Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
~ Shade ~
Preparations start straight after dinner and continue through the night.
The students are split into groups, and I work with Kenzie and a couple dozen other warriors.
Considering the tall stone wall that borders the academy grounds, the front gate is the logical entry point for the Xalgrith army.
We work on driving metal spikes into the ground a short distance from the gate.
My shadows help to hold a massive spike in place at an angle, and Kenzie compacts the ground around the base.
Not far away, Thane is busy instructing a few of the other students, ensuring the placement of their spikes is correct, while my other mates are overseeing preparations in other locations on the academy grounds.
None of my mates wanted to leave my side, but this is war, and I wasn’t going to let them babysit me when the Xalgrith army are on their way.
Professor Lankin stands on a patch of grass closer to the academy building with a handful of students, continuing to work with them on fortifying their minds. We can only hope the students will be strong enough to keep King Malgur out of their heads when the time comes.
“We’re all going to die, aren’t we?” Kenzie says softly as she finishes compacting the ground and straightens, wiping the sweat from her brow.
We work on creating another hole, and I conjure up another massive spike using my power.
It’s as tall as the last one, but the metal is a little twisted at the top, and I frown.
Even now, even with the curse removed from me and after bonding with my mates, my magic is still a little…
unpredictable. Oh well, it’ll still get the job done.
I try not to remind myself that its job is to impale Xalgrith warriors when the academy barrier comes down and they try to flood through the front entrance.
I notice then, that a few of the students near us are subtly watching me, and I realize I haven’t responded to Kenzie’s question.
“We’re not going to die,” I say as confidently as I can as Kenzie works on compacting the ground around the new spike.
“Queen Blake and the demon army will come, and hopefully, she’ll be bringing warriors from some of the other realms with her, too.
This is all a precaution. We just have to sit tight until they get here. ”
Kenzie finishes her task, and I place two hands on the spike, checking that it’s holding firm.
Matching my movements, Satine checks the spike she’s been working on with another student, then she stares at me as she plants her hands on her hips. “What if they’re too late? What if the Xalgrith army breakthrough the barrier before your beloved demon queen comes? What then, Shade?”
A few of the surrounding students stop working, all of them with their attention on me. Thane is still barking orders at students some distance away, but like he can sense me looking at him, his brown gaze connects with mine.
“A little help here?” I murmur via our mind link. “What am I supposed to tell them?”
“Reinforce that we’ll get through this. It’s all you can do. Remember, mate, once the hope is gone the battle is already lost, no matter the size of the army,” he growls back.
“So, you want me to keep lying to them?” I reply. “Because we all saw the Xalgrith army. If Blake doesn’t get here in time…”
“Knowing our odds doesn’t help morale,” Thane says. “You have to believe we can get through this. Because if you don’t, then the students will sense it.”
“Right. Okay, then.” We are not doomed, Shade.
We will totally get through this in one piece, I say, giving myself a little pep talk before I reply to Satine.
I mean, it’s not like the vast Xalgrith army is going to break down our barrier and slaughter us in seconds…
Ah crap. Yep, I still suck at pep talks.
“You did say Queen Blake is busy in the beast realm,” Kenzie points out, dusting dirt off her palms, and I suddenly wish I’d never shared that information with her. “If the Xalgrith break through, do you think we have a chance?”
I force a smile, gazing at the students around me.
Students I’ve trained with since coming to Shadowbone.
Many of them arrived at a similar time to Kenzie, and while their powers might not be as strong as the students Queen Krosia chose as the last batch of graduates, they all have their own talents.
“I trust the demon queen with my life,” I say honestly.
“She’ll come. I also think Queen Krosia will turn up when we really need the shadow army.
She probably just wants to swoop in at the last moment so she looks like a hero. ”
“That’s a big fucking assumption,” Lorn, the guy paired with Satine, says as he resumes his work, hefting another metal spike into the hole before him.
“I say the demon queen won’t get here in time, and the shadow queen has left us here to die because we’re weak and dispensable.
If we survive this, it’ll be a fucking miracle. ”
“We’re not weak, and when we hold off the Xalgrith army, Queen Krosia will see that,” I counter. “This is just another chance for us to prove ourselves.”
Lorn scoffs. “Not weak? We’re humans able to perform some shadow tricks because of these academy rings.” He waves his hand, showing his ring that shines in the moonlight. “What the hell are we going to be able to do against Xalgrith warriors with mind control abilities? We’re not immortals.”
A few of the other students start murmuring to each other.
“Once the hope is gone the battle is already lost, no matter the size of the army,” I say softly, parroting Thane’s words.
