At the same time Amneris jumped onto the ship, Hathor found herself standing face-to-face with Dex. He didn’t look surprised to see her. If anything, he looked disappointed. Whether it was over her saving Troy or coming after him, she couldn’t be sure.
Dex took a step forward. Hathor held her knife in his direction. He stopped, hands raised.
“You can stay there while we chat,” she said.
“Oh, Hathy,” Dex moaned dramatically, placing his hands over his heart, “where’s the trust?”
“Gone the moment you hurt Troy.”
He made a wounded sound. “And here I was thinking we were such great friends.”
“Friends don’t try to kill other friends, nor do they blow up buildings full of innocent people.”
Dex shrugged. “That part wasn’t my idea, but I sure as hell approved.”
Hathor’s grip on the knife tightened. “Why are you doing this?”
“Is this the part where I pretend I’m the bad guy and give some long, dramatic, villainous monologue?” Dex tipped his head back and laughed. “Get a life, Hath. Oh, wait, you lost yours years ago.”
With a cry, Hathor charged at Dex, slicing down. He vanished, her knife cutting nothing but air, and reappeared behind her.
“What happened again?” Dex continued. “Oh, right, shortly after meeting your mother, you were bound and thrown off a cliff. After those people broke your wings, of course. Isn’t that why you’re afraid of heights?”
“Shut! Up!”
“Make me, girly.”
Hathor ran forward again, making to attack Dex—
He caught her arm, twisting it behind her. Hathor gasped at the angle and dropped the knife. Before she could reach it, Dex had kicked it down the hole. His grip tightened on her.
“You know,” Dex said, “for the daughter of the feared Queen Amneris, you really are pathetic. It’s no wonder she let you be taken. Personally, I would’ve drowned you in the river.”
“She didn’t let me be taken!”
Hathor struggled against his grip. Her power sparked to life but did nothing to free her. It wasn’t strong enough. She wasn’t strong enough. Hathor didn’t want to know what Dex was going to do to her. Everything in her body was screaming to run but she couldn’t get free.
Out of nowhere, a silver wolf pounced on Dex, its jaw clamping down onto his side. Dex cried out in pain. Hathor pushed herself free, falling to the ground. She turned to see Dex raising a strange looking scarlet knife. She gasped, rolling to the side as he slammed it into the ground.
The silver wolf pulled away from Dex and put itself between him and Hathor and growled. Dex was having none of that. He raised his knife—
The wolf pounced, slashing Dex’s face with its claws. Dex screamed, stumbling back, grasping one of his eyes. When he lowered his shaking hand, Hathor thought she would be sick. Three clawed, bleeding scars covered the side of his face, brow to cheek, going straight through where his left eye had been.
Dex turned his newfound anger, his pain, n the wolf. He didn’t see the tall figure approaching from behind.
Minutes ago, Jay arrived at Vivus Dorm. Well, what was left of it. He took in the sight around him and growled. Killing kids? How low did you have to sink to do that? Whoever was behind this attack was sure as fuck going to pay for it, he would make sure. He put a leash on his anger. Now wasn’t the time to get mad. He had to see if anyone survived the slaughter.
“You won’t find anyone.”
A small group of students emerged from one of the buildings. Jay recognised two of the students – Maddie and Isaiah, part of Hathor’s friend group – but neither of them had been the one to speak. It was the pale, white-haired, blue-eyed boy with the tear-streaked face between them. Of course. Dreama could hear everyone’s thoughts at a young age. Jay dared not asked what he’d heard. Assuming the kid survived, there was probably no chance he’d ever come back to the Academy.
Instead, he turned to Maddie. “What happened?”
“There was this one guy,” she said. “I think he was the one in charge. He ordered everyone to be killed, even the wounded.”
Jay visibly flinched. Shit.
“Some of them didn’t want to,” the Dreama boy said with a shaking voice. “I could hear their mind voices. They’re afraid of the woman who leads them.”
Isaiah asked, “Sir, do you know why these people are here?”
Jay shook his head. “Afraid not.” He managed a smile. “But I don’t think we have to worry. Queen—I mean Amneris—is here and going after the big boss. This should be over soon.”
Maddie tilted her head, looking at something above. “She’s the one running on top of the ship, isn’t she?”
Jay spun around to see a figure—definitely Amneris—running up the ship’s roof. He let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, that would be her.” Scratching the back of his head, he turned back to the group. “Anyone else around here? Hathy send me after Hathy.”
“She and Imogene went back in there when the shooting started,” Isaiah answered, pointing at what remained of Vivus. “Troy was with them but he looked in bad shape.”
