Chapter 39

39

R hi

“If Spencer and Tristan can motivate and organize the students to stand with you, I think we stand a chance,” York says once the two boys have left her office.

“Especially with us resistance fighters helping too,” Ellie says.

“As soon as Kennedy arrives,” Winnie says, “Trent can take out his communication channels.”

“And I can release the potion that will disorientate his troops,” Ellie adds.

“Thank you,” I say, but I’m engulfed in unease.

Stone must read that unease in my mind or through our bond because he asks me, “What’s wrong?”

I bite at my thumb considering all the others.

“I can’t help feeling that this is my fight, my moment with destiny, and I shouldn’t be asking all of you to get involved.”

Winnie tsks and Ellie shakes her head.

“Are you serious, Rhi?” Winnie says. “This fight belongs to all of us. Fate gave you five men for a reason and she also gave you me and Trent and Ellie.”

Winnie takes my hand. “We may not be bonded, but we’re here to help you and that’s what we’re going to do.”

I can’t help smiling at my best friend, my eyes tearing. I’ve gone from precisely one friend (and he is a pig who can’t speak) to so many people that I care about and who care about me too. I may be about to face who-knows-what, but I can’t help feeling blessed and lucky and damn, damn happy.

“Thank you,” I say again, this time with more feeling. “Thank you all.”

“Winnie and Ellie, perhaps you could go and update the other resistance fighters. Beryl, it would be useful if you could dig up any more information that might be of use to us either on Queen ?eelfl?d or the prophecy. And Professor Stone, Enforcer Kennedy and …” She pauses as she looks at Renzo last.

“Renzo Barone,” he says, holding out his hand. If the principal recognizes his name and who he is, she doesn’t show it, keeping a completely passive face as she shakes his hand, eyes lingering for a millisecond on the blood still staining his throat and his ear.

“I think it would be helpful if the three of you went to see how Tristan and Spencer are getting along.”

“I’m not leaving little rabbit alone,” Renzo says.

“Pardon?” the principal says and despite everything, I feel my cheeks sizzle .

“It’s okay, Renzo,” I insist, sensing that the principal wants to talk to me alone. “I’ll be along in a moment.”

He frowns, but then Stone and Azlan are shoving him out the door.

It closes and then it’s just me and the principal. It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken alone and a lot has passed in that time.

I turn and face her. She used to intimidate me in my early days at the academy. I certainly didn’t want to end up on her wrong side and even more than that, I found I didn’t want to disappoint her. After all, this woman let me keep Pip with me when everyone else was dead set against the idea.

Now, however, I feel differently about her. I still don’t want to let her down, but I feel like there’s more of a mutual respect between us – especially if she’s recognized how great my best friend is.

“Are you going to ask me if I’m sure I know what I’m doing?” I ask her. “Because the answer is no. I can’t be sure. But I think you should be more worried if I was. Only assholes tend to believe in themselves and their decisions 100% – that’s been my experience anyway. The rest of us have to battle our doubts and weigh up the right thing to do.”

“I agree entirely,” the principal says, “but I wasn’t going to ask if you were sure. Whether you are or not, is almost irrelevant. I think it has to be done. We either take this moment to strike now or we waste years of misery and grief, waiting for destiny to gift us another moment like this.”

“You think so?” I ask.

“Yes, Beryl is correct. We have Spencer and Tristan – boys most of my students would follow off the edge of a cliff. We have talented resistance fighters like Ellie, Winnie and Trent. We have several dragons who appear to be on your side. And then, Rhianna, we have you. You and your five fated mates. If all the prophecy and the tales of Queen ?eelfl?d tell us is true, the six of you working together will be truly remarkable.” She nods her head. “What I want to say is, don’t hold back, if the moment comes, use everything you have, don’t let your doubts inhibit you.”

I stare into her intelligent eyes. Maybe like Stone, she’s been able to read thoughts all along because it’s as if she’s reached right into my mind and picked out the worries floating there. That I won’t be strong enough. Or worse, that I’m twisted and corrupted like my dad and if I let my powers truly take hold of me, who knows what damage I might do.

“I’m going to do everything I can to stop that man,” I say, “but you should know, there’s a risk–”

“A risk?” She frowns.

I take a deep inhale. “The magic – the powerful magic I have inside me – it isn’t all good. Some of it, quite a lot of it, is bad.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Yes, I can feel it. I’ve always been able to feel it. Although, like you say, it’s grown alongside your other magic.”

“You could feel it all along?”

