“Hey, whoa, wait a minute…”
Suddenly from the back of the room near the door I heard a familiar voice. “Hey, Skye? Did you come in here?”
“MADDIE!” I yelled, before Kyra leapt up and covered my mouth.
“Shut up!” She hissed.
Maddie stepped inside, her eyes taking in the scene in stunned horror.
“Elira? What thehell—”
Kyra spun, knife to my throat. “Get out, Maddie. Now.”
“Hey, now. Why don’t we all calm down here, shall we. You Ok, Elle?” Maddie asked me.
“Just super.” I bit out.
Maddie hid her grin. “I’m sure there is a way we can all talk about this rationally.” She said. “Why don’t you drop the knife, huh Kyra.”
“Maddie, just go.” Skye hissed.
“Well, see… that’s the thing. Ican’t,” she said casually. “Because a scary mind mage is currently on the warpath looking for his little shadowmancer. And I don’t know if anyone here really wants tofuckwith Thorne… do you?”
Skye and the other girl—Paige, I think—visibly paled.
They exchanged a single, panicked glance.
And started backing toward the door.
“Paige? Skye? What thehell?” Kyra shrieked, her voice cracking with disbelief as her grip on the knife twitched.
“I’m sorry, Kyra,” Paige stammered, already halfway to the hallway. “Thorneterrifiesme.”
Skye looked between Maddie and me—guilt writ all over her face—and bolted after Paige. Maddie didn’t flinch, just stared her down with the kind of calm that screamedyou’re dead to me.
I took the opportunity and dropped my next bomb like a dagger.
“Now might be a good time to mention that Leo, Phoenix, SladeandThorne all have magical tracking on me.” I let the words sink in. “So… you might want to rethink the whole murder thing.”
Kyra’s eyes went wide.
The blade twitched in her hand—then pressed harder against my throat. I felt it kiss the skin, warm blood beading.
“Then I guess I’d better bequick, huh?”
A strange humming filled the room.
My eyes snapped to Maddie.
Her fingers were glowing—a low, soft purple like bruised lightning.
Maddie can use magic within the wards?I didn’t have time to process it.
The earth cracked with a suddensnap—and vines burst from the stone floor like serpents, curling up around Kyra’s legs.
“What the fu—!” Kyra shrieked, but her words were cut short as the vines lashed upward, wrapping her wrists, her arms—herface.
She thrashed. The knife clattered to the floor. I gasped.
