21. Raven

TWENTY-ONE

RAVEN

Every layer of my uniform feels heavier than the last, the weight of our future seemingly stitched into every tier. I can feel the buttons of my blouse against my chest, the hem of my skirt at my waist, and the padding of my blazer at my shoulders.

I know it’s all in my head, but as we walk toward the main academy building, the five of us all together, it feels like it restricts every step I take. So much has happened here on campus. The good, the bad, the ugly. There’s no shying away from it, but it hasn’t brought me to my knees yet, so it’s not starting now.

Brax is up front, no longer occupying the spot by my side now that the others have returned. Eldon is on my left, his arm slinked around my back, while Zane is to my right, my hand encased in his. Peering over my shoulder, I find Creed, but his gaze isn’t on me. He’s alert and aware of everyone and everything around us.

The relief I feel at us being reunited feels tainted by the fact that we’re back here, choosing to put ourselves in danger. I may question the decision for the rest of my life.

I didn’t want Burton to bring his self-proclaimed war to the rest of the Elevin Realm in search of me. Especially with the remnants of our house last night, and that’s just what he did here. I don’t have the proof he was behind it, but my gut knows. Outside of the academy grounds, the mass destruction would have found undeserving casualties, just as he did with the civilians that lost their lives in Pinebrook. I refuse for that to be on my hands. That kind of bloodshed is unfathomable, and as much as I believe I’m not a hero in all of this, I’m certainly not going to willingly offer up innocent people to be sacrificed to him for no worthy reason at all.

Above all of that, the pain I have felt at the hands of this man is endless, and I want the satisfaction of bringing him down once and for all. I want the smell of copper in the air, the visual of his lifeless body sprawled at my feet. I want it all. I don’t know what that makes me, but I don’t care either.

I remind myself of that fact as we near the academy building, coming across larger groups of students who watch our every move. Conversations simmer down to a whisper, murmurs swirling around us about the three Bishops that have suddenly reappeared before them.

It feels odd not anticipating Genie’s unwanted attention like we would usually get, but I can’t say I miss it. My gaze searches for the uniforms among the masses that don’t match ours and it doesn’t take long for Ruben to step forward, flanked by a guy on either side of him.

Brax doesn’t stop until he’s standing toe to toe with him, looming over the assumed enemy by an extra couple of inches.

“Oh my gosh, Raven,” Leila whisper-shouts, taking a few hurried steps toward us as she gapes at my men, relief flashing in her eyes. I shake my head subtly and she draws to a halt, Grave a step behind her.

His hand falls to her shoulder, surprise consuming his features along with many others around us, but it’s not relief that resonates in his eyes. It’s something else. Something I can’t put my finger on, and that only intensifies my wariness of him.

Wetting my lips, I turn my attention back to Ruben to see a few more guys standing closer to him now, all dressed in the same uniform as they sneer at Brax. Eldon’s arm drops from my side while Zane’s hand flexes tighter around mine.

I half consider asking him to use his magic to turn us invisible so I don’t have to deal with this shit, but there’s no point in delaying the inevitable. Releasing Zane’s hand, I take control of the situation.

“Are you going to get him or not?” I ask, cutting the remaining steps toward Brax, but instead of slowing to a stop, I brush past the Shadowgrim students with ease. “It would save me the time if you did,” I add, glancing over my shoulder to see Ruben glaring at me. “We’ll be in the courtyard.”

I don’t wait for a response, absorbing the sound of my shoes hitting the marble floor beneath my feet. Anger fills my thoughts as I consider whether it was Ruben and his asshole friends who ransacked our home and damaged our belongings. Fuckers. It took ages to reorganize everything last night, and that was with magic.

They’ll have retribution to face if I find out it was.

By the end of the hallway, Creed has managed to outpace me, placing him a step in front while Zane and Eldon reappear at my sides. The opposite way around. The grumbles and heavy footsteps behind me confirm Brax is still with us too. He’s probably not happy with me for disrupting his preferred formation with which he likes to protect me, but I won’t falter under these fuckers. He knows that. Deep down, I know he trusts my judgment on it too, but that doesn’t make it any easier for him to swallow.

Stepping into the courtyard, there are a few groups huddled together waiting for classes to begin, but one snarl from Brax has everyone scampering without another word. I roll my eyes at their lack of backbone, but appreciate the empty courtyard at the same time.

The back of Zane’s hand ghosts against mine, and as much as I want to reach for him and feel his warmth against my palm, I refrain. It’s already clear to Burton, even in his Erikel fur cloak, that these men are my weakness; I don’t need to offer him the reminder of it, too.

As if sensing my thoughts, hurried footsteps echo from the marbled hallway and a moment later, a sword-wielding golden warrior appears. He eyes us frantically, his pupils dilating just a smidge, but it’s enough for me to notice. His gaze settles on Creed, eyeing him from head to toe before he tucks his sword into his sheath.

“Clear,” he calls, and a second later, Fitch steps out with Burton behind him. It’s weird to call him that when he looks every inch like Erikel. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. But we’ll call him what he is, even if that’s not who he resembles right now.

The sneer over Burton’s face accentuates the scar down his eye as he storms toward me with barely contained fury. His hand rests on the hilt of his sword at his waist, like he’s tempted to use it, but before he can get within arm’s reach, we all summon our swords, just as planned.

Weighted silver hangs from our grasp, the golden hilts shimmering enough to make his steps slow as he snarls in my direction. “You were called upon yesterday. Where were you?”

That’s where we’re going to start? I thought for sure it would be more around the three men that are now back at my side.

Shrugging, I keep my mouth shut, silently enjoying the irritation that brims in his dark eyes.

