Demon Guard

Book 1- Prophecy

By Cheree Alsop

Copyright © 2020 by Cheree L. Alsop

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.  Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

ISBN

Cover Design by Anna Spies/EerilyFair Design

Editing by Sue Player

  www.ChereeAlsop.com

To my children-

Energy is the greatest power we have.

Choose to be positive, loving, and true

To those who look to you.

 

You will never regret sharing

A smile and a hug with someone in need.

 

To my husband-

I love you to the stars and back;

You are my forever.

 

To my readers-

May the adventures within these pages

Give you escape in times of hardship,

Laughter in times of need,

And the reminder that while we fight our own private battles

We are never, ever alone.

Chapter One

 

Raith’s ratty sneakers hit the pavement in time to his racing heartbeat. The scream sounded again. He pushed himself faster. His lungs cried for oxygen; when he breathed in, the sour odor of decaying garbage and urine filled his nose. A sharp pain stabbed his side, but he ignored it and turned down the next alley. Shadows danced in every corner. The moon never reached this deep into Aura City.

Raith rounded the corner and skidded to a stop so quickly he nearly tripped over his feet.

Five men stood in a circle around a young woman huddled on the ground. From the dim light overhead, Raith could see the way her shoulders shook with sobs. The men leered at her, their intentions clear. Raith’s jaw clenched. The odds were stacked way against him. He had been in a few fights in his life, but never five to one. Despite his better judgement, his hands closed into fists and he stalked forward.

“Let her go.”

The men turned as one. The grin that crossed the face of the closest man sent tingles of warning down Raith’s spine.

“Why should we?” the man asked. He casually lifted the bat he held.

“Let me guess,” another put in with a chuckle, “because you said so?” He flexed his fingers, showing off a pair of brass knuckles.

The scuff of a shoe behind Raith made his heart plummet. He glanced behind him to see two others step out of the darkness. Fear caused the little hairs to rise on the back of his neck. He knew he had just made the mistake of his life.

He had two choices, cower and beg, or die fighting. The expressions on the faces around him hinted that they were not the merciful types. Besides, a sliver of pride was all he had left; he figured he might as well go down with that intact.

Raith took a calming breath and lifted his fists. The sharp crack of the bat against his arm and then his head rattled clear through him. Brass knuckles to the stomach dropped him to the ground gasping for air. He managed to cover his head with his arms as blows rained down on him. The toe of a boot caught him in the ribs and then the stomach. Blood rose in his mouth.

“Why do these hero types always fall for it?” a voice scoffed above him.

“When will they figure out there’s no one left worth saving?” the woman replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, Raith saw her stoop and pull his wallet from his pocket.

“Seriously?” she said in utter disgust. “All this for fourteen lousy dollars?”

The thump of the wallet hitting his back was followed by more blows. Raith felt them in a detached way. His body shook, pain blanketed him in one solid sheet, and black spots filled his vision.

Faces from memories he didn’t want to visit surfaced in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut tight. Tears escaped to trail down his cheeks. When a final kick struck his head and the darkness took over completely, his last thought was of gratitude that at least he wouldn’t have to see the faces ever again.

The first fluff found him a few hours later. Excited squeaks summoned other fluffs until hundreds of the white floating creatures hovered inches above Raith’s bleeding body.

A man and a woman rounded the same corner Raith had traveled. They stopped short at the sight.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the man grumbled.

“Look how many there are,” the woman said. “Have you ever seen so many of them together?”

“No,” the man admitted. “But he’s older than most.”

“The fluffs have never been wrong.”

The man sighed. “I hate it when you’re right.”

The woman ignored his comment and walked forward. He caught up to her in two long strides, then matched her pace.

Creatures padded at their sides. The boar on the man’s right ruffled its wings, disgruntled to be out so late.

“I know,” the man said aloud. “I’d rather be in bed, too.”

The long-legged cheetah that paced beside the woman sneezed. She ran a hand wordlessly down its back. Tiny flames danced along the animal’s fur and around her fingers without burning her.

Both of their steps slowed when they drew near Raith. The fluffs rose into the air with small puffs as if reluctant to leave him there. Even when the woman knelt next to the body, they lingered above him instead of leaving as they usually did.

“Bex, he’s bad,” she said quietly.

He grunted. “Bad as in I’m going to get blood on my shoes? You know I hate getting blood on my shoes, Zury.”

“Bad as in he might die before we get back to the academy,” she replied.

Bex lowered to his knees as well. He ran his hands over the man’s body, checking his wounds with solemn efficiency.

“I need to get the bleeding stopped. What did they stab him with?”

He eased Raith onto his stomach and lifted up the back of his shirt. Both of them stared at the sight of the strange, twisted skin across his back.

“Are those burns?” Zury asked.

“Yes, but they’re the least of our problems,” Bex said gruffly. He eased the shirt past Raith’s side. His expression became grim at the sight of pliers protruding from Raith’s flesh. “Who stabs someone with pliers?” he muttered.

Zury pulled bandages from her backpack and handed them to Bex. He packed gauze around the pliers and wrapped the wound securely. When he stood, his hands were coated in Raith’s blood.

“Call Philo.”

Zury’s mouth fell open. “Are you sure?”

Bex nodded without meeting her gaze. “If we want him to have a chance of surviving, yes.”

Raith felt himself be lifted into the air. A groan of protest escaped him.

“Let me die,” he said weakly.

Bex and Zury exchanged a glance. Neither said a word as Raith was loaded into the waiting vehicle and taken away.

Flashes of light filled Raith’s vision. He lost all sense of where he was or who was with him. Pain flared from every part of his body. He wanted to yell, to hit something, or to escape, but any movement brought agony.

When it finally became too much to bear, a plea left his lips. “Help me.”

A soft, cool hand slipped into his own. “I’m trying,” a woman’s voice replied. “I know it hurts, but you have to hold on.”

He shook his head and felt tears burn beneath his closed eyelids.

“Yes,” she replied, her voice gentle. “You’re needed here.”

She pressed something to his chest. His protests died away as sleep overtook his weary mind.

He caught a glimpse of her through his fever-bright dreams. A pair of searching blue eyes watched him with sadness in their depths. White-blonde hair framed her face. He thought she was an angel sent to take him away from the world until she put her hands on his side and agony shot through him.

“Stop,” he begged.

“If I do, you’ll die,” she replied. “Breathe. Just breathe.”

But he couldn’t suck in a breath. Tremors began to wrack his body. The woman tried to hold him down, but his lungs burned and he fought to draw in the air that danced tantalizingly beyond his nostrils.

The woman called out. Other hands held him to the table. The darkness that flashed in front of his eyes deepened. Pain knifed through his lungs. His body gave one last jolt and he left consciousness behind.

Surprise filled him when he opened his eyes again to a dark room lit by the faint glow of unknown light sources. He turned his head to the side and his heart slowed.

The young woman had pulled a chair up to the bed where he lay. Her arm was outstretched and her head lay pillowed against it. Exhaustion showed in the shadows beneath her closed eyes. His heart clenched at the thought that he had caused it.

A strand of white-blonde hair drifted across her cheek. He had the strangest impulse to brush it back so it didn’t tickle her and awaken her, but when he tried to lift his arm, it wouldn’t move. He glanced down to find that his arms were tied to the small medical bed.

“You were thrashing so hard I was afraid you’d reopen your wounds.”

Raith turned his head to meet light blue eyes. Any sign of weariness was gone from her face as she smiled down at him. “Welcome back, sleepy head.”

A little creature that looked like a white mouse but had shiny scales instead of fur sat on her shoulder and peered down at him as well. Raith wondered if he was hallucinating.

He tried to reply, but no words came out of his dry throat.

She grabbed a cup from a tray and held a straw to his lips. Raith took several deep gulps before she pulled it away.

“Easy now,” she told him. “Let that sit for a minute. Your stomach’s been empty for quite a while.”

Raith swallowed and managed to force out, “Where?”

Her eyes crinkled at the corners with a smile that brought more reassurance than words ever could. “You’re at Bellington Academy. It’s our sanctuary.”

That word brought the whisper of a memory to Raith’s mind. He saw two forms crouched over him in the darkness. Someone was wrapping his side. He winced and real pain knifed through him from the wound sharp enough to jolt him back to the present. Raith tried to put a hand to his side to ease the pain, but the ties kept him from moving.

“I suppose you’re out of harm’s way now that your fever’s broken,” the woman said. “Let me—” Her gaze shifted to something behind him and she paused. “Now Trekker, put that down.” She rose, her face pale. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

She walked past the bed. Raith craned his neck, but he couldn’t see what was happening.

“Ambry, don’t come in here!” a voice growled.

“Trekker, don’t do—Trekker!”

The sound panic in her voice sent a surge of adrenaline through Raith. He strained against the bonds that tied him down. A scuffle sounded behind him and he heard a feminine gasp of pain.

Raith pulled so hard the tie around his right arm snapped. He tore the one from the left arm and rolled off the bed. He hit the ground with a hard thud. A tearing sensation twisted from his side through his entire body; it stole his breath and made him immediately nauseous.

“Trekker, please!”

The fear in Ambry’s voice brought Raith to his knees. He put a hand to his bandaged side and used the bed to push himself to his feet. Leaning heavily on the bed and then the table beyond, he was able to make it to the adjoining room. The sight that met his eyes made him pause.

A young man a few years Raith’s junior held his hands in the air. Bandages wrapped one arm and the side of his face, but didn’t obscure the strange, white glaze in his eyes. His head was tilted to one side and he stared at the ceiling above him without appearing to focus on anything. A bird flew overhead and cawed at him. Electricity ran over the black bird’s wings in waves of blue and green.

Raith tore his eyes from the bird’s frantic flight and spotted the woman, Ambry, huddled on the floor. Her head was bowed and her arms were wrapped around her knees. A whirlwind of air whipped around her. Items from the surgical room, scalpels, needles, gauze, scissors, and other instruments of healing flew through the air as if caught in a whirlwind. Several nicks bled on her arms and one cheek where they had cut her.

Rage burned through Raith and filled him with strength. He charged into the room and tackled Trekker to the floor. The whirlwind didn’t let up. Raith heard a gasp of pain as another blade struck Ambry. He put his hands to the young man’s throat.

“Stop the wind!” he shouted.

He didn’t know how Trekker was doing it, but there was no doubt in his mind the young man was responsible for whatever was going on. He squeezed harder.

Trekker’s eyes widened, then focused on him.

“Stop what you’re doing!” Raith yelled.

Trekker glanced to the right. His gaze fell on Ambry and his face paled. He whispered something and the wind stopped. The items caught in the cyclone fell to the floor in a clatter.

Footsteps sounded behind Raith.

“What’s going—Ambry!”

“I-I’m alright, I think,” her shaky voice replied.

Wheezing sounded and Raith realized he was still holding the young man’s throat. He let go and rocked back onto his heels. Trekker sucked in a deep breath.

Hands grabbed Raith roughly from behind and yanked him upright. He clenched his jaw at the pain.

“What are you doing out of bed?” someone demanded.

“He saved me,” Ambry said. Her eyes were filled with tears she didn’t let spill over. A drop of blood trickled from the cut across her cheek.

The hands let Raith go. His legs gave out and he fell to the ground. No longer clouded by adrenaline, the pain in his side was so intense he couldn’t do more than hold his wound and will himself to keep breathing. Wetness touched his fingers. He pulled them away and stared at the deep red that colored his fingertips.

“Carry him back to the bed,” Ambry said, her voice stronger. “He’s torn his stitches and there’s no telling what else.”

The hands that picked Raith up were gentler this time.

“I-I almost killed Ambry,” Trekker said, his voice shaking.

Raith tried to keep his thoughts straight as he was carried out of the room.

“He left a trail of blood,” someone said.

Raith blinked and attempted to focus on their faces. He didn’t recognize either of them. A dark chuckle escaped him at the fact that he was in an unknown place surrounded by strangers while he bled out. The symbolism for his life was unmatched.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s cursed, too. We never should have brought him here.”

He winced as he was set on the bed and curled inward around the wound in his side. It throbbed with an intensity that made his arms and legs go numb with icy shards.

“Ambry, he needs you if you can help,” a woman’s voice called out.

Soft hands touched his arm. “I need you to relax so I can tend to you.”

“Just let me go,” Raith said with a groan.

Silence fell across the room.

A hand touched his cheek. He opened his eyes in surprise at the gentle gesture.

Ambry’s gaze held his with a warmth and understanding that made his heart clench. “You can give up on this life, but it has to be your choice.” She blinked and one of the tears she had fought so hard to hold back escaped to trail down her cheek. “But if it matters at all, I want you to live.”

Raith’s breath caught. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her tear. The physical pain and emotional agony that battled inside of him screamed for him to let it all go, to stop fighting, and to fade away. He would be forgotten completely. It would be so easy.

Yet no one had ever cried for him.

He let out a breath and surrendered to her touch.

Chapter Two

 

Raith came to in a much quieter room this time. There was no one in sight. A strange warmth emanated from his side instead of the agonizing pain. He glanced down and saw that a crystal glowing with a warm golden light had been placed on the bed near his wound. Other crystals sat in holders around the room. He could feel energy emanating from them. It was the strangest sensation, calming and warm, but not just from the temperature. He felt as though he was wrapped in a blanket in front of a fire.

Raith eased up to sitting position. The pain was definitely still there, just muted. He picked up the crystal and turned it over. Tingles of warmth ran from the strange rock up his arm. He held it closer to his bandaged side and felt the warmth change from his hand to his wound. It was certainly doing something.

Raith placed the rock back on the bed. It took a bit of maneuvering to work his legs to the edge. Each time he moved his left leg, his side throbbed with an intensity that threatened repercussions if he pushed himself too far. Keeping in mind the agony of the night before, he kept his movements careful. The ribs on his upper right side caught when he turned wrong. He wondered if some of them had been broken in the fight. Yeah, some fight.

Chagrin filled him when he thought of his stupidity in trying to save the girl in the alley. Of course it had been a trap. There were no damsels in distress. He was an idiot to go chasing after her screams. He deserved what had happened to him. The thing he couldn’t figure out was how he had gotten from the alley to wherever he was now.

Ambry had called it Bellington Academy. Why on earth had he been brought to an academy, anyway?

Easing his legs to the floor, Raith managed to push up to a standing position. Triumph at his meager victory made him grin. Life had taken a very drastic turn indeed. He looked around the room.

A cluster of the crystals sat unused in the far corner. He took a ginger step forward, then another. The knowledge that there was nothing to catch himself on if his legs gave out made him go slowly, but the crystals drew him onward.

They waited on a black velvet display. Each crystal had its own holder and was turned perfectly so that its facets matched the others. As he watched, the pale, translucent stones began to glow like the one on the bed. The warmth of it flooded through him in a heady wave. He took a step forward, drawn in a way he couldn’t explain.

“Don’t touch those,” a voice commanded from behind him. “You’ll take their energy!”

Raith glanced behind him to see the man from the night before. Bex’s hands were clenched into fists and he strode forward as if he wanted to tear Raith’s arms from his body. To Raith’s surprise, an animal stalked at the man’s side. It looked like some sort of a fanged pig with bristly fur and black wings resting against its back.

Raith held up his hands and backed away. As he did so, the lights from the crystals faded.

“What did you do?” Bex demanded.

“Nothing,” Raith replied defensively, his gaze shifting between the winged boar and the man. “I didn’t touch them.”

Ambry appeared in the doorway. Her gaze went from Raith to the crystals and her eyes widened.

“Bex, wait,” she said. She picked up the crystal from the bed and crossed to Raith.

He felt exposed standing there in nothing but his pants and the bandages wrapped around his bruised torso. The floor was cold beneath his bare feet. He wanted to escape into it to be away from her searching gaze.

“Hold this,” she beckoned.

He held out his hand wordlessly. She set the crystal in it. Nothing happened.

“Focus on the crystal,” Ambry urged. A smile touched her lips at his skeptical look. “Trust me.”

Raith bit back a reply. If she smiled at him like that every time she asked for something, he would never be able to deny her.

He gazed at the crystal. It wasn’t warm like it had been beside him on the bed. It seemed wrong that the crystal had no light. He imagined it like it had been, warm and glowing, and sending out an energy that he knew was healing him even though he couldn’t explain how.

The crystal warmed in his hand and then began to glow.

Bex gave a surprised grunt.

“How did he do that?” asked Zury from the doorway.

Raith looked up, his attention torn from the crystal. As soon as his focus waned, his legs gave out and the light did, too. He caught himself against a table.

“Easy now,” Ambry said.

She ducked under his arm and helped him to the bed.

“He used his life force,” Bex said with a snort. “Careful there, hero. That’s a good way to kill yourself.”

“Yes, one step at a time,” Ambry said as she eased his legs under the thin sheet.

There was a light of assessment in her eyes as if he had surprised her in a good way. The thought made him feel lighter inside.

“Try to sleep now,” she suggested. “The crystals can only speed up the healing process, not heal you completely. Your body needs to rest.”

Her concern made a knot tighten in his throat. He nodded but was unable to say anything. She returned the crystal he had been holding to the stand and came back with another one that was already glowing. When she put it by his side, the warmth of it eased the pulsing pain that throbbed in time to his heartbeat.

“We’ve got to run. Take care of yourself, Ambry,” Zury told her.

Raith stared when a cheetah that looked like it was on fire crossed to the woman’s side. Her fingers ran across its head, but she didn’t appear to feel the flames.

“Have you ever seen someone make a crystal glow like that?” Bex asked as they disappeared down the hall.

“Never,” Zury replied. “I’ve never seen that.”

Raith listened as their footsteps and those of their animals faded away. He wondered if he was going crazy.

“Don’t worry,” Ambry said with an understanding expression. “It’ll all make sense when you’re strong enough.”

“I don’t know about that,” Raith said. He couldn’t fight the weariness that filled him; his eyes began to close of their own accord.

Ambry lingered with one hand on the bed. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure that they were alone, then said, “You may have saved my life back there and I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Raith,” he replied quietly. His gaze lingered on the bandage across her cheek. How much worse would it have been if he hadn’t reached her in time? He shied away from that direction of thought.

She hesitated as if waiting for his last name. When he didn’t give her one, she nodded. “It’s good to meet you, Raith. I’m Ambry.”

He nodded with the barest hint of a smile. “You saved my life first, Ambry.”

That made her smile deepen. “So, you were just returning the favor?”

He shook his head, his exhaustion clear. “I’ll always be in your debt. You didn’t have to do that.”

She gestured toward the other room. “You didn’t have to stop Trekker the way you did.”

His eyes closed, but he replied, “I’d do it again.”

She patted his shoulder. “Sleep, tough guy.” She paused, then said, “And don’t touch the other crystals. I don’t think your body could handle it.”

He nodded with a sigh and was asleep before she left the room.

The next time he awoke, clean clothes waited for him on the end of the bed. He held up the shirt and gave it a critical look. Granted the one shirt he owned had been merely scraps and probably much worse after the beating he took, but this shirt looked like part of a uniform. It was black with a tie on the side so that it wrapped around and cinched.

Raith fingered the patch on the left sleeve. The name Bellington Academy was embroidered in gold with a red coat of arms above it. Four symbols took up the four squares on the red field. A flame, a leaf, a drop of water, and a wind gust stood out in orange, green, blue, and white. A ring of silver surrounded the coat of arms.

“Weird,” Raith said.

He shrugged into the shirt and tied it with the thought that at least he didn’t have to raise him arms above his head to put it on. His ribs twinged if he sucked in a deep breath and his side reminded him to take it easy, but at least he could stand without feeling like he was going to fall over.

He eased into the pants that had been folded beneath the shirt, pulled on a pair of simple socks, and slipped his feet into the waiting sneakers. The fact that they fit wasn’t lost on him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had worn not only clean clothes, but clothes that fit properly. His only regret was that he wasn’t able to shower. Such a thing sounded like pure luxury after all he had been through.

He pushed the emotions down that came with the thought and left the room. The second healing room appeared much like he remembered it, except that the surgical instruments had been cleaned up from Trekker’s attack on Ambry. He still wasn’t quite sure what had happened. It felt like a fever dream. Memories of a whirlwind under the young man’s control remained forefront in his mind, but that couldn’t have happened, could it?

His entire day yesterday felt like a fever-fueled hallucination. Ambry had said that he had saved her life, so something had indeed occurred; but there was no way he had stopped someone in control of a deadly whirlwind and then been harassed by a man with a winged boar at his side. Pigs with wings didn’t exist, so why was his memory so insistent that it had been real?

Raith opened the door at the other end of the room and froze.

A young girl walked past with a cheetah at her side. Flames flickered up and down the cheetah’s back. When the girl paused and smiled at him, the cheetah licked her hand. She giggled and patted its head.

“Hello,” the girl said. “Sorrel says hi, too.”

“Hi,” Raith replied out of habit.

A gong sounded. The girl’s eyes widened. “Come on, Sorrel, we’d better get to class; we’re going to be late!” She and the cheetah took off running. “Goodbye!” she called over her shoulder.

Raith numbly lifted a hand. He lowered it slowly when she turned around the next corner.

“I’m definitely going crazy,” he muttered.

He walked in the opposite direction the girl had taken. It seemed like the best idea he had at the moment. The walls and the polished wooden floor echoed the sound of his footsteps back at him. He passed several hallways from which the cacophony of voices met his ears. Afraid of what he would find if he investigated, he continued toward what he hoped was the front door.

The hallway met a wide corridor which in turn led to a grand entrance hall. Raith’s steps slowed at the sight of a group waiting there. He recognized the small-framed woman with white-blonde hair who appeared to be in discussion with a tall, slender gentleman. A bird sat on the man’s shoulder and he sported what could only be described as a top hat.

Raith blinked. Since when were top hats actual items of clothing people wore? This day was just getting weirder.

The little creature on Ambry’s shoulder squeaked. She looked up and met Raith’s gaze. She gave a warm smile, then said something to the man in the top hat. He turned.

“There you are,” the man said. He put his finger and thumb to the brim of his hat and tipped his head in an old fashioned welcome. “I was hoping you’d be up in time.” The crow on his shoulder had waves of electricity running up and down its wings like the bird that had flown above Trekker. It tipped its head as well and stared at Raith.

Raith fought back the urge to fidget when everyone else turned to look at him. “In time for what?”

“For your initiation,” the man replied. “Let’s go.”

The group followed behind the man without question. Raith hung back. The feeling that he was missing something entirely made him uneasy.

Ambry paused in the next doorway after everyone had passed through. “Are you coming?” she asked.

Raith shook his head. He glanced at the strange mouse on her shoulder. The creature watched him with the same attention as Ambry. It was unsettling.

“I think I’d better head home,” he said.

He took a step toward the front door.

“What home?” Ambry asked.

There was something in her tone that told Raith she knew more about him than she let on. He clenched his jaw and reached for the doorknob.

“Don’t go,” she said.

He hesitated, but couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “Why should I stay? I’ve been set up. This isn’t just some ordinary school, is it? Did you send those guys in the alley to beat me almost to death so I would stay here?”

“No, never,” she replied. “You were nearly dead when Bex and Zury found you. No one here had anything to do with it.” She paused. Her voice was softer when she said, “Why did you go in that alley?”

Raith let his hand fall away from the doorknob. He stared at the polished mahogany for a moment as he debated how honest to be. “It’s embarrassing,” he finally said without taking his gaze from the door.

“Going in the alley?” she asked with confusion in her voice.

Raith sighed. “The reason.” He hesitated, then said, “I heard a girl scream and went after her.”

Ambry was quiet for a moment before she said, “You tried to save her.”

Raith shook his head. “There was no one to save her from.” He glanced at Ambry. “It was a trap. They jumped me and when they found out I didn’t have any money, they figured they should make me pay for it with my life.”

“That’s why you’re here.”

“What does that mean?” he asked warily.

Ambry tipped her head to one side and said, “You’re in the right place. You just need time to realize it.”

“Does that sound as weird to you as it does to me?” he asked.

Ambry motioned toward the door the others had gone through. “Trust me. Just give this place a chance. Bellington Academy has a lot more to offer than meets the eye.” She quirked an eyebrow. “Plus, if you leave now, you’ll never know.”

Raith crossed his arms. The stance pulled at his side so he lowered them again. “Never know what?”

“You’ll never know why you were chosen,” she said. She walked toward the other door without waiting for him to reply.

Raith looked from her retreating form back to the front door. He felt rooted to the spot. Heaviness hung in the air around him. He knew that no matter what choice he made at that moment, his life was going to change. If he left the academy, he had a distinct feeling he would never be able to return. But there was no telling what lay through the other door. If it was anything like the strangeness he had already seen, he might wish he had left.

Ambry’s words whispered through his mind. He had been chosen for something, though for what, he couldn’t say.

He glanced at the door again. There was one guarantee. If he left, he knew exactly what would be waiting for him out there. Was he really in such a rush to go back?

Raith squared his shoulders and walked after Ambry. She waited by another doorway; this one showed a set of stairs leading downward.

A smile lit Ambry’s face. It warmed Raith’s heart in a way that made him uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. “To the basement? Should I be afraid?”

She started down the stairs, her steps light. “Maybe,” she said over her shoulder.

He walked after her, studying the way her white-blonde hair brushed her shoulders with each step. She walked with a bounce as though gravity barely held her down. He couldn’t remember ever feeling that carefree in his life. Just following in her wake buoyed him up as though her positive energy was contagious and he was catching it. That was a ridiculous thought. He slowed his descent and let her go on ahead a few steps to give him a chance to get his mind straight. She continued without appearing to notice.

Any lightness he felt vanished when he reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the next room. The others stood in a ring around a strange specter that hovered above the floor. Raith squinted in an attempt to see if it hung by fishing string or something from the ceiling. The man in the top hat gave it a wide berth.

“Tell me what you feel,” the man told those around him. “Or if you have any impressions from the air or from within the energy.”

“I-I think I feel something, Chancellor,” a girl with curly red hair said.

“Describe it, Raylena,” the man urged.

She closed her eyes. “There’s a darkness. It feels like it’s coming in waves toward me from the middle of the room.”

“Good,” the chancellor replied. “That’s really good. Anyone else?”

A boy with long hair raised his hand.

“Yes, Jed. What do you feel?” the chancellor asked.

“I see dark lines in the air. Is that what you mean?” the young man replied.

“Yes, yes, very good,” the man in the top hat said. “Concentrate on that.” His eyes flickered to Raith. “And how about you, Raith? Can you sense anything unusual?”

Raith looked at the thing that dangled in the middle of the room, but he couldn’t see the lines or feel the waves the others spoke of. He stifled a sigh at the realization that he was about to disappoint the chancellor and perhaps end whatever opportunity he had at the academy. “I don’t see anything around the monster. I’m sorry.”

The chancellor and Ambry looked at each other.

“What monster?” the chancellor asked.

Raith rolled his eyes, sure they were playing a joke on him. He pointed. “That one in the middle there. The creature in the cloak, or whatever it is. You did a good job hanging it, though. I don’t see how you did it.” He took a step forward to get a better look.

“You see the phantom?” the chancellor pressed.

Raith took another step forward with his gaze on the thing. “Of course I see it. It’s right here.”

He swept his hand across to hit it and send it swinging. Instead, his hand passed right through as if the creature wasn’t there. A chill ran down Raith’s arm.

“Whoa,” he whispered. His breath fogged even though the basement was warm.

The phantom turned slowly. The chill turned into ice that flowed through Raith’s veins, freezing him in place. Beneath the cowl of the black tattered cloak, a pair of red eyes met his.

Thoughts surged into his own. He saw the chancellor sitting at a desk, his top hat on a stand next to the man’s massive chair. The electric bird sat on a perch next to the hat. Its eyes were closed.

The chancellor was busy writing something in a book thick with pages. The end of a feathered quill danced as he inscribed the dense sheet in his looping penmanship. He adjusted a pair of glasses on his nose, dipped the pen, and started to write again. The chancellor then lifted his head and stared off to the side of the room as if a sound had caught his attention. When nothing else moved, he glanced at his bird. The sight of it asleep seemed to reassure him because he went back to his writing.

He started the next line, then his eyes opened wider and he let out a yell. He bent down to grab something beneath the desk. His chair rolled away and he hit his forehead on the corner. The chancellor disappeared from view.

Raith staggered backward a few steps and found himself staring up at the entity in the room. His heart raced in his chest and a sensation of pins and needles prickled from his hands and feet as though he had been out in the cold for too long.

“Raith, are you alright?” Ambry asked.

She set a hand on his shoulder.

Her touch jarred him back to reality. He stared from the phantom to the chancellor.

“What do you see?” the chancellor asked excitedly.

“Something’s going to attack you in your office,” Raith said.

Gasps sounded from the others.

The chancellor brushed Raith’s comment aside and said, “No, what do you see in front of you?”

Raith was caught off-guard by the chancellor’s nonchalance toward his warning. He hesitated, unwilling to embarrass himself again if nobody was going to take him seriously. Instead, he went with the easy response. “It’s a creature, a-an entity, I guess you could say.” He looked back at the phantom but kept his gaze lowered so he didn’t meet its eyes again. He didn’t want a reoccurrence. “It’s in a dark cloak.” He looked at it closer. “Or it is the cloak. It looks like it’s made of shadows.”

“Good,” the chancellor urged, his voice high as though he could barely contain his excitement. “What else?”

“Its eyes are red. There’s no face.” Raith became aware of the others in the room backing toward the walls. The realization of what that meant struck him. “You mean you can’t see it?” He met the redheaded girl’s eyes. “None of it?”

She shook her head. “I-I can feel something, but I can’t see it,” she confessed.

Raith looked at Ambry. “Can you see it?”

She shook her head and glanced at the chancellor. “We haven’t had anyone at the academy who can see phantoms in years, decades, even.”

The chancellor nodded. “At least for as long as I’ve been here.”

Raith looked from the very real phantom in the middle of the room and back to Ambry. “So what does that mean?”

The chancellor stepped forward. “It means you are needed here, son. We could use more students like you.” He grinned again. “It is a very, very good sign.”

Raith saw a few of the others muttering among themselves. A flash of jealousy sparked in Jed’s eyes. The girl with the red hair looked paler than before.

“I don’t think I can stay here,” she said.

“It’ll be alright,” the chancellor told her. “You’ll get used to it, Raylena; trust me. The phantoms can’t hurt you.”

“But what about what he said? About you getting attacked?” she asked.

He shook his head and threw Raith a smile. “I’m sure it was a coincidence. Phantoms don’t attack anyone. They merely foreshadow.”

Raith stored that bit of information away. Everything was happening too fast for his liking. The world he knew was turning out to be entirely different than the one in which he now found himself, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“It’s like when you walk down a dark street,” the chancellor continued. “You know how the hairs on your arms stand up and you feel the foreboding pressing against you?”

Every person in the room nodded. Raith clenched his jaw as the phantom turned to follow the chancellor’s pacing.

“It’s usually a phantom brought on by a shift in the rush lines,” the man concluded. “Does anyone know what rush lines are?”

Another girl raised her hand.

“Yes, Fancy. Go ahead,” the chancellor urged.

The girl cleared her throat. “Rush lines are lines of energy where it runs across the earth in its strongest concentration in either positive or negative form.” She glanced at Ambry. At the woman’s encouragement, she said, “Rush line intersections tend to be the scariest places to visit because they are highly unpredictable.”

“Is that why the phantoms show up?” a boy with a shaved head asked. “They’re drawn by the shift in energy?”

“We’re not sure if they are drawn by the shift or if the shift is caused by them,” the chancellor replied. “In circumstances with a big change in energy, more phantoms have been found.” He gestured to Raith. “But unlike someone with the ability to see them, we have to rely on other means to detect the phantoms.”

“You mean an ammeter?” another boy asked.

“Exactly,” the chancellor said.

He pulled a flat rectangular piece of metal from his pocket. It was about the size of his hand with a dial on top. It looked like a compass to Raith.

“Watch,” the chancellor told them.

He held the object out toward the phantom. The green dial within the glass began to turn. When the chancellor took a step forward, the dial spun faster. One more step put him about a foot from the creature. The dial spun so fast it made a humming sound. The chancellor’s bird flapped its wings as if uncomfortable at their proximity to the phantom, but it stayed on his shoulder.

“So you see, the closer we get to the energy source, the more active the dial becomes,” the chancellor said. He put the ammeter back in his pocket. “But the goal is to feel the energy without needing an instrument. We’ll hone your skills so that the phantoms, and what they foretell, are easy for you to detect.”

“So how is the phantom here?”

When everyone looked at her, the girl who spoke up swallowed and took a step back as though wishing she could disappear into the wall. She lowered her chin so that her dark hair hid her face from view.

The chancellor gave her a kindly smile. “I’m glad you asked, Maya. It’s a good question.” He looked around the room. “Any guesses, students?”

Raith shuffled his feet. The fact that he was being grouped in with kids whose ages he guessed roughly ranged from fourteen to eighteen years bothered him.

“You found a way to capture it?” someone said from the other side of the room.

“It’s a fake?” someone else asked.

“It was here already.”

The chancellor turned. “Who said that?”

Silence followed the question, then a boy with one arm said, “I did.”

The sleeve of his shirt had been tied into a knot so that it didn’t just hang empty. He lifted his chin as if daring anyone to disagree with him.

“You’re right, Anton,” the chancellor said. “How did you guess that? I usually have to answer my own question.”

Anton glanced at Raith. “I can’t see the phantom like he can, but I can feel its energy, and it feels like it’s been here a long time.”

A light of respect showed in the chancellor’s eyes when he nodded. “You’re correct. There is documentation of the phantom being here since the school was built over a hundred years ago. I am extremely impressed that you can feel that.”

“Thank you,” Anton replied simply.

“Uh, can we get out of here?” Raylena asked. She rubbed her arms. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“Yes,” the chancellor replied. “This is just a stopping point in our initiation. It’s important that you each learn to read your innate reaction to shifts in the energy field.” He led the way through the door at the opposite end of the room as he spoke. “Your studies will include learning to identify these shifts as well as training on how to respond to the shades who cause them.”

“What are shades?” one of the students asked another quietly.

Jed glanced at them over his shoulder. “That’s what they call negative energy disruptions, or demons, until they are identified.” His gaze shifted to Raith and he snorted before he said loud enough for them all to hear, “I’ll bet the old man didn’t even see the phantom. He’s just making it up to brown nose Chancellor Ward.”

“Probably,” the boy beside him said, his tone uncertain.

Ambry glanced at Raith. He pretended not to notice. Her gaze fell on the hand he held to his side.

“Maybe you should have stayed in bed,” she said quietly when they were the last two to leave the room.

Raith shook his head and lowered his hand. Any sign of the pain he was feeling left his face. “And miss out on this…this…whatever it is?”

“It’s an introduction to the academy,” she replied with a good-humored smile. “You’re a student now.”

“Lucky me,” Raith muttered.

Her smile deepened. “Unless you’re too old.”

Her teasing tone softened the accusation. He gave her an assessing look. “Seriously? How old are you?”

She gave an unladylike snort. “You’re not supposed to ask that if you’re a gentleman.”

“You’re not supposed to assume I’m a gentleman,” he replied.

She laughed.

The sound of it warmed his heart and it was all he could do to fight back an answering smile.

“Well,” she replied. “If you’re not a gentleman, then I suppose I can answer. I’m twenty-one.” She led the way through the door. “Before you ask, yes, I am young to be a teacher. The youngest here.”

Raith found himself in another long hallway. The academy was strange enough that he wasn’t surprised at the odd layout, but he definitely didn’t like the thought of the phantom at their backs. No matter what the chancellor said about it being harmless, he couldn’t help feeling as though they were connected somehow.

He forced himself to focus on the conversation at hand. “How did you become a teacher?”

“I was an assistant,” she said. “There was an accident and they needed a new health instructor.”

That caught Raith’s interest. “What kind of accident?”

She looked away from him. “The kind that’s not pleasant to talk about.” She was silent for a moment, then she asked, “Since I’m not a gentleman either, how old are you?”

The ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Twenty-two. Not so old.”

“That depends on how you define age. To me, it is a compilation of experiences rather than days,” she replied. She gave him a searching look. “And something tells me you’ve had some difficult experiences.”

Raith clenched and unclenched his jaw before he gave her a direct look. “How can you tell?”

“Your eyes,” she replied, her voice soft. “You’ve seen things that haunt you.”

He let out a slow breath and said, “Maybe my eyes are lying.”

She shook her head. “The eyes never lie.” She was about to say something else when a scream sounded from further down the hall. “Oh no. Not again!” she said. She took off running.

Raith held a hand tightly to his side and ran after her.

Chapter Three

 

He burst into the final room in the basement and skidded to a stop just short of running into Ambry. His gaze lifted to the scene beyond her and his heart slowed.

A massive creature swathed in shadows loomed over the students. Raith couldn’t see its face from where he stood. Strange glowing marks ran up and down its massive arms. The creature took up most of the room, its back bowed and claws reaching. The chancellor stood in front of the students with a staff in his hands. As he spun it, blue and green electric currents emanated from the center, holding the dark entity back. The chancellor’s bird flew around the creature’s head squawking and diving at its red eyes.

“Tell me this is another test,” Raith said quietly.

“I wish it was,” Ambry replied. “That demon could kill them all.” She pulled a small knife from her pocket.

“You’re going to fight it with that?” Raith asked skeptically. “Are you seeing the same thing I am? That thing’s huge!”

He looked around quickly for something else he could use. His eyes brushed past an object on the floor on the far side of the creature. A vibration ran up his spine and he turned back to look at it. His eyebrows rose at the realization that it was an actual sword. Since when did swords exist? In that line of thought, when did demons exist?

The creature snapped at the chancellor’s staff; the students backed away shrieking and cowering in fear. Chancellor Ward hit the demon in the face with a sharp smack. It let out a massive roar that showed off teeth as long as Raith’s arm and swiped with one of its clawed hands. The staff was torn from the chancellor’s grasp and thrown across the room.

“Leave them alone!” Ambry shouted. She brandished her knife and advanced toward the hulking beast.

Her courage amazed Raith. The demon turned at the sound of her voice and towered over her, drool dripping from its huge teeth and a look of hunger in its red eyes, but Ambry advanced without showing any fear. Raith was sure he was about to see her be eaten alive.

Against every survival instinct he possessed, Raith dove beneath the creature’s thick, outstretched arm and came up with the sword in his hand. He hesitated at the realization that he had no idea what to do with a sword. He imagined shoving the pointy end into the demon might keep it from harming Ambry, so he figured he might as well give it a try.

“Try this on for size,” he shouted as he stabbed it in the back.

A golden glow emanated from the blade as it punctured the demon’s thick dark skin. It let out a shriek that made everyone in the room cover their ears. Raith cringed against the sound and stabbed the demon again.

“That’s it,” he said, attempting to sound braver than he felt. “Die already!”

When he yanked the sword free the second time, the demon spun and bashed him into the wall with the back of a hand about half Raith’s size. He fell to the ground and tried to suck in a breath. His already damaged ribs protested against the rough treatment. When the demon turned to face him, Raith used the point of the sword against the ground as a sort of walking stick to help him stand. It might not have been proper sword etiquette, but at that point he could care less. He hurt, he was angry, and the demon was picking on a young woman far smaller than it. He lifted the sword and glared. “Try…that…again,” he challenged.

The creature leered at him. It let out a roar and its hot breath washed over Raith with the stench of a thousand dead rats. Raith pictured himself being eaten by that gaping maw. The last thing he wanted was to join anything that was decomposing in its stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the students cowering behind the chancellor. On the other side of the demon, Ambry stood with her hand to her mouth, her face white and no knife in sight.

Raith spotted it embedded in the demon’s chest. If it had been human, the knife would have struck the heart, but the blade was small and the demon huge. It wasn’t hard to guess that her knife was too short to reach the vital organ. Well, two could play at that game.

“One more time, I dare you,” Raith taunted.

“Be careful, lad!” the chancellor called out.

“It’s going to lob his head off,” Raith heard Jed say in a voice that shook. “He obviously doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

Raith squared his feet and raised his sword as if he knew exactly what he was doing. The sword should have felt heavy, but for some reason didn’t weigh him down at all. He watched with tense muscles as the demon raised its claws again. It snarled down at him, its muzzle twisted and drool dripping from its teeth in anticipation.

When the claws slashed through the air, Raith dropped to his knees and shoved his sword upward into its chest next to Ambry’s knife. The weight of the demon impaled it deeper than Raith’s strength could. The creature gave an ear shattering bellow that cut off mid-roar when the blade made its way through the ribcage to the heart beneath.

