by M Guida
I was able to open my eyelids and saw golden eyes, a soft pink nose, and whiskers in front of me.
“Hades?”
He licked me again and again joyfully. I wrapped my arms around his thick neck, my tears of relief wetting his mane. “You’re here. You’re here. Oh, Hades, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“What? Why is that thing in here? What’s going on? How dare you! You used the Stuulis Mixendo spell on me again, didn’t you?” Victoria’s sharp and angry voice pierced the fog and terror in my brain.
I released Hades and scooted up next to my headboard. “I didn’t, I swear. Someone used it on us.”
“You're such a liar.” Victoria sat on her bed, hugging her pillow against her chest, her hair tousled and her face sweaty. It looked like she’d been struggling the same as I had.
Hades growled.
I narrowed my eyes. “Honestly, I’m not.”
She pointed. “Then what is that on your desk?”
A candle with yellow stars, still lit, was on my desk.
“I didn’t do that. I swear.”
“Yes, you did. I’m going to go tell Baron Germaine.”
I groaned. If she told Baron Germaine, it would go straight to Anton. Shit, I was screwed. I should have told Hades to leave, but I was still trembling and wanted him with me. I looked out the window into the fading darkness. Dawn was about to make an appearance and the clouds were turning pink over the mountains. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any signs of Gunnar.
Hades snuggled closer to me, as if he could still sense my fear and wanted to reassure me. I laid my head on his mane, losing myself in its softness.
Clomp Clomp Clomp
A herd of heavy footsteps thundered down the hall and then Victoria, Baron Germaine, and Anton burst through the door. I lifted my head and wrapped my arm around Hades.
He snarled, revealing his sharp teeth.
“Hades, no,” I said softly.
“See? See?” Victoria pointed to the incriminating candle that had dripped wax all over my desk. “She used the Stuulis Mixendo spell to sneak out to see Gunnar again. Hades being here proves it.”
I felt like a kid unjustly framed for stealing someone else’s lunch money when I was innocent. Looking into their eyes, I could tell I was already guilty in their eyes and they were working out my sentence.
Baron Germaine clicked his tongue.
I shook my head. “No, that’s not true.” I put my hand over my pounding heart. “I swear to you.”
Anton sighed heavily. He had the same dark shadows under his blood shot eyes. “Ebony, I’m very disappointed in you. I thought I made it clear that you are not allowed to use spells on other students.”
“And I didn’t.”
He gestured with his arm. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you. The evidence is clear. This time, Ebony, I’m going to have notify your father.” He turned to Victoria. “I will find you another suitable roommate who is more suitable. I fear it’s not safe for you for things to stay as they are.”
Victoria frowned. “Why do I have to move?” Her whiny voice reminded me of one of Cinderella’s stepsisters.
“You don’t. She will. Ebony will stay with me until her father arrives.”
I could feel the blood drain from my face. The last place I wanted to stay was with Anton. “No," my voice was barely a notch above a whisper.
“You have no choice, Ebony. Come with me. Hades, return to your master.”
I held on tight to the little dragon, not wanting him to leave. Hades lifted his chin and put his paw on my lap, as if to say he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Do not test me, Hades,” Anton said in a low, menacing tone, “or I’ll haul both you and your master down to the dungeon. Do I make myself clear?”
That was the last thing I wanted to have happen. I gave Hades one more hug and blinked back my tears. “Go on, Hades. Home. I promise I’ll be okay.”
Hades tilted his head, as if trying to figure out why I was lying.
I patted his head. “Please, go.”
Hades raised his upper lip to Anton, whose eyes turned red. Then he snapped his fingers, motioning toward the window. The little dragon waddled over to the window, whining slightly and flew out.
Anton allowed me to change into some sweats and grab some clothes and essentials for the next day that I put into a bag. I also brought the Armageddon sword with me. Victoria looked like she won a beauty contest with her smug smile. Before I left, I opened my desk drawer to make sure the leaves were there. They were gone.
