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Why would Erikel kill Burton in front of everyone and have Raven bring him back to life, only to off him again and skinwalk around as him? Why not skinwalk as him all of the time so hispresence was still on campus? I don’t think we’ll ever know, but my gut tells me it has something to do with the fact that he enjoys stoking fear in others, and his Burton skin just wouldn’t get the job done.
Looking at Ruben now, there’s no remorse. Nothing. Not even the smallest inkling.
Brax huffs, and the second he starts walking, I know he’s going to cause a scene with the person sitting in his seat, but before he can get halfway there, Fitch walks in and the room goes silent. Leila stiffens, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth nervously as he walks to his desk.
“We’ll be taking this class outside today.” He grabs something off his desk and heads toward the door again, leaving everyone to follow after him.
Raven’s hand reaches for mine and I tug her against my side as we join the moving body of students. Once outside, I expect him to lead us to the changing rooms like usual, but to my surprise, he simply stops on the grass beside the double doors.
“In a real-life battle, you won’t have time to change. You will have to fight in exactly what you’re wearing at the time. I think we should approach classes like that going forward,” he states, folding his arms over his chest as he eyes each of us. I glance at the institute students, noting how their clothing is much more appropriate for this kind of thing, but it won’t afford them an advantage over me. I’ll make sure of it. “We’ll be training today with magic only. No swords allowed.”
“What if you’re a healer?” a timid girl asks, nervously tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear as she avoids eye contact with the professor.
“Then, at least, you can mend yourself again and again,” he retorts with a shrug. Does he seem harsher today? I don’t know, but the fact that I truly know who he is and what he’s capable of has made me see him in an entirely different light. I haveplayed with the thought that he is also under Erikel’s command, as compromised as the rest of them, but for now, he needs to be handled like the enemy until we know for sure. “I’ll call out names, and you’ll pair off,” he continues, not waiting to see if there are any further concerns.
Raven’s hand squeezes mine a little harder, and when I glance at her, I find her lips pursed and her eyebrows pinched. Understanding dawns on me. I don’t know how, but it’s just natural to understand what she’s trying to convey.
All anyone knows about her here is that she can bring people back from the dead. They don’t know about the mirror magic and my gut tells me she would like to keep it that way.
Fuck.
“Genie and Lucinda. Raven and Leila. Brax and Baron. Creed and Royal. Zane and Idris. Eldon and Ruben.” He continues on, but I’ve stopped listening. Of course, I’m paired with that asshole.
That’s perfect. Just perfect.
It’s not lost on me that, apart from Raven and Leila, everyone from Silvercrest Academy seems to be paired with someone from Shadowgrim Insititute. Is this to test the strengths and flaws between the two groups of people? Have they been taught differently than we have?
As much as I’m happy to train, instead of using this moment to combine the two academies and create a bond, they’re just continuing to pit us against one another. That’s purposeful. I’m sure of it.
“Pair off,” Fitch orders, and everyone steps away in their couplings.
I squeeze Raven’s hand one last time, the worry gone a little from her eyes now that she’s with Leila, and I turn to find Ruben waiting expectantly.
“I’m sure you know who I am by now,” he states with a smirk. “But I’m having a little trouble placing you. Your name is…”
“You don’t have to be polite with me. We both know you’re darker than this. Wasting time on names feels silly at this stage.” I shrug as I find a good space to face off with him, the pair of us turning to one another head on as his smirk grows.
“You think you know me,” he states with a cock of his brow.
“I think you just told me that I do. I’m just saying not to bother,” I retort, and he flexes his fingers at his sides.
“Is it because I’m from the Basilica Realm?” he asks, making me frown.
“No. I couldn’t give a shit where you’re from.” And that’s the truth. I never batted an eyelid at the fact Raven was from Shadowmoor. You don’t get to choose where you come from, but you get to choose who you are as a person. “It’s how you carry yourself, like a lap dog waiting for his next order.”
I’m provoking him. I know it. I just can’t help it. I hate people with smarmy attitudes and holier-than-thou egos. I don’t have time for it.
Ruben’s hands lift in the next moment, making it clear he doesn’t have time for bullshit either, and I just about manage to deflect the ice coming at me. I turn my body temperature up high, fueling my magic through my veins, and watch the ice melt on impact.
“You look a little red. Is that fire magic you have?” Ruben asks, and I’m surprised he’s not retreating at the imbalance between us. I can melt off snow and ice all day long. He doesn’t give me a chance to offer any kind of response as he aims his magic my way once again. This time, he shoots ice through the air in the form of long spears, two at once.
A fireball is instantly in my hand. I split it in two and toss them both at the incoming missiles. They’re longer than I expect, and although my fire melts them, they don't completely meltuntil they’re an inch from my face. It takes everything in me to stand still and not flinch from their close proximity.
Rolling my shoulders back, I aim first, shooting six small balls of fire in his direction, making sure to target different parts of his body to make it harder to deflect. Ruben blocks quickly with ice shields, which manage to slow five of the six fireballs down enough that they burn out before they reach him. The last one does manage to catch his shoulder and he stumbles back a step, a snarl quickly gracing his face.
It’s impressive to see him stop five, though. That’s more than I expected. I guess I should consider that there’s not as much of an imbalance as I initially thought. He put out my fire just as quickly as I melted his ice.
This might actually be fun.
