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Elias
Ifucking hate Noctili.
Velis crawls up my spine and I have to enforce my inner shields for the turmoil we’re about to face. There are too many memories there for me to handle on my own and I simply can’t afford to shut myself off. Velis is too destructive and probably won’t spare Edgar’s friends, if they’re even still alive.
My skin is damp with sweat and I look down at Terra to ensure she doesn’t notice my distress. Her eyes are watery and focused solely on the portal.
Does Edgar really mean that much to her? Even after he tried to kill her?
An Ekko student stands at the entrance of the portal, looking at us with a bewildered expression. Corvus, I think. Finn and Kai walk ahead of us to confront him, whisper-shouting about Edgar. It’s too muffled for me to make out.
Terra’s fingers fidget as her nerves get the better of her.
I lean down so my lips coast the edge of her ear. “Maybe you should stay here. I’m not sure what we’ll find on the other side.” Raine, for once, nods in agreement with me. He looks ready to accept the worst. At least I feel comfortable bringing him with me after our one-on-one lessons. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s a fucking tank.
She raises her eyes and meets my gaze. “No. I’m going.”
I reluctantly shrug. “Fine.”
Finn looks back at us. “We need to hurry. They’ve been gone for a few hours already.” Terra deflates, her shoulders trembling. Raine consoles her and I stiffen my jaw to prepare for the bloodbath ahead.
I approach the portal and raise my hand to it, resetting the alternate path so we don’t all get separated. Stupid fucking kids—they have no idea what they sentenced themselves to.
“All right, we’d better be quick about this,” I say through gritted teeth. “Ten minutes, that’s all we get before the headmaster will notice my Shadow’s absence from Alkrose. Leave the fighting to me, the rest of you get everyone who’s still alive out. Got it? Ten. Minutes.” I make my voice stern and they all nod uneasily. “Then let’s go.”
I enter first.
Fernestia brings a deep chill into my bones and unsettles my stomach. I don’t think there will ever be a day that this place doesn’t haunt me in some way.
I give Terra a concerned glance to assess her state of mind; she’s expressionless. I sigh and look ahead. Darkness shrouds the sky and small pockets of clouds gather ominously in the distance—orange light warms the bottom of them.
The air is thick with blood. Velis hums inside my veins, starved for the metallic sting of death.
“What the fuck is that smell?” Kai pinches his nose and squints as if the smell is burning his eyes.
“Probably Darkflies and Edgar’s comrades,” I say with no regard. Finn’s and Kai’s faces grow pale. Terra swallows hard. Raine stares at me with a knowing look. He knows the scent of carnage just as well as I do. I respect that.
I give Raine a look and he picks up on my intentions immediately.
“You guys are with me. Let’s get anyone we can out. Ten minutes,” he says resolutely.
We race through fields of gold in silence. They’re well-versed in stealth thanks to all the classes. I’m impressed they can keep their heads in moments like this. I focus my eyes on the crest of the field ahead where a warm light invades the darkness—clashes of Shadows, guns, and metal echo through the sky.
I flick one last look at the group of students before I sprint far ahead of them. I tear through the field and leave them to find survivors as I enter the camp solely to kill off any attackers. The tents are empty and blood is sprayed everywhere.
Novas are rare. So even if Emerai and Empress Raven catch wind of what I do here, I’ll have a solid explanation, I tell myself as I scour the area for movement.
My heart thumps inside my chest. The sight of blood instills me with excitement—Velis itches up along my spine. A blinding light bolts down from the sky and I dart in that direction.
My legs halt, muscles still quivering with adrenaline as I find what I’m searching for.
Edgar.
His body is gravely damaged.
Shit. I clench my teeth. I don’t care about him, but he means something to Terra. And that means something to me.
I study his body to calculate the damage. A slash from his neck to his navel curls and sinks at least two inches into his core. Blood and singed black tissue have sealed some wounds as swiftly as they were inflicted. His guts are spilled beside him and steam rolls off them, curling into the chilled night air.
