Page 57 of Blood of the Fallen
It seemed they’d been trying to get away, but Nosh had said that there was no way out. Were we surrounded?
“No one can shift, and there’s some barrier around the camp,” the Chieftess said.
Bethel’s black eyes roved over the camp. “I can sense the magic, but I can’t pinpoint its source.”
Slowly, I rose to my feet, assessing the situation. There was only one possible explanation. The magistrates were using some sort of magic to contain everyone and stop them from shifting. But how? They’d never had such tricks up their sleeve. Their magic was limited to fire and electricity.
One of the magistrates stepped forward, lowering the hood of their cloak. I recognized the sharp features immediately. It was Magistrate Novus. The night the triad had tried to take me from Lux City, Val had helped her bring me back to the Academy. Her gray eyes zeroed in on me, hatred swimming in their depths.
“Hello, Jazmin,” she said, the name sounded like a curse word.
Anger and repulsion rippled through me. “My name is not Jazmin,” I said between clenched teeth.
Kall, Maki, and Novuk came to stand behind me.
Magistrate Novus’s mouth twisted in disgust. “So you truly believe you’re one of them now? We were right to get rid of you.”
“Iamone of them, and so are you,” I spat. “Don’t come here with your lies and righteousness. You are monsters.”
“Monsters.” She put her right hand up as if weighing the word. “Savages.” Her left hand did the same. In the end, the right hand dropped lower. “Monsters to you. Heroes to others.”
She was referring to the way Lux City residents saw them. They admired the Academy and thought of their members as their saviors.
“Not for long,” I shot back. “When your lies come out into the open, you will know nothing but disgrace.”
She blew air through her nose and sneered. “And who, pray tell, will stop us?”
“I will,” I assured her.
Magistrate Novus simply smiled without humor and flicked an index finger, calling one of the other magistrates forward. The hooded figure stepped to her side and removed their cloak.
I almost choked as Val’s face was revealed. I shook my head, bewildered. Val couldn’t be a magistrate already. He’d become an apprentice only weeks ago.
“Hello, Jaz,” he said, his voice dripping with mockery and hatred. Steel-blue eyes scanned me up and down. “I enjoyed seeing you burn. It’s a shame to see you so… recovered.”
Gooseflesh rippled all over my skin as the violent memories of that day flashed before me. Phantom pain seemed to sear through every inch of my body. My stomach turned with nausea, and it took all I had not to fall to my knees, retching.
“You will pay for that,” Kall said behind me, his deep voice holding a promise. “You will all pay.”
Despite the menacing ring in his voice, Novus and Val looked unimpressed. Whatever magic they were using, they seemed confident it would get them out of here unscathed. More than that, they didn’t seem even the tiniest bit intimidated by us. That was when I realized that whatever magic they were using at this moment was the same magic they’d used against the Mesickek pack. It was how they’d been able to kill everyone, even their tetrad.
Panic surged inside my chest, spreading quickly like an infection.
Val smiled coldly, his eyes shards of ice. I have never seen such an expression on his face. He had always been happy and kind, but none of those traits seemed to be left in him. At his sides, he unclenched his fists and splayed his fingers open. It was a move designed to draw my attention to the stump of his severed finger.
But if he expected me to feel bad about mutilating him, he was deluded. The pain he put me through at the stake had more than repaid what he’d suffered. In fact, he owed me. Owed me big time.
Fury surged in my veins and seemed to crackle over my skin. I crouched, a growl building in the back of my throat. Kall, Maki, and Novuk did the same, looking menacing. Even if we couldn’t shift, we could still fight them. If only we had time to perform the rite and seal the tetrad bond, we might have a better chance, but no matter. I would not go down without killing a few of them.
I was about to lunge forward when Chieftess Yura spoke, her voice ringing firm and unafraid.
“I see you haven’t changed, Elizabeth,” she said.
How did she know Novus’s first name?
Magistrate Novus glowered at the Chieftess, her eyes narrowing as she seemed to wonder the same thing. Slowly, recognition dawned on her features.
“Amanda?” the magistrate said, her tone dripping with incredulity.
