Page 76 of A Bond So Deadly

Pain pulses through my body, and I stay on my back, staring at the sky. A dozen xalfrets circle high above us, casting shadows over the ground. I could shift into a crow and try to escape, but what if the xalfrets catch me? And even if that didn’t happen and I did escape, there’s also the problem with my magic. I can only access my power right now because of Professor Yevar. If I fly away from him, will my magic stop working? Would I simply fall out of the sky to my death?

“He’s too fast,” I mumble.

A few hybrids stand near me, and I search their faces for any sign of concern. For anything that shows they’re not simply the king’s puppets, but they stare blankly ahead. I think about everything the guys have told me about the Xalgrith infiltrating the minds of the weak. He’s in their heads.

Wincing, I shift onto my side, facing the students. “You don’t have to fight for the Xalgrith,” I tell them. “You’re students from Shadowbone Academy. Deep down you must remember that.”

A few of the hybrids look at me, but they don’t say anything.

I think of the names in that cell.

Jordie.

Samuel.

Rowan.

So many names. More names than the number of hybrid warriors I see around the circle.

Anger cuts through me, and I force myself to my feet. I’m pretty sure I have at least one cracked rib, and I breathe heavily, grimacing at the pain.

“You’re shadow warriors,” I rasp, holding my chest.

The hybrid warriors stay silent, but a few of the Xalgrith soldiers laugh.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” King Malgur says.

I turn to face him, and he sheaths his sword.

“Get what?”

“They’re not shadow warriors anymore,” he replies. “The students are mine now, and soon, the shadow realm will be as well.”

My heart pounds faster. “I’m not the weapon you think I am, and even if I was, I wouldn’t help you destroy the realms.”

A sadistic smile twists his lips. “Is that so?” He peers at Professor Yevar before returning his gaze to me. “I guess it’s the hard way then.”

I’ve barely registered what he’s said when a sharp pain stabs my skull. Invisible talons claw at my mind, and I fall to my knees, crying out. The pain reminds me of when Professor Yevar had kidnapped me and tried to break me in the past, except this time it’s even worse. Is that where he got that power? From the Xalgrith?

“Don’t give in,” Elgen rasps. “Fortify your mind.”

I grit my teeth, pushing against the king’s power. “I’m trying!”

“We know, girl,” Elgen replies. “But you need to try harder.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

~ Shade ~

Everything hurts.

The king tries to break into my mind for a long while, but when he can’t, he goes into a fit of rage and beats me until I lose consciousness. I come to when the guards dump me back in my cell, and I land face-first on the floor. Grime presses against my cheek, but I don’t move. I’m not sure how many bones are broken, but everything aches, and I wheeze as I struggle to get air into my lungs.

My eyes are swollen, and I don’t realize the professor is there until Tarlaz warns me.

“I told you not to embarrass me,” Professor Yevar says.

I grunt in response because if he has come here for an apology, he’s going to continue to be disappointed.