Chapter 33
REGAN
I held as still as I could as Healer Elycia eased the gauze away from my skull. Dried blood tugged at hair that had been flawlessly clean just a few hours ago. Now it hung in knotted, ruststained clumps around my shoulders.
“The gash has already closed,” the healer announced, peering intently at my forehead. “Your head may be pounding for a while. But you’ll live.”
“Thank you,” I murmured to the House Avari healer. “I appreciate your care.”
She nodded stiffly, already moving away, clearly not a Head-mistress Regan fan. That was fine. I wasn’t either. Not anymore.
Kage prowled near the door, reminding me more than ever this evening of a wolf.
I wondered if he wished he could shift into his animal form here and now and run away from this place and never come back.
If I could do what he could do, I’d run out into the night, lift my head, and howl at the moon.
I was tired of highbloods, tired of blightborn.
Just plain tired. And the insanity just kept coming.
Feet pounded up the steps of the tower. I watched as Kage tensed. “Rodriguez,” he barked. “To me. Now!”
I knew he’d already positioned Avari guards in the hall, but from the sounds of the footsteps, this was a large group. The guards wouldn’t be enough—not if whoever it was meant to breach the infirmary.
I slid off the cot, moving to stand behind Kage along with Professor Rodriguez. Healer Elycia didn’t seem like much of a fighter, and neither did Florence Shen, despite having a dragon. The others in the room were all injured and lying in cots.
Kage glanced at me. “Get back, Regan.”
“No,” I said quietly. “I’m fine. I’ve rested long enough.”
He didn’t protest again, just drew the blade from his belt. The pounding footsteps had stopped. Were they slaughtering the guards in the hall? My heart beat faster. The infirmary doors flew inwards.
“House Leader,” an Avari guard said and grinned. “Someone to see you.”
“A few someones,” Professor Sankara announced, marching inside the room.
My mouth fell open. Behind him came Medra Pendragon,Theo Drakharrow, and his blightborn boyfriend, whose name I didn’t know, Visha Vaidya, and perhaps most surprising of all, Lysander Orphos.
Also surprising was who was not in the group, and who I’d have expected to be there: Blake.
Medra’s eyes flew around the room, going from Kage to me to Rodriguez and then past us.
“Florence!” she cried. She was covered in blood that looked to be her own, one cheek shredded open with what looked like claw marks.
I stared. The wounds were fresh, yet already starting to close.
Medra crossed the room in two great strides to where Florence Shen stood by a worktable fiddling with herbs and folded her into a tight embrace.
Meanwhile, the little fluffin—Neville they apparently all called him—pranced about by their ankles, squeaking as if he’d done something remarkable.
Considering his aptitude for detecting the plague, I supposed he deserved a little credit.
I watched in fascination as Medra held her friend close, her shoulders quaking—with laughter or tears, I couldn’t tell.
She was filthy, bloody, broken, and yet here she was, glowing with relief over seeing a girl who wasn’t even her consort or her family, just a friend.
I’d never known such a feeling, never imagined such loyalty unmotivated by anything but fear.
I’d had friends, yes. But suddenly I found myself doubting my understanding of the meaning of the word.
I doubted I had one friend in Drakharrow who would embrace me with the emotion I was seeing between Medra and Florence right now.
Even my own father never showed me such affection.
I turned my head away, but it was too late.
I caught Kage watching me. I looked away and started to walk across the room—only to collide with Theo.
“Good to see you’re all right,” I said quietly, expecting him to step aside and let me pass.
Instead, he stayed right where he was. Only then did I realize how furious he looked—and all of that fury was directed right down at me.
“Do you have any fucking idea what your archon is doing out there?”
“Something terrible, no doubt,” I said wearily.
Theo’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think this is funny, Regan? Do you? Do you have any idea what Viktor just made Blake do?”
“Don’t talk to her like that.” Kage stepped in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest. “If you have a problem, you take it up with me.”
Theo looked at Kage in disbelief. Then he did something I never expected him to do and shoved Kage hard in the chest. The Avari leader didn’t budge an inch—but he did snarl.
“Theo.” It was the tall blightborn boy. He darted in between Kage and Theo and tried to pull Theo back. Then to Kage he said, “He isn’t trying to start trouble.”
“Isn’t he?” Kage growled. “It doesn’t look that way to me. You’re in my house. This is the Avari Tower. Regan is under my protection. You’d do well to remember that.”
