"Let’s go," she whispered, trying to ignore the hurt in her chest.
Cruelty was his armor, just like ignorance had become hers.
Each step upthe stairs sent the space between her thighs throbbing.
Fire crackled at their backs, the lick of the amber lighting up the dark Academy. At the doors to the outside, Rhyden urged her forward. "Go. I’m right behind you." His hands clenched into fists.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I have enough fucking anger to bring this whole goddamned place down."
"That wasn’t the plan. We were supposed to meet?—"
Flames roared to life in a line, separating her from Rhyden. She staggered back.
"Go. They’re waiting on you. Tell them to light it up."
"No, I’m not going to leave you, Rhyden." The flames before her werehot, forcing her back.
"I’m coming, Vesperin."
Rin hated the way her name sounded from him. She couldn’t hide the hurt on her face. "Okay."
As she turned away from him, a shout made her feet pause.
Rhyden froze, too.
It sounded like?—
"Vesperin!" Xara came running toward her, hair wildly blowing behind her. She was gasping for breath when she stopped before her. "I wanted to tell you that you—" Shestraightened, staring at Rin, the lighter in her hand, and Rhyden at her back, flames soaring behind them, licking through the Academy doors. "What is this? Vesperin?"
Rin unholstered her Echogun; she didn’t point it at Xara, but the threat was there. "Why are you here?"
"I had to tell you something… But what is this?"
"We have said everything we need to each other, Xara. I warned you to run. Not toward me. But far from Solar City and the Blackfalls."
Rhyden was keeping the flames held back from them, but smoke still escaped from within the Academy. Rin coughed. They had to hurry. If they didn’t get out of here before the Waterborn firefighters arrived…
"I had to tell you to leave." As the golden firelight illuminated Xara’s face, Rin saw a dark bruise on her eye. Her lip was split, and blood crusted around her mouth and chin. Rin felt a gripping sadness for the other girl—she’d been blackmailed, just like Rin had on Sangreal. Xara continued, "Sabine sent guards, too. They were waiting outside to collect you with Director Ilsa and President Shin. When I told them you’d snuck out the window, they got angry." Anger and grief filled her face, drawing her brows low over her watery, red eyes. "They killed my mother. The guards showed me a video of her. She was in a chair. There was a man standing behind her. He looked at the camera as he shot her. He said something, though, before he pulled the trigger."
In the distance, the ground rumbled.
Xara wiped at her eyes. "He said,I’m sorry.He said he had no choice. I knew him." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "It was Kit."
Rin’s fingers grew slack around her Echogun.Kit…
"His eyes were dead. He yelled a warning before the video cut off. He said—" Xara’s voice broke. "He said,warn Rin to get out."
"Why tell me this?"
"Because none of it matters anymore. I wanted to make it up to you." The ground gave a distant rumble once more as Xara took a step forward. "I’m so sor?—"
The very ground split in two, a large crack forming. Rin wavered, gasping. An earthquake!
Metal lampposts trembled, folding beneath the weight as concrete split and surged up. The building gave a great, terrible shudder as the walls crumbled. Large chunks of concrete and stone toppled to the ground, dust filling the air. Flames surged past, filling the night sky. They slammed up an invisible wall, held back only by Rhyden’s might.
A pillar holding up the entrance began to collapse.
