I coughed, my lungs burning from all the smoke that filled the room.
"We need to get out of here!" Nica tugged at my arm, urging me to move. I was still dizzy, but my friend was surprisingly fine. "Let's head to the Sanctuary! Quick!"
I nodded, knowing that right now our best option was the underground room designed to protect students during mass attacks. The other students were likely already gathered there. After all, we had practised this countless times during those mock drills.
"What the hell was this?" I looked back at the window, my mind still clouded.
"I—"Nica's face was unusually pale. "I am not sure if I am hallucinating or not. We better just go."
I pushed open the door, stepping out into the hall passage of our dormitory. Other students were running around and screaming, chaos reigning over us all.
"Dany, I don't think we are going to make it," Nica clenched my bicep.
I shook my head, feeling frustration rise. "Of course we will. This will be the safest place no matter who attacks us."
As we stumbled through the smoky hallway, the heat became unbearable. The walls seemed to close in on us, and every breath felt like inhaling fire.
"Who would create an explosion at a school?" I muttered between coughs, trying to keep my voice steady.
Nica's grip tightened on my arm as she pulled me closer. "It wasn't an explosion."
"What?" I shot her a confused glance.
She swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. "I— I think it was a dragon."
My heart skipped a beat. A dragon? It sounded insane. No one had seen a dragon on the territory of the former Moonrise Kingdom for at least a couple of decades. They had no interest in us and we knew better than to make them interested in us again.
"How sure are you?" I furrowed my brows.
"Pretty sure," Nica shrugged.
"Great," I muttered under my breath, pushing forward with renewed urgency. "A dragon! Just what we needed."
The hallway twisted and turned, every step a struggle against the smoke and other students. No one was leaving the premises calmly like we were trained to do during those drills. Moreover, not everyone seemed to be moving towards the underground safe room either.
Nica stumbled, finding balance by leaning on the wall.
"Damn it!" I swore under my breath. "Nic, you have to go alone. I'll catch up with you later."
My friend's eyes widened. "Wh-why? Are you crazy?"
I honestly wasn't, but I had somewhere else to be first.
"I need to find Rafael," I admitted, locking eyes with her.
"Raf is a big boy," Nica protested, "and a trueborn Alpha. He'll take care of himself."
I chewed my lip nervously. There wasn't time to explain, and it wasn't really my secret to reveal, but I let go of her hand and shook my head.
"Nic, I'll be super fast," I promised with a reassuring smile. "In and out. We'll meet you there."
"Maybe he is already there!" she said, just as more screams echoed from the eastern wing of the academy, sending a chill down both our spines.
"Maybe— but I still need to check. Nica, please, you have to go. Save us some good seats, okay?" I gave her arm a light squeeze and turned on my heels, knowing we couldn't afford a longer goodbye. I knew that she would offer to go with me, but Nica did not have a beast to protect her. It was best if she headed straight to the Sanctuary.
I ran as fast as I could, bumping into a few people on my way, including Amber of all people, who didn't even care to stop and ask me if I saw my cousin. Not that I expected her to care for anyone else.
I found the door to Rafael's private suite opened, and my heart skipped a beat.
Because, if I was right and he had a seizure, no one else could know about this.
"Raf!" I burst into his room, scanning it quickly and realising that one of my worst fears had just become reality.
Rafael lay on the floor, convulsing uncontrollably, only the whites of his eyes visible, while Kieran, one of his closest friends at the academy, knelt beside him, looking utterly lost.
Kieran was not part of our pack and Raf would never have confided this secret to him. I realised that some damage control would be necessary, but at the moment we had more pressing issues at hand.
"Move!" I grunted, carefully closing the door behind me and rushing to Rafael's side. I grabbed a small cushion from the nearby chair, slid it under his head to protect him from injury and rolled him onto his side.
"Dany, what's happening?" Kieran's voice shook with confusion. Everyone knew that lycans could only have seizures as a result of a battle trauma and mostly recovered from them quickly, but here we were, in a room untouched by fire, and yet…
"It happens sometimes," I muttered, checking Raf's pulse just in case and then meeting Kieran's eyes with a fierce glare. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, you're dead."
The guy's expression hardened. I could tell that he was making the decision at this very moment. "Raf is my friend. I'd never betray him."
"If you do, I will ensure you and anyone you love will pay for this." I wasn't in the habit of threatening people, but the situation called for it. "Now, go and find a safe place. I suggest the Sanctuary."
"No," Kieran declined calmly. "I'll stay as long as Raf needs help."
"He'd prefer you to go and help someone else," I snapped at him, thinking to myself -and maybe the dragon outside would solve our little secret problem.
"Well, too bad," Kieran shrugged, to my disappointment. "I am not leaving you two alone."
"Fine." I rolled my eyes. If he had a hero complex, so be it.
"Can we drag him to the Sanctuary?"
"No." I wiped the sweat off Rafael's forehead. "It's best not to touch him now. It will pass. It always does. Lycan healing helps him."
"Why doesn't it prevent it in the first place?" He asked a perfectly valid question.
