“We have to get out!” I screamed at Aidan as he darted through the doors and down the hall toward the front entrance.
“I know!” he yelled back.
As our feet pounded against the tile floor, the building rumbled again, and this time there was no mistaking the sound. A menacing laugh shook the walls, knocking pictures and ceiling tiles to the floor. The lights flickered, then went out.
The four of us crashed into the front entrance, expecting the doors to give way now that the wards were gone. They didn’t budge. Fellow students rammed into us, the wave of panic slamming into my back along with their bodies.
“We’re trapped!” Maddy shouted over the din.
For the second time, Samuel’s words echoed in my mind. You’ll unleash a force that not even the Council can contain…
A shard of dread raked down my spine.
“It’s the building,” I said, the pieces of the puzzle finally coming together.
“What?” Aidan shouted, shifting his wild stare to me.
“The source wasn’t to keep us in,” I replied before a boy pushing against my back went flying through the air. His scream was cut short, and I didn't dare turn to see why. “Don’t you see? It was keeping this”—I gestured wildly at the building crumbling around us—“under control! And I just set it free—not us.” Everything went still, as though the building had heard me.
We were trapped.
And it was all my fault.
Then everything went quiet. The pictures stopped falling. The plaster stopped crumbling. And the students stopped screaming.
The continuous sound of something hard rolling on the wooden floor drew our attention, and the four of us—plus the wolfling—turned to see what greater threat might be prowling our way. With eerie slowness, the jet-black crystal ball made its way down the hall through the wreckage, aimed at us. I felt the hesitation of the others, their uncertainty coursing through me like a plague as it stopped at our feet. They eyed it warily as I bent down to pick it up—the ball I'd thought I’d destroyed alongside the source and the councilman. But right before my fingers brushed its smooth surface, a terrible crack rang out through the foyer, and the floor gave way beneath us.
The sound of our screams trailed behind us as we fell into the dark abyss.
Amber Lynn Natusch
AMBER LYNN NATUSCH is the author of the bestselling Caged, as well as the Light and Shadow series with Shannon Morton. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, and speaks sarcasm fluently because of her Canadian roots. She loves to dance and sing in her kitchen—much to the detriment of those near her—but spends most of her time running a practice with her husband, raising two small children, and attempting to write when she can lock herself in the bathroom for ten minutes of peace and quiet.
She has many hidden talents, most of which should not be mentioned but include putting her foot in her mouth, acting inappropriately when nervous, swearing like a sailor when provoked, and not listening when she should. She’s obsessed with home renovation shows, should never be caffeinated, and loves snow. Amber has a deep-seated fear of clowns and deep water…especially clowns swimming in deep water.
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More by Amber Lynn Natusch
The CAGED Series
A Complete 9-Book Series
The UNBORN Series
5-Book Series in Progress
A Caged Universe Series
The BLUE-EYED BOMB Series
5-Book Series in Progress
A Caged Universe Series
The FORCE OF NATURE Series
5-Book Series in Progress
Marty Mayberry
MARTY MAYBERRY writes young adult fiction and infuses it with suspense, romance, and a touch of humor. When she’s not dreaming up ways to mess with her character’s lives, she works as an RN/Clinical Documentation Specialist. She lives in New England with her husband, three children, three geriatric cats, and a spunky Yorkie pup who keeps her on her toes.
Marty is a member of YARWA and a PAN member of RWA, as well a four-year PitchWars mentor.
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More by Marty Mayberry
The CRYSTAL WING ACADEMY Series
A Complete 3-Book Series
The DARKWATER REFORMATORY Series
3-Book Series in Progress
Rogue Reformatory: Broken (Supernatural Misfits Academy Book 2) Page 23
