“Thank you,” I whisper to Hunter, and press my forehead into his chest for a brief moment.
His hands come up to touch my hair, and I get the sense that he wants to keep the contact going, but instead, he forces himself to pull away. “We should get going,” he says.
“Agreed,” says Landon, extending a hand and helping me to my feet. Hunter assists Silas in supporting the unconscious Shade, and together we start forward again.
Although my physical symptoms have been aided by Hunter’s blood, the cause continues to gnaw at me. “I need to get my powers back,” I say after a few minutes of silent walking. “I’m useless to us without them.”
“Well,” Silas says, eyes fixed forward, “I can think of a good place to start.” At that moment, we emerge from the stand of trees and into a clearing. Before us, the ocean stretches out like a field of blue, and for a moment I’m not sure what he’s talking about.
But then my eyes adjust to the sunlight, and it all becomes clear. On the horizon, shrouded in mist, is an island. Extending from the top of a hill into the sky is a building that is also ominously familiar, enough that the sight of it alone makes my heart race again.
The Academy.
Chapter 3
I’m not sure whether to feel angry or relieved. My feelings for the place itself are as murky as the politics governing it; there’s no arguing that the Academy saved me, in more ways than one. It gave me a home when I had none, and if I hadn’t been found that day after running away, I would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere right now. Then again, it’s also responsible for my current predicament, so I find myself torn in multiple directions as I stare across the water at its ornate brick walls and jutting clock tower. Almost unwittingly, I begin to move forward, taking first one step and then another…
And then Landon’s hand lands on my arm. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute,” he says, looking visibly tense. “Can we just talk about this for a second?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Silas replies, already moving forward. “We need to get help for Shade. I’d say our options are pretty clear.”
“You’re talking about walking right back into the wasp’s nest,” the siren shifter protests. “Look, I want to help Shade as much as any of us, but…”
“I think Silas is right,” Hunter remarks grimly. “These islands are out in the middle of nowhere—we knew that from the first day we arrived here. And without Boots’ teleportation powers…”
“There’s nowhere else to go,” Silas finishes for him.
As if on cue, the two of them turn to look at me, eyebrows raised expectantly.
Realising they’re waiting for my take, I clear my throat, still struggling to shake some of the fog out of my mind. “Won’t they attack us on sight the minute they see us?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. The thought of turning away when Shade is in such dire straits makes my heart hurt, but the only thing worse than him being injured would be the others being injured as well.
“There is my dad,” Hunter says, although his tone is doubtful.
“Your dad usually isn’t around the campus,” Landon points out.
“Amelia, then?” I ask. “If we could somehow get in touch with her…”
“What will that accomplish?” Silas asks, letting out a frustrated growl that might make my heart flutter if we weren’t in a life-or-death situation. “She won’t be able to do anything you haven’t done already, Hunter. We need the nurse. Either that, or someone with healing magic.”
“A witch, then,” I say, setting my jaw.
I can tell we’re all thinking the same thing. “Josie?” Landon asks quietly.
“If she’s even still here,” I reply, hating the possibility. “If she hasn’t…” I can’t even bring myself to finish the sentence. Josie was my first real shifter friend, and one of the few Academy members who I feel like I can actually trust. She’s saved us from multiple scrapes, and seems disgusted by what President Hawthorne is doing… but I know that puts a target on her back, the same way it puts one on mine. The last time we saw her, she was tangling with Academy loyalists back at the campus in Boston, and the fact that we haven’t heard from her since doesn’t bode well.
Landon scuffs his foot against the ground. “I guess it’s worth a shot,” he says at last. “I don’t like the thought of you ending up in danger again, Millie. Especially now that…” But he pales, clears his throat, and trails off.
A fresh wave of embarrassment and disappointment hits me at the implication that I can no longer protect myself, but as much as it sucks, for the moment, at least, it’s true. “I’ll be careful,” I reply diplomatically. “I trust you guys.”
“I say we go for the infirmary,” Hunter suggests. “We can find supplies there, and if we’re lucky, potions. I’ve heard the witches sometimes keep enchantments in there somewhere. We can look for Josie, too, but we’ll have to be careful.”
“Was that leadership I heard from you just now, Hunter?” Landon teases, elbowing him. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Hunter waves him off. “Don’t get used to it.” But in spite of everything, there’s a touch of self-deprecating humour in his voice that gives me a momentary boost.
“So how do we get over there?” I ask. “I can’t port us, and with Shade out of commission, it’s not like we can swim.”
“I can swim,” Landon points out, and then glances at Silas. “Do you think you can manage carrying three people?”
Silas runs a hand through his hair. “I think so,” he says, after a long pause. “We’re going to draw attention, though. I’ll have to fly low.”
“Fine by me,” Hunter says.
I nod my agreement, and we watch as Silas once again shifts into his dragon form. Craning his long neck, he nods in my direction. “Climb on my back, Boots,” he says. “It will be safest for you up there.”
I don’t need to be told twice, moving close and clambering onto Silas’ warm haunches. His scales glimmer in the daylight, and I’m struck once more by the strength of his body, especially when he’s shifted. As I nestle close to his reptilian neck, he lets out a low intonation, a rumbling of contentment deep in his chest that makes goosebumps appear on my arms. I don’t have time to think about it further, however, as he unfurls his wings. He picks Hunter up in one of his talons, Shade’s limp body in the other, and soon we’re lifting off the ground.
Landon, unfazed, becomes a siren and dives into the water as easily as a dolphin, his scales merging beautifully with the water. I watch as his lean body begins to swim in a butterfly motion, faster than any human could accomplish, and Silas catches a gust of wind to glide along above him.
We make good time, and soon we’re approaching the island. The salty sea breeze helps to wake me up further, and as I cling to Silas’s strong body, I take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the scenery around us. If only it didn’t disguise such an ugly truth. As we close in on the rocky slopes, the mist surrounding the island begins to envelop us, making me hopeful that we won’t be spotted from the ground.