Page 93 of Validus Vale Academy 1
Theo repeats my thoughts aloud.
Ahead lies a hole big enough for a large body to squeeze through. The professor moves past me, looking like he’s about to go firstthrough the gap, but I lean forward and pull him back with a warning glare. These aremytunnels.Myterritory.Mynymph.
As I clamber through the opening, Theo tells me to be careful in a small, worried voice. I nod briefly, then step into the dead, stagnant air. A strange sensation runs through my body.
Theo follows, blinking furiously and then shaking out her hands. “Did you feel anything weird?” she asks.
—As I crossed the threshold? Yes. A ward. But it allowed us passage—
What that means, I don’t know. We stand back and watch Alexis, then Cosmo, enter. “What the fuck?” the devil Drakeward snaps in shock.
“That was a ward—right, Alexis?” Theo replies.
“Yes, and a powerful one too. We shouldn’t have been able to breach it.” He shakes his head in confusion, then turns my way. “How close do you think we are now?”
“Nearly there,” Theo replies for me.
I set off again, but stop within a minute.
—You should go behind your professor, nymph—
I’m not sure what I sense, but it’s something.
“Fine,” Theo huffs. I wait until she’s at least side-by-side with Alexis before continuing. Rounding the next corner, I see a pale glow. I take a deep breath and move more slowly. Another turn and we spill out into a dimly lit cavern.
That’s when Theo screams.
40
Iwrench myself away from Alexis’s grasp and bolt through the cavern, my feet skid on loose stones, but I manage to keep upright.
Keep running.
Shouts echo in my wake, voices claw at my name—"Theo. Theo, stop."—but I can't stop. There's no time. Something buried deep within that glow pulses in sync with my spark, making it throb and flare inside my chest. Every fiber of my being, every cell in my body, screams for one thing, one burning need: the light.
The light. I have to reach it. It's calling to me and I will answer that call.
Suddenly, I'm yanked backwards, hard. My feet slide out from under me, and I slam onto my back, the impact pounding the air from my lungs in a massive gasp. Above me, a swirling vortex of magic gathers, roiling and boiling like thunderclouds before a storm unleashes hell.
"Theo!"
—Nymph!—
“Dud!” My vision blurs, and I see Cosmo looming over me, his face furious. "Snap her out of it," he yells. I feel hands grabbing at me. Alexis and Ludo are there too, their expressions frantic as they try to haul me away.
But no one can take me from here; this is where I'm meant to be. I thrash and fight, as a familiar voice whispers in my head —what’s wrong, nymph?—but I don't answer. The magic that keeps slamming into my chest is fueling me, giving me the raw power to tear myself free from Ludo's immense grip.
The energy: it's flowing through me, part of me now.
The chorus of male voices escalates, but I tune them out, the world narrowing to just the pulsing glow. I'm back on my feet, only yards away from reaching… it.
No! I'm tackled again, and two large hands cup my face, their touch surprisingly gentle amidst the chaos. "Pulu, stop, please fucking stop." Alexis's desperate words tickle at my consciousness, but I still fight, the magic needing me. It's almost pulling me apart, but it feels right.
"Hold her down," a voice barks, as my stumbling feet try to break free once more. "Little dud, don't do this." Another arm snakes around my waist, a tight band of restraint.
—Nymph—
A hand presses firmly against my back, grounding me.
