Bitter Magic

by Raven Steele

  I was nearing the clock tower when Liam, May, Tessa, and everyone else who had been with them, came running out of Risen Auditorium. I stumbled to my knees when I saw Christian slowly trailing behind, half his head covered in blood. My body shook, and my heartbeat raced out of control.

  Liam knelt next to me and placed his hand on my back. “Are you all right?”

  I choked on a sob.

  Dr. Han shoved Liam aside and said in my face, “Pull it together, and tell us what is happening!”

  Liam pushed him back. “Give her a minute.”

  I looked up at Liam. His green eyes had darkened to a dark shade of green that made me think of monsters and things that go bump in the night. I shivered and nearly recoiled. The darkness inside him, the one he so carefully guarded, was scarily close to the surface. I needed to do something and quick.

  Before I could, Christian came to me. I threw my arms around him. He winced and squeezed me back.

  “I’ve never been happier to see you.” He pulled away and stroked my face. “We were just coming for you. What happened?”

  Shoving all emotions to the back of my mind, I let go of Christian and looked at our small group. My eyes settling on Liam. “They’re coming. Not in a few days. Now.”

  Everyone looked at each other. Kiera grabbed May’s hand. Ms. Crawford gasped. The twins straightened; one of them cracked his knuckles.

  “Get all the Auras into the dining room,” I said. “We can protect them better there.”

  Nobody moved.

  “Now! Come on, let’s go!”

  I took off running toward the track field. Footsteps pounded behind me as I ran to where the girls were watching a movie on a giant screen. A black-and-white Dorothy was singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”

  At the sight of me, several teachers stood up. They must’ve seen the panic on my face.

  “Everyone into the dining room!” I yelled. “This is an emergency.”

  A few of the girls laughed at me while others rolled their eyes and continued to eat popcorn.

  “What’s this about?” Ms. Smitty asked, her hand on her hip.

  Dr. Han caught up to me. “Llona’s right. Everyone in the dining room. There’s not a second to spare.”

  This made them react. No one would dare question Dr. Han. Teachers began herding students off the field in a flurry of commotion and voices.

  The twins and Guardians who were with Christian earlier, jogged up to me.

  “What can we do?” Aaron asked.

  “Lead the girls into the dining room, but go through the Lizen entrance. Vykens won’t be expecting that. The rest of us will bring up the rear.”

  As I finished speaking, two Vykens appeared around the corner of Chadni Hall. The others followed my gaze. I stepped backward a few steps. Three more came, and still more. I stopped counting at twenty.

  “Let’s go,” Christian said, tugging on my arm.

  Dr. Han moved in front of us and ordered over his shoulder, “Secure the Auras! I’ll hold them off.”

  Two fire-hot balls of flames appeared in his hand. May stepped next to him, producing her own.

  “Are you sure?” I asked her.

  She nodded, her mouth set in a determined line, but the fear in her eyes told a different story. “Go.”

  My heart swelled with love for my best friend. This wasn’t her fight and yet, here she was, facing the scariest thing of her life to help protect us.

  As I left her alone with Dr. Han, I heard Dorothy singing after me, “If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why can’t I?”

  I followed Christian into the dining room and froze just inside the door to stare at the chaos. Many of the Auras were screaming and huddling together. Only the last few waiting outside the door had seen the Vykens coming, but that was enough to stir the rest into a frenzy.

  Teachers were yelling at them to stay calm, but they didn’t seem to be talking to anyone directly. They were freaking out as much as the girls. Ms. Crawford was right there, trying to take control.

  On the far side of the room, the twins and Guardians had already barricaded the doors with several of the tables. Liam came out from the kitchen with a handful of knives to use for weapons. In his other hand, he was talking on his cell phone, asking someone to send more people.

  “We want to help. What can we do?” a voice said behind me.

  Christian and I turned around. Several Lizen men stood ready, their expressions full of anger and an intense passion I’d never seen in them. Combined with the scales on their faces, they actually looked kind of scary.

