Page 60 of Taste of Thorns (The Firestone Academy #3)

Chapter Fifty-Six

D ray

I snap back to my human form, staring at the place, where only a moment ago, the air itself ripped in two, and the Madame escaped from under our damn noses.

All that remains now is a slight tear in the air, red and glimmering.

“What the fuck was that?” I yell.

Thorne stands right where the air ripped, staring at the space, his arms hanging by his sides, his shoulders heaving, sweat sliding down his face.

“I don’t know,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief, like his eyes have deceived him.

“That was the demon realm,” the Empress says, from the other side of the cave.

“The what?” little Kitten murmurs. She’s on her feet now, but leaning on Beau for support, drained of energy due to that awesome fight with Bardin.

The Empress considers her. “The realm that lies beyond our borders. The wasteland inhabited by demons. The Madame has clearly been working in league with them.”

“What the fuck?” I mutter. I knew the woman was evil, a serial killer and all, but working with the demons? “How is that even possible?”

“There were demons here in the cave when we arrived,” Kitten says.

“Demons? Here?” Beaufort says. “Demons can’t displace like our kind can. That isn’t possible.”

“If they’re finding a way to rip through space and time, then it is,” the Empress says.

“I’m taking it you didn’t face demons,” Kitten says.

“No, screech-bats,” Beau tells her.

No wonder the girl can barely stand. Demons and the Madame. That’s one almighty feat.

The Empress clicks her fingers and six of her elite guards appear in front of us, dressed in their uniforms, weapons poised in their hands.

“The Deputy Headmistress is a demon spy,” she informs them simply, not one of them seeming to blink an eyelash at this incredible news. “Duncan, take two of your men and search her office. We shall examine the Madame’s classroom.” She turns to the rest of us. “You will come with us.”

“I can’t leave, Blaze,” Kitten says. The dragon lifts his head from his paws at the sound of his name.

“Would you like to explain to us how this dragon came to be here? How it hasn’t been reported?” the Empress says, her tone taking no prisoners.

Beau steps between the two of them. “She’ll answer your questions later. We need to heal her and then she needs to rest.”

The Empress frowns. “Very well. We will all return to the academy. We will grant you some time for healing and resting and then we will call for you.” She stares at us with a stern look.

“It goes without saying that what has occurred here today should not be discussed with anyone else. Demon transgressions this deep into our territory is a grave development that could cause widespread panic. We need a better understanding of the situation before this news can be shared with our people.”

“How will we get back to the academy?” Briony asks. “Usually the trial ends and we just find ourselves there.”

The Empress smiles indulgently like little Kitten is a simpleton. “We will see to that.”

Briony hobbles towards the dragon. “Thank you, boy,” she says, running her palm up and down his snout and kissing his nose. “Thank you for saving me. I have to go back to the academy now. Can you find your own way back to your cave?”

The dragon snorts like she’s being ridiculous, and, satisfied, she steps back towards Beau and the Empress.

Then something occurs to her and she spins her gaze around.

“Where’s Fox?” she says.

“Who?” the Empress asks.

“Professor Tudor,” Beaufort explains. “He has been helping us to reveal the truth about Madame Bardin.”

“He was meant to be here helping us now,” I mutter. But he wasn’t at the agreed meeting point. In fact, he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

The Empress’s attention lasers onto me. “Duncan, please give Dray Eros your jacket.”

The head guard snaps open the buckles of his jacket, slides it off his shoulders and tosses it my way.

I examine the thing. It’s fucking ugly.

“I don’t need it,” I say.

“You do,” the Empress replies.

I shrug it on, but leave it hanging open.

The Empress purses her lips together and turns back to the guard. “Duncan, search the academy grounds for the professor.”

The guard salutes and then displaces.

The others follow suit and then the Empress is waving her hand and we all find ourselves, back in the academy grounds.

The stands are visible over the treetops in the distance, still full of people and, as we stand there, we hear the names of two students being announced.

Despite all that shit that’s just past, the trial is continuing.

I shake my head in disbelief.

