Page 5

FIVE

Wren

I wipe my sweaty palms against my jeans and try to convince myself to be calm. My gaze lifts to where my Air Elemental hovers above Celeste’s infirmary window. Ruby, Lily, and I hide behind one of the giant sequoias that stand like ancient guardians to the rear of Moon Hall. Thanks to Viento, fog still covers the campus, though the dove-colored sky says the sun has risen. Usually no one stirs at this early hour, but this morning the campus hums with activity as the Scorpio moons search for me.

“Hey,” Lily whispers. “We can do this. All you have to do is boost me, which, in case I haven’t told you, is so, so cool!”

I blow out a long, nervous breath and smile at Lily. After Viento tucked us safely behind the sequoias I’d quickly explained to Ruby and Lily about my Moonstruck magick—that I don’t have an Aquarian’s ability to heal, a Taurean’s super brains, a Leo’s ability to manipulate emotions, or a Scorpio’s incredible strength, but I can amplify any of those powers. It surprised me how easily they accepted my power, especially since I hadn’t told anyone but Sam and Lee about it.

“I knew about it,” Ruby says as their gaze continually scans our surroundings.

“What?” I turn from Lily to Ruby.

They shrug, still focusing on surveying our surroundings. “It makes sense. You had to be Moonstruck to be accepted into the Academia de la Luna, so you had to have power, even though you showed none of the usual abilities.”

“Yeah! Ruby and I’ve talked about it a bunch.” Lily bounces on her toes a little and her eyes sparkle with excitement. “I’ve never felt as powerful as I did at the stadium during my crowd control practice. I knew something was up. Something that had nothing to do with me—and I only felt it when you stopped taking notes and started concentrating with us.”

“Then Eliza healed the ocean of that oil spill.” Ruby snorts. “She isn’t powerful enough to do that.”

“But you were there. Just like at the stadium.” Lily continues, “So, Ruby and I brainstormed. Plus, you’ve been weird about your power since day one.”

“Weird?” I ask, feeling exposed and guilty at the same time.

“Weird—closemouthed about your power even though you’re at the academy where you’re supposed to be openly trying out and learning to stretch and then control your abilities,” explains Lily.

“Oh,” I say. “Well, um, I’m not like the rest of you. I’ve known that since day one.”

Lily grins and nods. “Right?! And that got Ruby and me thinking. Why would you not be open about your gift?” She hurries on, not waiting for my response. “Because it’s totally not like anyone else’s.”

“After considering the options, logic says your gift is a very unusual one. Something hardly anyone experiences. One that amplifies the powers of others fits that description,” says Ruby.

I feel a little breathless. “Wh-when did you realize that?”

Ruby shrugs. “We figured it out right after your second Trial.”

“We didn’t say anything to you because we wanted you to come to us. To trust us.” Lily’s voice isn’t accusatory, just factual.

“It’s your power, so it’s your story to tell,” adds Ruby.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner.” I feel crappy about not telling them.

Ruby’s eyes hold mine. “Had you told us, we might have suffered the same fate as Sam. Keeping silent to keep us safe was the right thing to do.”

“I should still be keeping you safe,” I say softly.

“Sam’s death changes everything,” Ruby says. “Safety is less important than doing what is right, and the right thing to do is to avenge Sam.”

“She was our friend, too.” Lily clears her throat and wipes her eyes before she continues. “So, as soon as Viento gives us the sign that Celeste isn’t in the infirmary room all you have to do is boost me. I’ll get us in there without being seen.” Lily’s voice sounds matter-of-fact, but she chews her bottom lip and then adds, “At least in theory I can get us in there unseen.”

Ruby’s gaze goes instantly to Lily. Their hand caresses her cheek gently. “You can do it. I know you can.”

Lily seems to grow taller. Her smile is radiant. “Yes. I can.” She kisses Ruby quickly and then turns to me. “I mean, we can.”

I feel incredible relief at being accepted by the two of them. I’ll have to leave them behind soon. Rottingham and Celeste can’t know that they’ve helped me, but it’s comforting that Viento and I aren’t in this alone. I don’t have Lee anymore, but I have allies at Academia de la Luna, and I won’t forget that.

“The Elemental has raised his arm,” Ruby says.

I peek around the tree’s massive trunk. Fog is everywhere except where the breeze blows around Viento, hovering above the infirmary window with his arm raised, signaling that Celeste has left the room. His amber eyes find me and I nod. The Elemental drops his arm but continues to hover outside the window as the fog billows, concealing him again.