  Christian placed his hand on a Lizen’s shoulder. “We’re honored to have you. Help barricade the doors. This way.” He hurried them to the front of the dining room.

  The rushing sound of flames through air, followed by screams, drifted in from outside. Some were female. I tried not to think about them being May’s. Instead, I stood on top of a table and whistled. This caught some of the girls’ attention. I yelled “Hey!” to get the rest.

  With all eyes on me, I said, “I’m sure you’ve already heard by now, but Lucent is under attack. Vykens are here, and they want your blood. You must do what you can to protect yourselves. Do you understand?”

  “How?” someone called.

  “We can’t fight,” Ashlyn said to the left of me.

  I wish there would’ve been time for me to explain how stupid that idea was, but there wasn’t. “Don’t worry about fighting. Just protect yourself with Light. Use it any way you know how.”

  A rattle on the inside double doors made everyone jump. The sound was followed by pounding. Vykens were in the school.

  I jumped from the table and returned to the outside door to check on May and Dr. Han. They stood behind a wall of fire, their backs to me. Over and over they had to recreate the wall as Vykens continued to pass through it. Some cried out as their flesh bubbled, but in less than a minute they’d returned to normal. With how quickly they were healing, I wondered if they had recently fed on Auran blood and a lot of it.

  I ran next to May, whose legs were shaking, and added Light to their fire. Just like in the forest, the fire turned an icy blue. Now any Vyken that tried to walk through it turned instantly to ash. My hands began to shake trying to maintain a wall of this size.

  “We can’t hold them much longer,” Dr. Han grunted.

  I glanced behind me. The door was about twenty feet away. “We can make it if we’re quick.”

  Both May and Dr. Han agreed.

  “On three,” I said and took a step back. “One, two, three!”

  The firewall flickered and then dissipated as we turned and bolted for the door. May dove in first. I came next followed by Dr. Han.

  Just as he closed the door, a Vyken’s arm jammed through it, preventing the door from closing. May and Dr. Han leaned against the door, which looked like it was taking every ounce of strength they had, while I took hold of the Vyken’s trapped arm and lit it up. He cried out and withdrew it from the door, which finally clicked shut.

  While they secured it, I hurried back to join the others. The twins and Guardians were losing their battle with the main doors. One side had been torn open, and they were stabbing at any Vyken who tried to come through. The Lizen men were there too, shooting their toxic spit several feet into the doorway, burning any part of a Vyken it touched.

  I glanced around for Kiera. She was with a group of girls, giving them a crash course on creating a tangible ball of Light. I appreciated her efforts, but there just wasn’t enough time.

  Liam jogged over to me. “The doors are going to give. We need to get the girls into the kitchen. Lock them in there while we fight Vykens out here.”

  “But there’s too many of them,” I breathed.

  “I have help coming, but they’re several minutes out. We just need to buy some time.”

  I nodded and went to Kiera, trying to squeeze my way into her circle. “We need to get the Auras into the kitchen. And
while you’re at it, figure out a way to light up the door once it’s closed.”

  Ashlyn trembled behind her, her face pale. I moved to her and gripped her arms. “Help Kiera. Help them all. They need you.”

  She nodded weakly.

  Kiera grabbed her hand and jerked her forward. “Let’s go.”

  “Llona!” Christian yelled from across the room.

  I ran to him, weaving in and out of frightened girls as they made their way to the kitchen.

  “I want you to go with them,” he said when I reached him. Sweat dotted his forehead, and he was breathing heavily.

  “I’m not leaving you guys.”

  “I figured you’d say that. It was worth a try. We need—” his words were cut off by the sound of wood splintering.

  The dining room doors had completely fallen, and Vykens began pouring through the opening. Beyond them, I spotted Jackson. He was holding a limp Auran girl with long blonde hair. It reminded me of my own.

  Jackson’s eyes met mine. He smiled and winked, then continued walking down the long hall.

  “I’m going to kill him,” Christian whispered, but he didn’t have time to do anything about it. There were just too many Vykens.