Raith cringed and shut his eyes, sure he was about to be crushed beneath the demon’s great weight.

“Raith?”

He opened his eyes cautiously at the sound of Ambry’s voice, then stared above him in amazement. The creature’s outline had become insubstantial. As he watched, the dark matter that made it up separated and drifted through the air like wisps of shadow. In the next instant, they, too, vanished.

Raith realized he still held the sword above his head. He lowered it slowly, wary in case the demon reappeared.

“From energy they are made; to energy they return.”

Chancellor Ward’s voice broke through the silence that had fallen over the room.

“So it-it’s gone?” Raylena asked.

“Yes,” the chancellor replied as he straightened his top hat. The bird settled again on his shoulder, its feathers ruffled and disgruntled caws emanating from its black beak. Chancellor Ward strode over to Raith and clapped him on the back. “Thank you very much for showing such bravery.”

“That was amazing,” Anton said. He shook his head. “I’ve never heard of anyone fighting a demon their first year at the academy.”

Jed snorted.

Fancy ignored him and said, “That was incredible. You saved our lives!”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Jed muttered.

“Then what?” Anton challenged. “I didn’t see you stab the demon with a sword.”

Jed lowered his eyes and glared at the floor.

Chancellor Ward’s eyes widened when he looked down at the sword in Raith’s hand. “How did you come upon that?”

“It was lying on the ground by the demon,” Raith told him. “I just managed to grab it.”

Chancellor Ward shook his head. “Nobody happens to find Reaver. Reaver finds them.”

“The sword has a name?” Raylena said.

Ambry nodded. “All energy weapons have names. They’re as old as the tapping of the Core.”

“Really?” Fancy said. “I’ve read about such weapons, but I’ve never seen one. Can I hold it?”

Raith felt strangely reluctant to give the sword up, but he held it out. As soon as Fancy touched the handle, the sword vanished.

She stared at Raith. “I am so sorry,” she began.

“Don’t be,” Chancellor Ward told them both. “The sword chooses its master and will appear when it deems necessary and not at any other time.” He looked Raith up and down. “It has apparently chosen you. I feel you deserve it after your heroic actions.”

“It wasn’t heroics,” Raith replied quietly. “It was sheer stupid luck. I didn’t want it to hurt Ambry.”

Everyone’s attention turned to the woman. Raith felt immediately sorry at the sight of the blush that spread across her cheeks. His gaze fell on the knife that had fallen to the floor when the demon vanished. He bent to grab it, then tried to straighten up, but his legs had other ideas. He sank to his knees as the adrenaline from the battle left his body to deal with the repercussions of being battered around by something stronger than a bull.

“Raith, are you alright?” Raylena asked.

Raith pulled his hand away from his side. The sight of blood on his fingers made him woozy.

Ambry knelt in front of him. “You must have torn your stitches,” she said, her tone gently chiding. “We need to go back to the treatment rooms.”

“What a wonderful idea,” Chancellor Ward said. “Let’s give the students a tour of our healing facilities, shall we?” He motioned to two students. “Henic, Jed, assist Raith, won’t you?”

The boy with the shaved head and ducked under one of Raith’s arms while Jed reluctantly did so beneath the other.

“Better not get blood on me,” Jed growled as they lifted Raith to his feet.

“I was planning on bleeding all over you,” Raith replied flatly. “I’d much rather it be on you than inside my body keeping me alive.”

Jed didn’t respond. Raith smothered a grin at the tall boy’s stony silence.

His smile vanished completely when they reached the stairs. He was tempted to tell the students to go up without him, but he was fairly sure with the exhaustion he was feeling that he would only make it about halfway to the top on his own. To his amazement, Jed didn’t say a word at their slow progress. The other students had gone on long before them by the time Raith made it to the top step and allowed himself to sit down.

“Sorry. Just need a moment,” he said. He could feel the blood seeping through the bandage; it was a sensation he didn’t relish in the least bit.

“I’ll let them know you need a break,” Henic said.

He dashed away before Raith could stop him. The world spun slowly in a way that made his stomach twist. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

“What happened to you, anyway?” Jed asked.

Raith kept his eyes closed when he said, “I was stabbed with a pair of pliers.”

Jed was silent for a moment before he asked, “Why?”

Raith opened one eye and glanced at him. “You mean you haven’t wanted to do the same?”

Jed crossed his arms from where he regarded Raith with one shoulder against the door frame. “Maybe. But I try not to give into the feeling. Apparently, someone else didn’t have the same restraint.”

Raith let a half-smile touch his lips before he said, “I made a stupid choice and probably should have died because of it.”

Jed’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He asked, “Did the stupid choice have nice curves?”

A laugh escaped Raith before he could catch it. He winced in pain. “You-you’re smarter than I gave you credit for.” He reached for the railing to pull himself back to a standing position.

Jed ducked under his arm and helped him up. “I figured this wasn’t your first fight against demons.”

“I didn’t know demons existed before coming to this school,” Raith admitted tightly, his side throbbing with each step.

As he helped Raith down the hall, Jed said, “Demons come in the human variety, too. My dad’s one in all but name whenever things don’t go his way.”

Raith gave the young man a closer look. Jed stared down the hall, unable to hide the anger that surfaced from his words.

Raith thought of what Ambry had told him. If age was truly a compilation of experiences rather than days, then he and Jed were old men together with jaded hearts. He made a mental note not to be offended by anything the student said from there on out.

They found the students receiving a lecture about crystals from the chancellor when they reached the healing rooms. Jed helped Raith to the bed he had awoken in earlier that day.

“Thanks,” Raith said.

“No problem,” Jed replied quietly. He hesitated, then said, “If you need any more help, let me know.”

Raith nodded and watched Jed join the others.

“Making friends?”

Raith glanced back at Ambry as she set a tray of medical supplies on a side table.

“Something like that,” he replied. He eyed the scalpel, needle and thread, and numbing salve with distaste. “Can’t we just put another bandage on it.”

Ambry regarded him steadily. “Can I tie you back down to the table until it’s healed so you don’t bleed out on me?”

Raith sighed. “Fine. Stitch it up, doctor.” He shrugged out of his shirt and settled onto his side on the bed so that she had easy access to the wound.

“Oh, I’m no doctor,” she replied. “I just pretend to be one when they drag in bleeding patients.”

A smile spread unbidden across Raith’s face. “So I’m your victim?” he asked.

“Willing victim,” she replied. “The willing part is important.”

She pulled the bandage away and he sucked in a breath. “The willing part is fading,” he said from between clenched teeth.

“Then I’d better work fast,” she replied. But all joking had left her countenance.

Raith watched a little furrow form between her eyebrows as she concentrated on removing the torn stitches and cleaning the wound. He did his best not to flinch when she eased the needle through his skin. As angry as the wound was, the salve did little to numb the pain.

It only took six stitches to repair the damage he had done, but by the time she was finished, both of them had broken into a sweat. Raith saw her hands tremble slightly as she set the bloody needle back on the tray.

“So how long did you say you’ve been the health instructor here?” he asked, forcing his voice not to catch as she put fresh bandages across the wound.

“Two weeks,” Ambry replied without looking at him.

Raith swallowed and asked in a teasing tone, “Maybe you should have let the rat do the stitching.”

The hint of a smile surfaced in Ambry’s blue eyes when she glanced at the creature who had sat on her shoulder throughout the procedure.

“Oh, Fink? He’s a water mouse, not a rat.” She ran a finger between the creature’s ears. “You’re not a rat, are you?”

The animal squeaked as if it understood her.

Raith eased onto his back. “I’ve never seen a mouse with gills.”

“He’s a water elemental,” Ambry explained. At his blank look, a knowing smile lit her face. “You’ve got a lot to learn, Raith, but I think you’re going to like it.”

“What makes you think I like anything?” he replied with a playful surliness to his voice.

“Oh, I don’t know. You like me, don’t you?” Ambry’s face immediately reddened and before he could respond, she said, “Not like that. I just mean as a person. You like me as a person because you like people. Or you don’t like people, maybe you like girls? Not that I’m saying you like me as a girl. I’m just saying—”

As much as Raith wanted to let her ramble on, he noticed that the lecture was over and several of the students were drifting their way. He met her gaze. “Ambry.”

She paused mid-sentence. “Yes, Raith?”

“I do like you,” he replied. “As a girl and a person, but especially because you saved my life. I just hope it was worth saving.”

“It was,” she replied with her cheeks still red. “Trust me.”

The problem was that he did trust her, very much, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Miss Ambry, the Chancellor said to have you show us the healing crystals in action,” Fancy said. She held out one of the glowing stones.

Ambry took it and motioned for the other students to gather closer. “Very well. We’ll use Raith as our mostly willing subject. Raith, just lay there.”

“I can do that,” Raith assured her.

Several of the students laughed.

“Tell us how you feel,” she said.

He caught several of the girls looking at his bare chest and whispering to each other with appreciative giggles. “Exposed,” he said.

Ambry rolled her eyes.

Raith glanced at the faces around him and admitted, “I feel like I was thrown into a wall by an angry demon.”

More laughs followed.

Ambry clicked her tongue. “Not an angry demon. It was a bound demon. You’ll learn the difference in your demonology class.” He lifted an eyebrow at her and she smiled. “Semantics aside, Raith came to us with broken ribs, a deep stab wound, a concussion, and several minor wounds, all of which were probably aggravated during the scuffle with the bound demon.”

As she spoke, her hands roamed over Raith checking the things she spoke of with gentle but firm fingers. He bit back a groan when she put a hand over the angry bruises that marred his skin where his broken ribs were.

“Definitely aggravated,” he said breathlessly.

“Now watch,” Ambry said in a soothing tone.

She set the crystal against Raith’s side. He immediately felt the warmth seep into his aching ribs. His muscles eased and sigh left his lips at the easing of pain.

“See,” Ambry told the students. “The crystals imbue the area with energy that calms the inflamed nerves and speeds up the healing process.” She looked around at them. “It can’t heal a person completely, though. Rest and the body’s own healing abilities are needed.”

“Can he rest tonight?” the chancellor asked.

Raith tipped his head to look at the man who stood near the head of the bed. “There’s more to this place?”

“Oh, plenty more,” Chancellor Ward reassured him. “And something that needs to start tonight, namely, the bonding ceremony.”

Whispers of excitement ran through the students. Raith eased up to a sitting position. To his surprise, Jed was there to help him along with Ambry. The quiet talking around the room stopped. He could feel their gazes on the healed burns across his back. Embarrassment flooded through him, but there was nothing he could do to change what they saw.

“It might be better if Raith starts that tomorrow. He’s had a busy day,” Ambry hedged.

The chancellor shook his head. “There’s no time like today, and sometimes if that time doesn’t happen today, there is no tomorrow.”

He turned away with the cryptic words hanging in the air.

Raith met Ambry’s bemused gaze. At her shrug, he reached for his shirt. Ambry helped him put it on, then said, “I’ll catch up to you guys. I have some cleanup to do here.”

Raith felt guilty about leaving her to clean up the mess from patching him up, but she insisted that he join the others so he didn’t miss out.

“I could sure use a shower,” he said as he and Jed trailed behind the rest of the students.

“Maybe they’ll let you crash in the dorms tonight instead of the treatment rooms,” Jed said. “They’re a lot more comfortable, trust me.”

“You guys stay here?” Raith replied, surprised.

“As of yesterday,” Jed said. “We were all chosen for scholarships. Our tuition is paid for by the school or the state or something. I’m really not quite sure.” The young man gave him a closer look. “Did you apply? You’re a little old to be here, you know.”

Raith snorted, then put a hand to his side. “Tell me about it. I’m feeling older by the minute.” He followed the others down another hallway before he said, “Truth be told, I don’t really know how I got here or why I’m here, for that matter.”

“Us, neither,” Jed admitted. “My mom applied because the tuition and boarding were free and my dad just lost his job.” He shrugged as if the fact didn’t bother him, but a muscle in his jaw ticked. “She said this was some sort of experimental school studying Crythine energy, though I’m starting to think this is a lot different than advertised.”

“You think?” Anton said from in front of them. “I applied for this school myself because I felt like I should.” He threw them a glance over his shoulder. “Who applies for a school because they feel like it? No one, that’s who! I should have known better.”

“And demons?” Raylena said from Anton’s side. “I don’t remember them mentioning demons in the catalogue. Something’s off here. I’m quite certain our lives weren’t supposed to be on the line from day one. If it weren’t for you, Raith, my dad would be getting a very depressing phone call.”

“Mine might be happy about it,” Jed muttered. “One less mouth to feed.”

“Speaking of food, I’m getting hungry,” Henic said. He raised his voice, “Hey Chancellor Ward, when do we get to eat dinner?”

“Later, Henic,” the chancellor called back. “There will be plenty of time to eat, I promise you.” He paused, then said, “That is, if you’ll want to eat.”

Henic looked worried at the chancellor’s strange words. “I always want to eat,” the student with the shaved head said to no one in particular.

“So nobody knows where we’re going?” Raith asked quietly in confusion. “Why did everyone get excited about a bonding ceremony?”

“Because the one thing the website promised was an animal companion to help make the school experience easier and to improve our ability to care for something beyond ourselves,” Raylena explained. “I’m hoping for a seeing eye dog.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Anton pointed out. “You’re not blind. What would you need a seeing eye dog for?”

“Maybe I can pretend to be blind,” Raylena replied. “It’d be cool for him to lead me around.” She threw Raith a smile. “I’ve thought about this a lot. My dad’s allergic, so we’ve never had any pets. I’d name him Henry.”

“Your dad?” a girl asked from in front of her.

“The seeing eye dog,” Raylena said with an exasperated shake of her head. “My dad’s name is Jethro, Linnie. I told you that.”

“But Raylena, if you get a dog and your dad is allergic, you wouldn’t be able to bring it home,” Fancy said.

Raylena opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. Her excitement changed to sadness.

Linnie read Raylena’s expression and set a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. If you get a seeing eye dog, maybe your dad could just pretend to be blind, too. The allergies couldn’t bother him then.”

Jed threw Raith a look of disbelief. Raith stifled a laugh.

The chancellor paused in front of a set of carved wooden doors. Raith tried to get a good look at the animals that were detailed in the panels, but the chancellor pushed the doors open before he could.

“This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Chancellor Ward announced. He waved an arm toward the interior of the room. “Enter and follow your heart.”

“I want to follow my stomach,” Henic bemoaned.

“There will be plenty of time for food,” the chancellor chided him as the group walked past, “but this is your only chance at a bonding ceremony. Trust me when I say you don’t want to skip this.”

Raith’s doubts changed to awe when he stepped into the dimly-lit room. Strange smells assailed his nose, scents of moist dirt, lots of greenery, and the slightly alarming smell of woodsmoke combined to make a heady cacophony. When he peered up through the mist that surrounded them, he realized with a start that there was no ceiling. Even though the huge space was walled in, above him he could see the lingering edges of pink and gold left from the setting sun. To his right, he could just make out the first diamond glow of several stars. It made him wonder just what part of Aura City they were in; he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the stars.

Unsettled, he joined the other students in the middle and stared around him. The huge space had been divided into quadrants. The area to his right was wooded with what looked like actual shrubs and flowering plants. Green grass covered the floor and moss did the same to the wall. Raith’s heart slowed. A wolf stood in the shadows deep within the trees with a coat so dark it would have blended with the woods if it weren’t for its glowing golden eyes. Raith tore his gaze away from the creature with the disconcerting question of how many other beasts watched them from the different environs.

To the right of the forest, Raith found sand stretching to the distant wall in hills and valleys. Continuing in a circle, he stared at what looked like bubbling molten lava. Heat wafted from it with such intensity it made his eyes water. The final quarter was made of a pond so deep Raith wasn’t unable to see the bottom. He couldn’t tell what was making the waves that rippled the top; as the water spilled over onto the magma, the droplets sizzled and steam rose into the air to create the muggy moisture that had met them at the door.

Everywhere he looked, Raith spotted orbs. Some nestled against the bottom of the trees while others lolled in the sand with tracks as though they had rolled to where they stood. He even saw a few within the hardened fissures between the magma and the pond. Every egg was a different color and bore strange symbols on their sides.

“Welcome to the Room of Choosing,” the chancellor announced. He grinned at them from the very center. “This is my favorite place in the entire academy.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It smells of potential.”

“I smell rotten eggs,” Henic pointed out.

“That’s the sulfur from the magma pots,” Chancellor Ward told him without letting the boy’s uncertainty dampen his enthusiasm. “Now, students, wander where your hearts take you. Speak to the eggs, find the one that connects with your soul. You will know when you choose the egg that also chooses you.” He grinned. “And you will know when you’ve chosen incorrectly.”

“How will we know?” Fancy asked, her tone anxious. “I don’t want to choose wrong.”

The chancellor merely smiled and waved his arm. “What are you waiting for? Go to it!” He straightened his hat and wandered toward the door they had left. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Henic groaned at his words. “I’ll starve to death by then, I’m sure of it.”

“Cheer up,” Jed told him. “If you get too hungry, you can eat an egg.”

A growl emanated from the forest. Raith refused to look in that direction. He felt the gaze of the wolf on his back; a chill ran up his spine.

“That’s gross,” Fancy said. “Especially if these are our bonded creatures.” She eyed the sandy area with uncertainty. “Though I admit I really don’t understand.”

Jed shrugged. “How hard can it be? Just grab an egg.” He leaned over and scooped up the closest one from the sand quarter. “See!” he said proudly.

Everyone stared at the green orb. For a moment, it seemed like Jed might be right. He grinned at the egg. “Are you going to be my bonded pet?”

The strange runes turned bright orange; Jed gave a yell and grabbed his arm. The egg fell from his hand. Everyone gasped as it plummeted to the ground.

“Oh no!” Raylena shouted. Her hand flew to her mouth.

To Raith’s surprise, the egg shifted as it fell so that instead of landing on the hard floor where they stood, it made it to the edge of the sand. They all watched the green orb roll away from Jed to nestle back in the sandy pocket where it had started.

“Dang,” Jed said. “That thing shocked me!”

“You’ve got to follow your heart,” Fancy told him. “If you’re to bond to a creature, don’t you want it to be the right one?”

“How will I know?” Jed eyed the egg as if afraid it might attack him.

Raylena started off toward the wooded section. “Try to follow your feelings, Jed,” she called over her shoulder. “Even you have some.”

He glanced at Raith and grimaced as he rubbed his arm. “I feel like I don’t want to get shocked again, that’s what I feel. My whole arm is numb.”

“Your entire arm,” Fancy corrected. She looked around them. “I’m being drawn to the water.” Her face lit up. “Do you think it’s a creature who can swim? I was on my school’s swim team before I came here!”

Anton joined them as they watched her leave. “Uh, are you going to look for an egg?” he asked them.

Raith caught glimpses of the other students as they wandered the different environs. “I’m still not sure I’m even a student here,” he said.

“That’s the point.”

Everyone turned to see Ambry coming up behind them. She gave them all a warm smile. The little water mouse on her shoulder watched them attentively. “You find a bonded creature like Fink here, become an Adept, and then you get assigned to your biome which is where you live while you study here.” She ran a finger down the mouse’s back. It rubbed against her hand like a little cat. “Trust me, when you find your bonded, it feels right. You’ll know.”

“Then we’d better get started,” Jed said, his tone reluctant. “I don’t want to be stuck in here all night.”

He and Anton took off toward the magma pits. Raith watched them go.

“You, too, Raith. It’s the only way you can stay here,” she said.

He glanced at her. “If I don’t find my, uh, creature, I have to leave?”

She nodded. At the worry in his eyes, she said, “But there is a creature here for everyone. That’s why you were brought the academy in the first place. You are meant to be here.”

Raith voiced his uncertainty without meaning to. “I’m not so sure.”

Ambry followed his gaze to the other students. “Because you don’t fit the norm?”

He didn’t need to nod for her to feel his agreement.

“Raith, promise me one thing.”

He turned his reluctant gaze to her.

“Don’t give up until you find your bonded. It’s here. Trust me.”

Raith studied her light blue gaze. She hadn’t given him any reason not to trust her, yet his heart still balked at leaning on anyone.

She set a hand on his shoulder. Small, electric tingles ran down his arm from her touch. He couldn’t say he disliked it.

She leaned in and whispered, “What do you have to lose?”

He stared into her eyes and knew she read the truth in his gaze before he whispered, “Everything.”

She nodded and squeezed his shoulder. “Give this place your all. You won’t regret it.”

He stared after her when she turned and walked away. A part of his chest squeezed with emotions he didn’t dare explore. He put a hand to his heart and willed it to calm down.

“Give it my all,” he said aloud. He turned to look at the strange, open room. “I can do that.”

Chapter Four

 

Nearly all of the students had left with an egg, but Raith still hadn’t found the one for him. He tried to let his heart guide him, but the number of shocks he had received from egg rejections made him wonder if his heart was broken. That sounded about right.

“I finally got it,” Fancy said as she passed him carrying a yellow egg. Her dark hair was slicked back and her clothes were soaking wet. “This one was in a cave at the very bottom of the pond. I had to remember all of my diving techniques, but I finally got it.”

Raith tried to match her smile. “Good job,” he said quietly.

She gave him a closer look, then glanced around. “Are we the last ones in here?”

Raith nodded and pretended it didn’t bother him.

“Maybe you should take a break and come back after dinner?” she suggested.

Raith shook his head. “Thanks, but I’d rather stay. You go eat.”

“You sure?” she asked.

Raith nodded. The fact that she cared at all touched him. He told himself that it was because he had helped to save them from the demon creature.

She hesitated.

“Go,” he urged.

She finally left with the egg tucked under her arm. She paused at the door to say, “We’ll bring you something,” then disappeared.

Raith looked around the huge room. To that point he had been shocked and rejected by eggs from the sand zone, the forest, the water, and the magma. The difficulty of gathering eggs from the lava was hard enough, then to be shocked and completely shot down by something that didn’t even have a face or a conscience that he knew of stung worse than just the electricity.

He was beginning to have some very serious doubts that he was supposed to be at Bellington Academy. If it wasn’t for the fact that the sword Reaver had appeared for him to use in the battle against the demon, he would have left hours ago.

“Listen to me,” he said aloud. “I’m still here because I found a sword to use against a demon.” He shook his head. “Maybe I got hit in the head harder than I thought in that alley.” He paused, then said, “Maybe I’m still in that alley.”

A snort sounded behind him. Raith jumped. When he glanced over his shoulder to see the wolf watching him, he glared at it.

“What? Now you’re judging me, too? I don’t need your judgement. It’s bad enough with the eggs!”

He grabbed an egg near the base of a tree. The second his fingers touched it, a sharp jolt ran up his arm. Raith dropped the egg and clutched his smarting limb.

The wolf snorted again.

Raith rolled his eyes. “It hurts, alright? Try getting shocked fifty times. It starts to sting a little.”

The wolf sat down and watched him with calm golden eyes.

Raith was about to reach for yet another egg when voices caught his attention.

“We come bearing food,” Henic called out.

“And eggs,” Raylena said.

Raith grimaced. “Could we not talk about eggs for a minute?” When he glanced behind him, the wolf was gone.

“You’ll find yours,” Jed told him as they brought the food to the center of the room. He hefted the iridescent purple egg he held. “But it won’t be as cool as mine.”

“You mean mine,” Anton said. He held up a light blue egg with sunburst yellow splotches. “I wonder what’s inside?”

“I’m hoping for a butterfly,” Linnie said. “That’d be pretty.”

Fancy sat down beside her and set her yellow egg gently on her lap. “Butterflies don’t come in eggs,” she said. “They come from cocoons.”

“Oh,” Linnie said with disappointment clear on her face. Her expression then lightened and she said, “Maybe it’s a flower. I do love flowers.”

Fancy threw Raith an exasperated look.

Raith couldn’t help smiling. He also couldn’t remember the last time such an expression had touched his lips. It felt good to be around the students, even if they were a few years younger than him.

“Here’s a sandwich, old man,” Jed said. “When Raylena mentioned you were still looking, we figured we’d bring our meals here as well.”

Raith blinked rapidly as he accepted the sandwich. “Thanks,” he said, his voice gruff.

Jed sat back on his heels and ate the sandwich he had brought for himself. The others took seats around the center of the room, their eggs nestled in their laps. Raith looked at his sandwich without seeing it. He didn’t know why the students had come back to eat with him; the action touched him more than he had words to express.

“You’re probably starving,” Linnie said. “You’ve been here for hours.”

“Linnie!” Raylena scolded.

A smile lifted Raith’s lips again, an event that was occurring far more than he found comfortable. “It’s alright,” he said. “She’s right. I think I’ve checked every egg in here at least twice.”

“But you keep checking?” Jed said. “Why?”

“Purpose.” The word escaped Raith before he realized he had spoken it.

“Purpose,” Anton repeated. “What do you mean?”

Raith looked around at the expectant faces. He couldn’t remember the last time so many people had given their full attention to listen to him. The fact made him uneasy.

The weight of the sandwich felt heavy in his hand as if it were made up of so much more than meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. They had taken the trouble to not only come back to the choosing room to eat so that he wasn’t alone, but they had also brought him food as well. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that it had been far longer than he could remember since he had eaten anything of substance.

“You’ve never lived without a purpose, have you?” Raith asked. He sat down beside Jed and set the sandwich plate on his lap. Looking at the faces around him, he realized the truth within himself. He hated feeling vulnerable; it wasn’t a situation he often put himself in. He glanced past Henic and his gaze settled on the black wolf. The animal sat just within the shadow of the trees, its expression calm and golden eyes studying him. For some reason, that solidified Raith’s need to explain himself to the others.

“You may not know why you’re here or what you’re going to do tonight or tomorrow, but something drives you, whether it’s your parents’ expectations, the school’s requirements, or your own visions of your future.” He lowered his gaze to the floor and said, “I have lived without a purpose for far too long. It’s a black hole with no light in sight, and it eats you up inside because you know your actions don’t matter to anyone, not even to yourself.”

Silence filled the room. Raylena broke it to ask, “So what gave you purpose?”

He glanced up and met her expectant expression. “I woke up here.”

A flicker of movement made him look up and his eyes met those of Ambry where she stood in the doorway with Chancellor Ward behind her.

The warm smile on her face said she had heard what he told the students. She gave a small nod.

“That’s why I don’t give up,” Raith told the others. “They can pry the eggs out of my shocked, numb arms,” chuckles ran around the room, “but I’m not going to give up.”

“You haven’t found your egg yet?” Chancellor Ward asked as he followed Ambry into the room. “That’s highly unusual.”

Raith rose to his feet with the barely touched sandwich still on his plate. Despite his statement to the others that he wasn’t going to give up, he was afraid the decision was going to be taken out of his hands. He had tried every egg there whether his heart told him to or not. He had swum to the bottom of the pond only to be shocked so hard by the eggs there that he lost most of his breath and barely made it back to the top. He had braved the magma field and the furthest sand dune against the wall. He swore there was no egg he hadn’t held.

He forced his voice to remain steady when he asked, “So what does that mean?”

Chancellor Ward and Ambry exchanged a glance. “I’m really not sure. It’s a situation we’ve never encountered. Every student chosen by the fluffs have found their bonded companion in this room. To not find one makes no sense; are you sure you’ve followed your heart?”

Raith bristled at the question. “I’ve followed my heart, my eyes, and gone entirely against my need for self-preservation in trying every egg over and over again. Even the wolf laughs at my attempts now.”

The chancellor’s eyes widened. “What wolf?”

“The wolf,” Raith replied, pointing. “It just sits there judging me and laughing whenever I get shocked.”

Chancellor Ward turned slowly in the direction Raith pointed. All of the students looked as well. Raith was confused by their doubtful expressions. Surely they had noticed the animal. It was hard enough to ignore it; he had definitely tried.

Gasps came from the students when the wolf walked from the forest toward the cleared spot in the middle of room. The bird on the chancellor’s shoulder flapped its wings and gave a squawk. Ambry’s water mouse squeaked and ran in a circle on her shoulder.

“Bless my tempestuous soul,” the chancellor said. “Nox, old friend, it’s good to see you again.”

He set a hand on the wolf’s head. He didn’t pet the animal like most would a dog. Instead, the gesture seemed deferential and filled with respect. The wolf gave a single nod that appeared almost as regal as a bow. When the chancellor took his hand away, the wolf looked from one student to the next with a grave air. His eyes fell on Raith last. Raith ignored the urge to take a step back. He shifted his gaze from the animal.

“Will someone please explain why there’s a huge wolf standing here?” Anton asked in a tight voice. “It’s kind-of creeping me out.”

Chancellor Ward gave a small smile. “This wolf is not an it, he is a he, and he has as much right as you, if not more, to be here.”

“He’s a soul elemental, isn’t he?” Ambry asked quietly with her gaze on the animal.

The chancellor nodded. “The last known soul elemental left in our world.”

“So why is he here?” Fancy asked. She held her yellow egg cradled against her chest as if afraid the wolf might get it.

“I think, and I may be wrong,” the chancellor said as he looked from the wolf to Raith, “but I think the reason you haven’t found your egg is because Nox is your egg.”

Jed burst out laughing at the ridiculous statement, but when the wolf turned his gaze the student’s way, Jed’s grin immediately fell and he took several steps back.

“Do you mean to say Nox came from an egg?” Fancy asked. She held up hers reverently. “Like this?”

Chancellor Ward nodded. “All of our elementals come from eggs. You’ll learn more in your lore class curriculum, but for now, I can tell you the simplified version.”

He put his hand to his shoulder and the electric crow stepped on his palm. He brought his hand to his chest and ran his fingers down the crow’s back. Little lines of blue and green electricity ran down the bird’s feathers but didn’t appear to bother the chancellor.

“Our elementals are rare gifts from the Cryth to protect this world,” he began.

“The Cryth Meteor?” Fancy asked.

“Protect it from what?” Henic seconded.

Chancellor Ward raised his hand. “There will be time to answer your questions later. For now, we’ll go with the short answer. When the Cryth meteor hit the Earth, what happened?”

Fancy raised her hand. At the chancellor’s nod, she said as if reciting from a textbook, “The Cryth meteor hit the Earth nearly one hundred and twenty-five years ago. Earthquakes followed, levelling cities as clouds of dust from the strike filled the atmosphere and blocked out the sun. Plants started dying, and then people and animals began to die as well.”

“Very good,” the chancellor said. “And so, in an act of desperation, humans tapped the meteor and found a core of energy that could sustain our planet.”

“Crythine energy,” Maya said quietly without looking at them.

Chancellor Ward gave her a smile. “Exactly, Maya. It’s powerful and sustainable, allowing us to prosper so that when the dust finally settled, we didn’t need to rely on the sun to grow plants and keep the planet flourishing.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a darker side to this story?” Jed asked.

The chancellor let out a small sigh. “Because when we tapped the meteor, we forgot about balance. Just as there was good energy in the Cryth, there was also bad. Demons began to appear, creating the need for an army to fight against them. These battles were fought in secret to avoid alarming the human populace. Besides those who were chosen, most have been unaware of the underlying threat to their survival.”

“So you’re saying that kids like us fight demons all over the world?” Anton asked.

Chancellor Ward gave him a small smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Unfortunately not. As the number of demons became smaller, fewer Adepts were needed to handle them. Demon history became demon lore, and most have forgotten the danger we put ourselves in.”

“Until now,” Ambry said softly.

The Chancellor nodded and motioned for her to continue.

Her gaze swept the students and then lingered on Nox as she spoke. “We have come to realize that the demons’ numbers decreased because they went into hiding, biding their time until they could attack at full strength. Now, with the number of Adepts down to a pitiful few, we are seeing an alarming rise in demon activity.”

An atmosphere of unease settled over the room.

The chancellor broke it with a soft chuckle. “But don’t you worry, my students. You have been chosen because you hold the keys to winning this war. In your hands, most of you,” he winked at Raith, “you hold an elemental willing to stand by your side during any battle you face and help you defeat your enemies. You will never be alone, and with our help, you will be fully prepared to win this war.”

“So now what?” Jed asked.

The Chancellor swept his arm toward the door. “Now for the hatching ceremony. Follow me!” He took off toward the open doorway with a bounce in his step that nearly unseated both his hat and his crow. He righted the top hat with one hand and soothed the bird with the other.

Raith glanced back at the wolf, then hurried after Chancellor Ward.

“Uh, Chancellor?” he called when he reached the hall.

The chancellor turned from further down.

“Yes, Raith?”

“What about the wolf? I mean, if we’re going to a hatching ceremony….” He paused, uncertain where to go with his thought.

Fortunately, the chancellor nodded in understanding. “If you and Nox are meant to be bonded, it will all work out. Though it’s a bit unorthodox, I have all faith that things will work out in the end.”

Raith glanced back at the students that were filing into the hall holding their eggs. He felt as if he was missing something entirely. Was he the butt of some joke and just didn’t realize it? This day was getting stranger by the second.

Chancellor Ward put a hand on his shoulder. “Raith, you must understand that your position here is unusual in every way, but we are taking this in stride and we ask you to do the same.”

Ambry reached them. Her water mouse gave a little squeak.

“Yes,” Ambry replied. “I know. It’s my favorite part, too!”

Raith looked from Ambry’s warm gaze back to the chancellor, then nodded. “I’ll try to be patient.”

The chancellor smiled. “I recommend that you follow what the other students do to the best of your abilities. Things will hopefully work out with you and Nox soon enough, and I don’t want you to miss out on anything important. This program has worked for over a hundred years. Now while that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some hiccups, we’ve been very successful in turning out students ready to defend this world against evil.” The chancellor turned his gaze to the rest of the students. “I fully expect to see each and every one of you become a successful Adept with your bonded elemental at your side. So who is ready to take the next step?”

Hands flew into the air. Raylena accidentally bumped Anton’s shoulder and the student bobbled his egg. It tipped from his hand and plummeted toward the ground. Everyone gasped. Chancellor Ward’s bird gave a squawk of dismay.

Raith fell to his knees and caught the egg before it could smash to pieces on the wooden floor of the hall. To his relief, the black and orange egg didn’t shock him or he might have dropped it altogether. He rose to his feet and handed it back to Anton.

“Thank you so much,” the young man said earnestly as he tucked the egg carefully against his chest with his one arm.

“Anytime,” Raith told him.

“I’m so sorry for bumping you,” Raylena apologized. “I got caught up in the moment and sometimes I can be such a klutz.”

“No harm no foul,” Chancellor Ward said. He grinned at Raith. “You’re proving handy to have around.”

The statement loosened some of the tension that filled Raith. When he didn’t find an egg, he had been afraid it was the final straw that would prove to the chancellor that he didn’t fit in at Bellington Academy. The thought that he just might have a place he belonged felt too good to be true. He didn’t dare put too much hope into staying, but maybe, just maybe, he could prove to all of them and to himself that he deserved it, even if it did mean finding some connection to a brooding black wolf who laughed at him from the shadows.

“Just as your egg picked you, you need to prove to it that you are a brave and trustworthy companion,” Chancellor Ward said. He pulled open a thick set of double doors and led the way inside.

Raith’s breath caught at the wave of heat that rushed out. The fact that the chancellor didn’t even hesitate struck him.

“Room one is the boiler,” the chancellor explained. “Those who found their eggs in the magma pits must spend twenty-four hours with their egg here before the hatching ceremony can take place in earnest.”

“Great,” Anton muttered.

“It’s alright,” Raylena told him. “We’ll get through it together. It’s not that hot in here.”

Everyone looked at her.

“What?” she said as she wiped away the beads of sweat that were already running down her face. “It’ll be worth it, right?”

“Right,” the chancellor reassured her. “We will continue on to the other rooms and I will come get you in twenty-four hours. Your bond with your egg depends on you not leaving for longer than a restroom break. You must trust the life of your chosen bonded creature with your companion in order to leave them for any length of time.” He gave each of them a stern look. “Trust me when I say they look to you for care and will remember how they are treated even in the egg.”

“You can count on us,” Raylena replied with a proud smile.

Raith glanced back before he passed through the door. His heartbeat slowed at the sight of the wolf walking through the other door as if it wasn’t closed. The animal’s dark coat shimmered slightly when it passed through the wood into the sweltering room. He didn’t appear to feel the heat, and when he walked close by where Raylena and Anton sat on the simple wooden chairs, neither seemed to see him.

Raith turned and stepped over the threshold of the next room so fast his ankles sunk deep into the sand and he fell on his face.

“Or you can embrace the wind and sand like Raith, by fully immersing in it,” the chancellor concluded.

Everyone started to laugh.

Raith pushed up to his knees with a grin that he quickly smothered when his mouth filled up with blown sand.

“You really know how to make an entrance,” Ambry said as she helped him to his feet.

Raith would have felt embarrassed if he didn’t mind the fact that falling brought her to his side. She also didn’t appear to want to leave too quickly. Instead, she leaned against him and attempted to hold back her hair as it whipped around her face from the wind.

“Don’t worry, Chancellor,” Jed said. “We’ve got this.”

Maya, the shy student, clutched her bright pink egg and nodded silently next to Jed.

Jed grimaced as his hair whipped in his eyes. “It’ll be a blast,” he concluded wryly.

“Take care, you two,” the chancellor told them.

The next room stunned Raith with its silence. Fresh, cool air brushed against his face and he felt immediately calm after the assault of the wind and sand.

“Linnie, Henic, this is your room,” the chancellor told them.

The students exchanged a glance.

“This doesn’t look as bad as the others,” Henic said.

The chancellor grabbed a tree and Ambry did as well. Raith took a page from their book and gripped a low-hanging branch before a massive quake shook him to the core.

Linnie almost lost her hold on her egg. Henic helped her to steady it.

“Guess I spoke too soon,” he said apologetically.

“You made that happen?” Linnie asked.

Henic opened his mouth to explain, then exchanged a glance with Raith and shook his head. Raith lifted a shoulder.

“Never mind,” Henic told her. “Looks like we better just hold on!”

Another quake shook them. Fancy and Kirsch, the last two students, grabbed the branch by Raith.

“Don’t worry,” the chancellor said over the rumble. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I hope so,” Henic said. “Twenty-four hours is a long time to go without eating!”

“Small snacks will be provided at brief intervals,” the chancellor encouraged him. “Trust me when I say it will all be worth it.”

“I just wish you’d told me to eat more before this started!” Henic protested.

Ambry gave him an apologetic smile when they passed the two students for the last room. “You’ve got this. Just hang in there, both of you. It’ll be very rewarding when you’re done.”

Raith stepped through the door just as another earthquake began.

“I don’t wish for their place,” Fancy said. “I get motion sick.”

“I hope you don’t get seasick,” Kirsch, a boy with dark hair and green eyes, told her.

She followed his gaze and then stared from the water that made up the majority of the room back to the chancellor.

“We have to tread water for twenty-four hours? Chancellor, I know I can tread for at least an hour, but twenty-four would kill us both! I read that—”

“It’s four feet deep,” Ambry cut in.

Fancy paused mid-statement and red colored her cheeks. “Oh, I can do that,” she said.

The chancellor gave a nod of approval. “Your twenty-four hours starts when you enter the water.”

Fancy made her way to the edge and stepped down. Surprise lit her face. “It’s warm!”

“I love the water,” Kirsch said, joining her. “My mom always says I must be part fish because I play in any water I find.”

“Then you’ll be right at home,” the chancellor told him.

Kirsch kicked off from the edge and happily started to back float around the pool with his egg balanced on his stomach.

Ambry laughed. “I think they’ll be happy here.”

“They may be sick of the water for a while when they’re done, but their eggs will be happy with them,” the chancellor concluded with a satisfied nod.

He pushed open the final door and led the way back into the hall.

Raith walked through behind them and paused. The chancellor and Ambry strolled up the hallway talking quietly about the students.

“What should I do?” Raith asked.

He hated the forlorn tone to his voice, yet the wolf was nowhere in sight and a soul elemental or whatever it was he was supposed to bond to didn’t relate to the rooms they had left.

Both Chancellor Ward and Ambry turned. There was a hint of embarrassment on the chancellor’s face. Raith guessed the man had forgotten his presence. He wryly took that as a great sign.

“You have the luxury of time,” Chancellor Ward said. He winked. “Use it wisely.”

Chapter Five

 

Raith wandered the halls until he ran into enough students with bonded creatures that he began to feel like an intruder. It felt late for so many classes to still be going on, but schooling didn’t appear to slow regardless of the evening hour.

The academy’s halls twisted and turned with classrooms down many of the corridors. The sounds of activities, students asking questions, and teachers instructing them made Bellington Academy appear like any other school until a student walked by with a winged boar and threw Raith’s perception out of whack again.

