Page 22 of Above
“Shadow walking is easier than you might think.” That was what the texts said too.Shadows That Breatheclaimed that someone merely had to think of where they wanted to go andthe shadows would do the rest. I doubted that. “Tell the shadows where to take you and they will.”
The silence that followed was heavier than the weight of the ritual we had just suffered through. That was it? All she would give us? I wasn’t sure why I was surprised, core families only prioritized their own survival.
“As I said, shadow walk to the academy or die trying.” Her voice became icy—threatening. “I am about to show you the first of many secrets afforded to elites. Be weary of your tongues and who you loosen them for, lest you hope to have them cut off.”
Raising her hand, Captain Zade showed us something truly extraordinary. Above her palm floated a sparkling silver map, so detailed that only being inches in front of it would allow one to see each minute dip, fall, and curve. Just east of the military base sat an island, which we had been led to believe was uninhabited like the rest of Dajahim, with shadows wrapped around it and a much brighter shade of silver glowing in the center.
“This is the real Elite Academy,” she nearly whispered. Could everyone hear her? See her, even? She didn’t seem to care if they could. In fact, she almost appeared eager to kill some of us off. One of the only strong emotions she showed being the bloodthirsty smile she flashed us before purring, “Don’t be late.”
Then she was gone, disappearing in a cloud of shadows so thick they hid the sunlight, our masks going with her. No one moved at first, even the core group not so much as blinking. Which was odd, because everyone knew that those six—and any that had parents who were elites—had far more knowledge than most.
The first to break the silence was Talon. He moved to my side, a sort of smile on his face as he dipped his head. “I can help you get there, Nova.”
My brow furrowed as I considered what he said. Not only had he sauntered over here and acted as if I wanted his company, buthe also insinuated that I wasn’t capable of shadow walking on my own. But of course he would think that. I was just a stupid, filthy of eadi.
“Actually, I think—like everyone else—I’ll be just fine. Thanks for the generous offer though,” I spit out. His brown eyes shone red in the light as they widened. “Perhaps there’s another of eadi you can pity.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be ignorant. I just thought you would need help since you’re a…” His sentence trailed off, but I knew what he meant, just as the rest of the group did. Now I was not just the sole of eadi, but I was also a weakling not deserving of the stars.
“Go on, say it. Call me what you want to call me. What you think in your head every time you see an of eadi.” I was pushing. Why, I didn’t know. I should’ve been focusing all my attention and energy on shadow walking to the academy. But something about how they all stared at me and whispered had my defenses up.
“Nova, no,” Talon mumbled, shaking his head back and forth as if to rid his mind of the slur he meant to use.
As if he was only waiting for the best dramatic entrance, Azazel Altair pushed through the crowd and walked right up to us.
“Akhata,” he nearly yelled. The word was more than an insult. It was a hateful, damning thing. “You were going to call her an akhata—a mistake. Right, Talon?”
Bunching my fists, I squared my shoulders and let my anger win out. Something I usually tried not to do.
“Many would argue that the stars don’t make mistakes, Altair.” He looked at me, as if surprised to hear my voice. Quickly, his face morphed into a smug expression.
“Oh, really? So you don’t think in that little mind of yours that they made a mistake when they didn’t give your familymagic?” I froze, not knowing what to say to that. Because he had me there. Of course I thought they made a mistake not giving Celeste magic. And I honestly believed they would have given my parents the gift if they had possessed the means to get to the cathedral on their twenty-fifth birthdays. But I would never admit such a thing out loud. Instead, I just plotted and brewed and did my best to rectify the lapse of judgment on their part. “Right, because you Akhatas love to think the stars somehow made two mistakes instead of one, which was giving you magic when you clearly don’t deserve it. Here’s your reality check: you have magic because they got bored, not because you’re worthy of it.”
Before I could do something truly stupid, like punch the fucker in the face, Talon jumped in between us, his back against my chest and his hands in the air.
“That’s enough, Azazel.”
A laugh burst through Altair’s teeth, his head tilting back and exposing his long neck and creeping veins woven through shadow marks. “When we were younger you called me Az, like all our friends do. But I guess we’re not friends anymore, huh? Did mommy’s boy decide he doesn’t like his place anymore? Not a fan of the cards you’ve been dealt?”
Altair took a large step forward, his body shoving into Talon’s and his head tilting down to make up for the four or so inches he had on the Zade boy. The three of us became impossibly close, the heat of our bodies merging as our collective fury battled.
“Well, guess what, Talon. You will always be below me. Second, third, fourth, fifth—what’s the difference when they’re all beneath first? You’llneverbe better than me. So maybe you should take the foul little mistake’s advice and move along.” Reaching up, Altair flicked Talon’s nose and then disappeared in the same thick cloud of darkness that Captain Zade had.
Though I would’ve lost it as well, I was still somehow surprised when Talon reached down, grabbed a rock that was sticking out from the snow, and threw it so hard it slammed into the cathedral, breaking off some of the sacred stone. He offered me one rushed glance as he too shadow walked away. Mere seconds passed before the rest of the group began following the two core boys’ lead.
Body after body disappeared. But I waited. I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone around to see me potentially fail. I had been shadow walked before, but this was different. I needed to focus. My first tome on the shadows was tucked safely in my bag, which I had snagged on my way out of the cathedral after redressing in my training uniform. Turning my back, I began walking away from the others, putting distance between us as I pulled outMagic in the Darkness, a book about the elites and how they were formed.
When I felt confident that no one else was around, I started rereading the brief section on shadow walking. Both books had one thing in common: they weren’t fans of details. In this case, it stressed the importance of intention and knowledge of the location. I tried to remember the map Captain Zade had flashed us.
A map!
Reaching my hand farther in, I rummaged through the pack until I found my map of Dajahim. Good on me for not throwing this out when Celeste called it pointless. Sending up a silent prayer to the stars that the island was included, I replaced the book and unfolded the thick parchment.
There, just southeast of the shaytan military base, was what I now knew to be the Elite Academy. Excellent.
“No time like the present,” I muttered as I tossed my pack onto my shoulders and placed my hand on the drawing of the island, closing my eyes. The images of my family dying floodedmy mind, but I did my best to focus as I willed my magic to take me to the academy. Across my skin the black marks burned, something flowing through my chest in a way that I had never felt before. I continued to chant my intentions in my head, begging the shadows to do my bidding.
Before I could wonder if it worked, I felt the familiar tug of shadow walking, and I was able to revel in a singular moment of pure joy. Then, because my luck was nonexistent, I crashed down into fierce waves.