Was that what the intruder was hunting for?
I gathered my books and stuffed them into my backpack. I hefted it with one hand and picked up my bag with its change of clothes, two uniforms and some toiletries with the other. I wasn’t looking forward to my father arriving. Who knows if he would listen to me, or even let me stay here.
Funny, as much as I hadn’t wanted to come to Legacy in the first place, now you’d have to drag me away kicking and screaming.
Anton escorted me to an extra bedroom he had in his quarters. Raven had said Anton decorated his house like Dracula’s Castle, and she was right. A queen-size red canopy bed with a red and black velvet quilt. Long red drapes hanging from ceiling to floor. Completely elegant, but still a prison.
I hung my head and wrapped my arms around my waist. “Can I go to my classes tomorrow?”
He put his hand firmly on my shoulder. “As long as you stay away from Victoria.”
I raised my head and crossed my heart with my shaking hand. “I promise.”
“You have a couple hours before classes start so I suggest you get some rest.” He quietly shut the door without another word. I sat on the bed, not sure if I could sleep. I grabbed a red velvet chair and leaned it against the door, knowing it wouldn’t keep the evil out. Whatever it was it had been powerful and more than a match for a simple chair.
I leaned against the headboard, my sword lying across my lap, wishing for all the world that Hades was here. Finally, I drifted off.
In the morning, I awoke to a soft tapping on my door. “Ebony, are you awake?”
“Headmaster, oh, I’m sorry. I…uh…I overslept.” I jumped up, knocking my sword, backpack, and bag onto the floor in the process.
"Is there something against the door?”
My cheeks burned as I dragged the chair away.
Anton walked in with a deep frown on his face. His dark circles looked worse and the lines around his eyes and mouth were deeper than ever. He looked like he was turning into a zombie, or something worse. “Why did you have a chair against the door?” His angry voice made the hair on the back of my neck quiver.
“I…I don’t know,” I said avoiding looking him in the eye.
“Were you afraid?” He put his hand on his chest. “Afraid of me?”
I picked up my bag. “I’d better…I’d better get ready for school.”
“Ebony, I would never hurt you.”
I clutched my bag to my chest, braced my shoulders and spoke the words we’d all been thinking recently. “Have you looked at yourself lately?”
He gave me an angry scowl. “What?”
“With respect, Headmaster, you don’t look the same. You look tired and withdrawn. Something’s not right about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Really? We’ll see when my dad gets here.” I ran toward the bathroom and looked at him one more time. "Raven always said you were her biggest ally. You always believed her. But not me.” I shut the door quietly and locked it. Not that it could keep him out if he wanted in.
I drew on the speed inside me and was ready within five minutes. I’d never showered, put on makeup and gotten dressed in such a short time. When I got out, Anton was dozing in the chair I had used to block the door. I didn’t want to wake him and I slipped out the door as quickly and quietly as I could. I just wanted to get to my friends. When I got outside, Rusty was sitting on the steps and waiting for me.
He stoo
d. “Hey. Are you okay? Your wonderful roommate has been telling everyone who would listen how you got hauled off to Anton’s.”
I was glad to see him but at the same time I wanted to bawl like a baby. I pushed back the tears and cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
He put his arm around my neck. “So tell me what happened.”
I don’t know how I managed it, but I told him everything without bawling. He opened the door for me. "So, you really think someone was in your room?”
“Yeah, it was Greenwood. I know it was.”
He scoffed and I stopped and disappointment sank into my gut. “You don’t believe me either?”
“That’s the problem, I do.” He lowered his voice. “But I don’t think it was Greenwood.”
I hung my backpack on my chair hard, nearly knocking it over. “Why?”
“Easy, tiger. Remember, we’ve been keeping tabs on him.”
“Yeah, so?”
“My pack has been taking turns and none of them saw Greenwood leave his quarters last night.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Yeah, one of them was Evan.”
“Then who do you think was in my room?"
