Page 11 of Shadow Master
He relaxed and looked over my head. “Hyde.”
I turned as Hyde approached. His face was drawn with concern.
“What is it?”
“Orion filled me in on what’s happening out there,” Hyde said.
“Yeah, I was going to ask him about that.”
“It’s a sleeping sickness. It hit the humans first, but it seems to have morphed to affect supernaturals too. It’s taken out the Nightwatch. Most of the agents are down. Only a handful remain unaffected, and they’re working on a solution.”
“And it can’t get to us here?”
Hyde nodded. “This place is warded. It’s cut off from the human world by powerful weaver magic.”
The weavers? Had Kash made it back in time for beginning of term? I hadn’t heard from him. Was he trapped out in the real world?
“What about Mirage Hills?”
Hyde frowned. “I don’t know. I’d expect they would have protection. It’s a weaver hub, after all.”
Okay, so maybe Kash would be okay if he hadn’t made it back.
The volume of conversation in the room rose slightly as students poured into the hall.
“Please, be seated.” Brunner’s voice blasted around the room, amplified by weaver magic.
I scanned faces, looking for one in particular. Kash. Was he here? Had he made it back? I spotted Joti first, and there, right behind her, was the dark-haired Adonis. His attention zeroed in on me immediately, and his face broke into a grin as he made his way over.
“Friend of yours?” Hyde asked dryly.
Yeah, there was some explaining to do there, but right now, the relief at seeing Kash safe and sound was too much. I wove through the bodies, eager to get to him, and then we were inches apart, staring at each other.
“You survived the trial,” he said, relief etched all over his face.
“You made it back.”
His smile faltered. “Indigo, is everything okay?” He looked over at Brunner and the council members at the front of the room. “What the fuck is Orion Winterfell doing here?”
I slipped my hand into his and squeezed. “I’m glad you made it back. Take a seat. I have a lot to fill you in on.”
“Miss Justice, please join us,” Brunner called out.
Kash looked confused.
I gave his hand a final squeeze and then headed to the front of the room. I had an Academy filled with students to recruit.
* * *
Faces staredup at me in horror. There was utter silence as the students absorbed what I’d told them. Yeah, it was a lot to take in even though I’d given them the CliffsNotes version. I spotted Minnie and Harper sitting hand in hand. Minnie looked pissed off, and Harper looked worried.
Yeah, my ex-best friend had always been a feisty thing. A pang of nostalgia assaulted me for a simpler time, one where I’d been the reluctant student, and she’d been the motivator.
How had we gotten to this stage? To me standing up on a podium before the whole Academy asking for volunteers to fight a threat that had only ever felt like a myth to them. One they’d never seen. One that had never affected them.
“You want us to fight?” someone asked.
“If need be, yes. I need you to be prepared to defend our world. I need you to go out into the mist and repair the posts if the fomorians damage them. I need you to kill if you have to.”