“Your lack of attendance hasn’t gone unnoticed for the entirety of the day yesterday and half of the day before; consequences will come,” he promises, and I roll my eyes before I can stop myself. His knuckles turn white as he grips the hilt at his waist tighter, but he still doesn’t pull the weapon. “Are you going to tell me where you were, or are we going to have to interrogate you?” he snaps, turning his attention to Zane, Creed, and Eldon. He may seem done with me, but I know it won’t last. That’s the one and only certainty in this whole situation.

“You left us in the cave system,” Zane replies, twirling the tip of his sword against the grass at his side.

“Don’t lie to me, boy. We returned, and you were nowhere to be found,” he sneers, clearly enjoying baring his teeth at us a little too much.

“Well, we obviously weren’t going to stay there, and our magic doesn’t allow for us to re-enter the academy, so we took shelter elsewhere,” Eldon states, his tone bored as he sighs heavily.

“I had men search your homes. You. Weren’t. There. So try again,” he pushes, and I feel the anger thrum among Creed, Zane, and Eldon.

Rhys didn’t mention that? Would he have told us, or would he have considered that something for him to worry about and not us? Fuck, I don’t know. Either way, fucking with their families is not in his best interests, that much is clear.

“The closest home to the cave system was Brax’s. We took refuge there,” Creed bites, clearly feeling anger on behalf of his mother. We haven’t had any contact with her, but if she’s been left vulnerable at the hands of this man, my onyx-eyed love is not going to be happy.

Burton shakes his head, anger burning deeper from within him. “Of course, you’ll tell me somewhere that no one can bear witness to you since his parents are dead.” He spits the last word with purpose, aiming them like spears at Brax, who doesn’t move an inch.

He knows differently, and we know differently now, which only makes it sweeter. This man is out of his depth. Minute by minute, hour by hour, nothing is going his way, and now he’s floundering, leaving us with the opportunity to get the upper hand.

When it’s clear he’s not going to get the response he wants from Brax, his glare turns back to me. “How did you reconnect?”

“The shadows.”

His gaze narrows. “How?”

“I asked, and they showed me.”

He dismisses my answer with a shake of his head. “That’s not how it works.”

“What would you know?” I ask, acutely aware that I’m the necromancer here, not him. I might not know what I’m doing with the shadows, but I surely know more than him.

“They always want something in return,” he presses, taking a step toward me, and my hand tightens around my blade. I peer at Fitch over his shoulder for a second, still confused about how this man so openly stands at his side now.

“We didn’t have negotiations.” I sigh, shrugging, and Burton’s sword whirls toward Eldon, the tip of his blade stopping mere inches from his face.

My spine stiffens, panic thrumming through my veins as I use all of my strength to remain still and not react too quickly.

“Did you bring back what belongs to me? What’s rightfully mine?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eldon states, cocking a brow at him, which increases the fury radiating from him.

“Don’t play dumb with me. The ruby. Give me the ruby!” he snaps, jabbing the blade an inch closer to Eldon’s face, and I lift my own, aiming it in his direction.

“We. Don’t. Have. It.” The words burn my throat as my pulse pounds in my ears.

“Read her. I want the truth,” he snaps, nodding in my direction, and the golden warrior inches toward me. He’s remained silent this entire time, his gaze locked on his son, and I can’t tell if it’s relief he feels at having to read me instead of him, but I would take it this way every time.

I can block him. Ari taught me.

Exhaling, I build my walls up, letting the golden glove press against my temple as he tries to penetrate my thoughts. It’s a gamble whether he’s going to reveal my ability to shield him or not, but my instinct tells me he’s desperate to separate his son from this mess. Most of that time has been getting him away from me, but reality clearly shows that’s never going to happen.

At this moment, we’re either his enemy or he’s slowly becoming our ally. There’s no in-between.

My gaze doesn’t falter as I stare deep into his eyes, and a moment later he steps back, drawing his hand away as he turns to his leader.

“She’s telling the truth.”

Fuck.

I sag with relief inside. I had refused to consider what the alternative may have brought, unwilling to deal with any more possibilities, and now I don’t have to.

“You’re playing games you can’t win,” Burton promises, withdrawing his sword despite the murderous desire flickering in his eyes. “Getting on the wrong side of me puts you on the wrong side of the war.”

“What war? The one you expect us to blindly follow you into when we want nothing to do with it?” I snap, eager to get the fuck out of here without injury, but the part of me that wants to continue to rile him up is prominent. “You may have coaxed some members of the academy to your side,” I push, glancing back at Fitch again. “But I believed in Burton, in what he stood for. What did you do to him, huh? He would never leave the academy in such disarray. He gave us strength, fortified our alliances, and encouraged us with hope. None of what you have to offer puts the war in a good light for us. There’s no gain for us, just for you.”

Nausea swirls in my stomach as the words slip from my lips. I fucking know it’s him underneath this façade, but he doesn’t know that. I want him to think he’s winning despite my desire to argue. Let him think he’s got the upper hand, but it’s only a matter of time before it’s all going to come crumbling down.

The flash in his eyes confirms who he truly is, the sense of pride still cascading over him, and I have to bite back the smirk threatening to spread across my face.

Burton flicks the fur coat at his sides, turning away from us as he heads back toward Fitch. It’s not until he’s by the doorway that he turns back to us, determination shimmering in his eyes. “Burton was weak. The time has come for stronger and wiser leadership. You would do well to learn that, and learn it fast because the realms are changing around us.” His lips purse for a second as he assesses me before the corner of his mouth tips up and my stomach sinks, bracing for whatever is about to come next. “You will fall in line, or all of your current leniences will be taken away.”

It’s not a threat; it’s a promise.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I snap, nostrils flaring as I glare at him.

“I have a pretty little cage with your name on it ready and waiting. Give me one excuse to use it, just one. I dare you.”