Chapter 14 Wren #3
“We already have a designated group guarding our own flag,” whispered Arthur. “Our main objective is to push forward. To get as close to our opponents’ flag as possible.”
“But shouldn’t we have a strategy?” Wren asked. “Some sort of plan if shit hits the fan?”
Quinn twirled the scythes in her hands and a burst of flames erupted from the blades.
“I am the plan.”
“Look.” Arthur leaned in closer to Wren. “The faster we get that flag, the faster we can get the hell out of this—” He stopped short. Quinn too stood frozen, shoulders rigid as she stared at something up ahead.
Wren nearly crashed into her, taken aback by the sudden pause. “What is it? Why did we stop?”
And that was when she saw what had caught their attention.
Three figures stood in front of them, blocking their path…and all three were from Onyx Unit.
The fight broke out instantly.
Quinn slid forward, flames bursting from her scythes, and swung at the attacker closest to her. Before Wren could even attempt to join in, Arthur snatched her backward, throwing her away from the chaos, and charged into battle.
It all happened too fast.
Quinn stumbled out of view, a violent frenzy of steel and magic, disappearing deeper within the cavern as she chased after her opponent. Arthur was caught in his own battle—holding back his attacker with a swirling mass of shadows, gritting his teeth as the partition between them wavered.
But there was still one more fighter from Onyx Unit.
The boy had sharp green eyes, which were currently zeroed in on Wren. When he blinked, shadows swirled behind them, a wicked grin revealing white teeth. He licked his lips in anticipation, head cocked.
“Must be my lucky day.”
Arthur’s eyes flitted toward Wren. He said nothing, but the message was clear.
Run.
Wren turned and sprinted forward, straight into the heart of the cavern, deeper through the maze of barricades.
The stone walls divided her path in various formations, forcing her to turn left and right.
She gripped the saber tightly, silently praying she wouldn’t go barreling into someone from Onyx.
Which, unfortunately for her, was exactly what happened.
She slammed into another body, nearly colliding to the ground. She looked up and—No.
“Miss me?”
Somehow, the same green-eyed boy had found her. Wren’s gaze darted to the midnight-black pin clipped on the lapel of his jacket and then back up to meet his venomous stare. He looked hungry. Practically ravenous. She staggered backward, tripping on her heels.
“You can’t hurt me.”
The boy chuckled. He lifted his hand, twirling a bundle of shadows in his palm. In the other, he unveiled a dagger with a serrated blade.
“Why? Because you’re our precious catalyst?” He tutted, shaking his head. “No, my dear. You’re not our catalyst. Not yet. For now…you’re simply a plaything. A little toy to keep me company.”
Wren brandished her weapon. “If Edith finds out…she’ll destroy you.”
The boy’s face lit up at the idea. “Then I suppose it’ll just have to be our little secret, won’t it?”
Wren barely had time to react.
The shadows sprang from his palm without warning, barreling toward Wren. But magic or no magic, Wren was still fast, and she ducked out of the way at the last second, turning on her heel as she darted left and through the maze of stone walls. Behind her, the boy cackled, chasing after her.
He was catching up. His manic laughter grew louder, his footsteps echoing closer and closer. Wren just needed to keep moving, keep moving, keep—
One second she was running, and the next there was a hand clamped over her mouth, hard muscles pressed upon her back, warm breath caressing the slope of her ear.
Wren writhed, a muffled scream tearing at her throat, but strong arms held her steady in a vise grip.
She couldn’t see her attacker, but the moment their hand slipped over her mouth, Wren was overcome with a sudden tightness in her chest, a dangerous pull.
And then a familiar rasp fluttered behind her, a hoarse whisper.
“Don’t. Move.”
August.
He was holding her against his chest, a cloaking enchantment encasing them in a pale shimmer of blue light.
Wren held her breath, panicked. The boy turned the corner, slowly stalking in front of them, searching, his green eyes drifting past them as they remained safely hidden beneath August’s cloaking enchantment.
A few seconds later, the boy cursed under his breath, sprinting back the way he’d come.
They waited, the two of them shrouded beneath the cloaking enchantment, August’s body pressed tightly against Wren’s.
Once it was clear that the boy wasn’t coming back, August dropped his hand and gently pried himself away from her.
“Are you okay?” His voice was rough, his eyes analyzing her face and body with palpable concern. “Are you hurt?”
Wren shook her head. “I’m fine. He just…” Wren cleared her throat. “He just scared me. That’s all.”
A flicker of anger passed over August’s face. The muscles in his jaw tightened, breath catching in his throat. Even the shadows running through his veins darkened, as if they had almost expanded in his bloodstream.
When he spoke next, his voice was a lethal blade. “Did he touch you?”
Wren swallowed, shaking her head. “I said I’m fine.”
“You need to stay away from Callum,” August muttered. “He’s stubborn. If he sets his sights on you—”
“I can handle him,” Wren interjected.
August scoffed.
“Don’t you get it, Loughty?” There was a lilt of frustration in his voice.
“You’re not on an even playing field anymore.
This isn’t Blackwood. Demiens…they’re stronger than you.
Even if you had your magic, you wouldn’t stand a chance.
They can rip out the core of your soul with nothing but a snap of their fingers. ”
Wren stepped forward.
“So…what you’re saying is…you could too.” Her words echoed between them, and she didn’t miss August’s slight flinch. “You could destroy my soul…if you wanted to.”
August’s silver eyes flitted up and down her face. He stepped forward.
“I could.”
Wren’s breaths quickened as the eye contact between them fused into something charged and heated.
Staring into his eyes felt dangerous. She couldn’t help but sense the unspoken words threaded through the silence.
The hidden meaning that ricocheted in the space between them.
But before she could formulate a response, August was stepping even closer, his gaze never once leaving hers.
“But…” The word slipped out of him in a hoarse whisper, a slightly breathless quality. “I won’t. You know I won’t.”
Wren couldn’t stop her eyes from briefly flicking down to his lips. A heat crept over her neck and onto her cheeks. She fought the urge to blush, but she was helpless to stop it. That was the problem with August. He was the one thing she couldn’t control. The one thing that unmoored her.
“I don’t know you anymore,” Wren whispered.
August tilted his head slightly, his gaze traveling over her face.
“Then let me remind you.”
Wren wasn’t sure if it was the desperation in August’s eyes or the pleading strain in his voice, but something about those five words had the last of her restraint snapping.
The uncontrollable magnetism between them drawing them closer and closer.
But before either of them could decide to do something reckless, another alarm rang out, booming throughout the cavern.
August grimaced as the moment between them fizzled away. He took a rigid step backward, hands flexing by his side.
“What does that alarm mean?” Wren asked once the sound had subsided.
“It’s over,” August explained. “Somebody won.”
A loud chorus of cheers echoed up ahead. The pair followed the sound, walking toward Silver Unit’s side of the cavern. When they got there, they saw a large crowd of Onyx Unit Demiens. They whistled, raucous shouts reverberating within the group as they clapped and cheered.
And standing in the middle of the crowd, dagger twirling in one hand and a black flag tucked within the other, was Callum.