The Soul Bond (Rite World: Blackthorn Hunters Academy Book 3)

by Juliana Haygert

“Simple. The ritual gives me immense power and immortality. That’s how I’ve been alive for so long. That’s how I’m so powerful, not even higher demons dare come after me.”

  “That’s wrong,” Professor Graham spat.

  Ignoring him, Randall turned in a circle, looking at everyone around him. “Demon hunters could become the most powerful beings in the world, if you allow yourselves to be.” He extended his hand. “Join me in creating a brand-new world where demon hunters and half-demons are at the top of the food chain.”

  Professor Crimson gasped. “You mean, you want us to do the same ritual as you do? You have gone mad!”

  “Mad, perhaps, but oh, so very powerful,” Randall said with the hint of a smile.

  “We can’t condone this,” Professor Astrid said.

  Professor Wesley nodded. “Astrid is right. We’re better than this.”

  “Lock him up!” someone shouted from the back. A student, no doubt.

  “Kill him!” another one yelled.

  People were growing agitated, cries of fear and rage rose from the crowd, and the professors stood in front of Randall, like a barrier.

  “Guards,” Professor Crimson said, his tone loud and hard. He pointed to Randall. “Arrest him!”

  The guards hesitated, but when Remi finally aimed his weapon at Randall, all the others followed suit.

  Loud laughter bubbled out of Randall’s mouth. “You think you can stop me?”

  This wasn’t going like I pictured at all. Randall was too fucking powerful, and he could take most of us down with a simple blink of his eyes.

  Remi took a step forward. “Don’t make me use force.”

  Randall laughed more. Then his laugh was gone, and he snickered at Remi before flicking his wrist.

  Remi and all the guards went flying several feet back. Some smacked right into the students, knocking them down.

  Dawnblades appeared in the professors’ hands. Following their lead, I summoned mine too. I gripped the hilt tight, a little eager for a fight against Randall. I knew I could never win, but I would do my best to give him some trouble.

  “Stand down, Randall,” Professor Graham shouted. “Stand down before we kill you.”

  “Kill me?” Randall called his sword, the first Dawnblade. In the blink of an eye, Randall spun around and swiped his sword wide, slashing across Professor Graham’s throat.

  Blood spluttered out as Professor Graham dropped his sword and clutched his neck. Professor Genevieve and Astrid knelt beside him, while Professor Wesley, Eleanor, and the others raised their swords at Randall.

  The students and other staff around us gasped and whimpered, shocked by the twists this night was presenting. A few feet to my side, Erin took a large step back with Harvey and Ava. Harper and Claire were right behind them, also as pale and shocked as the rest.

  “Don’t you get it? You can’t kill me.” Randall twirled his sword in his hand. I knew he wouldn’t go down easy, but I was starting to think this would be much, much worse than I first imagined. He smiled at the terrified faces of the students around the place. “Who else will stand in my way?”

  Practically limping, Remi and the other guards returned to their positions. “We will,” Remi said. Though his hand shook, his voice was unwavering.

  “So be it.” Randall’s blade disappeared and he raised his hands. Vines full of thorns sprouted from the ground, much like the ones from the games yesterday, and wrapped around the guards.

  Remi and the others squirmed, but that only made the vines tighten around them, prickling them with their thorns.

  “Randall, stop this!” Professor Genevieve shouted. “You’ve already been unmasked, and we won’t follow you even if you kill us all. But without any demon hunters on your side, you won’t have a society to fight for. To rule. You need us.”

  “Just surrender!” Professor Crimson said. By now, he probably noticed things would be harder than planned.

  “I won’t have a society?” Randall tsked. “Let me rectify that.”

  He snapped his fingers.

  Gasps echoed from the crowd.

  What the fuck was happening?

  Then, I saw it.

  Standing with her friends, Erin’s eyes rounded as the necklace around her neck glowed.

  27

  Erin

  The pendant around my neck shone bright.