He gently squeezed the back of my neck. “I’m not sure. All I know the Unseelie and Dark Demons were after your sister. Now, they’re after you.”
My breath caught in my throat and my heart slowed. I rubbed my sweating brow. “But Raven was a silver dragon. She could shift, she could fly. I can’t do anything but change into fog and run really fast. I’ll be a sitting duck.”
“No, you won’t. Or, even if you are, The Sentinels will be with you in the duck pond.” He tilted his head. “You won’t be doing this alone."
I glanced at the table where Armond, Cadye, Kyle, Darius, and Gunnar were all sitting together. They were watching us intently and each one of them give me an encouraging thumbs up signal. Gunnar winked at me and put his hand over his heart.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think it’s good your dad is coming. Somebody’s onto you, Ebony just like they were with your sister. If Anton’s got his head up his ass, then we need someone powerful on our side.” His voice jammed a roll of fear down my throat and past my gut, all the way down to my curled-up toes.
Because what if my dad wouldn’t listen? It was our word against Anton’s. Who was he going to believe?
I could barely eat my bacon and scrambled eggs, but Rusty and Evan wouldn’t let me leave until I cleaned my plate. The food sat like an iron cannonball in my gut.
I barely paid attention in any of my classes because all I could think about was that my dad was coming. The clock seemed to be moving at warp speed and the morning zipped by. After lunch, I went back to Anton’s to get my sword with Rusty in tow. He waited outside my bedroom while I got my blade. The chef salad I had eaten was sitting like a boulder of lettuce in my gut, and what was worse, my blood thirst was rising. It was like my body was at war with my brain on what to eat.
Rusty and I headed toward the arena.
He walked me to the girls’ locker room. “Hey, I saw Gunnar making googly eyes at you during lunch. I’m telling you, you both need to can it before your old man gets here. He’s serious about keeping you apart.”
“I know. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do anything to put Gunnar in danger. He’s been through too much already.”
“Yeah, well…just remember what I said.” He turned and jogged toward his classroom. I could have kicked myself for my last remark. Gunnar wasn’t the only one who had a shitty childhood. Rusty was a close second.
I entered the girls’ locker room and tried to ignore the fear growing inside me. Raven had met a doppelgänger in the locker room once and was almost killed. I changed quickly, trying to ignore the goosebumps breaking out all over me, and made sure my sword readily at hand.
Evil was near. I could feel it.
I opened the door that led to the playing field, expecting to see Greenwood or a Dark Demon or an Unseelie on the other side, but it wasn’t any of them.
The Golden Phoenix, my dad, stood on the field next to Dr. Greenwood and Anton. The wind blew his long dark curly hair across his cheeks. His dark eyes were glued onto me and only me. By the dark scowl on his face, I knew I had just stepped into a hornets’ nest.
Chapter 23
I stared back at my father and thought of Raven. She was the most powerful supernatural, and I was her sister. Would she have run and hidden from Dad’s piercing eyes? I took a deep breath. Gunnar headed me with all of my friends fanning out behind him, but my father stopped them.
“You boys halt right there,” Dad said.
I used my speed and met them on the field. “It’s okay.”
The anger in my dad’s eyes was replaced with a stunned look. “Ebony?”
Anton nodded. “Yes. She has the ability to run faster than the speed of light. She is even faster than Darius.”
“That’s not possible.” Dad shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”
“Watch,” Anton said, and I swear his red bloodshot eyes actually twinkled. “Darius, Ebony, come here, please.”
Darius and I looked at each other and slowly walked over. Dr. Greenwood’s evil stare made me want to keep the Armageddon sword close at hand. What if Rusty was wrong? Had Greenwood been in my room last night?
Anton tilted his head toward Dad. “Ebony, your father would like to see you race Darius.”
Dad cast his gaze over Darius. “I expect you to do your best, Runner. I’ll know if you let her win.”
Darius stuck out his chin. “I’ve never let Ebony beat me, sir.”
