Page 151 of A Heart of Bluestone

“I might go to the infirmary,” James moans his words from behind me, and I roll my eyes the instant I hear him. “All those fumes made me dizzy.”

“I have some headache tonics,” Courtney says. “Why don’t you have one, eat dinner, then see how you feel?”

I can hear the rub of his gloved hand over his forehead. “That won’t help. Hey, do you think Witchdoctor Urma can tell if there’s a brain tumour?”

Courtney’s voice is soft, reassuring, “You don’t have a brain tumour, James, you just want to avoid gym class tomorrow morning. It’s just gymnastics—”

I tune them out.

Silent, I move with the wave of seniors onto the path that curves down the West Quarter, all the way to the front entrance. Evening is slipping into night, and so dinner in the mess hall will be lame and soggy and lukewarm.

But worse is the light, or lack of.

All we have to illuminate this little side path is the moon, largely wisped in clouds, the orange glows from the windows, the little lanterns plotted over the snow and hung onto the wall of the academy, but mostly buried in snow.

Light is too diluted out here.

So I breathe a sigh of relief when, we follow the path around the bend for the entrance, and there, the bright lights of the posts illuminate the school grounds.

And a snowball flies overhead.

I duck with a wince.

It smacks into James, right on the face I assume by the muffled shout that comes after the strike.

Before I can stand upright, another one spears by me, then Teddy, just in front, shouts, “Snowball war!”

I throw myself against the wall of the academy.

James and Courtney are quick to join me, their breaths hoarse and ragged.

Teddy takes off running for the shrubs, Piper hot on his heels. They take cover and are quick to gather dusts of snow onto their gloved palms and cake them thick.

In a blink, movement strikes down the lethargic seniors—and all hell breaks loose.

Most run towards the battle, taking cover, ducking down behind the stairs to the entrance, some diving behind the shrubs to join Teddy and Piper.

I look back up the path.

The Snakes must have been last to leave the gardens, because they are all the way at the end of the two dozen students that were on the path moments ago. But they hear the chaos, and my brother’s frown is quick to brighten.

Serena breathes a noticeably deflating sigh. She doesn’t move—but Landon, Mildred and Oliver jolt into a run down the path and charge into the battle.

Dray hangs back, a bored look on his face, then turns to mutter something to Serena. She laughs, bitter.

I watch Oliver sprint by, followed by the two with heavier builds, Mildred and Landon both wearing that horribly familiar gleam in their eyes. Bloodthirst.

A whimper comes from James, beside me. He buries his face in his hands.

Because we are trapped.

If we even try to move around the wall for the stairs, we’ll be struck by any of the dozens of snowballs that spear through the mist like missiles.

“Olivia!”

I turn a frown over at the shrubs, frosted and dead.

Teddy waves his arms above his head—and the moment our gazes lock, his hands flap in an urgent ‘come over here’ gesture.

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