The Forest of Shadow and Bones (Guardian Academy, Dash's Series Book 1)

by Jessica Sorensen

  Blowing out a breath, I jog down the sidewalk after Sway. I keep my distance and linger in the shadows, knowing if she sees me, she’ll probably flip out.

  She hikes down the sidewalk for miles while constantly typing on her phone. When she reaches the outskirts of town, she zips her jacket up to her chin to hide the blood on her neck and hails a cab. Then, with an anxious glance at the driver, she ducks into the backseat.

  Panicking, I rush up to the vehicle and hop on the trunk. Thank God, I don’t fall through it, but again, I’m left wondering if this newfound ability to touch things is from my magic or from Sway. But right now, I have bigger things to worry about. Peering through the back window, I sigh in relief when I see the cab driver is human.

  I consider climbing off the car, but then I’d risk letting her out of my sight. So instead, I roll onto my stomach and clutch the edge of the trunk as the cab pulls out onto the street.

  Wind gusts at my face as the vehicle picks up speed and drives onto the highway. Bugs and dirt keep flying through me, the sensation feeling strangely gross, and I make a mental note never to ride on the back of a car again.

  “Well, look at you.” Vivianne materializes beside me with her butt planted on the trunk and her feet perched on top of the bumper, all nonchalant and casual.

  I find her comfort extremely aggravating for various reasons, one being that no one should be comfortable on a trunk while driving seventy-something miles an hour.

  “Dash, darling, you really have gone downhill since you killed yourself.” The moonlight in the sky highlights the wicked grin on her face.

  “Get the hell away from Sway,” I growl, but my intimidation factor goes down a couple of notches since I’m lying flat on my stomach and desperately hanging on to a trunk.

  “Who?” she asks, tapping her finger against her bottom lip. “Oh, you mean that girl you’ve been drooling over for the last twenty-four hours. Or should I say, the Illusionist?” She rests back on her hands. “I have to hand it to you. You found the loophole to your death rather fast, but I’m guessing you might’ve had help.”

  I fuse my lips together. There’s no way in hell I’m going to tell her anything.

  “My bet is a Shadow Reaper let you in on the little secret.” She thrums her fingernails against the trunk. “They’ve always been such annoying creatures, and they’re so temperamental about the idea of someone kindly taking over leadership of their world.”

  “Kindly taking leadership over their world?” I shake my head from side to side. “That’s not what you’re doing. You’re trying to overtake their realm, just like every other realm.”

  Her mouth sets into a firm line. “I see you’ve had more help than I thought. I may have to punish some people for putting their noses where they don’t belong.”

  Fear slams through me that she’ll go after Jack. He’s been one of my closest friends since the day I got my mark.

  Gripping the trunk, I fling my leg toward her in a pathetic attempt to kick her.

  She scoots out of my reach. “Now, Dash, is that any way to treat your linea vitam? Besides, you and I know it’s pointless. Your foot will just go right through me.”

  I could tell her she may be wrong, but decide to keep the knowledge to myself for now.

  “Ex-linea vitam,” I seethe through gritted teeth. “I’m no longer bound to you now that I’m dead.”

  “True, but if you succeed in your mission into the forest, you will be.” She smiles thoughtfully. “Really, this is a lose-lose situation for you.”

  I don’t give her the benefit of a frown, but worry sinks into my bones.

  “We’ll see.”

  “Will we?” she questions. “Because, as of right now, I’m pretty sure something is happening that will alter your little Illusionist’s life forever. And not in a good way. In fact, I think it might break her apart.”

  “What did you do?” I growl.

  “Oh, you’ll soon find out.” An artful smirk flashes across her face before she blows me a kiss and fades into the darkness.

  “Shit!” I scream out to the night.

  What did she do?

  Seconds later, I get my answer as the cab slows to a stop in the middle of the freeway. Red and blue lights flash against the darkness and light up a section of the road where a dead body is sprawled across the asphalt.

  A sense of dread crashes down on me as I quickly push to my feet, hop off the trunk, and jog over to the scene. A handful of police officers are working on blocking off the road while a detective circles the dead body lying face down in the street.

  I circle around to get a better look, and all of my fears are confirmed.

  The deceased looks just like the guy in countless photos hanging up in Sway’s living room.

  Whoever this guy is, he’s important to her.

  And he’s dead.

  Because of me.

  How am I supposed to tell her this? It’ll break her heart, make her hate me, and I don’t think I can deal with that. Not because she won’t want to help me, but because the idea of her hating me … Well, it makes me want to die all over again.

  I’m not sure how I can feel this strongly about Sway already, whether it’s magic or not. All I know is that I can’t have her hate me, no matter what.

  Eleven

  Sway

  I grow impatient the longer the cab remains stuck in the middle of the freeway. I need to get home where I’ll hopefully be safe.

  “What’s going on?” I finally ask the driver. From what I can tell, he appears human, something I was a little nervous about when I got in.

  “I’m not sure.” He drums his fingers on top of the steering wheel. “I think someone might’ve died.”

