Page 34 of Wicked Warlock
“See, in theory, I got us here.”
Logan gave a half smile. The first one I’d seen on his face. “You did.”
Maze popped his head out into the hallway. “You coming?”
“Yeah.” Logan began to walk toward Maze’s room. He paused for a moment and looked at me over his shoulder. “Thanks, Astrid.”
“No problem.” I gave him a single nod and began walking down the hall.
Maze whistled once more, getting my attention. He pointed in the opposite direction I was walking in. “That way, stairs at the end of the hall.”
“Cool, cool, cool.” I quickened my pace just as Maze closed his door.
A sinking feeling sat in my stomach and a buzzing started in the back of my mind. I walked even faster. Something wasn’t right. Beckett, I didn’t feel him. It was so much less since we got back from Unseelie, but this, it was non-existent now. I began to jog down the stairs, taking them two at a time. My heart raced in my chest as I hit the last step and ran out into the middle of the courtyard. I spun in a circle, looking for Beckett. But he wasn’t there.
“Beckett?”
Nothing. The school was deathly silent. Light snow began to fall and there was a pink, easy glow to the sky above. The sound of the trickling fountain was the only thing I heard. No Beckett, no nothing.
“Beck? Come on, where are you?”
“Astrid?” Zinnia strolled out into the courtyard with Tucker by her side. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t find Beckett. Have you seen him?” Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I couldn’t find my calm. Something was happening. I didn’t know what, but I felt it in my bones.
Zinnia shook her head. “No, but I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”
“You don’t understand.” I ran my hands through my hair, pulling at the strands and letting out a heavy sign. “He wasn’t himself in Unseelie.”
Tucker’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“He was… I don’t know. Power hungry? In Unseelie, there were no consequences, only magic and power. And his powers went crazy there and Beckett along with them.” I tried to look down the darkened hallways for him, but there were only those sporadic torches gleaming off the stone hallways.
“Why didn’t you tell us this sooner?” Zinnia motioned for me to follow her. “Come on. Let’s check his room before we panic.”
“I’m not panicking. Okay, maybe a little. But I should’ve kept a closer eye on him.” He’s not going to be there. We hurried down one of the halls off the courtyard and stopped at a door in the middle of the hallway.
“This is his room.” Tuck shoved open the door and there was nothing. It was dark and dusty, like no one had been in there for a long time.
“I knew it.” I turned and began running toward the courtyard.
“Where are you going?” Zinnia ran beside me.
“I don’t know, but he’s got to be somewhere.” I stopped when I hit the fountain once more. “I need to think.”
Zinnia turned to Tuck. “We need to get the others.”
“No.” I held out my hand, stopping him. “We need the heirs. You all have to keep working on the walls.”
Tuck didn’t hesitate; his whole body ignited into flames. He leapt up into the air, turning from man to huge phoenix, and flew off toward the second floor of the school. He pulled in his wings and shot into the second floor of the school like a rocket.
“Well, when he was in Unseelie, was there anything he was focused on? Anything that he was determined to do?” Zinnia began to pace back and forth.
“He wanted to take over. For the council to be gooooonnn…” My words trailed off as a cold realization hit me. “Oh, nooooo.”
Zinnia froze. Her eyes went wide. “He wouldn’t… go after them… would he?”
A knot formed in my throat, and I had to fight to breathe past it. “I want to say there’s no way.”
