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When public opinion was on their side. That was what Omari had said about when he and the other gods would kill all of our classmates, destroying them within the walls of Magic Blessed Academy like shooting fish in a barrel.
How long did that give us? How much time would Omari truly take? He seemed eager to carry out his genocide of wild magic users, public opinion be damned. If he didn’t get the support he needed within a day or two, what were the odds that he would just go ahead with his plan anyway?
High.
Much too high for my liking.
“We have to warn them somehow,” I insisted, shifting onto my hands and knees as I tried to find the strength to stand.
And do what?
Beat against the door?
Curse and scream at Omari? Beg him to release us?
None of that would do any good. But I had to do something. I couldn’t just let him get away with this.
Shoving to my feet, I swayed a little and gratefully accepted the support as Merrick slipped an arm around my waist. He saw me eyeballing the door with a thoughtful expression and shook his head, his grip tightening on me.
“It’s no good, Ari. We’ve all tried. Nothing gets past the defensive charms they put on it. It’s rigged to repel any attack from a magic user.”
A magic user.
But was that all I was? Or was I something else? Something the gods didn’t know and couldn’t anticipate?
As soon as that thought flitted through my head, a new thought tumbled along after it, making me suck in a sharp breath.
“What is it?” Merrick glanced down at me, his face shadowy in the dim light. “What’s wrong?”
“Maybe nothing. Maybe…” My stomach fluttered with nerves and hope, and I held out my hand, gesturing Lach and Trace closer. They both came willingly, Trace grasping my hand and Lachlan supporting my other side.
“What’re ye thinking, Snow?” The Irishman chuckled. “Ye’ve got a crazy look yer eyes.”
“Omari knows we’re wild magic users,” I said slowly. “But that’s all he knows. He doesn’t know I can move back and forth between the earthly plane and the godly plane. Ryker saw me when I snuck back into the palace last spring, but even he might not know how I got there. So they’ve rigged the door with protections to keep us locked up. But have they
done anything to stop someone from transporting to another plane? Could they even use a charm to stop that?”
Trace blinked at me, a surprised look crossing his face. Then he grinned. “Fuck, Ari. That’s brilliant! You can go back to earth. Get the hell out of here and warn the others!”
My throat tightened at his use of the word “you.”
No. I don’t want to leave here without my men.
I couldn’t bear the thought of escaping and leaving them alone to face execution at Omari’s hands. Not to mention that if he found out I had slipped away, he would take his wrath out on anyone who was still here.
“No.” I gritted my teeth. “Either you come with me, or I’m not going.”
The men all exchanged a look, and I didn’t have to see the expression on each of their faces to know exactly what they were thinking.
“It’s not that we don’t want to come with you,” Merrick said slowly, his voice careful. “But you’ve never been able to transport us to and from the godly realm. And it’s more important for you to get out of here, Ari. For you to live.”
“Like fuck it is!” Panic and horror opened a hole in my chest, and my grip tightened on all three of them.
I was feeling better, stronger, and the world was no longer spinning around me. Fear had narrowed my focus down to a single objective.
Get out of here. With my men.
“Merrick’s right, lass,” Lach added. “Ye’ve got to—”
