Page 57 of Lost and Bound

I agree in an instant.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE UNDER MY FEET, IT’S NOT JUST A SONG TITLE

We’re the first to arrive at the field, and instead of hanging around with Emrys, Arlan, and Cane, I find a spot in the sun and limber up. It’s all the way down at the back oval, but the distance works great too.

I’m still wound up after five minutes in their presence. I shouldn’t be, because beings who make it blatantly clear I’m beneath them and always will be don’t deserve a second of my time. Unfortunately, feelings don’t work like that, especially when you’re lonely. It’s not like I want them as my friends, but when the world constantly fucks you over, there comes a time when you start to take things personally.

To shut off my thoughts, I work through Dad’s fitness program. I did it so many times with him that the short sprints, the deep stretches, and the sets of burpees are pretty much muscle memory.

Considering how brutal and competitive previous training has been, I pace myself while also monitoring what my new housemates are doing. It’s easy to see their friendship is as strong as Orion indicated, and it’s interesting to observe how they interact with the other students as they arrive.

There’s a fair bit of hero worship going on toward them, but they don’t exactly encourage it. They’re pretty aloof, really only waving or offering a few words before refocusing and talking among themselves.

The way they stand means I’m in their direct line of sight, and they’re in mine. Emrys has caught me looking at him as many times as I’ve spotted Arlan and Cane doing the same. Given their sketchy looks, I honestly don’t know how we’re going to survive living together.

We’re still waiting on a lot of students, which is the only reason I park my butt on the grass, preparing to do some stretching. I go to lift my leg, but under me, the earth moves. I pause suddenly, wondering if I just imagined the sensation, but I know I didn’t since I’ve felt earthquakes before. There’s another rumble under my butt that no one else notices, not that I let that hold me back.

I hop up, racing over to Cane. Of course, he’s already looking my way. I stop in his shadow, placing him between me and the other students. “Did you feel that?”

I purposely keep my voice low, in case I’m panicking for nothing, although I forget about beings having supersonic hearing. Arlan moves closer, and Emrys magik ebbs out of him.

“What?” Cane barks, which blows up my intention to keep this between us.

The other students turn around, and I feel a wave of heat race up my face, blazing under everyone’s attention. I lose my voice until the tremor I felt before strikes again.

“That,” I squeak as the ground under us moves.

Emrys lowers into a squat, his hands pressing against the grass. He’s not the only one, and I realize all the magikals are doing the same. And like Emrys, each of them omits their own unique strand of energy. Without question, Emrys neon purple is the most vibrant, and it stretches away into the distance.

The other students move closer, and the chatting stops. All of them look to Cane for an answer.

“We don’t know what it is yet.” The words barely leave his mouth when an alarm blares. It’s the same one I heard on my first night at Thales. We’re under attack.

“Emrys?” Cane shouts over the budding panic and sound of the siren.

“Elementalism. But whoever is wielding it is hiding behind a concealment.”

I follow along, but my understanding of the different branches of magik is limited. What I remember is that elementalism is a branch of magik practiced by those who have the power to manipulate the elements, like earth, wind, water, and fire. It’s completely different to druid magik, witchcraft, rune practitioners, and sorcery. When talking magik, I use the analogy of herbs and spices; there are groups within groups, and the flavor of each branch is as unique and diverse as the others.

Arlan chuckles as the earth quakes again. “I think it’s safe to say, Em, they’re not coming in peace.”

Emrys stands up, his grin as wide as Arlan’s. “What makes you say that?”

We all sway from side to side as we ride out another wave of the magikal attack, which only makes the two of them smirk at each other more.

The rumbling stops at the same time something cracks loudly. Everyone swings around to face the changing rooms, watching as the edge of the building falls away. Someone screams while another student prays.

Rumbles build, the vibrations picking up, but Cane claps his hands, drawing everyone’s attention to him. He looks calm and is as unconcerned by the commotion as Arlan and Emrys.

“This is not a drill. We have worked hard in our training sessions, focusing on what to do in case of an attack. Everyone should know where they should be, but I’ll run through it again. If you are a competent unit, you are to report to your assigned post immediately.”

He stops talking and looks over the group of gathered students. About a quarter of the class split into their units and depart in all directions—of course it includes my angel bullies. The way they act in the face of the attack makes me dislike them even more. They act like a well-trained group of mature beings. There’s no stupid bs at play, and they move as a group, all looking out for each other and the two Noms that go with them.

The other students don’t look self-conscious about their decision to stay. There’s no one pretending to be better than they are, which is surprising.

“What we’re going to do is split into groups. If you believe you’re ready to step up and you want the opportunity, go stand with Emrys.”