Jackson shrugged.
“Please, Constance,” I yelled. When she turned to me, I continued. “Hear us out.”
“You need us, Constance,” Jackson said. “We have a plan. Alternate. We’ll go in, and the Knights can rest, like real rest. Then we switch. It’s the only way to keep up strength.”
Constance took a deep breath…and nodded. “Okay. Then get in there right now. Send the Knights back.”
Jackson glanced over his shoulder and grinned. He raised his two-toned sword in the air over his head. “You heard her, Swords. Let’s roll!”
With a deafening roar and our swords raised, we charged.
I gripped my sword tight in both my hands and took a few deeps breaths. This was it. War. My first battle. Wild hot adrenaline coursed through my veins, numbing the fear prickling down my spine. I clenched my teeth and sprinted through the protection barrier. A cold breeze swept over me…and then it was chaos.
Despite everything I’d said to Jackson before, fear got the best of me. I froze in place. From inside Eden the battle had looked like something from a horror film. But from the front lines I knew this was straight out of Hell itself. The air was thick, hot, and sticky. My lungs screamed in protest. I coughed as the smell of maple syrup slammed into me.
It may have been daytime but the sky was black with demons. They flew over our heads, swooping and attacking without mercy. Thin rays of sunshine poked through the evil flock but it only made the battle more sinister. There was smoke and fire, venom burning through anything it landed on. I spun in a circle with my heart caught in my throat. There were bodies everywhere, lifeless and unmoving.
If The Coven failed on Samhain, this was what we had coming for us.
FOCUS, BETTINA! I turned back to the horror in front of me and spotted that familiar head of golden bronze hair. Jackson charged ahead, leading the best of our Suit right into battle. That was our plan. First and Second Years defended the Knights who were fleeing to safety, everyone else went on the offense.
Just then, Matt and Caleb emerged from a thick gray fog carrying two wounded Knights each. The four injured men gushed blood from several spots as they were dragged by my fellow First Years. I gasped. My friends were hobbling forward, the weight of the men slowing their pace. A black, furry demon with orange talons and red eyes dropped from the sky right behind them.
They’re not gonna make it!
“RUN!” I screamed and leapt into action. I still had no idea what I was doing in a battle like this, but I turned my brain off and let my instincts take over.
I pushed my legs as hard as I could and raced toward them with my sword gripped tightly in my hand. The demon didn’t pay me any attention, it wanted them. Not today, Satan. Matt’s eyes widened when he saw me gunning for him. He glanced over his shoulder then cursed and dropped to his knees. I jumped over him like I was a track and field Olympian. To my utter shock and disbelief I didn’t fall face forward into the dirt.
“Bettina!” Caleb shouted.
“GET THEM OUT!” I screamed without looking back at them.
The demon didn’t miss a beat or slow down. It probably thought it could kill me and then them. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I pulled my dagger out of my thigh holster and let out a battle cry. Adrenaline and utter terror raged inside me. The demon and I sprinted for each other like the ugliest game of chicken ever played. It was calling my bluff and I was going to win. Mona’s lecture on this furry beast ran through my mind. Aim for its knees, it’s their Achilles heel.
At the last second, I dropped down and sliced my talisman sword right through the demon’s left knee It wailed and fell over. I leapt to my feet. Stab the red line between its shoulder blades, that’s its heart. I raised my dagger above me head then slammed the blade into the red line. The demon exploded into a cloud of dust. I looked up and spotted Matt and Caleb on Eden’s side. I grinned and turned back to the battle. Who’s next?
Chapter Thirty-Seven
JACKSON
As I stepped into the school’s courtyard, my black cloak turned solid white. Ceremonial white. It was Saturday night, the twenty-seventh of October. Samhain was only a few days away…and seven Coven members were still missing. It’d only been a few days since they went radio silent, but everyone was freaking out. The biggest problem was in those seven were the twins. The ones who were supposed to close the Gap, the only people who could close the Gap. And they were missing.
Constance had insisted we do a ritual for The Coven, praying for their strength and courage. She invited everyone to join if they wanted to, but it wasn’t required. As I walked through the grass, I realized the entire school was out there.
I smiled and walked toward Harlan, the Wand Major, who stood a few feet inside the courtyard. As I approached, I held out my hand and nodded my head. Harlan grinned and waved his wand, and then a short red candle appeared in my hand.
“Red, for strength and courage,” Harlan said softly.
Someone was right behind me, so I kept walking. A few feet behind him were two torches with orange flickering flames. I slowed down beside one and lit my candle with it. Then I headed toward the large gathering of people. Everyone wore their cloaks, and they were all white since this was a ritual. So from behind, I couldn’t tell anyone apart.
The only person who stood out was Constance. She was on her knees in the middle of the circle of students, wearing a sleeveless white sheath dress. It was the same one she always wore. It was a Coven thing. Her eyes were closed and her face angled up to the sky. Her blonde hair was down and hanging straight around her shoulders. Three rows of red candles sat in front of her. I didn’t need to count to know how many were there. She would’ve put a candle for each of her Coven-mates, yet not one for herself.
