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“This is no longer his class,” he states, and I quickly glance at Leila, who is staring down at the grass.
“Then whose is it?” Genie presses, making the guy in the middle sneer even more, but the other student to his left smiles wide.
“Ours.”
“And what does that entail?” Zane hollers, arms folded over his chest.
“You clearly need some more battle experience, and your poor excuse of a gauntlet isn’t up to it.”
“What do you have planned instead?” Zane pushes, eager for them to get to the point.
“A hunt.”
“A hunt?” Genie echoes, uncertainty washing over each of us as we wait for a better explanation.
“Yeah. You need to survive one hour in the forest without being killed by one of us.”
“You’re going to kill us?” Genie screeches, hand flying to her chest as she takes a step back.
“Yeah.” Gasps echo around us and Raven’s hand clenches tighter around mine. “But don’t worry, we’ve got a necromancer to bring you back to life again and again so we can continue the chase until your sixty minutes are up.”
SIX
RAVEN
If any of these fuckers die, I’ll bring them back just to kill them myself. Erikel’s men are just as crazy as he is if they think they can manipulate and control me at their will.
My chest clenches with a sense of panic nestling deep into my bones. I knew they would make a point of me being a necromancer, but not in this way. Not so stupidly and wastefully.
Before I can even consider giving the guy in the middle a piece of my mind, a siren blares, echoing around us and rustling the trees as birds take flight in every direction, trying to avoid the impending danger coming their way.
Every other student takes off as fast as they can, running full out into the forest, glancing over their shoulders every few seconds to see if they’re being chased. The energy is practically static around us, anticipation running high as Erikel’s men smirk with triumph. They know they’ve stoked the fears of the students, which gives them more control.
“I don’t want to, but we should join them. We can think about this more when we’re out of sight,” Eldon states, and as much as I don’t like the idea of it, I know there’s no better alternative.
I nod, unable to use any words, before turning for the tree line like the others and taking off. Only, I don’t glance back overmy shoulder to check the enemy’s proximity. Instead, I settle into my magic, hoping like hell I’ll be able to sense any of their abilities coming my way.
Leila remains wordless at my side. I’m shocked that her father didn’t pull her from this class. He’s been so overprotective in other areas that it’s surprising he would allow her to potentially die at their hands.
Rushing past the first line of trees, shrills of panic squeak from some of the students around us as they stumble over protruding tree roots, while others pant with every breath. We continue deeper into the forest until the deep-green leaves block out most of the sunlight, leaving it even darker than usual.
“Over there,” Leila says, pointing toward a fallen tree with its roots sticking out in every direction. I follow after her, which, in turn, has the Bishops doing the same. She slows as we near the tree, bracing her hands on the bark as she catches her breath. “With the hole left in the ground, I can ice us in and create a protective barrier. There might only be space for two, though.” She keeps her eyes fixed on me, making it clear who the second person is, but I shake my head.
“Not a chance in hell is she being separated from me,” Zane grunts, grabbing my hand. Leila’s eyebrows furrow with concern, but I offer her a reassuring smile.
“Do it for you. Do what you need to do to be safe and we’ll find you when the time is up,” I state, watching as she worries at her bottom lip. She nods nervously and I take a step back.
“Are you sure? I can stay with you guys,” she offers, but Zane shakes his head.
“What you’re going to do will work to protect you. Do it quickly before we continue on,” he orders, and she nods with a sigh as she steps down into the exposed ground.
It takes her a few moments to get comfortable before a thick layer of ice forms over her, sealing her inside. Then another, andanother, until she’s built her own mini fortress. I give it an extra beat before I take a step back, and Brax takes off, guiding the way as we continue deeper into the forest.
A scream ripples through the air from behind us, making me pause as the telltale sound of flames whipping in the wind follows before a tree sets alight, flashing in an array of oranges and reds. Laughter sounds out a moment later and Erikel’s men can be heard in the distance.
“One down, how many to follow?”
Fuckers.
