More.
She lifted her hand and ripped a soul from existence. They didn’t even scream. They didn’t have time.
MORE.
Wren stood at the entrance of Blackwood Academy. Around her, chaos reigned. She pressed her palms upon the cold earth and shadows billowed out of her, blanketing the ground, pouring in thick streams. She smiled as the darkness devoured those in her path—flesh torn open…souls destroyed. Their cries filled her with ecstasy. Their screams of terror a glorious symphony written just for her.
Wren turned away from her destruction. She wanted to stay…to revel in the chaos. But she knew there were other matters that needed her attention. A call she must answer.
Across the grounds, out toward the Library, stood a figure.
Sapphire eyes stared back at her.
A familiar face she’d only seen chiseled from stone.
Despite the distance between them, when the Soulless One spoke, Wren heard his words clear as day ring out inside her.
Hello, my sweet catalyst.
Wren cocked her head. The world was a violent haze of magic and shadows and fire—yet all of that seemed to vanish when she met the Soulless One’s gaze across the battlefield.
“Hello,”Wren replied with a coy grin.
The Soulless One motioned her forward with two fingers.
It’s time.
And then the Soulless One’s physical form vanished, drifting away as if he were nothing but a cloud of smoke. A hunger erupted inside Wren at hearing those two words spoken out loud. A ravenous desire. She knew where she needed to go. Her legs seemed to move of their own accord, striding toward her destination with fearsome resolve.
When she finally reached Headmaster Silas’s office, the Soulless One’s voice echoed inside her again, deep and grating.
He’s waiting for you. When you’re done…meet me outside the gates.
“Don’t worry,”Wren replied. She flicked her wrist and the door burst open.“This won’t take long.”
She strode into the room, a specter swathed in shadows. Darkness shrouded the office, only the silver glow of night flooding in through the windows, but still, Wren could see the figure seated behind the desk. The dark eyes staring back at her, boring into her soul. The one she had been waiting for.
“Hello, Silas.”Wren smiled, pointed teeth gleaming in the darkness. She snapped her fingers and the door slammed behind her with an echoing thud.“I think you have something that belongs to us.”
43
MASIKA
There was dying, and then there was whatever this was. Maybe there wasn’t exactly a word for it. How could Masika even begin to describe the agony of her soul fracturing? Of a thousand hands ripping into her soul, tearing at her insides, tugging at the threads of her sanity in the hope that it would break? Thatshewould break?
By some miracle, she’d managed to black out after a while. The pain had lingered, but there was some distance behind it, as if Masika had sunk into her body and watched the whole thing play out as an observer. And now…here she was. Where exactly? She wasn’t entirely sure. It had to be the same cell, considering she’d been lying on the ground for the past few hours, but the world around her had lost all shape and meaning, nothing but shadows undulating in her peripheral vision.
Somewhere in the distance, there was an explosion. Or, at least, what Masika assumed was an explosion. A thunderous boom rattled the walls of the dungeon, chunks of rock cascading onto the floor, plumes of smoke rising from the ashes. Was that an alarm? A blaring noise echoed above her. Over and over. Screams echoed. Far away, the sizzling crackle of magic reverberated, mixed with something else—a deep, guttural roar that reminded Masika of the moment the mountain had come crashing down around her.
She tried to move, placing her hands against the floor, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. A strangled whimper echoed from her throat. Why couldn’t she move? Had they broken her legs? Was sheactuallydying?
A shiver of fear cascaded down her spine.
She couldn’t help but wonder what was left of her. Maybe her entire soul was broken.
Maybe they’d left nothing behind.
A voice fluttered in front of her. Deep. Warm. Familiar.
