Page 95 of Echoes of the Banshee

Gah! I start packing up my stuff in a huff. Tossing things roughly into the bag.

The shadows freeze.

“What?” I ask them. Standing and looking around.

They take off towards the woods. I stand there stunned for a moment. Can they leave me? They yank me forward. Guess not. I take off at a sprint after them.

Magic slams into me and I have to put my hand on a tree to stay upright.

Thea’s magic.

She doesn’t want me around.

She needs me.

I run towards the explosion.

The wind tears at my clothes. She’s in the eye of the tornado, a man has her wrapped in his arms. That’s brave. I wait, holding onto a tree. Her power keeps rising. More than I’ve felt in some whole coven gatherings. How strong is she?

The wind collapses.

Oh. It’s a goblin with her.

That makes less sense.

He helps her up. Wiping at her tears. The shadows reach for her, but I pull them back.

“Wait,” I whisper.

Someone tears through the woods and the goblin blocks Thea from their view as a security officer comes into the clearing. The shadows wrap around me, making me invisible as his eyes scan the woods.

“Where’s Thea?” the officer asks.

“Ollin?”

Okay, she’s safe. I try to sneak away but the shadows hold me.

“It’s not my first explosion this month.”

Thea’s words stop me cold. She vented in class last week. She used a ton of magic between combat and our extra practices.

How much power does she have? That meltdown was epic, and if it’s not even the first time this month. She needs to vent more.

They leave the woods and I follow behind. Thea and the goblin walk towards her dorm and I follow, letting the shadows hide me from view.

“Whose there?” Ollin calls, his yellow eyes zeroing in on me.

I let the shadows drop. He scans me.

“What are you doing here?” He shines his flashlight in my face even though I know he can see me in the dark.

“Same as you, I felt Thea’s magic and was making sure she was safe.”

He studies me and drops the light.

“You’re the friend she trains with?”

“I—I.” Friend? I don’t think that’s the word. I nod anyways.