Page 3 of Wicked Warlock
Grayson darted into the courtyard, running so fast he was a blur. He propelled his body forward and slammed his shoulder into the flaming wreck. The car launched up off the ground and soared through the air back over the other side of the gate. Screams sounded and a loud crash filled the night.
“What kind of wankers throw bloody cars into a school?” His chocolate hair was blown back from his face. His eyes widened, and he gave me a vampire toothy smile.
“Who knew you could throw cars.” I arched my eyebrow at him.
“There’s lots you lot don’t know about me.” He winked and took off running across the courtyard to catch another car and hurl it back over.
My heart raced in my chest, and my magic rose up in me. This had to end now. A shadow filled the sky as another car hurtled over the gate. I threw out my hands ready for my magic to catch it when a dark dog-shaped figure launched itself in front of me.
Fetch is not my thing! The words of my familiar breezed through my mind as her teeth sunk into the side of the car. Metal groaned as the door of the car crumpled beneath her teeth. She shook her head back and forth the way a dog would when playing with a toy. Except my familiar was a huge wolf-looking animal the size of a car with sleek black hair and bright blue lines running over her body. Pieces of the car splintered off as she threw it to the ground and leapt on top of it, ripping it apart piece by piece, as though all that metal was cotton stuffing in a stuffed animal. She ripped out a piece and spat it on the ground then shoved down both her paws, cracking the roof of the car like a can of tuna. Glass exploded outward, littering the ground in crystal shards. She shoved in her snout and yanked out the driver’s seat, tearing it to shreds.
Maze pulled me to his other side and pointed toward the gate. Dark strands of his hair fell into his eyes, and he tugged me closer to his side. “That’s gonna be a problem.”
A huge ball of power slammed into the front gates, cracking them wide open. The metal bent back. It groaned with a nails-on-a-chalkboard sound that made me want to cover my ears. Maze reached up and grabbed one of the cards swirling above his head. He slammed it into his chest. Neon green power flowed over his body. Not even a second later, a shard of metal flew end-over-end toward me like a boomerang. His hand snapped up and he caught the piece of metal, stopping it dead just an inch from splitting my face in half.
My eyes widened as I stared at the glinting metal. “Thanks.”
“Strength.” He tossed away the metal shard that would’ve been my death and showed me the card he’d struck his chest with. “I prefer my hand stay attached to my body.”
He flicked the card back up toward the sky where it rejoined the swirling tornado of the others. His head snapped toward the gate, and a flood of warlocks rushed over the bet in gate using it to climb in. They moved like tiny ants, running in all different directions, leaving hell and magical bombs in their wake. Heavy smoke and dirt hung in the air, forcing me to cough with each gasping breath. Maze hesitated with me by his side, like he wanted to stay to protect me but also face the line of warlocks that had begun to overrun us.
Tuck ran to my side and met Maze’s eye. “Go. I’m with her.”
A wide, evil grin spread across his face, and his eyes turned a glowing milky white. The cards flew over his head at a furious speed, kicking up the wind and blowing back my hair. He turned toward the warlocks and marched right toward them. He spread his arms wide and the whole courtyard grew brighter. “This is going to be enjoyable.”
The first line of warlocks all stumbled back, colliding with each other and trying to scramble away. Screams of his name rang out and terror showed plain on their faces. He threw out his hands and a group of warlocks, all looking like they belonged in some kind of medical ward, shrank away from him. Their clothing was white and sterile; each of them had a faraway look like they’d spent more time in another reality than this one. When the group of warlocks caught sight of Maze heading their way, they froze, each of them turning sickly pale.
“You think you see terror… I will show you real fear.” Maze let his power seep over them, and one by one, their eyes turned a vacant milky white and their mouths felt into silent screams. Their bodies went limp, and they dropped to their knees at his feet.
“Take them, take them all.” Green smoke surrounded them. It seeped into their noses and eyes.
“No, please stop!” a guy yelled while rocking back and forth, clutching his head. “Make it stop!”
“Is he?” I whispered.
“Putting visions in their heads? Yeah.” Tucker grabbed my arm and started dragging me farther back. “Better not let that power touch you.”
I couldn’t agree more. A shiver went down my spine. There was no telling what kind of darkness lurked inside his messed-up head. Though Maze had taken down a group of warlocks, more filtered into the courtyard. They crawled over the gate and kept on coming. A wave of brutal-looking teenagers crossed over the gate. Some of them looked big and bulky; others were sleek and muscular, like each was built for war. Their black bomber jackets read MALBACK across their shoulders, and I sucked in a sharp breath. This was Cross’ house, the house of warlock warriors. More like killers. My silver magic flared to life around me, growing brighter by the moment.
Penndolyn Fairmont, the mother of warlocks herself, ran through the portal with Leo and Cassidy just in front of her. Leo looked horribly out of place in the middle of battle, with his perfect cardigan, tailored pants, and shining shoes. His dark, perfect skin glowed in the night, and he looked like he belonged on a runway during fashion week not in the middle of battle. He shoved his glasses up his nose and looked shell-shocked as he glanced around at the rocks falling from the school and students running for cover.
Cassidy, on the other hand, looked like she was buzzing with anticipation. Her small body was alive with excitement, even her short bob-cut hair wavered with energy. My power rose to the forefront, telling me of the power she wielded and how ready she was to use it. I once heard her grandmother was a warlock general in the Philippines, and I could see the same fight in her that’d I’d see in a general.
Penny rushed to my side. “Your Majesty.”
“Good of you to come, Aunt Penny.” I inclined my head at her and gave her a smile.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She stood there in a blazing glory, lighting up the courtyard with her emerald power and flashing eyes. Her long blond hair whipped around her body standing out against her black pants and shirt. “Do we want death, or do we save them?”
I hesitated. The vengeful side of me wanted every single one of them to pay for attacking my home. But these were teenagers following a corrupt system. They weren’t thinking for themselves. They were following only what they were told by a shady council. “Save as many as you can.”
She nodded to me. “Wise choice.”
“Heads up!” Leo began to scurry back from us. His eyes were draw up toward the sky as the lights of the city were suddenly blacked out by dark shadows. An SUV came hurtling over the front gate, along with three other cars just behind it. He pointed toward them and continued taking steps back. “Heads up! Heads up!”
“Got it.” I threw out my arms, catching the first two cars with my magic. I tossed them back over the gate like they were toys. The third one came sailing at Penndolyn, and I let my power wrap around it.
His mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish. “Holy shit.”
