Page 15 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)
Elias
“ I can’t believe this,” Wild sighed, confusion and no small amount of panic washing over him. “I mean… can they do that? Force us all to stay here? We’re adults, after all. And I don’t want to be in a cage.” He looked up at Caden. “I fucking hate cages.”
Caden’s expression softened as he stepped into the room, Atlas following close behind. The werewolf’s usual relaxed demeanor was replaced by something tense and alert, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air.
“The Dean’s authority is pretty absolute in emergency situations,” Atlas said grimly, closing the door behind them. “Especially when the Elder Council backs the decision. Even my family’s secret portal has been shut down.”
Through our bond, I felt Wild’s claustrophobia spike, his fae nature recoiling at the thought of being trapped. His emotions crashed into mine, making my own chest tighten with sympathetic panic.
“What kind of attack?” I asked, taking the notice from Wild’s trembling hands. The parchment was warm to the touch, still humming with the magical energy that had distributed it throughout the academy.
“Three more schools,” Caden said quietly, settling onto his bed. “Thornwick Institute in Scotland, Académie Starlight in Paris, and...” He paused, his face pale. “Moonhaven College in Oregon, the sister college to Widdershins.”
Wild began pacing the small room like a caged animal, his agitation bleeding through our connection so strongly I had to grip the edge of my desk to remain steady. “How many casualties?”
“Seventeen dead,” Atlas answered, his voice heavy. “Dozens more injured. All students or faculty with mixed heritage or unconventional magical abilities.”
The paper crumpled in my hands as fury surged through me. “They’re escalating. The Purity Front isn’t just targeting individuals anymore, they’re going after entire institutions.”
“Because of us,” Wild said suddenly, stopping mid-pace to stare at me. “Because of what we did in the courtyard. We proved that bonds like ours are possible, and now they’re trying to eliminate anyone who might form one.”
The guilt hit me like a physical blow. This was all my family’s fault… all my fault. If I had only paid more attention… known that they were doing shady things, I might’ve been able to stop them.
Through our connection, I felt Wild and Caden’s immediate rejection of that thought, their emotional support wrapping around me even as my own self-recrimination threatened to overwhelm me.
“This isn’t your fault,” Caden said firmly. “They were planning this long before we bonded. If you’d stayed behind or tried to stop them, they would’ve destroyed you.”
“They might still destroy us,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “Now we’re trapped like fish in a barrel. Perfect targets.”
Atlas moved closer to Caden, his protective instincts flaring. “The academy’s defenses are stronger than you think. Professor Blackwood and the other faculty have been working around the clock to reinforce the wards since your attack.”
“But for how long?” Wild demanded, his voice rising with each word.
“What happens when the Purity Front decides to lay siege? When they bring enough firepower to crack even Widdershins’ protections?
” He whirled to face me, his green eyes blazing.
“Your father’s people have resources, Elias.
Money, influence, magical artifacts. How long before they overwhelm us? ”
I opened my mouth to respond, but a sharp knock at the door cut me off. All four of us froze, exchanging glances.
“Students,” came Professor Blackwood’s crisp voice from the hallway. “I need to speak with you immediately.”
Atlas opened the door to reveal not just our professor, but Dean Thornfield himself, his usually pristine robes wrinkled and his dark hair disheveled. Behind them stood two figures I didn’t recognize, a tall woman with intricate braids and a shorter man whose eyes held an otherworldly gleam.
“Representatives from the Elder Council,” Dean Thornfield announced without preamble as they filed into our suddenly cramped room. “They’re here specifically to discuss your... situation.”
The woman stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over each of us with calculating intensity. “I am Councilor Vael. This is Councilor Ashwick. We’ve come because your triune bond represents both our greatest hope and our most dangerous vulnerability.”
Wild’s panic spiked again through our connection. “Meaning what, exactly?”
“Meaning,” Councilor Ashwick said, his voice carrying an odd harmonic quality that marked him as fae, “that the Purity Front will stop at nothing to either capture or kill you three. Your bond threatens everything they believe about magical hierarchy.”
“But it also proves that the old ways can be restored,” Councilor Vael added, her expression softening slightly. “That the barriers between our peoples are artificial constructs that can be overcome.”