Jay nodded. “Go meet up with Sky. He’s helping rounding everyone up and heading for the mountains with the rest of the Court. I’m sure he could use more help.”
“What about you?” Maddie asked.
“Play rescue.” He eyed the students closely. “Get as many as you can to go with you but don’t be heroes. If you can’t save them, you can’t save them.”
They nodded and ran toward the mountains. Jay sighed again. It was horrible advice he knew they would ignore, but at least he couldn’t say he didn’t try. He ran toward Vivus Dorm.
It wasn’t hard to find Troy and Imogene. They hid just behind the door. Imogene appeared surprised to see Jay, but most of her attention was on Troy. Gods, the wolf looked like shit. Jay knew his power wasn’t the best at healing, but he did what he could anyway. The Fae called on the power of Eir, a spell taught to him by one of his sisters. Troy’s wound, shockingly, healed.
The Wolf Shifter bolted upright with a loud yell of, “WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT BASTARD? WHERE IS HE? I’LL KILL HIM!”
Imogene sighed. “You just had to wake him up, didn’t you?”
Ignoring her, Jay asked, “What bastard?”
“Dex.” Troy said the name like a curse. “Whacked me over the head with something. I think it was a pipe. Hathy was with me and . . .” He trailed off, looking around frantically. “Where is she?”
Once again, Imogene sighed. “Take a guess.”
“You didn’t stop her?!”
Imogene’s hair flared white. “Have you ever tried to stop her when she’s pissed? Besides, she asked me to look after you!”
“Enough!” Jay crouched. “Which was did she go?” Imogene pointed toward the broken staircase. “Okay, you two go after your friends. They’re headed for the mountains. I’m going after Hath.”
“Fuck no!” Troy jumped to his feet. “I’m going after her.”
“No, you’re going to the mountains where it’ll be safe and you can look after the other kids.”
The Wolf Shifter stood tall, almost reaching Jay’s height. “Try to stop me.”
Jay rolled his eyes. Teenagers. Then he remembered, by Lyriumian standards, he wasn’t much older. “Fine,” he eventually said. “You can come, but don’t do anything stupid.”
“I promise nothing!” He shifted and ran toward the broken staircase.
Jay shook his head, turning to Imogene. “Can you get to the mountains yourself?”
The Firebringer nodded. “I’ll make sure to take others with me.”
“Don’t be a hero!” Jay called as she ran off.
Imogene waved over her shoulder. “I will!”
“I said – oh, never mind.”
It took some effort, but Jay managed to bound his way up the stairs. By the time he reached Troy, the wolf was locked in battle with Dex. Hathor watched on from where she lay in shock on the floor.
Jay’s attention quickly turned back to Dex as he screamed. Seeing his attention locked on Troy, Jay took the opportunity. He grabbed a piece of piping from the floor, and whacked Dex over the head from behind. He fell to the floor with a thud.
Jay made a run for Hathor, only for something to grab his ankle. He fell to the floor. Looking over his shoulder, Jay saw Dex grasping Jay with all his might, rage burning in his remaining eye with an intensity he’d never seen before.
The boy hissed, “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”
By this point, Hathor had shaken herself out of her shock. She stood, her own knife and Dex’s strange looking one in her hands. Jay was at her side in an instant, having given Dex’s hand a good hit with the pipe. Troy, still in his wolf form, took up her other side, growling fiercely.
Dex managed to stand. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”
“Says the guy who blew up the Dorm,” Hathor countered.
Jay added, “That was your handy work on the Towers, too, wasn’t it?”
“Guilty,” the boy said.
“Who are you?”
Dex stood as straight as his current state let him. “Dex Asher, last survivor of Ilsbrook.” He smiled a cruel smile. “A pleasure to make your proper acquaintance.”
Hathor blinked then leaned closer to Jay. “Okay, I know history has never been my forte, but isn’t Ilsbrook that Terpolite city that mum—”
“Yep,” he said. “That would be the one.”
Hathor looked between Dex and Jay. She raised a hand to her head and sighed, “Oh, great, here we go again.”
Jay lowered his head slightly. “These guys going after Queenie is making sense, but why the Academy?”
“That was my idea.”
A woman stepped from the shadows, moving to stand beside Dex. The three hadn’t sensed her arrival at all.
Hathor gasped at the woman’s face. She knew it. It was similar to her own, to her mother’s. Or would have been if not for the ridiculous amount of makeup.
The woman placed a manicured hand on Dex’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, dear boy. We’ll get that eye fixed up as soon as we return home.”
