I shut my runes down and lean on my knees panting, relief surging through me.Midnight rubs my back as the blond woman holds out her hand.
“I’m Red.”
Midnight shakes her hand, followed by me.
“That was impressive,” she says and then gestures to the tall vampire next to her.“This is Octavia.”
“My pleasure,” Octavia says.“These are my brothers, Gabriel and Xavier.”
She points to the man in the red suit followed by the taller one.
“Lucy Corvine.Alistair is a professor here, and Midnight you’ve already met.”
Eleanor helps Alistair into the armchair, he’s conscious now, but woozy.I think he’ll be okay.I could sense his magic through the connection and where he was drawing from me.As far as I could tell it was just magical exhaustion.
Octavia and her brothers kiss Cordelia and Eleanor in turn, and then she faces me and inclines her head.
“So, how can we help?”
40
Midnight
Everyone has been assigned their roles.Night fell hours ago, long before the vampires arrived.The vampire soldiers are keeping the Societas protestors and the mortals in line—well, for as long as it takes for the angels to turn up anyway, and then they’ll let them go and swarm the angels.
For now, the soldiers have forced everyone outside the campus walls.Their chants and protests, though, can be heard no matter where you are on site.Even in the depths of Finis Tower itself.It’s like they’re summoning the angels themselves.
Red is prepped as healer; we gave her a crash course in accessing campus magic.She’s not great at it, but anything that helps her heal people faster is a win.
Octavia and Xavier are primed on what wraiths look like and which demonic creatures to prioritise exterminating.Gabriel seemed far more interested in the books and encyclopaedias I was using to bring everyone up to speed with than on the actual job he’s here to do, but hopefully he’ll be of use when the time comes.
Cordelia and Eleanor are to keep the soldiers in line and be ready for strategic defence once Interitus arrives.Alistair is recovering in the medical ward.He tried to protest but passed out in my arms.So we slung him in medical and locked the door.
Which leaves Lucy and me.
We pace around and around Finis Tower’s moat.My thumb brushes the back of her hand where they’re laced together.There’s so much we could say that neither of us know where to start and as has been the way in my life, time is running out.
“Tell me the plan one more time,” I say as she leads me inside the tower.
She sighs.“Going through it again isn’t going to change anything.”
“Just tell me,” I say as we move through the foyer and up the stairs.
She glares at me but relents.“I will create a beam of power and fire it into the sky and hope that it lures both angels to campus.”
“Good.And then?”
“When they arrive, I will lure them to me.You’ll pull the mesh over campus.Cordelia will unleash the Societas and they’ll hopefully swarm and corner the angels.”
“Excellent, and finally?”I ask, just hearing the plan again is reassuring.It’s like if we go through it enough times, the plan will have to go right.
“I’ll use every ounce of power I have, and cell by cell, thread by thread, I’ll undo them.”
I squeeze her hand.“It’s not just undoing.You have to remake them as one.”
“Midnight, it’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” I huff.“If we get through this…”
