Page 48 of Dark Souls Academy: The Sacrifice

I got up and ran to the door, keeping my eyes on the vampire I knew would be a threat if he caught us. He could feed off us or kill us for this. Simple things like ditching were met with deadly force in Hell. The only thing on our side would be our power level. Everyone had to respect power.

Professor Blood glanced at the door as we were stepping out of it, but it was left open, and his eyes told him no one was there.

We didn’t waste time. Our feet hitting the floor were loud, but we didn’t slow down. I sent air around us to muffle the noise, but even if someone glanced out of their classrooms, they wouldn’t see anything.

With adrenaline coursing through me, I pushed even harder. The office wasn’t far, but we had to go downstairs and through a long hallway. Both places were wide open, so anyone could catch us.

The stairs wouldn’t be a problem, though.Jump off the ledge when we get to the stairs.

Are you sure? Healing would take too much time.

I grabbed Dex’s hand, his presence a reassuring anchor in the chaos. He was the only one among us who didn’t have a defensive advantage—Alaric had his animal and vampiric sides, Bones wielded his air magic, and Kain commanded shadows for support. As a Sex Demon, Dex could bring people to their knees but lacked elemental control or spellcasting abilities.

With my free hand, I used it to leap over the railing, taking Dex with me. There was no fear in the bond, so it just gave me more confidence. My air magic slowed our fall, and we landed gently on the ground.

Bones landed beside me with Kain holding his hand. I winked at Bones, loving that I shared my dark-fae side with him. He didn’t have access to all the elements, but wind and water were good ones to have. His piercing deep-blue eyes and slightly crooked nose were comforting. I wanted him to wrap me in his tattooed muscular arms and never let go.

Not wasting any time, once Alaric had reached us not even a second later, we bolted for the office.About thirty seconds. Wherever you are, make sure you’re not outside. I saw a gargoyle fly by earlier,Trigger warned us. He already sounded drained. I hoped he was okay.

Gargoyles were one of the new protections we had at the academy, but if they saw us, he’d report our ditching to the Headmaster. Thankfully, we didn’t need to go outside. We ran through the corridor and down the hall that would lead us to theoffice. I was counting in my head, but I might be off. There was too much adrenaline pumping through me.

Mrs. Bee had been on vacation for a week, so her desk out front was empty. I was at five when the magic disappeared from my skin, and I knew people could see us if they glanced down the hall. There were no places to hide.

I don’t sense any magic alarms.Bones told me before I could ask. Good. A few more steps and my hand was on the doorknob. We made it inside, shutting the massive oak door behind us.

I called fire to my hand and a ball appeared eagerly.We made it.

I switched my focus on the bond to Kain. We could all hear the conversations still, but Kain would know I was directing my words to him. It was like me putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.Have Smokey or any other beast be our look out. We need to know if anyone is coming before they make it to the hallway.

His light blue eyes were striking in the darkness.I was going to do that, but I’m glad you had the sense to use my abilities.

Rolling my eyes and shaking my head, I moved over to the Headmaster’s desk.An ‘okay’ or ‘gotcha’ would have worked. Even if you know what you’re doing I’m going to voice the things I’m worried about because if I don’t and we get caught, I’ll feel fucking stupid.

Can mom and dad fight at home, please?Dex’s voice got me to calm down.

You’re right, sorry. Fan out and search. Try not to make a mess. We need to keep it clean just in case we need to leave in a hurry.I didn’t know what the Headmaster would do if we got caught. There was a lot of magic keeping his lips sealed, so it might force him to punish us as well for all I knew. I wasn’t taking any chances.

Papers, books, and everything else in the gothic-styled office moved as we searched. I scanned through his files, but, surprisingly, there weren’t many. I found the rules to the Night Duty, that we couldn’t tell anyone about unless they asked. Lucifer loved his mind games. Another paper granted Mrs. Bee the freedom to use the office as her torture chamber since it was the only place besides the gym that could change.

It may look like an office right now, but when I first arrived it was a little girl’s room with jars of body parts and blood spatter. Perfect to flare up my childhood nightmares. The magic in the room sensed my fear. Most little demons feared Lamia.

Her little riddle played in my head as I searched. ‘Lamia is watching. Her eyes are dark and hungry. Her rooms are bright and funny. Beware of her smile because it hides sharp teeth that go on for miles. Don’t trust the light, for she might be pretty, but she’ll kill you without even a fight. So, be good because she sneaks into bad kids’ rooms late at night.

Will you stop repeating that? I’m full of anxiety as it is.Dex whined in my head. I instinctively started to close the bond, but before I could Kain’s growl made me leave it open.

Sorry.I whispered.

I got his spell book.Bones said as he picked me up so he could take my chair, and I could sit in his lap. Kain came over, but I asked the other two to keep looking just in case. I did the same thing.When you bend over like that on my lap, I can’t think of anything else.

I shook my head but didn’t glance his way.Well, you’re the one that stole my chair and put me here. I’m almost done with the drawers.

A loud smack sounded behind me—I would bet my left kidney it was Kain hitting Bones in the back of the head. It was reassuring to have the brothers on my side again. Even when they didn’t mean to, they always made my life a little better.

There was a paper about the orb that the Headmaster used on every new student, so Lucifer could know what kind of demons were at his academy. That was why Lucifer tortured the Headmaster when he found out about me, because he hadn’t used the orb. Well, he did, but he smacked it out of my hands before it could transmit the information to Lucifer.

Thank goodness—I’d have been in deep trouble otherwise. In the short time I’d been in Hell, I’d built alliances and connections that would help me in the fight against Lucifer. When I first arrived, all I had was a backpack and a terrified Lilah.

Another paper was an agreement with the Light Council that only a key from both dark and light could open the gate for a student who wasn’t working for the Headmaster. It talked about a spell but didn’t give any information about it. Stupid paper. I put it back with a grunt.

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