Howls erupted behind them, and more trees bonded together in response. A makeshift wall was weaving before them, another shield. Brokk’s sides heaved as he cut to the left, and Memphis spotted his intention.
A small opening just big enough for them to fit through was left as the trees solidified, the ripple quickly spreading through, closing any gaps. Brokk’s footfalls reverberated through him, and he watched in horror. The trees became thicker, sharper, preparing for them, to destroy them.
Gravity left as they launched forward, aiming for the shrinking gateway between their life and death. Memphis closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. Screams echoed around him, or maybe it was him: he couldn’t tell anymore.
Cool air howled, licking at his exposed face, sinking deeper and deeper into his bones. There was the sensation of his clothes ripping, talons digging into his calf—sharp and unrelenting, ripping through his flesh effortlessly. Pain, hot and lacing, shot up through his body, consuming his every thought, every movement and internal battle.
Until it was nothing but the fire in his bones.
Memphis cracked his eyes open, his vision spinning and blurring, but he saw enough to take in the ground rushing up to meet them. They collided with such force; he was thrown viciously from Brokk. He was suspended in time for a moment before his back cracked against something hard. The taste of dirt and blood filled his mouth, and he wheezed for air. Brokk’s growls ripped through the night as he stood from the mounds of dirt they had churned up, shaking. In one motion, he shifted back to his human form.
Bruises peppered Brokk’s skin: dark purple, blue, and green overlapping in a colorful display. His clothes were in tatters, revealing bleeding, open wounds. Memphis watched in wonder as sinew and skin healed, Brokk’s ability working in overdrive.
In one motion, Brokk was kneeling beside him. “Memphis, breathe. We are okay. Just breathe.”
The howls from the other side of the thick wall of interwoven trees slammed their reality in Memphis, and he lurched forward, gasping. “We have to get out of here. Back to the Academy.”
“Brokk, Memphis!”
Nei galloped through the forest, reigning her mare to a hard stop. Panting, she dropped from the saddle, leaving a stunned Alby in her wake. Her voice was thick as she ran toward them. “We lost sight, and I couldn’t get back. I couldn’t stop what I unleashed.” With wide eyes, she studied them. Cursing, she snapped, “Brokk, can you still carry him? We have to warn the others.”
Brokk’s voice was barely above a whisper when he asked, “What is else coming for us, Nei?”
She grabbed his shoulder, her features solemn. “A reckoning.”
Ice licked at Memphis’s veins, through his pain, through his nausea. He wanted to claw out the remains of the demons’ whispered voices, of their acclaimed king, of Cesan. Of the promises of their unmaking.
He was distantly aware as Brokk shifted back, making himself flush to the ground.
Nei’s whispered words were an anchor in the chaos. “Memphis, you have to try and get up.”
Shifting his weight, clambering for his friend, the pain almost made him succumb to oblivion. Was that him crying? Had he completely unhinged? His weight shifted, and Memphis breathed deeply, Brokk’s fur tickling his nose.
Nei said, “No matter what you see, don’t stop until we reach the Academy.”
Brokk heaved a shuddering breath, dipping his head once. And then they were running. Leaving the bloodthirsty howls rushing through the air behind them, as they dove deeper into the heart of the woods.
And they didn’t stop.
Chapter Eleven
Adair
They came to him in his dreams. Their beckoning voices were soft and comforting, and Adair groggily smiled, looking around him. Nothing was clear in his dreamscape; the colors and shapes all blurred into a giant grey mass. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he shrugged his shoulders.
Stepping forward, the ground rippled, like he had dropped a stone into the water. Green hues shimmered below his feet, crisp and sharp against the grey backdrop. Taking another step, the world shifted, exploding before him. The smell of damp grass overcame him, and looking around, he was in another forest, one he didn’t recognize. The trees here were oversized, the leaves a deep purple, creating the illusion that he was in the heart of a gem.
“Adair.”
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, as the soft voice changed into something he recognized. Turning slowly, the creature was behind him, her head tilted, like a predator watching its prey before it pounced.
She stalked up to him, slowly, the leaves turning to scorched earth with each footfall. He couldn’t move. He just watched, his heart lodged in his throat as she came face-to-face with him, her pale hand resting gently over his heart.
Those pitiless eyes pulled him in until he wasn’t sure he was breathing at all.
Leaning in, her sharpened teeth clicked lazily as she whispered, “You are so close. You can’t falter now.”
“Close to what?” His voice was a whisper on his exhale.
She pressed her hand harder on his chest. “To freedom.”
Adair stared in horror as black flames erupted from her fingertips. They twisted up and down her arm until they erupted, consuming him. It was like having his head shoved underwater. He flailed and writhed trying to escape her grasp, but he couldn’t break free.
He watched as the inky flames, twisting all around him, kissed and caressed his skin. Starting to sink into his pores, turning his veins black. Choking him, deafening him. He felt liquid burst from his tear ducts, black tears streaming down his face.
His screams echoed through the forest as the she giggled, lowering her sharpened teeth to his throat, making him submit to her will, her dark desires. He clawed at her, but the fire just raged, crawling into his mouth, his eyes, his nose. Suffocating him as he was turned to ash beneath her hold.
***
His screams tore from him, jarring him back to reality. Sweat clung to
