I understood his uncertainty. He’d been stuck in the void not once but twice, each time the visit messing with his mind. Who knew how many more times he’d make it back out without permanent damage?
“Stace said it’d work.” I left it at that.
“But do you think it’ll work?”
“Yes,” I answered without faltering. Despite my own doubts about this plan, it was the only plan we had. I had to believe it would work. It had to. It just had to.
“Then I do too.” He winked, sending my knees into an unsteady wobble. “Hey, about what happened in the fog.”
“Later,” I said, cutting him off. I couldn’t focus on him going dark on me for a moment. I had to bring an entire army back from the void. “Let’s get through this first.”
He nodded. “Be sure you wear that crystal when you come out the other side. No reason to give Alec exactly what he wants, which is you.”
“I know.” I motioned for him to get going. He pulled his group through the void and disappeared. One by one, each group disappeared through the floating hole until only Stace and her group and me and my group remained. We exchanged looks. A million things passed through our connection. Fear. Uncertainty. Regret.
“Katy, I…”
“I know.” I tipped my head to the portal. “Go.”
“We’ll be waiting. I’ll make sure we’re all in the same area.” She led her group through the opening and disappeared into the void.
“Katy?” Trevor squeezed my hand and looked up at me with those big brown eyes behind giant owlish glasses.
“Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll protect you.” I really hoped I hadn’t just lied to the kid. Again. “Why don’t you start singing your song?”
“Okay. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”
Of course, he’d find quite possibly the happiest song of all time.
I started in on my pocket full of sunshine and pulled us into the void. It surrounded us with no beginning, no ending, only nothingness. Trevor slowed as his expression fell. I squeezed his hand, drawing his attention. I mouthed his song with him, overemphasizing the words with my lips until he sang along.
It didn’t take long to spot the group. Several were slipping in and out of the catatonic state. The sooner we got out of here, the better.
I handed Trevor and the rest of my group over to the guys, each one attaching themselves to a different group. The guys kept everyone focused, pulling them back when they’d gone comatose.
I held the crystal in my hand and concentrated on the basement of the academy’s infirmary. Most didn’t even know the building had a basement, but having worked there, I knew not only about the basement, but also that it had a separate exit facing away from the grounds. I banked on that now.
The crystal warmed, so I lifted it and recited aperi oculos in my head since my voice didn’t work in the void. When nothing happened, I tensed and tried not to panic. If we couldn’t break through the void this way, we’d be trapped.
Slowly, as if the void itself fought the opening, a hole formed in the inky nothingness growing bigger, then smaller, then bigger again. I immediately recognized the supply room. I didn’t know how long the crystal’s powers would work here, so I nodded for the guys to lead the way. In the same order they’d stepped into the void, one by one they exited until only Stace and I remained. She’d lost her expression and stared straight ahead.
No. No!
I grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. She didn’t acknowledge me, as her mind had clearly gotten trapped. No matter how much I screamed her name, no sound came. That didn’t stop me from screaming louder.
Not knowing what else to do, I pushed her through the portal and jumped through after her. She collapsed to the floor at Renee’s feet.
“Stacey!” She dropped to her knees and pulled Stace into her arms. “What happened?”
“She went catatonic.”
Renee held her closer. “I’ll stay with her. You go, save the school. Save Cressida. I know a few spells I can try.”
I gave one last look at Stace motionless in Renee’s arms before waving for everyone to follow me. I double-checked the hall to confirm it was empty. We hurried silently to the door leading to the outside. I opened it slowly and peeked out. I was about to step out when a hand on my shoulder stopped me.
Bryan pointed at the crystal in my hand and then my neck. “Put it on,” he whispered.
Rob joined Bryan in lecturing me. “You don’t take it off, Reed.”
Leo and Clay both nodded as Clay said, “As much as you love to fight us on, well, everything, please don’t fight us on this. Please, Montana.”
I hated going invisible when it was me Alec wanted, but I slipped it over my head anyway. I assumed I disappeared considering how they all seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. I opened the door and walked out into the gray, drizzly day. The cold immediately hit me, causing me to shiver. Why did I never remember to bring a coat?
I moved ahead to make sure the coast was clear before texting the guys from my burner to get to the different corners of the academy grounds, one for each of the elements. The legends were waiting for them there. The campus was empty, which I didn’t know was a good thing or not. The place had been crawling with Council patrol the last time I’d been here. Then again, they did just burn down their headquarters, so maybe they were out searching for another HQ.
Which made no sense and had me even more on edge. They’d burned down the school to draw me out, not to run and hide. That meant they had to still be here. But where?
I stopped in front of what was left of Clearwater Academy, my stomach twisting at the sight. The main hall had been
