Students were running into the university. We burst past the campus grounds, where the teachers were stationed all around the castle. They were taking wide stances, hands burning with magic to stop the monsters if they made it to the university.
A few monsters approached the gates of the school, but once they touched Lady Magdalina’s wards, they hissed and stepped backwards. They couldn’t get past the boundary. Lord Lucien stood at the gates, shepherding students in. His face sagged in relief as he saw me pass, and he squeezed my shoulder, as if to tell me it was going to be all right.
We were safely behind the university gates, where Lady Magdalene's magic would protect us. Gabby didn’t dare cross her.
But the rest of the patrons of Dolinska weren’t so lucky. Even from within the halls of the school, we could hear the terrible screams as people died. The eight of us gathered in the courtyard with the pool, quivering as students ran past us to hide in their dorms.
“We have to stop this!” Kiara insisted. “If we don’t, more people will die!”
“What are we going to do? If we go back out there, we might be killed with everyone else!” Delmare shouted.
“Odette said we needed to get to a safe place,” Theo said, glancing at her.
“Yes, but can we really stay here and do nothing when we know what’s going on out there?” I asked.
Odette had been quiet ever since we’d entered the courtyard. She ignored our bickering, and knelt by the side of the pool. She stared into the water, as if trying to force herself to have a vision.
I wasn’t sure if it would work— she’d said before she couldn’t command visions to come to her. But the gods must’ve wanted to give Odette a message, because a blank look overcame her eyes, and her gaze flickered back and forth for a couple moments as she stared at the water’s surface. She blinked before she rose to her feet.
“Team Phantom,” she said. “We can save lives tonight.”
“But can we keep our own?” Stefan asked.
“I’m not sure. The vision wasn’t clear,” Odette said. “But we have the opportunity. It’s our choice if we take it. If we don’t fight, many more lives will be lost. The people need a beacon of hope— they’re looking for a hero. We need to give them one.”
The desperate cries of children being slaughtered outside the university gates welled in our ears. We all looked to Ethan for an answer. He was the original Phantom. This was his call.
“Everyone mask up,” he said. “If we can save one life, it’s worth the risk.”
It was terrifying to consider returning to that hell, but I knew in my heart that I had to call upon courage. The White Rose was braver than I. She would lead me into battle without thinking twice, because the people of Malovia were depending on us.
And she wouldn’t hesitate to kill if she had to. Once I left these grounds, I had to leave Emma behind, and become the vigilante once more.
It was the only way I’d survive out there.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ethan
My mind had gone clear. I didn’t feel fear or anguish as I slipped on the Phantom mask and donned my vigilante cloak. The only thing coursing through me was the urge to protect my city at all costs.
I hadn’t become the Phantom since I’d banished the demon that lived inside of me. Instead of the pulsing hatred that usually rushed through my veins, there was a cool urge to bring peace and order.
I’d resisted becoming the vigilante until now, but my fears were put to rest. I could still be the Phantom and not turn into the villain. I no longer lost to myself. There was a divide now between the Phantom and I that drew a clear line from who he was and where Prince Ethan began.
Each of my companions flanked me, wearing their corresponding masks and cloaks. The White Rose ran by my side, and in her eyes, I saw no dread. She was ready for this, and so was I.
We slipped out the rear of the university campus to avoid the teachers, then ran through the woods to get back into Dolinska. Once our feet hit the cobblestone, I immediately became aware that this was a bloodbath. Entrails and dismembered heads lay throughout the streets, evidence of the carnage.
Too many, I saw, were little ones. There were more children dead than there were adults. The