  Not just mine. All of the half-demons had the same amulet as I did, and they all glowed like mine. The light was visible in the crowd, like fireflies in the dark.

  “What’s going on?” Claire asked, staring at me.

  “I-I don’t know,” I muttered, feeling the pendant tingling against me.

  A jolt like a shock traveled from the amulet into me, filling my chest with a brutal, dark force. I fought against this foreign power, but it was too much for me.

  In the center of the maze, Randall lifted both of his hands high. “Now, Black Knight Army, rise!”

  My body straightened, my head jerked forward, and my legs took steps I didn’t order them to.

  Desperation gripped me.

  “I can’t control myself,” I told my friends.

  “It isn’t only you,” Harvey observed, his eyes scanning the area.

  All the half-demons seemed to be in a daze, walking toward Randall.

  “Attack!” Randall shouted.

  Just like that, my Dawnblade appeared in my hand and I turned on my friends. “Guys … I can’t control it!” I lunged at them.

  Harvey pushed Ava out of the way, and Harper twisted around with Claire. I spun around and went for them again, my movements precise, my sword, the one I couldn’t reveal yet, swinging side to side.

  Ava drew her sword and parried one of my strikes. “Stop this!”

  “I can’t.” I tried glancing around, but my head didn’t obey my orders. “I think all the half-demons are being controlled by Randall.” Another jolt of dark power hit me, like a wave rolling inside my body. I bent forward, gasping for air. It was much stronger than me and it was taking over. I wouldn’t be able to hold on to my own thoughts much longer. “You guys have to knock me out.”

  “We won’t hit you,” Claire snapped.

  Claire.

  My best friend.

  The weakest of them all.

  The dark force pushed, and I lunged at her.

  With a yelp, Claire lifted her arm to defend herself. My sword slashed across her skin.

  Blood dripped from her arm to the ground.

  “Holy shit, Claire,” I croaked, fighting against the foreign power, but unable to do anything. “I can’t do this. Please, knock me out!”

  With wide, fearful eyes, Claire stepped back, and Harvey blocked me from her. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You have to,” I told him, practically begging. “Please.”

  Then another person appeared beside Harvey. “Then fight me,” Rey said. His eyes fixed on mine, he twirled his sword.

  I tried shaking my head, but I couldn’t even do that. “I can’t control it. I don’t want to fight you, but I have to.”

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” Rey beckoned me forward. “Fight me and only me. You’ll be distracted and won’t hurt anyone else.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” I whispered, fighting against the will to jump over him and pummel him. The darkness spread some more.

  “You won’t.” His voice was serene. Calm.

  Without being able to resist it anymore, I advanced on him. An expert fighter, Rey parried my strikes, one by one. More than that, he knew how I fought and he knew the way I would attack.

  He could hold me back, even if for a little while.

  But the darkness pressed inside me, demanding more of my senses, more of me. Soon, I would be a robot, striking down anyone in front of me.

  I brought my sword down, aiming for his head. Rey twisted out of the way and posed himself, waiting for my next attack.

  “Whatever this is, it’s going to take over, Rey,” I told h
im. Though I couldn’t see much since I couldn’t control my head, I took a good glance around every time I had to turn. It was pure chaos around us with all the half-demons fighting the demon hunters like mindless monsters. I had seen bodies on the ground, even though I couldn’t see faces. It was a massacre. “Please, knock me out.”

  A line appeared on Rey’s forehead. “I have a better idea.” He twisted his Dawnblade with mine, making me lose the grip around my sword. My sword fell on the ground with a thud. Then he stepped right into me and closed his hand over the amulet. He closed his eyes and poured his magic into it. Though he was a half-demon like me, Rey’s magic wasn’t nearly as dark as Randall’s, but since his connection was strong because he was holding the amulet, his power chased the darkness away.

  The pendant cracked and the magic fled from my body. My knees trembled. I went down with a gasp, but before I could hit the ground, Rey wound his arm around my waist and pulled me to him.