Theo scoffed. “You’d protect her? Protect our honorable head-mistress—” he said the word with bitterness “—after all she’s done?
Do you even know what we’ve been through tonight?
Do you know where we just came from?” He pointed at me accusingly.
“We just came from fighting an entire fucking army of your Bloodguards—led by Viktor Drakharrow, I might add.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”
Theo laughed. “You’re sorry? Are you serious? Are you really going to try to say none of this is your fault? That, what—Viktor was pulling your strings? That you couldn’t help it?”
“Theo,” the blightborn boy by his side whispered. “Please.”
“Back off, Vaughn,” Theo snapped. “She has to pay for what she’s done. She’s just as much to blame as he is.”
Kage growled again—a decidedly wolflike sound this time. “You’re out of line. You’re the one who needs to back off, Drakharrow.”
“No,” I said quickly. “Let him speak. Theo’s right.”
Theo blinked. He gave a choking laugh. “I am? Really?”
“Yes.” I lifted my chin.“I’m responsible.Whatever happened here tonight, I’m to blame. I let the Bloodguards into this school.Viktor was behind their creation, but I set them up to—” I took a deep breath “—to bully and to hurt.” I closed my eyes.“Even to kill.”
“That’s exactly what they’ve been doing tonight,” Vaughn said quietly. “The halls run with blightborn blood.”
I paled. “I need to see for myself. I’ll go at once. I’ll do what I can to try to stop them.”
“Try to stop them?” Theo scoffed. “Excuse me, who the fuck are you, and where’s the real Regan?” He leaned forward and rapped on the side of my head. I flinched. “Viktor, are you in there? Is this some sort of a sick trick?”
Kage’s fist met Theo’s face before I could even open my mouth.
The Drakharrow boy fell backwards onto a cot.
Theo sat there for a moment, looking stunned, then he ran a hand over his face and burst out laughing.
He was hysterical, I realized—none of this was like him.
But then, this was no ordinary night. Once he’d started laughing he didn’t seem to be able to stop.
Vaughn crouched beside him, a hand on Theo’s shoulder as his whole body shook with waves of laughter.
“Don’t—don’t you see,” Theo gasped, “don’t you see how funny it is?”
“No,” Kage said coldly. “I don’t.” He glanced at Vaughn. “Is he infected? Was he bitten?”
Vaughn shook his head. “No, that’s not it. Trust me. You’ll want to hear what we have to say.” He looked rueful. “He’s been through a lot. What with Blake becoming a dragon and—”
“What?” I interrupted. “A dragon?”
“That’s right. You going to pretend you didn’t know?” Theo accused. “That Viktor didn’t already tell you?” He hiccupped, trying to get control of the fit.
I stared at him. “Viktor doesn’t tell me anything about his true plans.
If you think that he would, you’re more of an idiot than I ever took you for, Theo.
He’s my archon. Don’t you get what that means?
He fucking owns me.” My voice broke, but I kept going.
“He owns my family. I don’t even know where my little brother is.
Don’t you see that? Don’t you understand?
” I stopped suddenly, realizing I’d been shouting.
The entire room was quiet. Everyone had heard me.
I felt my face flushing with humiliation.
Then I lifted my chin. It wobbled a little, but I knew it was too late to go back.
The truth was out there. Everything was coming to a head.
I couldn’t hold everything together. It was all coming apart. I’d been a fool to even try.
“It’s just funny,” Theo said quietly, “to have this fucking Avari try to shut me up, when we came here to warn him.”
“Warn me about what?” Kage demanded.
Theo took a deep breath. “To warn you that Blake really did turn into a dragon. Viktor threatened to kill Medra if he didn’t do as he said.
He demanded Blake wipe out the plague from the city.
Blake didn’t want to, I know he didn’t. But …
he flew away.” Theo’s eyes were wide with disbelief.
I understood the reason for his hysterical laughter then.
“Nyxaris arrived. Viktor disappeared. We have no idea where the fucker even went.”
The entire room erupted—everyone talking at once.
“Silence,” Kage roared. “What do you mean? Tell me now. Tell me quickly before I rip your throat out.”
“Go ahead, Tanaka. Go the fuck ahead.” Theo sounded exhausted. “It won’t help. It won’t stop anything. Blake flew into the city, just like I said. He went to destroy Veilmar.”
Kage looked skeptical. He glanced at me.
“I don’t know anything about it,” I whispered. “I had no idea.”