His entire world had changed once more and it wasn’t something he was prepared to accept. He felt like an outsider, and the searching stares of those he passed said the same. He was too old to be a student, was obviously not some unknown professor as evident by his lack of an elemental, and his own supposed bonded companion didn’t want to be around him.

Frustrated with everything he didn’t understand, Raith made his way toward the front door. Ambry had asked him to give the place a chance and to trust her; but would she really want him to stay if she knew everything about him?

“Needing some fresh air?”

Raith pulled his hand back from the doorknob as he looked over his shoulder. The chancellor stood there with his usual top hat and now wearing an overcoat.

“I fancy a walk myself. Mind if I join you?” the man asked.

Raith hesitated. Once he left the academy, he had no intention of returning.

“It’s a beautiful evening,” the chancellor said. “A fresh perspective could do us both a bit of good.”

“That makes no sense. I’ve been out there before,” Raith said, but he pulled the door open anyway.

“Sure it does,” Chancellor Ward replied, closing the door behind them. “Seeing the world differently can be both a terrifying and exhilarating experience. It helps not to view it alone.”

Raith shook his head but didn’t argue with the chancellor. The man was confusing at best and vague at worst; debating anything would get him nowhere.

Fortunately, the man appeared content to let him lead the way.

Raith paused at the bottom of the steps. He had lived in Aura City his entire life, yet he had no idea where they were. It was an unsettling feeling. The buildings around them were unfamiliar and there were no signs in sight.

“I believe you would like to go left,” the chancellor suggested.

Raith shot him a glance. At the chancellor’s nonchalant smile, he took the street to the left. It wasn’t long before he began to recognize where he was. He looked behind him.

“All these years I had no idea that school was there.”

“I know,” the chancellor replied. “We like to keep it that way.”

Raith gave up attempting to hold a normal conversation. Why did he even care? The man was insane for sure. He didn’t even appear to notice the looks people were giving him for wearing the top hat, not to mention the raven on his shoulder. Raith took a few hurried steps, anxious to distance himself from the chancellor, but the man sped up as well without appearing to notice the change. Raith sighed inwardly.

They passed a man and woman in the darkening city streets; this time, Raith was the one to give a double-take. A flicker of movement from the man’s shoulder made him glance back, then stare.

A small black creature about the size of the chancellor’s raven clung to the man’s back. It had horns that swept back from its face and a forked tongue that flickered out as though testing the air. The creature’s outline was poorly defined and shifting as though it was made of smoke. The man said something and it crept upward to hiss in the person’s ear. They turned the corner and Raith lost sight of them.

“Did you see that?” Raith asked.

The chancellor glanced behind them. “See what?”

“It was a….” Raith shook his head. “Never mind.”

Chancellor Ward gave him a peculiar smile and continued walking beside him. They had only gone a few more steps when the chancellor started to whistle.

Raith cringed. He was absolutely certain that every person within earshot was staring at them, but the chancellor didn’t appear to notice.

They were about to pass a bar Raith had been to a few times. He glanced inside wondering if the chancellor ever went out for a nightcap, then stopped walking entirely. A man behind him shoved past muttering about taking up space on the sidewalk. Raith was barely aware of his presence.

“Uh, Chancellor?” he called out without breaking his attention from the scene before him.

There was a touch of humor in the chancellor’s eyes when he realized Raith had stopped walking. The man returned to his side. “Yes?”

“Tell me you see them, too.”

“I see them.”

Raith’s heart plummeted. He had hoped he was going crazy. Perhaps everything at the school had turned him insane. That would have been the easy answer. He wasn’t really seeing demon creatures stalking the inhabitants of the bar, some sitting on their shoulders like mischievous imps while others whispered in a language so dark it sent shudders down Raith’s spine.

But the chancellor’s confirmation made it all real. Surely two people couldn’t see the same thing if it wasn’t real, right?

“What do you see?” Raith asked just to be sure.

“The demons,” the chancellor said casually. “We call them shades until we identify them. Those on the shoulders are kinies and the bigger ones are geists.”

A creature rose up from the shadows in the corner. The darkness pooled together until it formed into a hulking demon that towered above everyone in the room.

“What about that?” Raith asked in horror.

The demon turned and peered their way with eerie white eyes. The hairs on the back of Raith’s neck lifted and a chill filled him from the inside out.

The chancellor grabbed Raith’s shoulder and pushed him past the view of the door.

“Don’t let them know you can see them unless you’re prepared to fight them,” the chancellor said. All lightness had left the man’s voice.

Raith found himself hauled around the corner by a grip he couldn’t break. The chancellor left him in the alley and walked back to the mouth to ascertain they were alone. When nothing appeared, he sighed and turned to face Raith.

“That was a borian. I haven’t seen one around here for a very long time. I need to call in a team.”

“Can’t we handle it?” Raith asked.

A small smile touched Chancellor Ward’s lips. “While you showed great promise and bravery against the groud in the basement, I feel putting you on the front line just yet is a bit premature.” He straightened his hat. “But I must ask your pardon while I take care of business.”

“Those-those things are your business?” Raith wasn’t thrilled at the way his voice tightened at the end, but he couldn’t help it. The fear that had danced along his spine when the demon’s eyes looked his way still filled him with adrenaline. He felt as though he could tackle a dozen of them, and yet at the same time he had never wanted to run so fast in the other direction in his life.

“These things are our business,” the chancellor replied. “Welcome to our little club.”

“The school is about fighting demons?” Raith asked in amazement.

“Bellington Academy teaches those with the demon sight how to defend the world against the Dangerous Other,” Chancellor Ward replied with a flourish, his old self restored.

“The Dangerous Other,” Raith said, pointing in the direction of the bar.

“Exactly.” The chancellor gave a proud smile as though his student had just solved one of the unfathomable questions of the universe. “Carry on with your night, Raith. I shall see you in the morning.” He took two steps toward the mouth of the alley, then paused and turned. “And remember, don’t let them know you can see them.” He tipped his hat and walked around the corner.

Raith stared after the man. So many questions ran through his head that he couldn’t focus on a single one. He realized his mouth was open and shut it with a click of teeth.

“That didn’t just happen,” he said aloud. “That couldn’t have just happened.”

Raith walked slowly toward the street. He paused at the end of the alley and looked toward the bar. Nobody was in sight. Half of him wanted to go back and see if the demons were real; the other half still felt that running away at top speed was the best option for survival. He settled for casually turning away from the bar and walking in the direction he and the chancellor had started.

Darkness was falling rapidly. The few people on the street kept to themselves. Raith ducked when another couple passed by. He swore he saw a demon on the woman’s shoulder, but he refused to look back.

“Just keep walking,” he whispered. “The world is just the same as it was when I was jumped in the alley. Nothing has changed.”

A group of guys lingered at the corner of the next street joking and laughing. Tattoos, chains, and orange bandanas appeared to be the uniform of choice for the gang. Raith caught a glimpse of brass knuckles in the streetlight. His head ached at the memory of just how such a weapon felt when it connected with his skull.

It was foolish to be afraid. They weren’t the same gang that had jumped him and then beat him to within an inch of his life. He reminded himself to breathe as he walked toward them. He lowered his head with the intention of passing by when a pool of darkness on the street caught his attention.

“Hey, check out this guy,” one of the gang members said. “Nice shirt, man. They teaching karate at the homeless shelter now?”

Raith ignored them. The pool of darkness rose into the air. The black mist wafted outward until another demon like the one in the bar was formed. He remembered the chancellor’s warning and averted his head, but watched it out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s wrong? Hard of hearing?” another of the gang called out.

The borian lumbered toward the gang as Raith passed them. He wanted to shout for them to run, but it was obvious they didn’t see the danger they were in.

One of the gang members reached out and grabbed his shoulder, spinning Raith to face him.

“Hey, dude, what’s your problem?” the man demanded.

Raith held up his hands. “No problem.”

The members of the gang spread out. Panic filled Raith when he realized they were surrounding him. Between that and the demon who was nearly to the sidewalk, his fight or flight kicked in.

Raith stepped back and tripped over a gang member’s foot. He fell onto one knee and rolled away from them looking no doubt like a fish out of water flopping around. He pushed back to his feet and took off at a limping run.

“Slow down, boss!” one of them called out. “Ain’t nobody chasing you!”

They all burst out laughing.

Raith glanced back in time to see the demon settle exactly where the gang stood. The members stepped in and out of it without noticing.

“We should have flayed him,” one of them said.

“Don’t they still pay for bodies at the morgue?” another asked.

“Maybe they could have studied his brain. He was definitely on something good!”

“Anyone catch the name of his dealer?”

More laughter followed.

Raith ducked around the next corner and limped away as fast as he could.

The world was getting weirder by the second. He couldn’t put enough distance between himself and the school that had changed everything. He made his way through streets lined with apartment buildings so close the laundry lines hung between them could only fit three shirts. Every sound made him jump; he avoided the shadows like a cat avoiding puddles after a storm. They were no longer the same corners he had slept on. Chills ran up and down his spine and he couldn’t find anywhere he felt safe.

In a building where the shouts of an enraged husband echoed off the walls, pools of darkness on the sidewalk outside made Raith turn in the other direction. Where a butcher was busy yelling at one of his assistants for letting a side of beef go bad, a congregation of eager little shades leaped in and out of the door. Two men on a bench strewn with newspaper argued about whose turn it was to sleep on the bench while the other got the sidewalk. They appeared entirely unaware of the demonic spectators that viewed their heated conversation with glee-filled eyes.

Raith broke into a run. He didn’t care what direction he went as long as it was away from the demons. His footsteps echoed against the buildings and his heart thundered in his chest. He lost track of how long he ran through the darkness. He didn’t stop until he collapsed against a stone pillar. His breath raced in his ragged throat and he fought to clear the black spots that had started to plague his vision.

He sucked in a shuddering breath and sank down to his knees. He rested his forehead against the pillar.

“Hey, Mom.”

His words were quiet. A wry smile touched his lips. “You’re not going to believe the day I’ve had.”

Raith squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then turned and rested with his back against the headstone.

This is where you go for solitude.

Raith’s eyes flew open. “Who said that?” His gaze fell on the black wolf, Nox, standing at the entrance to the cemetery. He pushed backward against the headstone. “Coming to eat me?” he demanded. “Stay back. I’ll fight, I’ll….” He looked around quickly. The only thing within reach was a rock. He picked it up. “You’ll regret it.”

I’ll regret a rock?

Raith sucked in a breath. “You’re talking in my head.”

I lack lips to form the appropriate sounds you’ll understand. If you prefer to take up howling, we can discuss it.

Raith shook his head. “This is ridiculous.”

The wolf’s golden eyes shifted to the left of Raith.

You’re going to want to run.

Raith grimaced. “I already ran. Look at me; I’m talking to a wolf! I’m going crazy for sure.”

Raith! Nox shouted in his mind loud enough to make him cringe. Run! Duck! Fight! Do something other than sit there talking to yourself until you die!

“Die?”

Raith glanced behind the tombstone. Icy shards of fear jolted through his system at the sight of two of the huge, hulking borian demons. The first locked eyes with him. Chancellor Ward’s words whispered in the back of his mind. “Don’t let them know you can see them unless you’re prepared to fight them.”

He stood up slowly and kept his eyes on the borian.

What are you doing? Nox demanded.

“You said fight, so I’m fighting.”

That’s the option you choose? I also said run or duck. Those have a much higher survival rate!

“Too late,” Raith replied.

He kept his gaze locked on the first demon. The creature’s white eyes widened, then narrowed. Raith took a calming breath and let the fear he felt dissipate.

Good, the wolf said with a hint of surprise in its voice. Fear makes it stronger.

“What makes it weaker?” Raith asked without looking at the wolf.

Nothing, Nox replied flatly.

Raith sighed. Fine. He would figure it out on his own.

He took a step forward. The second demon noticed him. It let out a grunt he felt to his core. Both demons advanced with their full attention on him like cats drawn to a mouse.

“What are they made out of?” Raith asked.

Dark energy from the Cryth meteor. Have you learned nothing at the academy?

“I’ve been conscious all of about twenty-four hours there,” Raith replied dryly. “Now look at me, talking to a wolf and trying not to get eaten by demons bigger than a house.”

Demons don’t eat you; they drink your essence.

Raith glanced back at the wolf. “Is that supposed to be better?”

Look out!

The demon’s huge clawed hand knocked Raith aside so hard he slammed against his father’s headstone and fell to the ground.

He glared up at the creature.

“Don’t you mess with my dad’s grave,” he said. He pushed up to his feet. Something glinted in the weak moonlight and a smile touched his lips. “Come on. Let’s play.”

Raith, I don’t think—

Raith ducked under the demon’s next swipe and dove to the next headstone. He came up with Reaver in his hands and a mocking grin on his face.

“Whose got claws now, Beefy?”

The demon’s next swipe nearly took his head off. He ducked and backed up.

“Fine,” Raith said breathlessly. “No mocking. Got it.”

He passed the sword from one hand to the other, amazed at how right it felt to hold it. Both demons followed the weapon as if entranced by the golden glow that emanated from it. He looked at the wolf.

“If you can get one to turn, I can stab it.”

Both demons emitted low growls. When the wolf ran behind them, only the one on the left turned to follow its course.

Think to me instead of saying it out loud so they don’t know what you’re going to do, idiot!

Raith bristled at the insult, but didn’t have time to comment. The demon on his right advanced with gnashing teeth long enough to bite off his arm. They might not have been intending to eat him, but he doubted they would mind maiming him before sucking his essence.

“Fine,” Raith said aloud. He darted behind a thick square tombstone and tried to think toward the wolf.

What are you doing? Nox asked. You look like you’re going to throw up.

“Shut up and bite that demon!” Raith replied in exasperation.

Even though the wolf did no such thing, both demons turned toward it with threatening growls.

Raith lunged forward and rammed Reaver through the closest demon’s thick black hide. The blade slid easily into its scaled skin. He shoved it harder and felt it cut through the creature’s spinal cord. A sigh of relief escaped him when the demon’s form dissipated and its darkness drifted away on the midnight breeze.

The second demon backed up. It swung its head from side to side to keep an eye on both Raith and Nox.

That was pretty smooth, the wolf admitted. Shall we try it again?

“You mean you bite and I stab?” Raith asked.

The demon backed into a fence that surrounded a neighboring mausoleum. The creature let out a rumbling grunt and gouged the earth beneath its claws in frustration.

The wolf’s toothy grin showed his teeth in the moonlight.

I have a better idea. You stab first.

Raith stared from the wolf to the demon. The borian glared at him with fury in its white eyes. It dragged its claws through the ground leaving a hole deep enough Raith could be shallowly buried in it. The thought sent a shudder through his skin. Raith felt a prickling of fear.

The demon lowered its head and breathed deeply.

Don’t let it sense your fear, Nox said urgently. It’ll make the borian stronger. Control your emotions.

“How?” Raith asked aloud. “And if you tell me to think happy thoughts, I might just have to stab you.”

Nox snorted. On second thought, be afraid. Maybe I can use it to our advantage.

The demon took a step toward Raith. He felt the huge creature’s footsteps through the soles of his feet. The wolf’s mixed messages combined with the demon’s apparent eagerness to feed on his essence, whatever that was, filled Raith with indecision. He fought back the urge to run; something told him the borian would chase him down before he reached the fence and he refused to be killed running away like a coward.

He lifted the sword and glared at the demon.

“Here kitty, kitty,” he taunted.

The demon opened its huge mouth and let out a mind-numbing bellow. Raith glanced wide-eyed at Nox. The wolf stared back at him.

Do that again, Nox urged.

Raith wasn’t sure it was smart given the way the demon responded, but he didn’t have a better idea.

“Come on, kitty, kitty,” he said. He took another step back. “This way little kitty.”

The demon snorted like a bull. Dark mist wafted from its nostrils. It charged forward, tearing up massive hunks of grass and dirt as it ran.

Caught off-guard by the creature’s reaction, Raith stumbled backwards, then took off running. He didn’t dare look back as the sound of the demon got closer.

“Nox!” he yelled.

A shadow swept past on his right side. Raith turned in that direction. He felt a swipe of the demon’s claws tear through his shirt. One more lunge and he knew it would be his skin.

Nox appeared from behind one of the headstones just ahead of him.

Duck! the wolf shouted in his mind.

Raith dropped to his knees. The wolf leaped over him straight at the demon. Raith turned to see the animal latch onto the borian’s throat. The demon reared up on its hind legs and tried to shake the wolf free.

Now, Nox commanded.

Raith picked up Reaver from where he had dropped the sword when he hit the ground and stabbed it into the demon’s heart. The borian let out a roar that cut off when Raith shoved the sword deeper. He felt the weight of the demon give way from the blade; it turned into black mist like the other one.

Nox landed on his feet panting; a pleased grin revealed his fangs.

That’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

Raith lowered to his knees on the grass. “You call that fun?” At the wolf’s straight look, Raith had to admit, “Alright, that was a blast. Know where any other demons are?”

Something tells me if I hang around with you long enough, they’ll show up. You have an amazing knack for making anyone around you want to kill you.

“It’s a skill,” Raith agreed. He settled onto his back on the grass and fought to calm his racing heartbeat.

You’re not half-bad with that thing.

Raith followed the wolf’s gaze to the sword. As they watched, the weapon flickered, then vanished, leaving the cemetery darker. Raith felt its absence with a pang of regret. The emotion turned into frustration. “You let me try every single egg at the academy even though you knew we were supposed to fight together.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at the wolf. The memory of being shocked dozens of times smarted.

Maybe I was hoping, the wolf finally admitted.

“That I wasn’t supposed to be your partner?” Raith shot back. He knew he was practically shouting, but he couldn’t help it. The embarrassment of his failure with the eggs combined with the realization that the elemental he was supposed to fight beside had merely watched him and probably laughed every time he was shocked. How was he supposed to trust the animal after that?

I’m the one who led the fluffs to you.

The wolf’s admission slowed the rage that swirled through Raith’s mind. If the wolf had been the one to find him, that meant he owed his life to the shadow elemental. He didn’t like that thought at all. To change topics, he asked, “I keep hearing about fluffs. What are they? The name is ridiculous.”

If you ever see one, you’ll understand, Nox replied. He settled onto his stomach in the cool grass. They’re little beings drawn to the right kind of energy to fight the demons.

Raith sat up without looking at the wolf. “So if you brought them to me, they were drawn to you instead. Maybe I’m not supposed to be at the academy at all.”

He felt the wolf’s attention turn to him.

They were definitely drawn to you, I just had to get them past the negative energy of the Hada Zone. That place is bad business. What were you doing there? Looking for trouble?

The accusation stung. Raith was trying to come up with a snide reply when the wolf stood up, his attention on something beyond them. Afraid that another demon had appeared, Raith reached for the sword; his hand closed over empty air. He rose to his feet just as a figure stepped from between the headstones.

“I’m glad to see you two getting along,” Chancellor Ward said.

“Not exactly,” Raith replied with a glare in the wolf’s direction.

The chancellor ignored the comment. He looked to the side and his gaze softened. Raith followed the chancellor’ eyes and felt his heart slow the way it always did.

“I should have thought to look for you here,” the man said.

He crossed closer to the tombstones Raith knew by heart.

Though Raith didn’t want to, he followed the man. His eyes trailed over the names even though he felt as if each curve of the ornate lettering was imprinted on his soul. He closed his eyes when the chancellor read the names aloud.

“Seamus Jacob Winters, Vivian Isabelle Rose Winters, Cassandra Vie Winters, Marisan Isabella Winters, Mitchell Seamus Winters, Benjamin Jacob Winters. Seven years ago,” he said with regret heavy in his voice. “How can time go by so quickly?” He gave a quiet huff that made Raith open his eyes. “It was the last one that made us think you had died with them.”

Raith kept silent. With the knot in his throat, he couldn’t have said anything anyway.

“Mythra was the one who remembered that you took on your maternal grandmother’s maiden name as your middle name, but by the time we realized it, you were gone.”

The chancellor’s unspoken question hung in the air between them.

Is that your family?

Raith shied away from Nox’s voice in his head. What if the wolf could feel his guilt? His sadness simmered into anger at the possibility.

“Stay out of my head,” he growled.

Chancellor Ward glanced at Nox, then lifted his hands. “Alright, time for a walk.” The raven on his shoulder flapped its wings. The blue and green electricity that danced along its feathers lit up the night. “Come on,” the chancellor said. He walked away without waiting for them to reply.

Raith glanced at Nox and found the wolf watching him. He couldn’t read anything in the animal’s golden eyes. He turned away with the unsettling hope that another demon would attack because it was easier to fight than be around these two.

“Come on,” Chancellor Ward called over his shoulder.

Raith sighed and swore he heard the wolf do the same before they both set out at a slower pace after the chancellor.

Chapter Six

 

“Demon sight skips a generation,” the chancellor said as he walked down the middle of the dark street.

Raith glanced behind him worried that they might get hit by a car, but nobody seemed to be out. He had lost track of how late it was and suspected it might actually be very early the following day.

Chancellor Ward gave Raith a pointed look over his shoulder. “Your grandmother was a very skilled Adept.”

Raith sucked in a breath that decided to go down the wrong tube and proceeded to choke on nothing. The chancellor pounded him on the back in a method that made Raith cough harder. The raven flapped its wings and squawked.

“Oh, right,” the chancellor replied.

He stopped hitting Raith’s back and Raith stopped coughing. Raith had to fight back the unsettling urge to thank the bird for its interference.

“My…grandmother?” Raith managed to force out.

“Yes, yes,” Chancellor Ward said with a wave of his hand as if there was no need for Raith’s astonishment. “Isabelle Raithian Rose, or Dean Rose, as she became known, was the best Adept Bellington Academy had ever seen. Everyone wanted to be just like her.”

Raith shook his head. “I don’t remember her.”

“But you wouldn’t now, would you?” the chancellor replied. He gave Raith a kindly smile. “Belle Rose died in a battle against a skinwalker named Baylan about, what would it be, thirty years ago now.” Chancellor Ward shook his head. “Time is a fickle creature that mocks us with both speed and memories as bright as yesterday.”

Raith’s eyebrows pulled together. “That’s not right. Mom told me Grandma was killed in a car accident, the same one that messed up Grandpa’s brain so he had to be admitted to a care facility until he died.” His voice quieted when he said, “They’re buried near my family.”

Sadness touched the chancellor’s eyes. “So that’s where she was laid to rest,” he said quietly. “I’ll have to pay my respects.”

Chancellor Ward’s raven clicked its beak. The chancellor ran a finger down its back. Raith swore the bird looked sad as well, though he couldn’t say he had ever seen a bird show emotion before.

“That was the story told by the academy,” the chancellor said. “The world doesn’t understand the dark energy it faces; that’s why we have to fight so hard to protect the innocent.”

Raith thought of the gang that had jumped him. “I don’t know if they’re all innocent.”

Chancellor Ward’s eyes twinkled as if Raith had said something hilarious. “Innocence does not in this case necessarily mean free from evil actions; innocence can also mean ignorant of the dangers of the world.”

A thought occurred to Raith. “Nox said demons feed on negative emotions, so what if the world deserves the demons because of the darkness that comes from humanity?”

The lines on chancellor’s brow deepened. “Such is the debate of the Educator’s Council. Are the ignorant still at fault?”

Raith shook his head. “You lost me. What’s the Educator’s Council?”

Chancellor Ward glanced at Nox. Raith knew it wasn’t in his imagination that the wolf refused to meet the man’s eyes.

“You’ll learn soon enough,” the chancellor said. “For now, it’s late. I have a school to run.” He tipped his hat at them both and said simply, “See you in the morning.”

The raven gave a little flap of its wings as if to bid them farewell also.

Raith stood in the middle of the road and watched the chancellor amble away. He had no idea where the man found so much energy so late at night. Weary, he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked back down the street in the direction they had come. Indecision weighed on his shoulders.

You have no intention of returning to the school.

Raith shook his head without a word. To his surprise, the wolf sat down on the sidewalk a few feet away.

“What? You’re going to follow me now?”

The wolf didn’t answer.

Raith gritted his teeth. His back ached from where he had hit the headstone. His side hurt probably because of the same reason and he had no desire to see if he had torn his stitches again. His knee throbbed from when he tripped getting away from the gang; he was fairly certain he had come across as a coward. The thought of getting bandaged yet again was more than he wanted to deal with. He just wanted to find a private corner and go to sleep. It wouldn’t be the first time he had slept on the streets, and he doubted it would be the last.

Do you smell that?

“Seriously?” Raith said. “That’s gross.”

Nox actually rolled his eyes. Raith hadn’t known a wolf could do that.

Smell the air, dimwit. Use that thing between your eyes.

Raith clenched his hands into fists at the insult, but he did as Nox directed. A very faint scent of smoke touched his nose.

“Yeah, so?” he said. The city always smelled like smoke or garbage or sewage, and sometimes all three at once, especially in the lower zones. It was nothing new.

Look.

Raith followed the wolf’s gaze and his muscles tightened.

Several dark shadows detached from the next alley and made their way south. Raith walked behind them, careful to avoid looking at them directly. The wolf followed from the sidewalk. They didn’t have to go far to see other demons join the first group.

“What’s going on?” Raith whispered.

No idea, Nox replied. We should follow them.

“That is an idea,” Raith replied, “and it’s a horrible one.”

Regardless, he found himself walking beside the wolf up the road after the demons.

“I’ve come to the realization that nothing good happens when one finds demons,” Raith said.

Great observation, Nox replied dryly.

Raith grimaced. “Get out of my head.”

Nox walked quietly for a few paces. He didn’t look at Raith when he finally said, For the record, I can’t read your thoughts or anything like that.

“I didn’t think you could,” Raith replied. “That would be stupid.”

He cringed inwardly because that was exactly what he had feared, then he caught himself worrying that the wolf would feel how stupid he felt. He let out a steeling breath with the reminder that the animal had just told him he couldn’t read his thoughts.

I can smell your emotions, though, Nox said. He snorted. Feeling anxious?

“Yeah, you could say that. We’re following demons and there’s more of them by the second. Who wouldn’t feel anxious? Tell me you don’t,” Raith hissed back.

I do, but the demons don’t know that. You better get a rein on your emotions before they turn around and head in our direction. You’re putting off a very tempting bouquet of fear and anxiety that will have them licking your essence like a popsicle.

Raith balked at the thought.

It’s getting worse, the wolf told him.

“Shut up,” Raith snapped back.

Several of the demons in front of them paused.

Raith and Nox held perfectly still. Raith felt as if his feet were glued to the ground. He couldn’t see the sword anywhere. If the demons did attack, he and Nox would be a midnight snack. He hadn’t eaten in what felt like a very long while, so he didn’t feel like it was fair if the demons got to.

A breath escaped him when the demons turned back to their business.

I realize I haven’t been much help, Nox conceded when they both started walking again.

“You think?” Raith whispered between his clenched teeth.

Nox glanced at him. Let’s start with a basic. Picture a blanket of calm.

This time Raith was the one to roll his eyes. “Are you being serious right now? It’s hard to tell.”

The wolf snapped his teeth shut an inch from Raith’s thigh.

Raith danced to the side and held up his hands. “Alright, alright! A blanket of calm. I’m trying to picture it, but it’s a little hard with a wolf trying to hamstring me!”

Nox snorted and turned back to their walk. Imagine all your anxiety and stress as a ball of twine all knotted together. There’s no end in sight. Every negative emotion you have is tied up in that knot. It’s tight, dirty, unraveled in places, and full of a thousand different strands of stressful emotions. Can you picture it?

“Very easily thanks to you trying to bite me,” Raith replied with his eyes on the demons.

The creatures turned left around the next corner.

Just trying to help, the wolf replied. Raith swore he heard a touch of laughter in the elemental’s voice. Now, take your blanket of calm and put it over the ball of twine so that you can’t see it anymore.

Raith imagined what he was told. Even though it sounded ridiculous, he valued his leg and didn’t feel like arguing would be the best for his life expectancy.

“Done,” he said.

Now light it on fire.

“Light the blanket on fire?”

The entire thing, the wolf directed. Let it burn until there is nothing left.

Raith shook his head, but pictured the fire. They were almost to the corner.

“There, it’s out,” he said.

Good, the wolf replied. Feel better?

Surprise filled Raith. “Yes, actually.”

The wolf snorted.

Raith was beginning to suspect that the sound was the wolf’s way of laughing.

“Was that a joke?”

It distracted you and got you here without you running away like a coward.

“I’m not a—” Raith turned the corner and paused. The word coward died away on his lips at the sight of the building being devoured by flames.

While the fire put him on edge, it was the fact the demons were going inside that shocked him. The creatures came in droves from every direction and crossed through the door as if it wasn’t a roaring mass of flames that grew bigger by the second.

Someone’s in there.

Raith turned away.

Where are you going? Nox demanded.

“I can’t. I just can’t,” Raith said with a shake of his head. He turned the corner so that the flames were out of sight. “That’s insane.”

But I heard a scream, Nox replied, following him. You can’t just leave her there.

Raith paused. “Her?”

It was definitely a girl’s scream. Why else would the demons by drawn to the fire? Imagine how afraid she must be!

“What if they lit that fire?” Raith demanded.

That’s a possibility.

Raith stared at him. “Really? I thought they were just shadows!”

Geists can pool their energy together and move things. Maybe they found out how to start a fire.

Raith walked away from the wolf.

Come on! Nox said. You can’t just leave her there to die!

“You really think I can save her?” Raith demanded. “I can’t even get through that door, let alone make it past the demons. If they found out we followed them, we’re all dead!

He ran his hands through his hair. It was a shaggy mess. He couldn’t remember the last time he had looked in a mirror. He had avoided any at the school, and his life before then hadn’t exactly been rife with such luxuries. With an unkempt beard and scraggly hair, he couldn’t imagine how he looked.

I’m going, Nox said. His gaze was filled with judgement when he continued with, I could never be bonded to someone who balks at the chance to save a life.

Raith turned to watch the wolf lope around the corner.

“I can’t do it,” he said. True, unbridled fear washed over him now that the wolf was out of sight. He wasn’t afraid of the demons even though he had told Nox as much; the fire itself terrified him like no demon ever could.

The skin of his back ached. His nerve endings seared as if fire danced along his spine. Sweat broke out across his body. He couldn’t go in there.

She would die, whoever she was. The fire was a bad one. The building was old like most buildings in that part of the Deep. It was going up like kindling. Raith could imagine the heat inside. His skin crawled at memories he had fought so hard to keep at bay.

Unbidden, his sneakers pushed forward. Raith found himself at the corner staring at the out of control inferno.

Where were the police? Surely someone had called in the fire. He only had to wait for them to save the girl.

But they had no way of knowing she was in there. How many times had the fire department let old buildings in the Deep burn because they were more of a hazard after they started than the effort needed to put them out? There were entire blocks of charred wreckage where the fire chief had let it burn and instructed his team only to keep the buildings on the next blocks from catching.

No wonder they weren’t there yet; no one cared what happened in the Deep. It wouldn’t change anything except for the few miserable lives that happened to be caught within the flaming walls. He knew of at least two people in the last year who hadn’t made it out in time.

Raith took a step forward and then another. He couldn’t see any sign of Nox. At least the demons had stopped coming, though he didn’t know if that meant they were all inside or if the girl had stopped putting out the scent of fear that drew them.

Raith broke into a run. If she was already dead, he had only himself to blame. He already carried a mountain of guilt about his family; one more boulder on top of that felt like far too much.

Flames covered the front door. Raith didn’t know if there was a better entrance in the back. With the girl’s life on the line, he didn’t have time to check.

He lowered his shoulder and barreled through the door. It broke under the blow and sent him sprawling into the flaming room.

Raith pushed up to his hands and knees. Everywhere he looked, flames devoured the furniture, the walls, the floor, the pictures, lamps, and carpet, and snaked across the ceiling. Flashbacks struck him hard, freezing him to the spot.

He heard familiar voices calling out. The furniture was from their summer house. Nothing made sense. He couldn’t get his mind to clear.

“Mom!” Marisan shouted. “Mom, what’s happening?”

“Dad, there’s fire everywhere!” Cassandra cried in a voice laced with fear.

“I can’t get out!” Marisan screamed with panic from her upstairs bedroom.

“Benmin?”

Raith covered his ears with his hands. Tears trailed down his face and fell to the floor with hisses of steam.

Where was Benny? He had to find Benny! Benmin was the name his little brother had given him when he couldn’t say Benjamin, the name they both shared.

“Benmin, help!”

Raith knew his brother wasn’t there, but the urgency to find him anyway pounded against Raith and numbed his mind. The heat burned his clothes and beat against his already searing back.

In his mind’s eye, he saw the ceiling fall apart. Beams rained down. He was crushed to the floor. He yelled at the feeling of his skin melting again. Hands found him and tried to pull him free. Their thick gloves hurt his arms. He saw black boots as he was carried across the floor.

Nox.

Raith, where are you?

Nox, I need your help.

Hold on. I’m coming!

A soft head bumped against his arm. Raith opened his eyes.

Were those memories? I’m not supposed to be able to see your thoughts, but they hit me like a battering ram, Nox said.

Raith couldn’t reply. His mind was still caught between the past and the present.

I-I don’t know what’s real. I can’t save anyone. Let me die here; I should have died with my family.

She needs your help, Nox replied firmly. Come on.

Nox ducked beneath his arm.

Raith tried to back away. He didn’t know if the sound of beams falling around them was real or still in his memories. The heat felt real enough. It scorched his lungs with every breath. Smoke clouded the air. He could barely breathe.

Leave me here, he begged, bowing his head to the floor in despair.

To his surprise, Nox latched onto his shoulder with his fangs and bit down hard. Raith’s eyes flew open. He jerked back in surprise and found himself face to face with the wolf.

Felt that, did you? That’s real, and so is the little girl who is going to die in the basement if you don’t get down there. Now move!

Raith crawled after the wolf. The heat of the floor burned his hands, but he pushed forward after the elemental’s dark form. Nox led him through the next doorway and down a set of stairs. Raith used the railing to haul himself to his feet; he took the stairs three at a time. When he reached the bottom, ice danced across his skin and chased away the heat at the sight before them.

The sound of the fire roaring above was nowhere near as terrifying as the scene in the basement of the burning apartment building. Demons danced and swarmed around a form curled in a fetal position on the floor. The dark shadows, shades, Chancellor Ward had called them, swooped in and sucked. Little balls of light rose from the girl and were eaten by the creatures. Her sobs were quiet, but they shook Raith to the core.

He looked around the room, but Reaver was nowhere in sight. Unarmed, still unsure what reality he faced, Raith clenched his hands into fists.

“Get away from her!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

His voice came out raspy from the smoke and heat, but every demon turned to look at him.

His fear burned away until all that remained was fury at the sight of the helpless girl’s essence being devoured by the evil creatures that shouldn’t belong in their world if the chancellor’s story was true. He no longer cared if he lived or died; all he cared about was the life of the girl on the floor.

“Get. Away. From. Her,” Raith barked as he strode forward.

He expected to be batted away like the borian had done in the cemetery, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the demons in front of him parted to either side, giving him a clear view of the girl. Raith didn’t look at any of them; he kept his gaze on the form on the floor, willing her to still be alive.

Halfway to her, he became fully aware of the living, breathing demons who towered around him.

Easy does it, Nox said quietly in his mind. Stay focused. No emotion.

Burn it away? Raith replied.

He heard the wolf’s surprise at his humor when the elemental replied, It’s never worked for me, but go for it.

Raith snorted a laugh. He reached the young girl and lowered to his knees, completely aware of the danger in which they found themselves.

“I’ve got you,” he said quietly. “You’re safe.” He gathered her up in his arms. She barely weighed anything.

I wouldn’t go that far as to say she’s safe, the wolf commented.

Raith glanced up to find that the demons had closed around them. Their hulking shapes shifted between complete forms and wisps of darkness. Black mist thicker than the smoke upstairs made it difficult to see the steps that heralded safety of one form and danger in another. Raith kept the chancellor’s warning in the back of his mind and didn’t focus on any one set of eyes. Instead, he kept his gaze on the stairs.

“Let us through,” he said as calmly as he could.

“She is ours.”

“Leave her.”

“She is our feast.”

“We were promised.”

The voices hissed around him, screeching in his ears like nails on a chalkboard. He winced at the sound but didn’t allow his fear to show.

“We need her.”

“Why?” he asked the final voice. “Why her?”

“Can’t tell you,” the voice hissed. “Leave or die.”

“Giving ultimatums now, Tavis?” a voice called out.

Relief poured through Raith at the sight of Chancellor Ward standing at the top of the steps. The man walked down at a sedate pace. Others Raith had never met before followed close behind. They carried weapons like his sword that glowed through the haze. The demons around him cringed from the sight of them.

“I give you the same ultimatum,” Chancellor Ward said. His eyes glittered with deadly seriousness and a purple staff pulsed with energy in his hand. He lifted it in the air. “One chance to flee or you turn to ashes faster than this building.”

The reminder of the fire made Raith take a step forward. He had to get out of there. The demons turned back to him as if they had forgotten he was there. He ignored them and took another step. Several of the creatures crowded forward.

“Back off!” a woman shouted.

She made her way past where the chancellor stood on the last step and crossed toward Raith. He recognized Zury from the academy and when they first found him. The cheetah at her side glowed with flames that ran down its spine to the tip of its tail. A low growl emanated from the creature. The man, Bex joined her; his elemental, the winged boar, shook its head and ruffled its wings threateningly.

Keep going, Nox urged. Don’t look back.

Raith lowered his head and did as the wolf said. Claws waited in his way, but he kept going and didn’t look up. The claws shifted out of the way when he made it to them.

He found the steps. Hands reached for the girl, but he couldn’t stop moving. Every fiber of his body screamed for him to get out of the apartment building before it fell down on top of them. Hands helped him up the stairs and he stepped into the inferno beyond.

Voices called out, familiar voices that threatened to melt his heart with agony. Raith shook his head, unable to block them from his mind.

They’re not real, Nox said quietly. Just concentrate on my voice and follow me. I’ll get you out of here.

The elemental stepped in front of Raith. He kept his gaze on the black form as it made its way between burning pillars that raged with a heat so intense he swore his skin was starting to bubble. The soles of his shoes felt as though they were melting. He couldn’t see anything through the smoke except for the wolf’s tail. Nox led him around several obstacles, beneath two fallen beams that leaned precariously from the ceiling, and into another room Raith didn’t remember seeing before. Just when he was convinced they weren’t ever going to make it out, the billow of smoke pulled them forward and out a door.

He stumbled to his knees and sucked in a breath of fresh air.

Move further, Nox urged. The building’s coming down.

Raith pushed up and made it about five more feet before his legs gave out. He fell to the asphalt with the girl clutched in his arms.

“Is she alright?” His voice came out in a wheeze.

Nox leaned closer.

She’s not breathing.

Raith set her on the ground. He barely noticed that it was wet with rain that fell all around them. He bent his head down and listened for her heartbeat.

I hear her heart, the wolf said. It’s weak but beating. He looked at Raith. But she needs to breathe. She’s had too much smoke. Breathe for her.

Raith’s hands shook as he tried to recall everything he had been taught in health class about what to do. He tipped her head back and swept his fingers across her cheek to move her wet hair away. Dark streaks remained where his fingers touched.

With his heart pounding in his ears, Raith leaned down and put his mouth to hers. Pinching her nose with one hand and tipping her chin back, he breathed slowly into her mouth.

He sat back quickly as a coughing attack nearly overwhelmed him. As soon as he could breathe again, he leaned back down and did the same for her.

Slow and steady, the wolf said. That’s it. One breath at a time. Help is on the way.

Raith saw her chest rise with each breath. Her clothing was covered in soot that darkened with the rain falling around them in sheets. He could barely see through the strands of his hair that hung in front of his face. The detached part of him noted again that he needed a haircut.

Focus, Nox told him. I’m not thrilled about being privy to your wandering thoughts.

Raith wanted to second the notion, but kept his attention on the girl. He breathed for her, then sucked in a breath and did another. Each time, he willed the color to return to her pale cheeks and her blue lips. He wished her eyes would open.

“Come on,” he said aloud. “Don’t give up on me after all this. Not now.”

Flashes of little Benjamin’s face came into his mind as he worked to breathe for the girl. Tears dripped down his cheeks to leave more stains on her shirt. He heard the others come up behind him and surround him.

“She’s not breathing,” someone said.

“We were too late.”

“Is he—”

“He’s breathing for her,” another said. “But it’s got to be too late.”

A hand touched his shoulder.

“No,” Raith yelled. He leaned over her protectively, worried they would take her away. “Her heart’s still beating. Nox says so!”