  Liam rushed by us, wielding two long butcher knives. He fought the first few who entered, even managing to decapitate them in record time. His ability to spin like a whirlwind made him much faster than Vykens.

  But it didn’t matter.

  Numerous Vykens were climbing—some leaping—over the broken tables and chairs that had been pressed against the doors. They were met by the twins, several Lizen men, and Guardians who were fighting back just as furiously.

  I shoved my hands forward, sending three bursts of Light into the doorway. Several Vykens cried out and fell to the side, but they were only replaced by more.

  Another splintering sound, just as loud as the other, drew my attention behind me. May and Dr. Han were slowly backing away from the rear door. I rushed to them, hands ready to blast whatever came in.

  “We can’t use fire in here,” Dr. Han panted. “We’ll burn the place down.”

  I glanced toward the kitchen; the last of the girls were going through. “May, go with Kiera, please.”

  “I’m staying with you,” she said without any ounce of hesitation.

  There wasn’t time to argue. The back door flew open, and four Vykens came through it. One of them was Eira, the Vyken who could produce ice. I blasted her with a steady stream of Light, but she avoided it by creating a wall of frozen water in front of her. She escaped around it and darted to the side, her sights set on the Auras escaping into the kitchen.

  I turned my attention to the other Vykens and blasted each one, temporarily dazing them. Dr. Han attacked the first one. He was an incredible fighter, spinning, jumping, and kicking like a ninja warrior. In seconds, he managed to get behind a Vyken and snap its neck. Dr. Han didn’t give him the chance. He withdrew what looked like a pocketknife from inside his jacket pocket.

  I didn’t get to see how Dr. Han finished him off; I was too busy tossing Light at the other two. One of them broke away and, faster than either May or I could move, bolted behind May and wrapped his arms around her chest. May grunted and gasped for breath.

  Blade appeared in front of me and swung a meaty fist at my head. I ducked just in time, then leapt into the air and completed a perfect flip. I landed behind the Vyken trying to rip May’s head off. I slammed my hands against his ears, and as I pulled him back, I infused Light into him. He exploded ash everywhere.

  Before it could settle, something slammed into my leg. Bone snapped and I collapsed in agonizing pain. Blade jumped onto my stomach expelling the last of my breath and making it impossible to scream. I attempted to buck him off but every time I moved, a lightning bolt of pain shot through me.

  From the corner of my eye, I spotted May dragging herself over to us, her eyes alive with rage. I wished she would’ve stayed, but I couldn’t tell her this because I was too busy feeling a meaty fist smash repeatedly into my face. The pain was severe. I blocked what I could, and even tried to get in my own punches, but it was useless.

  May jumped onto Blade’s back and turned her hands a fire red. Before it could have any effect, he snapped his elbow back, hitting her square in the face. She fell to the side of us, unconscious.

  Chapter 38

  I stared at May, rage replacing my pain, but it wasn’t anger born of darkness. It was born of Light.

  My gaze snapped to Blade. “You’re so dead.”

  I clasped my hands together and slammed them against his nose. Blood spurted outward. My fists opened and Light shot in his direction, but he saw it coming and rolled off me.

  I sat up, but the pain in my leg slowed me down, giving Blade enough time to get behind me. He jerked my head back so hard and fast, my vision blurred. I tried to summon Light to my palms, but they sparked and fizzled like an empty lighter.

  Focus!

  While I fought to keep his growing fangs away from my neck, time slowed and I took in the chaos around me. Dr. Han was to my left, fighting two Vykens while a fire spread up the wall next to him, filling the room with smoke. The twins and a few of the Guardians were each battling one, sometimes two, Vykens. I watched in horror as a Vyken stabbed a Guardian in the chest.

  Where is Christian?

  In my attempt to locate him, I spotted Liam fighting near the kitchen door. It was lit up by a bright glowing light, and on the floor in front of it were two young Auran girls. They weren’t moving.

  But I was numb to it all. The only thing I felt was a deep throbbing pain pulsing from my leg. I’d gladly feel this over anything else.

