Page 81 of Ares' Shield
The entire office is trashed. The cot Dax has been on is turned over on its side. The chains hang off the top, torn apart. Several of the healers are unconscious on the floor, but one groans. I race to my favorite healer and crouch by his side.
“Can you sit up?” I ask.
“Beth? What happened?” the healer asks.
He runs a hand down his face and glances around at the destruction.
“Dax escaped. Did you see anything?” I help him to sit up.
“No, I was knocked out from behind.” He holds the back of his head and his hand comes away wet with blood.
“Shit. Can you heal yourself?” I ask as my stomach roils.
I’ll never get used to the sight of blood no matter how many times I see it on these missions.
“Yes. Go see if you can help the others.” He waves me away.
I stand and turn to find two other healers still unconscious. “What the fuck happened here?”
Kira wrings her hands together. “I don’t know. There’s no way he should have been able to get out of the chains without help.”
“Someone helped him, for sure.” I sigh. “You don’t think whoever’s controlling their minds took over one of the healers, do you?”
I glance around at all my friends helping the healers on the ground with a grimace.
What’s the most logical conclusion? Usually that’s the right one.
Jayden stands and steps toward me. “Anything is possible, but then why leave them here?”
“Are you saying that we possibly have someone like Hecate in the school sabotaging us again?” I ask.
“It’s a possibility for sure. I just don’t know what to think. Why did they go to such lengths to get Dax out of here?” Jayden squeezes my hand.
“They also risked themselves to get in here and take him.” I tilt my head back and close my eyes.
It’s even worse now that Dax is gone. What the hell are they planning? We don’t have time for this. We need to go.
Another groan fills the space and I turn sharply to Raven. She’s crouched next to another healer as he begins to wake up.
I rush over to Raven, hoping we can get some answers from the man, but his eyes are glassy and dazed. Could he have been controlled into letting Dax go? Why leave him behind though? He’s a child of Apollo; all healers are.
“Hello?” I wave my hand in front of his weathered face. “Are you okay?”
“He doesn’t have any wounds like the others, B,” Raven says.
“Fuck, what was the fucking point? If they had him under control, why the fuck is he passed out here when Dax is gone?”
“Maybe they only want the young demigods.” Raven shrugs.
She stares down at the older man with a grimace. Could she be right, or is it something else? Several Apollo students have left the wards, so why has Adrian been safe from it?
“Hey, Adrian?” I call and he glances up at my question. “Your siblings that left campus. What were their powers?”
“Um, they were all fighters. I never miss with a bow, but they can use just about any weapon with absolute accuracy.” Adrian runs a hand through his hair.
“Fuck,” I yell. “That’s why you have been safe so far as well as the healer.”
“We need to tell Rebecca that we expect a war at the academy again. Only this time, they may be fighting our friends.” Raven crosses her arms over her chest.