Keep going, Nox urged.

Raith gave her another breath. He was about to lean down again when her cheeks flushed and she began to cough weakly.

“Roll her on her side,” Zury directed, kneeling beside him.

Other hands helped to do so. Raith rocked back on his heels and could only stare as the little girl sucked in several shaky breaths. An umbrella was lifted to shield her when she was eased onto her back again. Her small head tipped to the side.

“Is-is she alright?” Raith asked.

Zury checked her pulse. “She’s unconscious. We need to get her to the academy.”

“I’ll take her.” The chancellor picked the girl up and took off with a surprising show of stamina given his thin frame. “Let’s go,” he called over his shoulder.

Zury and several of the others followed.

Raith stared after them, his mind numb.

Bex held out a hand to help him up. “You continue to surprise us,” he said to Raith.

Raith lifted a shaky hand, but when Bex grabbed it, pain knifed down his arm and he winced.

Bex looked at him closer. “You’ve burned your hands.”

Before Raith could reply, the boar ducked under his arm and pushed him to his feet, careful not to snag him with his tusks.

“Uh, thanks,” Raith said.

“Now you’re getting soft, Roe?” Bex said. “Don’t think I didn’t see that.”

The boar gave a snuffle and waddled after the chancellor. Bex shook his head and followed the others.

Well, what’s our plan?

Raith glanced at Nox. The wolf’s eyes searched his as though he was trying to read his thoughts. Raith wondered just how much the elemental had seen when they were inside the building. He supposed he should feel embarrassed, but at that moment he only felt exhausted.

As much as a street corner would work, a bed sounds nice right about now, Raith said quietly in his mind.

Count me in, Nox replied.

They started slowly in the direction the others had taken.

Nox eventually broke the silence to say, For the record, I didn’t know what happened to your family.

Raith looked down at the wolf. I didn’t mean for you to see it.

I don’t think either of us were in a place to worry about who saw what. I don’t know how you went in there after living through that.

Raith shook his head. I almost didn’t live through it. I spent years wishing I hadn’t.

Nox was silent for several minutes before he said, So what made you go inside?

I’d say it was your demeaning diatribe, but that would be a lie.

Nox padded quietly through the puddles while he waited for Raith to continue.

Raith finally admitted the truth to both of them. I always wondered if I could have saved Benny. He was the closest to the living room and I heard him calling for me, but I was so scared I couldn’t move, and then when the beam fell, there was nothing I could do. He stopped walking and closed his eyes, squeezing them tight. When his emotions were under control, he said, When you told me a girl was caught down there, I thought maybe I could make up for Benny, even if just a little bit. He shook his head. But Benny’s still dead, you know? It doesn’t matter. He choked back a sob.

It matters to her, Nox said. If she survives this, it will be because of you. You faced your fears and saved her.

“Don’t ever ask me to go into a burning building again,” Raith said aloud, his voice scratchy.

Nox shook his head. I won’t. Your memories nearly took me down, and I’m fairly tough.

That brought the hint of a smile to Raith’s lips. “Fairly,” he acknowledged.

Nox snorted. Let’s get you back before you fall over.

I look that good? Raith asked.

Even better, the wolf replied.

Chapter Seven

 

“Think you can stop putting yourself in danger long enough to heal?” Ambry asked. There was a hint of concern in her teasing expression as she wrapped Raith’s hands.

“Sure,” he replied.

Nox snorted his disbelief.

Raith ignored the elemental. “How’s the child?”

“Sleeping,” Ambry said. She looked toward the next room, her worry clear. “Though only time will tell if she’ll wake up. I wish we could notify her parents, but she doesn’t have any identification on her.”

“Why were the demons after her?” Raith asked quietly.

“I’m not sure,” Ambry replied. “It’s strange to have so many after one person, and a child at that. It doesn’t make sense. The chancellor’s never heard of it before, either.” She stepped back. “There. How do they feel?”

Raith closed his hands as far as he was able to. The pressure of the bandages was eased by the salve she had spread over his burns.

“I wish someone had used this stuff when I was burned before,” he said musingly.

“It’s imbued with healing energy from the crystals,” she explained. She gave him a searching look. “How did you get burned so badly before?”

Raith exchanged a glance with Nox. He forced a smile when he looked back at Ambry and said, “Just an accident.” A yawn escaped him. “I’d better get some rest.”

“You do that,” she said.

She followed the pair to the door of the room. “Oh, Raith, do you need me to check your stitches?”

He grimaced at the thought, but smoothed his face to be expressionless when he looked back at her. “No, they’re fine. Thanks for checking.”

“Are you sure?” Ambry asked. “Maybe I should check just in case.”

“It’s fine, really,” Raith said.

Raith.

My side is fine, he replied. Act natural.

Really, how? the wolf questioned.

I don’t know, he told the wolf in his head. Wag your tail or something. I’m not going back there.

Wag my tail, the wolf replied in an affronted tone.

Get going! Raith practically pushed the elemental through the next room. He waved at Ambry hoping it came across as naturally as possible. “Thanks. See you again, but hopefully not too soon.”

“You, uh, too,” she said.

Raith turned away before she could press him further.

Nox’s snort caught his attention. Was that natural? I’ve never seen you wave like that. It looked pretty forced, and painful, too. I’ll bet she saw you wince.

Shut up, Raith replied.

He swore he could feel the wolf’s enjoyment of his predicament wafting from the animal in waves. From what he had seen of bonded relationships between an Adept and their elemental, this was something else. He knew he should have asked Ambry, but the thought of sitting still through more needlework was more than he could bear at the moment.

He blinked and realized he had followed Nox into a part of the academy he hadn’t seen before.

“Where are we?” he asked aloud.

I’m taking you to the Soul Biome.

Raith wondered if he had heard the wolf correctly. “The Soul Biome. What’s that? Some other kind of crystal?”

Nox glanced back at him. “Not exactly.”

Raith paid closer attention to his surroundings. They were in some sort of darkening tunnel. The floor was still wooden like the academy, but the walls curved into a low dome overhead. Recessed lights spaced far in between did little to penetrate the darkness.

Raith had no idea where they were. Perhaps he should have stayed in the healing rooms a little bit longer; his head was clearly still fuzzy after breathing in all that smoke.

“How did we get here?” Raith asked.

We walked, Nox replied.

Raith rolled his eyes and vowed not to ask the infuriating creature any more questions. Scents touched his nose that weren’t entirely unpleasant. The air felt cooler and a slight mist brushed against his cheeks as though they were heading toward the outdoors.

Strange coverings hung in front of the end of the tunnel. Nox pushed beneath them. Raith refused to let the wolf see him hesitate. He shoved through the long strips of cloth after the elemental, then paused and stared.

The room was long and low-ceilinged, but not stuffy in the least. Massive windows were open to the evening sky and cooling breezes washed through. Hammocks hung from structures that had been shaped to look like tree trunks, and flat rocks surrounded the center of the room.

Raith blinked. “Is that a pool?”

A pond, Nox corrected. It’s not exactly deep enough for more than wading, if that was your intention.

“No,” Raith replied. “I just didn’t expect it.”

He stared down at the calm expanse, then followed the reflection to the ceiling above. The ceiling tiles, or whatever they were, had been embedded with tiny dots of light. On the surface of the water, they looked just like stars caught in the velvety blanket of the night sky. The effect upon the gentle ripples caused by the midnight breeze was mesmerizing and eased the ragged edges of Raith’s thoughts.

“What is this place?” he asked, looking around.

I told you. This is the Soul Biome.

“You keep saying that like it should mean something to me, but I don’t know what a biome is and I barely accept that I have a soul left.” Raith shut his mouth and leaned against the closest imitation tree. He was too tired, as was apparent by the words that escaped him before he meant to say them.

Nox seemed to realize it. He took a seat by the pond and looked down at the false sky. A biome is a habitat of sorts created to imitate the dwelling of each elemental. A hint of humor entered his voice when he continued with, I suppose they assume it’s where the elemental would live if indeed we were found in the natural world, which we are not.

Raith studied the wolf. With his lowered gaze and bowed head, Nox looked quite sad. Raith didn’t know what to say. He cleared his sore throat and went with, “So since you’re a soul elemental, this is what they chose. What do the others look like?”

Nox blew a breath through his nose. Raith knew the wolf understood what he was trying to do. Fortunately, the animal humored him anyway.

I will show you when you’re feeling up to it. Each biome is supposed to help the Adept understand and live closer to a lifestyle that will fit his or her elemental’s needs.

“They have individual needs?” Raith said. He kept himself from asking what the wolf needed.

Nox snorted. Imagine living with a winged boar. All they want to do is eat!

“I know some students like that,” Raith replied, thinking of Henic.

Don’t get me started on the fire cheetahs. They never stop running. It’s exhausting.

“I can believe it,” Raith replied.

The sight of the hammock strung between his tree and the next one looked rather inviting. He eased into it carefully with the knowledge that he would find himself flat on his face on the mossy ground if he wasn’t careful.

When he was certain the hammock wasn’t going to flip, Raith allowed his sore muscles to relax. The fibers rubbed against his back. Though it felt raw, Ambry had reassured him that his skin had merely been flash burned like a sunburn from the heat of the room. Her salve had eased the irritated skin so that he didn’t think about it until something touched it like the coarse hammock ropes, but he was too tired to find somewhere else to relax.

To keep his mind off of the fire, he said, “What about you? Don’t soul elementals need to eat?”

The moment the question left his mouth, it felt wrong. He couldn’t take it back or explain why. Nox’s answering silence told him his impression was right. He couldn’t bring himself to push up from the netting to look at the wolf, so he waited in the uncomfortable stillness.

Soul elementals have to eat like every other creature, usually.

Raith studied the improvised night sky above him. A few of the lights were a little off in color, giving it a true impression of stars. He waited for Nox to continue.

The wolf finally spoke in a heavy tone. You’ll realize soon enough that I’m losing my edge.

Raith pushed up to an elbow. His arm wobbled on the netting, so he grabbed the side with one hand.

“What do you mean?”

The wolf glanced at him out of the corner of one golden eye. In my prime, I wouldn’t have needed you to help rescue the girl from the demons. I would have dragged her out of there myself.

Raith thought about it. “As comfortable as that sounds for her, what kept you from doing it?”

Nox rose and padded slowly to Raith. Before Raith realized the wolf’s intentions, the wolf bit his hand. He flinched, but the elemental’s teeth passed through his hand and the hammock without snagging on it. Unfortunately, Raith’s movement spun the hammock and landed him face-down on the ground.

You overreacted.

Raith eased over onto his back. “That was an accident. But to be fair, I did think you were going to bite me.”

I gave it my best effort.

Raith was confused. He glanced at the wolf. “You bit me in the burning building.”

To get your attention. The wolf let out a breath. It took a lot to do it.

Raith thought that through. “Does that mean you’re getting old?”

Nox huffed out a breath. I’m not much older than you.

“That’s pretty old in dog years,” Raith said. At the wolf’s stony silence, he chuckled. “I’m twenty-two, so I’d be one hundred and fifty-four as a dog, if I remember what my mom used to say. That’s getting on in years. It’s alright to slow down.”

Nox gave a humored snort. It’s not the same for elementals. I should live far longer than you. He paused, then said, Though given what I’ve seen of your ability to enrage those around you to want to kill you, that’s not saying much.

“True,” Raith acceded. “I may have a problem.” When the wolf snorted again, he chuckled and said, “I definitely have a problem.”

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Raith broke it to ask, “If you’re not getting old, but your abilities are fading, is that because you’re an elemental creature that hasn’t bonded to anyone?”

He took the wolf’s silence as a yes. Though they didn’t have a bond in the sense the chancellor spoke of through sweating it out in the desert room or swimming for hours, there had to be something if the wolf could speak in his head. Maybe it was enough to help the wolf get stronger.

He didn’t know why he cared. The wolf was an elemental in a demonic world he hadn’t even known existed before he woke up under Ambry’s care. He didn’t plan to stay longer than it took to ensure that the little girl woke up.

Are you just going to stay there? Nox asked.

“I was going to get up, but it’ll take too much effort.” Raith ran his hand across the mossy floor. “Besides, it feels fine down here. I’ve slept on much worse.”

He was good to his word and nearly asleep when the wolf’s voice broke through his fading thoughts.

I was bonded once.

Raith’s eyes opened. He glanced at the wolf. The elemental had lowered to his stomach beside the pond and currently had a paw dipped just below the surface. The wolf’s golden gaze watched the gentle ripples that flowed through its paw.

From what Raith had seen, bonded elementals were never far from their Adepts. It wasn’t hard to guess that something terrible must have happened to leave Nox alone at the academy by himself.

“Want to tell me what happened?” he ventured.

No.

Raith had guessed as much. Another question nagged at him. He asked into the silence, “Has an elemental who lost his or her Adept ever bonded to another Adept?”

No. Before Raith could ask, the wolf sighed. Before you continue with your browbeating, elementals who lose their Adepts usually fade away when the Adept is killed.

Raith didn’t take offense at Nox’s tone. It was clear the wolf was harboring some frustrations; he knew very well how that felt. One question lingered. He didn’t know if he should ask, but at that point, he felt like he had no choice. “So why are you here?”

The question lingered in the air like the faint tang of smoke that clung to Raith’s skin despite the change of clothes Ambry had given him. He finally closed his eyes, convinced that the elemental was finished talking.

I’m really not sure.

The wolf’s words were the last thing Raith heard before he drifted away. His dreams took him to a strange place where creatures writhed from a huge stone and swarmed into each other, forming giant demons who towered above the earth.

When Raith woke up, Nox was nowhere to be seen. He found that the Biome had a bathroom that branched off to one side complete with a shower. A quick check of the closets showed an assortment of shirts and pants. He grabbed a clean set and made his way to the bathroom.

The last time Raith remembered having the luxury of a warm shower was in a shelter on the other side of the Meso before a job interview. He hadn’t gotten the job, but at least the excuse to shower had been nice.

He slipped out of his clothes and unwrapped the bandages from his chest and hands before turning on the faucet to the warmest water he thought he could stand. Raith stepped gingerly beneath the stream. He sucked in a breath when the water hit his back, so he lowered the temperature enough for the pain to fade to the background. The burns on his palms made it hard to put shampoo in his hair, but he managed work up a lather and left it to sit.

He leaned his forehead against the cool tile and let the water run down his back. Tingles ran across his skin at the sensation that used to be normal when he was young and still had his family, but had become a longed-for memory. Even at the shelter, the motto was get in and get out. He couldn’t remember the last time he had the luxury to stand beneath the stream for as long as he wanted.

The steamy air soothed his raw throat. He gritted his teeth against the ache of his hands and rubbed soap all over his skin until he couldn’t smell the smoke any longer. He took special care with his side. The stitches had torn again, but only a little bit. He doubted even Ambry could argue for more when it looked like the wound was healing.

He finally turned off the faucet and used one of the fluffiest towels he had ever seen to dry his hair and pat down his back. He wiped off the mirror and twisted to see his back in the reflection of it. One look at the warped, melted skin made him wish he hadn’t taken the time. He pulled on a shirt a bit rougher than he normally would, then bit his cheek when his swollen fingers slipped off the hem and smacked his side.

You look like a shaggy dog.

Raith spun to find Nox standing in the doorway to the bathroom.

At least you smell better.

“Thanks,” Raith replied dryly. “I know that’s not saying much.”

No, it isn’t. The wolf tipped his head to the side. You should ask Ambry to give you a haircut. She does it for a lot of the teachers when they need it.

Raith shook his head. His hair replied for him by slapping the sides of his face with wet strands. He sighed and toweled the ends again.

“You think she would? I haven’t had a decent haircut in months.” At the wolf’s skeptical look, he amended, “Fine, years. You can’t judge. You’re an animal. You don’t even need a haircut.”

Jealous?

Raith snorted, then realized he sounded like Nox and said, “No.” He looked in the mirror at his shaggy beard. When had it grown so thick? “Alright, yes. At least you don’t have to shave.”

You could leave it. You look like a wolf.

“Not really the look I was going for,” Raith replied. He pulled open several drawers until he located an electric razor. Taking care not to shave it off completely, he trimmed his beard until there was just enough left to define his jaw.

That is actually better.

“When did I start taking grooming advice from a wolf?” Raith mused aloud.

When you began to look more like a wolf than the wolf. Nox tipped his head to the side. Why do you still speak aloud? You’ve proven apt at conversing in your mind.

Raith glanced at the elemental before making a few more swipes at his jaw to even out his work. “I don’t know how to do it without concentrating really hard,” he admitted.

Nox nodded. It’ll come with time, or apparently with stress. He paused, then said, That was quite the fire.

Raith put the razor down. “I would prefer not to talk about it.” His stomach growled. “What I do want to talk about is where to get some food around here.” He gave the wolf an appraising look. “Maybe you could try a bite or two.”

I would prefer not to talk about it, the wolf shot back. But I can show you the way.

Raith glanced once more in the mirror. He looked better with the thick beard gone, but his hair was still a disaster. The last time he had cut it himself incidentally coincided with the job interview he had lost; whether or not they were related, he had let it grow long and unkempt ever since. Washed, it hung nearly to his shoulders with ragged, uneven ends.

He paused. There was something strange in his eyes, something he hadn’t seen in a very long time. His heart slowed when he realized that hope glimmered there in the green depths. He didn’t know if that was bad or good. Hope could be destructive when placed toward the wrong thing. His problem was that he had no idea what he hoped for.

He turned away from the image and followed Raith through the hanging cloth and back up the tunnel. The scent of breakfast foods made his mouth water. His stomach growled, earning a snort from Nox.

His thoughts strayed to the elemental. He knew exactly how it felt to exist without knowing why. A purposeless existence was empty indeed. Going through the motions to survive had begun to feel so useless he wondered why he even bothered. At times he had been tempted to get hooked on some drug or alcohol like many of the other street dwellers just so he had a way to escape his meaningless existence. It was only the knowledge that his parents would be disappointed in him that kept him from doing so. He wondered if the wolf wished for the same sort of escape.

They were nearly to the source of the aromas of breakfast when a familiar voice called out, “I thought you might sleep for a week!”

A smile came unbidden to Raith’s lips when he turned to face Ambry. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she replied with a pleased expression that made his heart do strange things in his chest. “You cut your beard!” She gave him a closer look. “I like it. You did a good job.”

Ask her.

Raith glared at the wolf.

Come on. I’ve seen you attack borians barehanded. Ask the girl for a haircut.

An awkward silence filled the air.

“So this is where everyone has breakfast?” Raith finally asked.

Coward, Nox said before stalking away.

“Some call it the cafeteria,” Ambry said with a teasing glint in her blue eyes.

“Oh, do they?” Raith said. He caught himself before the goofy grin that wanted to take over his face was able to do so. He swallowed down his nervousness and asked with a wave of one hand, “Want to go grab a bite?”

“I’ve already eaten,” she said. Her eyes followed his hand. “You really should rewrap those. Burns take a while to heal even with the crystals and salve. Let me see.”

She took his arm before he could reply and lifted his hand up to look at it closer.

“It looks sore,” she said. “I think wrapping it with more salve would be a good idea. I’m on my way to the treatment rooms; care to join me?”

As much as Raith’s stomach longed for sustenance, he couldn’t say no to Ambry’s inviting smile, especially with Nox judging him from the corner.

“I would be honored,” he replied.

That brought a laugh from Ambry. “Honored to have your hands wrapped?” She shook her head. “That’s a little much, don’t you think? I’m the one who should be honored. You saved our little patient from the fire. I don’t know how you’re brave enough to run into a burning building like that. According to the chancellor, it was about to fall down at any second.”

Raith didn’t know how he felt about the fact that the chancellor had been talking him up. He shoved the thought aside. “How is she?”

Ambry’s smile fell. “She hasn’t woken up yet. I’m sure her family is worried sick.”

“What do you think she was doing in that building in the first place?” Raith mused. “She’s too young to be by herself.”

“We won’t know until she wakes up,” Ambry replied. She motioned for him to take a seat on the table.

He studied his hands as she gathered supplies. The places where the burns had blistered and popped were definitely looking better. The edges were still red and angry, but the skin beneath was a healthy pink. There were other blisters that hadn’t broken yet. He hoped wrapping them would help him keep from damaging them further.

Ambry pulled up a stool and sat in front of him. Taking his right hand in hers, she shook her head. “Those have to hurt,” she said quietly.

“They’re better today. I think the salve is helping,” Raith reassured her.

Heat ran up his arm as she scooped salve onto her finger and smoothed it gently across the burns. Her touch was so soft and caring it made his chest ache. He began to feel lightheaded and realized he was holding his breath. He let it out in a rush that made her glance up at him.

“Round two,” she said.

It took him a moment to realize she had wrapped his right hand and was ready for the other one. He held his left hand out and tried to ignore her careful ministrations.

The fact that he had washed his hair left him with the discomfort of it hanging in his face instead of in the disarrayed mess he was used to. He brushed it out of his eyes for a third time before he noticed that Ambry had stopped working on his hand.

“You know I can cut hair, right?” she said.

Heat surged up Raith’s neck. “Someone mentioned that,” he muttered while pretending to study the wraps she had finished.

“You’re going to make me beg you to let me cut your hair, aren’t you?”

He had to fight down a smile when he met her gaze. “It’s that bad?”

“Raith, it looks like you stuck your head in a boat propeller and let it chop it up.”

“Maybe I did.”

She laughed. “You’re ridiculous. So?”

He let out a loud sigh. “Fine.”

“Yay!”

The way she practically skipped from the room left Raith wondering if he had made a bad decision. Maybe this was Nox’s idea of a joke. He was already on shaky terms with the wolf; perhaps the elemental had a sick sense of humor.

He was about to sneak out the door when Ambry came back with an armful of supplies. She motioned toward the seat she had just vacated. “That one will do. Now sit there and don’t move. I’ve only cut off two ears this week.”

Raith stared.

Another laugh escaped her. “I’m kidding,” she told him. “Sit down and don’t be so tense.”

“You just mentioned cutting off ears,” he reminded her as he sat where she instructed. “That doesn’t exactly loosen the nerves.”

She laughed and ran her fingers through his hair, checking the ends.

A stillness settled over Raith at her touch. Healing was one thing. That came with blood, bandages, and was generally a mess. Letting Ambry cut his hair seemed entirely different. He felt weak, vulnerable, and entirely at her mercy. He wasn’t sure he liked feeling that way.

“I really can cut it myself,” he said.

“Oh hush,” she replied. “You’re already here. I can handle it.”

She walked entirely around him checking here and there for he had no idea what. She then stood in front of him with her knees against his. Her fingers slid down a lock that hung in front of his forehead, her nose inches from his. Her gaze shifted from his hair to his eyes and she paused. She blinked and took a step back. A blush of red colored her cheeks.

“I, uh, I’m thinking of shortening the sides and keeping it a little long on top. What do you think?”

The thought that he had managed to catch her off-guard made Raith’s chest tighten in a way that was almost painful. “Sounds good to me.”

She nodded and spun on her heel to check her supplies. Before Raith could say anything, she returned with a comb and clippers.

“Ready?”

He shook his head.

She laughed. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“For me or you?” he asked.

She didn’t reply. Instead, she turned his chair so that he faced the wall away from her. The clippers started up. A tremor ran down his spine as she worked carefully through the back of his hair.

He didn’t know when he had closed his eyes. Sometime during the haircut, the pull of her fingers through his hair combined with the burr of the clippers lulled him into a sense of security he hadn’t felt in the last seven years. It seemed as though he was encased in a bubble. None of the bad stuff could get in. Demons didn’t exist, the streets weren’t his home, and he had never heard the cries of his family in the fire. In the bubble, he merely existed to feel her soothing touch and listen to the steady sound of her breathing combined with the quiet snip of the scissors. It was perhaps the most relaxing moment of his life.

“There,” she said with a tone of approval. “I think we’re finished.”

He opened his eyes to find her back in front of him giving his haircut a skeptical once over. Something flashed in her gaze, a light of surprise.

Raith couldn’t stop himself from asking guardedly, “What are you thinking?”

Her eyes flickered to his and then away; another blush stole across her cheeks, heightening her freckles prettily.

“I-well….” She straightened her shoulders and told him bluntly, “Raith, you are a very handsome man.”

A jolt of surprise heated Raith’s stomach. That was the last thing he had expected to hear from her.

Before he could think of a response, she held out a small hand mirror. “What do you think?”

A stranger stared back at him. Ambry had cut away his long, shaggy mane, shortened the sides nearly to his scalp, and faded it to the top where it remained long enough to hang forward down his forehead.

“You’ve turned me into a human,” he said.

She laughed, then covered her mouth and shook her head. When she lowered her hand, she said, “Why is it that I laugh more around you than I have in years?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Because I’m funny looking?”

She shot him a serious look that he felt all the way to his toes. “We’ve already covered that. Funny looking isn’t your problem. I’m surprise I’m not beating away students with a broomstick.”

Raith chuckled to cover up his embarrassment. “I’m a bit old for them.”

“At twenty-two? You’re practically a baby,” she said.

He laughed out loud. “So at twenty-one, you are a baby. Do you want me to cut your hair? I could do it!”

He picked up the scissors from the side table and tried to twirl them around a finger, but they got caught on the gauze and slipped out of his hand. He jerked forward and grabbed them before they hit the floor. He immediately regretted the decision at the pain in his side.

“Raith, are you alright?” Ambry asked when he didn’t straighten up.

“Do you still have some of that bandaging?” he asked tightly. He should never have tried to flirt. He was a stupid, clumsy mess who now needed her help, not her feelings; how charming was that? He felt like an idiot.

“Oh, Raith,” she said.

She helped him onto his back on the table. When she checked his side, she clicked her tongue. “If it’s not one thing with you, it’s another.”

His stomach chose that moment to growl.

She speared him with a look that made another laugh bubble up in his throat. He smothered it while wondering if he had a concussion or something. Though he couldn’t remember hitting his head since the alley, he was definitely not in his right mind.

“When did you last eat?” Ambry chided.

He decided that pointing out he had been on his way to the cafeteria when he ran into her wouldn’t help matters. He settled for a shrug. “A while ago. Are you asking me out?” The question escaped before he could stop it. He slung an arm over his head to shut out the lights and the embarrassment that no doubt showed on his face.

“Hmm,” Ambry replied noncommittally as she cleaned his side and put new bandages over it. “You know this is never going to heal at this rate.”

A sudden spur of courage washed over Raith. He lowered his arm and caught her hand before she could turn away for more gauze.

“What do you say, Ambry? Come on a date with me. A real date with dinner and everything.”

Her eyes widened. It was a moment before she pulled her hand away. “I can’t. I’m a teacher. I can’t date a student.”

“I’m not really a student. I haven’t even started classes yet.”

A voice cleared, startling both of them.

Chancellor Ward leaned in the doorway with a grin on his face. “Time to start classes, Raith. You don’t want to be late on your first day!”

His raven squawked as if in agreement.

“Right now?” Raith asked.

Ambry quickly wrapped gauze around his torso to keep the bandages in place.

“Now is the only time we have,” the chancellor replied. “Come on, I’ll show you to your classroom.”

A twinge of uncertainty ran through Raith. He pulled on the shirt Ambry handed to him. Her fingers brushed his before she let go. He wondered if he saw a light of regret in her eyes before she turned away.

Chapter Eight

 

Raith wanted more than anything to stay in the treatment room all day with Ambry. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt such a way about anyone, yet he couldn’t come up with an excuse that wouldn’t put her job on the line.

“Come along,” Chancellor Ward said as if Raith was a seven-year-old child who was stalling before going to the dentist. “We don’t want to keep Dean Marigold waiting.”

Nox fell in beside them in the hallway.

“Nice haircut, by the way,” the chancellor said.

Told you, Nox commented before he walked past.

Raith didn’t appreciate the way the wolf’s tail brushed snarkily from side to side as he paced the hall ahead of them. That wolf was getting way too comfortable around him and he didn’t like it.

The chancellor paused at the bottom of a set of stairs. “This way, Nox,” he called out.

The wolf paused halfway down the next hallway.

When he glanced back at them, Chancellor Ward said, “I know Dean Marigold used to teach by Demonology, but she said the dark energy was too much for her, so we moved her up to Dean Stirland’s old rooms.”

There’s something you actually don’t know! Raith said in his head as the wolf joined them.

I know I want to bite your leg off, Nox replied.

Raith grinned because he knew it annoyed the wolf. Nox merely stalked up the stairs after them and ignored Raith completely.

“I’m glad to see you two getting along so well,” Chancellor Ward said merrily. “How did you enjoy your night in the Soul Biome? We had to dust it because it hasn’t been used in a while, but get a few of us wind elementals together and there’s nothing like a good dusting, is there Trekker?”

The bird cawed a reply.

“That’s right,” Chancellor Ward said. He patted the bird’s back. “The dust has no chance with our little flock around.”

“Flock?” Raith asked politely.

The chancellor beamed as if overjoyed that Raith had caught the word. “It’s our term for a group of wind Adepts. You get enough of us together and it’s like there’s an entire flock. We’re unstoppable.”

“Glad to hear it,” Raith replied for lack of anything else to say.

“Ah, here we are,” the chancellor announced.

Raith eyed the door they had stopped in front of with uncertainty. It had been painted an interesting swirl of red, orange, and yellow that looked like flames.

I’m not sure how I feel about this, he admitted to Nox.

That makes two of us. I never thought I’d be going back to school, the wolf said.

That makes two of us, Raith confirmed.

Chancellor Ward opened the door. “Enjoy,” he said. His raven squawked something that sounded very similar.

“Remember our first day, Trekker?” Raith overheard the chancellor muse as he wandered back down the hall. “Boy we were a pair back then, weren’t we? Scraggly and all knees and elbows we were, but we grew into ourselves.”

The chancellor’s voice faded away. Raith took a steeling breath and stepped through the open door.

“Ah, our final student has arrived!” a woman in a flowing dress that matched the colors of the door announced. She waved a welcoming hand toward the chairs. “Welcome, Mr. Winters. We’re glad you can join us.”

Raith bristled at the name. “My name is Raith,” he corrected.

“As you wish, Mr. Winters,” she replied.

Raith stifled a sigh.

The dean continued without noticing, “We were just getting started. Your elemental can relax with the others if he prefers.”

Raith kept a smile at bay at the look the wolf gave the young animals tousling in the corner.

Two piglets with tiny wings rolled around with two fire cheetah cubs. A small, clear box on the counter contained two baby birds covered in black down feathers that sparked green and blue while the box next to them contained two little white mice swimming around in circles.

When they noticed the wolf, the piglets squealed and flapped their wings and the cheetahs gave excited little squeaks.

I’m out of here, Nox said. He turned to go.

“Not so fast,” Raith said aloud. “If I’m in this, you are, too.”

He realized as soon as he spoke that everyone was watching them. He hadn’t meant to put the wolf on the spot so publicly.

Sorry, he thought toward the elemental.

You will be, Nox replied, but there was no bite to his words.

Slowly, as though it pained him to do so, the wolf walked to the other elementals and settled onto his belly. The piglets gave little squeals of delight and tumbled over his paws. One of the cheetahs batted at his tail while the other one crept up on him like a lion staking its prey.

I hope you’re happy, the wolf said in a tone of defeat.

Oh, I’m delighted, Raith replied. It was worth coming just for this.

Nox bared his teeth silently. Raith grinned in return.

“And now, Mr. Winters, if you’ll take a seat, we shall get started,” the dean instructed.

Raith realized there were only ten chairs, including the dean’s, in the entire classroom.

“This is the whole class?” he said as he took the seat she indicated.

“This is the entire class,” she replied. “In fact, this is our entire crop of first year students. We’re honored to have you be a part of it.”

Raith glanced to his right and found Fancy staring at him.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “You’re Raith!”

“Of course I’m Raith,” he replied with confusion. “Don’t you recognize me?”

All of the girls shook their heads.

“He got a haircut,” Jed said with a roll of his eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is a big deal,” Raylena said. Her eyes widened as if she realized she had spoken aloud. She sat back in her seat, but Raith could still see her face turn red enough to match her curly hair.

“Maybe he’s a different person pretending to be Raith,” Linnie said. “How do we know for sure?”

Anton gave a snort of disbelief. “Why would anyone pretend to be Raith?” He looked at Raith. “No offense, but you had the living daylights beat out of you. I don’t know anyone who would want to pretend that.”

“None taken,” Raith replied. “Sometimes I don’t even want to be me.”

Raylena and even Maya giggled.

Jed shook his head. “There will be no living with them.”

Dean Marigold opened the book on her lap. “Welcome, class, to Theory of Energetics. As your first class at Bellington Academy, we feel it best to teach you about the properties of the energy you will be dealing with. Because of your unique and individual elemental affinities, you will each handle energy transformation in different ways. Can somebody name one of those ways?”

Fancy raised her hand. When the dean nodded, she said, “I’ve been researching in the library. It was the only way to pass the time while I waited for this school year to begin.” She threw Raith a pointed look. “As a water Adept, I will learn to manipulate water in any form around me in order to defend myself against demon assailants.”

Raith was too distracted with the realization that they had waited to begin their school year for him to recover to pay much attention to the class discussing their elements. The whole thing was strange. Fancy was going to use water to defend herself? What on earth were they talking about?

You’d probably understand better if you pay attention.

Raith shot Nox a look. Do you have to listen to all of my thoughts? he demanded in exasperation.

Trust me when I say I wish I didn’t. This isn’t how a bond is supposed to work. We should only be able to communicate this way, and usually not in such, should I say, specific language. Do you think the gilled mouse talks like this? No.

Raith followed the wolf’s eyes to the mice that swam around in the water. He couldn’t imagine them holding conversations with their bonded, yet he had seen Ambry talk to her little water mouse.

That’s different. They communicate, yes, but this speech is unique. Communication from a bonded to their elemental is usually an expression of emotions and feelings through images. I didn’t have this before.

Raith caught a note of regret in the wolf’s voice. He wanted to ask about it, but Dean Marigold called his name.

“Mr. Winters, what do you think your Soul affinity will allow you to do as far as energy transformation?”

Raith felt all eyes on him. “Honestly, I have no idea,” he admitted.

Several of the girls giggled again. He began to regret letting Ambry cut his hair; he was used to nobody looking twice at him. It was far easier that way.

“That is understandable,” the dean replied. A hint of color touched her cheeks when she said, “I’ll admit that I’ve never worked with a Soul Adept before. We’ll learn together. It may require a bit of patience, but I promise I will study up and guide you through this unusual situation in which we have found ourselves.”

“I appreciate that,” Raith said. He couldn’t help that his statement ended as though it was a question. It made the girls laugh again.

“Seriously?” Jed grumbled from the seat next to Raith. “I can’t even get them to look at me and they’re giggling at everything you say!”

“I know,” Raith said quietly. “I’m too old for them. Don’t worry; they’ll forget about me soon enough.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Jed said.

Raith followed his gaze to where the girls were whispering to each other and looking at him. If this really was the entire first year, it was going to get old quickly.

“I don’t know if I’m in touch with my inner energy,” Henic said as he carried his boar to the next classroom. “All I know is that was our first class and I’m already hungry.”

His little boar gave a grunt of agreement.

He rubbed its ears. “Don’t worry, little Potato.”

Raylena stared at him. “You named him Potato?”

“Her,” Henic corrected. “And it’s our favorite food.”

“I have no idea what to name my elemental,” Raylena said. “If I went Henic’s route, she would be named Grasshopper because she caught one this morning in our biome, but that wouldn’t be a great name when she’s all grown up.”

The cheetah she carried purred and rubbed her fuzzy head against Raylena’s cheek.

“I don’t know about that,” Henic replied. “Potato will be perfectly happy being named Potato when she’s grown.” He nuzzled her. “Won’t you, my little girl?”

She gave a little squeal that made Raith very grateful they didn’t share a biome.

“What did you name your bird?” Anton asked Maya.

Maya flushed at the attention. She looked at the little gawky bird she held clutched against her chest. “His name is Spark.”

“I like it,” Anton said. He hefted his round, fuzzy ball of a fire cheetah in his one arm. “Pyro, meet Spark.”

“Pyro, I like it,” Jed said. His little bird chirped from where it sat safely nestled in his hand. “My little guy hasn’t really responded to a name yet. I was thinking maybe Storm or Lightning; you know, something about electricity.”

“What about Volt?” Maya suggested quietly. “That was one Spark liked but not so much as his name.”

“Volt?” Jed repeated. His little bird chirped and a smile spread across his face. “That’s perfect!”

“Well, my water mouse and I went over names all night,” Fancy said. “She finally settled on the name Rowena, which is fine because it’s the name of a princess in a story I used to love reading.”

“That’s great because mine is named Zeus,” Kirsch said. He brought the little gilled mouse to his cheek. “Small but mighty. They’ll be a good pair.”

“I should have thought of books or movies,” Linnie said. She gave her little pig a kiss on the head. “We got stuck with cheese names because that’s all Queso was interested in.”

Everyone laughed.

“I think Queso is the perfect name for a little pig,” Raylena said. She reached out a hand. “May I?”

At Linnie’s nod, Raylena petted the boar’s head. The elemental snuffled her hand.

“She’s always looking for food,” Linnie said.

“Queso and Potato.” Raylena sighed. “I wish I could find the perfect name for my cheetah.”

She knelt down and set the elemental on the ground in front of the closed door to their next class. “What do you think? Petunia? Petal? Rose? Missy?”

The cheetah batted at a piece of thread that dangled from Linnie’s sweater.

“She doesn’t seem to like any of them,” Raylena said. “But I need to call her something.”

The cheetah pounced on a beam of light from one of the windows.

Anton laughed. “She certainly acts like a grasshopper.”

The cheetah gave a little mewling cry.

“Grasshopper?” Raylena repeated hesitantly.

The cheetah gamboled over to her and rubbed against her leg.

“Oh, no,” Raylena said. “That’s a horrible name!”

“She seems to like it,” Jed pointed out.

Raylena sighed. “Maybe it can be a placeholder until we figure out her real name.” She paused, then said, “Grasshopper.”

The cheetah purred and bumped her forehead against Raylena’s shoe. Raylena shook her head, but a smile spread across her face. “At least I have something to call her.”

Raith glanced at Nox. The wolf watched everyone from the end of the hall. There was something in the elemental’s golden gaze. Raith wondered if it was wistfulness. Did the wolf miss being a young, carefree creature newly bonded to an equally innocent student?

Don’t read into things you know nothing about, Nox said.

Hey, you and I are in the same boat here. I’m not exactly a spring chicken, either.

You are when it comes to demons, Nox pointed out.

Yes, but if life was fair, I would be figuring all this out like the rest of them, fresh, new, excited, and completed unjaded by the world. It’d be much easier to swallow all of this if I hadn’t seen the evil on both sides of the spectrum.

Nox regarded him silently for a moment. Raith kept his mind carefully clear of any thoughts the elemental might latch onto. He might have to share his mind with the wolf, but he wanted to keep what he could of his memories to himself. It was already too late for one of the most painful ones. Perhaps he could spare the wolf the worst of his existence after the fire.

Don’t spare me out of pity, the wolf said.

Raith gritted his teeth. Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want to share everything of my life?

Out of regret or shame? the wolf asked.

Don’t ask me to answer that, Raith replied without looking at the animal. He crossed his arms and leaned against the far wall.

Silence filled the air between them. It was peppered with the sounds of the other students gushing over each other’s elementals and talking about how cute or precious they were. Jed was busy pointing out how tough his raven would be after it lost its baby down while Raylena wished her cheetah would stay a little fluffy cub forever.

All at once, a scene hit Raith’s mind. Instead of standing in front of the classroom door, he was lower, tiny. Looking down, he saw two big dark gray paws.

Is this you? he asked.

The wolf didn’t answer.

“He’s so cute!” someone said. “I wish I had a wolf!”

“You’ll come to enjoy your mouse,” another voice answered. “He’s really quite adorable.”

“Yeah, but wolves are ferocious. How am I supposed to fight demons with a mouse as a companion?”

“Training,” an older voice said, interrupting them. Shoes shuffled around the wolf pup. “Are we ready to begin class?”

“Yes, Dean Vronog,” several others replied.

“Come on, Nox,” a male voice said.

The wolf pup was scooped up into comforting arms.

The memory faded.

Raith blinked. “Was that you?”

He realized he had spoken aloud when everyone looked at him. He cleared his throat and said, “I think Grasshopper is a great name.”

Raylena ran her fingers through the cheetah’s fur. “I suppose it will have to do. It’s not very tough.”

“Potatoes are tough,” Henic said.

Everyone laughed.