  “Are you okay?”

  His eyes, almost silver now, locked on mine. His mouth so close to mine. His warm, powerful body pressed to mine.

  He had saved me.

  Again.

  “Yes,” I breathed out. “Thanks to you.” If I could, I would have lingered in his arms for a moment longer, but I couldn’t. Clearing my throat, I stepped back and pulled the amulet over my head. “What did you do?”

  “Just fought the residual magic inside the amulet with my own,” he explained. “My guess is that we can do the same with all the half-demons.”

  I looked around. The Black Knight army was out of control. “Let’s do it.”

  Rey and I ran to the nearest half-demons. We had to fight our way to get close to them and be able to grab the pendant. I did as Rey explained, though at the first moment, the darkness pushed back and I almost lost. But after that, I knew what to expect. I went around, grabbing pendants, fighting the darkness, freeing one half-demon after another from Randall’s control, and telling them how to do the same.

  Soon, the half-demons who were still alive joined the demon hunters, and we all turned against Randall.

  “It’s over, Randall,” Professor Crimson said. “Surrender now!”

  “Never!” Randall spun around and ran out of the maze.

  What the hell?

  We all went after him.

  28

  Rey

  Why was such a powerful being running through the maze and into campus? Randall must like the chase, the game.

  But he attacked every time someone got close. Besides leaving a trail of bodies as we raced after him, Randall sent his magic to the top of the buildings like lightning. It hit the corners, and stone and concrete fell, shaking the ground, making us lose balance. Sometimes, the rubble landed on top of people. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Randall sent fire to the buildings and vegetation on our way, making it all burn.

  He ran toward the courtyard. I had a feeling that if he crossed into the Aster building, he would disappear. He would flee and we wouldn’t ever find him again, unless he came to us.

  I couldn’t let that happen.

  Using my half-demon magic, I increased my speed—but not a lot. I didn’t want anyone to think I was half-vampire and put me through something worse. I outran everyone else and caught up with him right in front of the Aster building.

  Sensing me, Randall turned to me, his arm outstretched. An invisible hand closed around my neck and lifted me up. “It was you, wasn’t it?” He shook his head. “After all the trust I put in you, all we went through together, you betray me like that?”

  “Trust?” I gasped against the force pressing against my windpipe. “I knew you never trusted me, and you knew I never really trusted you.”

  Randall shrugged. “See? We were the perfect pair.” His magic squeezed my neck some more. Black spots clouded my sight. This had been fucking stupid. Did I really think I could fight against the first demon hunter?

  “Drop him!” Erin shouted from somewhere behind me.

  My stomach dropped. Erin? Here? No, no, no.

  Randall’s laughter echoed through the courtyard. “What are you going to do if I don’t?”

  “This.”

  At first, I couldn’t see what Erin was doing, but then they showed up in front of me—her zombie figures. They all ran at Randall. Dozens of them. With visible thirst, they attacked the headmaster headfirst.

  The magic around my throat loosened, and I fell on the ground, breathing hard. Without time to waste, I pushed up and turned to her. Erin stood a few feet behind me, her hands stretched to her sides as she controlled the many zombies. They were just as powerful as she was, and even though Randall was cutting through them like water, they were too many, and Erin kept conjuring more and more.

  I could see the spell was draining her fast.

  I glanced behind her. Finally, the others were catching up to us. Professors Genevieve and Eleanor took the lead. They ran past Erin and me, and charged Randall. Erin withdrew her zombies enough so they could sneak in.

  Genevieve and Eleanor teamed up and took Randall by surprise. When Eleanor landed a beautiful back wheel kick to Randall’s shoulder, making him lose balance, Genevieve came from behind and took his Dawnblade from him.

  Enraged, Randall turned to her.

  Using his Dawnblade, Professor Genevieve pierced Randall’s chest.

  He folded to the ground.

  The Dawnblade, buried deep into his chest, shimmered. Orange freckles appeared from within and soon, the sword burnt from inside out, turning into dust.

