As fast as we can, we crawl behind one of the classroom buildings. At least, I think that’s what it is. Only half of it still stands.
Above us, the same dark rift we saw near the caves continues to spew the Magician’s armies into our realm.
“What the fuck is happening?” Baz pants, the three of us getting to our feet and leaning against the bricks, still trying to get our bearings. “I thought the owl was about to blow up those mages back there.”
“Jarethwastrying to protect us,” I say. “It felt like that night at the Fool’s Grave. But before he could fully unleash, we must’ve gotten sucked into… I don’t know. We were there, and then we were here.”
“But how is this place already so fucked up?” he asks. Another volley of flaming arrows sails past, hitting a nearby saguaro. It ignites in a brutal magickal fire. “The riftjustopened.”
“Not here, it didn’t,” Kirin says. He’s lost his glasses, and his face is completely pale. “I think Stevie’s right about the realms. Whatever the mages did back at the caves had a ripple effect. Time and space are bending to accommodate them.”
“So how long has campus been under attack?” Doc asks. Behind our wall, the shouts of dozens of mages and witches fill the air.
This way!
Throw the stun potion!
Run!
In here—quick!
Help me! Help!
“Long enough to fuck up a whole lot of unprepared mages and witches,” Baz says. He flinches with every new shout. “We can’t stay here. We have to help them.”
“We need to get to the admin building,” Kirin says. “See if we can find Casey and Quintana and the others. We’ll regroup, make a plan, and—”
“Look out!” I shove them out of the way just before a huge section of brick topples from the wall above us, smashing to bits on the ground. “We need to move. Now.”
We slip out from behind the wall, heading in the opposite direction from where we entered, hoping to dodge Chariot’s relentless hunt.
But it doesn’t matter. The entire campus is swarming with undead soldiers. Every time one of our own takes down an enemy, the monster rises again, yellow eyes glowing, teeth gnashing.
“They can’t be killed,” Kirin breathes.
“They’re already dead.” Still gripping my Sword, I take a quick scan of the campus—what I can see of it, anyway. There’s no way to know how long they’ve been fighting. No way to know how many have already died.
The smell of blood makes my stomach churn.
And still, the undead armies keep marching.
“How is this possible?” Doc asks. “There are so many of them. And they’re just… relentless.”
“He’show they’re possible,” Baz says, his voice heavy with a mix of sadness, fear, and anger.
It matches his energy.
Following his gaze, I see the source. The general. The Black Sun.
He stands on top of the Chalice inside the fountain at the center of campus, one hand raised, the other brandishing the flaming Wand as if it were an Olympic torch. Despite the distance between us, his spell is a clarion call on the smoky air.
From the fury to the flame
What once was dead shall rise again
Rein of terror, reign of might
Let darkness now consume the light
