Page 66 of Elmwood Inclusive Magic Academy
The howling is coming from close to the academy. My heart rate increases. What’s going on? Even if I’m mistaken and it’s not my uncle…that’s not a normal howl.
It’s a battle cry.
Suddenly, a bright yellow light shoots down from the sky and knocks me to the side. I’m winded, but I recover quickly. I look up to see a figure on broomstick circling overhead. Without a moment to spare, she dives again and shoots the same yellow light from her fingertips. But now I can see her. It’s June, her cheeks flushed, unsteady on her broom while her hands are raised. The light knocks me again, stunning and blinding me for a moment, enough for her to ascend.
I return to all four feet, prepared this time. I run into a more wooded part of the forest, where she won’t be able to dive and duck so easily. The next time she lowers to attack, I call her bluff. I know she’s a little shaky on a broomstick and her magic, while flashy, isn’t fully developed yet.
But I’ve been shifting since I was old enough to crawl.
As she dives, I jump out at her, catching her long braid in my teeth. I pull her off her broom. The broomstick falls into the snow.
I shift on top of her, pining her arms to the ground.
“You!” she spits. Of course she wouldn’t recognize my wolf form. But why would she attack me?
“What are you doing?” I demand.
“You attacked us first!” June says, tears of cold and stress streaming from her red eyes. “The rest of the Arundel shifters…”
“Who?” I don’t know what I want her to say.
“The ones from the Cave! Let mego,you can’t do this to me!”
I close my eyes and try to steady my breathing.
Fuck, what do I do?
I arrive back at Elmwood Academy in my wolf form, with June on my back hanging on for dear life. I can’t help remembering the night I rescued Maggie and carried her through the woods. How she moved with my gait as thought we were one. I shake my head, pushing the memory away. There are way too many other things to deal with right now.
As I approach the school grounds, I spot Tala and Kaenan circling in their wolf forms. I stop and June disembarks clumsily. We all shift, standing naked in the newly fallen snow.
“What happened?” I ask.
Tala grins widely. “Rae, they came for us! My father, and the rest of the Arundel wolf pack who were imprisoned the Cave. They allied with some vampires-”
“Shh, not in front of her,” Kaenan gestures towards June. “Good job capturing her, Rae, we can take her to Leander.”
“I didn’t capture her,” I respond. “She snuck up on me in the woods. She said you attacked…”
The doors of the castle open and three figures emerge. Two familiar figures, and a smirking vampire in a long, dark red cloak.
“A sight for sore eyes,” beams my uncle, holding his arms out to me. He’s a short man, but strong, with wide shoulders, long, tangled gray-brown hair and more stubble than I remember. He’s clothed, so the battle must be finished. Or at least finished enough that he doesn’t think he’ll have to shift again. I can’t help feeling glad to see him, despite the complicated circumstances.
The younger man beside him grins at me, running his finger through his ash-blond hair. He’s in an open shirt, hastily thrownon after the fight, I’m sure. Against his chest he wears a wooden ring on a thread.
Just like mine.
“Rae,” he sighs. “Didn’t I promise you we’d meet again soon?”
“Finley Hound,” I bow my head to him, my expression neutral.
“Itoldyou,” Tala smirks. “I told you they would figure something out and come rescue us!”
“What happened?” I ask my uncle. I glance nervously at the academy doors.
With my wolf, I reach out through the distance. What’s happened to Maggie? I can’t feel her at all. Did I miss something while I was distracted by June? Is she still inside, or did she get out?
“We had to take Elmwood, and retrieve you cubs,” my uncle grins, winking at Tala. “The castle is on a site of ancient magic, the best place to hide out and restore our forces. It was easy to take while everyone was away for the solstice.