“Yes.” She tilts her head to one side. “It’s a useful skill to have when you’re a principal. One of the reasons why they picked me for the job – my ability to seek out talent.”

“But I thought you thought there was nothing remarkable about me,” I blurt out.

“Well, of course, it depends whether you consider your magic remarkable,” she says with a smile that makes me blush. “Which I do, Rhianna. But I have also been principal long enough to see many students with remarkable powers misuse it or fail to live up to their potential. I see that is not the case with you.”

“I hope so,” I mutter.

“I also know when best to share with others this knowledge and when to keep it firmly to myself.”

“Thank you,” I say for the third time. “I appreciate it.”

“Now,” she says, “I’ve monopolized your time long enough. I’m sure you want to find the others and prepare. I’d advise you to be ready in the morning. The resistance will have lookouts on post to signal to us when there’s an approach. You have the night.”

I find my five mates in the gymnasium, crowded around a whiteboard and listening to Spencer as he waves his arms in the air, occasionally pointing to the board. The others are nodding or asking questions. For once, there is no arguing going on.

I peer down at Pip.

“Are my eyes deceiving me or are they actually getting along?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Stone calls out and the others all look my way.

“Where are all the students?” I ask. “I thought you were trying to persuade them to fight with us.”

“We did,” Tristan says with a smug grin, “and we briefed them too. Now we told them all to go get a good night’s rest and be ready to fight in the morning.”

“That’s what York told me to do too. ”

“Well, she’s right,” Azlan says. “We’ve been running on adrenaline. We need rest.”

“I doubt I’ll be able to sleep. I don’t see how anyone will be able to.”

“Best you try,” Azlan insists.

“Not until you’ve explained the plan,” I say, striding up to peer at the whiteboard. It has a rudimentary diagram of the academy scribbled all over it as well as several crosses and arrows.

“It’s simple, really,” Spencer says, looking way more himself than he has done in days, his excitement buzzing through our bond. “The academy is impregnable to attack. Not only because of the old spells that prevent intruders but also the physical location of where and how it was built.”

“Erm,” I say, “the Victory Ball.”

“Okay, yes,” he says, rolling the pen between his hands and bouncing on the balls of his feet. “It’s vulnerable to attack from above, but not anymore, not now we have dragons. And this old mansion was built in such a way that it would be protected. We’re up here on top of the mound. We can see anyone coming and to reach us they have to climb up the hill, meeting our onslaught from above.”

“Or they have to go through the forest,” Tristan says.

“Which no sane magical would attempt,” Spencer says, grinning at his friend and bumping him with his shoulder.

“They could try tunneling,” I point out.

“Sure, but that takes time and also the earth here is chalk – any tunnel they try to build would fill with water.”

“They could barrage us with magic,” I say.

“Yes, from below. We’d have the high ground and the advantage.”

I cross my arms and examine the diagram .

“Okay, this is all very well. But we don’t simply want to survive their attack. We want to end things once and for all.”

“Yep,” Spencer says, “which is why we’re going to lure them in – either by dragon or from land– and then ambush them.”

“Oldest trick in the book,” Renzo says.

“This is what that is,” I say, pointing to the board, “luring them in.”

“Yep, Kennedy is going to send his foot soldiers first. We lure them in and take them out and then it’s just us and Kennedy.”

“Us, all of us, right?” I say. “The only way we’re going to defeat him is if we fight together.” I let my gaze run over these five men. All of them mean so much to me. But would they have each other’s backs in battle? Will they fight for one another? “I don’t think this works unless we are in it together.”

Pip squeaks his agreement from my ankles.

“All of us,” Azlan says firmly and Tristan and Spencer both nod.

“Stone?” I say. “I know you have a past with Renzo. I know you have issues with him–”

“You have issues with me?” Renzo asks him, sounding genuinely hurt.

“Of course, I have issues with you. You’re a psychopath.”

“It’s not nice ,” Renzo says, “to call people names. I can’t help what I am, Birdman, any more than you can help who you are.”

“Yeah, but I don’t enjoy killing people.”

“I’ve found something I enjoy even more than killing now,” he says, eyeing me up like I’m dessert.

Stone rolls his eyes and shoves his hands deep in his pockets. “I can live with him,” he says to me, “if that’s what it takes.”

He might even grow on you , I say in my mind. And remember, you promised me you’d try .

Stone grimaces, but he’s willing to try, and that’s good enough for me. Because I’m certain that if we don’t stand together, we are going to fall together.

And a hell of a lot of people will fall with us.