“Okay, let’s do this,” I say. “Lily, I need to touch you to boost your power.” Lily nods. I wipe my hand on my jeans again and then take hers. Still in our hiding place, Lily grounds herself with several deep breaths. She lifts her hand not holding mine and gracefully turns it palm up as her thumb and fourth finger meet. She traces a little pattern in the air with her hand, a movement so slight that it’s almost unnoticeable. Instantly I feel it. Her power. First it flows down from above, from where the moon is, even though we can no longer see her. Heat expands from un der my rib cage and I match my breathing to Lily’s, allowing the warmth in my body to build and build.

“I’m ready.” Lily’s voice is taut, like she’s a stretched rubber band.

I focus on her and imagine I’m talking to the moon like Viento talks to me inside my head. Please help Lily. Boost her power. Now! Heat rushes up from my core and washes through my arm and into Lily’s hand.

“Oh!” Lily gasps and her eyes go wide as she turns to me with a smile that blazes. “That is amazing.” Then she tells Ruby, “I’m more than ready.”

“Follow me. Stay close. If I tell you to run—you run. We’ll meet back here. Understand?”

Lily and I nod. Ruby steps confidently out of our hiding place and we follow closely behind them. The fog thickens around us like we’re at a Taylor Swift concert and the smoke machine has been turned to full blast. Except for a single light over the rear entrance, Moon Hall is a hulking shadow.

“You see nothing. We are not here. You see nothing. We are not here,” Lily repeats over and over as she grips my hand so tightly my fingers go numb.

The instant before Ruby touches the handle of the door it swings open. Ruby moves so quickly her body blurs as she spins around, pulls us to the side of the building so we hug the hulking brick, and then puts herself between us and whoever is coming out of the door. But it’s useless. We’re going to be seen.

“You see nothing. We are not here!” Lily’s whisper intensifies.

I recognize Professor Scherer’s blond hair as she hurries past us. Even though we couldn’t be more than three feet from her she doesn’t so much as glance our way.

As the professor disappears into the fog, Ruby turns and gives us one of their rare smiles. “I knew you could do it.” They open the door and we follow them inside.

Even the rear entrance to Moon Hall is brightly lit and the three of us pause as we blink. Ruby starts leading us to the front of the hall, but I snag their red hoodie and motion them to an innocuous door that’s semi-hidden within the wood paneling.

“That way,” I whisper. I only know the door’s there because of Sam’s map—the map I followed up to the Conduit Chamber where I confronted Celeste.

Ruby changes direction and quietly opens the door to reveal the circular metal stairway that wraps up to the third level of Moon Hall—the hidden level that holds Celeste’s secrets.

We move quickly up the stairs to the second floor, where Ruby pauses and looks over their shoulder at us. Lily clutches my hand even tighter and nods. Ruby opens the door and we step out into the brightly lit infirmary hallway. We don’t hesitate. Lily’s mantra “ You see nothing. We are not here!” is like fall leaves rustling in the wind as we stride down the hallway.

On our left is a row of doors that open to examination rooms, like the one Sam’s body rests in, a small surgery, and several hospital rooms—the last of which is for a VIP. To our right there are storage rooms, a pharmacy, and a healers’ station.

The healers’ station has a long semicircular counter with a metal cart in front filled with carefully labeled drawers that hold supplies. Beside it is a crash cart for code blues, which I recognize because of my extensive viewing of Uncle Joel’s favorite show, Grey’s Anatomy .

Sitting behind the healers’ station are two women dressed in turquoise scrubs and white lab coats. As we approach their part of the hallway, I can hear them talking in low voices about how quickly Celeste healed from her stab wound. I recognize one as the healer I glimpsed in Celeste’s room earlier. The other is Janice, the healer who cared for Eliza and me after we almost drowned during our second Trial.

“I’m so shocked that Wren tried to kill Celeste,” Janice was saying.

The other healer shook her head. “It’s terrible. This whole summer has felt unusual to me, but I suppose that’s because we’ve had a viper in our midst.”

Great. Now I’m a viper. I can’t help myself. I keep glancing at the healers as we walk quickly down the hall—in full view of them.

Not once does their conversation pause. Not once do they even glance at us. Ruby doesn’t slow down at all but keeps leading us toward the last door on the left. They only slow when we reach it. The door is wooden but has a glass panel in it and the three of us peer within. I let out a relieved sigh at the empty room.

Ruby glances back at the healers’ station. We’re within clear view of the two women, though neither has noticed us. Ruby reaches into the pocket of their red hoodie, pulls out something, and throws it down the hall, where it pings against the door through which we’d entered the infirmary.

