by Bailey, G.
But Josie is already shaking her head. “Don’t bother. They’ve already been taken downstairs. Hawthorne wants your friends and acquaintances out of here first - we’re going to need to go intercept them before they can teleport back to the island.”
“Why is he doing this?” Hunter asks as we make our way down the hall. “It all feels so… so…”
“Calculated?” Josie supplies, her expression grim. “That’s what I thought, too. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I’m afraid that maybe Hawthorne…” She bites her lip and trails off. “Never mind.”
“What?” asks Silas as we reach the top of the stairs. No one is out and about, which is just as well; a ragtag group of shifters led by a battered-looking witch would attract attention that we can’t afford right now. “What do you think Hawthorne is doing?”
Josie sighs, turning to look at him, and for the first time I notice how much of a toll the last day has taken on her - she looks utterly exhausted, and this is far from being over. “I think Hawthorne may have orchestrated the attack on the convention center,” she says at last.
My hand flies to my mouth, and the others come to a sudden stop. “You… You think he would go that far?” I ask, not wanting to hear the answer, even though deep down I know it already.
“Again, I have no proof,” Josie tells us. “I can only go on what was being said in the board meeting. The others weren’t amenable enough to get him what he wanted. So…” She shrugs her shoulders. “Was it just a coincidence? Maybe. But I’ll tell you one thing: that attack was planned and organized. This wasn’t just some random pro-human riot. They would have needed inside information, equipment… And this was exactly the push the board needed to resume the experiments. They’re backed into a corner, and they’re panicking.”
“I can’t believe this,” Hunter mutters, running a hand through his hair.
“I can,” Shade shoots back. “It was only a matter of time before he went completely insane.”
“Come on,” Josie says, turning back around as we begin to descend the stairs. “We don’t have much time.”
I take the opportunity to reconnect with my shifter magic, which was almost unbearably dampened by the charm. In hindsight, it was almost too lucky that Josie was the one to come get us; because it had been enchanted by witch magic, only a witch could have undone the spell, and I’m sure as hell not a good enough shifter to even begin to reverse that kind of magic. I’m only just now beginning to come to terms with the fact that if we leave, it could be the end of my time spent studying—possibly for good. Am I capable of mastering my forms without the help of my teachers?
I’m going to have to be, I tell myself grimly as we reach the downstairs landing. There’s no other option.
The common area is blessedly empty, although perhaps that’s not a good thing; the dormitory seems eerily devoid of students in spite of the relatively early hour. The faculty is most likely already trying to move the U.K. students back to the island where they will be inaccessible to the rest of us. They’re not in for a fun time, either, and I feel a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach when I realise that they’re being pulled into this too, whether they like it or not. If we make it out of here, the Academy will start testing on the general student population again, like they did with Silas and that kid Brody. If we leave, we’re signing them up to be next in line, but what choice do we have? Letting them take us will just expedite the process, and no matter what Hawthorne claims, giving a bunch of trigger-happy humans shifter abilities will make things worse, not better. There has to be a way out of this that doesn’t involve upsetting the balance of the whole world… doesn’t there?
We’ve just made it out to the sculpture garden when Josie stops dead in her tracks; looking up, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest when I see Lyle standing a short distance away, his arms crossed over his chest. “What do we have here?” he asks, taking a few steps forward. “I thought students were restricted to their dorms.”
“I could say the same to you,” I fire back. “What are you doing out here?”
“If you have to know,” Lyle replies, “I’m under orders to make sure nobody wanders outside without express permission from President Russo.”
“I guess we’re in luck then,” Josie says, “because I’m one of the faculty fellows for the U.K. Academy. I’m bringing these five to the -”
“You really expect me to buy that?” Lyle demands, scoffing. “I was warned about you. The board sent me here to make sure you didn’t try anything while they’re taking care of your friends.”
Hunter’s eyes widen. “You mean Hazel? Are they taking her away right now?”
