Page 115 of Elemental Fae Academy: Book Three

Speaking of… I pressed my palm to Exos’s chest, focusing on our connection to find him in the spirit realm. There.

He stood before the source, encased in power as Elana blasted him with magic that didn’t belong here. It shook the core, disturbing the balance and causing Exos to fight for his footing.

I pulled away slowly, considering our options.

“We need to find Elana’s body,” I told Cyrus. “She’s here somewhere. But we need to find her fast.” Because from what I could see, Exos didn’t have long until one of her foreign balls of energy pierced his armor.

And I didn’t want to know what would happen then.

“I might be able to help with that,” a soft voice said.

Mortus.

He held up his hands. “I promise she’s not in my head. But I have certain memories of the last two decades. Or I think that’s what they are. Honestly, they feel like dreams.”

“Your point?” Cyrus demanded.

Mortus cleared his throat. “I, uh, I think I know where she is.”

Cyrus

I don’t trust him, Claire whispered into my thoughts.

Neither do I, I admitted. But I don’t sense any compulsion of his spirit.

It could still be a mirage. She folded her arms, her eyes narrowing at Mortus. “Where do you think she is?” The skepticism in her tone wasn’t lost on me or Mortus.

He flinched before replying, “There’s a place in the forest, just beyond campus, that leads to an array of hidden tunnels.”

My brow furrowed. “You want us to go underground? Where our elements don’t work?” I snorted. “Yeah, that’s going to happen.” Plus, I wasn’t even sure those tunnels existed. I’d never heard of such a thing, or seen them, and I knew these grounds forward and backward. When I said as much out loud, Mortus shook his head.

“I found them last week,” he admitted, his voice low. “I kept dreaming of them and had to see if they were real. And, well, they are.”

“And you didn’t think to tell us that?” Claire snapped, taking the words out of my mouth.

He lifted his hands as if surrendering. “I… I didn’t know they would be important. I… You don’t know what it’s like to not know what you’ve done, or who you are, or whom to trust, or to wake up in a world that’s aged without you.” His eyes met mine. “I remember your mother like it was yesterday, Cyrus. Like we just shared a spirit course together last week. I… I don’t…” He shook his head, a deep sadness overrunning his typically stern features.

A twinge of pity radiated from my chest, only to be squashed by the weight in my arms.

My brother grew weaker with every passing second. I felt it as his soul fought with everything he had, against a force that was far more powerful than it should be, especially when faced with the wrath of the Spirit King. “Show us the entrance,” I said, not yet seeing an alternative. If Mortus’s words proved right, then we’d call upon Sol to unearth the entire maze.

Assuming he could take a break from slaughtering the dead.

Skeletal creeps had overrun the grounds, and they were fast little fuckers, too. Worse, they kept putting themselves back together. It didn’t matter how many times Vox’s team blew them apart; the damn bones seemed to just morph into new creatures that continued to cause havoc.

Shrugging off a foreboding chill, I gestured for Mortus to get moving. We’d be taking Exos with us because I didn’t trust anyone to watch over him apart from me and Claire, and her mates were otherwise engaged. “Tell Vox and Titus where we’re going.”

“Already done,” she replied, following Mortus. I still think this is a bad idea.

Do you have a better one? I asked her.

No. She cast me a look, then glanced at Exos, her shoulders falling as guilt pierced our connection. I shouldn’t have left him.

What do you mean? I demanded. When did you leave?

She informed me of what happened with her mother while we walked, her mental voice holding a touch of sorrow when she reached the end about the Fire Fae she’d accidentally destroyed.

Casualties are a consequence of war, I whispered, brushing her cheek with a mist-like kiss. And fae are tougher than one might expect. They may have survived.

---