Beau has the little Kitten facing him. He’s searching her face, palms running up and down her arms.

“Are you okay, Briony?” he asks her. “Should we take you to the clinic?”

“I’m fine. But … but what happened?”

“You don’t remember?” She shakes her head. “The dragon found you first,” Beau explains. “Blasted Bardin away before she could sink her teeth into you. We were right behind with the Empress.”

“She believed you, then?”

“Not exactly,” he says, “it took a bit of persuasion to get her to come with us.” He holds on to her shoulders. “You’re sure you’re all right? That was a little too close for comfort!”

“Just really really tired and absolutely starving.” She smiles, her green eyes bright in the murky light. “We did it. We revealed the truth. We showed the Empress who the Madame really is, and I know she escaped and everything, but we still did it.”

“ You did it,” I clarify, standing alongside my bond brother and stroking her cheek. “You were fucking amazing.”

“Enough self-congratulating,” Thorne barks. “You heard her, the girl needs to eat.”

“Oh no,” she says, shaking her head. “I need to find Fox first. And Fly and Clare.”

I glance at Thorne, then scoop the little thing up into my arms and march off in the direction of our tower.

“Dray! I’m serious. I need to–”

“The Empress’ guards are searching for Tudor. And Fly and Clare probably haven’t even started their trial yet.”

“But they think it’s the lake. They’ll be totally stumped.”

“Clare’s smart and Fly … well, Fly’s Fly,” Beaufort says.

“Little Kitten,” I tell the little thing wriggling in my arms, “the Empress is going to want to question you again soon and you need to be able to talk without slurring.”

“I’m not slurring,” she says, totally slurring. I grin and she sticks her tongue out at me.

Back at our tower, I take her straight upstairs to Beau’s bathroom, running her a hot bath while Thorne prepares some food and Beau brews us all a pot of fresh coffee.

“I’d leave you in peace in here, little Kitten,” I say, as I help her to step into the bath, “but I’m afraid you might fall asleep.”

“Hmmm,” she says, sinking into the hot bubbly water, eyes already drifting closed. “You could join me?”

I rub my fingers across my stubbled chin. “Fuck, that sounds like one hell of an offer. But I can’t promise I’d be able to keep my hands off you, and we’re meant to be restoring you, not wearing you out.”

She doesn’t hear me though, she’s already falling asleep. I prod her awake, then when I’ve been forced to do that three more times, I send my shadows spiraling through the water and make it freezing cold.

An action that has her snapping upright, wide awake and cursing me.

“Did you do that?” she asks, splashing cold water in my direction.

“Yeah, I’m not having you survive an attack with demons and then a fight with the Madame to end up drowning in your own bath.”

“Hmph,” she says, but then she’s washing herself quickly in the chilly water and I’m scooping her out and into a waiting fluffy towel.

As I dry her body, I examine her for injuries, soothing each away with my magic until there are only the scrapes on her face remaining.

“Did Linny Smyte do this? Or was it the Madame?”

She giggles. “You know it was a demon.”

“Fuck, you are amazing, Kitten. Fighting demons and you walk away with just a scratch.”

“A scratch? It hurts quite a bit,” she protests.

“You could keep it. Badge of honor. It looks pretty bad-ass.”

“I have enough badges of honor. I’m more than happy to lose this one. Besides, I like it that people look at me and don’t see bad-ass. It means they underestimate me.”

“Clever and bad-ass. I like it.” I hold her head between my hands and examine the deep scrapes that run down her face.

Three of them in a row. An anger flares in my stomach.

It’s just as well that bitch Bardin has escaped because I don’t think I could keep any promises to let justice run its course.

I blow soft shadows across her face and she sighs as they soothe the injured skin and knot it seamlessly back together.

“There,” I say, “good as new. And just as beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she says, reaching up on her toes and kissing my mouth. I pull her close, debating whipping the towel away and wearing her out after all.

But she pulls back first, looks up into my face and says, “Did you know about Linny?”

“Know what? That the girl is only a little less deranged than her sister?”

“I don’t think she’s anywhere near as deranged as her sister,” she mutters.

