Repeating the spell, I close my eyes and let all other thoughts and worries fade away. All of my focus is on Jareth—the feel of his soft feathers, the weight of him perched on my arm, the scent of the breeze in his wings, the piercing glow of his bright, golden eyes. I recall the first time I felt his energy that day on El Búho Grande, and every time we’ve connected since—including tonight.
We’ve been through a lot together, my owl and I. There’s no one I trust more to see this through.
A smile of pure gratitude graces my lips, and overhead, Jareth lets out a soft hoot. That and the gentle whoosh of his takeoff are all the warnings he offers before soaring away. I open my eyes and run out into the backyard, gazing up to track his path across the starry sky.
I watch until he turns into a tiny white dot.
The moment he’s completely out of sight, my vision shifts—the change so abrupt, I fall to my knees and squeeze my eyes shut to stop the sudden spin.
But soon enough it settles, and suddenly I’m no longer kneeling in the backyard. I’m sailing across the desert, across the magickal boundaries that separate Red Sands Canyon from the Academy and the lands beyond it—the Petrified Forest of Iron and Bone, where Baz and I shared our first kiss beneath the rocks I was failing at climbing that day. The Towers of Breath and Blade, where Kirin took me flying on a magick bike and taught me how to harness my air magick. The Cauldron of Flame and Fury, where Ani gave me the sunrise. The River of Blood and Sorrow, where Doc and I traveled in the dream realm after finally giving in to the wild passions that nearly consumed us both. That night, he helped me feel more worthy than I’d ever felt before—worthy of my magick, of the love of my Arcana brothers, of the friendship I’ve found at the Academy.
Every one of those sacred places holds important memories for me, and I hold onto those memories as we dip and glide across the currents, the wind rustling through Jareth’s feathers as if they’re my own.
It’s not long before we’re circling campus, and I force myself to focus on every detail, every shadow. We perch on top of dorms and classroom buildings, swoop over the fountain, dart between trees and follow the crisscrossing red stone paths.
I have no idea how much time passes. We cover the entire campus, then travel beyond once again, always watching. Always learning.
Our flight feels at once endless and momentary.
But at some point, I open my eyes again and get to my feet, and I find myself surrounded by my mages and the others, all of them eagerly awaiting our news.
Jareth lands on my shoulder and nuzzles my neck.
Stroking his head, I take a deep breath and get my bearings.
Then, I drop the fucking bomb.
“Guys? It’s worse than we thought.”
Six
STEVIE
“He’s got patrols across the entire campus,” I say. “Guarding every dorm, building, portal, and pathway. Dozens more are arriving every hour—like freaking cockroaches.”
“What? We didn’t see anyone coming in,” Casey says, exchanging a horrified glance with Quintana. “Are they using the portals?”
“Not the public ones.” I bring a mug of piping hot peppermint tea to my lips, welcoming the burn. We’re all in the living room, a roaring fire crackling, but I can’t seem to chase off the chill. Even with Baz and Kirin on either side of me, and a fleece blanket wrapped around me like a burrito, I’m still shivering. “Jareth overheard some of the mages talking about secret access through the admin building.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Professor Broome says. “And I’ve been at the Academy for ages.”
“I’m not sure if Trello herself even knows about it,” I say. “The men were talking as if they just created it. Or someone created it for them.”
“Did you recognize any of them?” Quintana asks. He and Casey are wearing tracks in the carpet with all their incessant pacing. “Any faculty among them, any prominent political figures, anyone like that?”
I shake my head. “The mages were all pretty covered up though. Dark robes, hoods. No symbols or insignias that we could see, but…” My skin erupts in goosebumps, the chill digging in for the long haul. “We heard more than a few references to the Soldiers of Light.”
Agent Quintana lets loose a string of curses.
I don’t blame him. The Soldiers of Light are the crackheads that claimed responsibility for the attack on Ani’s hometown—a brutal act of terrorism that gave the human authorities carte blanche to detain all witches and mages, indefinitely and without cause. When Trello first told us about Eastman’s mages taking control of campus, she’d said the group was dark and secretive, and Doc had wondered about a possible connection to the Soldiers, but we didn’t have proof.
Now we do.
Not that it does us much good.
“What kind of numbers are we looking at?” Quintana asks.
“Best guess? He’s got atleasta hundred experienced magick-users firmly entrenched at the Academy, but that’s just for starters.” I down the rest of my tea in a few big, hot gulps, then set my mug on the side table. “According to the chatter, there are at least two hundred more so-called Soldiers of Light scheduled to arrive on campus before sunrise. And that’s not counting anyone else he scares into submission before we’re ready to make our move. For all we know, they could turn half the campus against us before we even step foot on Academy grounds.”
