Hellfire (Nightfire Academy #4)

Chapter 1 - Talon

CHAPTER 1 - TALON

“ I table the matter of Luna Prince.” Kymbal stared down his hooked nose at every member of the Guild Council present in their chambers.

Council members shifted in their seats, two pairs of eyes going to Venellan, one Gildron adjusting his collar, another bouncing his knee, a third nervously swallowing a third of his water. Fidgeting was a sign of danger they taught us in Tollen classes. Something foul brewed involving my princess, and I was helpless to do a damn thing about it, unable to sway the members with my opinion or testimony.

My fists clenched on my knees as I watched the proceedings from the computer screen at my desk in The Eye, where my crew ferreted me inside each day to update me on the news.

The night we returned from Camus’ castle, Kymbal put Cole, Luna, and me on suspension pending an investigation, with demotions his aim. Punishing us further, they assigned the three of us to Veil repair crew duties for practically the entirety of my princess’ winter break.

The Tollens didn’t respect their “new leader” or his brand of retribution and wanted Kymbal gone. Decisions made during our emergency meeting included following every member of the Gildron Council to establish what dirt Kymbal held over them to obtain their vote and support in my penalty. An investigation separate from my private infiltrator search conducted with the help of my closest circle, Cole and Blaze.

Kymbal’s finger stabbed at his glasses to lift them up his bulbous nose. “The danger Miss Prince caused to the Veil is without precedent. The most massive disruption threatens to tear the protective barrier completely asunder. I propose she be expelled from this institution immediately.”

I balled my hand into a tighter fist, needing to expel restless energy and knock that guy in the goddamn schnoz.

In the four meetings they had since we rescued Blaze, they barely mentioned Nelle or her deceit, when the bitch smuggled dark magick spells into the Academy and eroded our protective spells, resulting in the elemental and Brotherhood invasions.

“I’m not condoning her actions.” Venellan gestured to the rest of the Council, seeking to convince them. “I don’t blame the girl or her friends for rescuing Blaze when you roadblocked me, demoted me as Council leader, and prevented me from launching a retrieval mission for him.”

Kymbal puffed out some muttered excuse that went nowhere as his influence on the Council sank like a leaking ship. His minions glanced around the room for a lifeboat.

Venellan went in for the kill. “You left one of our most valuable assets in the hands of the snakes, and now he’s branded by them, potentially under their influence.”

Deafening silence gripped the Council in a chokehold.

“Perhaps we ought to vote on your removal from this Council for reckless decisions that have cost us.”

Kymbal’s lip curled in response.

“We all make mistakes. It’s how we learn.” Venellan hit home another point. “Are you free of blunders, Kymbal? I seem to recall you getting into some hairy predicaments over the years.”

“Like the Clarence Village incident,” Albert added.

Ah, the infamous incident where Kymbal lost control of a hydra, and it morphed into another three beasts and destroyed the entire village. I chuckled along with the Council.

Red splashed across the soon-to-be-ex-new leader’s neck and face.

“Or the Zig Zag train line catastrophe,” Cecil piped in, another supporter of Venellan’s who looked twitchy moments earlier.

“We’re not talking about me,” Kymbal spoke down to them in his standard haughty tone. “Miss Prince sought out the aid of a wielder of the dark forces.” He enunciated each word like a fired bullet cutting down my princess’ future. “Darkness twists, corrodes, and corrupts the spirit of the person who uses it, and I won’t have that brought into my facility.”

Venellan jerked at the last three words. He worked with my team and went along with this sham for the purpose of eradicating his competition for good. Kymbal turned the Council into a joke, a bunch of nappy-wearing politicians that squabbled over petty bullshit that got us nowhere, instead of making decisions that progressed the Academy.

I cracked my knuckles, desperate to release my pent-up anger.

Venellan leaned forward on the table. “Much as I hate to admit it, the rogue, Gable, has never made a move against us since he escaped the serpents. He survived and fought the evil we also battle.”

Defending Gable was a first, but he needed to cut down the bullshit PR narrative the worm tried to spin.

Kymbal went to rebut this, eyes closed, mouth raised in a sneer.

