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But the force of the wind is so strong that I can’t move.
And I know—I just know that none of the dangers I survived in the night compare to the situation I’m in now.
24
The shield smells like lilies. I’m not sure why that’s the first thing I think when my face is flattened against the magical wall, probably looking as smooshed as when the twins do the same to our screen door back home.
The only difference is they have a choice. I do not.
Valerian roars as he batters the shield trying to get to me, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. Burst after burst of his magic slams against the thin partition separating him from me, but the shield’s power feeds from the entire academy, and it refuses to break.
Asher joins him, their combined magic rolling outward in waves of pale blue and orange, one frosting the shield and the other scorching it.
But I already know the divide between us cannot be breached, and I might as well be in another realm entirely. Unreachable and . . . alone.
With a psychopath.
“What are you . . . doing?” I demand.
Ruby is freaking out, squirming where she’s trapped inside my vest. I can’t even reach my hand in to protect her because the force of the wind has them pinned against the magical wall.
Hellebore chuckles, an arrogant, lazy laugh that’s much closer than I anticipated. Adrenaline floods my veins as I feel his breath warm against my ear.
He still has yet to touch me. Yet to do anything but taunt me with this stupid, impossible wind.
“One touch,” he murmurs. “That’s all it would take and you would beg me in front of your Winter Prince and the entire school to take you.” grudgingly falls into place behind me, although I know he’ll make me pay for that comment later during training. Staying true to my word, I throw him a few darklings to finish, enough to hopefully sate his bloated ego.
To my right, Mack does the same. Cutting through the straggler darklings like a pro. She’s chosen twin katanas, and they sing through the night as she strikes, never missing her mark.
Snarling shapes streak between the trees toward us. The scent of the Evermore has driven them into a frenzy; their black eyes are nearly rolled back in their head with an all-consuming hunger; their inhumanly sharp teeth gnash the air.
Mack and I make sure they never get close enough to endanger our Keepers. I release bolt after bolt of my crossbow, surprised by how different—how amazing—it feels to use the weapon against real darklings.
Even Ruby makes herself useful, bringing me back the used bolts. She’s convinced herself we made a bargain and I’ll be giving her an apple Jolly Rancher for each one.
The landscape slopes slightly upward as we near the end of the pool. My heart sings with pride as Valerian and I fall into a lethal rhythm, our movements synced almost like they’re choreographed.
Mr. Willis once said some Keepers and shadows form such tight bonds that, during battle, they become of one mind, an unstoppable force.
At this moment, I feel like Valerian and I could take down the entire world.
The obelisk looms close, the protective golden shield’s glow a beacon of hope that cuts through the darkness around us.
“Almost there!” I call, driving the group forward.
We’re past the reflecting pool and racing across open ground. More darklings begin bleeding from my periphery, but we’re so close that I push aside the whisper of panic tingling between my shoulder blades.
Across the lawn, figures move toward the monument. I make out a few other shadows I recognize and their Evermore Keepers fighting their way toward safety.
In the distance, the first tendrils of silver hint at dawn’s approach.
But it doesn’t matter because we’re nearly there. Twenty feet separate us from victory. We’re so close to the structure that I can see the Spring Court flags whipping from their posts circling the monument.
Ten feet.
Five.
Yes! The golden shield undulates so close I can touch it. Pivoting so my back is to the shield, I catch Valerian’s eye and jerk my chin at the safety zone. “Go!”
