Evermore Academy (Evermore Academy #3) - Audrey Grey Page 0,96

three shapes materialize behind Inara. I know who they’ll be before they enter the light.

Bane, Lyra, and Reina.

“Looks like the gangs all here,” I say, proud that my voice doesn’t waver at all. “I guess your minions forgave you, Inara. Who knew they were so magnanimous?”

“You don’t understand anything about our kind, do you?” Inara steps closer, the metallic silver accents on her Winter Court uniform glinting. “They follow me out of fear, not kindness or some naive sense of loyalty.”

While she speaks, I quietly scour the room for an exit. Nothing. An ominous chill fills the air. Our breath crystallizes into churning white clouds.

This is bad.

Slipping my phone from my pocket, I discreetly pull up my last text, the group message with Eclipsa and Valerian. It feels like it takes forever to type “help” and hit send.

Then I hit the little microphone and quietly drop the phone into an open drawer. If they track us here, at least they’ll have a recording of the events.

Then I square up to Inara as quiet purpose takes hold. I’m going to have to use my magic to save us, even if that means jeopardizing my chances at winning the Nocturus.

Bane joins his sister. Dead eyes the color of bleached bone meet mine, and an involuntary shiver courses through me.

Reina and Lyra stand back a few feet, close enough to guard the door. “We need to hurry,” Reina hisses, her nervous gaze ping-ponging to the door and back.

I keep my eyes trained on Inara, but my focus switches to gathering the icy magic swelling the room. Cold energy swirls around me—but it’s slippery, moving just out of reach whenever I get close.

What the frick?

Panic constricts my chest. Maybe my magic doesn’t work when I’m distressed? Not true. Eclipsa made sure after the Darken attack in the forest that I practiced using magic under duress.

I try again. When nothing happens, I switch tactics.

Would a portal work?

The only time I successfully mastered one was when Valerian was in trouble, but I have no idea how to recreate that.

“Shall I rip off a wing first?” Inara drawls. She lifts a kicking Ruby into the air between us, and my heart ratchets into a hammering pace.

I raise my knife, prepared to send it into her throat, if necessary. “Don’t touch her.”

“Satisfying,” Inara purrs as she tugs gently on the tip of one fragile wing, “but too easy.”

“I think I hear someone,” Lyra growls. “You said this would be quick.”

Inara ignores her. “What do you think, Summer? Do you and your friends deserve a quick death?” She shakes her head, her four inch boot heels grinding into the papers as she draws closer. “No. I don’t think so.”

Bane flashes a hyena-like grin. “Do it. C’mon.”

Trading my blade for my crossbow, I load an iron bolt, take a ragged breath, and brace myself for whatever horrible assault Inara has planned.

A light blue surge of magic flares behind us, illuminating the shadowy room. I whip around to face the new threat and—

“The heck?”

Electric blue flames form a perfect Miata-sized circle. Blue light bounces off Mack’s round cheeks and dances over the end of my bolt tip. Blinking against the sudden brightness, I focus on the growing forms sprouting inside the circle.

Not forms. Trees. Black, withered stalks—

Adrenaline floods my veins. “Portal!” I go to shove Mack out of the way—

Inara moves so fast that all I make out is a streak and then . . .

Mack is gone. Shoved into the portal. She hops to her feet on the other side. Whatever she sees sends her scrambling to get back to this room.

A wave of fear crashes over me. If she’d rather be here with Inara and Bane then whatever lurks on the other side must be terrifying.

My plans change on a dime.

Despite the undoubted nightmare that awaits, I have to jump in and save her.

“How adorable, she wants to be a hero,” Inara mocks. She opens her mouth to no doubt insult me further when her eyes stretch wide and she shrieks.

Ruby has clamped down on the meaty section between Inara’s thumb and finger, silver blood dripping from the wound. Inara reflexively opens her fist, and Ruby streaks to my shoulder.

Throwing up both my middle fingers, I meet Inara’s glower with a fierce look of my own before leaping into the portal’s mouth.

40

I tumble across the hard ground. Dead branches tangle in my clothes and hair. Ashes and soot fill my mouth. Jackknifing to my feet, I whirl to face