Jake shot back, the paleness of his cheeks standing out in stark relief against the orange flames that still licked Sloane’s body.
“Me too, thanks to you all,” Izzy managed, her adrenaline still pumping fast and hot.
"That was amazing. I’m so proud of us." The soft, breathy voice sounded so labored that Izzy's heart stuttered in her chest. It wasn't until she turned that she saw Ashley seated against the wall, wheezing a few yards away from an exhausted Miguel and a gasping Aiko. She moved her hands away from her stomach to reveal a charred, gaping hole there.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m gonna…” Ashley slumped to the side as her beautiful blue eyes drifted closed.
Nightgrove Academy Book One Page 16