Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,107

strain on his face. He’s giving everything he has to kill the beast. It coils and thrashes violently, screeching loudly.

But as it dies, more worms erupt from the sand, quickly surrounding us. The wind is howling viciously. My hair flaps wildly around my face, blocking my visibility even more. Nevertheless, I sense when one of Chaos’s creatures approaches me from behind. I whirl around and then jump as high as I can out of its path. It hits the spot where I had been standing, and then it slithers away into the sand.

A path opens up for me, allowing me to see Rufio attempting to protect Mrs. Malek and Renata on his own with the help of two lightning-glass daggers. They look puny and pointless against the beasts that are fast approaching them.

No. I won’t let those monsters take him from me too.

With a war cry, I break into a run. I’ve recovered from the lethargy from before. Maybe it’s the fury propelling me. Or desperation. Either way, I have no idea how I’m going to stop those monsters from devouring them or me. All I know is I have to try.

MORPHEUS

I regain consciousness bound to a giant tree trunk in a jungle I know all too well. It’s Chaos’s preferred territory, where he lets his beasts wander free to terrorize anyone who is unlucky enough to venture in. Seven years ago, that was us.

I push against my restraints, surprised when the vines break easily. The drop is ten feet, which I can’t stop from happening. What the hell! I search inside my core for my newly awakened demigod powers. They’re there, alive and kicking, but also trapped behind an invisible force. This didn’t happen when I was here before.

Duh, Morpheus. You’re in his prison. Of course he tampered with your ability to break free.

I must be deep in his realm. It doesn’t matter. I’ll find a way out of here. Daisy and my friends need me.

“Hello?” I call out. If there are monsters here, I’d rather face them now.

My voice echoes in the emptiness of the forest. It’s quiet, eerily so, just as it was when we ventured here seven years ago to battle for our lives. Little did we know that surviving Chaos’s wicked games would bind us to him. Suddenly I realize I haven’t felt his mark on my back in a while. Does it mean that by ascending to demigod status, I broke free from his shackles?

With careful steps, I begin my exploration. Sweat dots my skin, and I’m painfully aware of my heart beating in staccato rhythm. Little rays of sunlight are able to penetrate the thick canopy, but they do little to change the grim sensation that hangs in the air. I hear the crack of a twig snapping behind me, which spikes up my adrenaline levels. My heart is stuck in my throat as I whirl around, ready to fight whatever creature is coming.

There’s a dark silhouette of a man hidden partially behind a thick shrub. His breathing is coming out in bursts, as if he’s been running for miles. I swallow the lump in my throat, knowing without a shred of doubt that this is one Chaos’s fiends. And here I am without access to my powers and no weapon on me. His eyes glow an unnatural fiery red, and his fingers are contorted into claws. With a roar, he breaks into a run straight at me. Without my ability to smoke out of the way, I brace for the impact. It’s not until he crosses a ray of light that I recognize him.

“Stephan?”

My words have no impact on him. He leaps to tackle me, and at the last second, I finally snap out of my surprise. I jump out of the way, pivoting so my back is no longer to him. Stephan staggers forward thanks to the momentum but recovers fast.

“How did you get here, and what the fuck happened to you?”

There’s no sign of recognition in his eyes. He’s gone berserk. And worse, he’s in possession of his powers, unlike me. He rips a massive tree out of the ground and hurls it at me with the strength of a giant. It happens too fast, and I can’t get out of its path. A large branch hits me in the stomach, sending me flying back. I hit my head on a boulder when I fall, getting stunned for a moment. Stephan flies in my direction, carrying in his hands a