followed, but Rue dropped her chin to her chest.
“Well?” I asked Nell. “Can we do it?”
After a hard swallow, Nell said, “I don’t know how to get there.”
Crap. That was the reason I needed them; I had no idea either.
“Rue?” Nell prodded, her voice filled with sympathy. “Please? It’s for Kaja.”
When Rue lifted her chin, her eyes swam with tears. She nodded, but her expression was lined with terror. “We’re going to need a boat.”
There was a story there, one I wanted to hear later. Right now, I didn’t care how Rue knew how to get to Dark Row; I just needed to get there.
As for a boat … pretty sure the selkies were royally pissed with us right now, but if I had to swim with the murderous warriors to save my friend, so be it.
“I know where we can find one,” Nell said. “Let’s get Kaja and head out.”
The night was pitch dark. The campus lights remained off, but we weren’t the only ones carrying a makeshift stretcher with a body on it. I saw at least a dozen bodies still on the ground on our way to the boat docks, most of them royal guards.
We left the campus proper and wound down a set of steep wooden stairs to a dock. Several boats were moored there, at least a dozen, and I nearly bumped into Nell when she drew to a stop.
“Are you sure it’s safe for me to return?” a man growled, his voice familiar. “Protect the ruler above all. Remember?”
Oh. My. Frickin’. Mother. Mage.
I knew that voice.
Nell pushed us off the path and into the shrubbery surrounding the dock.
“Yes, sir,” another man said. “The attack is over.”
I watched, feeling equal parts fascination and disgust, as King Declan snapped his fingers toward a boat, and two guards disembarked, joining the three other shifters on the dock.
“Malik, I want every student and teacher with an eyewitness account of the attack to be in my office in the morning. I will find which clan is involved in getting these usurpers on my island and obliterate them!”
“Of course, sir.”
The guards scrambled to unload what looked like the king’s duffle bag, complete with embroidered AI insignia.
That bastard packed a bag before he fled to let us fight on our own?
“And what would you like to do about your wife? She was held captive and is badly wounded.”
“Hasn’t she been healed yet?!” Declan asked—or rather demanded. “How could you—?”
The group strode past us, and we shrank back into the shrubs.
“All of the healers from the castle were killed in the raid, sir,” one of the guards said.
The alpha king snarled, and I shrank farther back at the raw power and menace in his voice.
“Well, get back on that boat, and go find me another one from the mainland, you jackass!” the king snapped, the threat clear as if he’d spoken it. “And you’d better hope she survives. My heirs adore their mother.”
My heirs adore her, not him. Suddenly, I felt very stabby, and I forced myself to take several deep breaths to calm down.
We waited until their voices faded and the one guard had taken the small speedboat and was riding it full-steam ahead back to the mainland. Then, we inched our way out of the undergrowth. Both Nell and Rue’s eyes were wide, reflecting the same shock I felt.
The alpha king fled while we were under attack. Even worse, he’d left his injured wife.
We boarded an Alpha Academy crested speedboat and carefully loaded Kaja’s limp form, trying to do all we could to not injure her further. Rue and Nell worked in tandem to unmoor the small craft. As we glided over the water, I leaned over Kaja and whispered, “Hang on, girl. We’re gonna fix you, good as new.”
Chapter 18
Rue pulled up to a long dock bustling with activity despite the darkness. Or maybe the traffic was because of the cover of night. Either way, dozens of people milled about, their hushed voices creating a low, indistinguishable buzz. Their transactions occurred with a rapidity that made my head hurt, a sleight of hand and exchange of goods. As soon as we tied the boat off, silence descended over the crowd.
Nell jumped onto the dock, and the crowd dispersed, casting wary glances our way. Probably because we were all covered in blood and holding an unconscious girl, driving a boat from Alpha Academy.
“That’s quite a welcome,” I muttered, sensing the first inkling of unease trickling through my insides. “So, how