Josie moves forward, glaring down at Lyle. “Listen, kid,” she says, “I don’t know what kind of instructions you’ve been given, but I’m under strict orders to get these students out to the main building in time for the first group to be transported, and you’re in my way.”
“Bullshit,” Lyle replies without missing a beat. “Russo would’ve let me know. You know what I think?” he continues, giving Josie a menacing look. “I think you’re having a crisis of conscience, and you’re trying to fuck with the board’s plans. I’ve got news for you: it’s not going to happen.”
Landon snorts, shaking his head. “You really are a piece of work, Lyle. Do you know that?”
Lyle just smirks. “So I’ve been told. You’re not going anywhere.”
“He’s stalling us,” Silas says, sounding panicked. “They’re probably taking Hazel and the twins away right now!”
“How observant,” Lyle mutters.
“I say we just go through him,” Shade snaps. “We don’t have time for this shit.”
“You can certainly try,” Lyle replied, and in an instant, he’s shifted into his vampire form, his eyes glowing red, his face twisted with hate. “And don’t bother trying your little lullaby again, Brix,” he adds, turning his glare on me. “You’re not going to get the jump on me this time.”
“That’s it,” Shade mutters, rushing forward and transforming. He springs towards Lyle, but the vampire is stronger, and he knocks the wolf out of the air like he’s nothing.
“Shade!” I yell, running to his side.
“I’m fine,” he growls. “Worry about Lyle!”
I look up to see Josie already transformed, her brow furrowed in concentration as she works a spell, but she’s flagging, and we can all see it; between her injuries and the magic she used to break us out, she’s running on empty. Silas is standing beside her, struggling to get into his dragon form, but he’s not back to a hundred percent either, and it’s just the opening that Lyle needs. Striding forward, he picks Josie up by the neck and lifts her into the air, squeezing hard enough to make her gasp and sputter. Her focus broken, she snaps back into human form, clawing desperately at his hands.
I close my eyes and summon my magic, struggling to concentrate, but before I’m even able to transform, there’s a sudden movement to my left, as quick as a gust of wind. Opening my eyes, I see Hunter charging forward, transformed into his vampire form, his eyes blazing and his fangs bared. It’s something to behold, especially considering how much trouble he had before, and Lyle seems taken aback. A split second later, he’s dropping Josie to the ground as Hunter knocks him down, the two vampires clashing in a battle of supernatural strength and speed.
Landon helps Josie to her feet as I help Shade, who lunges forward again, ready to continue the fight, but Hunter yells out to stop him. “Go!” he cries. “We don’t have time!”
“What about you?” I ask, frozen with fear.
Hunter glances over his shoulder, and for a brief moment, his eyes, now red, meet mine. “I’ve got this, Boots,” he says, and something in his tone makes me believe him. “Go rescue Hazel!”
The rest of us don’t need telling twice. “Come on,” Josie says, gritting her teeth and beginning to run. The rest of us follow suit, although I can’t help but pause to take one last look at Hunter, who is
grappling with Lyle as if his life depends on it. Sending up a silent prayer that he’ll be okay, I follow the others out of the sculpture garden, skirting around the side of the administrative building. “They’re doing the transports from the parking lot,” Josie says, peering around the corner.
I follow her gaze and see that she’s right; already, a cluster of about half a dozen students have assembled on the hill, alongside a couple of faculty members, who are busy doing headcounts and preparing their spells. Hazel is among them, along with Ruby and Xander, which surprises me; as American students, they shouldn’t be sent back to the island, should they?
Of course they shouldn’t, some cynical part of me thinks. Hawthorne knows we’re friends. It was never about the education - they want us separated, and that means getting the people we love as far away from us as possible. For all we know, they’ll bring them back to the island, lock them up, and throw away the key until it’s time to strap them to a lab table.
“Do you recognise any of those faculty members?” Silas asks, coming to a stop alongside us.