  And Randall drew his last breath.

  Finally, Erin let go of the zombies.

  Breathing hard, she fell to her knees. I rushed to her. “Hey, are you okay?”

  She inhaled deeply and nodded. “Just … that was a lot.”

  I held on to her upper arms, afraid she would pass out on me. “But we did it. We caught Randall.” I glanced to where his body was on the ground, surrounded by the other professors. “Randall is dead.”

  Erin stared at his body for a moment. “Is he really gone?”

  I pondered. Such a powerful being. Fighting us all a few seconds ago, and now immobile on the cold stone ground. Seemed unlikely. But … “He was stabbed with his own sword. I think that one thing that could really kill him was his own Dawnblade.”

  She nodded slightly. “I guess so.”

  “Don’t worry. We did the right thing. He was pure evil, and now he’s gone.”

  Letting me help her, Erin stood up. She turned back and scanned the place. The fire was spreading fast, and the Hyacinth and the Iris building were practically rubble. Bodies littered the pathways between the destroyed buildings.

  “But we lost so much,” she whispered.

  29

  Erin

  The battle had ended, Randall was killed, his body instantly burned to make sure he really was gone, but the chaos continued.

  The fire was put out, the buildings that were breaking down were corded off, and the courtyard was off limits. The fire had raged through it, burning everything but the blackthorn tree. The magical tree didn’t seem one bit affected by anything that went on.

  Soon after it all happened, the demon hunters had come down from their outpost in the mountains and took control over the situation. Among them was Hadrian, Harvey’s father; Alain, Ava’s father; Andre; Doreen; and Norah.

  I hadn’t had much contact with Norah, but she came to check on me, ask me if I was all right. For some reason, I liked her. Maybe because she had helped us with Farrah, showing me she was different from the other demon hunters. She didn’t see the world in black and white, and I appreciated that.

  After all the bodies were picked up and the surviving students were accounted for, students, professors, staff, and demon hunters got together outside the academy walls for a funeral. We had lost so many people, including Professor Graham and Adeline, guard Remi, and students—like Peter and Ruby.

  Ava and Harvey were distraught over the loss of
their friends. I wanted to stand by them and comfort them, but with their parents there, who were anti-half-demon to the core, I didn’t dare get too close. But I couldn’t approach Claire either. When I tried to apologize for hurting her, she seemed ready to bolt. I could see it in her eyes—she was afraid of me. The bandage on her arm was a reminder that I had lost control and attacked her. I couldn’t blame her if she never spoke to me again.

  But that only made the hole inside my chest bigger.

  Because Randall was gone, the school board got together for a quick meeting and appointed Professor Crimson as the new headmaster. He looked pleased with himself, as if he had planned all of this, just to secure this position.

  But that was insane, wasn’t it?

  During this meeting, they discussed the future of the half-demons and the Black Knight army. Apparently, the school board acknowledged Randall had controlled them against their will, and they would be given another chance, even if a lot of professors and full-fledged demon hunters were firmly against it. Next semester, the half-demons could return to the academy.

  After all that, the students were dismissed from school. We were only halfway through the semester, but with half of the school destroyed, it wasn’t like we could have classes and live normally here. Plus, reconstruction would be faster if no one was around.

  I talked to my mother on the phone for a few minutes while I packed my bags in my bedroom. Most of the students were already gone, but I was trying to stay out of sight for a while. If they were all afraid of me before, if they hated me before, now with the news that I could use dark magic and practice necromancy spreading through the academy, it would be even worse.

  Another thing that was bothering me nonstop was the fact that some people certainly saw me fighting with my Dawnblade. Though it hadn’t been brought up yet, I was sure a lot of people had noticed my sword was different from theirs. I was afraid to consider what would be done about that.

  But for now, I focused on the plan my mother and I had hatched. She was on her way back to the academy to pick me up. We would rent an apartment in a random town close by and hide for the time being.