  A jolt of fear zaps up my back, causing my spine to straighten. Dead? Someone’s dead?

  I glance around the inside of the car, searching for a ghost, even though I don’t always see them. I’ve never quite made the connection of why I see some ghosts and not others.

  I could always ask Dash.

  I shake my head. No. I can’t, not after I ran away from him like that.

  Now that I’m far away from phantoms and dark, sketchy areas of the city, some of my fear has been replaced by guilt. Running away from problems is something I don’t want to do, but what is the alternative? To just go into this creepy forest and risk my life so some power-driven faerie won’t succeed in world domination?

  Okay, when I put it like that, I feel even guiltier.

  I peer around the inside of the cab, wondering if Dash followed me. I haven’t seen any sign of him since I bailed on him. Maybe I should go back and find him so I can talk to him more, learn about this forest, get more details. Then again, maybe he’ll find me.

  As if answering my thoughts, my attention is magnetized to the center of the street.

  Dash stands in the midst of the headlights, staring at the windshield of the cab with a look of great pain on his face.

  The sight knocks the air right out of my lungs. I saw that expression before on my own face when I saw the ghost of Eve’s dad.

  “Something’s wrong,” I mutter, shoving the door open and hopping out.

  “Hey, you can’t get out here!” the cab driver shouts after me.

  Ignoring him, I rush toward Dash. “What’s wrong?”

  “Sway.” His tone carries a warning. “Just get back in the cab. You don’t want to see this.”

  Fear lashes through me as I quicken my pace. He tries to stick his hand out to stop me, but I skitter around him.

  “Oh, my God!” I cover my mouth with my trembling hand at the sight of my brother lying lifelessly in the middle of the street.

  “Hey, you can’t be here,” a police officer orders, striding toward me.

  “That’s my brother!” I shout then collapse to my knees as tears spill from my eyes. “Oh, God. Oh, God, God, God. This can’t be happening.” I blink and blink again, trying to erase the image in front of me.

  But no matte
r how many times I try, the image stays.

  My brother is really dead.

  Twelve

  Sway

  I remember when the police officers knocked on my door to tell me my parents were dead, that they died in a car crash. That I’d never see them again. The experience was one of the worst in my life. At least, it was until today.

  Seeing Brysen on the ground like that, lying in a pool of his own blood … it’s too much.

  I gave up so much to keep him alive for the last year: part of my soul after finding him OD’d on my bathroom floor. I made a deal with the devil himself—at least, I think he was the devil. All I know is that an evil spirit showed up and offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse: part of my soul for Brysen’s life. I struck the bargain without hardly any hesitation. Brysen was all I had left, so how could I not?

  What I didn’t realize is that I’d be dark and tainted, like Jack sensed, and that I’d be haunted by shadow figures that brought evil with them. Evil I sometimes crave. But it had been worth it because Brysen was alive.

  But now he’s dead.

  My sacrifice was for nothing.

  I’ll never see him again.

  I’m all alone in this world.

  He’s dead.

  He’s really, really dead.

  “Shhh …” Dash whispers in my ear as I sit in the back of a police car, waiting to be driven home. “I know this sounds cliché, but I promise this will get easier.”

  My cheeks and eyes are swollen from hours of crying, and my heart and soul—what’s left of them—ache.

  “No, it won’t. He’s all I had left.”

  Dash hesitates then slips an arm around my shoulder. “That’s not true. You have your friend Eve, and I’m sure you have some family.”

  I shake my head. “My parents are dead, and so are most of my extended family.” I rub my hands across my tear-stained eyes. “He wasn’t supposed to die yet. How could this happen?” Dash’s arm stiffens around me, and I turn my head toward him. “Do you know something?”

  Pressing his lips together, he shakes his head. “No, I’m sorry. I wish I did, but I don’t.”

  I can’t tell if he’s lying or not.

  I’m about to press him for more details when an officer pokes his head into the car.

  “We just about have this wrapped up,” he says. “And then I’ll take you home.”

  I suck back the tears and nod. “Thank you.”

  He offers me a sympathetic smile before ducking back out of the car and shutting the door. The interior light clicks off, and darkness encases Dash and me.

  I hold my breath, waiting for Brysen’s ghost to appear, but he continues to remain MIA.

  “You’re looking for him, aren’t you?” Dash asks, absentmindedly playing with strands of my hair.

  I bob my head up and down. “I’m kind of hoping he’ll show up, at least so I can say good-bye and maybe find out how he died.”

  Again, Dash tenses.

  Before I can question the movement, though, he says, “It might take him a few days to find you. It took me a few days.”

  “How do I know he’ll come back for sure?” I ask. “Because my parents never did.”

  His Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows hard. “It depends on how traumatic of a death he had. If it’s bad, then he’ll come back. If it was peaceful, he won’t.”

  I glance back at the road behind us where Brysen’s body lies with a sheet covering him. It’s such a strange place to die, and there is so much blood …

  “I’m guessing he might come back,” I whisper, rotating around in the seat. A hopeful thought occurs to me as I take in Dash sitting beside me, so coherent he almost seems human. “If he does, will he …? Will he be like you?”