Professor Blackwood moved to stand beside us, a gesture of protection that didn’t go unnoticed. “What are you proposing?”
“Relocation,” Dean Thornfield said heavily. “A safe house, heavily warded, where the boys can complete their bond training without putting the entire academy at risk.”
“Absolutely not,” Wild said immediately, his voice flat with finality. “I’m not going into hiding like some kind of criminal.”
“It’s not about hiding,” Councilor Vael insisted. “It’s about survival. And preparation. If you’re going to face what’s coming, you need to be stronger than you are now.”
Through our bond, I felt Caden’s quiet terror at the thought of leaving Atlas, and Wild’s growing desperation at the walls closing in around him.
My own emotions were a churning mess of guilt, fear, and a strange sense of responsibility I didn’t fully understand.
“What exactly is coming?” I asked, dreading the answer but needing to know.
Councilor Ashwick exchanged a look with his companion before speaking. “Intelligence suggests the Purity Front is planning something they call the Final Cleansing. A coordinated strike against every major magical institution that teaches or harbors mixed heritage students.”
“They’re building toward war,” Dean Thornfield added grimly. “And they see your bond as the catalyst that will rally others to their cause or against it.”
Wild’s agitation reached a fever pitch, his magic crackling visibly around his fingertips. “So what, we just disappear? Let them terrorize everyone else while we hide away playing magical training montage?”
“The safe house isn’t just for hiding,” Professor Blackwood interjected. “It’s where Lydia conducted her original research. Her notes, her artifacts, everything she discovered about triune bonds is there.”
That got my attention. “My grandmother’s research facility still exists?”
“Hidden,” Councilor Vael confirmed. “Protected by wards she and your great-uncle Sorrel wove together before their bond was broken.”
I turned to Blackwood. “You knew about this, and you didn’t tell me?!”
“She did not,” Councilor Vael interrupted.
“The Elder Council was aware, but the information was kept secret. We… hoped that things would never escalate to this level of violence, that we could quell the Purity Front before it got out of hand.” She let out a long sigh. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.”
“Where is it?”
“Hidden between the realms,” she said. “It’s the one place the Purity Front can’t reach you.”
I felt something shift in Wild’s emotions, curiosity beginning to temper his panic. “Between realms? Like, actually between the fae realm and the mortal world?”
“A pocket dimension anchored to both but belonging to neither,” Councilor Ashwick explained with obvious pride. “One of the last remnants of the time before the Great Separation.”
Caden looked up at Atlas with desperate eyes. “How long would we be gone?”
“That depends on how quickly you master the bond,” Dean Thornfield said carefully. “And how long the academy can hold out against whatever the Purity Front is planning.”
The implication hung heavy in the air. We might not have an academy to return to.
Through our connection, I felt Wild’s internal war between his need for freedom and his growing understanding that this might be our only chance to become strong enough to actually fight back.
Caden’s emotions were simpler but no less painful, the agony of being separated from his mate warring with his loyalty to us.
“There’s something else,” Professor Blackwood said quietly. “The safe house... it’s not just where Lydia did her research. It’s where she, Sorrel, and Thorne lived. Together. For nearly three years before the attack that separated them.”
“You mean they were actually bonded?” Wild’s voice was barely a whisper. “A witch and a fae?”
“More than bonded,” Councilor Vael said softly. “According to the records, they were married in the old way. A joining of magic, soul, and body that transcended the boundaries between realms.”
I felt my heart skip a beat. “But she married my grandfather.”
“She did,” Professor Blackwood nodded. “And had children with him. But Sorrel remained her true bond throughout her life. It’s possible that they continued to meet in secret, although we have no way to prove that.”
“I… I never knew.”
“Nobody did,” Councilor Ashwick said. “They did an excellent job of keeping their relationship secret. It wasn’t until Lydia died that Sorrel turned over everything to us before he returned to Briar Hall and passed away himself.”
“Speaking of Briar Hall,” Councilor Vael said, pulling a crystal sphere from her robes. “I have a message for you, Mr. Briar Hall. It’s from your parents.” She handed the scroll to him, a surprised look in his eyes. “They recorded this and asked me to give it to you.”
Wild stared at the crystal sphere as if it might explode in his hands. Through our bond, I felt his emotions cycle rapidly between confusion, dread, and bitter amusement.