Both healers startle and pivot to look in the opposite direction from us, which is when Ruby opens the door to Celeste’s empty room and the three of us rush inside.

“What was that?” I ask Ruby.

One of their brows arches. “A pebble.”

“She can put an eye out with one of those,” whispers Lily. She’s grinning at Ruby, but sweat is beading her face and her hand feels slick in mine.

“Can I let your hand go now?” I whisper to Lily as I pull her toward the open mouth of the fireplace. “I need to try to get the book.”

“No.” She squeezes my hand tighter. I swear I’m going to have bruises. “I’m still keeping them away from us. If I stop their subconscious minds will get restless because deep down they know they’re being fooled, and they’ll come looking.”

“Okay, got it.” We approach the fireplace together.

“I will be on lookout,” says Ruby from just inside the door.

I peer into the fireplace. The flames are low, clearly on their way to going out, but so much heat is still radiating from it that as I get closer my hair lifts and my cheeks feel singed. It’s a wood-burning fireplace, like from the olden days (unlike the fake log gas fireplace my uncles have). Some of the wooden logs glow red and spout little bursts of orange flame, and others are as black as the charred bricks that line the inside. The book is burned to ash and gone. It has to be. I can’t help but feel defeated as I squint against the heat.

There, resting against a blackened log, is the book! My heartbeat gallops and I almost don’t believe my eyes. The silver symbols on the ancient cover glow softly. I let out a relieved breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“It’s here! And it’s not destroyed!” I look over my shoulder at Ruby. “Psst!” I call to them and they turn to us. “I need help getting this out.”

Ruby hurries to us, grabs a long iron tong from the col lection of fireplace tools sitting in a brass holder embossed with a huge fire dragon, and snags the book, pulling it from the dying flames. She holds it aloft in front of Lily and me.

“It’s not even singed,” says Lily.

“Magick,” Ruby says softly.

“Well, that’s a really good thing.” I reach out and take the book from the tongs. “Ouch!” I yelp in surprise. It’s searingly hot, like a live coal! I drop it and Lily’s hand.

The book smacks against the marble floor with the echoing sound of an openhanded slap.

“Oh, shit! No, no, no, no!” I’m babbling as I reach for the book again, but Ruby is there first. They lunge to the comfy chair beside the fireplace and grab the expensive-looking throw blanket artfully lying across the back of it. With one swift motion they toss it on top of the book, scoop it up, and frown at me.

“Turn around! I’ll put it in your backpack. And hold Lily’s hand again!”

I didn’t even remember my backpack was slung across my back, but I turn quickly and reach my unsinged hand out for Lily’s as Ruby crams the book, still wrapped in the blanket, into the backpack.

The door to the room bursts open as my fingers touch Lily’s.

The two healers are standing in the doorway, eyes huge, mouths open, staring at us.

None of us move.

“Wren?” Janice says.

Ruby is the first of us to move. They rush past us and up to the healers, fisting their hands in the front of the women’s lab coats. Ruby lifts them off their feet and tosses them onto the empty bed.

“Go!” Ruby shouts at Lily and me. We do exactly what they say and sprint out the door.

Ruby is behind us. They close the door and then yell, “Wren, boost me!” Ruby’s right hand is on the metal handle that serves as the doorknob to the VIP suite. Their left hand is reaching for mine.

I take her hand. Ruby’s head bows. I feel the heat bloom within me and direct it to Ruby, who, with a grunt of satisfaction, wrenches the handle of the door, embedding it into the wood so that it’s now immovable, effectively trapping the two healers inside.

“Now, run!” Ruby says.

We race down the hallway, as the healers pound on the door and shout to be let out. As we reach the exit, Ruby sprints ahead of us. They motion for us to stay back as they open the door slowly, peering into the stairwell.

“All clear. Move!”

We pound down the stairs. My heart thunders in my ears so loudly that I almost don’t hear the first words shouted from the intercom.

“ATTENTION! ATTENTION! WREN NIGHTINGALE IS IN MOON HALL! SCORPIO MOONS, DETAIN HER!”

“We have an intercom?” Lily pants the words between breaths.

“Yes. For emergencies. It’s almost never used but broadcasts schoolwide. Like a tsunami alert system,” says Ruby, who sounds like they’re strolling on the beach. “Scorpio moons learn about it in our first lecture.”

