I close my eyes and take another sip of tea.
Goddess, I wish it wasn’t me. But it is me. I may feel woefully unprepared, unqualified, un-everyimportant quality necessary for leading the witches and mages into this fight. But that’s just too fucking bad, isn’t it? I’ve been blessed with magick and power that so many others would andhavedied for. I may not have wanted it, I may not fully understand it, I may not feel capable or worthy of it, but that doesn’t matter now. It’s mine. And right now, I want nothing more than to figure out how to use that power to help all the people I care about. All the witches and mages who are counting on me—as well as the ones who don’t even know I exist. All of the witches who died for what they believed in. For what they tried to honor in their everyday lives.
Magick. Love. Peace.
I don’t know if what Trello said is true—if I’m really the one who can unite everyone and inspire hope and all that epic shit—but I guess it’s like I said about finding Doc and Ani. If there’s even achanceI can do something here, I have to take it.
“We need to get word to campus,” I finally say. “The students and faculty need to be prepared to fight.” Everyone around the table shifts uncomfortably, arguments doubtlessly stacking up in their minds, but I press on anyway. “Look, I get it. I hate it too. I hate that it’s come to this, especially since they’ve had no real warning, no guidance since this whole thing began, and even less training than most of us have had. But I can’t see a way around it. We’re outnumbered and out-magicked.Everyoneneeds to fight, or everyone is going to die.”
I take another gulp of tea and brace myself for the pushback, but it doesn’t come. I can feel their energy—the movements through all the stages: denial, anger, grief, and finally acceptance, followed by a grim resignation.
And then, right when I’m afraid I’ve made the wrong call after all and the weight of my heart is almost too much to bear…
A surge of renewed hope.
“You’re right,” Professor Maddox says. “Everyone has a stake in this war, and everyone must make a stand. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option—that was made clear when the so-called authorities tasked with keeping society safe suddenly decided witches and mages weren’t part of that society.”
“Okay,” Casey says with a firm nod. “I’m with you on that. Here’s the thing, though—and our tech guy confirmed it—Eastman’s cut off the student internet and phone messaging. Outside of holding up signs in the windows, they can’t communicate with anyone outside their dorm halls, and I’m betting most of them are too scared to leave. He’s got them believing their lives are at stake and he’s the only one who can keep them safe.”
“Well, he’s half right, anyway,” Baz says. “Their livesareat stake. But Stevie’s right—if they don’t fight, they’re totally screwed. All of us are.”
“We need to get a message through,” I say. “We need to figure something out, or they’re just a sitting target waiting for the nuke.”
Kirin drums his fingers on the table, his brow crinkling. “If I can figure out how to override the security protocols Eastman put in place, we might be able to get a message out campus-wide.”
“That sounds promising,” Professor Maddox says.
Kirin nods. “Yeah, but there’s no foolproof way to do it without Eastman and his minions finding out. We’d immediately lose the element of surprise, and right now, that’s one of the only things we’ve got going for us.”
“We need more intel,” Baz says. “We need a better idea of what we’re up against—then we couldmaybefigure out how to sneak a message through without those fucks finding out.”
“We could split up,” Kirin says. “Some of us could slip back through the portal and—”
“No,” Casey says emphatically. “Agent Quintana and I barely made it out without being spotted. None of us can risk going back to campus—not until we’re ready to rock. Because the second they see us, all hell’s gonna break loose—with orwithoutthe Dark armies crashing the gates.”
A heavy silence settles over the table as we stare into our teacups and ponder the total suckage that is our present situation.
“What the hell are we supposed to do?” I whisper, more to myself than to anyone else. The tea in my cup ripples, and for a second, I wonder if another one of Mom’s Tarot cards is going to pop up out of the brew.
Instead, I get a different sort of message.
A flicker of white outside the glass deck door catches my eye, and I turn to see Jareth perched on the railing, posing and preening as if he’s waiting for someone to state the obvious.
“Real subtle, J.” I let out a soft laugh. Then, turning to the others with the first genuine smile I’ve managed since we all sat down tonight, I say, “No, none of us can risk going back there. But I know someone who can.”
Four
CASSIUS
For days, I’ve been clinging to the right side of morality and sanity, kept there byonething: the pure, untarnished love of the woman who owns my heart.
But right now? That woman isn’t here. She’s back in Red Sands Canyon, likely plotting a rescue mission with Kirin, Baz, and the others. One that could very well lead to the demise of everyone I’ve ever cared about.
Especially her.
In her absence—forced upon me by the very monsters tormenting me in this cave now—the rage inside rises unchecked. Someone I manage to keep it locked up tight while the Dark assholes discuss their plans, but my silence is as temporary as my apparent inaction.
Like mental manipulation, violence too has its place, its time.