Venellan cut him off at the pass. “Must I remind you that Gable has come to our aid on multiple occasions?” He hammered in each point with a stab of his finger on the wood table. “He saved the lives of students and staff caught in the crossfire of Camus’ invasion of our library and rescued one of our own from his former master’s clutches. And alerted us to the presence of an infiltrator, who we discovered was one of our students, Nelle.”

Murmurs of concord echoed throughout the stone room. I rubbed my palms, pleased that the Council leaned toward his argument, potentially saving mine, my brothers’, and my princess’ future here. We needed all the lifelines we could get with our fate uncertain.

“What evidence do you have that he’s corrupted anything, let alone Miss Prince?” Venellan swatted at the air to make a point. “Bold accusations like this demand proof.”

I smiled at Kymbal, barely able to restrain his seething hatred of his rival. “Miss Prince went outside of the Academy’s direction when she was expressly forbidden to. What never changes is that on one side of the line is light and on the other is darkness. That girl going into the darkness endangered us all.”

A poor comeback, typical of an asshole only on the Council due to his family connections and pedigree. Other than his credentials, he was a useless Gildron, a pitiful leader, and a dangerous enemy.

“That’s not proof of her supposed corruption,” Albert reminded, earning ground teeth in response. “Yes, her actions were hasty and ill-thought-out. Hardly means to expel her. Give her first and final warning. One more poor discretion and she’s out.”

Heated arguments broke out between the members that only Venellan was able to calm because Kymbal went off like a rocket launcher.

I owed Gable more than my thanks. He gave me valuable insights into the trouble at the Academy. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have determined that Nelle was the infiltrator. Hunting her down led me to suspect she had help from someone, a Gildron or Tollen, to bypass the security systems. That person remained at large. Not for long, though.

Secondly, Gable’s suggestion to trap the specters in Devil’s traps netted me answers about the rituals being performed on leylines to harness potent power from the Veil. Information I had to put aside for higher priorities.

And lastly, any time our princess asked something of him, he agreed, even if it was dipping back into the dark powers he left in his past. Time and time again, he proved he wanted to end the snakes as much as we did, and that was the kind of man I wanted fighting by my side.

With the attention of the Council under his control, Venellan delivered a lethal blow. “I counter your proposal with reinstatement of Talon for extenuating circumstance—rescuing one of our own.”

“What?” Kymbal puffed, and I let out a laugh as he tried to maintain his failing integrity as a leader. “Absolutely not.”

Venellan ignored him and laid out the rest of his case. “To this, I add that Cole is restored to his role in weapon’s development. We need his genius to stand a chance against the Brotherhood.”

Yes, we did.

“Order! Order!” Kymbal slammed his gavel to no avail.

Cecil snatched it from him and tossed it on the floor.

Venellan gave his ally a sharp nod of thanks. “And lastly, I propose that Miss Prince is enrolled in her second semester of studies. She’s a valuable weapon in the war with the Brotherhood we can’t afford to lose.”

Uproar erupted in the space, and the gargoyles rasped and flicked out their wings, agitated by the commotion. Their confusion came to me in bursts through our shared stone connection, though not as strong as it did when I was in the same skin as them.

“Those in favor.” Venellan commanded the room in a way Kymbal never could, and five hands went up, leaving only the weasel and his strongest collaborator, Marius, in objection. “Thank you, Council.”

I barked out a laugh at Venellan’s success and leaned back in my chair. What a relief after being benched for almost two weeks. I felt a stab of pity that Blaze wasn’t brought into the equation but understood Venellan’s motives. Blaze changed in Camus’ castle and his mentor wanted to assess his behavior before bringing him back onboard. Three out of four successes, with one to be addressed in the future. Not bad odds.

Odds that deserved to be celebrated on the Saturday before the second semester started on Monday.

I found Luna and Cole playing computer games in the student recreational room, one of the few activities they were allowed to partake in on their bans. They talked smack to each other as they raced in Mario Kart .

Brimstone’s head shifted, and he chirped his greeting from her shoulder. I pressed a finger to my mouth and scratched his head.