  With one of my hands, I held back Blade’s forehead, barely keeping his teeth from puncturing the skin on my shoulder. I needed to do something and quick. The only thing I could think of was to turn invisible, but that would render me useless. Spiked teeth grazed my skin.

  Be invisible, I began to think, but then I saw Christian sprinting through the smoke toward me, his expression all fury and rage.

  Blade must have noticed too, because his head came up, and his grip relaxed as if he were going to move away, but he didn’t have time.

  Christian dropped to his knees and slid along the marbled floor while I ducked. From behind his back, Christian withdrew a long blade and sliced Blade’s head off, covering me in dust and ash.

  “That was for Britt,” I whispered.

  Christian scrambled over to me. “Are you okay?”

  I opened my mouth to answer but was interrupted by the sound of clapping. We both turned around. Cyrus stood in the doorway leading outside, staring down on us with a tight smile.

  “Who says chivalry is dead?” He winked at me, then gave a low whistle. Three Vykens, one of them Eira, stopped fighting and followed him out the door.

  Christian started after them, but I took hold of his arm. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to finish this.” He shook free of my grip. “No! Christian, you can’t. He’s too powerful.”

  He glanced back at me. “I have to try. If I don’t, he’ll only hurt more people.” His shoulders slumped, and he looked so very tired. “I love you, Llona.”

  He turned and rushed out the door.

  “Christian!” I struggled to get up but fell back down again when my injured leg gave out. I frantically looked around for Liam. He wasn’t far away, battling two Vykens. He seemed to be winning.

  “Liam!” I yelled. “I need you!”

  He glanced over at me between blows, and then spun, turning himself into a small, yet powerful, whirlwind. It knocked the two Vykens into the wall. Liam rushed to me.

  “What is it?” he gasped out of breath.

  “Christian went after Cyrus. You have to stop him.” I was pulling on his arm, half begging and half trying to get myself into a standing position.

  “You’re hurt,” he said and helped me to stand.

  “Just go after him!”

  H
e glanced around, his face saddened by what he saw. “I can’t. I’m needed here.”

  “Please. I’m begging you, Liam. Christian can’t face him alone.”

  I glanced behind him. The two Vykens who had crashed into the wall were now beating down the door to the kitchen. Every other second or so, the door would flicker with Light. Like the rest of us, the Auras were growing tired.

  Liam saw what I was looking at. “I’m sorry, Llona. Christian’s on his own.” He sprinted away.

  “Liam, no! Please!” The words stung my throat.

  Liam didn’t turn back.

  Using every ounce of strength and willpower I had left, I forced myself to take a step toward the door. A biting pain shot up my leg and into the rest of my body until it rattled my brain. I fought off a wave of nausea and took another step. And then another.

  I paused when I reached May. She was still out cold, but at least she was breathing steady. I continued onward, my steps quickening just a little. I think the numbness in my heart was spreading to my limbs. First Sophie and now Christian.

  I stepped outside and was shocked by what I saw. Part of the lawn looked like bombs had gone off; chunks of grass laid upside down, and deep, uneven holes almost made the lawn impassable. I stumbled my way through the great mounds, following the destruction. Cyrus must’ve caused this.

  The dark sky above me looked swollen and bruised. It’s dark purples and grays screamed rain again, making me think the sky was in as much pain as I was.

  Beneath my feet, the earth rumbled, and I almost fell. I looked up ahead. The carnage seemed to go around the corner of the building and to the front of the school. I hurried faster.

  The sounds of my ragged breathing, followed by my occasional whimpering, reminded me of the panic attack I’d had the day my father died. Tears stung my eyes. I blinked through them. Don’t panic. Move faster.

  I turned the corner.

  And fell to my knees.

  The sky released its pain.

  Mine would forever remain.

  Christian stood thirty yards away, his head lowered. Blood covered the side of his head, neck, right shoulder, and arm. Drops of the crimson liquid dripped from his fingers, staining the ground red. The rain pouring from above only made the red puddle bigger.