Raith looked at where Nox watched him from the end of the hall. So you did do all of this, the hatching, the naming and bonding, school, all of it?

All of it, the wolf said. It was a long time ago.

Raith was about to question him further when the door opened. “Are we ready to begin class?” a deep voice asked.

He’s still here? Nox said in an incredulous tone.

Raith looked up to see a portly, bald fellow with ruddy red cheeks wearing a suit coat that strained at the buttons.

The others filed past him into the room.

“Welcome, Mr. Winters. I’ve heard plenty about you,” the man said with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

“Is that a good thing?” Raith asked with a glance at Nox.

“Quite,” the man replied. “I am honored to introduce you to Demonology.”

“I can honestly say nobody has ever said that to me before,” Raith said as he followed the others inside.

Raylena and Fancy laughed even though Raith wasn’t trying to be funny.

“Nobody’s ever said that to me before, either,” Jed said with his gaze on the girls.

Neither of them responded. He sighed and slid into one of the desks.

Raith hesitated, then leaned closer to Jed. “Try just being nice to them.”

Jed gave a huff of disbelief and folded his arms. “Like that’ll work.”

Raith sat back and ignored the scowling student.

“Right. Let’s get started,” Dean Vronog said. “My name is Dean Evander Vronog. I was a student here once just like you, and about ten years ago I was given the privilege to take over this class from my father.”

That explains it, Nox said. He padded past the desks to the furthest corner and laid down. To his great dismay and Raith’s amusement, the rest of the bonded elementals soon found their way to the same corner. A glance back showed the wolf surrounded by sleeping piglets, exhausted cheetah cubs, two raven chicks nestled between his paws, and a pair of white gilled mice asleep curled up on the top of his head between his ears.

Don’t say a word, the wolf warned Raith.

I just wish I had a camera, Raith replied.

Nox’s ears pulled back and he bared his fangs, but Raith noticed he didn’t make a noise to awaken the group.

Don’t say it, Nox said.

That you’re really just a big softie? Raith replied. I wouldn’t dream of it.

I’ll bite you in your sleep.

I’d like to see you try, Raith replied with a grin.

The wolf snorted in dismay. When the mice stirred, he lowered his head to his paws, careful not to disturb the chicks, and shut his eyes.

“Demonology is not only the study of demons, but their origin and their intentions for our world,” Dean Vronog said. “One thing you may not yet know is that there are also good demons, or at least demons that do not mean us bad will.”

That caught Raith’s attention. He raised a hand.

“Yes, Mr. Winters,” the dean said.

“Could you call me Raith?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” the dean replied. “And what question can I answer for you, Raith?”

“By demons that do not mean us bad will, do you mean phantoms?” he asked.

The dean gave him a huge smile. “So the rumors are true. You can see the phantom in the basement.”

Raith nodded.

“I got a creepy feeling when we went down there,” Fancy said as if hoping for the same praise.

“Good for you,” Dean Vronog said lightly. “And yes, phantoms are considered entities that do not mean us harm. We’re not exactly sure why they are here, but we know we do not have to fear them.”

“Didn’t you say the phantom showed you something?” Anton asked.

Raith grimaced inwardly, but kept his expression bland at the dean’s rapt attention.

“Did it?”

Raith nodded. The memory of the chancellor hitting his head on the desk came back to him. He had tried to warn Chancellor Ward, but the man had brushed it off as if it didn’t mean anything. Maybe the phantom was just trying to scare him.

“It was nothing,” he said. “Just a fuzzy haze, that’s all,” he lied.

The chancellor didn’t listen to you? Nox asked in surprise.

I tried to warn him, but no. He was more excited that I could see the phantom than in anything the phantom showed me.

He could feel how his answer unsettled the wolf. I guess time will tell, though that’s always been a foreboding statement.

“Throughout this year, I will teach you how to identify the various types of demons and properly catalogue their threat levels. The worst decision you can make as an Adept is to go against a demon you are unprepared to fight. My goal is to ensure that every student who graduates their first year here is able to know against what type of demon they are prepared to battle, and which they should flee.” The dean straightened his overcoat. “Who can tell me what we call a demon we have not yet identified?”

Even though Raith knew the answer, he kept silent. He didn’t want to draw more attention to himself or the fact that he and the chancellor had wandered the city together the night before.

When nobody answered, the dean said, “We call them shades, entities of unknown strength or weakness whose identity needs to be ascertained in order to safely go into combat against them.”

“So we’re really going to be fighting demons?” Jed said with the first sign of enthusiasm Raith had seen.

“Eventually,” the dean replied.

Jed sat up straighter.

“Though not in this class,” Dean Vronog continued. When Jed slumped again, he smiled knowingly and said, “That will take place in your afternoon Demonic Combat Efficiency class taught by Dean Mythra.”

“Yes!” Jed exclaimed.

Dean Vronog nodded with a twinkle in his eyes. “I would teach that class, but I am better built for imparting knowledge than combat skills, if you know what I mean.” He gave his rotund stomach a fond pat. “Though I’ve never met a hamburger I didn’t defeat.”

Raith chuckled.

Nox sighed. Yep, just like his father.

As they made their way to the next class, Jed could barely contain his enthusiasm. “I can’t believe I’ll be fighting demons after lunch! I wonder what weapons we get to use. I hope there are more swords like the one that showed up for you!” he told Raith.

“Yeah, me, too,” Raith said.

He was looking forward to lunch. Breakfast had turned into a haircut, and while that had been far more enjoyable than he had anticipated, his growling stomach argued for a bite to eat.

You really should take better care of yourself, Nox pointed out as he walked at Raith’s side down the hall. The wolf at least appeared to prefer his company over the parade of four-footed elementals that followed them.

I’ve gone plenty of days without food, Raith replied flatly. One more isn’t going to kill me.

Nox didn’t reply to that.

Raith wondered why he even bothered to talk to the animal. The elemental was moody at best and downright surly when he was in a bad mood.

I heard that, Nox reminded him.

Then maybe you should stop listening, Raith replied.

Trust me, I would if I could.

“Welcome, class, to Introduction to Bonding!” a miniscule woman with long black hair nearly to her waist said when they walked into the next classroom. “I am Dean Dirtly, and my job is to help strengthen your bond with your new elemental so that you can become an effective and enjoyable team. Who’s hungry?”

Henic immediately raised his hand. His boar, Potato, squealed in agreement.

Dean Dirtly chuckled. “Wonderful. Two volunteers. Please come to the front of the classroom.”

Henic carried his little winged pig to the table the dean indicated. The woman went to a cupboard near her desk and returned carrying a tray.

“Do you recognize this?” she asked Henic.

His eyebrows rose. “That’s Potato’s eggshell!”

“Very good,” she said. She scooted the broken pieces of shell off the tray so that it sat on the table in front of Henic and the boar. “This shell chose you to be your boar’s bonded. It recognized you as earth affiliated and felt that you would be the appropriate guardian and protector of this very special little elemental.”

She gave Potato a warm smile. The little boar grunted happily in return.

“Now, in order to begin the solidification of your bond, you must both share the eggshell that brought you together,” she instructed.

Henic picked up a piece of the shell. “Are you sure about this?” he asked skeptically.

She nodded. “I’ve been teaching this class for years. Trust me when I say that a fully bonded elemental and Adept rely on this important first step in their relationship.”

“Alright, I trust you and I’m hungry, so here it goes,” Henic said. He took a small, testing bite of the shell he held. His eyes widened. “Hey, it’s not half bad!” He held out a piece of the shell to his boar. The animal sniffed it, then ate it eagerly from his hand.

Dean Dirtly went back to her closet and returned carrying several other boxes.

She set one on Raylena’s desk, then grabbed it back before the girl could reach for it.

“Oops! That’s for Anton.” She shook her head. “Imagine if I got the shells mixed up. That would be both embarrassing and confusing for everyone!”

Anton and Raylena exchanged worried glances as the woman switched their shells.

“What if I already took a bite?” Anton asked.

“It should be just fine,” the dean said, but she turned away with a wide-eyed look Raith caught as she made her way back to her closet.

Raith glanced at Nox. The wolf lounged at the back of the classroom, but Raith could tell by the elemental’s ears that the animal was fully tuned to what the teacher had to say. Raith felt a strange twist in his chest. Someone else had already bonded with the wolf. Though Nox didn’t say as much, Raith had a feeling something terrible had happened to his Adept. Whether the wolf’s anger came from guilt or sadness, Raith couldn’t tell.

Was he missing out by being chosen by an elemental who had already been bonded with an Adept? Raith didn’t know enough either way, but the eager sounds of crunching that came from the animals and the students gave him a small pang of emotion he recognized from a time in his life he didn’t want to remember.

Memories of a sixteen-year-old boy delivering pizzas by bicycle for enough money to afford the mattress on the floor in the back of the restaurant crowded his mind. He shied away from one image in particular. The boy watched through the window of a house where he had just delivered a pizza. It was raining. His hoodless jacket did little to prevent the drops from sliding down the back of his shirt. He flipped the collar up and hunched with his gaze on the scene inside.

A family laughed around a messy kitchen table. A woman handed out paper plates laden with sausage and double cheese pizza while her husband poured soda into plastic cups. Two girls took the pizzas while two boys, who had to be their younger brothers by the looks of them, were already deep into their slices.

The scene didn’t look perfect. There was an overflowing garbage can in the corner and books vied for space around other empty pizza boxes. A dog barked for its own share with a half-chewed shoe at its feet, and a fish tank sat on the counter in sore need of cleaning. It was noisy, chaotic, and nearly broke Raith’s heart.

He turned away with tears running down his cheeks that were hidden in the rain. He jumped on his bike and pedaled away with a vow never to return to the home that reminded him so much of what he had once had.

Chapter Nine

 

Prepare yourself.

Confused by the wolf’s warning, Raith stepped out of the lunchroom serving area and paused. Talking quieted and the eyes of nearly every student in the room turned to him. He estimated that there were about sixty of them, far more than he had ever guessed were hidden within the walls of Bellington Academy.

It’s customary to sit with your Biome, Nox told him.

That’s helpful, Raith replied dryly.

Whispering started in the back of the room.

What are they saying? he asked Nox.

That you’re the first termer who killed a demon, Nox replied in an amused tone.

Raith stifled a sigh as his gaze roamed the room. He saw Henic and Linnie sitting with a group of students who also had winged boar elementals, and spotted Fancy and Kirsch with their gilled mice sitting in the middle of the table with a bunch of other mice of all different colors. It felt like high school all over again. Raith had never been fond of clicks or being outside of them. Though he had sat with a group of friends in high school before he lost his family and life changed completely, he was not thrilled with the feeling of returning to the same sort of environment.

Where are you going? Nox asked when Raith walked past the first set of tables balancing a tray he had loaded with meatloaf, seasoned potatoes, and green beans.

Raith didn’t answer and instead continued to the back of the room toward the long glass windows and the door in between. He pulled open the door and waited for Nox to walk out, then followed the wolf into the small courtyard complete with several trees and thick green grass.

Nice, Nox said with a nod of appreciation. I could use some sunshine.

Raith walked to one of the trees in the courtyard and sat with his back to it. He had to admit that the fresh air felt extremely good. From this viewpoint, the four walls of the courtyard blocked out any view of the buildings that surrounded the school; he was able to pretend that the academy lay far beyond Aura and all that happened within the city. A feeling of peace settled on his shoulders.

He had just taken a bite of a potato wedge when the door opened. Looking up, he saw Maya enter the courtyard with her downy raven Spark on her shoulder. She paused and gave him a tentative smile before looking at the grass at her feet.

“Mind if I…mind if I join you?” she asked quietly.

“Not at all,” Raith replied.

As soon as she sat down, the door opened again. Several other first years came out followed by others of their Biome.

Look what you’ve started, Nox said.

I didn’t ask them to follow me, Raith replied.

Sometimes a leader doesn’t have to lead to be followed.

Raith brushed off the wolf’s comment.

“I never thought to eat outside,” a boy with black and purple hair said. His raven whose wings matched his hair cawed in response.

“Yeah, this is nice,” a girl with hoop earrings commented as she took a seat next to Raylena. “Sunset likes it.” She tossed her cheetah a piece of steak. The animal caught it out of the air and ate it with relish.

Not my spot. I was here first!

Raith smothered a laugh at the sight off several cheetah cubs and a few winged boars sprawling around Nox.

I just wanted some sunshine. Is it too much to ask? The wolf protested.

Sometimes a leader doesn’t have to lead to be followed, Raith replied.

Nox snorted and a true laugh escaped Raith.

“What are you laughing at?” Raylena asked.

Raith glanced back to find that not only had half of the lunchroom made it outside, they were all sitting in the grass eating and watching him. It was a very strange feeling to be the center of such attention after the years of being on his own. He swallowed his bite of meatloaf and managed to choke on it.

Several girls hurried forward to pound on his back. Raith’s cheeks burned at the interest.

“Uh, thanks,” he said when he could speak again.

“No problem,” a girl with long silver hair told him. She winked at the cheetah at her side. “Splendid and I would do it again anytime.”

The other girls said similar comments before returning to their lunches.

Raith looked up to see Ambry standing near the closest window with a grin on her face. He hurriedly set his tray on the grass and rose.

“Where are you going?” Fancy asked.

“Just getting some water,” Raith made up quickly.

“I could get it,” another girl offered.

“I’ll get it,” Raith said. “I’ll, uh, be back.”

By the time he reached the door, Ambry was gone. He didn’t know if she had seen him coming and left, or if it was just a coincidence. He tried not to feel too disappointed as he made his way to the counter and grabbed a cup.

Didn’t expect to be so popular? You did kill a demon, several actually, Nox said.

So maybe they should let me graduate and join a team instead of going through all this school stuff, Raith replied, only half kidding.

When the wolf didn’t comment, he glanced down and found that the elemental’s attention was on the adjoining room from the cafeteria. A glance through the doorway showed several of the professors in discussion as they ate.

They’re talking about you, Nox said before Raith could ask.

Raith wasn’t sure how he felt about that. What are they saying?

I’m going to try something, Nox said. Don’t freak out.

The wolf closed his eyes. Suddenly, voices rushed into Raith’s head. The sound was so sharp he dropped his cup.

Chancellor Ward looked his way. Raith gave an apologetic shrug and grabbed a handful of napkins to mop up the water the best that he could.

Smooth, Nox said. Let’s try that again. This time, try to maintain some level of composure.

Maybe you could have warned me.

I said don’t freak out, the wolf reminded him.

Raith rolled his eyes and grabbed his cup.

This time when the voices came to him, he pretended to be busy refilling the cup with water.

“If we keep acting like this is all a happy happenstance, how long do you think he'll fall for it?” a female voice asked.

“You searched for him everywhere.”

“You knew we couldn't give up,” the chancellor’s familiar voice said.

“But he's so much older than what we need. Is he still impressionable?” the first female voice said.

“He took to Nox, didn't he?” another female asked.

“Yes, but is that good or bad? They're both jaded by life.”

“Maybe that's what they need,” the chancellor pointed out. “If we're going to build this army, we need someone who can lead who isn't fooled by anything the demons offer.”

“Like she was,” the first voice said.

“They're very persuasive.”

The voices faded away. Raith was relieved to have them gone. A foreboding sensation tightened in his stomach.

That’s disturbing, he said.

Tell me about it. They apparently think we’re jaded by life, but I’m pretty certain it’s the death thing I feel is overrated, the wolf replied.

Raith stared at him. Did you just make a joke?

I tend to be hilarious if you pay attention, the elemental told him.

Raith snorted in an imitation of the wolf. A thought struck him. Did they want you to overhear? he asked Nox. Maybe they're smarter than we're giving them credit for.

I couldn't decide. That's why I thought I should share it with you, Nox replied.

Raith shook his head. My brain is tired.

Mine too, the wolf replied.

Raith rubbed his forehead. I don't remember anyone asking me if I wanted to go back to school. I’m too old for this.

You’re too old? What about me? I’ve already done this once. But apparently now you have to lead an army. So get learning, Commander, Nox replied with a wolfish grin.

Raith made his way back to the courtyard with a million thoughts running through his mind.

An army against what do you suppose, he asked Nox.

I have no idea, the wolf replied. Eat your food; I’m sure we’ll figure it out soon enough.

“You alright?” Anton asked a few minutes later.

Raith realized he hadn’t taken a bite since sitting back down. He stabbed a piece of potato with his fork and ate it. “Fine,” he said. “Just fine.”

“This food is better than my mom’s,” Maya said. Her cheeks reddened. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Your secret is safe with us,” Jed told her.

She looked up at him through her lowered eyelashes and said, “Thank you, Jed.”

Jed shot Raith a wide-eyed look. “It worked,” he mouthed.

Raith nodded encouragingly. Pride swelled in his chest at Jed’s grin as if he was personally responsible.

Giving mating advice? Nox asked.

Raith nearly spit the potato back out. He shot the wolf an exasperated look. It’s not like that!

Really? That’s what it looks like. You’re coaching him on how to lower that girl’s walls and get her to trust him. In the world of wolves, the ultimate result is to end up as a mated pair.

Raith’s mind whirled. Nox, it’s not— He caught himself at the twinkle in the wolf’s eyes. You’re joking.

Nox snorted. Of course I’m joking.

A smile came unbidden to Raith’s face. You’re ridiculous.

You believed me. Who’s ridiculous now?

A gong sounded.

“Time for class,” Fancy said.

“That’s it?” Raith replied. “I haven’t eaten anything!”

“I’ll eat it for you,” Henic offered even though he was already busy chowing down on what Linnie handed to him. He chucked a handful of salad leaves down to his boar. Potato ate it with happy snuffling sounds.

“Hurry it up,” Anton told Raith as he carried his tray inside. “Who knows what they’ll do if we’re late. Maybe throw us down with that phantom you saw.”

Raith paused between the bites he was eating as he followed the students inside. “What kind of school did you go to before this?”

“Boarding school,” Anton said. He set his tray on the counter and bent down to pick up his cheetah cub. “Give me Bellington Academy any day. We may have to fight demons, but we get cool pets.”

“Not pets,” Fancy corrected him on their way up the hall. “Bonded elementals. There’s quite the difference.”

Anton nodded. “I know, but when I write home, I’m calling Pyro a pet and telling them he’s a kitten.”

The cheetah cub licked his face.

“A kitten?” Raylena said. “Does that hurt Pyro’s feelings?” She nuzzled Grasshopper. “I would never call my fire cheetah a kitten.”

Anton speared her with a straight look. “What do you think my dad would say if I told him I had a cheetah for a pet?”

Raylena’s mouth opened, then she paused and said, “Actually, you might be right. I’d better stick to the kitten story.”

They filed into their next classroom. Raith glanced around. It wasn’t anything like their other classes. Instead of desks, this one had a big divider straight down the middle that looked like it was made of thick plexiglass. One side had several rows of benches while the other contained a variety of weapons. A single door in the middle was lockable from either side with a sliding bolt.

“Is this really a class?” Anton asked.

“Looks a little shady,” Kirsch said. His water mouse Zeus squeaked as if in agreement.

“Where are we supposed to put our bonded?” Fancy asked, cupping her hand over her own mouse. “I don’t want Rowena to get hurt!”

A door on the other end of the classroom opened. “Your mouse will be perfectly fine relaxing on one of the benches,” announced a woman who was nearly as wide as she was tall. She wore black and brown leather armor with thick boots and gauntlets.

Raith tried not to stare; he had never seen anyone wear gauntlets in real life.

Unfortunately, Jed didn’t have the same manners. “Whoa! Did you kill a cow to make your clothes?”

“I am Dean Mythra,” she replied, ignoring him. “Welcome to Demonic Combat Efficiency. Which one of you is Raith Winters?”

Everyone pointed. Raith watched the woman guardedly, afraid of what her next words would be.

She gave him a respectful nod. “You have shown great proficiency against demons to the point of protecting your fellow classmates without regard to your own hide. You can spectate this first class if you prefer.”

Relieved, Raith nodded. “Thank you, Dean Mythra.”

He took a seat on one of the benches with the class’ variety of bonded creatures and ignored Jed’s glare.

“The rest of you, enter the far side of our classroom and chose a weapon,” the dean instructed. She stayed on Raith’s side of the plexiglass and watched them file in.

“Do we get to fight each other?” Henic asked. He strode through the door and picked up an axe. “I’ve always wondered how I would hold up against someone else.”

“Try not to hit my face,” Linnie told him. “I’m having a good eyelash day.”

Raith stifled a laugh at Dean Mythra’s sigh and the look of exasperation she shot him before she told the students, “You’re not fighting each other. You’ll be fighting demonic imitations. This first class is simply to find which weapon works best for you.”

“Oh good,” Anton said with relief clear on his face. “I’ve never tried to hit anyone with anything bigger than a spit wad.” He hefted a short sword. “But this looks promising.”

“Walk among the weapons, try them all out, and see what you are drawn to,” Dean Mythra instructed. She lowered her voice and said to Raith, “Fortunately, I keep all the sharp weapons locked up until fourth term. We don’t need anyone losing a foot on the first day.”

“Good idea,” he replied.

“These axes are heavy,” Fancy complained. “How is anyone supposed to hit something with them?”

“Like this,” Henic said. He swung the axe around in a full circle before it slipped from his hand and struck the divider. The plexiglass resonated with the force of the blow.

Everyone stared in shocked silence.

Dean Mythra gave Raith a wry smile. “There used to be regular glass in the middle; it didn’t take me long to realize that was a bad idea.”

An hour later, Raith found himself in their fifth and final class. The classroom was back on the second floor and appeared very normal with ten desks and a chalkboard upon which an older gentleman in a suit was writing lists.

As soon as they were seated, he spoke without preamble in a monotone voice, “My name is Dean Puskirk, but everyone calls me Dean Psych.”

“Puskirk,” Jed replied under his breath with a laugh.

“Psychological Communications and Bonded Creature Languages is nothing to scoff at, Mr. Roe,” the dean said. “If you want to have an effective relationship and partnership with your bonded, it will depend on the communication you establish in its earlier years of life, aka, right now.”

Jed sat back, his brow furrowed with confusion. “Communication? How are we supposed to talk to them?”

Raith glanced at Nox.

Yeah, this might be another class you can audit, the wolf informed him. I think we have this one figured out.

“Mr. Winters, care to share with the class what you and your bonded are talking about?” Dean Psych said, tearing Raith’s attention back.

“Talking about?” Anton said.

At the same time, Nox sniffed. We are not bonded.

Unwilling to delve into it before the class, Raith lied flat out to the dean. “We’re not talking about anything.”

“Very well,” he said. “In this class, we prefer to keep conversations open. If you do choose to discuss anything with your rare and magnificent shadow wolf, I would prefer it if you did so with the entire class.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Raith said, unable to keep the sullenness out of his tone.

The dean nodded. “Thank you.”

Nox’s stubbornness was beginning to get very annoying. As soon as the dean’s back was turned, Raith asked him, Why on earth did you tell Chancellor Ward you chose me, then watched me get tortured by eggs knowing full well none of them were for me, follow me around the academy all day as if we’re actually some sort of pals, suggest I get a haircut which has apparently upped the social life I really didn’t want, and now proceed to insist that there is nothing here?

There is nothing here, Nox replied flatly.

Then why are you still here? Raith bit back.

The wolf rose from where he rested on the floor near the door, glanced back at Raith once, then walked through the door even though it was closed.

“Wow, I wish I could do that,” Linnie said. “It would sure make doors a lot easier.”

“Yeah it would,” Henic replied. “But if Potato could do it, he would eat everything in the kitchen. On second thought, that would be awesome!”

Raith slid down in his seat and ignored the rest of the discussion about interpreting the various squeals and grunts a newly born elemental boar could make.

His classmates left to their various Biomes before dinner. Instead of heading to what he knew would be an empty Soul Biome, Raith wandered the hallways. A few of the students he recognized from lunch waved or nodded on their way by. He returned their gestures with the first vestiges of a sense of belonging.

Belonging to what, he had no idea. One didn’t belong to a school the way one did to a family. These students all had families to go home to after the fall term was over. The school was merely a building with walls and very strange classrooms. So why did the thought of leaving make his heart twist in his chest?

He didn’t realize his feet had taken him to the healing rooms until he stood in the doorway. The sight of Ambry standing near the bed where the little girl slept calmed his troubled heart. He didn’t move and didn’t breathe as he watched her. Never had he seen anything more beautiful than the woman highlighted by the glow of the crystals she held. The soft light caught in her white-blonde hair and reflected in her blue eyes in a way that made his chest ache. She looked just like how he pictured an angel to be.

The worry that pulled her eyebrows together heightened the intensity of her gaze. Her mouth moved as she whispered something he couldn’t hear. He was entranced by her lips, perfectly shaped, delicate, and, he imagined, very kissable.

He caught himself. Since when had he thought of lips as kissable? His argument with Nox had definitely messed with his brain.

“Raith?” She left the little girl and crossed into the next room with a curious expression. “Can I help you?”

He focused on Ambry and hoped his embarrassment didn’t show. Be smooth, he told himself.

“Uh, hi. I, uh, thought maybe that, well, you could take me up on that, uh, bite.”

Alright, so he wasn’t as smooth of an operator as he was hoping. Maybe she liked the pathetic type?

“Raith,” she said again. Her lips twisted to the side as if keeping in a smile. It was a very endearing expression. “You know I can’t go out with a student. It’s against the rules.”

Raith gave her his most charming smile. “What if we leave the school and go somewhere in Aura City to eat? We’ll keep it very casually. Nobody would know.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I would know.”

“I sure hope so,” Raith replied. “Otherwise, what’s the point?”

He heard Nox’s voice in his mind. You’re coaching him on how to lower that girl’s walls and get her to trust him. In the world of wolves, the ultimate result is to end up as a mated pair.

She tipped her head to the side. “What is the point, Mr. Raith Winters?”

His muscles tightened a bit at the name. “Could you just call me Raith?”

She clicked her tongue. “Another rule violation, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to maintain a professional mode of address as well as relationship.”

“So we are supposed to have a relationship,” Raith replied.

She looked upward as if searching for someone to save her. “You really are relentless.”

His gaze landed on where her little mouse nibbled a piece of corn as it sat on her shoulder. An idea formed in his mind.

“Honestly, my trouble is with Nox and I don’t have anyone else to talk to.”

That caught her attention. “Your bonded?”

Raith shook his head. “He’s not my bonded.” Part of him hated that he was using the elemental as an excuse to talk to her, but the other part figured that, given the wolf’s rude dismissal, he might as well use the creature for something.

Ambry glanced behind her at the sleeping girl, then said, “I could step out for about an hour.”

Raith’s heart lifted. “Are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

She speared him with a look. “Are you sure about that?”

He hesitated.

His hesitation made her laugh. “Come on. If we hurry, we can sneak out before anyone heads to dinner.”

Raith gave her an appreciative look. “You’ve thought this through.”

A blush colored her cheeks again, but she kept silent and hurried down the hall.

Raith felt strange walking along the darkening streets of Aura City. It took him a while to realize it was Nox’s absence he was feeling. He should have been upbeat and carefree away from the school wandering his old stomping grounds again, yet he couldn’t help glancing around for the wolf. He hated that he had gotten accustomed to the elemental’s presence. He didn’t need anyone, let alone a shadow wolf who wanted nothing more than for Raith to leave him alone.

“You’re sure quiet.”

Raith glanced at Ambry as she ate a slice of the pizza he had bought them on his tab. The twenty-four hour pizza place he had frequented more times than he could count not only had the benefit of being open all the time, it also carried the largest, cheesiest slices with plenty of pepperoni. It wasn’t where he pictured his first date with Ambry, but he had promised her casual and it was about as casual as an impromptu dinner got.

“Sorry,” he said. “I brought you all the way out here and now I’m a poor date.” He took a settling breath and asked, “How’s the little girl doing?”

Ambry considered his question. “She’s been sleeping, but doesn’t appear to be any worse for the fire.” Her eyes creased at the corners with her smile. “She has you to thank for that. You sacrificed a lot for her. How are your palms?”

Raith lifted a bandaged hand. Truth be told, he had completely forgotten about them. “They don’t hurt anymore. Your salve must be strong.”

She regarded him quietly for a moment before she said, “The salve from the crystals is rare in that the strength with which it works is in direct proportion to the belief the user has in it.”

“Your belief or mine?” he asked.

She stopped with the pizza halfway to her mouth and gave him a surprised look. “Nobody’s ever asked that before.”

He smiled. “Maybe it just shows how badly you want me to be healed.”

The faint color of red crept across her cheeks again. He loved that he made her blush so often. It was both endearing and made him aware of his impact on another person. That was something he hadn’t had in a very long time.

“How do you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Change the things I thought I was secure in, even just a little bit. It’s like, well, it’s like you’re opening my eyes to this life I’ve lived for so long and made me see it again from a fresh perspective.”

She shook her head and set her pizza down. After wiping her fingers on her napkin, she gently took Raith’s hands in her own. Tingles ran up his arms from their contact.

“Raith, I don’t know why you change things around you, but you do.”

“Is that a good thing?” he asked uncertainly.

She nodded. “It is, at least for me.” She blinked as if it was something she hadn’t expected to admit. She let out a breath, then said, “I was starting to feel stuck at the academy. It’s not that I don’t like it there,” she said in a rush, “but it was the same thing every day, a cycle that I could live without even thinking about it.”

“And then?” Raith urged when she fell silent.

A slight smile touched her lips. “And then they brought in this man who was broken and bleeding, just a complete mess.”

He cracked a grin. “That’s how most people describe me.”

She gave a little chuckle, but then sobered and the laughter faded from her eyes. “You wanted to die and I wouldn’t let you.”

“I remember,” he said quietly. “You were even more stubborn than I was.”

She squeezed one of his hands gently. “Raith, you challenged me even then. Anyone else who had lost as much blood as you and was in the shape you were in would have died. Yet you made it through that night.”

“It wasn’t pleasant,” he admitted. “But you gave me a reason to live.”

She fell silent for a moment. Her smile disappeared completely and her eyes took on a faraway look. “Do you remember that night you saved me from Trekker’s whirlwind? He was in a trance.”

Raith nodded. Most of his first few days at the Academy were a fevered blur, but he remembered Ambry’s call for help and finding her caught in the student’s maddened whirlwind of medical equipment. The sight of Ambry cowering in fear with tiny cuts from the knives and scissors flying through the air had been too much for him. He probably would have strangled the student if Trekker hadn’t stopped the cyclone.

“What was that?”

Ambry shook her head. “I don’t know. But I overheard Chancellor Ward mention another student caught in a trance like that. Fortunately, he didn’t hurt anyone, but he sent a mace through Dean Mythra’s wall.”

“The plexiglass one?” Raith asked. When she nodded, he told her, “The dean mentioned she was worried about someone breaking it. Do you know what happened to the student?”

“I have no idea. He was fine after a few hours, just like Trekker.” Ambry’s worried expression caught Raith’s heart.

“I remember someone saying something about a curse,” Raith said, thinking back. “It was when Bex carried me back to the bed.” The thought of being in a position of needing to be carried rankled Raith’s pride. He shoved the feeling away. “Is there a curse at the academy?”

The smile that crept across Ambry’s face made Raith feel both embarrassed and relieved.

“Bex is a bit superstitious. There’s no such thing as curses,” she reassured him.

Raith laughed at himself. “Hey, everything in this place is new to me. Energy weapons, demons, elementals; believing in curses doesn’t seem too far beyond that.”

She set a hand on his arm. “I understand. When it’s all new, it feels like a different world entirely. When I first got to Bellington Academy and realized what I had been missing, I was so excited.”

The enthusiasm in her gaze died. Raith leaned forward, concerned by the sudden change in her demeanor. “What is it? You can tell me.”

Ambry’s pale eyebrows drew together and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “They tell you in your first term not to give your family too many details about this place because they just can’t understand, but I thought my family was different. I figured they would love what I was doing here, that they would adore Fink and appreciate that I was learning how to fight demons to protect them.”

Her tone told Raith the outcome of that conversation, but he waited, letting her tell him.

“They didn’t believe me.” Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “They thought I was making up stories. Even Bull, my older brother who was usually so supportive, got angry and told me not to lie.”

“Did they come visit you?”

“Yes,” Ambry said sadly. “But just like the Chancellor said, those without the demon sight couldn’t see the truth of the academy. They just saw an old school in a state of disrepair with only a few students and an eccentric board of directors.” She ran a finger down Fink’s back. “They even thought Fink was an ugly old rat and told me to throw him out on the street.” She looked back at Raith. “They wanted me to leave Bellington. When I refused, they tried to make me, but I was eighteen and the tuition was paid for by the school, so I chose to stay.”

Raith asked quietly, “What happened to your family?”

She shook her head. He didn’t think she was going to respond, but she said in a whisper, “I haven’t heard from them since.”

Raith’s hand tightened in hers. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”

She nodded and wiped away the single tear that had broken free. “Yes, but I have so much to live for now. Even though they don’t understand it, what I do keeps them safe. That thought keeps me going.”

“You’re brave, and I’m sorry you’ve had to pay for it.”

She lifted Raith’s hand, looking at the gauze pointedly. “I could say the same thing about you.”

He shook his head. “Bravery and stupidity are two different things.”

She laughed and he was glad he could lighten her load just a little bit. “You may be many things, Raith, but you’re not stupid.”

He tipped his head to the side. “How else would you describe me?”

She clicked her tongue. “That’s a brave thing to ask me. You forget, I’ve seen you at your worst.”

“Then don’t say it; I don’t think my heart could take it,” he replied.

He stood from the small outside table and cleared away their garbage. Instead of taking the pizza box with him, he left it open on the tabletop.

“You’re not going to bring it?” she said in surprise. “Most of the pizza is left.”

He shook his head. “There are others who need it more.” He nodded toward the teenagers who watched them from the corner of the alley. Hidden by the garbage cans and shadows, he wouldn’t have seen them if he hadn’t hidden there many times as well hoping for a careless morsel left behind.

Ambry followed his gaze and her eyes widened. “I had no idea,” she said quietly.

“Come on,” he told her. “Your curfew must be getting close. I know better than to anger a chancellor who has a death crow at his beck and call.”

“Gambit is a raven,” she said with a laugh. “And I’ll sneak back in. Chancellor Ward will have no idea.”

Raith grinned at her. “I knew I brought out the best in you.”

He glanced back once to see the teenagers grab the pizza box and take off running.

Ambry shot him a searching look. “You continue to surprise me, Raith.”

“I hope that’s a good thing,” he said.

“It most definitely is,” she replied.

Chapter Ten

 

Raith ensured that Ambry was safely inside the school before he walked away. Even though common sense beckoned for him to turn in for the night as well, he couldn’t bring himself to enter the building. The realization that he was completely alone made the walls feel claustrophobic and dark. He jogged down the street telling himself that he wasn’t running away, he was just running. Somehow, it felt like the same thing.

Raith made it into the heart of Aura just past the border of The Abyss where most houses and apartments were and into The Basin where the trade markets were held during the day when a shadow caught his attention. It hung two blocks away at the corner. The nearest light flickered, its glow dull as if something occluded the bulb.

Raith’s footsteps slowed. It was a figure for sure, yet nothing, not even legs, kept the thing in the air. It wavered about five feet above the ground, a black shape that turned to face him. Raith couldn’t make out a face beneath the cowl. As he drew closer, red eyes appeared and watched him without blinking.

Raith swallowed down his fear. “You’re a phantom.”

The being didn’t move. Raith looked around, but his sword was nowhere in sight. Perhaps the entity didn’t mean him any harm. He let out a calming breath. “Can I help you?”

He felt immediately stupid asking aloud. Nobody in his class had seen the last phantom. The guy at the pizza place didn’t even seem to notice the gilled mouse on Ambry’s shoulder. If they looked out a window, they would no doubt see him talking to himself. Though that probably wasn’t the worst thing they had seen on the streets at this time of night.

The phantom didn’t answer, of course. Raith waited for some sort of an image like the phantom in the basement of the academy had shown him, but nothing came.

“Alright, see you around then,” Raith said. He was glad his voice didn’t shake.

He clenched his hands into fists, aware of the slight stab of pain from his burns. He was prepared to walk around the phantom when it lifted an arm. At least, it would have been an arm if hands had protruded from the tattered cloak. As it was, the cloak lifted without any arm inside and pointed down the alley.

Raith looked into the darkened space between two warehouses. A sound reached his ears like a rock skittering along the asphalt as if it had been kicked by a shoe.

“I really don’t feel like going to down there right now,” he said lightly.

He tried to go around the phantom and continue on his way, but the entity lowered, blocking his path. It pointed again insistently, if a piece of cloth flapping in the midnight breeze could be called insistent.

Raith sighed. The last thing he needed was a phantom following him.

“Fine,” he said, his tone a mixture of fear and defiance. “Maybe I do want to go down there.”

He took a step toward the alley. The phantom merely watched with its expressionless red eyes.

Raith gritted his teeth and continued into the shadows where even the weak light of the moon above didn’t penetrate. He missed having Nox at his side. Even though the wolf was surly and lacking in anything even closely related to a sense of humor, he had proven to be very handy when it came to their run-ins of the dark energy variety.

“I can handle whatever this is myself,” Raith said aloud.

He no longer cared if anyone heard him. Perhaps it would scare them off.

A hissing sound caught his ear. His blood ran cold and the little hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood up.

“Hello?” he called out.

More hissing answered.

He turned the corner and froze.

About twelve men and women turned to face him. They didn’t look like homeless individuals with tattered clothes and mussed hair. These looked like business people who had been on their way home when they inexplicably turned down this alley in a pack and started hissing to each other. Their eyes had a strange white film over them and their teeth were clenched with their lips pulled back. The hissing sound came from them breathing heavily through their teeth.

Demon forms danced and writhed around the group. Black swirls of dark energy followed them; shathens, according to Dean Vronog’s demonology introduction. Little kinies demons Raith recognized from the bar sat on shoulders and clung to backs while the dark pools on the ground hinted at the arrival of borians. Raith knew he had to do something before the borians gained form.

“C-can I help you?” he asked.

As a group, their arms lifted and their hands curled into claws as if unable to close any further. They lurched toward Raith as if their knees didn’t bend well. His heart slowed at the sight.

Run.

Nox’s voice broke through the terror that held Raith’s feet to the ground. He spun and took off running after the shadow wolf’s form.

When they reached the mouth of the alley, the phantom was nowhere in sight.

You have a knack for finding trouble.

“Oh, I didn’t find it. A phantom showed me,” Raith replied aloud.

And you followed it?

“I was curious,” Raith said wryly. “So what do we do?”

The hissing sounds drew nearer. The first people made their way out into the street. The demons followed with excitement in their red eyes.

Do you have any idea what’s wrong with them?

“They’re under some sort of trance. Maybe they’ve been drugged?” Raith guessed. “Though the demon element adds a little something.”

Nox snorted.

Raith caught a glimpse of the golden glow of Reaver’s handle. The sword leaned against the building near where the horde departed. Raith sucked in a breath.

“My sword.”

I’ll try to distract them, Nox offered.

The elemental ran toward the group and then darted to the left. The people and demons turned to follow him, their lunging walk changing into a shambling run. The sight sent prickles of horror down Raith’s spine.

He snuck along the side of the warehouse and reached for the sword. The moment his hand closed around the hilt, the people closest to him turned. He could hear the whispers of the demons clinging to their shoulders, egging them on. Raith backed off with the weapon raised.

“What do I do?” he shouted.

Try not to kill them, the wolf replied. I don’t think they’re in their right minds.

“Try not to kill them,” Raith repeated. He kept backing up.

The horde walked faster.

Raith’s heel hit against the next curb and he fell. The closest man reached down and grabbed his leg. Raith stabbed the man in defense. The moment the energy sword sunk into the meaty part of the man’s arm, the demon on his shoulder vanished with a squeal. The man blinked and backed up with confusion on his face where no expression had been before.

As soon as the man stumbled back, others took his place. Raith pushed back on his elbows and knees. He stabbed a woman in the shoulder and another in her forearm. The demons around them vanished. Both women shook their heads, their eyes clearing of the white haze.

A howl broke through the air.

Those closest to Raith turned at the sound. He took the opportunity to push up to his feet and get clear of the crowd. With their backs turned, it was short work to stab them in the buttocks or the back of the shoulder, places he hoped wouldn’t be debilitating later. Each one his sword pierced shook out of their haze. Soon, he was surrounded by a group of confused, dazed men and women who had no idea why they were there. The tension eased from his shoulders as the last demon vanished.

“Put down the weapon!”

Raith jumped at the shout. He held up his hands at the sight of the two police officers. The moment he hefted the sword, it vanished from his grasp.