"Because life sucks, and we never get what we want." I shrugged. "Watch his hands. Sometimes, he grows his claws during these episodes and can hurt himself."
My thoughts circled back to Nica. I could only hope that she was safe.
Just then, I caught movement outside the window. My heart pounded despite not actually seeing what it was, but I felt it. Inside me, Lisa felt it too and was now clawing at my mind, trying to warn me.
Run! she screamed. Run as far away from here as you can!
I glanced back at Rafael and noticed that the worst part was over. He was no longer having any convulsions and seemed generally confused.
"What— is happening?" He blinked, trying to focus his gaze on Kieran, his handsome face going even paler as he realised that this time, he had a witness to his episode.
"Raf, everything is fine," I diverted his attention to myself. "Just trust me, okay? We need to go. The school is under attack, we all need to get to the Sanctuary."
He nodded, knowing that I wouldn't be saying any of this just for fun.
"Kieran, give me a hand." I grabbed one of my cousin's arms and draped it over my neck, lifting him up and prompting his friend to assist as well.
We rushed outside, but this time, no students were in our way. The halls were eerily empty.
"Who is attacking us?" Raf asked when he noticed the flames coming out from under one of the doors. "Did anyone alert my parents?"
"I don't know about alerting your parents, but— it seems like we are under an attack by a dragon."
Kieran stumbled, his gaze darting at me. "Impossible!"
"Well, I am yet to see one, but Danica was pretty sure." I shrugged. "honestly, do you have a better explanation?"
We kept moving, the temperature around us got even hotter and the whole building filled with flames.
"It's illogical!" Rafael grumbled. "The school is shielded by magic. Nobody should be able to locate it! Not even from above. Any rogues who arrive do so by accidentally roaming the surrounding woods. The site is confidential, or we wouldn't be here!"
"Yeah, I know." I tried to look ahead, but it was getting harder and harder to see (and breathe) thanks to the smoke.
"To attack us, someone would have to disable the shield and to do that, they had to get inside first!" Rafael continued and I froze just for a second.
He was right. The protection here was top notch. The stones that generated the protection spell were checked daily. The patrols also checked the perimeter, and I was on one of them just today…
The blood in my body became as cold as the deep ocean.
The Rogue… I told him where he was, what this territory was… and then… then I escaped under the waterfall, showing him the exact location of the secret passage.
Oh, no. Please, Moon Goddess, no. It couldn't be happening!
"Danielle, are you okay?" Kieran looked at me, clearly concerned.
"Let's speed up!" I swallowed the lump in my throat. Gods, I wanted to be wrong about it.
We were almost at the exit, the large arch with the school's sign looming above us. It was supposed to be a symbol of hope, but now, burnt and broken, it looked dreadful.
"Just a bit further," I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else. My legs felt like lead, and each step was a battle within itself. Gods, please tell me it wasn't my fault.
The ground trembled, a deep rumble echoing through the air. I glanced up just in time to see the arch begin to collapse, chunks of stone breaking away and plummeting towards us.
"No!" Rafael's voice was raw with panic as he tried to push us forward to save us, but both Kieran and I did not let go of him and pulled him with us to safety, knowing all the while that we were not going to make it.
I screamed, the sound shallow and weak. This wasn't how I imagined I'd die… However, strangely enough, no stones hit us. As I looked up, I was shocked to see them just hanging in the air.
"What are you waiting for?" Luomei grunted, her eyes glowing with power and her hands raised towards the arch's remnants. "Go, you idiots! I can't hold out much longer!"
We didn't need to be told twice as we rushed past her, the stones vibrating above our heads as we moved. I could feel the weight of her magic pressing down on us. She was always a strong witch, but this was a whole new level.
We had barely made it past the arch when a deafening roar split the air. The wind blew, sweeping away all the dust and dirt from the air, as a huge, dark red dragon landed right in front of us, its scales glistening like molten metal.
"Keep moving!" Luomei's voice echoed behind us, but my feet refused to obey.
The dragon reared back its head, its mouth opening wide. For a split second, time seemed to stand still as we watched in horror. Then it unleashed a torrent of lava, spewing molten rock onto the building in front of us… exactly where the Sanctuary was located.
"No!" The word tore from my throat as the lava engulfed the structure, burying it beneath a river of fire. The heat was unbearable even from where we stood! I couldn't imagine what it would be like underneath it.
Rafael's grip tightened on my arm. "We need to go."
"But—" My heart skipped a beat. Did Danica make it to the Sanctuary?
"Now!" Rafael's voice left no room for argument, and all my instincts told me to obey him.
An Alpha command, Lisa whispered. He is an Alpha now.
Even with Alpha blood, every werewolf or lycan had to activate it. Typically, a brutal fight or a life-changing event accomplished this. The attack on our school had awakened Rafael's Alpha blood. Slowly he removed his arms from around Kieran and me, and stood strong and tall. He was never weak, not in my eyes at least, but even the air around him had changed now.
"The secret passage at the back," he said, gesturing with his head towards it. "It's our best bet."
