Page 54 of Dark Bringer (Lord of Everfell #1)

Kal

D arkness pressed against the bay windows.

It was almost time to run again. Levi had her new identity card and ferry ticket to Bactra. Kal would meet him at the port at nine o’clock?—

A pea bounced off her forehead.

“Are you even listening?” Gabi demanded with a teasing smile.

Kal looked up from her half-eaten casserole. The dining hall’s background noise surged back; clinking silverware, loud conversations, the occasional cackle of laughter.

“Sorry, what?” she asked.

“I was saying,” Gabi continued, “that Professor Haddad is sleeping with the history teacher. They were making eyes at each other all through assembly.”

“Scandalous,” Kal said, forcing a smile.

She chewed and swallowed, tasting nothing.

Now that the day she’d dreamt of for weeks had arrived, she felt an unexpected tightness in her chest. She really liked her roommates, and the other girls in her classes were warming to her—even the tough ones who’d given her a hard time when she first arrived.

Bit by bit, she’d learned their stories, each unique yet depressingly similar.

Most involved fathers, boyfriends, or husbands.

Controlling bullies who let their fists do the talking.

It made her realize how lucky she was to have a caring, close-knit family.

Her parents and brothers must be at wits’ end by now, but any contact would put them in danger.

If the White Foxes thought they could get to her through the people she loved, they wouldn’t hesitate.

The thought made her expression darken, but then Kal looked around at the relaxed, smiling faces in the dining hall and had to concede that not all witches were evil.

Some of these young women would be dead if they hadn’t found a safe haven at the Lenormand School.

They’d been given hope, a second chance, support and friendship.

And a few of them, like Gabi, were blazingly brilliant with bright futures ahead of them.

Even the cosmetology track wasn’t so bad. She’d actually grown to enjoy it a little bit. She was starting to feel like she might belong here?—

“But you don’t,” Durian said firmly from the bench next to her. “We have to keep moving, Kal. Keep running until we find Travian. He’s the only one who can protect you now.”

Durian had been saying a lot of weird stuff like that lately. Cult of the Bard stuff.

Elena leaned forward, sympathy in her eyes. “You look tired, Kyra.”

In truth, she was both keyed up for the night ahead and exhausted from barely sleeping the night before. For a minute, she considered sticking around. But sooner or later, the white witches would turn up here—and she needed to be long gone when they did.

“It’s been a rough week,” she said, covering a yawn. “I think I’ll turn in early.”

Elena frowned. “It’s not even eight. We were going to study in the library, remember?”

“Oh, right. I’ll catch you there in a bit.” Kal felt bad lying to them. Worse that she couldn’t say a proper goodbye.

Gabi—always the intuitive one—gave her a searching look as if she suspected something.

“I swear,” Kal insisted, “I really am okay. Just a little strung out. All those late night runs.”

That made sense. Gabi nodded and turned back to Elena.

Kal bussed her tray. She was nearing the exit doors when another student intercepted her. Petra from Brock Hall. She was tall and quick-witted with a dry sense of humor and a weakness for licorice candy.

“I’m not making a run tonight,” Kal said in a low voice. “I don’t know when the next one will be, so keep your money.”

“It’s not that,” Petra whispered back. “Lara is looking for you. I saw her twenty minutes ago. She was crossing the quad and I heard her mention your name.”

“Lara Lenormand?”

Petra cocked a brow. “You know any other Laras? I think she might be onto your little side business.”

Kal’s heart stuttered. “Did she say that?”

Petra just shrugged. “She wasn’t alone. She had a cypher with her, and a man. He’s a real looker.”

Kal swallowed bile. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, he had black hair and?—”

“I don’t mean the guy,” Kal snapped.

Petra looked annoyed. “You better get your story straight. Just a heads up.” She quickly walked away.

Kal pushed through the doors into the rainy dark. Every instinct screamed run for the hills , but she needed her stones to get past the wards.

And her Bluekiller pistol, just in case.

Once she got away from the dining hall, Kal broke into a sprint. The dormitory loomed ahead, windows glowing yellow in the gathering darkness. She was almost there when a figure stepped into her path.

“Hey, Kyra.” It was Manij, the teacher who had found Kal on a park bench and brought her to the Lenormand School. She stood under an umbrella, her glasses fogging in the rain.

Kal smiled, hoping she didn’t look as guilty as she felt. “Hi, professor. Just turning in early to study.”

Manij smiled back. “I’ll walk you to the dorm. We can share my umbrella.”

“Oh, no, I don’t want to hold you up.”

“Don’t be silly.” She stepped closer, forcing Kal to shelter under the umbrella. It was too small, and rain pelted her back.

“What a night!” Manij said cheerfully. “Of course, we need the rain. Everything’s been so dry. So, are you getting on well with your roommates? Making friends?”

Kal wanted to scream. “They’re all so nice.”

“And your cosmetology studies? I’m glad to see you’re working hard. Assessments are coming up soon.”

“Oh yeah, I love it. I decided I want to be a hairdresser. Um, I’m sorry but I have a test tomorrow, actually. So I can just, you know, run over to my dorm, it’s right there . . .”

