Page 36 of Angel Lost (Fates Academy #3)

Chapter Thirty-six: Lorelei

A giant black dog charges at me, a manic glint in its eye. My wings explode from my back, scattering feathers as I brace for impact. For all the world, it looks like it’s straight from any one of the hellish dimensions—except, it’s wearing a pink tartan collar.

I slew to a halt. The dog pauses, licks my hands hopefully, then gallops off, snapping at hellions as it goes.

Shaking my head, I turn—straight into another furry nightmare. Up close, Davina was right. These hellions are not cute. Giant pleading eyes do nothing to offset the rows of teeth sinking into my ankle.

Pain flares up my leg. I kick, but it holds on, whipping its head side to side like a rabid terrier. Snarling, I yank my knife out and drive it straight between those big, stupid eyes. Twist. The jaw slackens. I shake it off.

Blackness oozes out of the puncture wounds in my ankle and down my tights. I squeeze until blood comes out. Not life-threatening. Move. Find Zephyr.

The closer I get to the observatory, the more hellions there are, and the more panicked the students. The tweed-wearing redhead shoulders her way between academy uniforms, clearly out of place. The human. She clenches a dog whistle between her teeth, blowing it like her life depends on the damn thing.

“Tiny. Tiny, get back here right this instant,” she bellows between whistles .

Tiny? Could it be? No…not that giant dog? Not my problem. I have to get to Zephyr.

I push past, but she reaches out, grabbing my arm with surprising strength. My wings flap, balancing me, and her eyes fly to them, widening. She drops my sleeve, wafting her hands in front of her face.

“Do you have any water? I think I’m dehydrated. I keep seeing…things.”

“No, sorry. But, um, you’re probably right, about being dehydrated.”

She nods vigorously, head jerking up and down. “Have you seen Tiny? My dog. I can’t leave him. He’ll get lost.”

That giant dog had looked anything but lost. It was having the time of its life. Last time I saw it, it had a hellion in its jaws and was shaking the life out of it.

I bite my tongue. “Look, it’s a bit dangerous out here right now. There are some escaped…zoo animals. Maybe you better get inside?”

She scowls. “And leave Tiny?”

I sigh. “Okay, okay. Big black monster dog, right? He went that way.”

She flashes me a smile and darts off after the mutt. I stare at her back. Shit. I should have said the dog went to the kitchens. It’s probably more able to look after itself than she is. Too late.

Finally, I make it to the grassy open square and see the chaos between me and the observatory.

Students are running everywhere, screaming, bleeding. And the hellions here are bigger.

Farrell and Chano are fighting their way into the square from the opposite side, still a few hundred yards away from the observatory. Closer than me. The screaming reaches fever pitch as the hellions advance. Rogue spells lace the air, and the building behind me catches alight. I drop as far as I dare into the ley lines, keeping one eye out for danger, and latch on to the energy. When a large beast gets too close to a student I tangle the lines, hiding the student, allowing them time to escape. I can’t do it for everyone though. And Chano is no farther forward, caught in a pack of wolf-sized hellions, Farrell fighting back-to-back with him.

I need to get closer. Closer to where I last saw Zephyr.

“Stop wasting time. Pull the ley lines together and seal the rip.”

I spin, hands outstretched, ready to attack.

Davina stares daggers at me. “You’re an aether! Stop hiding students and shut the rip. Some of them are going to die. But if it doesn’t get shut, we’re all going to die.”

I look between her and the giant gaping hole a hundred meters beyond the observatory. I can’t do that! She’s insane.

A flash of white has me pushing past her, ignoring her snarls. Zephyr. He’s too close to the rip. He shakes his head, like he’s coming to, and his wings snap out. Yes. Now fly. The ground around him is swarming. My breath catches in my throat as he starts to flap, rising into the air.

Slowly. Too slowly.

A giant bat-like creature launches itself at him, teeth snapping shut inches from his wings. It’s trajectory though, takes it barreling straight into him. They spin. Spiraling out of control, he falls from the sky. He lands, one wing beneath him, with an almighty crack. My heart stands still. A single white feather floats down to land beside him.

Get up.

He staggers to his feet, one wing limp, useless. Shit. The space between us is heaving with hellions. The air, swarming with bats, tiny bitey moths, and bigger creatures like lizards with wings.

If Farrell shifts he could get to Zephyr. I scan the crowd. Where…Dammit, he’s headed toward me, not Zephyr. I don’t need saving.

“Shift, Farrell,” I pant, fighting on as he approaches, Chano on his ass. “Zephyr needs you.”

“Lorelei,” Farrell says, backhanding a hellion, “a wyvern has less chance than you and Chano as demons in that maelstrom.”

“Into your dragon, idiota ,” Chano growls .

“Do it.” My voice is sharp, edged with desperation. “Get him out. Burn the bastards to ashes.”

I jab a finger toward Zephyr. He’s so damn close—barely half a football pitch away. Zephyr turns, locking eyes with me, bloodied and barely standing.

