Heritage: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel (Elmwick Academy Book 3)

by Emilia Zeeland

  At once, Charity swipes her fingers producing a charm as the three black bulletproof vans speed past us on their way to the Narduccii residence.

  “What did you do?” Vanessa asks in a whisper.

  “I obscured our features and the car’s license plate,” Charity says. “Just blurred them a little and added some shadows. Nothing that would alert the hunters of magic. I wanted to make sure we wouldn’t attract their attention.”

  We all sit up straighter, shoulders tense in expectation of another sign of the hunters. We’re not in Elmwick anymore. Out here, hunting us is fair game.

  I try to shake off the tension. “Well, this takes me back to the time Dad and I lived in New York.” In answer of the others’ questioning looks, I add, “The need to stay alert and look over your shoulder.”

  Vanessa gives me a sympathetic shrug. “I guess visiting the Narducciis is not the smartest idea right now.”

  “I suppose not.” Jean murmurs. I’m a little startled by her disappointment.

  “Any word from Mason?” Awan half turns back in his seat to address me.

  I let out a slow breath, shaking my head. There’s no time to delay now. Either Mason is still with the Narducciis and needs to get out of there right now, or he left but didn’t get a chance to call me back yet. I hope for the latter, but either way, we need to go get him.

  My heart jumps in my throat as I dial Mason. It swoops right back into my gut when I hear the automatic response. It takes me a second to recover my ability to speak. “His phone is off.”

  Charity clasps both hands over her mouth. I share a tense look with Jean when Vanessa pops the door open and steps out of the car.

  “Hey!” I call out after her, but she doesn’t respond. “Vanessa?”

  She opens the trunk without replying, which makes me roll my eyes. If she needed her bag, she could have said something. While she rummages through the compartment, I take the opportunity to stretch my legs and breathe in the relatively fresh air.

  Cars zoom past us with a guttering sound that makes me cringe. Vanessa pops back into view with a lidded basket in hand. It resembles the ones I’ve seen in the viper pit at Elmwick Academy.

  “No.” I stare at her in denial. “You didn’t.”

  She smirks at me after a very demonstrative hair flip. “Of course I did. You didn’t expect me to go on this trip without a couple of extra helpful buddies, did you?”

  My only response is to bite down on my lower lip. Hard. Granted, the snakes wouldn’t hurt us when Vanessa is around, but the thought of them even sharing a ride with us creeps me out more than I care to admit.

  Utterly unimpressed by my behavior, Vanessa stomps into the forest, basket in hand.

  Charity and Awan duck out of the car.

  “What is she doing?” Awan asks, but Charity slides out of the car and sighs, meeting my gaze. “She’s going to have a look, isn’t she?”

  I nod, then call out to Jean, “Wait for us here.”

  I can’t leave Vanessa alone amid the surprisingly dense foliage, so I hurry after her, Charity and Awan in tow. My clothes catch on the prickly shrubs growing between the trees. Luckily, I wore jeans and a long-sleeved cotton shirt, so my legs and arms won’t get scratched.

  Vanessa chooses a relatively empty spot, marked by two rocks big enough for her to sit on. She then lets the vipers out of the basket. All three are small ones, thin and agile. They’re a murky, green-brown color that would blend easily into the forest.

  The snakes disappear among the foliage as soon as they’ve been set free, but Vanessa’s eyes roll back into her head a second later, turning milky white. She takes control of the reptiles, leaving us to listen to their movements through the shrubbery.

  “Seen any good movies lately?” Vanessa asks, adjusting to sit as comfortably as she can on the rocks.

  We all gape, dumbfounded.

  “What?” Her voice comes out high-pitched. “Got anything better to do while my little helpers get to the Narduccii residence?”

  We truly don’t, so I sit through Awan’s passionate monologue about the latest superhero movies he’s seen with his brothers while Vanessa only chimes in from time to time to let him know how terribly stereotypical she finds them.

  I’m debating if I should wander a bit farther off to pee when she gasps, “Aha!”

  “Do you see the residence?” Charity asks at once.

  “I’m inside the house,” Vanessa drawls, pleased with herself. “Had to get in through the back and use the gutter drain, but we’re in!”

