Page 58 of Immortal Sins
Dan stops at the edge of the clearing. “The portal needs to be closed.”
Darkwood forges ahead. “We can’t speak of this now.”
Daniel intercepts Darkwood as he doubles-back on the trail and forces him to slow down. “Last time we faced the hollows, we had to give them fifty souls to trap them. We can’t let that happen again.”
Goosebumps tingle up my arms.
Fifty souls? How can that be? Unless they used humans, fifty magic-attuned citizens haven’t gone missing since—
“We haven’t got fifty students to spare this time around,” Daniel barks.
Darkwood remains as silent as his empty soul.
Oh Gods.
Four dozen students died in their sleep about a year after Dad graduated the Academy. Witches, seers, warlocks, and necromancers…all mortals. They’d never found the culprit, but, if I’m understanding this right, the investigation had been all for show.
Electricity buzzes in my palms, and I ground myself to the tree’s trunk not to spark off into a storm and attract their attention.But Daniel was a student then, he couldn’t have been involved, could he? They probably filled him in when he became headmaster. He must be freaking out as much as I am.
“We have to act now.”
“We?” Darkwood cracks with a flash of teeth.
Daniel inches closer to the president, his lips curled back in warning.
Sparks lash through the space between them in a flurry of colors.
“Don’t forget yourself, Osbourne. Or you won’t be the wizard of this school for long.”
The nerve! If it wasn’t for us, he wouldn’t be President.
I read the same call for justice in my dragon’s eyes, but he quickly bows his head to cover up his anger. The rap of his fingers on his thigh betrays his impatience. “It will take us months to fix a tear of this size. We need help.” He angles his chin to the tear between worlds. “We need the witch.”
I bite my lips.
“You fool! We don’t need a child—“
“Beth was the only one of us who knew how to close the damn portal, and you ordered me to kill her.” Dan grounds out, his entire body stiff. “I’m positive she taught Julia Winslow how to access her powers. If you don’t want a mass grave to be dug on your watch, the infernal witch is our only hope.”
I take solace in the fact that, despite all the classified information, my dragon was honest about his desire to find Jules and bring her home.
But I don’t trust Darkwood, and I wish my Oz didn’t need Jules’ powers for a dangerous mission.
Most importantly, I wish he didn’t need her magic more than he needs mine.
23
WRITTEN ON THE BOX
Tall blueish-gray pines flank the stables at the back of the lodge. I’m pleased to find the gentle brown mare there in the morning.
When Flynn mentioned he’d brought her along, I couldn’t resist the urge to ride.
Her coat shines in the bright light, her ears straight as she prances proudly toward me. She’s all dolled-up in her royal colors, her mane braided with copper and silver threads. The black bridle hanging from her box’s door is polished to perfection.
I pass the halter past her ears and pet her neck. “What am I going to call you? Brownie?”
The mare blinks.
