Page 130 of Destined Dawn

“Are you nervous?” he asks.

“A little,” I admit.

“You shouldn’t be,” he says with all that self-assured confidence I love about him. “You have us. We have each other. I felt it last night, how strong the bond between us is. I don’t think even a dragon like Gwenhwyfar or a dark magical with an entire army could break that apart. It’s more than just magic,” he adds with a whisper, causing a shiver ofelectricity to spiral down my spine. I understand what he means.

Still, it’s hard to stand back and watch them come, knowing the danger they bring to all the people I care most about. Especially as a gray cloud seems to spread out in front of the army, racing towards us.

“What the hell is that?” Spencer asks.

“Spider’s rot,” Tristan answers. “One of his favorite tricks. Brace yourselves! It can penetrate through the shields,” he calls out to the others before it hits us a minute later.

It’s like a hurricane. The sky darkens above us and the wind whips around us, attempting to knock us off our feet, dust battering our faces. We form our circle, battling to force the wind away up into the sky, although that darkness remains, looming over our heads.

When we look across the landscape again, we find Christopher Kennedy’s troops already surrounding the base of the academy’s mound, hundreds and hundreds of magicals, some of them soldiers and guards – the like I’ve seen before – others dressed in those robes with the badge – more skilled magicals like the ones we faced on the beach. Mingled with them is weaponry and machinery. But, though I search, I don’t see the Lord Protector himself, although in the next moment I hear his voice, echoing across the campus.

“Students and teachers of Arrow Hart Academy,” he says, his voice amplified and intimidating, “among you dwell traitors to our great republic, dangerous fugitives who pose an evil threat to your safety, to this nation’s safety, to all our safeties. Hand them over at once and I will deal with them personally. There is no need to be afraid. You will be doing a great service to your country. Several more unsavorydegenerates removed with your help.” He pauses. “Unless the fugitives themselves would be gracious enough to hand themselves over.”

I glance at the others. Azlan shakes his head stiffly and Renzo chuckles.

“As fucking if.”

But I can’t help glancing behind us at the others, at all the students out here waiting to face battle. Are they as sure? Is this the moment where they have a change of heart and swamp us?

I hold my breath, my heart thumping in my chest.

No one moves. No one even stirs.

Then York’s voice rings out. Just as loud, just as determined.

“We shall do no such thing. We will not be complicit in your reign of terror.”

“Reign of terror?” Kennedy scoffs. “The only terror you should fear is the chaos that girl will bring on all your heads. You think she is the light. You think she is some sort of savior. You do not know who she really is.”

I think he’s going to tell them, reveal who my dad is, who I am, the dark magic I have in my veins. He doesn’t. I guess he’s about as impatient as I am to get this over with, because in the next moment, hundreds of arrows of magic fire our way, glittering like fireworks in the sky.

Spencer is right. The academy is protected with old magic and the arrows shatter against the surface of those spells and wither to the ground. It doesn’t deter Christopher Kennedy. More magic hurtles up towards the academy crackling against the old spells.

“How long will they hold?”

“Long enough,” Tristan mutters. “Let them use up their magic breaking through. It will only weaken them.”

I nod and look up, watching the sky as if I really am at a firework display.

The magic fired towards the academy becomes heavier, denser and more powerful and finally a crack appears in the old spells, a bolt of magic zooming through and hitting the ground behind us. The earth shakes and the grass singes.

“They’re through,” Azlan yells. “Be alert!”

I raise my hands. Above us great golden cracks appear in the sky, racing towards the ground, and then the old spells are crashing towards the ground in great chunks and we’re forced to raise our hands and cover our heads. There are whoops of delight from the troops below and the magic comes streaming towards us. Between us, we deflect and dodge it, sending our own magic down the hill and causing holes in their ranks and soldiers to scatter. But we are outnumbered, vastly outnumbered. Kennedy knew how many people we had here at the academy and he’s brought with him twice as many at least.

“This isn’t working,” I shout to the others.

“It is,” Tristan yells back. “This is what we want, Rhi. To weaken them.”

Although, as a bolt of magic hits the shoulder of the woman beside me and she staggers to the ground, I can’t feel as confident.

Magic crashes against the mansion and behind us into the campus. Great holes appear in the only recently repaired roof, glass windows smash and brickwork tumbles to the ground. Behind me I hear a man grunt as he’s hit and a woman scream.

This is too much. It isn’t worth it. Why are we fighting like this when I have the dragons? I could break free, run for it and be on Gwenhwyfar’s back in a matter of seconds.