“Littlehelp?” Kingston barks, barely deflecting one thrust, then another. I sprint the last ten feet and rush the closest one, my vision going gray at the edges with the effort. But I slash at him, wildly, to draw him away, then retreat for a quick reset to lunge at his shoulder.
His parry’s too slow, but barely. The tip of my blade bites into muscle even as his spins around to make contact, and I have to half-advance to push far enough to really wound. Screaming, he clutches his shoulder, but doesn’t drop his weapon.
Until Cal sucker punches him.
“Jesus!” I yelp and leap back as the Brother shunts to his knees, then flat on the ground. I whirl on Cal. “Damn.”
“Is he—” Cal stumbles a half-step back.
“Fine,” I lie, because I have no idea. “Knocked out.”
Cal’s throat bobs.
“Don’t really want to kill anyone,” he mutters.
“Yeah.”
“Fucking no-facedbastards.” Kai sprints past us, swiping at a gash on his cheek, then skids to a stop. “Where is she?” He wheels around. “Where are we?—”
“Where is she?” Kingston, too, breathing hard and sweating, more ash stuck to his skin.
Everyone looks at me.
And now that we’re not fighting, now that the adrenaline isn’t coursing full-blast through my body and I’m not in fight-or-flight, now that the heat of the blazing house behind us is burning on my skin like a second sun…
I’m dizzy.
I really, really don’t feel good.
I can barely even speak.
But I can feel her.
And I know it’s selfish, I know it’s not the point, I know that no matter what the most important thing is just thatGwenna is okay,that she lives to see and breathe and laugh another day.
But...
Please, I think.Please just let me see her one last time.
My eyes close.
“That way.” I point. “Chapel.”
As if to underscore my point, the bell rings. Not for the hour, not for mass. Just rings: four long, rolling notes.
None of us waits. We run,sprint,four bloodied, burned swordsmen, tearing across the campus and praying it’s not too late.
No one harder than me.
THIRTY-SIX
GWENNA
Outside,the air smells like smoke.
I see the source immediately: a black cloud chugging upward from somewhere across campus, towards the lake. Too far from view to tell.
Something’s on fire.
