Stop them. We can’t let them leave with the students!

It was time to stop being quiet and stealthy. I didn’t know if anyone else was awake during the midnight ambush. I had to do what Kael always said to and assume the worst.

I ran into the middle of camp, making every single fire relight at once and blaze angrily into the night sky. I wasn’t going to hide. I wanted to see how many of my attackers there were, and I wanted to face them. I’d usually become the strongest when I was angry.

And right now, I was ticked.

I launched the burning logs like missiles at the men. One screamed before he was silenced by my fiery dart. I wanted the robes to burn. I wanted to see their faces. One of the taller men yelled and tried to pat down his robe but the flames spread quickly. He ripped the robe from his body, revealing his Calandry military uniform and flung it to the ground away from him. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, panting with fear before he looked up and realized what he had done.

Familiar eyes met mine and my heart plummeted.

I halted my attack midair and let the fire fall to the ground, dissolving. There are times in my life where I think I can handle anything. But I wasn’t prepared for this—not Garit.

“Thalia, I can explain.” Garit held up one hand to me, while his other hand rested on his sword. His discarded Septori robe lay burning in the grass next to him. He took a step toward me and I mirrored his step by walking toward him.

He licked his lips and smiled wanly at me. “It’s just a job, you know. I was at a tavern in town and someone approached me.” The others in red moved nearer, closing in.

I wanted desperately to hear his explanation—to hear the reasons Garit changed sides and was working for the Septori. I wanted to know how long and why.

But not at the expense of the Denai lives. I wouldn’t let what happened to me happen to anyone else.

“How many of you?” I asked. “How many more like you have been compromised?”

“It’s not like that,” Garit crooned. He turned his green eyes on me pleadingly, asking me to trust him.

I watched his sword hand until he was within four feet. Then I stared into his eyes and waited for the tell. The sign. It came seconds later.

His eyes widened just a millimeter and I rolled. His sword swung and missed me by seconds. He yelled and lunged. I stepped back and directed all of my anger on on his blade. It shattered and Garit froze mid-attack.

His mouth gaped open in shock and he stumbled backwards holding his stomach, where a piece of his shattered sword had blown back and impaled him.

I let out a cry of grief and reached out to help him, but he fell forward and I rushed to catch him.

“Garit, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I swear.”

“But I was…and I wouldn’t have stopped trying until you killed me,” he rasped out.

“Garit. Where are the others? Where’s Joss?”

“Gone. They were the first ones,” he gasped in pain. “They were the first to be taken.”

“Gone? Taken where, Garit?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered, losing strength. “They no longer care about you. To much a risk. But we were to ordered to get the SwordBrother at all costs.” Garit grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly. He started to sputter, and I reached out to try and heal him, but I was yanked backwards off of him.

“Thalia,” he groaned.

I kicked my feet as one of the Septori rolled me to my back and jumped on me. I couldn’t believe I had let myself be sidetracked by Garit, that I lost my peripherals.

I turned my face to spit out a mouthful of dirt and the man punched me. Bright lights flickered in my vision, and I could feel myself start to black out. His fist rose into the air again, but a giant boulder came barreling through the air straight at him and knocked him off me.

I looked to the edge of the camp. Syrani’s hands were raised as she used her power to attack the remaining Septori. She didn’t stop after the first attack. The ground shook as more large boulders and rocks rose out of the earth around her, and she sent a barrage at the rest of the Septori. Her mouth was pressed into a determined line as she focused on killing. The girl was a deadly force, her beauty deceiving. I shuddered to think back to our battle in the arena. If I hadn’t attacked her personally, she probably could have killed me.

Syrani was tiring, so I leapt up and ran toward one of our wagons. It had been separated from the formation and was being hooked up to horses. Several bodies lay bound and tied inside, and I thought I saw Joss unconscious in the back.

“No!” I screamed. The driver used a whip on the horse and it began to move. I flung out my arms and gritted my teeth, unearthing a large sycamore tree. It landed directly in front of the wagon, making the horses rear up in fright.

I kept running, but another Septori lumbered at me with a giant knife. I turned and flung him into the wagon. I heard his head crack against the wheel and he stilled. I winced at the sound, knowing he was dead.

The wagon driver stood, raising a robed hand toward me. I saw a bright blue light emanate from the driver’s palm and then I couldn’t breathe. A blue ring appeared around my neck as I started to suffocate.

My hands grasped at my throat and I fell to my knees. I tried to suck in air, but there wasn’t any. I crawled on all fours toward the wagon, but it was being backed up. I watched helplessly as it moved away. My lungs burned.

In the predawn light, I could clearly make out the slumped form of Joss. His whole body was slack, and I couldn’t tell if he was dead. A smaller robed figure crouched next to him as her feminine hands draped possessively over his shoulder. I watched as the hooded passenger in the back of the wagon looked toward me and removed her hood. I recognized the dark hair and beautiful eyes of Mona. She laughed maliciously and stroked her hands down Joss’s face.

She blew a kiss at me as I struggled to inhale.

I heard someone call my name and I turned toward Kael, who was running toward me. But my vision was blurring, fading. He was going to be too late. He sounded miles away and I was falling…slowly falling.

~~~

There was blackness, darkness, and then my chest was on fire. Pain, but then relief as the mysterious clamp that was around my throat disappeared and I could breathe. My eyes fluttered open and I inhaled. But it wasn’t enough. My body wanted to inhale again, but I couldn’t. I started to cough.

Kael leaned over me. His eyes dark with worry, his breathing was ragged. But when he realized I was breathing, his shoulders slumped in relief.

“Kael, they got them, they took them!” I said, wishing my voice were stronger. I swatted at his hands touching my neck. Every minute we delayed was a minute that helped in their escape.

“It’s okay, settle down.”

“Joss!” My throat burned but I ignored the pain. “Joss. The others. Kael, we have to go after them.”

Kael pulled away from me as if my words burned him. He looked at me in doubt and then he turned to stare down the road where the Septori had disappeared. I could see the effects of his inner turmoil. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he ground his teeth together.

“Kael, please. We have to go after them,” I reached out and tugged on his arm. Fear shot through my whole body and I couldn’t control my voice from quivering. “W—we can’t let what happened to us happen to them,” I implored.