“We’re all in this together. We may be human, but we were all individually selected by Lady Fate to be shadow warriors.
We’re all exactly where we are supposed to be and by fighting together, I believe we can get through this. ”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Lorn replies.
“You’re bonded to four of the most powerful shadow warriors, and you know they’ll watch your back.
The rest of us are just fodder. I say we create shadow pathways and hide elsewhere in the realm.
” He furrows his brow in concentration. Shadows pool in front of him, but a pathway doesn’t form and he curses. ”
“Queen Krosia’s barrier is blocking you. There’s no way out,” I tell him.
Lorn continues trying to create a pathway without success, and his face goes red.
“Stop it,” Satine says firmly, whirling on Lorn.
“Shade is right. The only way we’ll get through this is if we work together.
Besides, her bond with those four shadow warriors is probably the only reason the professors are willing to fight for us.
You said it, we’re human. Just like Shade is.
With the help of her mates, she could probably be hiding out and escape while the rest of us are getting killed.
But she’s not. She’s out here, preparing for war like the rest of us.
Let’s just keep our heads down. None of us know how this will play out. ”
I close my mouth and give Satine a grateful look, but she avoids my gaze as she gets back to work.
Unfortunately, Lorn doesn’t listen. “Fuck this. There’s gotta be a way out of here.
” He abandons the spike. His moose animali materializes beside him, and he jumps onto the creature’s back.
“I’m not going to just sit here and wait for them to come and kill us.
I’ve been near the barrier, and I reckon I can get through. ”
By the time I realize what he’s saying, his moose is already in the air.
“Stop!” I shout.
“Lorn!” Satine calls, but he doesn’t turn around.
Thane roars a warning at him, but Lorn keeps going. His moose flies above the academy building, rising higher until they’re almost at the barrier.
“We need to stop him!” I say to my mates.
“Let him go,” Knox replies, and I spot my mate on the academy roof. “This will be a valuable lesson for the rest of them. They need to understand what we’re up against.”
“But we can’t just let him die.”
It’s too late. Lorn and his animali are at the barrier.
He sends out his shadows, but they can’t penetrate the magical forcefield.
Realizing his mistake, he tries to direct his moose away, but they don’t make it.
The pair of them slam into the barrier, and shadows swallow them whole.
We don’t see them again, but power ripples along the barrier, like the forcefield has eaten Lorn and his animali, consuming their magic.
Holy crap.
Kenzie, Satine, and I share a look, and the rest of the students look shaken as they go back to working on their spikes.
I shudder. I can only hope that I’m right about Blake and the demon army coming to our rescue, because if I’m wrong, then Lorn is right. And we’re all dead.
It’s morning when Raith comes and steals me away. With the professors taking on most of the preparations, we’ve fortified the academy grounds as much as we can, and Thane orders the students to get some rest.
I don’t protest, because while bonding with my mates has made me able to physically handle more, mentally, I need a break.
Despite my earlier conversation with the students, it’s obvious most of them believe we’re not going to make it through this, and I can’t stop thinking about how this is all my fault.
It’s only when I’m in my bedroom surrounded by my mates that my muscles relax, and I can finally breathe deeply again.
“We’ve done all we can,” Thane says as he traces his fingers over my bare skin. “So now we wait.”
I sigh, leaning against his chest. “The students are terrified,” I murmur. “Not that I can blame them.”
“And so they fuckin’ should be,” Raith rumbles. “None of this is goin’ to be a walk in the park. Most of them are the walkin’ dead.”
My stomach plummets, and there’s an ‘oof’ as Thane surprises Raith with a fist to the stomach, sending him off the bed.
“What?” Raith replies with an innocent expression as he climbs back onto the mattress. “I’m just bein’ a realist. The students know it, too.”
I don’t hear much after that. Closing my eyes, I snuggle up to Thane’s hard chest as they continue their chatter, and I fall into my dreams.
The alleyway I’ve dreamt about before comes into view around me, but this time there’s no man on the ground. Instead, there’s a young woman around my age sitting against a brick wall. I’m on my knees, squeezing her hand, and blood trickles from her head.
There’s so much blood…
I strain my mind as I try to remember. What did I do? Did I stab her?
Tears stream down my cheeks, and my mouth opens as I hear myself say, “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
Blood leaks from the side of the girl’s mouth, and a wave of guilt and dread slams into me. Suddenly, I feel like I’m drowning under the weight of it. It’s as if the darkness is going to swallow me whole.
My mind pushes against the memory, like it doesn’t want me to see it.
All. My. Fault.
Those words sound over and over in my mind. I still don’t know exactly what happened, but somehow, I know this girl is going to die. And I know it’s all my fault.