Page 28 of Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)
Emilio lifted his own sword, blocking the blow. It rattled all the way down his arm, seizing his body in a vicious wave. The replica was stronger, not to mention the same height as Olivier, but Emilio had something equally valuable.
Desperation.
He parried a series of blows, ducking his head when the blade sliced over the air above him. The replica of Olivier seemed to be enjoying itself, baring its rotten teeth and smiling in delight.
“You think you can beat me?” it purred, twirling the sword in its hand. “You are weak. A waste. And he knows that.” It gestured to the real Olivier, who flinched at the accusation. “He sees right through you. You think the attention he gives you is genuine? That it’s anything more than pity ?”
“Emilio.” Olivier’s voice echoed behind him. “Don’t listen to it.”
“He doesn’t care for you,” the replica went on, pointing the tip of the blade toward Emilio. “He’s bored. You’re nothing but a project. A way to pass the time. You know, deep down, that he wouldn’t have given you a second thought when you were alive.”
An arrow of shame struck Emilio’s chest as he listened to the replica’s words.
“You want to know something?” Emilio swung his blade.
They traded a series of blows, metal gleaming in the darkness.
“Despite what you might think…you can’t hurt me.
Your words are empty. Meaningless.” He spoke through labored breaths, each word strained under the weight of exhaustion.
“You will never be able to hurt me, because you could never say anything that’s worse than what I already think about myself. ”
The replica growled.
“You are pathetic. ”
Emilio swung his sword just as the replica brought its own down, their blades coming together in a clash of steel.
“And you…are…not… real. ” Emilio emphasized the last word by shoving the replica with all the force he could muster. It staggered backward, nearly dropping the sword to the ground, stunned.
Using the split second of shock to his advantage, Emilio charged forward and plunged his blade straight into the replica’s stomach. A gurgled gasp of disbelief slipped from the replica’s lips.
Emilio looked into its eyes. Olivier’s eyes.
And then it vanished.
Emilio stood there for a moment, chest rising and falling with every labored breath. He was vaguely aware of the others looming around him, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.
“Emilio…” Olivier’s voice was barely a whisper. He placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. Emilio wanted nothing more than to lean closer. To fall into Olivier’s arms and let himself be held.
But he couldn’t.
Not now. Not after that.
So he swallowed the knot in his throat and turned to face Olivier, careful to keep his voice calm and level.
“We…we should keep moving.” Emilio looked between Josie and Tristan. “If it’s all right with you two, I think it’s probably best if we stick together.”
Josie gave a frantic nod of approval. “ Of course it’s all right. You’re mad if you think I want to brave the rest of this maze on my own.”
Just as the words left Josie’s lips, the hedge in front of them split open, revealing a wider path lined with golden roses. There was a stark difference between where they stood and what waited for them on the other side—an iridescent sheen sparkling in theair.
“This must be the way out,” Tristan whispered.
The four of them exchanged a hopeful look. Emilio and Olivier approached the opening first, tentatively glancing through the hedge. It appeared safe—no surprise illusions or terrifying monsters lurking on the other side.
“We did it. We actually did it!” Josie giggled in relief. “Honestly, I was beginning to think we were never going to find our way out of this bloody—”
Her voice abruptly cut off, snipped like a thread.
One second Josie was there, standing in front of them, and the next she was being thrown to the ground, violently pulled backward by a vine wrapped around her torso.
Her bloodcurdling scream shot through the night as she clawed helplessly at the dirt.
Tristan dove toward her without hesitation, grabbing hold of her wrist.
“Josie!”
Emilio had taken a single step toward them, prepared to help, when a sudden gust of wind threw him and Olivier backward, sending them straight through the opening in the hedge. They landed on the new path with a dizzying crash.
Emilio’s vision refocused. He could still see Josie and Tristan on the other side of the hedge. But before he could even think about diving through the opening to help them, the vines began to move, sealing it shut.
And then…nothing. He couldn’t hear them. He couldn’t seethem.
“We have to go back—” Emilio cursed under his breath as he tried to pry the hedge apart, frantically pulling at the leaves and branches.
Olivier’s voice echoed behind him.
“Emilio—”
“I know what you’re going to say, but I don’t care. We have to help them. We have to—”
“Emilio.”
“What?” He spun to face Olivier, stumbling when he saw what the other boy was looking at.
An archway made of stone and vines with a double set of wooden doors had appeared before them. Etched into the stone were the words Blackwood Academy, along with the school emblem gleaming in gold.
They had made it.