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Chapter Seven

TORIAN

I was almost to my economics class when a rush of shock hit me.

Not mine, though. It was Aspen's, and as I reached for her mind, I couldn't find anything.

I wasn't sure if she was dazed, confused - or dead.

My feet slowed, my thoughts scrambled to find hers, but on the other end of my bond, there was simply nothing.

But I knew where she was - or at least where she should be. Without thinking, I turned for the closest doorway, snapping, "Move!" at anyone in my way.

Panic. That took over. Something was wrong. I couldn't feel Aspen, and I needed to get to her. One pull brought all the power I needed. By memory, I picked the doorway I'd use on the other side. A push forced the magic to race around the frame, giving me access to where I needed to go.

The gate was barely finished before I stepped through it.

I was on the second floor, right at the junction of the main hall and the one where Aspen's second period class was.

Across the hall, another gate flared to life, but white.

I turned my head to avoid the glare and finally felt her again.

There, in the back of my mind, was Aspen - and she was confused.

People were moving. I couldn't see her, and I needed everything to stop, but I didn't have my bearings yet. I'd just gated myself to the spot closest to her path I could think of. Where was she? What was happening? Did she need my help?

Stop time , I thought to her. Just make everyone slow down until they stop except us. Except the court.

Relief. A wave of that washed over my mind, and then I heard her snap.

A simple little gesture, but a wash of pale magic flooded the hallway, and nearly everything stopped moving.

Across from me, Wilder was removing his gate.

I flicked my hand at mine, crushing it ruthlessly, and stormed toward the direction the sound had come from.

Down the hall, I could hear someone running. I made it two steps before the door to the stairs burst open and Keir nearly crashed into me, but Aspen was there, lying on the floor with Rain kneeling beside her. Talking. She was talking!

"What the fuck!" I demanded.

"Aspen? Rain?" Keir panted.

"Who's down?!" Hawke bellowed, proving he was the one struggling to run through the frozen mass of people.

"It's Aspen," Rain called at him.

"I've got Ms. Rhodes," Wilder said.

Each of us were moving in from a different direction, but we were all converging on Aspen.

Wilder was the exception. He walked over to Ms. Rhodes and touched her, extracting her from the time freeze.

The dean sucked in a breath, looked around, then sighed, but I didn't have time for her bullshit. I had to see my sister!

"Aspen?" I begged, crouching down beside both her and Rain. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Aspen said, trying to sit up.

I couldn't see any injuries. There was no blood. She was lying flat on her back, but I was willing to bet she hadn't always been like that. A tablet was on the floor a few feet away, the screen cracked. I wasn't sure if it was hers, and in truth, I didn't care.

Nothing mattered but her. My sister was awake and aware. She seemed fine. I scanned her body, trying to make sure all the pieces were in the right place, because something had happened, and I didn't like not knowing what.

But before Aspen could do more than attempt to sit up, Rain pressed her shoulder back to the ground. "You got hit in the head with a tablet," she hissed. "Let Keir check you."

Ok, that explained the tablet. But who had hit her? Why?

"I'm here," Keir assured her, taking a spot on Aspen's other side. "I'm just going to make sure there's no concussion, ok?"

He reached over and cupped Aspen's face.

A moment later, his hand glowed with the iridescent rainbow of his magic.

My sister let her eyes close and relaxed, making me think it was working.

She felt less panicked, at least. I wasn't sure if that was because we were here, or because she'd stopped hurting.

"What happened, Rain?" I demanded.

"That is what I want to know," Ms. Rhodes said as she walked up behind us.

"We're figuring that out," Wilder said, as if that should've been obvious.

"Rain's got two trapped," Hawke said as he walked over with Jack on his arm.

"Morrigan," Jack said. "Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch!"

"So four?" Rain asked the crow.

He slung his beak up and down in a nod. "Bitch!" Then he shook his head like that wasn't right. "Jack-knight." The bird ruffled his feathers and looked at Hawke. Caw!

"I don't know what that means, Jack," Hawke said.

"Knight!" Jack said again, taking off just to land on Keir's shoulder. "Knight-Jack."

"Ok?" Keir said. "You're trying hard to say something, Jack, but I'm not getting it."

So Jack flew again, but this time he skittered over to the feet of a frozen guy halted just before he could punch someone. It was Pascal. Looking up at him, Jack chattered and cawed, then added, "Knight!"

"Shit, the sentinels," Keir realized, but his hands were still on Aspen.

Ms. Rhodes marched over to Jack, but I was picking out the people held by shadows. The magic still rolled like thick fog. Not even Aspen's magic had frozen it, but that made sense. Wild magic wouldn't be affected by hers. Instead, it was doing as Rain commanded - and still here.

But three students were being restrained. I recognized Pascal holding one, but also Bran and Axel securing the others. Those three were all sentinels. They volunteered to fight the Hunt when it came, so what were they doing here?

"Hawke, secure that girl," Ms. Rhodes said, pointing at the one encased in wild magic. "Torian, remove the time freeze."

"It's Aspen's," I said smugly.

She just looked back. "And she's being healed. We both know you can, so do it."

"Almost done," Keir said softly. "It's ok, Tor. We got her."

So I lifted my hand and snapped, undoing Aspen's conjuration. A few dozen people immediately began to move again. They all jerked. Some completed a step. Pascal finished swinging his punch, but most realized something had changed.