He nodded.
“You don’t believe me?” Theo challenged. “Everything I’m telling you is true. Get to a fucking window and look outside if you don’t believe me.”
I tugged at Kage’s sleeve. “Hurry. Come on. Let’s do as he said.”
Everyone followed as we went out into the hall. Even the injured students were rising from their beds, determined to see if what Theo Drakharrow had just claimed could possibly be true. We all knew people in Veilmar, almost every student at Bloodwing had family there.
Across from the infirmary lay an alcove full of tall bookshelves and plush armchairs, clearly used for waiting or for studying.
Now we quickly crossed the space, to the far side where three tall arched windows overlooked the sea—and beyond that, the jewel of Sangratha, the greatest city in the Thralldom, Veilmar.
Kage rushed towards the window in the center, yanking it open, and peering out over the water. But I’d already seen the telltale glow. As soon as the window opened, a hot blast of wind rushed in—tinged with the scent of smoke.
“Bloodmaiden,” I breathed.
On the far horizon were the lights of Veilmar.
The glittering streets and towers were consumed in roiling plumes of orange flame.
As we watched, a tower in the Banking District collapsed, slowly caving in upon itself.
Clouds of smoke and ash billowed out over the water.
Over it all, flying just beneath the clouds, was a dragon.
Not black like Nyxaris, but crimson—scales glowing in the inferno’s glare.
From its jaw, a torrent of white-hot flame arced downwards, transforming another street into a river of fire.
“Dear gods.” It was Rodriguez. He’d come up beside us and was standing at the window to our left.
Healer Elycia stood beside him, silent and trembling.
Behind them came Florence, with Medra right beside her.
To my shock, I saw Medra was weeping. The tears ran down her blood-stained cheeks as she looked out at the city.
Kage stepped back from the window slowly.
I touched a hand to his arm and felt his muscles trembling.
Something passed between us, secret and fleeting.
“We have to stop him,” Medra whispered, looking at Kage.
He nodded. “I’m leaving. Now.”
“But what can we do?” I demanded, helplessly. “He’s a dragon.” The thought of Kage going out there and trying to take on a dragon filled me with terror. I glanced at Florence. “There’s only one way to stop another dragon.”
Around me, I could see everyone else having the same thought. “I—” Florence stammered. She looked at me, then Kage, then Rodriguez, and finally back at Medra. “She’s right. That’s why you’ve come, isn’t it?”
“I came because I needed to know you were all right.” Medra shook her head helplessly. “What Regan said may be true, but you’re not ready for this, Florence. You’re not prepared. You don’t have to do this.”
“But I do, don’t I? I’m not ready,” Florence said, her face ashen, “but Nyxaris is. He’s trained for this all his life. If anyone can stop Blake, he can. He’s the only one who can.”
Kage didn’t wait to hear Medra’s reply; he was already moving. I chased after him, following him towards the stairs. “Where are you going?”
He paused, looking back at me. “Into the city.”
I took a deep breath. “You, or the wolf?”
He didn’t reply.
“Let me come with you.” The words came out in a rush. But once I’d said them, I knew they were right.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Viktor will be there. If Nyxaris and Florence fly into the city, Viktor will follow them. I know it. He might even be there now. For all we know, he’s riding on Blake’s fucking back. I can stop him. I know I can. He’ll listen to me.”
I actually had no idea if that was true. In fact, it probably wasn’t. But I did know one thing:Viktor had to pay for what he’d done—to me, to Persis, to Blake, to everyone. And I wanted to be the one who made him hurt. Even if I died trying.
I knew another thing, too. I wasn’t letting Kage Tanaka walk away from me ever again.
“There’s no time for this,” Kage growled, his face strained. “I need you here. I need you safe.”
I clenched my fists. “I’ve never been safe,” I burst out. “And I never will be. Not with Viktor. You know that. You’ve known it all along. Now look at what he’s done. He’s sent Blake out there to kill everyone—to kill your family. Your entire family is in the city, Kage.”
The Avari House Leader’s shoulders shook.
“I’ll run after you,” I vowed. “I swear, I’ll do it. I’ll get a horse. I’ll walk if I have to. I’ll follow you on my own.” I took a deep breath. “But I am not leaving your side tonight.”
He closed his eyes. “Fine.” One word. But it was enough. Everything about this man was more than enough.
We ran down the stairs side by side, hands barely touching. And that was enough, too.