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Arthur raises his hand and lowers it in one fell swoop. Everyone takes off with wicked speed, mud flinging into the air behind them and wind puffing from above as the wings of the Shadows beat.
But I remain where I am, staring at Edgar. Kai’s ebony Shadow horse stops a few leagues ahead of me and he looks back at me. “Terra, let’s go!” he shouts and his stallion resumes running.
Amser takes off, gripping the ground brutally and thrusting us forward. We easily catch up to Kai, and once we do, I dare glance back at my brother.
He stands alone, the air turning black around him and whipping furiously. A long curl of spinal bones forms above him as the skull of a snake arches back like it’s screaming. It pieces together in a matter of seconds.
My eyes burn. I watch unblinking as the monster inside Edgar’s veins comes to life.
His Shadow is the image of true evil. Malice radiates from it. Sharp teeth arrow inwards—the sort of teeth made to trap things, never to escape.
Edgar sits atop its head. The coils of the snake’s body curl to the left and right. I’ve never liked snakes. The way they move so fast without legs is disturbing, and Edgar’s Shadow is the god of such wicked things.
“Move!” I scream at Kai and his jaw drops at Edgar’s Shadow. It’s comparable in size to Raine’s airborne dragon, toppling trees as it slithers towards us.
“What the fuck!” Kai shouts as our Shadows bank right, throwing us into the thick of the forest. Branches snap and berate us as we keep up our speed.
Through gaps of broken trees, I catch sight of the snake veering just enough to avoid crushing a group of students. I have to stop and take a breath. I really thought he was going to smear them across the ground like insects.
33
Elias
Arthur’s eyes follow Terra until she’s hidden in the forest. He doesn’t seem at all concerned about Edgar’s Shadow decimating the trees as it blazes toward the mountains.
“Aren’t you going to ensure no one tries to escape?” he says absently as he stares in the direction of the students.
I grin and nod. “Yeah, but I like to let them get a bit of a head start first. You know me. There’s no fun in it if I can’t hunt them a bit. Velis prefers it that way.”
Arthur breaks his stare and gives me a frown. “You know, being barbaric won’t hide your pain from me.”
My jaw tightens and I fist my hands at my sides. “Shut up. You don’t see anything when you look at me. No one sees anything.”
His brows arch and a surprised grin pulls at his mouth. “How odd. Since when did you try so hard to mask it?” he murmurs, pulling out his notebook and scrawling something in it lazily. “By the way, we plan on casting Edgar’s powers in two weeks. We need a bit of time to collect enough power. You should prepare for it as well.” I level him an indifferent look. Since when did I agree to help? “You’d best be off then.”
“You sure two weeks isn’t too far off? Did you see his Shadow? Kallos’s cast broke weeks ago.” Arthur just lifts a shoulder and writes more down in his journal.
Whatever, it’s not my problem. It’s only my problem when it’s time to put them down.
Velis pools from my skin and is at my side in a second. I mount it and I’m off hunting the stragglers. There are always a few that try to escape. I get it, this seems like it’d be the best time to try, but that’s sort of the point.
Velis picks up on a Polaris student ten meters out of the boundaries like a hunting hound, veering to the left and increasing its speed until a dark green cloak becomes visible. The student turns and catches sight of me, his eyes rounding with fear.
I don’t enjoy this.
Not at all. I’d prefer hunting Darkflies.
I raise my hand over the figure and close my fist over him. His head flies off cleanly, blood spiraling in the chilly spring air. A soft toppling sound thuds in the distance. I don’t look as Velis redirects its attention to the next rule-breaking student, leagues away in a different direction.
All I can think about are Arthur’s words. Since when did you try so hard to mask it? Haven’t I always? Does it show more now? I shut my eyes and let the lull of Velis’s steps take my mind elsewhere.
The second exam is near and I’d rather be anywhere else.
34
Terra
“Ihate this fucking place,” Kai says on a low breath. He shudders and shakes his head to try and stop his bodily reaction to the snake.