Crouched behind them, I wrapped my arms around their shoulders and dragged them back for a hug, careful not to interfere in their game. “How are my two favorite sexy people doing today?”

“Getting my ass kicked!” Cole jerked his Play Station controller to the left like it would save him from crashing into the sidelines.

“Brimstone and I are winning!” Luna giggled, setting aside her controller to tickle her gargoyle’s chin.

Cole elbowed her in the arm, then patted his stony friend. “Excuse me, he was talking about me and Brimstone.”

Brimstone closed his eyes and wobbled his head, playing along with the joke, enjoying the attention by the pleasure along our rock bond.

I tickled my princess’ belly and kissed the back of her head. “Actually, I was talking about me and my gargoyle.”

Luna shifted position in her bean bag to swat at my arm. “Peck him, Brimstone!”

The gargoyle flapped his wings at me.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to meet you in a dark alley. You’re terrifying!” She stroked his back, and he preened at the compliment.

I laughed at him. None of the other gargoyles had his temperament, personality, or intelligence. I could see why Venellan hand-picked him to protect and report on Luna when he refused her and her family refuge.

Luna’s smile scorched the last of my darkness from the past fortnight. “What’s put you in such a good mood? You find Camus?”

I compressed my lips. “My news isn’t quite that good, but it’s good.”

Cole thumped me in the arm. “Define good.”

I ruffled his hair and kissed the side of my brother’s head, feeling more like the old me than I had in years. “We’re all reinstated to the Academy.”

“Finally!” Cole fist-bumped me.

Luna’s eyes widened with a ray of hope. “Blaze too?”

When my smile fell, the light snuffed out, and I hated being responsible. “Venellan wants to keep an eye on him first.”

Blaze displayed more than just PTSD and depression symptoms after his rescue. The stubborn serpent branding on my best friend gave both me and his mentor cause for concern. It was my duty to protect the Academy, and I couldn’t put Luna and the Guildlings at risk if the symbols had a residual effect on him. In time, when Blaze healed his mental wounds, he’d understand.

She ran her palms along her jeaned thighs. “He’d get better faster if he was given a little hope.”

My chest cracked as if my stone skin came to life hours before the call of night. I loved that she advocated for him when he couldn’t do it himself.

Circumstances couldn’t be easy for my best friend after losing his position and magick in the space of a month. On top of that, he now had to juggle the nightmares, panic, and vigilance of his ordeal. Things we wouldn’t leave him to deal with alone.

I massaged the heel and ball of her hand to shake off her despair and win back her smile. “We’ll be there for him in the meantime and keep him out of the darkness.”

Meanwhile, we’d catch the mysterious traitor who helped Nelle smuggle in the snakes, spell the gargoyles to sleep, blind the cameras, and erase the protective symbols in the library, giving Camus access to the Academy. Hopefully, that would strengthen our vulnerable positions, fortify the Academy, and give us sway to request Blaze’s return to teaching duty. At least, that was the plan.

“I guess that’s something,” Luna admitted, patting her thighs.

I caught her chin with the crook of my hand and traced my thumb along her jaw, elevated by the softness of it against my calloused fingers. “You’re some princess, you know?”

She hmphed me and cracked a brief smile.

I changed the topic to break up the mood that went south. “Want to come down to the bar for a celebratory drink?”

Luna wound the cord of her and Cole’s controllers and packed them up. “Can Blaze and Gable come?”

They were part of our team and warranted an invite, except Gable had been busy acquainting his sister to a life free of the snakes. I wasn’t sure if he’d leave her alone and come to the bar with us, or bring her with him when she wasn’t used to the outside world.

“Do you think Gable will come if he’s nursing Mary?” I wasn’t updated with the latest on him and his sister since I was busy closing in on the Academy’s second traitor.

My princess retrieved her phone. “Only one way to find out.”

I addressed my next concern. “I don’t know if Blaze would be up for it after…” The rest didn’t need to be said.

His kidnapping ordeal left him on edge, twitching at unexpected noises, motions, or someone brushing him, his gaze scanned for danger in the shadows, his body primed to bolt, and it pained me to see him like that.

Luna gave me a solemn nod. “I’ll call Gable.”