“One of them is American,” Josie replies. “The other is Myrtle Thorne; I’ve done a few jobs with her in the past. A fight will just draw attention, so we’re going to have to talk our way out of this. Follow my lead, okay?”
We nod in agreement and trail behind her as she straightens up and heads down the path towards where the others are assembled. As we get closer, Hazel notices us and her eyes go wide; I give my head the slightest shake, and she seems to understand, not saying anything. “There you are,” Josie says, really playing it up as the other faculty members turn to her. “I was worried we wouldn’t get here in time.”
“Josie?” The blonde woman on the left looks surprised. “What are you doing here? I thought you were-”
“Dead?” Josie shakes her head, giving a dry chuckle. “You’re not the first one.” Turning back to us, she continues, “There’s been a change of plans. Hawthorne wants these students transported to a different facility, ASAP.”
“Really?” The second woman frowns. “We haven’t heard anything about a transfer.”
“It’s last minute,” Josie replies. “Something about substandard testing equipment - the facilities at the Academy haven’t been used in years.”
The two women look at each other. “That’s… odd,” the blonde woman says.
“Of course it is,” comes a new voice. I whirl around to see the man himself, President Hawthorne, coming over the rise of the hill, his hands in his pockets and a dangerous gleam in his eyes. He’s flanked by two other faculty members I don’t recognise, but they look ready for a fight. “That’s because it’s not true.” He raises his eyebrows at Josie. “Long time no see, Ms. Everhart. You’re looking a little worse for wear.”
“Hawthorne,” Josie says, her eyes widening. “What are you doing out here?”
“I came to make sure the transport of these fine students goes smoothly, of course,” Hawthorne replies, “and by the looks of it, it’s not.” He nods to the men flanking him. “If you would be so kind as to restrain Ms. Everhart, here, it would be greatly appreciated. It looks like the students aren’t the only problem that needs to be addressed, here.”
The men move forward; I tense up, and all of a sudden there’s a great gust of wind; Silas has transformed, shooting up into the sky like a firecracker before letting loose a jet of fire that lights up the night air.
That one burst of magic is like a starter’s pistol at a race, and in an instant, we’ve descended into chaos.
Chapter 47
Hawthorne’s men are on us before I can even react, charging forward and changing in one swift movement. Suddenly they’re both in dragon form, too, their great wings generating a large enough gust of wind to send us all stumbling back. Hawthorne hangs back, letting his henchmen do the dirty work, and I realise with horror that the two faculty fellows are shifting too, and they’re not on our side: the blonde one shifts into a witch, while the other shifts into a wolf, and now all four of them are charging us. Silas lets out another burst of flame, which buys us a little more time as it forces the others back, and I see Landon and Shade shifting out of the corner of my eye. I summon my own power, calling to mind my witch form, and in a few seconds my skin is turning red as my body pulses with magical energy.
If only I knew more spells, I think, raising my hands, but now isn’t the time to be picky. Trying to emulate the ease with which Josie uses her powers, I unleash a burst of telekinetic energy at the wolf shifter, who is already nearly on top of me. Shade takes advantage of the opening and jumps into action, tackling the other wolf as they tumble away in a blur of claws and fur. Landon, meanwhile, his scales shimmering in the moonlight, lets out a siren scream so powerful that it sends a shock wave up into the air, which collides with the dragons’ most recent gust of wind, preventing it from knocking us over. I watch as Silas shoots across the sky, locking in close combat with one of the two dragons while I launch another blast of magic at the other. His scales are too hard for it to do much, but it does get his attention, which is more than enough for me. Maybe if I could lead him away from the others…
Quickly I begin to back up, nodding to Josie, who’s doing her best to summon what remains of her magic. The dragon is hot on my tail, and I see that all around me, the other students are transforming, realising that these people aren’t on our side, and they’re out for blood. Hawthorne is watching gleefully from a distance, as if we’re nothing more than a bunch of prized fighting dogs. The air crackles with heat as fire builds up in the mouth of the dragon pursuing me, and I get my hands up just in time to deflect it with a minor force field, nearly getting my hair singed in the process.