"Everyone stop!" Ms. Rhodes bellowed. "Sentinels, secure those students and take them to my office. Court, you will report to the counselor. Everyone else? Get to class!"

Rain, Keir, and I were surrounding Aspen. Wilder was standing by her feet like a wall, making everyone move around us. Hawke was now out of sight, but I could tell something was happening. I also didn't care. Not yet. Not until Aspen told me she was ok.

Finally, Keir lifted his hands. "That's the best I can do."

"That's pretty good, actually," Aspen said before looking over at me. "Can I sit up now?"

"I got you," Rain said, offering a hand.

I wrapped my arm around her back, helping a bit. "Asp?"

"No, I'm ok," she insisted. "There's just a blank spot. I was walking down the hall, then I was looking up at Rain."

"Take it to the office," Ms. Rhodes said as she marched past us, her heels clicking.

Which made me shove to my feet. "We will move her when she's good."

"And she will be better in the office!" Ms. Rhodes snapped, glaring at me. "Do not push me, Torian. I don't care who you think you are. This is Silver Oaks, and I'm the one in charge here. Do you understand?! "

I dipped my head. "Yes, ma'am."

But Keir was already moving. He scooped Aspen into his arms. "Just get the fucking doors, Tor."

"I got 'em," Rain said, hurrying over for the one that led to the stairs. "Jack!"

A dark streak skimmed the tops of everyone's heads. Rain lifted her arm, and the crow landed on it, leaving me to follow. I tossed a glance back at Wilder, and he nodded once, proving he'd stay to help Hawke.

But I was starting to put the pieces together. Someone had attacked my sister. Four of them, from the looks of it. Rain had stopped it, thankfully, but now I had questions. So many of them. First off was how Keir, Hawke, and Wilder knew to come.

"What happened?" I demanded when we were far enough down the stairs.

Students were still coming up to them, heading for their classes, but I didn't give a shit about that. If they wanted to listen in, then that was their mistake. Rain simply ignored me, though. Her attention was focused on Aspen and making sure she didn't bump into anything.

It was Keir who answered. "I had a shadow grab me," Keir said. "Yes, grab, and that's a freaky feeling."

"It can't grab," Rain said.

"Oh, it can," Keir told her. "Did it get you too, Torian?"

"No, Aspen did," I said, thinking about that. "But who hit her?"

"Some girl," Rain said, hurrying ahead to grab the door that would let us out on the first floor. "I was waving Aspen over, and that girl cracked a tablet against her head. It was like she was swinging a bat or something. I mean, both hands, full force!"

"Why?" I snarled.

Rain spun around to look at me. "I don't fucking know!"

"Tor," Aspen said softly.

It was just that, but it was enough. She didn't have to yell to get her point across. The whisper of a syllable made me shut my mouth and follow Keir as he carried her towards the administration office. Rain got that door as well, but the moment we walked inside, we were spotted.

"My office," Liam said. "Do we need the nurse?"

"I got her," Keir told him, but his feet didn't slow.

I was helpless, and hated it. I was confused, and that pissed me off. Right now, I was not in control, and my anger was rising. It was easier to be pissed than scared. It was safer to be powerful than weak. It was -

No, that was my mother's training. Instead, I clenched my jaw and followed everyone into Liam's office, but when Keir set Aspen down on a chair, I claimed the closest one to her I could find. Then I scooted it even closer.

"Asp?" I begged.

"I'm fine," she said, reaching up to touch the back of her head. "I don't even think I'm going to have a lump."

"Fixed that," Keir assured her, reaching in to chafe her arm gently. "Did you see anything?"

Aspen just shook her head. "I heard Rain call my name."

But Rain was pacing the length of the floor on the other side of the room. "I saw her hair in the crowd," she said. "I called out, and just as Aspen looked up, that girl hit her. Pascal and some others started grabbing guys, but I don't even know why!"

From the doorway, Liam sighed. "Stay here. I'm going to find out what's going on."

"We're waiting for Ms. Rhodes," Rain told him.

I grumbled. That girl was too fucking trusting. She thought these people could somehow help her, unaware that they weren't the ones in control anymore.

"What?" Rain asked. "Worried about detention, Torian?"

" You're the Morrigan," I snapped. "You're supposed to be the one handling things."

"We're in school!" she shot back. "Those are the adults, and they're helping. Now, maybe you think you know everything, but I don't. I'm aware I'm only seventeen years old and winging the fuck out of this. So yeah, I'm going to get as much help as I can."

"She's right," Aspen said.

"And Ms. Rhodes is helping you a lot more than I would expect," Keir added.

I just grumbled again, knowing they were right, but what could I say to that?

I wanted to hurt someone because I'd been scared?

I was pissed off because this sort of bullshit made me feel helpless?

None of that would help. Worse, if people realized I had any limits, they'd take that as a dare to do even more.

No, I had to keep Aspen safe. That was all that mattered. I would drag everyone into this if I had to. Yes, I'd rather do it on my own, but Rain did have a point. More help meant more ways to keep my sister safe, and right now, the magic of Faerie depended on her.

Because what no one else seemed to realize was that if anything happened to Aspen, I was next in line for her crown. Me, the boy bound to his mother. The loophole that would corrupt all the magic of the fae - both sidhe and wild.

If my sister lost her crown for any reason, Faerie was as good as fucked, and I had a very bad feeling someone out there knew it.