My footsteps echoed from the wooden bridge, a rapid hammering that sent birds flying from the trees and fish diving deeper beneath the water’s surface. I sprinted down the path and threw my door open. I willed the school to get me to the infirmary in the fastest possible way.
My mind raced as I rushed Hagar to the help she needed. There were so many things I needed to do.
For starters, someone had to warn Kyoto that trouble was coming. The clans and sages would certainly have their own protection, and Kyoto’s regional defense force would definitely have a presence at the trail. But I had no idea how many of the Lost were coming, or what they had planned. A single Eclipse Warrior had gotten the drop on us and carved her way through trained bodyguards like they were nothing.
What if a dozen Lost fighters dropped in on the trial?
What if there were a hundred?
Less than a minute after I’d left my quarters, the school had me in front of a door with a red cross on it. I hammered at the glass and shouted for help. Hagar didn’t have time for me to be polite about this.
“What in the world?” someone called from inside. Shuffling footsteps hurried to the door, and a burly nurse with an angry expression ripped it open. For a moment, she stared at me, confused and upset. Then she saw Hagar over my shoulder, and her demeanor changed to a cool, professional calm. “Inside. Now.”
I hustled Hagar over to the examination table in the middle of the room and laid her down on the strip of paper that ran down its center.
“What happened?” the nurse asked. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I confirmed. “This blood’s not mine. She fell down the stairs and hit the wall.”
“Have a seat over there,” the nurse said. “I’ll see to her.”
“I can’t stay,” I said.
“I have to fill out a report,” the nurse called out as she started her examination, but I was already gone. I didn’t have time for paperwork.
I didn’t have time for anything.
The instant I left the infirmary I raced to the administrative office. Someone could call Kyoto. They could warn the courthouse an attack was coming. And then...
And then what?
No one would believe me, for starters. They’d probably think it was some prank or some protest trick to stir up trouble around the trial. If I was lucky, the administration would ignore me. If I was unlucky, I’d wind up in a holding cell until the disaster hit.
Then they’d haul me up on charges for knowing about the attack.
I froze in the hallway, a terrible plan rising through my confusion.
I didn’t care how risky it was. I had to do something. No matter what happened, Kyoto would know something serious was happening. It was worth the risk.
I fixed my destination in mind and raced through the school. The halls warped and bent around me faster and faster to keep up with my sprint. Five minutes later, I burst through an intersection, took a hard left, and almost crashed into Abi.
“I need to use the portal.” I grabbed my friend by the shoulders. “I have to get to Kyoto.”
Abi stiffened under my hands. His eyes scanned my face, and his lips pursed into a narrow line across his face.
“Are you insane?” he asked. “I’m part of the Portal Defense Force. I’m here to defend the network against people using it without authorization.”
“Abi, listen to me.” I held his gaze. “Something very bad is about to happen in Kyoto. I’m the only one who can stop it.”
Abi brushed my hands from his shoulders. “What is going on? We can call my commander. You’re a student, not a superhero. We will let the professionals handle the trouble, whatever it is.”
This was exactly why I hadn’t gone to the administration.
“Abi, please,” I begged. “You have to trust me. People will die if I don’t get to Kyoto.”
“My friend,” Abi said, his eyes flitting nervously from side to side as if looking for backup that wasn’t coming, “don’t try to force my hand on this. I have a sworn duty.”
“Abi,” I urged, “Eclipse Warriors will attack Kyoto. They’ll kill Grayson and the other sages at his trial. That’s the truth. Do you think your captain will believe that?”
My friend’s eyes narrowed with skepticism. He let out a frustrated breath, crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head.
“There are no more Eclipse Warriors,” Abi said. “They all died out during the war. Why do you believe this madness?”
My stomach tightened into a painful knot. Abi had swallowed the official Empyreal story hook, line, and sinker. He believed the Eclipse Warriors were long gone. Everyone did.
“Because one of them tried to kill me.” I raised my bloody fingers to the stain on my cheek. “Hagar’s in the infirmary. There are dead guards in my quarters. I know what’s happening because the Eclipse Warrior told me before I killed her.”
It was Abi’s turn to grab my shoulders. He held onto me, tight, and leaned forward until our faces were only inches apart. His eyes were wide and bright against his dark skin.
“There is something wrong with you, Jace,” he said. “I’ve known it since our first day back at school. Whatever it is has eaten you up inside. You have to stop this before you get hurt or you hurt someone else. Now, go. Come back to me when you have the truth on your lips. Not before.”
I didn’t have many good options here. Abi was no match for me in a fight, even if I didn’t have my Eclipse Warrior abilities. My adept core was a whole level above his initiate core, so it would be like fighting a child, with the bonus that I might accidentally kill my friend if I lost