I moved through the crowd, kicking myself for not leaving with Warner, when the person in front of me pulled their hood down, revealing long wavy blonde hair. It could’ve been anyone. She wasn’t the only blonde in the school, but my body lit up anyway. In an instant, I was on fire. I moved to stop just beside the girl, then slowly glanced down.
My breath left me in a rush, making the flame of my candle flicker. It was her. My heart skipped a beat, sending a tremor down through my body. The glow of her candle flame lit up her face like she had a halo. I knew it was weird and kind of creepy to just stand there staring at her like I was, but I was helpless to stop myself. She was just…beautiful.
Her long black eyelashes fluttered, and then I was staring at the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes. Most people’s were a soft blue or a rich sapphire, but not Bettina’s. Hers were a vibrant royal blue, like the purest form of the color itself. They were bright, full of spark—and looking right at me.
I froze. My eyes widened. Yet still, I couldn’t look away. Neither of us spoke. We just stood there. Staring. I wanted to go back in time and kick my own ass for how I’d treated her. For assuming she was some daft damsel in distress. For letting her get under my skin when it was my own fault she irritated me. I hated how surprised I was to see her doing so well now since the signs were there from the beginning. Right down to the way she wasn’t afraid of me.
She was incredible. I was impressed with her quick learning, and her courage. I was so proud of the progress she’d made. She’d charged right into a war against demons after only a few weeks of training. Every time I thought I’d gotten used to her, she took my breath away.
The energy between us was warm and pulsing with electricity. The hairs on my arm closest to her stood tall. I wanted to reach out and hold her hand. I wanted to kiss her, to feel her soft lips on mine again. That kiss. It tormented me every time I let my mind wander. Always there. She bit down on her bottom lip, and I wanted to take her mouth with mine. My chest burned, and I knew I wasn’t breathing.
“Let us begin.” Constance’s voice carried over the crowd. “This ritual tonight, we’re praying for strength and courage.”
Harlan appeared behind her. He dropped to his knees and held
his red candle out in front of him. All at once, like we’d trained for this, we sank to our knees and copied his pose. Constance tipped her head back and closed her eyes. As she chanted words in the ancient language, I focused on my candle and not the girl beside me. Constance kept chanting. She raised both her hands in the air, and a pulse of energy rolled over the crowd.
The flames on our candles flickered and grew bigger, and brighter. But then the flame began to swirl like a tornado. Little glowing red embers flew off of the candles and rose in the sky over our heads. Constance waved her hands around…and the embers hardened into shiny red crystals. All around the courtyard the red crystals hovered, then began moving in a circle around us. They flew faster and faster until they were one big blur. Time slowed down. I couldn’t have said for sure how long we sat there but the dropping temperature told me it was a while. Finally, Constance curled her fingers into fists then threw her palms wide open. The crystals exploded into dust, raining down on us like snow.
“CONSTANCE!” Headmaster Daniel yelled from somewhere in the distance. “Connie!”
Everyone frowned and searched for him. Then I spotted him, running toward us from the side of the courtyard. The same side that was closest to the border.
My heart fluttered. There was something frantic about the look on his face that had me gripping the hilt of my sword under my cloak.
Constance scowled and jumped to her feet. “What’s wrong?”
Except Daniel grinned. He held a cell phone in the air and sprinted toward his wife, shouting, “They’re back!”
The crowd gasped.
Constance’s face paled, like she was afraid to hope. “What? Are you sure? All of them?”
Daniel reached her then and handed her the phone. He pointed to what I assumed was a text message. “They’re back! The Emperor and the missing Coven members… They’re all back!”
The crowd erupted. Everyone leapt to their feet and cheered at the top of their lungs. Relief washed through me. We still had a chance. There was still a chance the twins could save us. I didn’t know how to explain the rush of emotion inside me, but I turned toward Bettina with my heart in my throat. She grinned and clapped her hands, her eyes twinkling.
I reached forward to do something stupid like kiss her in front of everyone when the crowd roared. I jumped back and spun, expecting to find a fight, but instead found a rush of white cloaks running toward the border. As they ran, their cloaks changed from white to black. They raised their arms, and the moon reflected off the blades of their swords. They were going to fight. My jaw dropped. They were so excited about that piece of news that they were charging into battle.
Bettina yanked her cloak open then pulled her opal-bladed sword out from under it. She raised it in the air and met my eyes. “Let’s go kill some demons, Lancelot!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
BETTINA
As the sun rose on the twenty-ninth, I found myself sitting in the infirmary tent just inside the border protecting Eden. Marcia Landry had just given me a healing potion to heal the wound on my sword hand. I was sitting there watching my cuts close right under my eyes as the war raged on.
Things were only getting worse. It’d been days of constant, round-the-clock fighting. The closer it got to Samhain, the worse the attack on Eden got. We couldn’t keep this up. There was no way we could last. The Knights and the Swords were struggling. No one was getting real sleep, and food was an afterthought. We needed another approach.
Warmth filled my palm. I looked down just as the final pieces of my skin fused back together. My eyes widened. I chuckled and shook my head. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to magic. It was single-handedly the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Being a witch was incredible. There seemed to be limitless possibilities of what we could do.