“Crap! Crap! Crap!” I breathe the word with each of my steps as we fly down the winding metal stairwell. It seems to take forever to reach the ground floor. Ruby pauses again, and silently opens the door a crack. I don’t have to look out to know the space is no longer empty. The shouts and footfalls of Scorpio moons rushing into the building are unmistakable.

Ruby closes the door and turns to face us. “Everything is fine.” Their tone is calm. Their gaze is steady. “Hide us again, Lily. We will go directly to the dark space behind the sequoias. Regroup. Call the Air Elemental and escape.”

“No no no,” I say quickly. “It’s too dangerous for you two to come with me. You have to stay here.”

Ruby’s gaze meets mine. “The healers saw Lily and me. They know we’re helping you.”

“Then tell them I used my powers on you and forced you!” I say.

“The first priority is to get out of this building without being captured,” says Ruby. “Wren, boost Lily again.”

I take Lily’s hand and ignore the fact that she’s trembling. Her hand forms the magickal symbol and heat bursts within my chest. I send it to Lily and she squeezes my hand in response and nods at Ruby.

“Ready,” Lily says before she begins whispering her mantra again. “You see nothing. We are not here.”

Chills skitter across my skin as the three of us, staying closely pressed together, step out of the stairwell and head to the back door. Even this rarely used entrance is busy with Scorpio moons rushing inside.

Ruby remains steady. Weaving around groups of Scorpio moon students, they lead us to the rear door and then move us to the side. In the next breath the door flings open as two young Scorpio moons run into the building. We slip through the door before it closes and out into the foggy night. With no hesitation Ruby leads us across the little courtyard and off the cobblestone path, moving quickly toward the massive sequoias barely visible in the gray morning.

We are close. Almost there. There is a crackling, staticky sound and then Celeste’s voice booms from the emergency intercom.

“ATTENTION, STUDENTS AND FACILITY! THIS IS CELESTE. I AM GOING TO RAISE THE SCHOOL’S SHIELD. EVERYONE GET TO THE EDGE OF CAMPUS AND FOCUS ALL YOUR POWERS ON SHIELDING OUR SCHOOL! NOW!”

People pour out of Moon Hall as the three of us dive into the shadows behind the sequoias.

“Shield?” I squeak the word. “What is she talking about?”

“It’s the school’s major protection system,” Ruby explains quickly. “Think of it like a clear bubble meant to encase the Academia.” They turn to me. “You have to get off campus before it’s in place. Once it’s set no one can leave or enter the school’s grounds.”

“ We ,” Lily insists. “Ruby, you, and I can’t be trapped in here.”

“Where I’m going isn’t safe,” I say. “You’ll be in danger if you come with me.”

“We’re in danger here ,” says Lily. “And don’t start with that stuff about saying you forced us to help you.” She jerks her chin at Ruby. “Like Celeste or anyone is going to believe Ruby could be forced to do anything against her will?”

Ruby says, “Celeste understands your power, correct?”

“Well, yes.” I nod.

“Then I agree with Lily. Your power is boosting others, not forcing others to do your will. We can’t get trapped on campus.” From our place in the giant tree’s shadow, Ruby is studying the sky around us. “Where is your Elemental? I thought he was going to meet us here.”

“I don’t—”

BOOM!

Screams slice the air behind us, toward the line that divides the Academia de la Luna and the wilds of the island. The fog dissipates and the morning sunlight illuminates an enormous fire dragon, a lot like the one that almost killed Lee and me during our first Trial, knocking trees aside as it strides closer and closer, blasting a line of blue flames before it like Godzilla.

A terrible shriek pulls our attention from the forest and the dragon as a huge waterspout forms over the ocean side of Moon Hall. It rises above the massive building, whipping around and around, causing even the giant sequoias to bend to it. I watch in horror as two students are pulled off their feet and thrown out to sea as they scream and scream and scream.

“Ignore the Elementals!” Celeste’s voice has been magickally amplified. She’s shouting as she sprints from around the side of Moon Hall, followed by a group of professors. Rottingham is with them, as is Lee’s dad. “Get to the boundary of the school! We must erect the shield to keep out the feral Elementals!” Celeste’s words echo across campus as students appear from everywhere, all racing toward the edge of campus.

And then I see Lee. He’s not running beside his dad. He’s keeping pace with Celeste. They’re perfectly in step together.

“Wren! Get it together!” Ruby shakes my shoulder. “I said we have to go. Now!”

“You lead,” I say, pulling my gaze from Lee. “We follow.”