"I can't go," I whispered just as the dragon swung its tail, forcing the four of us to leap in separate directions in order to avoid it.
A piercing scream sent a shiver down my spine, and I looked around to see Luomei holding her hands over her face, blood oozing from behind her fingers. I stormed towards her, knocking her down the moment the dragon pushed itself off the ground and flew into the sky, disappearing in the clouds for a moment before returning to set fire to one of the academy's towers.
"Luo, what happened?" I tried to understand the nature of her injury when I realised that the upper half of her face looked scorched. Her breathing was so heavy that I was afraid she'd have a heart attack. Whether it was lava or flames that had caused it, her injuries looked too serious to ignore.
Frantically, I tried to remember our Witchcraft Basics lessons. A witch was supposed to always have something protective on her. A tattoo or a medallion, anything for that matter.
"s**t!" Kieran knelt next to the witch, also lost for what to do.
I tore open Luomei's school shirt, ripping off the three upper buttons and revealing a few necklaces on her neck. With trembling fingers, I picked up o her pendants and looked at each one of them, finally finding what I was looking for - a triangle rune with an eye inside, carved with ancient words. If I was correct, that was a very strong protective charm.
I placed it in her hand, despite realising she was probably no longer aware of what was going on around her. "Activate it!" I screamed. "Luo, activate or you will die!"
"Kieran, lift her up!" Rafael ordered. "We need to get to the exit and hide until help arrives."
Kieran carefully picked Luomei up, the amulet almost falling out of her hands, but I helped to clench her fingers around it.
"Luo, please activate it. You need this to heal. We can't get you to a healer soon enough—" My voice broke, realising that the chances of her dying even before we reached the passage were too big. Not to mention that I still didn't know where Danica was.
This was hell.
"Provere—" Luomei whispered, her voice sounding more like a whimper. "vermae agheris—"
The charm in her hand emitted a soft glow, and her body relaxed into Kieran's embrace. I wasn't sure if it was a good sign or a bad one.
"Let's go!" Raf urged us, leading the group forward.
"Dani—ca," Luomei whispered, and we all stopped.
"What about her?" I asked, squeezing her arm with my hand. "Did you see her?"
"I asked— her—" The witch could barely breathe; each word was a struggle. "to take— the little ones to— waterfall—"
"Oh, thank all the gods!" I exhaled with relief. My friend wasn't in the Sanctuary after all! The little ones were the youngest year at the academy who hadn't practiced themock drills enough since it was the start of the school year. It hadn't even crossed my mind that they were unaware of the Sanctuary or the passage, but I was thankful that Luomei handled it and involved Nica, saving her from death in the Sanctuary.
Maybe we could still get out of here alive.
"She fainted," Kieran said while we ran for our lives, attempting to conceal ourselves behind the trees and the few buildings still standing. The dragon was circling the academy, as sporadic screams continued to echo around us. I prayed that Nica wasn't one of the people it had found, as each scream faded, letting me know that the person who produced it was dead.
What could a bunch of teenagers offer against a dragon?
We had almost reached the gates, next to the bushes that led to the waterfall passage, when Rafael gestured for us to stop and disperse.
I paused and looked to see what the problem was to stop us, as the dragon was still behind us and I saw three strangers standing right by the gates we had to use.
A sharp ache pierced my heart. Their presence here, at this gate, would indeed be my fault.
Rafael grabbed my hand and pulled me into a broken Moon Goddess chapel on our right, while Kieran was already hidden somewhere else with Luomei in his care.
The chapel, or better yet what was left of it, smelled like smoke. Evidently, the dragon had been here, given the missing roof and charred walls. Still, sections of the walls remained upright, and the main statue of the Moon Goddess, with two wolves at her feet, remained intact, a miracle in its own right. Rafael dragged me there to hide behind it but the moment we reached it, we were greeted by at least a dozen terrified little eyes.
"The pups!" I breathed out, only to have Rafael shush me harshly, gesturing for me to lower my voice and get down to the youngsters.
It was best to stay hidden until the strangers were gone, so I did not protest.
I turned to the closest student, a boy of just twelve who looked no older than six. His face was dirty and his hair disheveled. These kids had been through too much today.
"Where is Danica?" I asked him, but his lips only trembled in response. "I am talking about a girl who looks just like me. She was with you earlier, if I am not mistaken," I clarified and watched a tear trace a clean line down his grimy cheek.
"What— what does it mean?" I was afraid to hear the answer.
"Dany, you will bring them here!" Rafael hissed, but now a girl crawled closer to the boy I was talking to and pointed her finger right behind me.
Hoping to see my soul sister, I turned, but no one was there.
However, there was a broken window and behind that were the people we were hiding from.
Slowly, I crawled back to the window, trying not to make a sound, until I had the perfect view of the three strangers. That was when I realised g that there were only two of them I did not know…
Red hair and a white silk nightgown I had gifted her for her birthday. My heart sank as I realised that there were only two strangers, the third person was their victim. Someone I knew better than anyone else in the world, my best friend…