Paige, who couldn’t stomach passing through the bloodbath on the grass, darted down the road on our left along with Levi and some of his people. To my relief, Henry joined them as well. I didn’t exactly trust the King of Metal to keep my friend safe, but I knew that Henry would.
I glanced back at the small group that remained. Callan, Malcolm, Sienna, Grant, Sam, and me. The six dark mages of Eldar. We were the ones who had started all of this months ago when we sat down for a more or less unprecedented meeting in Essington’s mansion. After that, we had schemed and plotted and traveled halfway across the world. We had fought and bled and killed together. And now, it was high time that we finished this.
After sharing a long look, we took off towards the parliament building above.
The walls from the metal box had disappeared into thin air now since Levi had released the grip on his magic. But blood smeared the pale path with streaks of red, and torn body parts littered the trampled grass. Running right through it, the six of us made our way towards the plateau at the top.
The constables who had survived the explosions were still waiting up there, and a nervous ripple went through their ranks when they saw us coming. They still outnumbered us by a lot, so we all called up magic, ready for another battle.
For a couple of seconds, the men and women on top of the hill only stared down at us as we plowed ahead with magic crackling around us.
Then they broke and ran.
Surprise flitted through me.
Whirling around, the whole mass of soldiers sprinted down the sides of the hill without looking back.
Though, after our little stunt with the box and the explosions, I supposed that I shouldn’t have been surprised that morale was low and fear ran rampart.
We still kept our magic up, just in case it was a trap, while we ran towards the front doors. But the constables didn’t turn back to ambush us. Instead, they fled down the hill and disappeared into the city.
I heaved a deep sigh. Good. I was getting a bit tired of fighting, and we still had to get through the actual building in order to reach Quill and the Blade of Equilibrium, so not having to engage in any more battles out here was a relief.
We slowed to a walk as we at last reached the top of the hill. Only some discarded swords lay scattered on the ground. Other than that, it was empty. I retied the string holding back my hair and then adjusted my metal corset.
After Sam had healed me, and before we set the trap where Sienna burned down those buildings, I had changed into the spare clothes I had kept stashed at our rendezvous spot. Previously, I had been wearing my tightfitting riding outfit. It had seemed the most practical choice since I knew that we would be running up a hill. But after that damn constable managed to stab me, I had come to my senses and gone back to my usual attire. They might be a bit less practical to run in, but at least my half armor dresses guarded against blades between my ribs.
“Well then, boys,” Sienna said as she stopped in front of the doors and turned back to raise her eyebrows at Malcolm and Grant. “We’re waiting with bated breath.”
Grant gave her a sly smile as the two of them stepped up to the door. “Prepare to be dazzled, my dear.”
The three of us took a step back to give them more space as they positioned themselves side by side in front of the closed door. As one, they touched their hands together.
Dark shadows twisted around Malcolm’s wrists before dripping down from his hands like a stream of black water. Next to him, Grant held out his hands as well. The pale violet shimmer of his emotion magic tumbled down to join the shadows snaking across the ground.
My eyebrows shot up as the two powers mixed until they had formed a black mist with hints of violet glitter inside.
They shared a glance.
I blinked as the swirling magic shot in through the gap under the door.
“Hey!” someone yelled from inside. “What’s that?”
“Watch out!”
“Wait!”
“I can’t see.”
“Fuck. Where is—”
“No. Stop. What are you—”
“Callan,” Malcolm said while shadows continued pouring from his hands. “Would you hold the door shut, please?”
Lurching into motion, Callan threw his shoulder against the door and wrapped his arm around the handle. A second later, someone tried desperately to shove it open from inside.
“Open the doors!” someone screamed.
“I can’t find them. I can’t see anything!”
“Get them open! Now!”
Sam and I hurried over to the other door and threw our weight against it too. Sienna just remained standing on the stones, watching us with a curious expression on her face.
The shouting coming from inside was transforming from barked orders to cries of terror. People pounded against the doors. My feet slipped on the ground as I tried to keep them closed.
Steel clanked from somewhere inside. It was followed by more bloodcurdling screams and cries for help.
While struggling to keep the doors closed, I flicked a quick glance towards Grant and Malcolm. The two of them were just standing there side by side while the stream of their combined magic poured in under the door.
After a while, the pounding stopped. A few more screams rang out. Along with slashing sounds of blades meeting flesh. Then everything went silent. Eerily silent.
Malcolm and Grant turned and gave each other a nod before their magic dissipated.
“You can open the doors now,” Grant said.
We exchanged a glance. After straightening again, I grabbed the left handle while Callan did the same with the right. Sam moved back to give us space to open them.
With a nod, we pulled at the same time.
My mouth dropped open at the sight we were met with.
Constables had been stationed down the length of the corridor, clearly waiting to ambush us the moment we stepped inside. Now, they were all dead. And by the looks of it, they had slaughtered each other.
The rest of us turned to stare at Malcolm and Grant. A slight smirk played over Grant’s lips when he shrugged, as if it was no big deal. Malcolm just brushed some dirt off his black suit.
“You know…” Sam began. His wide gray eyes shifted from the mass slaughter in the corridor to the red flames still ravaging the city below and then back to us again. “This truce you all have with each other right now. Maybe you should keep it going afterwards too?”
The five of us exchanged a long look. Wicked smiles blew across all our faces.
“Yes,” Malcolm said as he nodded. “Maybe we should.”
“Then let’s go finish this,” Callan said.
We strode across the threshold and into the wide hallway. Blood splattered the walls and floor, ruining some of the paintings of previous Chancellors that hung on the marble walls. Stepping over the still bleeding corpses, we made our way deeper into the building.
“Remember, Quill should be keeping the blade in the Inner Chamber,” Malcolm said. “It’s the most protected place in the building since there is only one way in and out of it.”
“And where do we find that again?” Sienna asked.
I arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t you pay attention on the field trip that everyone at the academy has to go on?”
“I never went.” Her eyes took on a dreamy look as she craned her neck to stare at everything we passed. “I burned down half of the greenhouse the week before, so I was suspended.”
Callan chuckled under his breath.
“Focus,” Malcolm cut in as we drew closer to a set of double doors. “There are bound to be more constables in here, but Grant and I can’t use that same trick again in case the others have already arrived.”
He was right. We were coming up on the Silver Hall. It wasn’t nearly as grand as the Rose Hall where the ball had taken place all those months ago, but it was still large. The room was used as a kind of massive waiting room where officials who weren’t part of the parliament could remain while those thirty-five members discussed and voted inside the Inner Chamber. If I knew anything about Godric Quill, he would have stationed soldiers inside the Silver Hall too.
My heart pattered against my ribs as we stopped in front of the silver-colored door. Callan and Malcolm called up magic to block any sudden attack. When they were ready, I sucked in a breath and shoved the door open.
Nothing happened.
I frowned as I glanced in through the door.
The Silver Hall was completely deserted. Only silver candelabras and glittering chandeliers stared back at me as I snuck across the threshold. I swept my gaze over the marble walls and floor.
Why wasn’t it guarded? Dread crawled up my throat. Had we gotten it wrong? Had I gotten it wrong? Was it possible that Jenny had actually been lying and setting us up to come here even though Quill had already moved the blade again? The thought made me want to throw up.
This couldn’t be it. We couldn’t have gotten played this badly again. Not after everything we had just gone through to get here.
The others walked inside the room and stopped beside me as well. A few of them glanced my way, and even without looking at them, I could feel that they were thinking the same thing.
“I—”
Doors banged open.
All of us dropped into fight stances.
Magic swirled around our hands as we watched a horde of students pour out of the doors halfway down the hall.