Dad crossed his arms. “Then show me.”
“Fine. We will.” I met Dad’s hard gaze. He wasn’t going to make this easy, but I wasn’t going to back down, either.
Darius and I put down our weapons on a bench and then stood on the track.
Dad flicked his hand. “Go.”
Darius was gone in a flash.
Please, I need speed.
Sensations shot through me, making my muscles and nerves tingle over and over again. The second I took my first step, it was as if my shoes grew wings. My feet barely touched the track, the wind blasting through my hair and colors whizzing past me. Then I was standing next to my dad, not having even broken out in a single bead of sweat.
Dad scratched his head and walked around me, looking me up and down. “I can’t believe it. No one, I mean no one, has ever been faster than Darius.”
Darius came up alongside me, winded and stuck out his thumb. “She is.”
Dad rubbed his chin and then gripped my shoulder. “Anton told me that he thought you were a bronze dragon, so I studied all the dragon lore. Being faster than the speed of light is not a bronze dragon power.” His tone was low and even, but I could hear the hidden message underneath it—what the fuck are you?
He looked over at Gunnar as if he had cast a spell on me. He had, but not the one Dad thought.
Dad’s brow crinkled. “And you can change into fog, I hear?”
I nodded. “I don’t need to shed my clothes or turn into a dragon to do it, either.”
He lifted my chin. “Then show me, daughter.”
I closed my eyes.
Please, help me.
The same cooling prickles gushed through me and my body turned weightless. I whizzed around, moving faster and faster. I couldn’t stop myself—I whooshed by Gunnar’s cheek and inhaled his masculine scent.
Then I landed softly next to Dad and transformed back, expecting to see pride in Dad’s eyes, but once again seeing only disappointment.
“Dr. Greenwood,” he said. “Is my daughter cursed?” I thought I could detect a hint of fear in his voice.
Dr. Greenwood curled his upper lip and gave me a look that made me feel like an insect that he wanted to squash. “I’m not sure. Something’s keeping her dragon hidden. Perhaps dark forces. I’m not sure.”
Dad headed toward the boys’ locker room. “
Anton, I would like to meet with my daughter, Gunnar, Rusty, Montae, and you after class.”
Anton had nodded. “Of course.”
Dr. Greenwood put his hand on Anton’s shoulder. “I would like to be in attendance at the meeting as well.”
Armond and the others chimed in. “We would like to be there, too.”
Discomfort flickered in Anton’s eyes. “The Golden Phoenix only wants to meet with a few of us.“
“You mean the ones in power,” Dr. Greenwood smiled. Such a strange thing to say.
“You weren’t invited,” I said in a cold voice.
Anton stepped away from him and touched his forehead. “Maybe it would be best if you weren’t there, Doctor.”
Dr. Greenwood stared at me. “We shall see.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t you have a patient in the infirmary to attend to, Doctor? How is Ashton, anyway? I haven’t seen him in the last couple of days.”
“He is not your concern.” His threatening tone sent the hair on the back of my neck straight up. Suddenly I knew that Ashton was in trouble, and that something was very, very wrong.
I squared my shoulders, wishing more than ever that I could shift into a dragon and set the bastard on fire. “Yes, he is. He’s my friend. I don’t leave friends behind.”
Dr. Greenwood sniffed and headed in the same direction my dad had gone. I just hoped he didn’t talk Dad into letting him join the meeting.
Anton looked at each of us with his tired eyes. “All right, class, we shall practice weapons again.”
I gripped my sword, feeling its power surging through me. Once again, I was a force to be reckoned with and easily defeated the others. After practice I was dripping with sweat, so I took a quick shower in the girls’ locker room and changed. I was disappointed Gunnar didn’t come to see me, but then again, we’d be tempting fate. The Golden Phoenix was already in a foul mood.
Like always, Rusty was waiting for me when I was done. He draped his arm across my shoulders. “Ready to get our asses chewed out?”