  A pucker forms at Dash’s brow. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, could he have another chance at life?”

  “Probably, but he’d have to endeavor into the forest, too. At least, I think that’s how it works.”

  I grow quiet as I sink into my thoughts. The last few years, my brother has been a real mess. But there was a time when he was my closest friend. Back when we were younger, he would always stick up for me when I was being bullied. He used to make us snacks when the cook wasn’t around. And he always stuck up for me when my dad yelled at me for doing something stupid, like spilling grape juice on the white carpet. He taught me how to ride a bike, how to build blanket forts, and how to tie my shoes. He used to be an amazing person before drugs overtook his life.

  “I want to do it,” I tell Dash quietly. “I want to help you get into the forest, just as long as you promise me one thing.”

  “You want me to help your brother get in there, too, don’t you?”

  I nod. “So, will you do it? Will you help me?”

  He wavers then nods once. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  A drop of relief washes through me. “Thank you, Dash. Seriously, I owe you big time.”

  “Technically, you don’t since you’re helping me get into the forest.” He removes his arm from around my shoulder and rubs his hand across his face, looking oddly exhausted for a ghost. “We should probably get going now. Your brother will find us on his own if his ghost lingers behind.”

  I scoot across the seat as he opens the door. “How do you know that?”

  “Because all I could feel was you from the second I died.” He looks at me, swallowing hard. “I wanted nothing more than to get close to you … to touch you …” He reaches for me but then pulls back.

  He’s drawn to me? He wants to touch me? Why? Because of what I am? Or is it something else?

  “So where do we start first?” I ask, glancing up at the road ahead.

  Dash takes my arm in his hand and the map across my skin glimmers like millions of fireflies. “If Jack was right, you should be able to find a starting point on this thing.”

  I angle my head to the side as I examine the shimmering lines winding up and down my arm. At first, nothing makes sense, but the longer I stare at it, the more I feel a pull to a certain spot.

  “There.” I point at a dot on my wrist. “We start at Dragon Mountain.” I blink. “Whoa. Where did that come from?”

  “Your powers are kicking in,” Dash says, releasing my arm. “That’s the good news.” He huffs out an exhausted breath. “The bad news is we’re going to Dragon Mountain.”

  “What is that?”

  “It’s pretty self-explanatory.”

  I seal my lips shut, feeling as though I’m about to throw up. Dragon Mountain? As in dragons?

  “You can still back out if you want,” Dash says, carrying my gaze. “Just say the word and I’ll …” He gulps. “I’ll let you go.”

  I consider what I’m getting myself into and what I’ll lose if I don’t go.

  I shake my head and square my shoulders. “No, I’m coming with you, but I need to stop by my place first to say good-bye to Eve … And you have to promise me that you’ll have your friend put that protection spell on her … or whatever you call it. I want to know she’ll be okay while I’m gone.”

  Nodding, he threads his fingers through mine. I just hope I’m not making a mistake and that I make it out of this alive.

  Coming Soon!

  The Forest of Shadow and Bones 2

  (Guardian Academy, Dash’s Series, #2)

  About the Author

  Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

  Other books by Jessica Sorensen:

  Shadow Cove Series:

  What Lies in the Darkness

  A Deadly Little Game (coming soon)

  Standalones:

  Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl

  Confessions of a Kleptomaniac

  The Illusion of Annabella

  The Forgotten Girl

  Broken City Series:

  Nameless

/>   Forsaken

  Oblivion

  Forbidden (coming soon)

  Guardian Academy Series:

  Entranced

  Entangled

  Enchanted

  Guardian Academy, Dash’s Series:

  The Forest of Shadow and Bones

  The Forest of Shadow and Bones 2 (coming soon)

  Sunnyvale Series:

  The Year I Became Isabella Anders

  The Year of Falling in Love

  The Year of Second Chances

  The Coincidence Series:

  The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

  The Redemption of Callie and Kayden

  The Destiny of Violet and Luke

  The Probability of Violet and Luke

  The Certainty of Violet and Luke

  The Resolution of Callie and Kayden

  Seth & Greyson

  The Secret Series:

  The Prelude of Ella and Micha

  The Secret of Ella and Micha

  The Forever of Ella and Micha

  The Temptation of Lila and Ethan

  The Ever After of Ella and Micha

  Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always

  Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always

  The Shattered Promises Series:

  Shattered Promises

  Fractured Souls

  Unbroken

  Broken Visions

  Scattered Ashes

  Breaking Nova Series:

  Breaking Nova

  Saving Quinton

  Delilah: The Making of Red

  Nova and Quinton: No Regrets

  Tristan: Finding Hope

  Wreck Me

  Ruin Me

  The Fallen Star Series:

  The Fallen Star

  The Underworld

  The Vision

  The Promise

  The Fallen Souls Series (spin-off from The Fallen Star):

  The Lost Soul