Bound by Prophecy (Descendants Series) - By Melissa Wright Page 0,54

I cannot move you all at my will?”

Emily took a deep breath, and then gripped the handle of a blade that was strapped beneath the front hem of her shirt. Four knives, I thought, for gods’ sake, she has four knives.

Her left hand dropped in a strange motion, and I suddenly stilled. My eyes found Logan, who had eased slightly away from the other Division men. My stomach dropped, and instinctively, my mouth opened to stop them. But I couldn’t. There was nothing I could do. Any signal I gave would only alert Morgan. Her right hand came up, her grip loose and ready.

Morgan laughed. “Oh, look, Aern. Your prom queen brought a knife.” His words were light, plainly unconcerned she could strike him from that distance, and several of the younger men along the walls chuckled. But I could see the concentration in his features, the way his thumb pressed against the inside of the platinum ring at the base of his third finger. It wasn’t working. He was doing everything in his power to sway this girl, and it wasn’t working.

My chest swelled. He couldn’t take her. He could never steal her mind. I prayed he wouldn’t kill her, that he would wait, try and use her to bait Brianna, that there was some chance…

And then the corner of Emily’s mouth rose in a smirk, as if she, too, were laughing at his prom queen jab. When her knife landed solidly into the left side of his chest, it was as if all the air was sucked from the room.

“I was homeschooled,” she said evenly, a new knife suddenly in her hand, and I knew the words were to remind him of her mother.

Morgan let out a shocked huff of air, hand coming up to grip the hilt protruding from his chest, and the room broke into chaos.

“Here,” Logan shouted to the men behind him, pointing the location of a concealed keypad. Several soldiers moved on the group, whose position now seemed less like cattle being led to slaughter and more like a raging stampede. Brendan reached behind his back to retrieve a hidden revolver, apparently not so trusting as he had seemed, but shots were fired from the opposite side of the room and there was abruptly a frenzy of suits and soldiers searching for cover, aiming for kills, and locked in unarmed brawls.

Two men leapt onto the stage to grab Morgan, who had removed the blade and was screaming furious threats at anyone within earshot. I had broken loose of one restraint, but dislocated a thumb in the process and couldn’t free my other hand.

I yelled, “No!” toward Emily as she rushed the stage, but it couldn’t be heard over the din of battle.

Her eyes met Morgan’s as he was dragged behind the hidden door, each of them delivering an unspoken promise before the panel slid closed and broke their connection.

“Look out!” I screamed, and she rolled to the floor just as one of Morgan’s men took a shot at her from the lower level. He spun as a bullet tore through his chest, and she crawled over to cut my straps free.

“What are you doing?” I hissed as she cut the last tie and I could finally grab and shake her.

She stared helplessly for a moment, as if she had no good answer, and then I fell to the ground as my legs collapsed.

A cry escaped Emily and she crumpled over me. Panting, I looked down where her hand pressed tight against my hip, and realized I’d been shot. Again.

“Help!” Emily yelled. “Logan! Brendan!” and then, as though she could think of no other name, “Eric!”

I took a deep breath, and then pressed my own hand over hers and leaned forward.

“Aern,” Logan said, suddenly crouched in front of us.

I nodded and Emily slid her hand from under mine, and then she and Logan each took a shoulder.

“The east wall,” Logan said, and we moved clumsily across the platform toward the steps. Two of Logan’s men met us there, covering fire and helping to block our escape from view. As we came to the east entrance, I glanced at Logan, who seemed to know more than anyone else about the new ins and outs of Council.

“I’d already done the recon,” he said, gesturing at Emily as he released my shoulder. She was on my good side, and slipped easily beneath my arm to prop me up while he pressed a code into the keypad. Emily glanced