Page 25 of Cry of the Damned
Rob’s cheeks got even redder. He was so taken by her that he didn’t notice when I moved to stand behind him, while Bethel stepped right in front of him, her hands weaving a pattern in the air as she cast a quick spell. In the next instant, Rob tittered on his feet, then fell into my waiting arms. I propped him against the wall.
“I’m sorry, Rob,” I said as I eased him to the ground.
His dark eyes stare straight at me, betrayal flashing in their depths.
As Bethel got to work on a second spell, I said, “I promise you we won’t hurt you. I just didn’t think you would understand, but you will. You’ll see.”
He made a slight grunt in the back of his throat as he fought Bethel’s immobilizing spell. For a moment, I thought he would be strong enough to break out of her control, but that small effort seemed to drain him. His eyes lost focus, and I thought he would pass out, but he remained alert enough to follow Bethel’s hands.
The next thing I knew, my perspective changed, and I was sitting on the ground, looking at myself. Now, controlled by Rob, the face that I was used to seeing in the mirror disfigured in horror as he realized he was no longer inside his own body. He opened his mouth to scream, but Bethel quickly switched the immobilizing spell from Rob’s body to mine.
Able to move, I jumped forward and prevented Rob from falling flat onmyface. I didn’t want to have a black eye later. With some effort, I set my body against the wall and let it go only when I was sure it wouldn’t slide sideways, then quickly explained the situation.
“Bethel is my friend,” I said, blinking at the deep voice that came out of me. “She’s a witch, but I’m sure you figured that out already. I knew that if I asked you to switch bodies with me, you would freak out. I might have been able to convince you, but it would’ve taken too long. You’ll be safe. My friends will take you to our place. Okay?” I asked, not that he could answer me or had a real choice in the matter.
“I’d better go,” I told Bethel.
She nodded. “You know what to do to break the spell and get back to your body.”
I nodded.
“Be careful.”
I rose to my feet and straightened the blue uniform. A weird sensation came over me as I found myself clad in the clothes I’d yearned to wear when I was an initiate. It was a combination of satisfaction and disgust that made me want to take the jacket off, throw it to the ground, and stomp on it.
Resisting the urge, I turned away from Bethel and Rob and walked out of the alley. Maki would come to help her. Once it got completely dark, they were going to haul my limp body back to the hotel, where I would meet them later.
Walking casually, I exited the alley. Rob was about my same height and build, so I had no difficulty controlling his body. I wished for my ability to communicate mentally with Kall to tell him I was on my way, but my shifter skills didn’t work in this body. He was going to track me, even though I’d told him it wasn’t necessary—he wasn’t going to be able to follow me through the main gates—but he’d insisted.
After a couple of blocks, I sensed his presence behind me. I glanced back, and there he was, wearing a green hoodie that tried and failed to match the color of his eyes. He kept pace with me, hands stuffed in his front pockets with the hood over his head. It was a little cool for a spring night, so thankfully, he didn’t look suspicious.
When I reached the end of the street, the road turned steep, leading toward the Academy on the top of the hill. The massive building loomed over Lux City, a constant sentinel watching over its domain. During all the years that I studied at the Academy, I never realized that was what it was. I always believed we protected the city’s residents from thewildlingswhen, in reality, the city was there to help support the magistrates’ twisted way of life. The city paid heavy taxes to be kept free ofthe savages, then touted its purity and safety like a banner.
Leaving the city behind, I climbed toward the impressive structure. The place was more like a fortified castle than anything else. It had been built hundreds of years ago when the colonists first arrived, and at the time, before the city was built, it served to keep the humans safe from the wild packs and covens.
Halfway up the hill, I noticed a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. Kall was somewhere in the bushes to my right, still keeping an eye on me. I appreciated his concern for me, but his presence here made no sense, especially since he would have to go back to the hotel as soon as I entered the Academy.
Up ahead, a group of apprentices came strolling down the path, talking loudly and laughing.
“Going back so early, Rob?” one of them asked when I came closer. It was Patricia, a blonde with big blue eyes who had a reputation for pushing the rules to the limit. When we were ten, her favorite pastime had been to bully the younger initiates. She was lazy and never wanted to shine her boots or muck the horses. I guess that was the reason she was still here and not buried in a mass grave with initiates who had more integrity than that.
“Nah,” I said. “I forgot my money.”
Initiates and apprentices got a spending allowance on their free days. It probably helped keep the city residents happy to see some of their taxes come back in the form of business.
Patricia and the others were happy with my explanation and went on their way.
As I approached the entrance, my chest tightened, and my heart sped up its beat. There were two guards at either side of the gate, and for an instant, I thought they would recognize me as Jazmin Bronte and charge me with their sharp swords, but they barely acknowledged me and let me pass without any scrutiny.
Another strange feeling washed over me as I walked through the courtyard. I had grown up within the Academy’s fortified walls, and I’d thought I’d never be back here, strolling about as if I was home.
My gaze roved all around, marking every guard attentive to any movement, but everything was relatively quiet. The apprentices were down in the city, while the initiates—who were only allowed out once a month—were in their dormitories. And the magistrates? I had no idea where they would be at this hour. Before, I would’ve pictured them in their austere chambers, suffering hunger pangs and fantasizing about members of the opposite sex, but I knew better now. Still, they had to keep up the pretense, and they did a good job since I never suspected their double lives.
Maybe they were in their rooms, lounging about with bottles of whiskey and expensive cigars, waiting for midnight when they could go down to that lewd side of the city. But that wasn’t my concern at the moment. I was here to learn more about gaining access to the hot spring. I needed to find an easy way in and out for Bethel and me.
I entered the main building and, to my relief, found the atrium empty. I wanted badly to find Nirliq and the other kids, but I knew that would be a mistake. I wouldn’t risk their lives unnecessarily.
Cautiously, I made my way to the dining room where I’d had my last dinner here. Recalling that night, I followed the corridor, past passages that had been forbidden to me as an initiate. In my mind, I heard the shuffling steps of my peers as they unknowingly made their way to their doom. I saw their blank faces as blood trickled from the self-inflicted wounds on their wrists.