“Uh, what weapon?” he asked over the crowd.

The first officer, a big, burly man with short-cropped hair, glared at him. “What is going on here?”

Though the members of the small cluster eyed the officer, nobody ventured an answer.

Raith lowered his hands, then lifted one back up. “Can we talk?”

What are you doing? Nox demanded.

Winging it, Raith replied.

The officer motioned him over. Raith was careful not to put his back to the horde in case they returned to hissing, mindless attackers.

“Do you have an answer here?” the officer asked. His badge read Officer Gray.

“I’m not sure,” Raith said honestly.

When the officer rolled his eyes, Raith glanced at where the other officer was busy trying to get information from the crowd.

Raith met Officer Gray’s gaze. “To tell you the truth, I came upon these people in the alley back there and they chased me.”

To his amazement, the officer didn’t appear surprised. Instead, he rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. “There have been groups like this appearing around the city in the past few weeks. They’re on some sort of drug.”

Though this confirmed Raith’s suspicions, he shook his head. “They don’t look like the druggie types.”

Officer Gray crossed his arms. “That’s what I thought, but those we test come back positive for Diamond, the new street drug. The problem is that nobody can remember how they got it, and they usually take about four hours or so to come down.” He eyed the crowd curiously. “Though these guys look pretty alert. How’s that possible?”

Raith wasn’t sure what to tell the man. Admitting that he had stabbed them with an energy sword seemed like it might get him thrown in jail. He was about to say that he had no idea when the officer surprised him.

“Is that your dog? He should be on a leash.”

Raith glanced over at Nox. The wolf padded quietly up the street toward them.

Did he just see me? That might be a problem.

Raith caught the barest outline of the phantom in the air behind the officer. What did that mean?

He took a steeling breath. “What if I told you that the answer is a little hard to swallow?”

Officer Gray glanced at the crowd of confused citizens. “At this point, I’m open to any kind of answer.”

Raith held out his hand. To his relief, the glowing sword appeared.

Officer Gray took a step back. “Where did that come from?”

Raith opened his hand and the sword vanished again.

“It’s an energy weapon,” he explained. “For some reason, I’m in tune with Crythine energy. I don’t really understand it myself, but using the sword to defend myself against these people when they tried to attack me got rid of their demons and jarred them out of their trance.”

The officer’s eyes narrowed as if he was trying to understand. He looked at the wolf. “And him?”

“He’s my elemental companion, or an elemental companion, to be exact,” Raith replied, correcting himself with a flat taste in his mouth. “He also came from the meteor in a way, though I don’t quite understand that part yet, either.” At the officer’s skeptical look, Raith said, “I was just accepted into an academy to learn about fighting dark energy, like demons and such.”

“Don’t get me started on demons,” the woman officer said, joining them. “My mother told me enough stories about them when I saw growing up that I would be an ignoramus to throw it all away as superstitious.” She smiled and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Stella, or Officer Macklin, if you prefer.”

“Raith,” Raith replied, shaking her hand. He let out a breath through his nose at the pain to his palm. Fighting with the sword hadn’t exactly been kind to his burns.

“Well, Officer Gray, I don’t think this group has to go to the holding cells.” She looked at Raith. “Usually we have to book them for a few hours to come down from the Diamond, but they look clear.”

“Sounds like we have Raith here to thank for it,” Officer Gray replied with doubt in his voice. “Though I’m not sure why.” He regarded Raith with a silent once-over that ended in a grunt. “Maybe we should book you instead. Are you the one selling them drugs?”

Raith lifted both his hands and took a step back. “I haven’t done anything.”

“Gray,” Officer Macklin said in a warning tone.

Officer Gray finally chuckled. “Just kidding. I have to give you a hard time.”

“Because he’s Jack. That’s what he does.” Officer Macklin lowered her voice to a conspiratorial level and said, “We know he’s mostly bark, just don’t tell him I said that.”

“I won’t,” Raith replied.

Officer Gray exhaled. “Alright. We’ll send the crowd home. Macklin will get your contact information in case we need to ask you any other questions about tonight.”

Raith hesitated.

“You do have contact info, don’t you?” Officer Macklin asked.

“I can give you the academy’s name. That’s where I’m staying at the moment,” Raith replied.

“That works,” the officer said.

She pulled out her phone as Officer Gray eyed him with curiosity. “Aren’t you a little old to be at an academy?”

Raith bit the side of his cheek to keep from answering too sharply. “There’s always something to learn.”

“Amen,” Officer Macklin said. “Once you stop learning, you die.”

When Raith finally turned to leave, Officer Gray called out, “Aren’t you going to take your dog or whatever he is?”

“What dog?” Officer Macklin asked.

Raith disappeared around the corner with Nox following behind.

Catch you later, maybe, the wolf said. He pushed past Raith and stalked up the road.

Raith let out a frustrated growl, “You can’t just show up and pretend to be all helpful and save the day, then disappear like it means nothing to you!”

Why should it mean anything to me? Nox asked without looking back.

Because you came back for a reason, Raith replied, aware he would draw more attention if he kept yelling aloud. We don’t have to be bonded, but maybe you could at least treat me like a part of your pack.

Nox walked around the corner of the next alley. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a pack, he replied.

Raith fought back the urge to hit the closest wall. By the time he made his way back to Bellington Academy, he was exhausted. He knew he needed to tell the chancellor what he had found out, but everyone was fast asleep at the late hour. Raith figured the news could wait until morning.

He wandered through the halls to the tunnel that led to the Soul Biome, but he paused before pushing through the coverings that hung down. He couldn’t get himself to pass into the Biome alone. He told himself it was stupid. He was ready to drop from fatigue, but his legs refused to carry him into the place where empty hammocks waited to lull him to sleep.

The thought of the pond reflecting the false night sky above without any reflection of another soul upon its surface made him sink to his knees. He had felt alone many times in his life, so why was this worse? He rested his back against the side of the tunnel and closed his eyes.

He didn’t know what time Nox found him there. Awakened by the wolf’s head pushing beneath his arm, Raith allowed himself to be guided beneath the coverings and onto the mossy floor. He fell asleep again with his head pillowed on his arm, the moss cool under his cheek and the sound of the wolf’s steady breathing comforting in its familiarity.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at the wolf as they made their way early to the cafeteria. Skipping the heady scent of sausage and eggs, Raith crossed straight to the adjoining room where the deans and the chancellor ate before their next day of teaching.

“We have a problem,” Raith said without preamble.

Everyone looked at him.

“I know Henic and Potato ate all of the hash browns. I asked Mason to restock,” Dean Vronog said. “General Slugga was very sad not to get any.” He patted the head of his boar who waited by the table with long strings of drool hanging from between his tusks.

“It’s not about that,” Raith said. “It’s about demons on the street. Last night when I was out—”

“Students aren’t supposed to be wandering the streets at night,” a bald dean Raith hadn’t met before said. “It’s too dangerous now that your demon sight has been awakened. You don’t have the resources or skills to defend yourself against a swarm, and if anyone finds out about us, the academy could be shut down.”

Raith’s arguments died on his lips. “Why?”

The dean glanced at the chancellor. “Want to take this one?” he asked.

Chancellor Ward nodded and rose from the table. “Raith, this academy exists under the umbrella of Aura University. They look the other way at what they consider our disreputable activities because the grants we garner for our research on Crythine energy benefit each of the university’s other branches. But our existence depends on us not rocking the boat. They’re content to turn a blind eye toward a bunch of energists eager to ensure that the new generations don’t take the Cryth meteor for granted, but any mention of demons or dark energy is rebuked with threats of closure on the grounds of teaching too many classes that don’t fall under a normal curriculum.”

“Seriously, when do they expect us to teach Psychological Communication and Bonded Creature Languages if we’re worried about foundations in grammar and arithmetic?” Professor Puskirk shook his head. “That’s why every student accepted has already proven competence in the core curriculum.”

Raith stared from one dean to the next. “So what happens to the people on the street being drugged and controlled by demons?”

Chancellor Ward gave him a calm smile. “I already have teams working on it. Focus on your studies. Such things are under the attention of teams who have already graduated from our school and are capable of handling such threats.”

Raith noticed the bandages that crisscrossed the side of the chancellor’s forehead. Tingles of premonition ran down his arms. “Chancellor Ward, before I leave you to your breakfast, what happened to your head?”

The chancellor brought his fingers to the bandages as if he had forgotten they were there. An excited smile lifted his lips. “It happened just like you said!” He chuckled. “Although, it may not have been nearly as terrible as it sounded.” He looked at the rest of the deans. “I was writing in my journal when a spider crawled up the inside of my pant leg and bit me. I bent down to swat it away and my chair rolled out from under me. My forehead hit the desk so hard I blacked out.” He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “Ambry assures me it’s just a scratch. The thing that concerns me is that I haven’t been able to find the spider.”

Several of the other deans laughed.

“You’ve got to take better care of yourself,” Dean Marigold said. She ran her fingers across the head of the fire cheetah who ate from a bowl of meat by her foot. “Jezzie and I could always burn your office down. I hate spiders.”

The others laughed again.

Chancellor Ward brushed the notion away. “Gambit and I will dust today. He’s convinced the spider must be there somewhere and he’s determined to eat it. He was too worried about me when I fell that he spent his efforts bringing Ambry back instead of catching the offending creature.”

The bird on his shoulder clicked its beak.

“I’m not accusing you, just pointing out a fact,” the chancellor reassured him. He turned back to Raith. “Phantom premonitions aside, you’re too inexperienced to go after this. We will send a team capable of dealing with any sort of demon out there.” He smiled. “Trust me. You can focus on your education and let our teams handle any problems on the street.”

Well that felt condescending, Nox noted as Raith scooped some eggs onto his plate.

Maybe he’s right. Leave it to the experts.

Nox let out a huff. Trust me when I say they’re not that expert.

The wolf’s comment bothered Raith. He mulled it over as he carried his food to the courtyard.

He didn’t want to ask his next question, but he did anyway. Any chance they’re master manipulators?

You mean trying to get us to handle it without telling us to handle it? Nox replied. He paused, his brow furrowed in an expression that looked far too intelligent for Raith’s liking. The wolf finally said, If that’s the case, then we have the green light to do our own patrols. If it’s not the case, we can claim we thought it was the case. He snorted. Either way, it gets us out of this school.

I’m with you there, Raith said. “Hey, catch!”

He threw a piece of bacon at the wolf.

On impulse, the elemental caught the morsel out of the air. They both stared.

“I thought you weren’t able to eat.”

Nox looked just as surprised. I haven’t been, but this bacon tastes better than anything I have ever imagined tasted in the history of the world.

Raith laughed. “I’ll go get you more.”

Class went smoothly, but he was feeling just as antsy as Nox by the time they made it to Dean Psych’s class.

If we do need to make our own team, who do you think we can trust?

I like where your head is at, Nox replied. Your class is a good start. Is there anyone here you wouldn’t want?

Well, Jed is pretty impulsive but we could use his strength. Maya might be scared—

“Mr. Winters, have we bored you?”

Raith looked up at the sound of giggles.

The dean gave him a chiding look. “How do you expect to communicate with your elemental if you don’t learn the basic psychology bonded creatures depend on to communicate? Wouldn’t you like to be an adept Adept? Pardon the pun.”

Raith glanced at Nox. “What more is there to learn?”

Dean Psych smiled. “Plenty, my boy. When the boundaries of communication are open and you are able to understand the images and sounds your bonded shares with you, then you can truly begin to harness the power of symbiotic combat.”

Don’t do it, Nox warned him.

“Images and sounds?” Raith said, ignoring the wolf. “We have full conversations.”

There it is, the wolf said with a sigh.

Dean Psych patted his black gilled mouse. “Sure.”

His tone of doubt riled Raith. “You don’t believe me?”

His classmates looked between Raith and the dean with wide eyes.

“Raith, what are you doing?” Fancy whispered.

Raith pretended not to hear her.

The dean crossed his arms. “As much as we care about our bonded, we don’t have full conversations in words. That’s what this class is for, to learn to communicate with them in the most effective way possible.” The dean motioned toward the board. “Now, will you describe to me what you think a boar is feeling when he makes those various sounds.”

Raith glanced at the list of grunts, snorts, and squeals. He shook his head. “I have no idea. In truth, I think this class is a waste of my time and Nox’s.”

There you go, Nox said, rising to his feet. This is going to be interesting.

“Oh really?” Dean Psych replied. “I know you’re older than the rest of the students in this class, Mr. Winters, but that doesn’t give you the right to challenge my authority.”

Raith saw where he was going wrong. He held up a hand. “I mean no disrespect. I see the value in your class, especially for those who are working with brand new baby elementals. But Nox and I have come to a sort of understanding. Would it be alright if I request a test so you can appreciate my point?”

The dean appeared slightly mollified at Raith’s change of tactic. “If you think that you and Nox are indeed communicating by complete thought, a test shouldn’t be hard.” He looked at the chalkboard. “I am going to have you go outside the door, then I will write something on the chalkboard and Nox can tell you; you will then relay it to one of the students so that we can check the validity of your claim. Does anyone volunteer?”

Everyone’s hands rose.

Raith shook his head. “It’s not going to work.”

A light of triumph appeared in the dean’s gaze. “So you admit your communication is not quite as refined as you would lead us to believe.”

Raith fought back a smile of his own and said, “No, I admit that Nox can’t read.”

The wolf huffed. Nice guess.

Dean Psych’s face reddened slightly. “I see your point. Well, we shall tell him something and have him relay it to you, then you can tell Jed. Does that work?”

The challenge in his tone lingered in the air.

“That should be fine,” Raith said. “Jed, do you mind?”

The student jumped up from his chair. “Not at all. I’m as interested as the rest of them.” He flicked his long hair back and he followed Raith out of the room. “What happens if you fail?”

“I’m not planning to fail,” Raith said.

“But what if—”

He paused when Raith held up a hand. “If you’re talking to me, I won’t be able to hear Nox as easily.”

“Right, right,” Jed acceded. “I’ll be quiet.”

A moment later, he said, “But maybe—”

At Raith’s look, he shut his mouth.

Nox?

They’re deciding what to have me relay to you. Really, Raith, this is a waste of my time.

Mine, too. That’s why I’m trying to get us out of the class.

While I appreciate the effort, I don’t think Psych is very thrilled at being challenged. This method of communication we have going isn’t exactly normal. It’s going to freak him out; trust me.

Oh, I trust you. A little freaking out will do the dean some good, I think.

Alright, they have a sentence for me to relay to you. Tell that Jed kid to go stand on a chair in the classroom and say that he is the most amazing Adept in the world. Nox sighed. They are really interested on whether I can convey for him to do both of those things.

Raith chuckled at Nox’s tone. “Alright,” he told Jed. “Go in there, stand on a chair, and say, ‘I am the most amazing Adept in the world.’”

“Really?” Jed replied, jumping to his feet. “I get to stand on a chair?”

“Yes, and say it just like that.”

Jed burst through the door. Raith listened to him fumble with a chair, then crow at the top of his lungs, “I am the most amazing Adept ever!”

He sighed.

Remind me why we chose him?

Raith pulled open the door. The class was already deep in discussion with the dean.

“I feel it’s an excellent example,” Raylena was saying.

“I’m not sure if correct grammar is necessary; if the shadow wolf is conveying it vaguely, we can still acknowledge a high level of communication between him and Raith,” Dean Psych said.

Raith leaned against the doorframe. “Jed was supposed to say that he is the most amazing Adept in the world. It’s not Nox’s fault Jed got it wrong.”

Dean Psych’s mouth fell open.

“So he is communicating directly,” Fancy said with a grin at Raith. “I knew they were incredible.”

“Yeah,” Maya said. She patted her raven’s downy back. “Hopefully we can get there some day, right Spark?”

The dean’s mouth closed and his lips pressed tight together. Raith waited with a brush of fear. What if he had pushed the matter too far and got banned from not just the classroom, but the school?

Dean Psych finally nodded. “I’ve made up my mind. While you are excused from this class, you will be transferred into my Symbiotic Combat class to teach you how to use your advanced communication against demons.”

“Sounds good to me,” Raith replied with a feeling as though he had narrowly escaped dismissal for insubordination.

I’m sure you’ll figure out how to make that happen later.

I’ll take you down with me, Raith replied dryly.

Looking forward to it.

Chapter Eleven

 

“There’s an officer here to see you,” Anton announced.

Both Raith and Nox looked up from Raith’s dinner. Though they had been able to share breakfast, when Nox tried to eat part of Raith’s ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, his mouth had gone through it. Raith was trying to figure out the connection while they ate dinner by testing various pieces of his macaroni and hot dog meal.

“An officer?” he repeated.

He couldn’t think of any laws he had broken since he had entered the academy.

It’s probably the one about the Diamond. Gray and the woman. What was her name?

Macklin, Raith said, rising. “Did they say anything?” he asked.

“Not really,” Anton replied. “But they wanted me to get you instead of the chancellor.” He glanced toward the adjoining dining room. “He doesn’t know they’re here.”

Raith mulled that over as he and Nox followed Anton to the front door.

Officer Gray nodded in greeting while Officer Macklin grinned. “You guys don’t have a phone?”

“Not that I know of,” Raith replied. “I could figure it out if you need it.”

Dean Vronog and Dean Marigold walked by. Dean Vronog paused at the sight of the officers.

“Do you need any help, Raith?”

Raith was touched by the dean’s concern and the fact that the dean was immediately on his side. “I’ve got it handled. Thank you, Dean Vronog. Have a great dinner.”

Dean Vronog nodded and they both continued on. Raith caught the questioning glance Dean Marigold threw over her shoulder.

Officer Gray followed his gaze. “Do you mind if we talk somewhere private?”

“Definitely,” Raith said. “Let’s go outside.”

If the officers felt it was strange to follow him back out to the steps, they didn’t mention it.

“I really should be speaking to your chancellor, but we’ve had a few run-ins with him in the past,” Officer Gray said. Raith didn’t miss his hands clenching into fists when he said, “The mayor now has him under his own protection. It’s ridiculous, if you ask me.”

Officer Macklin shook her head. “Seems to me that if there is a public crisis, we should be able to question anyone we want to.”

Raith had a feeling those run-ins were demon related. If the mayor was protecting the chancellor, did he also have the demon sight or was he just smart enough to see the impact demons were having on the city? He decided there were more important things to discuss.

“Are you here about Diamond?”

“Yes,” Officer Gray said shortly.

When he appeared reluctant to go further, Officer Macklin filled in for him. “There have been tons of calls of people seen hooked on the stuff. They’re wandering around in a daze, and whenever they find someone else on Diamond, they join together. We don’t know what’s driving them.”

“Demons,” Raith said before he could stop himself.

Officer Macklin gave a hoot and slapped Gray’s shoulder. “See! What did I tell you! Even though I can’t see them, I know they’re there. When my mom used to tell us stories about them, I would always get these creepy crawlies up my arms, and that’s how I feel whenever I see the junkies hooked on Diamond. Creepy crawlies! I told you it had to be demons.”

Officer Gray waited until she finished, then turned to Raith. “So when you used your sword or whatever that was the other night, it chased the demons away?”

Raith thought about it as he spoke. “The sword is one of the energy weapons from the Cryth meteor. I’m not sure exactly how that came to be.”

Nox surprised him by explaining, According to the legends, when the core was tapped to save the world from the cloud of dust that occluded the atmosphere and choked the earth away from the light of the sun, both dark energy and light energy was released. The first with the demon sight created weapons from the inner energy matter before the meteor closed back up around the tapping lines. They’ve been with us ever since, appearing for Adepts when needed to fight the rising threat.

Raith relayed this information to the officers.

Officer Gray eyed him. “The dog told you that.”

“What dog?” Macklin asked.

Raith knelt on the steps. He knew the woman didn’t have the demon sight, but she had been able to sense them. Perhaps knowledge would help her be able to see Nox as well?

“He’s not a dog. He’s a shadow wolf, one of the elementals released by the core and hatched to become the companion of Adepts like me to fight the demons,” Raith explained.

“Alright, that’s just cool,” Macklin said. She crouched. “Is he here?”

Raith set a hand on the wolf’s shoulder. “Right here.”

“I can’t see him,” Officer Macklin said.

“You can’t see that?” Gray asked in surprise. “He’s right there, sitting on the steps. He looks like he might bite you.”

Macklin drew back quickly.

Officer Gray laughed. “I’m just kidding.”

She slapped his arm again. “That’s not fair. Tell me where he is.”

To Raith’s surprise and amusement, Officer Gray actually took Macklin’s hand and lowered it to Nox’s head. Even the wolf appeared amused by the situation.

“He’s right here? Why can’t I see him?” she asked.

“Do you feel him?” Raith pressed.

“Maybe,” she said. She held her hand there even when Officer Gray stepped back.

“According to the chancellor, some people have the demon sight, but most don’t.” A thought struck him. “He also said the demon sight skips a generation.”

Officer Macklin’s gaze lit up. “That’s why my mom could see them. She had the sight!”

Raith glanced at Gray.

The officer’s expression was troubled. “Should I have gone to the academy?”

“There are lots of people with the sight who don’t become an Adept. Usually it takes something to bring the sight to the forefront. For me, it was learning about all of this. It made it a lot easier to see it.”

The officer nodded. “That makes sense. I’m seeing them a lot more since I met you.”

It was almost an accusation. Raith bit back a smile. “Sorry about that.”

“So you’re, what did you call it, an Adept?” Officer Macklin asked. “What is that?”

Raith glanced at Nox. “Adepts make sure the negative energy doesn’t outweigh the good and overwhelm the world.”

So they tell us, Nox replied.

Officer Macklin pushed her hair back from her face and gave a sigh.

“Are you alright?” Gray asked.

She nodded. “It’s just a lot. I always knew about demons, but the rest of this? A school for Adepts learning how to fight them? And how does the Diamond come into play?”

I think I know.

Raith shot the wolf a surprised look. “Nox thinks he knows.”

“Like the story?” Officer Gray crossed his arms. “This should be good.”

I know I don’t like him.

Raith tried not to grin. Give him a chance. At least they came to us. They must really need our help.

Fine. The wolf gave in. I was thinking about it last night. To me it seems like the Diamond makes people more susceptible to the suggestions of the demons. What if that is the intention?

A shudder ran down Raith’s spine as he relayed the wolf’s insight.

“To what end?” Officer Gray asked.

Raith shook his head. “I have no idea, but we need to find out.”

“For now, our method of controlling those on Diamond is to lock them up in the holding cell for a few hours until they come down. They have no memory of what they took or when, and are usually completely confused as to how they got to whatever part of the city we find them in.” Officer Gray let out a heavy breath. “Captain Stokes is getting frustrated that we have no answers, but we can’t bring him this story based purely on speculation.”

“Why not?” Officer Macklin asked. At Gray’s look, she chuckled. “Just kidding. Captain Stokes would blow a gasket if we bring him back a story about demons and dark energy, even if it is true.”

“So what then?” Raith asked.

Both officers fell silent. Raith listened to the sounds on the dark street that fronted the academy. It had been built in a rougher part of town, or was it that the rougher part of town had been built around the academy? The building behind him appeared ageless. There was no way for him to know how long it had been there; the Abyss had rougher areas as well.

He had no idea who had named the zones in Aura City after the levels of the ocean, but it was fitting. The Abyss was where most people lived, from the higher end areas to the rougher clusters of apartment buildings that appeared always in need of repair. To the north was the Bath where the parks and recreation areas lay, and beyond that were the Meso and the Epip. Jobs mostly took place in the Meso except for the industrial ones, and the Epip housed the nicest apartments and houses bigger than the academy.

Below the Abyss lay the Basin, where most of the trade took place, the Hada, which was a rougher area of the city known for its poor housing and poorer life outlook, and then the Deep. Buildings in the deep that hadn’t already fallen apart were on their way to doing so. Even the homeless avoided that area. It wasn’t hard to imagine something like Diamond coming from there; Raith didn’t relish the thought of tracking it down.

“I don’t feel right about this, but given our situation, you seem to be the only one who can bring these citizens down from Diamond and whatever demon entity controls them without us having to haul them back to the precinct.” Officer Gray gave Raith a searching look. “What do you say if we call on you when we have a cluster of Diamonded?”

A strange sort of elation welled up in Raith’s chest. He was needed, and for something that didn’t mean sitting in a classroom for hours on end. If he could apply what he was learning to save people in the world outside of the academy, that would certainly make paying attention a little easier.

“What do you have in mind?” he asked.

“When we find a horde, we’ll call you and see if you can take care of them before anyone else is called in. I’m hoping if we can take care of these groups before they get out of hand, maybe this outbreak can be manageable until we’re able to track down the source of the Diamond,” Gray said.

Only landlines work in the academy, Nox said.

“What? Really?”

Something about the rush lines interfering with the signal. I don’t quite understand it all, the wolf explained.

“What?” Officer Macklin asked.

Raith realized he had answered the wolf aloud. “Nox says only landline phones work in the academy.”

“And I’m guessing you don’t have a landline?” Gray replied dryly.

Raith shook his head. “We’ll have to come up with some other way for you to notify me. Having officers come to the front door any time there’s trouble with Diamond might get a bit much.”

“You think?” Macklin replied with a grin. Her expression grew thoughtful. “What about a note system?”

Gray rolled his eyes. “Who’s the student here?”

“Oh, lighten up, Gray. Don’t you remember how fun it was to pass notes when you were in school?” She searched his face. “Or did nobody pass you notes?” Her smile softened her teasing tone. “Don’t worry. I’ll pass you notes and you’ll see how much fun it can be.”

The officer shook his head. “This is ridiculous, but until we can figure out the phone situation, notes might be the only way to go. Where should we put them?”

Raith thought through the perimeter of the academy. “The school has a back fence. It’s black. Maybe you could tape a note by the southeast corner? Nox and I could check there every night and show up where these Diamonded are clustering.”

“Perfect,” Macklin said with a clap. “Now we’re talking. See you tonight.”

“We can just follow you,” Raith offered.

Officer Gray hesitated, then shook his head. “I don’t think it’d be a good idea if we’re seen together.” Before Macklin could protest, he said, “He fights demons with a sword. Nobody’s going to believe that if they can’t see it for themselves. It’s better this way.”

Raith had to agree. “Where do you want us to go?”

“There’s a big horde of them at Hada 58th and Windrow.” He eyed Raith uncertainly. “I don’t know if you can handle them all.”

“I can get backup,” Raith told him. At the officer’s worried expression, he said, “I’ll make sure they’re discreet. Our goal is to get the people back to their normal mindset so they don’t have to go to jail to come off this stuff.” He waved them away. “I’d better get going. The sooner we get there, the less work you’ll have to do.”

“Good idea,” Officer Macklin said. She held out her hand. When Raith did the same, she shook it with enthusiasm. “Nice to have you on board.”

Officer Gray gave him a nod. Raith and Nox watched them leave.

When they turned the corner, Raith glanced down to see Nox’s head tipped to one side and his ears trained in that direction.

“What are they saying?”

The guy says he’s worried about dragging students into this. He thinks he may have made a bad decision involving you. The wolf paused, then said, The girl is arguing, but happy. She says she’s just glad to know her mother wasn’t crazy when she talked about demons all the time.

Raith opened the door. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Which of the students do you trust?

Raith thought the students through. “Anton for sure, Jed, though he may cause trouble if things don’t go his way, Raylena and Fancy are both dependable.” He realized the bandage around his right hand was coming off. He began to unwind it. “I don’t know if Henic or Linnie would be a good idea. Kirsch is quiet; I can’t really get a read on him. And Maya’s pretty shy. I’m not quite sure how she’ll handle demon hordes.”

What about Ambry?

“What about Ambry?” Raith repeated with a tightening of his chest.

“Yes, what about Ambry?”

Raith spun around to find Ambry behind him. When had she snuck up? The wolf had to have known she was there. He glared at the elemental. Aren’t you supposed to warn me or something?

What, that the girl you’re falling for walked two hallways out of the way by the sound of it just to see if you came back?

The way Nox put it made Raith’s thoughts skip a beat. Was he falling for her? Hearing it put into words threw him entirely off track.

He realized Ambry was still watching them with an expectant expression. “Uh, we were just discussing who would be good members of a demon fighting team.”

Nox’s mouth fell open. Seriously? Just tell her all our secrets, why don’t you?

“If she’s going to be a part of it, she should know what she’s getting into,” Raith replied aloud.

“Yes, she should,” Ambry agreed. Her brow furrowed. “What am I getting into?”

“Demon fighting,” Raith told her.

Without hesitation, she said, “I’m in.”

Raith stared at her. “But I haven’t told you what it entails.”

She shrugged. “You need me; I’m there.”

Her words warmed him. He shoved down the heady feeling. “Ambry, it could be dangerous,” he warned her.

She touched his arm. “Raith, if you’re into something dangerous, I would rather be fighting beside you than patching you up when it’s over.”

He stared down into her light blue eyes. The open and innocent way in which she looked at him made him feel unworthy. He finally found the words to say, “But there’s always the possibility I’m going to need someone to patch me up after.”

Her smile started in her eyes. The way it spread across her face and made her cheeks rosy curled his toes inside his academy-issued shoes. What was it that made this beautiful girl look at him like that?

Her hand slid down his arm and her eyes widened. “You’ve taken off your bandages. Let me see.”

She turned his hand over and surveyed his palm. Little tingles made bumps rise on his arm when her fingers brushed across his skin. “It looks good,” she said. “You heal quickly!”

“Must be that salve,” he replied a little breathlessly.

She gestured to his other hand. “May I?”

He lifted it wordlessly.

Ambry unwrapped it with sure, gentle fingers. She checked his hand over and nodded. “It’s amazing. I feel like for some reason the healing energy works faster for you.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand that, but I’m glad for it, especially if you’re getting yourself into trouble again.”

“Always,” he replied quietly, watching her.

She tossed the bandages into a nearby garbage can, then asked, “How about your side?”

Raith took a step back. He needed to keep his mind clear and for some reason he doubted he could do that with her touching his side the way she had his hands. “It’s still healing,” he said.

Nox gave a little grunt. Don’t you think we should get going? he suggested.

“Uh, we should get going,” Raith said. “We need to rally a few of the others.”

“You mentioned demons. I can’t get everyone real weapons, but maybe the training weapons would work?” she suggested.

“Great,” he said. He hadn’t even thought of weapons. Maybe he really did need her along to keep his thoughts in order. “We’ll meet you back here.”

She shook her head. “There’s a side door that’s barely used down past the training wing. We’d be less noticed.”

Raith glanced at Nox. The wolf acceded to the idea.

“We’ll meet there,” Raith said.

He was anxious to get away from Ambry. The girl clouded his senses and threw him off course. He was finally able to take a deep breath when they rounded the corner and left her sight.

Maybe not the best traits when going after demons.

“Could you stay out of my thoughts?” Raith asked aloud.

Maybe you could think more quietly, the wolf suggested. But it’s the best drama I’ve seen for years.

Raith stared at him. “You’re enjoying this!”

I am.

Raith rolled his eyes. “Great. Even my elemental’s relishing the chaos my life has become.”

He was mildly surprised that the wolf didn’t correct him at the ‘my elemental’ part. Raith chose not to read into it. The animal was temperamental; it was best not to challenge him.

Raith realized they had reached the wide corridor their tunnel was on, but the wolf was leading them down a different tunnel he had never been to before. He paused before a closed door.

“Where are we going?”

“The Wind Biome,” Nox replied. “Take a breath; you’ll be glad you did.”

Raith didn’t know what the elemental meant. He pushed open the circular door. It rotated on a center pole and admitted him into the biome faster than he was ready.

A whirlwind sucked the breath from his lungs. He gasped and had to wait for a moment for the air to return. It battered his hair against his forehead, making him glad Ambry had cut it. He wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise.

As soon as Raith was able to breathe, he focused on his environment. Amazement filled him and he stared.

A massive tree grew in the center of the biome. A huge glass dome had been crafted around it, allowing for sunlight to shine upon the branches. At this time of the evening, the setting sun lit the leaves in shades of orange and rose. A ramp had been cleverly built around the tree in a spiral that was lost upward near the top of the ancient giant. Every few feet, footbridges led away from the center to little huts made of wood. Everywhere he looked, birds, butterflies, massive grasshoppers, dragonflies, and giant moths filled the air and rode on the spiral drifts that took them upward to the top of the dome.

“Look out below!” a familiar voice called out.

Raith saw a form plummeting through the branches. He blinked and recognized Volt, Jed’s raven, covered in both down and a sparse spattering of black feathers that he flapped desperately as he fell.

Raith dove forward and caught the little bird one-handed before it hit the grassy ground. He rolled up to his knees with the creature clutched carefully to his chest.

“Wow, thanks man,” Jed said breathlessly as he jumped from the ramp to the ground. “We owe you one, don’t we, Volt?”

“What was that about?” Raith asked as he handed the bird back over.

“Well, elementals age much quicker than regular animals,” Jed explained. He gave the bird a severe look. “But that doesn’t mean you’re ready to fly even if you insist that you are ready. Raith might not be there next time.”

The bird sounded as though it was muttering a reply under its breath. Little crackles of electricity ran across its feathers.

“Alright, alright, don’t be so sassy,” Jed said. He grinned at the bird. “You did a good job avoiding the branches.”

Volt clicked his beak.

Jed looked at Raith. “Uh, you don’t normally come in here. Can I help you with something, or did your biome get a little lonely with just the two of you?”

Nox snorted.

Raith chuckled at the wolf’s predictability. He looked around the room to ensure that they were alone, then leaned closer to Jed and said in a whisper, “We’re going on a mission from the police. You in?”

“Of course,” Jed said loudly, excitement flashing in his eyes.

“Alright, but you have to keep it a secret,” Raith warned. “If anyone finds out, we could all be expelled from Bellington.”

“Fine,” Jed replied, his enthusiasm lowered. “Is it dangerous?”

“Probably.”

He grinned. “Count us in.”

Are you sure you can trust him? Nox asked as he led the way back up the tunnel.

“We could use his brawn if something goes wrong,” Raith said. “Plus, if he heard of a secret he wasn’t a part of, he would tear this place apart trying to figure it out. We don’t need that kind of attention.”

Nox glanced at him. I didn’t realize you thought it through that far.

It was Raith’s turn to snort. “I try,” he said wryly.

He followed the wolf down the next tunnel. Each of the sloping paths started like the Soul Biome. They led down deep enough to be lower than the Academy’s basement, and then in the Wind Biome’s case, headed back up to the glass dome; the Fire Biome, on the other hand, continued down. Sweat broke out across Raith’s forehead at the heat that began to rise as they walked.

“Is this normal?”

Yeah, it’s also why I avoid this place. Watch your eyebrows.

Raith hesitated with his hand raised to the thick metal door. “Is that like take a breath? A not-so-helpful warning before the Wind Biome sucked everything from my lungs?”

Something like that, Nox replied not-so-helpfully.

Raith sighted and pushed against the door. It didn’t budge. He glanced at the wolf, but the elemental had sat a few steps back and watched him with what Raith could only describe as an amused expression.

His eyes narrowed and he turned back to the door. With no visible handle or doorknob of any kind, Raith was left with one option. He put his fist to the metal and knocked loudly.

A panel slid aside almost instantly.

“Password.”

Raith looked back at Nox.

No idea.

“I’m not sure what it is,” Raith said. “I just need to talk to Anton and Raylena.”

“Not without the password,” the girl on the other side of the door said in a singsongy voice.

Tell them no idea.

Raith was about to reply with something snide to the wolf about keeping his thoughts to himself when he wasn’t making any sense, then he thought the wolf’s words through again.

“The password is no idea,” he said aloud. He couldn’t help that it came out sounding like a question.

“Very good,” the girl replied.

A bang sounded, then the door swung inward.

Raith held up an arm to shield himself from the heat that rushed out. He felt distinctly as if his eyebrows had been singed. He checked his face and was relieved to find them still there.

Told you.

Raith stuck his tongue out at the wolf. It was a childish gesture but made him feel better.

The door swung wider. Raith peered in at what could easily have been the inside of a volcano. The magma pits and twisting black rocks wound around the biome in levels of caves and ledges. He wondered how many Adepts lived inside. A few were visible relaxing or chatting at the edge of several of the ledges further up. Raith was amazed they could stand the rising heat.

Anton appeared with his cheetah cub, Pyro, gamboling at his side. Jed was right; the cheetah looked taller, its legs a little less wobbly than before and its steps surer. Raylena ducked out of a cave to the right with her cheetah cub in her arms. Her gaze landed on Raith and a smile filled her face. She hurried over.

“Filla told us someone was waiting for us at the door,” Anton said when he reached the tunnel. “Care to come inside?”

Raith shook his head. “It’s a little warm. How do you stand it?”

Raylena laughed and nuzzled her cheetah’s fuzzy head. “I don’t even notice! Grasshopper likes it.” The flames that ran up and down her cheetah’s back made that observation unnecessary.

“I have a job for you both if you’re interested,” Raith said. He glanced behind him, then motioned for them to join him in the empty tunnel. “Care to come out here before I melt?”

“It’s that bad, huh?” Anton asked.

“It’s fire and brimstone,” Raith replied. He managed to sound casual, but barely. Fire definitely wasn’t his favorite thing.

He stifled a sigh of relief when Raylena shut the door behind them; the temperature of the air decreased noticeably.

“So what’s up?” Anton asked.

Grasshopper struggled, so Raylena set her down. Both cheetah cubs romped over to Nox.

Better hurry up, the wolf told him.

“There’s a demon problem in the city and the police have come to me to help handle it, but I need a team,” Raith explained.

“Whoa, neat!” Anton said.

“So we’re working with the law?” Raylena asked carefully.

“Of course,” Raith replied. He barely refrained from asking why she thought otherwise. “The others are meeting us at the side door past the training wing.”

“Let me grab my purse,” Raylena said.

Anton rolled his eyes. “Great, she’ll be an hour.”

Raith knew they were running short on time. “I’ll meet you guys at the door. Try to get her to hurry!”

“Have you ever met a girl?” Anton called after him.

Nox went to the tunnel hub and turned down the next one.

The Water Biome is pretty cool, he said, but given my uncertain present form, I’m not exactly sure if I’ll swim or sink, so count me out on this one. Head down there and wave in the window. The fish will tell you what to do.

Raith paused with one foot in the tunnel. “The fish will tell me what to do?”

Nox nodded without expounding.

Raith jogged down the tunnel with his thoughts whirling. Life had definitely taken an interesting turn when he woke up in Bellington Academy. Not only did he have a somewhat bonded elemental shadow wolf as a companion and sulky guide, he had actually fought demons with an energy sword that appeared out of thin air, and he was working with the cops to keep the city safe. What would his family think of his decisions?

The temperature changed noticeably in the opposite direction of the Fire Biome. Raith’s footsteps slowed at the sudden feeling that he was under water. He put his hand to the curved wall of the tunnel; his fingers came away damp. The floor made a squelching sound beneath his sneakers. With a slight feeling of foreboding, he continued until he reached the end.

He could only stare, mostly because no door was there to block his path. Instead, a thin sheen of what looked like glass covered the opening. Something about it, though, caught his attention. Small, intricately designed fingers of lighter colored lines etched along the glass. On closer inspection, they appeared to be webbed with complex designs that branched away into smaller and smaller particles. It took Raith a moment to realize they reminded him of snowflakes. He put his hand to the glass, then yanked it back when it turned out to be ice instead.

To Raith’s amazement, as soon as he touched the ice, two fish appeared. They gaped at him from the other side, their mouths moving and gills waving gently as they stared at him.

“The fish will tell me what to do,” Raith repeated. He gave the animals a skeptical look, but said, “I need to talk to Fancy.”

The fish looked at each other. It was a hilarious moment given that their eyes were on either side of their head and so to look at each other eye to eye, they were also nearly forehead to forehead. One of the fish turned back to him while the other one swam away.

“So, what do I do?” Raith asked.

The fish merely stared at him.

Raith looked back up the tunnel. He was half tempted to call for Nox to figure it out. They were running out of time. If he had to wait too much longer for Fancy, they would have to leave without her.

He peered at the sight of a dark figure in the water. It grew closer until he could make out Fancy swimming at ease in the clear liquid. He thought she would pause at the ice, but instead she burst right through. Water flooded the bottom part of the tunnel and soaked Raith from the knees down. Just before he took off running back up the tunnel out of fear of drowning, a new ice shield formed over the tunnel opening and sealed the water back up. The liquid around him drained immediately into a pipe to his right.

Several vents opened and warm air rushed into the tunnel, drying them.

“Welcome to the Water Biome, Raith,” Fancy said.