“Millie!” yells Hazel, who has already transformed and is standing shoulder to shoulder with Xander. “Get him to come this way!”
I don’t bother to ask her why, and do as I’m told, sprinting over to them as fast as my legs will carry me. The dragon follows us, but realises what’s happening an instant too late, as Hazel echoes Landon’s siren song, this time in the form of a command: “Get Hawthorne!”
The dragon resists for a moment, thrashing in midair as it struggles against her magic, but Hazel is a powerful siren, and her brow is furrowed in concentration; a moment later, the dragon is changing course, turning around and making a beeline for the president. Hawthorne sees what’s happening and dives out of the way just as the dragon sprays at him with fire, setting the grass ablaze under his feet. The other witch notices and summons a force field around him, shielding him just in time from another burst of fire. I curse under my breath, but I guess it was never going to be that easy.
It’s pandemonium on the grounds, fire lighting up the night sky, as students and faculty clash in an impromptu battle. It’s clear who the experienced ones are here, though, and in spite of our superior numbers, the adults have the upper hand when it comes to their power levels, and they’re gaining on us. Hazel’s command has already worn off, and the dragons are now flying in formation as they swoop down to claw at us with their sharp talons. Ruby collides with one of them in midair, knocking him off course, while Silas grapples with the other, more fire flying every which way as they let out grating screeches and roars.
Realising my witch form is too vulnerable, I scramble to shift into my vampire form, the sturdiest of the five shifter species, and feel a surge of renewed strength as I lunge for the witch shifter protecting Hawthorne. She fends me off with a pulse of magic of her own, but I manage to hold my ground, my heels digging in as I throw my new strength into my effort.
“Need a hand with that?” comes a familiar voice, and I turn to see Hunter moving to stand beside me. He’s still in vampire form, and although I can see him fighting to keep his concentration, he seems to be holding steady so far.
“What about Lyle?” I ask as he leans in against the magical barrier with me.
“He started wearing me down,” Hunter admits, his face set with determination. “I threw
him off and made a break for it. He’ll be here soon, though, and he’ll have reinforcements.”
“Then we need to get out of here,” Shade growls from a few feet away. “They’ve got us on the ropes already.”
“Go,” Josie yells, her voice barely audible above the noise of the battle. “Get out of here before more show up!”
“What about you?” Silas demands, still suspended in the air.
“A couple more shifters won’t stop me,” she growls, sounding determined. “Besides,” she adds with a grim smile, “I’ve had worse.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, eyes wide. “What will they do to you?”
“Don’t worry about me!” Josie unleashes another burst of magic, which forces the attacking wolf shifter to retreat a few steps. “Get as far away from here as possible. Tell the shifter leaders what’s happening here. Make them put a stop to it.” She grunts with the effort as one of the dragons descends on her again, narrowly dodging its fire breath. “Go!” she yells. “Now!”
We don’t need telling twice. Shifting back into our human forms, Hunter and I make a beeline away from the battle, Hazel and Landon hot on our heels. Silas swoops down and picks up Shade with one claw and Hazel with the other, while Ruby grabs Xander and Landon. A blast of magic soars over my head, narrowly missing me, although it’s not clear whether it came from someone on our side or theirs. It doesn’t matter, though. Josie was right - the Academy has been compromised, and there’s no going back now.
My heart races in my chest, my breathing coming in short gasps, as our ragtag group makes a mad dash away from the fight. In the distance, I can see lights in the school buildings coming on, and a group of more Academy faculty is charging out of the administration building, clearly having been tipped off by Lyle. I feel bad leaving the other students behind, but I have to believe that Josie will protect them, and we’re no use to any of them dead. Everything is falling apart around us, and if Hawthorne has his way, none of us will make it out in time to spread the truth about the Academy. I’m not under any illusions that he’s going to leave us alone after this; people will be after us—powerful people—and the time for talk is over. The time for action is now.
