I cocked my head and swore I heard Clay’s voice outside the ruins.
“That was a good one, eh?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Leo growled.
Clay chuckled softly. “I think I felt them both that time. How about you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he repeated with more intensity. “It’s…weird.”
“Whatever, man. It’s not weird. It’s cool. We’re all bonded. So we feel it when one of us has a volcanic eruption rivaling Mount St. Helens. So what? It’s better than going at it solo. That’s how I knew where you guys were at. My ward led me here.” He paused before calling out, “Hey, you guys about done? I’d like to say hi to our girl.”
I accepted the coat Rob offered. “Ready.”
Clay practically tackled me as he rushed into the ruins and swept me into his arms. “Montana, my beautiful prophecy. How the hell are you?” He buried his face against my neck, tickling me with his soft beard.
“Better now that you guys are here.”
He pulled back and nailed me with that brilliant green gaze. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you.” I took Rob’s hand, then Leo’s. “I’ve missed you all. There’s so much to tell you. But first, I want to hear what’s been going on here.”
Rob glanced back toward the entrance facing the school grounds. “Leo?”
“On it.” He squeezed my hand and kissed me soundly. “It’s really good to see you, babe. Don’t stay away so long next time, okay?”
“Okay.” Begrudgingly, I released his hand and watched him leave the ruins to stand guard, already feeling the loss. God, I hated this. I hated having to be apart from my guys.
Moving deeper into the ruins, I waited until Clay and Rob joined me before we all sat on the same giant stone to keep our voices from carrying. “Tell me everything. How are things here at the academy?”
Clay shook his head, his head drooping as his shoulders sagged. He even lost his perma smile. “It’s definitely not the same. Alec is an even bigger idiot than he is an elemental monster. He’s got singles stepping in as handlers. Singles!”
“What happened to all the duos and above?”
“You didn’t hear. Well, how could you? You haven’t been around.” He stopped abruptly when I cleared my throat. “Sorry. Anyway, students started dropping out left and right when the Council put Alec von Asshole in charge. The ones who stayed and stood up to Dean Asshole were expelled. A group tried to protest but were arrested and sent to Carcerem. The punishment definitely doesn’t fit the crime on that one, but it got the point across. No one dares speak out now. We’re down to like half the student body.”
Which meant the other half were cut off from any communication I could have pushed through Clay to have him distribute. There went that idea. “Anything else?”
“Spencer and his leechers have pretty much taken over Ventus since it’s the biggest house. Any elemental with the power to call more than air has moved to another house. Even some of the singles have moved to other dorms.”
“Where are you living?”
“With me,” Rob growled, clearly not happy about it. Six months ago, he had his own place, a secluded little two-bedroom cabin in the middle of the woods. Now he shared it with not one but two roommates. “He uses up all the hot water.”
Clay stroked his beard. “Hey, something this beautiful takes time to perfect.”
“How about I break your face so you don’t have to worry about it?”
“Oooh, good comeback.”
“Guys.” I placed my hands on each of their chests. “Come on. How about you, Rob? How are things at the Council? Is pretending to be all sweet on Ness working? You are only pretending, right?”
He shuddered. “She’s very handsy.”
Jealousy bit into me. “Excuse me?”
“You have nothing to worry about, Reed. My heart belongs to you and only you. She just thinks she’s got a chance because she heard you and I broke up. Don’t freak out. You’re about to freak out. Don’t.” He took my hand and pushed his control to me, calming me.
Okay, yeah. I was about to freak out. The scent of sulfur wafted into my nostrils—a telltale sign I was close to calling an element. “You were saying?”
“She’s got Daddy wrapped around her spoiled little finger. Anything she wants, he gives her. Did you know she’s the reason the Council outlawed alchemy? She knew how much Bryan liked it, so she got rid of it.”
“That bitch.” As if I didn’t have reason enough to hate her. Bryan broke up with her over a year ago. Time to build a bridge and get over it, already. That also meant alchemists would have gone into hiding. Those who remained would hate the Council for forcing them to give up their practice. I could use that to Sentry’s advantage.
“Reed, there’s something else, something you’re not going to like.”
“Because I just loved all the other things you said. What is it?”
“The Council declared the prophecy propaganda, said it was no longer needed now that the two sides are working together. Anyone caught reciting the prophecy has to go up in front of the Council and be tried for treason.”
I dropped my jaw, shocked everyone simply went along with that. The prophecy had ruled our world for centuries. “What’s next? Outlawing reading? Forcing women to walk around in red dresses and white bonnets? This is ridiculous. Someone needs to do something.”
“And wind up at Carcerem? No one is willing to take that risk.” Rob pushed out a snarl and thrust his fingers through his short hair in frustration.
“I am.”
They both looked at me.
“You and what army?”
“Me and an entire coven of witches, some of them elder witches, high priestesses of their own covens. I bet we could recruit the alchemists. We could use them
