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RAIKA
I tappedmy foot on the floor and read the same paragraph again. The letters jumbled in my mind and I couldn’t register any of it. With a groan, I pushed the book aside and glanced up.
Across the table, Minsi stared at me, her books and lessons forgotten in between us.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “You’re tense.”
I gaped at her. She had spoken! And she had stated the obvious. I had come back from the school almost two hours ago and hadn’t been able to relax since. I felt like Shane’s signal would come at any second now and we had to be ready. I patted my jacket and felt the remaining vial there with enough potion to melt Minsi’s and my shackles. I would carry it with me whenever I went now, and preferably, I wouldn’t be too far from Minsi when it happened. My priority would be to free her and get her out of here before any real fighting started.
“It’s nothing,” I told her. It was better if she wasn’t aware of anything until it all went down. “Go back to your lesson.”
Minsi rolled her eyes, but lowered her head and continued reading.
Impatient, I stood up and walked around, gazing at the books on the shelves. I went to the small selection of fiction titles in the library, hoping something would spark my interest. I really could get lost in a fantastical world right now, but I had read almost everything in here—or at least, everything that looked good to me.
A faint clank sound came from outside. Frowning, I walked to the windows lining the outer library wall and spied out.
Lorie and Keeva stood at one corner of the main square along with a handful of demons. Lorie said something and pointed to a low stone bench that curved with the corners. A demon lifted a sledgehammer above his head and hit the stone bench. The sound came again, stronger this time, and a large piece of the bench’s top broke and fell into the street.
What the hell were they doing?
Conri walked nearby, looking around at the main square, as if he was searching for something.
My stomach sank.
The crystals. Had they found them? Was that why Conri had invited Keeva and Lorie here? In some covens, each witch had a different gift. Maybe their gifts could lead them to the crystals.
I shifted my weight, my fingers itching. If only I still had a phone or internet connection. I could call Shane and tell him what was going on.
Shit, if they found the crystals before Shane attacked and we were freed, then I doubted we would ever have a chance like this again. I had to do something. I had to get out of here. I had to warn Shane.
A shout came from across the street. I watched as Conri, the witches, and all the demons turned toward the school. Two demons walked from the school’s front door, carrying a shackled Lonan between them.
I frowned. What the hell?
Conri met them halfway. Lorie and Keeva forgot about the bench and went to see what was going on. I bit the inside of my cheeks as I watched. Conri said something, Lonan said something, back and forth they went for a minute, until Lonan was screaming at Conri.
Demons surrounded them, obstructing my view.
Shit.
Another minute passed and Conri pointed toward the library. He yelled something, but I couldn’t make out his exact words, just the tone of his voice—and he was angry.
A bang came from the front of the library. My heart squeezed and I ran toward Minsi. Phell and Dixon marched inside and toward us. Minsi shot to her feet, trembling instantly. I pulled her behind me.
“What’s going on?” I asked, retreating. The demons kept advancing. “You’re not supposed to enter here, remember?”
“Shut up and come with me,” Phell said as he grabbed for me. I had had only a few fighting lessons in school, but that didn’t stop me from raising my fists and punching Phell. Or trying to. The demon transformed in front of me. His human form gave away to a shimmery dark green skin and a swirl of shadows. His eyes turned black, his hair disappeared, and when he spoke again, his teeth were razor sharp and his tongue forked. “You don’t want to fight me.”
My shoulders sagged, my arms falling to my sides in surrender.
I had seen him in this form during the night of the attack, the night he had killed my mother. For over a year, he had posed as a perfectly statue-like human. But now, as he brought back his true form, I almost cowered in fear.
Behind me, Minsi screamed and I woke up from my stupor. Regardless of what Phell was, I swung a fist at him, and it would have landed beautifully on his chin, if he hadn’t slid to the side, as if he had blinked into the shadows for a second.
He grabbed hold of my arms, and Dixon went for Minsi.