The water mouse on her shoulder squeaked and shook off the last of its water.

“That’s quite the entrance,” he told her.

She shrugged. “Not bad, but I wish I didn’t have to flood visitors. It makes it a bit less welcoming. There used to be another entrance, but that tunnel collapsed a long time ago, something about an earthquake along the rush lines.” She tipped her head questioningly. “Is there something I can help you with? You don’t usually come to the Water Biome. I can give you a tour,” she offered.

“Maybe some other time,” Raith said. “For now, I’m hoping to enlist your help.”

“I’m listening,” she said.

Raith was unsettled by the way her mouse also tipped its head. Would he ever get used to the intelligence of the elementals? He had no way to know if all of them thought the way Nox did. It didn’t sound like it, if Dean Psych’s response was any indication. He made a mental note to ask Nox how much they understood.

Chapter Twelve

 

“I’m going to ask you to be brave,” Raith said as he led the way down the road.

By the looks of those behind him, most had never been out after dark in Aura City at all. There was a vague, aching sort of pain in his heart at the thought of their innocence. He hoped they had all lived carefree lives up to this point. The one thing that had driven him to survive in the streets was the thought that others didn’t have to live his nightmare. The nervousness they showed when looking up at the dark-windowed buildings around them confirmed that.

“We can be brave,” Jed said.

Even the tough student’s voice waivered just a little.

Raith made a decision. “Ambry, why don’t you give them the weapons?”

Finding her already at the seldom-used exit from the school carrying a rucksack of clubs had been a relief. She said the energy clubs were for practice in Dean Mythra’s energy weapon combat course the second termers took. If they could get the clubs back before morning, she figured the dean wouldn’t even know they had been borrowed.

“Great idea,” she said. She handed a club to each of the four students, kept one for herself, then slung the bag crisscross over her chest for safe keeping. “Now,” she instructed. “To instill them with energy, close your eyes and picture the energy of your biome. When you have the feeling of it in your chest, push that feeling down your fingertips and into the club.”

“Whoa!” Anton said as his club began to glow with a soft golden pulse.

“Wait, how’d you do that?” Jed asked.

“Look!” Raylena said. She held out her glowing club to her elemental.

Her cheetah rose onto its hind legs and batted at the object. When its paw met with the club, little golden sparks flew out. The cheetah turned with wide eyes and bit at the sparks.

Everyone laughed.

“I can’t figure it out,” Fancy said with a whine. She shook her club, but it stayed black.

“Me, neither,” Jed admitted. He sighed and lowered his arm. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this. I should just head back.”

Raith caught his arm before he could leave. “Wait.”

There was something in the student’s gaze that ate at him. A combination of loss, embarrassment, and the fear of letting down those around him darkened the young man’s eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Raith.

For a split second, Raith saw his younger brother Mitchell staring out of Jed’s eyes. A pang so sharp it hurt made Raith press his hand to his chest.

“Are you alright?” Ambry asked.

Raith let go of Jed’s arm and stepped back. “I’m fine,” he said. They were running out of time. He focused on Jed. “Try this. Close your eyes.”

Jed did as he was instructed.

“Now think of your heartbeat, where it resonates in your chest to fuel your body with life. Can you feel it?”

Jed scowled. “Of course.”

Raith took it as a good thing that the student didn’t open his eyes despite his obvious frustration. “Alright, now picture that pulse as the energy it is, run by electric impulses. Got it?” At Jed’s nod, he said, “Imagine that energy as a light flowing from your heart. Follow it through your shoulder and down your arm to your fingertips straight into the club.”

Nothing happened for a moment. Jed let out a breath and Raith was afraid he was about to give up, then the club started to glow.

“It’s working!” Fancy exclaimed. “I’m going to try that!”

The look of sheer amazement on Jed’s face when he opened his eyes to see the club alight brought a matching smile to Raith’s lips.

He glanced at Ambry without meaning to. The light of the torch reflected in her eyes, making them dance with her smile of approval.

Seriously, can you stop looking at her? The Diamonded will be long gone before we get there.

“Uh, right,” Raith said. “Let’s get going.”

He led the way down the alley without looking back. “Better stop the energy to those clubs or every thug in the city will be following us hoping for gold,” he called over his shoulder.

“Gold doesn’t glow,” Jed pointed out.

“Think they care?” Raith asked.

The immediate darkening of the group behind him came as his answer.

I smell them.

Raith gave Nox a searching look. Do they smell different than normal humans?

Yes, sweeter. I wonder what the Diamond is made from. Nox looked up at Raith and said, Actually, it’s nice to smell again. It’s been years.

Since you could smell anything? Raith asked.

Yes, the wolf replied flatly. It’s a little boring being a wolf who can’t smell.

I’ve appreciated it, Raith replied.

Even though the joke was lame, Nox surprised him by giving a snort of laughter.

That brought a feeling of contentment to Raith. Even though they weren’t exactly bonded, having the wolf at his side was far better than walking the streets alone. He glanced back and noticed that the other elementals kept close to their bonded as well. Dark streets didn’t exactly give a feeling of comfort no matter what part of the city one was in.

“We’re getting close,” Raith said in a whisper. “Be ready.”

“When do we light the clubs?” Raylena asked.

“You’ll know,” Raith said.

He held up a hand. Everyone stopped walking. He stepped forward with only Nox at his side and rounded the corner.

Whoa.

Raith thought the same thing when Nox said it. There were at least forty of the Diamonded with glazed eyes crowding the dark street. The hissing sound of their breathing through their clenched teeth set Raith’s own teeth on edge. He wondered if he should have mentioned it to the others.

A golden gleam caught his eye. Relief filled Raith. He was about to ask Ambry if she had brought an extra club. Depending on the sword to appear felt a little like playing with fate. Fortunately, fate was on his side at that moment.

He dove across the alley and came up with the sword in his hand.

“Nice move!” Jed said.

Every eye of the Diamonded turned to Raith. He glanced at Jed.

The student’s eyes widened. “Sorry.”

Raith hefted his sword. “Try not to hurt them,” he directed as the crowd of Diamonded shuffled his way. “It should take just a touch to jar them free of the Diamond.”

“What’s that on their shoulders?” Fancy called out above the hissing and shuffling.

“Demons, little ones. They should leave once you touch the humans with light energy. They can’t stand it,” Raith explained.

The people were almost to him. He was torn between stabbing them lightly with his sword, which felt just as bad as stabbing them not so lightly, or letting the others deal with them to avoid stabbing entirely.

A grumbling roar made up his mind as the dark shadow rose above the crowd.

“Raith?” Ambry said with a slight tremble in her voice.

“I see him. You guys take care of the people. I’ve got the demon,” Raith commanded.

You sound confident, Nox said with his gaze on the other end of the alley. Our last run in with Borians didn’t go so smoothly.

It’s either them or us, Raith reminded the wolf. Which do you think would fare better?

The wolf glanced at their team. Raith knew the fear in their expressions without looking.

Fine, but you get to be the distraction this time.

Nox took off without waiting for Raith to reply.

He dodged the reaching claw-like fingers of the first horde members and spun around one at the end who hissed in frustration at his near-miss. Keeping to the side wall, Raith made short work of slipping along the bricks to the back of the alley. His steps slowed at the sight of the two Borians waiting for him.

Do they always run in pairs?

I guess we’ll find out in Demonology, Nox replied.

Didn’t you listen the first time? Raith’s breath caught when he ducked beneath the first Borian’s sweeping claws.

I didn’t think it was important, the wolf admitted.

He leaped on Raith’s back and dove at the demon’s throat. Raith stared in amazement as the wolf was shaken from side to side by the angry, hulking creature.

“What about letting me distract it?” he called out.

I was impulsive. I think I’m going to regret it, the wolf replied.

The elemental was right. The demon swiped at it with massive claws. Raith was about to see the shadow wolf be torn apart in front of his eyes.

He let out a guttural roar that made the demon pause. Charging forward, Raith dropped to his knees at the last moment. He cursed inwardly at the fact that his pants didn’t slide well on the asphalt, the end result being that he nearly pitched face-first into the ground instead of rescuing the wolf. Fortunately, he was able to save himself from his near fatal and deforming action by rolling onto his shoulder and thrusting the sword upward.

The blade pierced the demon’s belly. Black tar-like substance spilled down, splashing on Raith.

“Ugh, it’s in my mouth!” he shouted.

Welcome to the club, Nox shot back, his words tight as he struggled to hang on.

The Borian thrashed back and forth, but with Raith holding onto the sword, it only managed to push the blade deeper. He felt when the weapon pierced the demon’s spine. The thrashing stopped, the tension around the sword released, and the demon’s form changed into dark mist.

Raith sucked in a breath and was about to laugh when another set of claws tore through the fading body of the first demon and flung him across the alley into the far wall. He hit the ground hard.

“That was my bad,” he said, gasping.

Never forget about the next enemy, Nox replied.

“Thanks, very helpful,” Raith croaked out. He pushed up to his feet and stumbled backwards as the Borian advanced.

It had apparently learned from the demise of its comrade because the demon eyed Raith’s sword warily and avoided the blade. The creature swiped at Raith’s head. He ducked and tried to stab its massive hand with his sword, but the borian pulled back. It bellowed as it lumbered after him through the alley, its shoulders nearly brushing the walls on either side.

Look out.

Raith glanced behind him. The majority of the crowd no longer appeared caught in the grasp of the Diamond. Raith’s team had done their job. The problem was that the people lingered in confusion in the street, blocking Raith’s path.

Several looked back at the sound of his footsteps. Gasps quickly turned into screams. The crowd rushed down the road in the opposite direction.

To your right, Nox instructed.

Same thing as last time?

It worked. Why mess with perfection? the wolf replied. He was silent for a moment as Raith managed to parry two more claw attacks, then he growled, Now!

Despite every instinct that said not to do such a thing in front of a demon ready to crush him, Raith dropped to his knees.

“Raith!” Ambry shouted.

Nox’s paws hit Raith’s back, then he leaped through the air. The demon jerked back at the last second, causing the wolf to miss its throat. Instead, Nox latched onto its thick hide on the side of its neck. When the borian shook, the elemental was flung from side to side. The demon brought up its claws. Raith battered them away with his sword. The demon reached down with its fangs and managed to snag the wolf’s shoulder.

Raith gasped at the sensation through his own shoulder as though the flesh was torn in a fiery line. The pain shocked him to the core.

“I need a club!” he shouted.

“We’re ready,” Ambry replied. “Tell me when to throw it!”

He glanced back to see that his entire team had placed themselves between the demon and the people fleeing up the moonlit street. Pride swelled in his chest at their defiant expressions. He pitied the demon who tried to get through that.

“Duck!” Jed yelled.

He flattened to the ground and felt the claws slam together where his head had been. Without giving the demon a chance to pull back, he slashed his sword upward, catching the underside of the borian’s arms. It let out a bellow of pain.

“Ambry, now!” Raith yelled.

He turned as she threw it and caught the club out of the air. Advancing on the demon, Raith lunged with the sword, but pulled back at the last second. The borian’s head snaked forward with its mouth open to bite his arm off. Raith shoved the club perpendicularly into its mouth, jamming it open so it couldn’t bite Nox again.

The demon reared back and pawed at its mouth. The moment it revealed its chest, Raith shoved his sword through the ribcage and into its heart. The demon gave a grunt that sounded more like surprise than pain. Nox let go as the borian’s body became transparent, then vanished altogether.

The wolf hit the ground with a pained thump.

Nox, are you alright? Raith asked worriedly.

Of course.

I felt him bite you.

The elemental gave him a startled look. You did?

Yeah, it hurt like crazy. Still does.

Raith reached around where his shoulder hurt and brought his hand back, fully expecting to see blood, but it was dry.

That’s not normal, Nox said. But we’ll worry about it later.

If you can’t walk back, I can carry you.

Not on your life, the wolf snapped.

His sassiness made Raith smile. The wolf was fine if he could still find the strength to talk like that.

Their team rushed over.

“Are you guys alright?” Raylena asked.

“Yeah, that was quite the battle,” Anton said.

Are you sure alright? Raith asked Nox.

Fine, the wolf replied. It’s just a scratch.

Raith wasn’t sure about that, but he didn’t want to get into it with the others watching. “We’re fine for the most part,” Raith reassured them. “How about you guys?”

“We did great,” Fancy said with a grin. “You were right when you said the demons would disappear when we touched the possessed people with our clubs. Poof, there they went.”

“That was strange, though,” Jed said. “That was, what did you call it?”

“Diamond,” Ambry replied, her voice quiet. She met Raith’s gaze. “It looks like the same thing Trekker was on when he attacked me in the healing rooms.”

Raith nodded. “I thought as much, but I wanted you to see firsthand to know for sure.”

“It seems the same, but if it is, how did Trekker get it?” she asked.

“For that matter, how did all of these people get it?” Fancy seconded. “I saw bakers, lunch workers, teachers, guys in fancy suits….”

“At least two bus drivers by their uniforms,” Anton took up where she left off. “Not to mention some garbage men, at least two homeless people, and a bunch of what looked like the regular parental types. How do you suppose they got down here? I doubt they’re all druggies.”

“None of them looked like the drug taking type,” Raylena said.

“That’s the problem the police are having, too. They have to lock them up for a few hours to come down from this stuff, and then there’s the questioning that gets nowhere because nobody can remember how they came to be in that condition in the first place.” Raith shook his head. “If it’s demon related, it has to be something different from what we’ve seen already, something smarter.”

“I’ll start researching,” Fancy said eagerly.

“I vote myself not to be a researcher,” Jed said. “I’d probably get in your way.”

Raylena rolled her eyes. “I’ll help you, Fancy. We don’t need the guys for this.”

“Hey,” Anton protested.

Raith kept out of it. The less time he spent in the academy’s library was just fine with him.

“Do you think all the people will make it back home safely?” Ambry asked worriedly.

“They definitely didn’t stop to see if we would escort them,” Jed replied with a huff of exasperation. “You’d think that after we saved them from demons, we would at least get a thank you.”

That caught Raith’s attention. “Did they say they saw the demons?” He hadn’t heard anyone in the last group mention anything other than confusion.

“Definitely,” Fancy said. “And they sure saw the big one coming after you. That’s why they ran so quickly.”

Raith remembered their screams. “Well that’s something new. What if the Diamond gives them the demon sight?”

Everyone stared at each other.

“That could be bad,” Ambry said. “Usually people with the demon sight are brought into the academy and introduced in a controlled environment. If they can all now see demons because they were on Diamond, it could cause mass hysteria.”

“Or they all might think they’re mad,” Fancy said. “I’m not sure which is worse.”

Raith exchanged a glance with Nox. “We’ll go talk to the police we’re working with. It also might be a good idea to notify the chancellor, though he’ll probably try to shut us down.”

“No way,” Jed argued. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I mean, we’re actually fighting demons!”

“Yeah,” Anton seconded. “We can’t give up now. We’re a team, right?”

Everyone looked at Raith. One part of him rebelled against being a part of anything because it could also set him up for more pain if he lost it again; the other side of him longed for inclusion, to be needed, and, most of all, to be wanted.

He nodded.

Ambry slipped her arm through his. “This is the first time I’ve felt like I belonged to something like a family since, well,” she squeezed his arm, “since a very long time.”

“What now?” Jed asked.

“I’m worried the school will find out we’re missing,” Fancy said. “What if we all get expelled?”

Raith was concerned about that, too. “I need to report to the police so they know the situation is under control. You guys head back to the academy. I should be there shortly. I don’t think anyone will miss Nox and I since we have the Soul Biome to ourselves.”

“You’re lucky,” Raylena said. “Doug the Destroyer is in our biome and believe me when I say you can smell his gas above all that sulfur.”

“Is it really that bad?” Fancy asked.

“They don’t call him the destroyer for nothing,” Anton replied. “And the worst part is that he’s proud of it.”

“I feel like an Adept should maintain a certain standard of manners,” Fancy said with a shake of her head. “But when I mentioned it to him, he said that he already was.”

“I’ll take them back,” Jed said. He looked at Ambry. “Are you coming?”

She gave Raith a small smile. “Fink and I would rather go with you and Nox if that’s alright.”

Raith nodded almost too quickly. “We’d love to have your company.”

Try playing a little hard to get, Nox recommended.

I’m not trying to get her, Raith shot back.

Could’ve fooled me.

“You guys know how to make it back?” Raith asked.

“I memorized the way,” Jed assured him. “I’ve got this.” He held out a hand. “Want me to take the clubs?”

Surprised, Ambry pulled the bag off her shoulder and handed it to him. “Thank you.”

He turned away and herded the others in front of him. Everyone appeared so shocked by his change of demeanor that they didn’t argue. “Take care, you two,” Jed called over his shoulder.

Raith and Ambry looked at each other.

“What happened to him?” Ambry asked quietly. “That is the same Jed we brought out here, right?”

Raith nodded with his gaze on the retreating students. “Yeah, I think he actually likes being responsible. From what he’s said of his home life, his dad is always disappointed in him. I’ll bet it’s nice for him to be in control of something for once.”

Ambry shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. “Careful, Raith. You’re sounding too smart to be a first termer.”

“That’s what I told the chancellor,” he replied as he led the way toward the police station.

“You didn’t,” she said, appalled.

Raith nodded, then shook his head. “No, I didn’t. But I definitely feel too old to be in with all of them.”

She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it again.

“What were you going to say?”

She shook her head. “Something I shouldn’t.”

That spiked Raith’s curiosity. “Tell me.”

She glanced at him, then away. “Well,” she said, her tone hesitant. “I was going to say that at least with you being a first termer, there’s still a lot of time we get to spend together before you graduate as a full-fledged Adept.”

Raith watched her closely. “And then what? You expect me to vanish?”

She didn’t answer.

Raith looked from her troubled expression to the street ahead of them, checking to ensure that their path remained clear. He knew Nox would alert them if there was danger, but he was also concerned about the wolf’s condition. Though Nox pretended to be fine, the back of Raith’s shoulder throbbed.

“Is it normal for me to feel Nox’s pain?”

Ambry appeared relieved at the change of subject, then her eyebrows pulled together. “I’ve never heard of an Adept feeling what his or her bonded feels. You can feel the gash on his shoulder?”

You still feel what I’m feeling? Nox asked.

Raith was relieved that the wolf didn’t argue again that they weren’t bonded. He knew that and was tired of being corrected.

“Yes,” he answered them both. “I can feel it.” He shot the wolf a straight look. “And it’s not a scratch. Trust me.”

“We need to patch it up,” Ambry said. “Straight to the healing rooms when we get back.”

Both Raith and Nox groaned.

Ambry gave a light, musical laugh. “Being mature now, I see? Be careful or I won’t give either of you a treat.”

“That might work with the youngsters, but I know for a fact that you don’t have any treats in those rooms,” Raith said.

Ambry held up her hands. “You got me. Maybe I need to start carrying treats. Could I interest you in a crystal?”

“Yes.”

Ambry appeared surprised at Raith’s immediate agreement.

“I’d like to experiment with them,” he told her. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Maybe we could borrow one or two for Nox tonight?”

She gave him a skeptical look. “I might be able to let you borrow one, but the academy has a limited supply. They save most of the crystals for healing teams out in the field. Trust me when I say those demons get nasty.”

“We’ve seen it,” Raith said.

She shook her head.

Raith’s heart slowed at her expression. “What is it?”

She glanced at Nox. When the wolf didn’t look up from his pacing, she said, “You may have seen some big demons, but you haven’t met the nasty ones yet.” She gave a shudder. “There are some that truly give me the creeps.” She lowered her gaze. “There’s a part of me that’s relieved I was assigned to the academy instead of a position in the field.”

The sight of the fear in her eyes did something to Raith. He slipped his fingers into hers and held her hand close. “You’re safe with me,” he told her.

She gave him a soul-baring, heart-cleaving look made even more so by the glimmer of tears in her eyes.

“W-what?” he asked, swallowing.

She shook her head and didn’t allow the tears to fall. “Nothing.”

He walked silently at her side for the rest of the way, completely aware that she never slipped her hand from his.

When they reached the police station, Raith realized he had another problem. He couldn’t bring himself to walk up the stairs.

“You don’t want to go in?” Ambry guessed.

Raith sucked in a breath to chase the foreboding from his chest. “I, uh, maybe have been in there before for other reasons.”

Ambry’s eyes widened. “You got locked up?”

Seriously? Nox said. Why?

Raith held up his hands. “It’s not that big of deal.” He looked away from both of them. “I stole a sandwich from a bakery. But it wasn’t for me,” he rushed on to explain. “It was for some kids, and my wallet got stolen by this guy who always carries a gun and had a vendetta against me.” He sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“But it makes sense as to why you don’t want to go in there,” Ambry said without any condemnation in her tone. “I’ll go in and look for the officers. What are their names?”

“I can’t make you do that,” Raith said. “I don’t want you to think that’s why I brought you with me.”

“I offered to come with you; it was our idea, wasn’t it Fink?” she said.

The mouse on her shoulder gave a squeak.

She turned away and started walking up the wide steps.

“Are you sure you want to go in there?” Raith asked. The stupidity of the question struck him as soon as it left his mouth.

An answering smile crossed Ambry’s lips as though she knew he wanted to take it back. “What are their names again?”

“Officer Gray and Officer Macklin,” he replied.

“Got it,” she said. “Be back in a jiffy.”

Raith made his way to the side of the building near the stairs.

It’s better this way, Nox said. She’s going to be fine. She’s a grown woman with a water elemental. Trust me when I say I pity the person who tries to mess with her. Fink will tear them to pieces.

Raith stifled a laugh that died away when he realized the wolf was serious.

The way Nox sat with his weight off his right shoulder made Raith worried.

“You sure you can make it back to the academy alright?” he asked. “I really could carry you.”

Do you really want me to bite you? Nox replied.

Raith leaned against the wall and held his elbow to ease the phantom pain in his shoulder. The entire thing was strange, feeling a wound he had never received. He had no idea what it meant; Ambry’s reaction hadn’t been promising on that front.

The doors to the police station opened and Ambry walked out with Officer Gray and Officer Macklin close behind.

Raith pushed away from the wall.

“What’s wrong?” Officer Gray asked when he spotted Raith. “Afraid of the station? Should I run your fingerprints?”

“I’ve done my time,” Raith replied. “But it’s not my favorite place.”

The officer shrugged. “Fair enough. Sounds like you guys took care of the Diamonded. Good job.”

Raith nodded. “It went fairly smoothly. We found a method that worked better to rid them of the Diamond effects without having to stab them.”

“That is a plus,” Officer Macklin said with a chuckle.

Raith continued with, “But there may be another problem we didn’t plan for.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Gray said.

Raith glanced at Ambry for verification. “We’re beginning to suspect that the people who have taken Diamond have the demon sight when they come off of it.”

Ambry nodded.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Macklin said. “But that does explain why we’re getting so many calls about creepy shadows following people around.”

Gray let out a low whistle. “That’s going to be a problem. Can it be reversed? The general populace isn’t prepared to see such things.”

“We’ll see what we can figure out,” Ambry reassured him. “Members of our team are going to start researching a solution.”

That brought a relieved smile to the officer’s face. “I like her,” he told Raith. “She has solutions instead of problems. Try to be more like her.”

Raith chose not to take offense. It was the nicest Officer Gray had been to that point. “Deal.” He caught sight of the yawn Ambry tried to hide behind her hand. “We’d better get going.”

“I’m sure we’ll have another location for you tomorrow night,” Macklin said. “Diamonded are springing up everywhere.”

That worried Raith. “Do you have a lead on the source?”

“We’re closing in,” Gray answered. “But things are getting sticky.”

Ambry tipped her head. “What does that mean?”

Gray glanced at Macklin. The female officer looked troubled when she explained, “It means we’re not dealing with the usual drug lords. Someone higher up is involved and until we know who, it’s better not to guess.”

“Good idea,” Raith said. “Just keep us posted. We’ll be there.”

Gray gave an uncharacteristic smile. “This maybe above your paygrade.”

“Yours, too, I’m guessing,” Raith said.

The officer nodded. “You’re smarter than I thought.”

Ambry laughed and Nox snorted.

Raith rolled his eyes. “We’ll keep an eye out for your note.”

As they made their way back up the road, he heard Officer Gray say, “I still can’t believe we’ve succumbed to asking a group of students for help.”

“He’s not exactly in high school,” Macklin replied.

“Feeling old yet?” Ambry asked in a whisper when they rounded the corner.

Raith couldn’t help the begrudging smile that lifted his lips. “So you heard it, too?”

Her eyes twinkled. “I think helping the police is brave, considering your past.”

“I haven’t exactly lived the life I thought I would.” He let the words die away as images of living in cardboard boxes covered in newspaper pushed their way into his mind. He was grateful when Ambry didn’t ask him to explain.

“All I know is it’s going to be hard teaching tomorrow without falling asleep,” she said.

Raith smiled. “I’m used to being up late.”

“Famous last words?” she asked.

Chapter Thirteen

 

“Raith, Raith, wake up!”

The whisper made Raith open his eyes. He blinked groggily and sat up on the empty bleachers. “What’s going on?”

Nox answered, You fell asleep; I did, too. Guess these old bones aren’t used to staying up so late. He rose to his paws and stretched, then winced.

Raith felt the pain in his shoulder. It set his teeth on edge. “Is class over?” he asked Fancy.

She nodded. “Even Dean Mythra said falling asleep in class is an insult unless you have a very good excuse. When I told her you did, she said to explain it to her when you wake up if you don’t want to fail.”

Raith let out a breath. “I guess I’d better go talk to her.”

“Are you going to tell her what we’re up to?” she asked worriedly.

“I’m hoping not to. The chancellor wasn’t exactly supportive, and I’m sure any of the deans will tell him what we’re up to. I’ll tell her I haven’t been sleeping well in the biome because Nox snores.”

That brought a laugh from Fancy and a huff from the wolf.

Raith walked across the training room to the far door, then paused with his hand on it. “Fancy, would you mind seeing if the officers left a note on the back fence?”

“I’ll check,” she said with a grin. “Talk to you soon!”

He waited until she was gone, then knocked on the door.

“Enter,” Dean Mythra said.

Raith stepped inside and paused.

The office was a sharp contrast to the battle room behind him. Cream and white carpets were offset by a rose colored couch. The desk in the corner was neatly organized, the center of which was occupied by a vase with one white rose and a blue tulip. Dean Mythra motioned for him to take a seat on the couch without looking up from her work.

“Come to apologize?” she asked.

“To explain,” Raith said.

She set down her pen and linked her fingers together. Placing her elbows on the desk, she said, “I’m listening.”

Raith gave Nox a searching look.

You’re going to do it whether I approve or not. He sat down near the couch and said, In this case, I do think you need someone on the inside.

Relief eased some of the burden from Raith. He looked back at the dean. “I’ve formed a team to fight demons for the police.”

To her credit, Dean Mythra didn’t so much as blink. She studied him, her gaze unreadable. Finally, she cracked the barest smile and said, “Well, that’s a first.”

“You aren’t surprised?” Raith asked.

She lifted a thick shoulder. “Though my clubs were exactly as I had left them last night, when I ran their survey, I found that five of them had one more hour of energy use than the others. Needless to say, that might be a glitch in one of them, but not all.” She waved a hand. “I know better than to be alarmed by frivolity, but hoped that the mystery would explain itself soon enough.” She gave him a closer look. “I should have guessed it would be you, but I figured maybe it was some of my fifth termers fooling around.” She straightened her papers and then speared him with a look. “You know those clubs aren’t meant to fight actual demons. If one of your team, as you call it, gets hurt because they aren’t using appropriate weapons, it’ll probably come down hard on the dean of combat.”

Raith crossed his leg over his knee and toyed with a string that had come loose on the hem of his pants. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying if your team is really fighting demons, I don’t want to be responsible for the injury of my students.”

A knot tightened in Raith’s stomach. “Are you asking me to stop?”

She gave him a straight look. “If I thought that would make a difference, maybe.” All of the humor was gone from her tone. She sat up and put her hands on the desk. “But I have a feeling the work you’re doing is contributing more to society than any of your team has had the chance to do in their entire lives. I’m not one to shoot down acts of selflessness, and believe me when I say I fully understand going against demons is such an act. Nobody does it for fun.”

That brought a small smile to Raith’s face. “That’s for sure.”

A matching half-smile touched her lips and she nodded. “I see we understand each other.”

Do we? I’m confused, Nox said.

Raith was worried that he would destroy whatever progress she seemed to think they had made, but he didn’t dare leave the question unasked. “What do we understand?”

Dean Mythra sat back in her chair; it gave a squeak of protest. The dean’s boar grunted from his dog bed in the corner but didn’t open his eyes. “We understand that you will continue fighting demons and I will supply better weapons to ensure that you do so in safety.” She held up a finger. “It also requires your team to dedicate themselves to extra practice time here in my classroom so that they are safer, more effective fighters.”

Relief flooded through Raith. He held out a hand. “It’s a deal. Thank you very much.”

She rose and shook his hand. “Thank you. Up to this point, I’ve seen very few Adepts come out of this school with a thirst to protect our city. The fact that you’re doing so now at the beginning of your education is refreshing.” Her shrewd gaze caught Nox’s wince when he rose. “It can also be quite painful,” she noted.

Raith looked down at the wolf as well. “Ambry stitched it and sent us to our biome with a crystal, but it’s not like anything I’ve felt before.”

Her eyes tightened slightly. “You feel it?”

He nodded. Fear of the dean telling them both that there was something unnatural about their connection kept him silent.

“You’re not bonded,” she said.

Do we really need to discuss this? Nox asked.

“We do if we’re going to figure out what’s wrong with you,” Raith said aloud.

“He understands you like that?” the dean asked.

Raith nodded. “He understands everything I say, and more.”

Her lips pursed slightly. “More as in he knows what you’re going to say before you say it, as in he sees your thoughts, as in there are no secrets you can keep from him?”

Raith sucked in a steeling breath. “Yes, exactly. What does that mean?”

Dean Mythra looked straight at Nox. “It means you are both something we have not seen at this academy since its founding. You’re not bonded,” she said, looking between them. “You are synergetic, meaning that you rely on each other to complete your energy, your life force.”

I’ve never heard of that,” Nox said.

“Me either,” Raith replied aloud. He realized the dean couldn’t hear Nox, so told her, “Neither of us have heard of that.”

“That’s because it’s very rare,” she replied. “It’s something I did my thesis on many years before you were born, but I have never actually seen it until now.”

“What makes us so different?” Raith asked.

The dean looked from Nox to Raith. “Something in both of your lives has left each of you scarred in such a way that you are less than you were before it happened.” Sadness showed in her gaze when she continued with, “That doesn’t mean you’re a lesser man or a lesser elemental, it just means that a part of you was damaged, leaving a hole unable to be filled by physical things.” She gestured toward them both. “In such circumstances, some souls have found a way to be whole by sharing the missing part.”

Raith was astounded when Nox didn’t say something about her theory being stupid or not being right.

“We’ve both undergone something tragic,” Raith said, thinking aloud. He knew Nox wouldn’t tell him, so he asked the dean instead. “I know what mine was. How about his?”

Dean Mythra met Nox’s gaze. “You haven’t told him?”

At his silence, she sighed. “I feel it’s something you need to share between yourselves.”

She can tell you.

Raith stared at Nox. “Are you sure?”

The wolf lowered his head in a nod.

“What is it?” Dean Mythra asked.

Raith wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but since the wolf wouldn’t tell him, he had to take advantage of the situation, especially if it would shed some light on their strange connection.

“Nox says it’s alright if you tell me.”

Dean Mythra studied the wolf for a moment. Nox raised his head, his golden eyes meeting hers.

“Alright,” she said. “If you wish. You might as well get comfortable.”

To Raith’s amazement, Nox climbed up onto the couch beside him, forcing him to scoot over to the far side of the cushions. The elemental settled down with his head on his paws, perfectly at home on the beautiful upholstery. A glance at the dean showed that she didn’t care in the least. Raith fought back a smile at the cheeky wolf.

“I take it you don’t know a lot about Nox’s back story,” Dean Mythra said. When Raith shook his head, she gave the wolf a sad smile. He didn’t open his eyes, but his alert ears said he was listening all the same. “Going to school here years ago has changed little from today’s routine. The classes are similar, the format hasn’t changed, only the deans have aged out or elected to join street teams when they feel their work here is done.” She gave a quiet snort that would have done Nox proud. “Dying in the way of the warrior instead of succumbing to the influx of years and experience.” She gave a wry smile and said, “Death is not for the weak of heart.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Raith replied.

She smoothed a hand over her desk. “Now while you may be thinking that I’ve gotten off topic, let me tell you a story.”

Her voice took on the cadence of a storyteller, drawing Raith in. He saw Nox’s eyes open at the beginning of her words, then close again as he listened.

“By the time I was chosen as a student at Bellington Academy, this story was already turning into legend. It has since become rumor or whisper, or perhaps forgotten entirely depending on what age level you are around the most.” She sunk lower in her chair. Her winged boar rose and shuffled over to her. He set his head on her knee and grunted. Her fingers found the bristly fur on the top of his head. He closed his eyes in contentment.

“Twins came to our academy. They were stronger, confident, and came from powerful bloodlines traceable back to the tapping of the core itself.” She opened her free hand. “The girl was named Icera and the boy Rhett.”

Nox’s ear flicked. Raith shifted in his seat so he could keep both the wolf and the dean in view.

“Icera and Rhett were inseparable. They did their studies together, ate together, and due to their likeability soon developed a huge group of friends. Both were Soul Adepts and became bonded to shadow wolves.”

Raith glanced at Nox. The wolf’s eyes were shut tighter than before.

The dean’s voice took on a darker tone. “But Icera wanted more. She had delved deep into the power of Crythine energy and she felt the academy was limiting her ability to use it to its fullest potential. So with the help of a dean and behind the chancellor’s back, Icera began to study the darker side of the meteor’s energy.”

Dean Mythra let out a heavy sigh. She smoothed her boar’s ears as she spoke. “With the help of demons, Icera learned of a sacrifice to make herself the most powerful Adept in the world.” Her eyebrows pulled together to form a little furrow between them and a glimmer of tears showed in her eyes. “It was a dark and evil action to take, channeling the nastiest and oldest energies. To perform it, she was told to sacrifice the thing that she loved the most.” Mythra looked up at Raith. “She should have sacrificed her bonded. That was what the spell called for, and she was prepared to do so. But—” The dean swallowed, then said, “Nox, do you want to tell him?”

Silence filled the room.

Nox’s voice was heavy when he broke it to say, When the sacrifice was set up, Icera instead turned on Rhett. She had her followers, who had become fanatical devotees, bind her brother and place him on the altar instead of her bonded shadow wolf. Rhett’s bonded fought and was deeply wounded, but he couldn’t save his Adept from being sacrificed. He was forced to watch as Rhett’s throat was cut.

His voice got thicker as he spoke. The only thing he could do was to throw himself at the burning vat that contained the rest of Icera’s sacrificial brew, spilling it everywhere. Unable to pour Rhett’s lifeblood in with the mixture, she drank it instead. A shudder ran through Nox. She became twisted and skewed, her body part demon, part human. Her followers carried her away screaming her brother’s name, and I was left to lay by Rhett’s side as his heart beat for its very last time.

Silence returned.

Raith rubbed his eyes. “I had no idea,” he said quietly.

Dean Mythra nodded, her gaze sad. “Icera’s soul can never rest. She is caught in between along with her bonded wolf. Most elementals die when their bonded is killed, but Nox stayed in case she returned so that he would have the opportunity to avenge Rhett.”

Raith closed his eyes, then squeezed the bridge of his nose. The sorrow and regret in Nox’s voice felt so much more painful than the wound in his shoulder. Raith took a shuddering breath and focused on a side detail to keep his emotions from taking over.

“What about the dean who helped Icera?” he asked quietly.

“He was never heard from again,” Dean Mythra said. “It’s assumed he got caught up in the sacrifice somehow.”

Raith’s hands closed into fists of their own accord.

The dean’s eyes creased with a measure of humor. “I see Nox picked well, whether he meant to or not. Maybe there’s hope for this world yet.”

Raith studied the wolf. The loss he felt from bringing up the old memories was bright in his eyes. Deciding the elemental needed a break, Raith pushed up from the couch.

“Thank you for your help, and for giving me more insight into what happened. I’ll have the team come by tonight to start training with their new weapons if that’s alright,” he said.

Dean Mythra nodded. “That would be just fine. I’ll keep an eye out for them.”

Nox climbed slowly off the couch. Raith sucked in a breath at the pain in his shoulder.

Straight to Ambry.

Fine, the wolf replied.

His lack of argument was really beginning to worry Raith.

“Take care, you two. Come back when you’re feeling up to some training yourselves,” Mythra called out.

Raith raised a hand in response.

The smell of dinner made Raith’s stomach growl, but he led the way to the healing rooms without stopping.

When he pushed open the door, he was relieved to see Ambry sitting next to the little girl’s bed. He took a few steps inside before he realized the child was awake.

Her wide eyes took in Raith, then shifted to Nox. The wolf paused.

Is she going to scream? I hate when kids scream, Nox asked.

“Hi,” Raith said tentatively.

The little girl looked back at him with solemn brown eyes. “I remember you. You protected me from the demons.”

Raith nodded. “I did,” he said, surprised she could remember him after all that.

“Why did you fight them?”

Her strange question hung suspended in the air. Raith glanced at Ambry, confused.

“Well, to save you from them,” he said.

Her face scrunched up as if she was going to cry, but then she let out a small breath and said, “They told me they were going to help me live forever.”

“The demons told you that?” Ambry asked; she tried to hide the alarm in her voice, but Raith caught it.

The little girl nodded. “But I don’t want to live forever. I want my mommy!” She began to cry this time. Ambry scooted closer on the bed and the girl climbed into her lap, hiding her head against Ambry’s shoulder.

They were going to sacrifice her.

Raith sucked in a breath. Are you sure?

It’s starting again, the wolf said.

Raith wasn’t sure if the elemental was overreacting after the painful story he had been forced to tell, or if he had seen this before.

Why her?

She’s a pure. Can’t you smell it? Nox glanced at him. Of course you can’t. But she smells of the purest energy. I didn’t notice it with the smoke from the fire. That’s who they’ll start looking for, the pure ones. Maybe that’s why they’re getting everyone addicted to Diamond, to have their minions weed them out.

“We’re going to find your mom and dad, Tiffy,” Ambry reassured the girl. “The chancellor’s looking as we speak. We’ll get you home as soon as possible, alright?” The little girl nodded. “And until then,” Ambry continued. “I’m going to have these tough guys get you some pudding from the cafeteria. Do you like chocolate or vanilla?”

Tiffy sniffed, then looked up at Ambry. “Chocolate,” she said in a whisper.

“Chocolate it is,” Raith replied. He motioned toward the other healing room. “Do you mind if I get Nox set up first?”

“Go right ahead,” she told him.

Raith followed Nox into the other room.

I could help you get the pudding, the wolf said.

Raith grinned at him. “What’s wrong? Scared of a little crystal? It’s not that bad. You were fine with it last night.”

I was sleeping and you used it without telling me.

“You passed out. It scared me so I ran to get Ambry. I can’t help it if neither of us knows what to do with an elemental who is somewhere between dead and getting the use of his body back.”

I can’t help it, either, Nox shot back.

Raith motioned to the table. “Want me to lift you up?”

Do it and lose a limb.

Raith stepped back at the elemental’s threat and watched the wolf gather his legs underneath him. While he cleared the edge of the table just fine, they both winced on the landing.

Raith sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Next time, swallow your pride and let me carry you. It’d be better for both of us.”

Nox lifted his lips in an expression that was either a snarl or a semblance of a grin. What’s wrong? Can’t stand a little pain?

Raith was halfway to the crystals when a thought struck him. “Did you feel it when I burned my hands?”

Yes.

His eyebrows rose. “And you didn’t say anything? It would’ve been nice to know.”

Nox gave a wolfish shrug. I thought I’d burned my paws going after you.

“Fair enough,” Raith conceded. He glanced down at his side. “How about this? This still hurts me and you can’t attribute it to the fire or our battles with the demons.”

Can’t feel it.

Raith had the distinct feeling the wolf was lying. He picked up one of the crystals and turned, then casually hit himself where the stitches were. At the answering pain, he had to admit it wasn’t his brightest move, but Nox winced as well.

“Ah-ha! You can feel it! You should have told me all along,” Raith said triumphantly.

Nox settled onto his side and avoided looking at Raith as he positioned the crystal on the wolf’s shoulder above the wound.

What good would it have done?

