Phoenix Academy - Lucy Auburn Page 0,75

to visit you in San Francisco. We're going to get the lives we want, Lizzy—we'll finally be able to stop running."

She drops my hands and throws herself at me in a hug so tight it makes tears spring to my eyes. In my ear, she whispers, "Just don't lose yourself in the process of freeing us from him."

In his death, she means.

Because killing him could change me.

I don't want it to.

I want to be the same Ari who loves my guys and my sister.

I hope I can pull that off.

It's hard to get a location rune to zero in on my father. Something about his soullessness makes him difficult to track. In a way, it makes a crude kind of sense: our spirits are our connection to the Spirit Realm and the magic that leaks out into the mortal world. Without them, he's like a black hole, empty of anything for spells to track.

So I have to rely on my sister Lizzy's foresight, and hope that when we get to New Jersey he'll be there, or almost there—she wasn't sure exactly when she was seeing him. Standing by the academy gates, I nervously check and double-check my pack, while the guys do the same—but with less nerves.

"It's going to be okay, you know," Reggie says, lowering his voice for my ears alone. He reaches out and places the flat of his palm on my back, rubbing in soothing circles. "We can pull this off."

"But what if we can't?"

"Then we keep trying. It took more than one try to get Lizzy. I'm sure you can do this too. I believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself."

My eyes flutter closed, and dark memories play across the backs of my eyelids. "I shot him over and over again. He just... kept coming."

"Which is why we have the rune. And a plan to make him hold still as you burn it into his back. You're stronger this time, Ari. And you're not alone."

Takin gin a trembling breath, I nod sharply. "You're right. It's just nerves. Right before battle and all that." I smile at him grimly. "Here I didn't realize Headmaster Towers was preparing us for war this whole time."

David quips, "The combat lessons didn't tip you off?"

I laugh. "I guess I should've realized sooner."

"This'll be our last mission like this," Xavier says confidently, as he pulls his triple-checked back over his shoulders. "Once this is done, we'll have finally vanquished all of the most dangerous foes who hunt phoenix. There'll be peace."

"For a while," David says bitterly, "until the next threat rises up in its place."

Despite myself, I feel the flutter of hope in my chest. "If another threat rises, we'll face that too. Same with the next one. We have allies now—the mages have finally woken and risen to the challenge. And witches all over the world are even now waking to new magic in their blood, realizing the promises of their ancestors before them. Somehow I have to believe that it all means something."

"Let's get a move on," Reggie says, as he adjusts the straps of his own pack until it's tight against his back. "It's time to kick some soulless ass."

I take one last look at the academy over my shoulders. The teachers are standing on the steps to watch us head out—right before we left, McKinley insisted we all show her how to escape a chokehold. Yohan is there with his ancient wisdom and wry banter, and Headmaster Tower's fiery red hair is a halo around her head, her expression confident and unwavering.

This place was here for me when I needed it the most. It stayed standing as Hell itself was unleashed on its grounds. I have to believe it'll still be here when I get back from taking out my mother's murderer—the man who started it all, whose blood flows in my veins.

Peace. What a strange and wonderful thing to hope for.

Kneeling down, I draw the portal rune just in front of the gates. Then I step back, say the words of power, and imagine a place in my mind: the outskirts of Newark, New Jersey, just past the airport, where jet engines constantly rumble in the sky. In the distance, the city is visible, and a church far too close to the airport's bustle, its lights dim and its siding molded. A NO TRESPASSING sign is hung on chainlink built around the church, which is no doubt scheduled to be demolished.

My father finds these