  I swallow, trying to imagine seeing through three sets of eyes without getting dizzy. “What’s happening in there?”

  “Damn, they’ve got a nice house!” Vanessa’s jaw drops in awe. “Though it’s swimming with hunter scum. They’re everywhere.”

  “And Mason?” I prod her along.

  Vanessa sticks out her palm, so it’s facing me. “I’ll let you know if I see him. Jeez. When we find him, you two really need to do—”

  She stops herself before saying ‘it’, but it’s not because of decency. Something has caught the eye of one of the vipers she’s worged into. Vanessa stays frozen for a couple of long minutes, during which the rest of us don’t dare ask her what she’s seeing for fear of distracting her.

  Finally, she exhales, shuddering. “The hunters know that Zach and Mason are hidden legacies. They needed The Black Adder to apprehend them, but the boys got away. Mason and Zach aren’t here anymore. The hunters are raging about it, blaming the Narducciis.”

  She sucks in a sudden breath. “Oh, this isn’t good. No. No. No. Oh, don’t you dare, you big fat boa!” But as sassy as that was intended to sound, panic seeps into Vanessa’s voice. And then she shrieks.

  At once, I’m down on my knees, sinking into the mud. “Vanessa!” I shake her shoulder, forgetting the caution we treat her with when she’s mid-worg. “Vanessa!”

  She squeezes her eyes shut and keeps screaming until tears leak out of the corners of her eyes.

  “Stand back.” Awan pulls me from her, his skin already sparkling bronze. “I’m going in.”

  The protector leaps out of him in a flash of bronze. He doesn’t waste any time before jumping into Vanessa, who’s stopped screaming but shakes violently, still refusing to open her eyes.

  My jaw trembles while we wait. With a sudden gasp, Vanessa jumps up, eyes wide. That makes the protector leap out of her. I grab her by the elbows so when she sags, she doesn’t fall.

  Panting, Vanessa claws at my hands, fighting to steady herself. “The Black Adder. The big snake killed one of mine. I was in its body when...”

  She gulps, unable to continue, but she doesn’t have to. I envelop her in a tight hug as she shivers, her cheeks wet with tears.

  We stay like this until Vanessa manages to calm her breathing. She hiccups when she peels herself from me. “I lost them—the other two. They’re too far for me to worg into now. I’m not even sure I’d be able to tell them apart from the rest of the vipers that are probably hiding in that mansion.”

  “It’s okay.” I run my hand up and down her arm to soothe her.

  Vanessa shakes her head to say it isn’t, but I pat her back, ushering her to the car.

  When we return, Jean greets us with a nervous, “There you are!”

  From our quiet, solemn expressions she probably gathers that Vanessa’s plan didn’t exactly work out. We squeeze into the back, Vanessa in the middle this time so Charity and I can both offer her a hand to hold or a shoulder to lean on, if needed. She only stares blankly at her palms, her breath wheezing.

  Jean doesn’t even bother starting the car but turns to face us. “Where to now?”

  “If the hunters sensed Vanessa’s presence in the residence, they’ll be doing a search through the woods for vipers,” Awan says. “We can’t stay here. And who knows where Zach and Mason headed after leaving here.”

  He’s right, of course, but I’m all out of ideas. On Vanessa’s other side, C
harity growls in exasperation. It takes me a second to realize it’s not a vocal protest against the situation we find ourselves in but a defeated resignation.

  “I might know a place they could be.”

  All of us, even Vanessa, wrinkle our foreheads at her in confusion.

  Scoffing to emphasize what a sacrifice this action entails, Charity pulls out her phone and sifts through her contacts until she finds the right one.

  We still our breathing, waiting for the person she’s calling to answer the phone. I guess they do.

  “Hi, Dad.” Charity’s jaw is uncharacteristically stiff as she speaks, keeping her expression stony. “You and your underground community didn’t happen to pick up two stray hunters, did you?”

  Chapter 20. Mason

  Eddie’s eyes snap to us. Whatever his daughter is saying on the phone has him staring at us as if seeing us anew. I can’t be sure if that’s good or bad yet.

