Page 66 of Cry of the Damned
“It’s a curse. I tell you,” Christopher growled. “You did this. How did—”
“Christopher,” Peter bit back.
Seething, Christopher pressed his lips together.
“Start talking,” Peter said, staring straight at me, no sympathy in his stern face.
I nodded. “Every single student in the Academy is awildling.”
“Lies!” Christopher shot back. “I’m no wildling. No one in the Academy is a wildling.”
“I’m sure you would like to believe that,” I said, “but can you doubt the evidence of your own eyes?”
Christopher’s grip on his sword tightened, but he stayed in place, so I continued.
“The codas kept the initiates’ true nature hidden, so now that the tattoos are gone… well, you’ve seen what’s happening.”
“And what about us, huh?” Christopher demanded, holding his wrist up and displaying his coda.
“It’s because our codas are complete, isn’t it?” Peter said.
I nodded. “There’s no way to get rid of them once they’re closed. They’ll stay with you forever. The magistrates were lying to us all along. The codas didn’t give magic. They only changed the nature of what was already there.”
Christopher shook his head, looking at a loss.
“They took every single one of us from the neighboring packs and covens. They massacred our families and trained us to kill our own kind.”
Like an angry animal, Christopher let out a huge roar and stomped to the edge of the path. His chest rose and fell visibly as he fought against his emotions. Peter, on the other hand, only looked defeated and utterly tired.
“Where are the magistrates now?” he asked.
I bit my lip, worried about their reaction when I told them what we’d done to them.
When I didn’t answer, Peter only said, “Please, tell me they’re all dead.”
CHAPTER 27
Thatday,PeterandChristopher allowed us entry, and the first thing we did was find the children they’d taken from our pack.
It was difficult to see their blank expressions when they saw us. Not even Nirliq and Terit, who were the oldest, could remember who we were. It was difficult to contain our emotions in front of them and not seize them in our arms and tell them how happy we were to see them. Not for the first time, I wished I could kill the magistrates all over again, but since that was impossible, I contented myself with remembering the Firebeast’s swift justice.
We could only hope that, with time, their memories would return. Ila felt pretty confident they would, since they hadn’t spent that long under the influence of the magistrates.
After that, we set to work helping the initiates who were having trouble controlling their unleashed powers. We assisted them as best as we could, Bethel instructing the witches on how to control their outbursts of magic. And Ila, Kall, Maki, Novuk, and I teaching the shifters how to control their wolves.
We doled the truth out one bit at a time until everyone understood what had happened. The news wasn’t easy for anyone, especially the older students. I could see them warring with the knowledge, the same way I had in the beginning. Their entire future had been shattered, and they couldn’t begin to imagine how they would ever find their way again.
As the days passed, Ahanu, George, and Heather came through with their offer to help. Many volunteers came from Lux City, including Owen, who spent many hours transporting goods such as food and clothing.
When I thanked him for all his help, all he said was, “Considering that I’m directly responsible for their situation, it’s the least I can do.”
Many plans were devised to give the initiates and apprentices choices of what to do about their futures. Not surprisingly, every single apprentice chose to remain in Lux City, as did most of the older initiates. The ones who were already old enough were offered jobs and temporary lodgings, while those who still needed adult guidance were placed in foster homes and at Ahanu’s hotel.
A good number of the younger children, the ones who still clung to the idea of finding their parents and family, decided to come with us. We had no idea if their parents or any of their family members were still alive, but being young as they were, we figured they would have no difficulty adapting to a new life, a life that belonged to them before the Academy stole it.
It was two weeks after we breached the Academy to help that we found ourselves standing at the edge of the forest, packed and ready to go.
Ahanu, George, Heather, and Owen provided all the needed supplies. The journey back to Blackcrest would take seven or eight days, and we had more than enough food to last at least ten days. We could’ve gotten back a lot faster, but the little ones would slow us down. We were all restless to leave the city, Bethel, more than anyone, but the children’s safety was our priority.