Farrell shakes his head. “I can’t. Not here. Not now.” His voice is tight. “If I shift, it’s over. The rebellion is over.”

Chano grabs his shoulders, shaking him until his head jerks back and forward. But it’s Zephyr I can’t look away from. His good wing droops. Somehow, despite the distance, he’s understood. Understood Farrell’s head shaking. Understood Farrell’s refusal.

We fight together, the three of us, slowly edging toward Zephyr, toward the rip. To my right, there’s a flash of purple and a spark of aether. Kai.

With two aethers, we clear the path more steadily. Pushing forward more than we’re being pushed back. But it’s so slow. I daren’t fly. There are too many teeth in the air. My wings are feather, unlike Farrell’s dragon scales. My gut roils.

We’re closer—twenty yards, ten yards. Suddenly Zephyr’s eyes roll back in his head, and he goes down, just crumples to the ground like something sucked the bones out of him. A cloud of tiny moths covers his body, his normal glow suffocated under their dark mass.

I have to stop them. The moths are streaming through the rip, straight for Zephyr.

I pull frantically at the edges of the rip with my aether, trying desperately to do as Davina commanded. She thought I could…

“We’ll protect you. Drop deeper, chica. Do it.” Chano presses a kiss to my forehead and turns, back to me. Farrell and Kai do the same. I drop down, spreading my fingers on the ground, searching out the energy. It sparks and weaves, trailing off around the rip. I can’t see clearly. Not like normal. The fighting, the hellion snarls—it’s too much. Too distracting. I pull and push and the lines bend slightly, only to spring back as soon as I let go.

“It’s no use.” I snap out of my meditative state to find Davina’s face inches from mine.

“Nonsense,” she says gruffly.

“Get the other aethers here, then we might have a chance. By myself—”

“You’re not by yourself,” she snaps. “Use him.” She jerks her chin at Kai. “Use them.” Again she motions, this time to my allegiance. “Pool your energy, aether. The professors and I will hold them back as long as we can.”

From behind her the tiny Professor Hannya floats, her eyes glowing as if lit from within. She cackles, pressing her hand over my heart. “Make your father proud, Bal.” Then she spins away, her academy robes flying, katana in hand.

My father.

Over her shoulder, the professors spread out, protecting us. I glance uncertainly at Kai. His jaw clenches, tattoos writhing over his skin. Then he grabs my hand. Together we drop deep, deep into the ley lines, the energy pulsing around us, through us. Reaching out, I feel it, the instability around the rip. The way the ends of the ley lines are just flapping around, like fabric unraveling.

This time, when I try to bend the energy, it comes easier. Kai’s aether flows into me, through me, it melds with mine, slotting into place like it belongs. Together we weave the lines. We weave and we weave, but as quickly as I knit the rip together, it unravels somewhere else.

Chano’s voice in my ear yanks me brutally back to the surface. “You have to pull power from us, chica.” I frown. He’s tired, exhausted, Farrell more so, a giant gash open on his forehead. But one quick look around and it hits me. The professors are failing. If I can’t close this now, we’ve lost.

I throw a last desperate glance at the heap of flapping, velvety black wings covering Zephyr’s body, and I let go. I fall deeper and deeper into the flowing river of energy under our feet, I let myself merge with it, let my aether become part of the ley lines, and I pull the boys with me. Slowly, the rip closes. Each braid, each twist more difficult than the last. Only gossamer thin in places, but, gradually, it shuts. The very last strands pull into place like it’s fighting a strong magnet, but finally it’s done.

I reach for the surface. The energy pulls and pushes, reminding me I’m a part of it now. And the ley lines don’t want to let me go. The boys’ energy is still with me, still trapped below. Gritting my teeth, I surge upward, dragging them with me.

With a snap, the ley lines give, and I topple to the ground, eyes pinging open.

We did it.

Groaning, I roll onto my back and stare up at the sky.

Zephyr . I’m up and staggering toward him before anyone can stop me.

The hellions are thinning out, moving away from where the rip was, the professors chasing them down. Reaching the dark bundle on the ground, I drop down beside him, my hands diving under the moths, swatting them away. They rise up, an angry, buzzing swarm. The moths circle before eventually taking to the sky. Zephyr lies face down in the dirt. Carefully, I heave him over. He face is serene, unblemished. Slowly, he opens his eyes.

Kai leans over my shoulder. “See, angel, she does care. She was coming up short until she thought you were being eaten alive.”

Kai flashes a wicked smile and dances off, stabbing hellions with way too much glee.

“Nasty fae. Fuck him,” Zephyr spits, a small dribble of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. “Fuck Farrell too. Fuck all of you.”

His eyes flutter shut.

Zephyr’s carted off to the infirmary. Although his breathing isn’t labored, he doesn’t open his eyes again. I desperately want to go with him, but I’m needed here. The rip is shut but there are still hundreds of hellions spread out across campus.

And still no damn Council.