Three bleeding Knights hobbled into the tent, so I got up and out of their way. I was walking to get some food when my heart caught in my throat. Constance, Daniel, and Jackson stood around a wooden table with a map spread across it. But their faces were all pale. I opened my mouth to ask what happened when I heard the deep rumble of Timothy’s voice.
“…call me when you select who,” our other Leader said in a rush through someone’s cell phone speaker. “You need to be gone by ten.”
Jackson sighed then nodded. “Understood. I’ll call you back soon.” He hung up and turned his aquamarine eyes to Constance.
She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Something had just happened, something big.
I moved closer. “What’s wrong?”
Jackson’s gaze snapped over to me, and my heart fluttered. “The Emperor has given new orders.”
I frowned. “Is he the Leader now? Did I miss something?”
Daniel chuckled. He actually laughed.
Constance shook her head. “No, not officially. But he was destined to be. The Emperor is always Coven Leader. Meet him once and you’ll understand. We do what he says.”
I blinked in surprise then looked back to Jackson, who was glaring at the map on the table. “What were his orders?”
“They need me in Salem. Today,” Constance said softly and looked to her husband.
“And he specifically requested that I take Warner and go into the Old Lands to find the dragon Lonan, then send him back here to help defeat the demons.” Jackson sighed and shook his head. “The Old Lands.”
Constance put her hand on his shoulder. “You have to go. But Timothy said to take the top five students in your Suit with you, including Warner. Coven orders.”
Daniel groaned. “Connie, you want to take our top six Swords? I hate to jinx it, but what if something happens? We can’t lose—”
“There’s got to be help elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere?” Jackson shrieked. His face flushed. “Like where? We can’t call in Knights from other cities!”
“He’s right, Daniel.” Constance began pacing in front of the table while rubbing her temples. “I’ve been talking to Majors and Minors all over the world, and everyone is under attack. There are no Knights to spare.”
“Constance…”
She stopped and faced her soulmate, love pouring out of her blue eyes. “Daniel, love, I understand your fears here, but I must pull rank on this. We have no other choice. Jackson, select your Swords now.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
LENNOX
Finally, it was my turn to help. Harlan and I had been called in to help with the battle, without actually fighting. I was pumped. I hated being helpless on the sidelines. We were in a Wands classroom near the front of school with Constance and Bettina, discussing the plan. I was so proud of my roommate. She’d really transformed into quite the badass. Constance said something to her, then she nodded and headed for the door.
She paused next to me by the door and whispered, “Meet me in our room in ten minutes. I’ll show you what we want you to do.” Then she disappeared.
“Lennox?” Constance called out for me.
I refocused on our Coven Leader. “Yes?”
“Please step into the hall and see if Daniel is out there.”
I nodded and slipped out the door into the hallway. The bright fluorescent lights reflected off the shiny hardwood floors. It was kind of surreal to be standing in my school preparing for war. Headmaster Daniel was nowhere in sight, there were only some random students meandering around. I was just turning back to the door when the air flashed bright white—and then a girl who definitely hadn’t just been there appeared out of thin air. I cursed and jumped backward. I had no idea who this chick was, but the sheer power radiating off of her made the hairs on my arms stand tall. The energy around her was the strongest thing I’d ever felt. I’d always been sensitive to auras of other people, but hers was so brilliant and strong I had to force my magic to tone itself down for a second. She was like staring at a light.
For a moment, I just stared at her. She eyed me back. No one spoke. I had to admit, I was a little taken aback. She w
as gorgeous. Without a touch of makeup on, either. Her hair was jet black and fell down straight to her elbows. I smiled as I noticed the tips were a faded purple. For a second, I wondered if she was a Swords student I didn’t know about because she definitely looked the part in her black combat boots, ripped skinny black jeans, and a black tank top with tiny straps.
No, definitely not. I’d remember that glyph. There weren’t many people in our race who had soulmates, and no one in Edenburg did besides Constance and Daniel. Yet right there smack in the middle of this girl’s chest was that standard heart-shaped crystal glyph, shining a bright rosy pink. The black lines of her glyph spread over her shoulder and almost all the way down to her hand.
Who are you?
“Um…hi?” The girl raised her left hand and waved.
I gasped. The students turned wide eyes to each other and started whispering. One of the guys closest to me pointed down at her. I followed his finger—and my jaw dropped. Right there on her left forearm was the unmistakable Mark of the High Priestess.
OH MY GODDESS. I squealed in my head. Be cool, Lennox. Be cool!
The girl frowned, her light green eyes narrowing into slits like she was confused. But then she looked down at her arm at the Roman numeral II inked into her skin in black, bold digits. She looked like a confused puppy. I had to save her. She didn’t realize she was famous here. I remembered that she was also new to our world, just like Bettina, so maybe she didn’t know that everyone here knew who she was.
I jumped out in front of her and waved. When I went to open my mouth, the High Priestess turned her green eyes on me. They looked like glowing gemstones.
Despite my best efforts, my brain short-circuited. “Hi-hi-hi—”
The Coven - Academy Magic Complete Series Page 19