I smile at her, resuming my work of drying her body. “What’s this? You spend a couple of hours in the girl’s company and now you’re best pals?”

“Errr, no.” She makes a face. “But I do feel a little sorry for her.”

“With a sister like Henny …”

“Yes, that, and she can’t shadow weave. She has no powers.”

My hands freeze, the towel hanging from them. “You don’t say?” She nods. “You sure about that? She wasn’t just playing games with you, refusing to help–”

“That’s what I thought at first. But I was wrong. She doesn’t have any.”

“Shit.”

“Have you ever heard of that before? A shadow weaver not having the ability?”

“Never.”

I try to recall if I’ve ever seen Linny wield magic, but she’s always been with Henny and Henny’s magic is so crazy and chaotic, it’s damn distracting. The perfect cover.

I shake my head and my body.

“She’ll be sent to Granite or Iron, right?” Briony asks.

“Yeah, I guess,” I say, scratching my ear, not understanding why she’s bothering with this now.

“And yet, she seemed to think she’d be staying in Onyx. In fact, she didn’t seem to be worried at all. She didn’t even seem worried about earning points in the trial.”

“The entire family is madder than a box of frogs, Kitten.”

“She said people knew and it didn’t matter. Who do you think she meant?”

“No, fucking clue. Her sister probably. Henny is a selfish bitch about everything except Linny. She’d cut off her right tit for her sister.”

Little Kitten chews on the inside of her cheek, clearly not convinced by that explanation.

“Come on,” I tell her. “I can smell food.”

The first thing the little Kitten asks when we walk into the kitchen is whether there’s any news about Fox.

“Nothing, yet, but he’s probably busy talking with the Empress. I’m sure she’s going to have questions for him,” Beaufort says.

The Kitten takes a big slice of chocolate cake offered to her by Thorne and accepts a steaming mug of coffee from Beaufort.

She sinks her teeth into the sweet sponge, groaning and sparking all kinds of ideas in my mind; ideas (given the darkening eyes of my two bond mates) I’m sure they’re entertaining too.

“I don’t know,” she says, with her mouth full, “something doesn’t feel right.”

“That would be your magic,” Thorne tells her, cutting a second slice of cake for her. “When you use so much of it like that, it drains and you feel like shit.”

“Drains? How long will it take to come back?”

“Everyone’s different, but food and rest helps.”

She chews her cake and the three of us watch her, none of us eating.

“Do you really think the Madame has been working in league with the demons all along?” she asks finally.

“Are you kidding me?” I chuckle. “You’ve been sure she’s some evil deviant from the start.”

“Yes, but I don’t know how we didn’t see it.”

“Probably because we weren’t looking for it,” Beaufort says, taking the now empty mug from her hands. “You feel better?”

“Yep,” she says, licking icing from her fingertips.

“Because we’ve got to go see the Empress.”

Little Kitten takes a deep inhale. “Am I in trouble?”

“ Now you’re worried about getting into trouble?” Thorne mumbles.

“The Empress is intrigued by your powers and your connection with the dragon,” Beau says, “I think it will be your saving grace.”

“I’m from Slate,” she reminds him.

“The Empress’ one aim is to protect this realm.

It’s known our powers aren’t as strong as they were – as previous generations.

That’s why she has Tudor teach that stupid class every year – just on the off-chance there are other kids out there with abilities.

That’s why she has had children with several of the realm’s most powerful men – to ensure there are strong shadow weavers among our generation.

And now here you are, a lumomancer. Trust me, you won’t be in any trouble. ”

“Plus you just unmasked a serial killer,” I point out.

“One still on the loose,” Thorne mumbles. He rubs at his head. “I fucked up. Again.”

“We were all there,” Beau points out, “including the Empress herself. There was nothing anyone could do. Whatever the hell that magic was, it was too powerful.”

Thorne doesn’t look like he takes much comfort in that. “I don’t like it.”

Yeah, neither do I, and I have a funny feeling, just like the little Kitten. Only mine is telling me we haven’t seen the last of Madame Bardin.