  Bex gives Eddie a shrug with one shoulder, confused, but then watches him walk out of earshot to continue the conversation.

  “Bex, you’ve got to believe us,” Zach says next to me.

  She gives him a docile smile before mouthing “Sorry” and returning to her desk.

  The five minutes it takes Eddie to come back to us make the fire drake blood in my veins seethe. Without a word, he takes the bundles of herbs keeping us trapped and throws them in a bucket of water by the door.

  “Apologies, boys,” Eddie says. “One can never be too careful, especially when it comes to the hunters.”

  Zach and I let him unbind our wrists but remain reluctant to trust him.

  I focus on Eddie’s beetle-black eyes, finally making sense of the familiarity they hold. “Your daughter...”

  “Is your friend, Charity, yes,” he says in a quiet, somber tone. “And Rosy is my younger one, of course.”

  Shock courses through me as I struggle to explain to myself how this is possible. All those years living on the same street as Charity... Have I really never met her father?

  Eddie blows out a heavy breath. “After my wife passed away, I had to leave Elmwick, but despite the personal contempt I hold for that town, it is the safest place for my daughters.”

  It’s as elaborate an explanation as we’re going to get, judging by the finality in his tone, so I move on to the next urgent matter. “Did you warn her not to go to the Narduccii residence with the circle?”

  “I did.” Eddie nods. “Their merry bunch is headed this way now.”

  Both Zach and I exhale with relief, after which he asks for a phone to call his mother. Eddie directs him to Bex for help, then waves me over. I don’t expect an apology and I don’t get one either, but he seems to relax in my presence, which is more than enough.

  Eddie’s expression is still grave, though, despite the hostility absent from it now. He almost seems pained. Sad.

  “All I ever wanted for my daughters was to keep them safe.” He shakes his head, struggling to go on. “And now I find out that Charity is bound into a banshee’s circle.” He sighs. “I will not let my daughter suffer her mother’s fate. I will not let the circle claim her, twist her powers right out of her control, and paint her into a target.”

  It’s too late for that, but I keep my opinion to myself. “All Zach and I have been trying to do is find a way to undo the joint spell safely.”

  And then I explain everything. The booklet we found at Elmwick Academy. Cami binding the circle, despite her initial resistance to it. The deal she made with Jester that threatens the humans of Elmwick. And the slim possibility that, if we could find a way to lift the joint spell without killing Cami’s circle, Zach or I could stabilize it.

  As I dive deeper into the explanations of the twisted events from the past few months, more charmers gravitate toward us. Eventually, we end up sitting in the coffee area, snacking on grilled cheese sandwiches some of the others were kind enough to make. They even give me ice for my bruised ribs.

  Zach joins us halfway through, nodding to assure me that his mother is fine for now. Thanks to his warning, she’ll go dark, like us, to evade the hunters.

  Some of the charmers interrupt me with eager questions whenever I pause for food, but Eddie gets them to back off until I’ve finished rehashing the entire story, including Tasha’s theory that a way exists for the members of the circle to survive undoing the spell and Sofia’s argument that we should design it ourselves.

  At that point, Zach swallows the big bite he’s been chewing and says, “So we need to ask you. A group like you, hidden from the hunters, must have come across all sorts of stories and rumors over the years. Do you have anything that might help us?”

  Eddie scratches his dark stubble in thought. “I knew your mother’s circle, the one that freed her.” His gaze stays on Zach, no blame in the charmer’s eyes. “Word traveled to us that the rest of the circle died, all but the banshee and the fire drake. But I’m afraid that’s as much as we know about the hidden legacies.”

  It’s more than the legacies or hunters in Elmwick knew, so their group is well informed, but I sigh in defeat. It’s silly, especially after hearing Sofia’s argument, but I hoped we’d at least find a clue about the direction we should be looking into. Tough luck.

  “The only idea I have is...” Eddie hesitates, surprising me.

  The charmers shift. Many shoot nervous glances at one another.

  Eddie takes a sip of his water before continuing, “There’s one case I can think of.”

  “Where a charm saved someone from dying?” Zach leans in to listen closer.

