Instantly, I sank my Majekah into the dirt, making the training ground tremble, and drew a blunt stick out of my sword belt. Instead of a thrill, unease filled my chest as the first trainee fell.
Chapter 9
Quinn
Oneminute,Istoodat the back of a crowd listening to Everly and wishing I could see over all the tall people, and the next, the ground was shaking. A trainee in front of me screamed and fell from my view.
Hero grunted, and I turned just in time to see him catch a blow from what looked like a club on his forearm. I froze, the blood draining out of my face. I knew this was too good to be true. Scenarios one through three all ended in violence. It had been a matter of time.
Another trainee screamed and fell in front of me. Something snapped off their waist, bounced on the ground, and smacked me hard on the cheek. Pain blossomed, and tears sprang to my eyes. I shook. Not again.
I gripped Everly’s hand and pulled her backward. Next to her, Hero kicked out, hitting his attacker’s knee. The man screamed in pain and went down.
Fear shot through my veins. “Run.”
I made it three steps away from my peers before a man stepped in front of me. He bashed a club against his palm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I froze. Memories of hot power stabbing into me rose to the surface. My neck chilled with the weight of the collar. It didn’t matter if those things had actually happened or not because right now, they tarnished my soul.
Everly’s lovely dress graced my peripheral vision, and I backed up, putting my arms out. I hadn’t known my friend for long, but she was sweet; she’d reached out to me, befriended my crazy ass.
“You can take me,” I said. “But leave Everly alone! She shouldn’t have your magic forced into her. Leave her out of this.”
The man furrowed his eyebrows, but before he could respond, a high-pitched bellow sounded from my right, and a body slammed into the man. I didn’t wait. I grabbed Everly’s wrist and pulled. We were getting the fuck out of here.
“Stop, Quinn,” Everly said calmly.
I turned to find my friend’s other arm snagged by her brother. Blood-red magic swirled around them.
Two more trainees screamed and fell to the ground. Although my attacker still grappled with my savior, another man with a club was already running toward us. Panic scattered my thoughts. Reality or fantasy, I was getting out of here.
“I’m sorry. Your brother will take care of you… but I can’t do this again,” I said. My flight instinct kicked in, and I released Everly.
The three spots on my lower back throbbed. They weren’t random results from my blackouts. Men had shoved their magic into me. They were still attached to me. I suddenly wanted to throw up.
Never again.
Fuck me.
I sprinted.
The sounds of fighting ceased, but I didn’t stop. I went faster. My legs tingled, and suddenly, I was running faster than physically possible. My stomach muscles burned along with my quads and calves. The world blurred. For a moment, I thought I was blacking out. Instead, my feet pounded across the ground so fast that I must resemble a cartoon character. Magic. This was magic, like the energy my door took from me.
I hit something hard. A body stepped back, cushioning my impact and halting me in my tracks. The slight tingle in my legs cut off, leaving me breathing hard and shaking. Two hands on my upper arms steadied me.
I ripped myself out of the man’s grip and stuck my arms out as if I could push my attacker away. “Not again. Never again.”
“Quinn, stop, it’s me.” Ezra’s voice was unbearably soft.
Just like Gandalf’s had been. I was so fucking naïve.
I looked up, finding the dark plum-purple hair of my workout buddy/savior. His startling eyes burned with an emotion I couldn’t pinpoint. Sweat ran down the side of his face. His chest heaved from exertion. I froze. Footsteps sounded behind me, and Ezra put out a hand, halting whoever was at my back.
“No one’s going to hurt you,” Ezra said, stepping forward.
I stepped back, and my panic rose.
“It was a stress test.” Ezra didn’t step toward me again. “A few bumps and bruises. A glimpse at who can hold their head and who can’t.”