Ruby sprints from the shadow of the tree as Lily and I struggle to keep up with them. “Call your Elemental!” they shout over their shoulder at me.

“Viento!” I yell. “Help! We need you!”

More explosions come from the forest before us. More screams echo from the ocean behind us. The campus is chaos. Lily is knocked to the ground by two students running past us and I grab her elbow, pulling her to her feet. Then Ruby is taking Lily’s other elbow and we race forward again. I can finally see the edge of campus. The demarcation line is obvious. On the campus side the lawn is meticulously cared for—ferns are orderly and trees, even the giant ones, are neatly trimmed. In direct contrast off campus is a jungle of dense underbrush, brambles, and thick forest.

Celeste and her group reach the line before we do. She’s several yards to our left. Lee is on one side of her and Rottingham is on the other. Professors and students spread out all along the line that divides wilderness and civilization. She’s wearing the starry cloak again, the one that glistens like diamonds. Celeste nods at Lee and says something I can’t hear. He takes her hand so that as she raises her arm, as if reaching for the moon, Lee’s hand lifts with hers. Her other hand grasps Rottingham’s shoulder. Beside them every student, every professor, has locked arms and is forming their hands into symbols of power. I can feel it—feel the intensity of their combined energy building within me. It’s so overwhelming that I gasp and stumble. Ruby and Lily keep running, but I can’t move. I’m going to explode.

“Come, silver moonlight!” Celeste’s voice echoes eerily with power as she speaks the spell. “The Moonstruck beseech your protection and might. I invoke the crystal shield this night. Once in place let none without permission cross to or from this space!”

Heat fills me. It’s like I’m burning from the inside out. I fall to my knees, hard, and grunt in pain.

“No! Get up! Get up! They’re forming the shield!” Ruby shouts as they turn back to me.

I’m breathing so hard that I’m almost hyperventilating. I look up, blinking sweat from my eyes, and I see a shimmering crystal barrier forming high in the sky directly over campus. It spreads down, like a giant is blowing a bubble.

And then my view of the shield is blocked by swirling black robes and glowing amber eyes.

“Viento!” I sob his name.

Come, Little Bird. We are out of time.

I’m engulfed by his robe and he lifts me to my feet, pulling me tightly against his side. But before he can take me with him I push against him and stumble out of his embrace. “I know we have to get away from Celeste, but the feral Elementals are going to come after us if we go out there!” I point to the wilderness not far from us.

Not all of the Elementals out there are enemies. Trust me?

I nod. “I trust you.”

“What? What is he saying?” Lily asks.

“That we need to trust him. Not all of the Elementals are dangerous to us,” I say quickly.

We must go! Viento reaches for me.

Again, I step out of his reach. “Ruby and Lily! They have to come with us.”

No! Only you.

“Then I’ll stay and protect them. I won’t lose one more person I love!”

Ruby moves into the space before us. They’re holding Lily’s hand. “The healers know we helped Wren.” Their voice is utterly calm.

Tears track down Lily’s face, but she lifts her chin and adds, “If we stay here Celeste and Rottingham will do to us what they did to Sam.”

“Please!” I beg.

This is a mistake.…

The words drift through my mind as I’m engulfed by Viento’s cloak again, only this time he’s scooped up Ruby and Lily, too. With the sound of a gale-force wind, Viento lifts us off our feet and the wind flings us toward the line dividing campus and the forest. Time seems to slow. I watch the crystal shield extending down, down, down. We’re not going to make it. I wonder what will happen? Will it cut us in half if we get caught in it?

And then my vision goes black as Viento folds us more tightly within his cloak. He bows his head and we soar down. My stomach flip-flops like I’m on a roller coaster and then my ears pop.

Viento slows, stops, and gently we come to ground. I step out of the safety of his embrace, thinking we didn’t make it—thinking we’re going to have to fight the entire school to survive—thinking what the hell is our Plan B?

We’re in the forest. Slowly, I turn. The Academia de la Luna is there. It looks like a living snow globe minus the snow.

“Wren!”

My name is an agonized cry. I search the line of people standing on the campus side of the crystal shield and my eyes meet Lee’s.

Through numb lips I whisper his name, “Lee.”

Now we leave this place. Viento wraps the three of us in his cloak. We lift with the currents of air and I look over his shoulder at Lee. Our eyes meet again. I hope he sees within mine how much I care about him—how badly I wish things were different. I want to burst into tears until a shimmering cloak falls across Lee’s shoulders as Celeste puts her arm around him. I’m suddenly so, so cold as I watch my old life, and my love, disappear.