  “No,” Eddie says. “But it might be an option still. The only problem is that the efficacy of this particular charm depends on the legacies’ own mental strength.”

  I catch myself gaping like a fish out of water, but before I can ask any of the million follow-up questions cropping up inside my head, a loud buzz from Bex’s desk draws our attention.

  She doesn’t go back to her computer but pulls up her phone to check something. “We’ve got company.”

  Instead of getting up or continuing to work on her phone, Bex reaches for the last grilled cheese sandwich. It must be going cold, but she doesn’t seem to mind and takes a huge bite out of it.

  Eddie grabs a tissue and nervously wipes his hands before he leaves to fetch the newcomers. The roiling in my stomach makes me wish I hadn’t eaten this much. The ridiculous urge to check my breath, knowing that Cami is mere levels above us, almost makes me facepalm.

  Bex watches me with a grin, as if listening to my very uncool inner monologue. “Want some gum?” She leaves a neon pink packet of gum on the table.

  My nose crinkles at the sugary smell that wafts toward me. “No, thanks.”

  Bex only smiles wider, revealing all her even white teeth. “Suit yourself.”

  At the sound of the door creaking open, Zach and I stand abruptly. Eddie leads Charity inside, but they enter in silence, an awkward vibe stuck in the air. Jean follows them, eyes doing a well-trained sweep of the place, scanning her environment for possible exits. I guess she’s not ready to trust this group, despite their link to Charity.

  Awan and Cami walk in on either side of Vanessa, each with one hand on her shoulder, as if to make sure she keeps going. My stomach does a loop when I spot Cami, with her loose honey-blond curls falling like a curtain on the sides of her pale, rosy face. The need to tell her everything is overwhelming, but I force myself to hold back until we get the chance to be alone.

  Vanessa’s hollow eyes make me uneasy. She looks pale and puffy from crying. Awan pats her on the back, whispering something to her. She issues the smallest of nods, which he rewards with a warm smile. In two big steps, he’s at my side, clasping my hand and drawing me in for a loose bro hug.

  I clap my other hand against his back. “What happened? Are you guys all right?” My gaze drifts to Vanessa again.

  Awan bites a lip. “She lost a viper when we tried to find you at the Narduccii residence. She’s a little shaken up
about it.”

  My chest rises as I gaze back at the girls. Vanessa whispers to Cami, who gives her arm a reassuring squeeze before leaving her side. And heading right for me.

  A thousand fleeting thoughts run through my mind as she approaches—the way we left things, Jester’s presence in Elmwick, the price she agreed to, and the quick call we had after weeks of silence. But when our eyes meet, the ocean blue of hers is so achingly familiar that I can’t even attempt to keep my distance.

  Cami lets out a soft gasp but holds my gaze, emotions streaming behind her clear eyes. We’ve suffered the distance stretching between us, both physical and metaphorical, but in the end, I’ll always want to help her, protect her, and be with her.

  I suppose that feeling is mutual because she flings herself into my arms. Despite the pain in my ribs, I hug her back, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.

  Chapter 21. Cami

  I melt into Mason’s embrace, only now fully realizing how much I’ve craved his touch in the past weeks. My chest constricts from nerves. I can’t bring myself to say anything yet, but Mason’s tight hug makes me believe there’s no need.

  I’m only vaguely aware of the people around us moving deeper into the underground compound. At last, when I stir in Mason’s arms and they loosen around me, I see my circle is being treated to some snacks and refreshments in the dining area of this surprisingly well-lit underground level.

  Mason keeps a hand on my lower back, making the spot grow warm. “I’m sorry.” His brandy-colored eyes dim with regret.

  “No, I’m sorry,” I pant under the pressure of all the explanations I’ve been concocting in my mind for weeks. “I’m sorry about Jester. I’m sorry for what I did to Vaughn. I’m sorry it all escalated as it did. You should know Jester’s cold ones aren’t feeding on the humans in Elmwick. We’ve rallied legacy volunteers...”

  He brushes a curl away from my field of vision, his fingers grazing my face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you... Well, I guess you know now that I’m...”

  “A legacy?” I wheeze.