Hathor found her voice. “You . . . You’re Nephthys.”
“That’s right,” the woman said with a sickly sweet smile. “How nice to meet you in the flesh, darling granddaughter.”
Troy was looking between the two women cluelessly. He nudged Hathor’s leg and gave her his ‘what the fuck is happening?’ look.
Hathor needed a moment to process the question. She’d forgotten none of her friends knew. “That’s my mum’s mum.”
His emerald eyes widened.
“I know, right.”
He tilted his head.
“No, no, it makes sense she would be behind this. Well, behind the going after mum thing, not the Academy thing.”
Nephthys cut into the conversation. “Oh, there will be plenty of time for that later. I have merely come to claim my prize.” Her dark purple eyes bore straight into Hathor’s soul. “I’m sure you understand.”
Jay pulled Hathor behind him. “Over my dead body, you psychotic bitch.”
With the roar of a lion, Jay ran forward at a speed Hathor had never seen him move. One moment, he was in front of her. The next, he was coming down on Nephthys, wielding the pipe like a baton. The woman leaped out of the way, the pipe striking the ground with a loud clang. Before the sparks vanished, Jay was atop Nephthys again. This time, she wasn’t fast enough. Jay swung the pipe straight into her face.
Nephthys almost fell backward, stopping herself just in time with a backstep. She wiped blood from her nose, her eyes flaring with a dark blue power. “This is pointless, Fae.”
“I dunno,” Jay said calmly, holding the pipe at his side like a sword. He pointed it at Nephthys’ feet. “I’ve only met two women who can fight in stilettos, and you’re not one of them.”
“You little shit!”
Nephthys’ power flared around her. Jay rushed forward. In one clean motion, he slammed the pipe into her stomach. Winded, Nephthys gasped and leaned over, allowing Jay to twist around and slam the pipe down on the back of her head. Nephthys fell to her hands and knees but was still very much conscious. Jay was impressed. Normally, that moved knocked his opponent out.
Nephthys flipped to her feet. Her power came off her in waves, shaking the building. Jay cursed mentally. It wouldn’t be long until it came down. He had to take her down quickly. Jay twisted the pipe and made to attack—
BANG!
Hathor screamed, hands covering her ears at the noise, eyes squeezing shut. It was one thing to hear them from a distance outside but echoing inside was incredible!
When Hathor opened her eyes, Jay was on the ground. She didn’t need to get closer to know he was dead. Nephthys blew smoke from the barrel of her small black handgun. “Don’t expect him to come around any time soon, dear granddaughter. These are special bullets. They keep immortals down for a little longer. He will awaken but we will be long gone.”
Troy howled and leapt forward.
“Wait!” Hathor called after him. “Don’t—”
BANG!
The moment Troy leapt to attack, Nephthys fired. Troy fell to the ground with a weak whimper, a steady stream of red falling from his chest. He went still.
Hathor could only stare. “You killed him.”
Nephthys frown distastefully at the red-stained wolf. “An inconvenience. Oh, don’t worry. He would’ve died long before you. I just made it happen sooner.” She laughed cheerfully. “You should be thanking me. Someone with your blood shouldn’t be hanging with such lesser beings.”
Hathor was no longer listening, her attention solely on the bleeding form of her friend. “You killed him,” she repeated again, quietly. “You killed him.” Something inside her came to life. “You killed him.” Silver aura surrounded her form. Hathor met Nephthys with silver fire in her eyes and screamed, “YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!”
Silver energy burst from her form like fire. Everything it touched froze – the debris of the building, the bullets and magic attacks around the Academy, the students, teachers and soldiers. People running, fighting and dying all froze. Time itself had stopped.
Hathor fell to her knees, exhausted, sobbing, and entirely overwhelmed as her power activated for the first time. She barely registered Jay’s pained groan as his body healed itself. She barely registered Nephthys walking to her.
The woman knelt and lifted Hathor’s chin with a smile. “My, my, the girl has Time Magic. You should feel special. You’re more important than I thought.”
Hathor pulled away from her grip.
Nephthys was having none of that. She grabbed Hathor’s wrists and pulled her to her feet, dragging her across the room. The girl fought back but she was weakened, drained physically and mentally. All she could do was struggle against her grandmother’s grip.
“Hathor!”
A voice broke through the silence. Hathor knew that voice. “Mum!” Filled with a sudden rush of hope, Hathor kneed Nephthys in the stomach and ran toward her mother’s voice. “I’m in here! I’m—”
BANG!
Pain exploded in Hathor’s skull. The world went dark as she fell.