Raith’s hands paused. “I-I’m not sure, really. But it would have been nice to know this is a two-way street. I’m not just feeling your pain, but you feel mine.”

Yeah, really nice. It’s a great relationship, let me tell you.

Raith grimaced. “You’re a peach to be around right now. I’m going to leave you and go get pudding. I might eat some myself.”

I don’t like pudding.

“Well that’s good. More for me and Tiffy.”

Raith left the room feeling petty about his smugness. Why on earth did it matter if the wolf felt his pain; for that matter, he felt bad because he wasn’t exactly careful and could probably have saved them both a bit of it just by taking care of himself better.

He made a mental vow not to cause the elemental more pain than he was already in.

When he returned with pudding for Tiffy, Ambry, and himself, he also brought a plate of cheese and a big slice of ham for the wolf. To his disappointment, both Tiffy and Nox were asleep.

“We should let them get their rest,” Ambry whispered.

Raith nodded. He set the plate on the floor where Nox could easily reach it when he awoke, then followed Ambry out the door.

“What’s wrong?” she asked when he closed the door behind them.

He looked down at her. “What do you mean?”

“You’re troubled by something,” she said. “It doesn’t take a healer to read the worry in your eyes.”

Raith was about to deny it, but something in her light blue gaze beckoned for him to trust her.

“We’re a team, remember?” she said quietly. “You can tell me anything.”

Raith closed his eyes, then nodded. He looked around for somewhere private.

“How about on the front steps?” Ambry asked. “I could use some fresh air.”

Raith nodded and motioned for her to lead the way. When they were seated on the cement stairs, he had to admit that the cool evening breeze helped to clear his mind.

Ambry took the step just above him. She looked down at him, her gaze searching his face. “What it is?” she asked when he didn’t speak.

“You know how we borrowed those clubs from Dean Mythra?” At her nod, he said, “She figured out that we were using them to fight demons.”

Ambry’s hand flew to her mouth. “Is she going to tell the chancellor? We had to help those people, but if I lose my job, I don’t know where I’ll go.”

Raith put a hand on her knee. “You’re not going to lose your job. She’s alright with it. In fact, she’s more than alright. She wants to help us train with weapons that are better against what we’re fighting.”

Ambry let out a breath. “Are you sure?”

He nodded and couldn’t help how her relieved little laugh made him smile. “You think I would tell you this casually that you just lost your job?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “You barely batted an eye when those two borians rose up from the Diamonded. I don’t think anything fazes you.”

She reached down and fixed the back of his shirt. He didn’t know if the tag was sticking out or if the collar was crooked, but the feeling of her fingers across the back of his neck stole his thoughts away entirely.

“Uh, that…that’s not entirely true,” he said when he remembered how to speak again.

Red colored her cheeks, but she shook her head at him. “Raith, you’re something else.”

“Something good, I hope.”

“Definitely,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.

She was looking down at him with pale eyes so captivating Raith couldn’t break his gaze away. He could only stare as she leaned closer, her eyes on his lips.

His hand lifted of its own accord and gently cupped her cheek. Pushing up from the step with his free hand, he pressed his lips to hers. Her gasp of surprise was followed by her gentle but persistent return of his kiss. Tingles ran all across his skin. He forgot what day it was, where he was, and his own name as he lost himself in the taste of her lips and the way the smell of her light perfume filled his nose.

When she lifted her head, he found himself staring at her and waiting for his senses to return.

“What?” she asked, suddenly shy. “Was it bad?”

Raith made his lips form words. “That was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

A pleased smile combated the heightened the color in Ambry’s cheeks. “That’s good.”

“That’s good?” he replied, amazed. “That’s incredible. You’re incredible. I don’t know why you’re even hanging around out here with a fool like me.”

Ambry’s mouth dropped open. “A fool? You’re anything but a fool, Raith. But….”

His heart fell at the single word. He didn’t want to, but he made himself ask, “But what?”

A teasing twinkle surfaced in her blue gaze. “But I might have to kiss you again, just to be sure.”

His lips parted in a grin. “I’m not going to argue with that.”

He could have kissed her all night but had to settle for two very affirming, satisfying kisses. When she sat back, she gave a nod of certainty.

“Yes, that settles it.”

“Settles what?” he asked through the strange, heady feeling of his lips buzzing.

“Settles the best kisser question.”

“Did I win?” he asked.

She lifted a shoulder. “I’m not telling you. It’s a secret.”

This time it was his mouth that opened. “Seriously? You’re going to leave me hanging?”

She nodded. “Just like that.”

He snorted like Nox. “You’re cruel.”

A laugh escaped her and she covered her mouth out of fear that they might be overheard by someone inside. “I’ve never been called that before.”

“No?” Raith asked.

When she shook her head, he reached up and pulled her onto the step beside him. His side gave a twinge of protest and he inwardly apologize to Nox in case the wolf felt it.

He held up an arm and she leaned her head against his chest.

“This is nice,” she said after a moment.

“It is,” he admitted.

His heart clenched away from fear. He knew what he was afraid of; all nice things eventually disappeared out of his life, and this was the very nicest moment he could remember in a long, long time. His first instinct was to push her away, to protect himself from the ache of the inevitable loss that would eventually follow. But this time, he refused to let the fear win.

He turned his head so that his chin rested gently on top of her white-blonde hair. He smiled at the feeling of it catching in his trimmed beard.

“What was really bothering you in there?” she asked a few minutes later. “I know it wasn’t the thought of kissing me.”

He huffed a small laugh. “I wish I could say it was.” His humor died away at the thought of what he had learned from Dean Mythra. Heaviness filled his tone when he said, “Dean Mythra and Nox told me about his past and why our connection is so different from bonded Adepts and elementals. The story wasn’t easy to hear.”

Ambry’s fingers traced the tendons of his arm down to his hand. He closed his eyes at the brush of her fingertips across his knuckles. “Want to tell me? Sometimes sharing something like that can help ease the burden.”

Raith wasn’t sure how Nox would feel about it, but another thought had come to him, one he didn’t feel like bringing up to his synergetic companion.

He let out a slow breath that made the small wisps near the crown of her head dance. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”

Her fingers wove into his and then closed reassuringly. “I do.”

Raith sat back. Ambry leaned against the step and watched him without removing her hand from his. He studied the little mouse who had curled into a ball on her shoulder and was sleeping away. Using the sight of Fink as a distraction to keep his emotions at bay, Raith relayed the story.

Tears trickled silently down Ambry’s cheeks by the time he was done. He felt a matching tear roll along the side of his nose and brushed it away.

“I can’t imagine,” she whispered. “That’s so horrible.”

He nodded. “It’s a heavy burden to bear. I don’t know how Nox has managed to do it for so long by himself.”

Her light blue gaze held his when she asked, “If Dean Mythra said both the Adept and the elemental had to have gone through something so painful, will you tell me your story?”

Raith shook his head. “I don’t think my heart could handle it right now. I hope that’s alright.”

She nodded and pressed her hand to his chest.

“Your heartbeat feels slow. Are you sure you’re good?” she asked worriedly.

He gave her a half-smile. “It was racing a few minutes ago. Any more of this up and down and I’ll end up on the table beside Nox.”

“He wouldn’t want that,” Ambry said.

Raith laughed at the certainty to her voice. “You know him well.”

Later that night, he and Nox lay on the mossy ground of the Soul Biome watching the false stars that never moved. The crystal he had set on Nox’s shoulder glowed faintly.

“It’s almost out of healing energy,” Raith said. “I’ll take it to Ambry in the morning for a refill, or whatever she calls it.”

Nox sat up, making Raith lurch forward to catch the crystal before it hit the ground.

“Whoa,” he said. “That was close.”

Nox blew out a breath. It would land on the moss. No harm done.

Raith shoved it into his pocket. “Just the same, these are precious. I’d hate to take a chance.”

The wolf fell silent instead of replying. Raith followed his gaze to the still surface of the pond. He asked the question that had been bothering him. “Is there a chance the dean who helped Icera is behind the Diamond? What if he’s trying to get enough demon-controlled humans to bring her back?”

She lost most of her strength when her sacrifice failed, Nox replied, settling onto his stomach. I don’t think a few Diamonded could do that.

“Just the same, it would be nice to get to the end of this.”

He felt the wolf’s agreement before the elemental shut his eyes.

Chapter Fourteen

 

“They found it!” Fancy and Raylena burst into the Soul Biome a few nights later. Fancy waved the note in her hand. “The officers think they’ve found the source of the Diamond! They want us to meet them there tonight in case there’s another horde when they try to take down the supplier.”

Raith and Nox exchanged a look.

About time! the wolf said.

They had spent the last week cleaning up groups of forty to sixty Diamonded each. The ever-present borians were getting exhausting to fight, even with the team using the new weapons Dean Mythra had given them.

“What should we do?” Raylena asked. Her cheetah pranced around her in excitement. Grasshopper was lanky and tall, grown into a true adolescent cheetah instead of a cub.

“Rally the others,” Raith instructed. “I’d hate for the officers to head there without us. There’s no telling how many demons there will be.”

Excitement surged through him as he led the way through Aura’s quieting streets. To his surprise, the instructions led them north into the Epip where the richest of society lived.

“These houses are gorgeous,” Anton exclaimed. “I can’t believe people actually live like this!”

“Yeah, let’s just hope they’re not all Diamonded,” Jed grumbled.

“A nice little yard and a white fence would be lovely,” Ambry said.

Raith kept his focus on the directions and didn’t look right or left.

“What do you think, Raith?” Fancy asked. “What kind of house would you like?”

He glanced back to find them all watching him. He turned his gaze ahead again. “Let’s focus on the mission. Fancy, where will you be?”

“Back left, like always,” she replied. “I’ve got the smaller people while Jed covers the taller ones.”

Raylena took up where she left off. “I’m handling the front right along with any of the smaller demons who don’t disappear when we zap the crowd.”

“How many times does he have to point out that we’re not zapping them?” Anton asked. “Dean Mythra says—”

“I know,” Raylena replied. “Our weapons remove the negative energy, which is what the demons feed on. No negative energy, no demon food.” She grinned and said, “Zap.”

Anton rolled his eyes but stopped arguing. “Pyro and I have the front left. We’re excited to try out what the dean showed us about cooperative fighting!”

“Just be careful,” Raith warned him. “We need to take it easy; this mission is different. Officer Gray and Officer Macklin will be there, probably with others. I don’t want anyone getting shot by accident if the Diamond distributor doesn’t go with them quietly.”

That sobered the group. Raith didn’t want to take away their fun, but he kept Dean Mythra’s warning in the back of his mind. He didn’t want to be the reason any student didn’t make it back to Bellington Academy.

They reached the address. Raith held up a hand at the sight of four police cars parked in the darkness along the side of a school.

“Maybe I should go talk to them,” he said.

“I want to go. I’ve wanted to meet Officer Gray. He sounds like a cool guy,” Anton said.

“Yeah,” Raylena seconded. “I wanted to be a police officer when I was growing up until I found out about fighting demons. Can I meet Officer Macklin?”

“This isn’t a social visit,” Raith reminded them. “Keep a low profile.”

They followed him to the waiting cars, but nobody was inside the vehicles.

“They must have already gone in,” Ambry whispered. “Is that bad?”

Raith wasn’t sure, but he was entirely aware of the fact that his team looked to him for leadership. He kept his expression confident. “We’ll follow as quietly as possible. Keep your weapons dim until we need them. We don’t want to give away our position too early, especially if there’re some inside who are armed and not on Diamond.”

He felt the thrum of excitement through his team as they approached the back of the school where Officer Macklin had written that they would find an open door.

“There it is,” Jed whispered.

The door had been wedged with a rock. Jed pulled it open and motioned for the others to go inside.

“I’ll watch our backs,” the student told Raith. “We’ve never fought inside before.”

Raith understood the tightness of Jed’s tone. The dark hallway felt claustrophobic after battling in the open streets. What if they got trapped? He reminded himself that between him and Nox, they would fight to get their team out of any situation. He was in control.

He repeated this to himself as he followed Nox’s lead down the hall.

Yes, you’re in control. Keep the thought to yourself so I can concentrate. It stinks in here, Nox said.

Raith tamped down on his thoughts and focused on their surroundings instead. It did stink; a smell like sweaty socks combined with something heavy and dank that he couldn’t place. He was used to the sickly sweet odor of those on Diamond. Shouldn’t the school have smelled the same way if they were using it for distribution?

“Grasshopper doesn’t like the stench in here,” Raylena said.

“Rowena either,” Fancy whispered. “Let’s hope it doesn’t get worse.”

Her words lingered when they found the stairs and followed then down. The smell got noticeably stronger. Even Nox couldn’t stifle a sneeze as he led the way.

The sound of gunshots made everyone jump.

“Stay back,” Raith commanded. “I’ll go see what’s happening.”

He ran forward through the darkness at Nox’s side. Two forms burst around the corner, one leaning on the other. Raith looked for his sword; it’s lack of appearance made his heart race.

It’s them, Nox confirmed by smell.

“Officers? It’s me, Raith,” Raith said.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Macklin exclaimed as they hurried forward. “Gray’s been shot. I have to get him out of here, but the other officers are pinned down. They have a Diamonded army in there! I’ll call for more backup along with medical support when we get out.”

Raith willed his heartbeat to slow. “We’ll be careful. Get yourselves to safety.” He raised his voice. “Jed, escort them out in case they run into any more Diamonded.”

“Right this way,” Jed said. “Allow me to help him,” he said to Officer Macklin.

Raith didn’t have time to wonder when Jed had turned into a gentleman. The thought of the officers pinned down made his blood boil. They had released so many people caught in the grasp of Diamond that he was sick of it. Who dared to mess with so many lives and just leave them wandering around Aura? There had to be a reason for it all. He just wished he could figure it out.

Raith rounded the corner. The hallway sloped downward into a gym. He could hear the sounds of commotion. Drops of Officer Gray’s blood caught in the faint glare of the emergency lighting at the end of the walkway. Raith gritted his teeth and followed them down. The gleam of his sword leaning against the final set of doors filled him with determination like it always did. He grabbed it and followed Nox to the doorway, then stared.

The gym was packed with people. He could see the glaze of Diamond in the eyes of those closest to him. There was an underlying sweet scent that he had come to associate with the drugged, so where was the nasty one coming from?

Something’s dead and rotten, Nox said.

“You are not welcome here,” a voice called out. “Leave while you can.”

Every person on Diamond turned to look at him. A shiver ran down Raith’s spine when their clawed hands lifted.

From their vantage point, Raith spotted a group of men clustered around a table. His breath caught at the sight of one pointing a gun straight at him. The man wore a ballcap with an actual diamond on the front. Raith rolled his eyes at the nerve of the man. Someone was proud of what he had accomplished.

“You’ve brought a sword to a gun battle,” the man said. “Who even carries swords anymore?” His eyes narrowed and he said, “Oh, right, the Adepts.”

A shot rang out and the bullet struck Raith’s sword. The sound of metal on metal echoed loudly to his ears, but the blade glowed without showing any side effect from the bullet.

“Next time it’ll be between your eyes. You’re the one who’s been interfering with our process. Set down your weapons or die.”

Raith was about to question the man when a shriek sent ice through his veins. Ambry, Fancy, and then Raylena appeared. Anton glowered behind him as he carefully kept himself between whoever followed and the girls. Four men and two women appeared with pistols in their hands.

“Sorry, Raith. They got the jump on us,” Anton apologized as he and the others made their way to Raith.

“We’ll figure something out,” he said quietly. “Everyone just be safe.”

He kept his back to the wall and moved along it, aware that the leader was glaring at the fact that he still held the sword in his hand. Fancy’s mouse spun in anxious circles on her shoulder while Jed’s raven flapped his wings in uncertainty. The cheetahs kept close to Nox.

“Put the weapons down!” the man near the tables shouted again.

We need a diversion.

That’s was I was thinking, Nox agreed.

Raith looked around quickly. The massive cluster of Diamonded humans watched their every move, though he doubted they could see well with the glaze over their eyes.

I have an idea. It’s a crazy one, he told Nox.

It’s better than what I’ve come up with, Nox replied.

While Dean Mythra had allowed them to take other weapons to use for the Diamonded, she had also given them spare clubs just in case. Raith sent a grateful thought in the dean’s direction for the foresight as he leaned close to Fancy to whisper, “Give me your club.”

Keeping her hands above her head, Fancy eased the club in her left hand toward Raith’s right. He had to switch his sword hand.

“Stop moving!” the armed woman closest to them shouted.

Raith pretended that he needed to sneeze. He knew he wasn’t the best actor, but with all of their lives on the line, he made sure it was the most dramatic gasps before a sneeze he could fake.

“Aaaa…Aaaa…Aaaa…,” he slipped the club from Fancy’s hand and doubled over, instilling it with glowing energy as he said, “Choo!” so loud it rang through the room. He shoved the club into Nox’s waiting mouth and rose. “Excuse me!”

Nox took off like a, well, like a demon, but in this case a good demon with a stick to jar those in a Diamond haze out of it. Chaos rose as the men and women were jolted from their trances. People began shouting and pushing to get out. The distributors were forced to the edges of the gym. Guns waved in the air.

Raylena and Anton saw what Raith had done and handed over their clubs to their cheetahs. The fire cheetahs took off through the gym as though it was a game, tagging as many of the people as they possibly could.

“You!” the man with the diamond on his hat yelled at Raith. He fired his gun into the air.

People scrambled for the exit.

Raith turned to Ambry. “Help them get to the street. The officers should be there soon. I’ll meet you up there!”

“Raith!” she caught his arm. “Be careful!”

“I will,” he promised.

He used the edge of the gym to work his way toward the leader. The tables had been thrown down by those who had been broken out of their trance. Whatever remained of the Diamond was being trampled underfoot.

Raith searched the gym for signs of the other officers. Macklin had said they were pinned down, but he couldn’t see any evidence of where they might be.

“Why are you trying to control these people?” he demanded when he was close enough to the man to be heard.

“Because I can,” the man replied.

Icy shards prickled along Raith’s skin when the man’s eyes turned from brown to red. He couldn’t tear his eyes away despite the people pushing to get past. There was something wrong with the man, something he hadn’t seen before.

Dark shadows pulsed around him, thickening as Raith watched. Small black threads began to writhe along the man’s skin, thickening and deepening as though he was tearing apart from the inside. The armed men and women on either side of him began to back away, their stares of terror matching those freed of the Diamond.

He’s a skinwalker! Get out of there! Nox yelled.

Raith couldn’t break his gaze away. The man glared, his red eyes glowing darker. The lights above them began to explode, showering down a rain of sparks. People yelled and shoved their way past Raith. He held up his sword so that nobody skewered themselves by accident and pushed forward through the chaos.

“Out of my way!” he shouted.

“Try it,” the skinwalker replied. “Let’s see if the wrath of Baylan can end another Winters, shall we?”

The name sent prickles of familiarity through his thoughts. He had heard it before. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. “You’re the skinwalker who killed my grandmother!”

“Among many, many others,” Baylan replied. “And I must say, giving your condition, I’ll enjoy wearing your skin as much as I did hers.”

Raith let out a yell and charged. He swung his sword as the skinwalker burst free of his stolen hide altogether. A body of shadows with crimson eyes lifted the gun. Raith knocked the weapon up and the bullet struck harmlessly above his head.

The demon’s breath smelled like the rotted flesh he had just vacated when he leaned forward to say, “If I’m getting my premonition right, you don’t like fire.” He snapped his fingers and flames danced along the overturned table. He grinned. “Diamond happens to be very flammable.”

Raith’s heart raced. He looked from the fire back to the demon. The skinwalker was backing away toward the big storage closets at the far end of the room. Raith stepped around the tables and kept his gaze on the demon.

“You’re not going to bemoan me a bit of fun, are you?” Baylan asked. “Because I already have my next outfit picked out. Want to see?”

His voice grated against Raith’s nerves. Raith followed him with his sword aimed at the man’s chest. The demon kept the gun trained as well. In a show of both impressive strength and speed, the demon slammed the butt of the pistol onto the lock of the closet door, then aimed it back at Raith before Raith could so much as think to stab him. The skinwalker yanked the chain free and threw open the doors.

Raith’s world slowed at the sight of four police officers chained and gagged on the storage room floor. Their eyes were wide with fear, their weapons stripped away, and their bindings were so tight their hands were beginning to turn purple.

“Let them go!” Raith demanded.

“Ah, but I’ve never been an officer before,” Baylan replied. “What an excellent way to spread Diamond. The bus system was fun, but this’ll be far better. I’ll begin in the cells, then turn the prisoners free.” A smile of twisted glee spread across his shadowed face, revealed yellow teeth.

“To what aim?” Raith demanded.

“Have you learned nothing from Bellington?” Baylan replied. At Raith’s surprised expression, he nodded. “I’ve been following your fledgling career now that you’ve taken up the demon path. Many of us are very excited to see you.”

“Why?” Raith asked, glad that his voice remained as steady as his sword point.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Baylan replied. “Won’t be long now.” He waved a hand. “Let me continue with my process.”

Raith stepped to the side of the closet with his sword close to the demon. “Back away,” he growled.

“I’ll shoot you, then all this will be for naught,” Baylan said.

Raith’s eyes narrowed. “Go ahead. My sword will pierce you one way or another. I’m sure the energy will do you good.”

The demon’s finger tightened on the trigger. Raith shoved Reaver through the skinwalker’s chest right where his heart should be.

Baylan gasped and stumbled backwards with the weapon protruding from his body.

“H-how dare you?” he asked, wavering on his feet.

“You’ll never hurt anyone ever again!” Raith replied.

“But I…but I’m so young,” Baylan said. He coughed and fell to his knees. “I’m too young to die!”

Suspicion pressed against Raith, making him wary. “You deserve it.”

The skinwalker fell to the ground on his back at an odd angle because of Reaver. “Too…bad,” he gasped out.

Raith took a step forward. “Why?”

“You…should have stayed…in school,” Baylan finished.

Before Raith could move back, the demon surged to his feet and flung the sword from his body. He slammed Raith into the wall of the closet and pinned him there with thick, piercing claws.

“Because you would have learned that skinwalkers can only be killed by severing the spinal column, not stabbing the heart.” He grinned, his yellow teeth covered in black tar as he leaned closer to Raith. “We have no heart.”

But you have other things, Nox replied.

The wolf chomped down on the skinwalker’s genitals, driving him to the ground. A yell of true pain escaped from the demon. Raith scooped up his sword and spun in an arc. The blade cut clean through Baylan’s neck, severing his head from his body. Nox backed up as the demon’s form turned to mist, then vanished altogether.

They both stared at the black smear where the body had been.

“You bit his groin,” Raith said in amazement.

Not my finest moment, Nox replied. Let’s never mention it again.

“Agreed,” Raith told him.

Raith used Reaver to cut carefully through the officers’ bindings. The energy sword made short work of the ties.

“Have you seen Officer Gray?” the first woman whose badge read Officer Forsten asked as soon as she was free.

Raith nodded. “Officer Macklin was helping him to an ambulance. One of my team assisted them. They were going to call for back up.”

“Glad to hear it,” an officer named Andersen said as he helped free the last two.

“The fire’s getting out of control,” Forsten said.

Fear pierced Raith’s adrenaline-fueled focus. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the fire Baylan had started had spread from the tables to the wooden gym floor. Fortunately, his team had gotten everyone out, but the flames lay between him and the officers and their escape. Memories pulsed around him, threatening to draw him back to the night his family died. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

“I’ve got it!” Raylena called out.

“Me, too!” Anton said.

Both Adepts’ cheetahs sat beside them as their bonded closed their eyes.

“Together now,” Anton said. “Just like Dean Marigold told us. Easy does it.”

The flames lowered. The officers on either side of Raith stared in amazement. The sweat that had broken out across Raith’s skin cooled.

“That’s it,” Raylena said. “Pull the energy away. We’ve got this.”

The fire lowered to a writhing crawl, then snuffed out altogether.

“Who are you guys?” Officer Andersen asked in awe.

“We’re Adepts,” Raylena said as if that explained everything. Her eyes met Raith’s and her joy at being able to use her ability vanished. “Raith, Ambry’s in trouble.”

No three words could have shaken Raith harder.

“Where is she?”

“Upstairs in the hall. She got trampled by the crowd. I think she hit her head,” Raylena said.

Raith was already running before she finished talking. Nox shadowed him as he leaped up the stairs, then skidded to a halt. Jed and Fancy knelt next to Ambry’s still body. Further up the hall past the group, Raith could see the officers calming down the crowd and escorting the humans who had worked for Baylan to their vehicles.

Raith dropped to his knees next to his team. Running his hands quickly over Ambry, he couldn’t find any signs of injury besides a knot on her forehead that was quickly bruising.

“They could take her in the ambulance when it comes back,” Fancy said. Tears tracked down the student’s face. “But we don’t know when that will be. They took Officer Gray with them.”

“I don’t think there’s time for that,” Raith said. He made a quick decision. “I know where we can go.”

He gathered Ambry up in his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder. He strode quickly down the hall in the opposite direction of the milling crowd. Nobody looked their way. He was almost to the doors when Anton and Jed rushed forward to open them. When they found the doors to be locked, Jed motioned to Fancy. The girl pulled a flask of water from her pocket and poured it on the door handle. Jed motioned and wind blasted against the water, freezing it instantly. One kick was all it took to break the door free.

“You guys have learned a lot from the academy,” Raith said, amazed.

A smile crossed Raylena’s lips. “Parlor tricks. Wait until we really learn to use our powers. Those demons won’t stand a chance.” She cast a worried look at Ambry. “Is she going to be alright?”

“I’m not sure,” Raith said. “But my instincts are telling me not to take her to the hospital.” He hesitated, then said, “I hope I’m right.”

They followed him wordlessly through several streets lit with the beautiful warm glow of streetlamps above the paygrade of those in the lower zones of Aura City. The sidewalks lined neatly kempt yards along with flowering trees and tightly manicured bushes. Long driveways were met at the end by mansions bigger than Bellington Academy.

“Where are we going?” Raith heard Raylena whisper.

“No idea,” Anton replied.

“Maybe he got hit in the head, too. Did you see him fight that skinwalker?” Jed asked.

“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” Fancy said. “How long do you think it was wearing that man’s skin? Someone said he worked for the mayor.”

“I don’t want to think about it,” Raylena said. “I’ve never smelled anything that bad.”

Raith’s feet took him down the driveway without him fully aware of it. He shut out his team’s whispers of concern about both his mental state and their worry if he was planning to break into the house.

The freshly mowed lawn and trimmed bushes told him that the auto payment plan still ensured that the outside of the property remained kept up. He walked to the side of the house. Jed hurried forward without a word and opened the gate for him to pass through. He caught the student’s questioning look, but was grateful Jed kept his thoughts to himself.

Raith locked his gaze on the back door and ignored the urge to look around the yard. He wondered if the swing set in the far corner had rusted, or if the trampoline lay in shambles, but refused to let himself check. Gritting his teeth, he walked up the steps to the wide porch and crossed to the back door.

“There’s a key under that sculpture of a rabbit. Can you grab it?” he asked.

Anton scooped up the key and took it to the door. When the key turned in the lock, the student pushed the door open.

The alarm began to beep.

“We’re going to get caught,” Fancy said.

“I don’t want to get in trouble!” Raylena echoed.

Raith shifted Ambry just enough to reach the alarm’s control panel. He pressed the buttons, cringing inwardly at the date of his parents’ anniversary as he did so. When the alarm stopped beeping, a collective sigh sounded from the group.

Raith led the way through the mudroom and down the hall. Passing the kitchen, he carried Ambry into the living room where dusty drapes covered all of the furniture. Jed ran forward and pulled one of the sheets free. Raith knelt and set Ambry gently on the couch. The sight of the familiar prints on the cloth beneath his fingertips made tears burn in the back of his eyes.

He pulled an object from his pocket.

“Where did you get that?” Jed asked in bewilderment as he stared at the crystal.

“Ambry let us borrow it for Nox’s shoulder. I kept meaning to return it,” Raith replied.

“But it’s out of energy,” Raylena pointed out needlessly.

You’ve got this, Nox said.

Warmed by the wolf’s belief in him, Raith closed his eyes. He focused all of his attention on the crystal like he had that night in the treatment room that felt like so long ago. He pictured it like it should be, warm and glowing with a golden light. He imagined the crystal sending out the energy Ambry needed to heal her.

The crystal warmed in his hand and then began to glow. He opened his eyes to the life-giving light.

“Can we learn to do that?” Anton asked softly.

“I’m not sure,” Raith replied without looking at him.

He held the crystal gently on Ambry’s forehead near the bump. Weak from infusing the crystal using his own energy, Raith sunk to his knees beside her. He watched, worried that she needed more. After a few minutes of tense silence from the entire team, a moan parted Ambry’s lips and she put her hand to her forehead.

“What happened?” she asked without opening her eyes.

Raith caught smiles of relief from those around him.

“You got caught in a panicked crowd and hit your head,” Raith told her. “Stay still. Let the crystal do its work.”

He was glad when she didn’t argue.

“Geesh, that was insane,” Jed said. “Can you believe we just stopped the Diamond drug lord?”

“Yeah,” Anton replied. “And can you believe he was a skinwalker? Ugh.”

“I could do with never seeing a skinwalker again,” Raylena said.

“According to Dean Vronog, skinwalkers can wear someone’s stolen skin until it completely rots off of them. That must have been the smell,” Fancy said with a shudder of revulsion.

Silence fell across the room.

“Uh, Raith, is it alright if we turn on the lights?” Raylena asked. “It’s kind of creepy in here with all the sheets and stuff.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Raith said. He rose unsteadily to his feet and leaned against the couch as everyone searched for the lights. “Over there by the grandfather clock,” he instructed.

The room flooded with light. Raith blinked and saw his mother reading in her favorite armchair in the corner with her feet pulled up under the crocheted blanket her own mother had made her. His father and Mitchell sat near the marble fireplace playing with the little green soldiers Mitchell loved. Benny played in his highchair near their mother and threw cereal at Rocky, the family’s Border Collie. Cassandra and Marisan sat on either side of the intricate coffee table locked in a game of chess. The pieces were made of moonstone carved into cat and dog shapes that caught in the soft light from the nearby lamp.

“Raith?”

Raith blinked again and the scene was replaced by the same furniture covered in white, dusty drapes.

I’m sorry, Nox said softly.

Raith nodded and turned his gaze to Raylena. “Did you say something?”

She gave a tentative smile. “I was just wondering if that’s a picture of your family?”

Raith followed her gaze to the framed photograph above the fireplace. He remembered the confined feeling of the new yellow, collared shirt his mother had given him to match his younger brothers and their father. His sisters wore pale green dresses with yellow sashes that matched their mother’s. Rocky lay on the grass in front of them sporting a green sash of his own that had lasted approximately two seconds after the picture was taken. Benny had proceeded to chase the dog, getting stains on the knees of his new tan pants. Mom hadn’t cared. Her laughter still rang in his ears as they all chased Rocky, much to the dog’s enjoyment.

“Yes,” he said softly.

Nobody spoke. The white sheets were enough to keep further questions at bay.

Eventually Anton broke the silence to ask, “Hey, Raith, do you know of anything to eat? Pyro’s hungry. We could wait until we get back to the academy, but it’s a ways off.”

“I doubt the cafeteria is open this late,” Fancy said.

A thought struck Raith. He smiled. “I have just the thing.”

An hour later found Raith standing in the darkness in the front yard. The emotions that bombarded him at being home without his family had become harder to keep at bay the longer he stayed there. His eyes strayed to the sight through the wide front window.

His team sat around the dining table laughing and joking as they ate pizza from the restaurant where Raith used to be a delivery boy. Ambry handed out paper plates while Jed put big slices laden with extra cheese, pepperoni, and sausage onto them. Sheets still covered some of the chairs and the chandelier was covered in dust and cobwebs. It wasn’t perfect, but the sight of it made warmth swell in Raith’s heart, chasing away the worst of the pain.

They were more than just a team. They had fought together and saved lives together.

They’re a strange sort of family to be sure, Nox said quietly.

Raith let his hand rest on Nox’s head. The wolf didn’t seem to mind. They both watched as Jed handed his raven a crumb of bread. Raylena tossed Grasshopper a piece of pepperoni. Pyro tackled Grasshopper and tried to take it away, then raced around the room at top speed. Everyone laughed at the cheetahs’ antics.

Ambry turned and spotted the pair of them standing on the wide, moonlit lawn. Raith’s heartbeat slowed when her eyes met his. The loose bandage around her forehead did nothing to dim the happiness in her bright eyes. She waved her hand. “Come on!” she mouthed.

Anton held up a piece of pizza invitingly.

Raith and Nox exchanged a glance. He heard the wolf’s stomach rumble.

“They are a strange sort of family, but they’re ours,” Raith said. He felt tentative and unsure.

Stop trying to convince yourself that you deserve it. It’s yours; you made it.

Raith glanced down at the wolf, then said, We made it.

A glow of camaraderie surfaced in the wolf’s gaze and he nodded.

They both looked back at the window in time to see Anton trying to toast his pizza while Jed kept putting the fire out with wind.

They’re a bit terrifying, he admitted with an inward chuckle.

We can try to be brave, Nox said with a snort.

It’s a bizarre sort of chaos, but it’s ours. A smile of contentment chased away the weariness in Raith’s face. Let’s go inside.

Happy to, the wolf agreed.

Chapter Fifteen

 

Laughter filled the air as Ambry led the way up the stairs to the academy. Raith had no idea what time it was, but the lightening edges of the sky he glimpsed between the buildings said it was quite early. The satisfaction that filled him as he and Nox followed the others made it so he couldn’t stop smiling. He had taken two steps up when a voice managed that for him.

“What is going on here?”

The anger on the chancellor’s face erased the cheeriness of the group. The other deans came out of the door onto the top step as well, blocking their path into the academy.

“I’ve got this,” Raith said quietly. He climbed up the stairs past the others. “This is my fault, Chancellor.”

The man crossed his arms. Even Gambit looked upset from his perch on the chancellor’s shoulder.

“I got a call from the police chief thanking us for our assistance,” the chancellor said with a piercing glare. “It would’ve been nice if I had been informed of the assistance we were offering.”

“I’m sorry—” Raith began, but he was cut off.

“Are you truly prepared to be responsible for the lives of these students, Raith?” the chancellor demanded.

“Yes, but—”

The chancellor shook his head, cutting Raith off. “I don’t think you understand,” the man said, his tone flat. “Each student who comes to this academy is my responsibility. I make promises to their families and to each of them.” He opened a hand. “It is implied that I will provide a safe, positive learning environment for every individual admitted within these walls.” He crossed his arms again.

The chancellor’s knuckles turned white from how hard he held his elbows. The sight made warning bells toll in Raith’s mind.

He lowered his eyes. “I apologize for any danger I might have put them in. The responsibility is my own. I’m prepared to accept the consequences of my actions.”

“Raith,” Ambry whispered.

Raith didn’t dare look at her. He hoped if he kept the attention on himself, she might be spared the repercussions of his decisions.

The chancellor was silent for a moment. When Raith dared a glance up, he saw the man looking from one student to the next. Their faces were pale and even their elementals wouldn’t meet the gazes of the chancellor and the deans above him.

Whatever he saw decided the man. “Fine. Jed, Fancy, Raylena, and Anton, return to your Biomes. We’ll discuss the ramifications of your actions later.”

The students walked up the steps in single file. Each one shot Raith an apologetic look when they passed. He nodded, affirming that they should listen to Chancellor Ward.

When only Raith and Ambry remained, the chancellor’s gaze darkened.

“I am disappointed in you both. How dare you take students outside of this academy without permission?” He speared Ambry with a stern look. “Ambry, you know better than most the dangers that lie beyond our walls. What made you think you could protect the students if things got out of hand? Raith isn’t even trained! He’s a loose cannon at best until he hones his skills, and we don’t even know what those are yet.” He looked at Raith. “I admitted you within our walls despite the warnings of some of those behind me.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure if that was wise.”

Raith could barely breathe. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Ambry. “I acted without thinking of the consequences. I’m sorry.”

The chancellor’s eyebrows lowered. “I know you don’t have a family to worry about, and I’m sorry about that, but if something happened to one of these students, I would be the one that has to explain to their family why they were put in danger when they were entrusted to my care for their education. Did you ever stop to think of that?”

“No,” Raith said quietly.

The chancellor lowered his arms and gave a heavy sigh. “Raith, I’m sorry to say that your actions have forced me to suspend you until we can figure out an appropriate response.”

Raith’s heart felt as though it stopped entirely. It was the worst possible thing he could think of at the moment. Let borians tear him apart, kinies whisper in his ear in their dark and twisted language, or allow the gang to beat him nearly to death again; those things he could deal with. But the thought of being parted from the place where he finally felt like he belonged after seven years of wandering aimlessly on pure survival mode felt like Reaver was being thrust through his heart. Nothing could be worse.

“And Ambry.”

He was wrong.

“You swore to protect these students when you were admitted to our faculty. I understand that as the youngest member of our teaching staff, demands have been heavy on your shoulders, but this is unacceptable.”

“Please no,” Raith heard Ambry whisper.

He had to fight back the urge to step in front of her and shield her from the chancellor’s proclamation.

“You are on probation,” the chancellor said. “You may continue your duties, but any further slipup will result in my hand being forced to dismiss you from the academy.”

She looked at her feet. “I understand,” she said quietly.

The faintest breath of relief escaped from Raith.

The chancellor turned back to him. “You may have a moment to gather your things and then Dean Vronog will escort you back out. Return in a week so that we can discuss what you must do to be admitted as a student within our walls once more.”

A hundred different responses came to Raith’s lips. He wanted to beg, to apologize, or to promise that he would never cross such a line again, but his pride kept him from saying more than, “I don’t have anything I need to get.”

He turned and walked back down the steps. Nox followed in silence.

Don’t turn back, Raith thought. Just keep walking.

I wasn’t going to, Nox replied.

I’m talking to myself, Raith said. I don’t owe them anything.

His feet felt heavy as he walked away. He had crossed the street and was almost to the next alley when the chancellor spoke.

“Do come back in a week.”

There was something in the chancellor’s tone that made him turn.

“Why?”

The man was alone on the top step of the academy now. He walked down two steps, then stopped with his hand on the railing. “Our journey doesn’t end here, Raith, but there has to be consequences.” His expression softened. “I know this isn’t the world you want to return to, and I fully understand what awaits you now beyond the academy, but it is up to you to make sure that you return to us in safety.”

“In safety?” Raith had to try hard not to scoff. “You’re kicking me out.”

“You forced my hand,” the chancellor replied without getting riled. “While I do have a heart, I am also responsible for this school. Trust me when I say the needs of the many must far outweigh the needs of the one. Do you understand that?”

As much as Raith didn’t want to, he nodded.

When he turned to leave, the chancellor said, “See you in a week?”

Raith was tempted to walk around the corner without replying, but deep down, they both knew what he owed to Chancellor Ward and Bellington Academy.

“I’ll be there,” he replied.

He walked around the corner and into the waiting darkness. Only his awareness of the wolf at his side gave him reassurance. The elemental could have stayed at the academy. The fact that he had chosen to be exiled along with Raith wasn’t lost in his despair.

We’ve got this, he said more to himself than the wolf.

Nox tipped his head to the side. Whatever this is, we can handle it.

A cry for help echoed through the darkness.

Raith and Nox exchanged a glance.

What do you want to do? Nox asked.

Raith fought back a whisper of fear and said aloud, “You told me once that you could never be bonded to someone who balks at the chance to save a life.”

It’s true, Nox replied. But correct me if I’m wrong. Isn’t this the same situation that got you into all this trouble in the first place?

That brought a wry smile to Raith’s face. “If I was smart, I would probably run in the other direction.”

Are you saying you’re not smart? Nox asked, his tone dry.

“I’m saying maybe I haven’t learned the lesson, but we do have one thing I didn’t have then.”

What’s that?

Raith pointed to the glowing light at the end of the alley. “We’ve got a sword.”

Nox snorted. By all means, then let’s go save a life.

“Or die trying,” Raith said as he broke into a run.

I don’t like that sound of that.

If you enjoyed this book, look for book 2 in the Demon Guard Series! Here is the link for all books that are available:

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About the Author

 

Cheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author who has published over 55 books. She is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her every day. Cheree enjoys reading, traveling to tropical beaches, riding motorcycles, playing the bass for the band Alien Landslide, spending time with her wonderful children, and going on family adventures. Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great quests, and never stop dreaming.

She loves hearing from her readers. Feel free to email her at chereelalsop@hotmail.com