“Don’t let me keep you.” Manij finally moved aside. “Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Kal mumbled, hurrying past.

She glanced back once she reached the Zayla Khan Residence Hall. Manij still stood there, staring after her.

Kal took the stairs two at a time. The halls were empty—everyone was at dinner or in the common rooms. The triple she shared with Gabi and Elena was the last door on the left. She paused, listening. Silence on the other side.

Hopefully, Lara had already checked and saw she wasn’t there.

Kal cracked the door, ready to bolt, and was relieved to find it empty.

She slipped inside and hurried to the wardrobe.

Carefully pressed skirts and blouses hung in a row.

She shoved them aside to reveal the heavy peacoat hidden at the back.

The kaldurite stones were hidden in the lining.

The pistol was under her mattress, along with all the money she’d earned from her contraband shopping trips.

Kal peeled off her sodden school jacket and changed into her old mining outfit of shirt and trousers. Then she tugged on the peacoat. It was too warm to wear inside and she started sweating instantly, but Lara couldn’t mess with her now.

She took a last glance around, whispered the word bye to no one, and flew back down the stairs.

The grounds were deserted. Kal kept to the shadows, skirting the pools of light spilling from windows.

She was almost at the wall when she heard the scuff of a shoe behind her.

Before she could turn, a hand clamped over her mouth.

She struggled wildly as her attacker pulled her into the shadows.

“It’s me,” a voice whispered in her ear. “Stop fighting.”

Levi . He let go and Kal spun to face him, nerves jangling. Rain plastered his dark hair to his forehead.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “We’re supposed to meet at the docks?—”

“Shhhh!” He raised a finger to his lips and pointed.

A group of three was moving along the path toward the dining hall. Kal recognized Lara Lenormand and the pair who had crashed Durian’s remembrance. She grabbed Levi’s hand and dragged him against the wall of the engineering building.

“Shit, that was too close,” she breathed. “I was just having dinner in there.”

She turned to Levi, hoping he wouldn’t question her about who they were, but he wasn’t watching them. He was watching her.

“The ferry won’t sail in this weather,” he whispered. “The departure was delayed until tomorrow. So I bought you a train ticket instead.”

“A train? To where?”

“Sardis. You can make a fresh start.” He handed her an envelope. Kal quickly checked the contents. As promised, he’d brought a legit-looking identity card . . . in the name of Kayla Jentzen.

“Like the car?” she said with a frown.

Everyone knew about Emil Jentzen, even in a backwater like Pota Pras. He was a famous inventor whose company manufactured several models of luxury automobiles.

Levi shrugged. “It’s a name, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah. But it’s an unusual name. One that people might remember.”

His face fell. “I’m sorry, Kyra. I should have thought of that.”

“It’s okay.” She bit back her annoyance. “We can talk at the train station. But we need to get out of here before the dean comes back.” Not to mention the other two, who were probably worse.

Levi nodded and they jogged through the grounds, steering clear of the residence halls. The rain hammered down, turning bare patches in the grass to mud. They were almost to the deserted section of wall that she liked to climb over when a thought struck her.

Kal stopped abruptly. “How did you get through the wards?”

“What?” Levi turned.

“The wards.” She took a step back. “This place is wrapped in enough protective magic to stop an army. How did you get inside?”

His expression hardened. “We don’t have time for this, Kal.”

The name landed like a gut punch. Her hands went cold. “What did you just say?”

“I said, we don’t have time, Kyra!”

But she saw in his eyes that he knew . He’d messed up.

She drew the pistol from her pocket in one fluid motion, backing away. “Who are you?”

Levi stared at her in disbelief. “You’re seriously going to shoot me?”

Her finger tightened on the trigger. “How did you get through the wards? Don’t lie again!”

He raised his palms. “Do we have to do this now?”

“Yes, motherfucker, we do!” She stopped well out of reach, holding the pistol steady.

“I brought you what I promised, didn’t I? I would never hurt you, Kal. And I never lied to you, not once. You have to believe me. Our deal is still on. Just tell me where you found the stones. You can keep whatever you have. I think it’s a fair trade.”

In an eyeblink, Kal was back on the Corniche, watching her best friend die. The muddy smell of river water filled her nose.

“You people are all the same,” she said tonelessly.

“That’s not true,” he argued. “I’m really sorry about your friend. I had nothing to do with that. But we can help each other. You get your freedom, we get the source?—”

“Walk away,” Kal said. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Cold sweat pooled under her arms. “I will shoot you, I swear to Travian. So walk away.”

Levi held up his hands, eyes calm. Too calm. What was wrong with him?

“Stop,” she said, steadying the grip with both hands.

He took a step toward her. “I know you won’t do this, Kal?—”

She pulled the trigger.

The report was lost in a cannonroll of thunder. Levi grunted, dropping to one knee. He pressed a hand to his side. When he pulled it away, blood dripped from his fingers. It was a bright, metallic silver.

What the fuck?

“Kalisto Machena!”

She turned to see Lara Lenormand running toward her. Behind her were the cypher and the man from Pota Pras. But he wasn’t a man. He was an angel with great black wings, like some terrible bird of prey.