Page 3 of Heartflame

“You got this, Quill,” I huffed. “No more last place on the team.”

The path wound through the pine trees that bordered the Widdershins campus, their needles soft beneath my feet. I’d been running the cross-country route for the past three days, trying to shake off the rust and rebuild my endurance before the semester officially kicked into high gear. Tomorrow classes started, and I wanted to be ready. I wanted to prove to Coach Martinez that I belonged on this team, that I wasn’t just some witch coasting on natural ability.

My lungs burned as I pushed through the final stretch. The late afternoon sun filtered through the canopy in golden shafts, casting long shadows across the trail. I could see the finish line coming up; it was the stone marker near the athletic center where we always ended our runs.

I dug deeper, my muscles protesting. That was the thing about being on a mixed team of witches and monsters. We all had different advantages. The werewolves had raw speed and endurance. The fae had supernatural grace. The few shifters we had could draw on an animalistic power that I didn’t have access to. But me? I was just a witch with decent cardio and a stubborn streak that refused to let me fall behind. And I wasn’t allowed to use my magic to help.

The marker came into view. I pushed hard, feeling my heart hammering against my ribs, and crossed it with a final burst of speed. My breathing came in ragged gasps as I slowed to a walk, my legs still trembling with exertion.

“Not bad, Quill,” a voice called out.

I looked up to see Greg, one of the other witches on the team, jogging toward me from the athletic center. He was tall, thin, long-legged, and barely winded, the bastard.

“How long?” I managed between breaths.

“Nineteen minutes. That’s solid.” He fell into step beside me as I walked off the burn. “You’re getting faster. Coach noticed.”

I felt a small bloom of pride in my chest, beneath the exhaustion. After everything that had happened over the past few months… the attacks, the fear, the constant wondering if Widdershins would even be open this year… getting back to something as simple as running felt almost surreal. But I was glad for it. It felt… normal, and I was holding onto that.

“Yeah?” I asked, finally catching my breath enough to speak properly.

“Yeah. She pulled me aside after yesterday’s run and said you’ve got potential. Said she thinks you could actually place in the regional championships if you keep this up.”

I hadn’t expected that. Honestly, I’d just been focused on not being the worst on the team. The idea that I might actually be good enough to compete at a higher level was... well, it was motivating as hell.

“Any word from Florence or Xavier yet?” I asked, still trying to catch my breath. “They’re our best runners.”

Greg shook his head. “Florence’s parents sent a message over from the Fae realm. She won’t be coming back this year. And Xavier… well…”

I glanced up at Greg, noticing the tension in his face. “What? What’s wrong?”

He hesitated. “I… I don’t want to spread rumors.”

“Dude,” I huffed, putting my hands on my hips. “You know me. I don’t spread shit around. What’s going on?”

Greg glanced back toward the athletic building, making sure we were alone before he leaned forward. “Xavier’s parents were arrested by the Elder Council two weeks ago?”

“What? Why?”

“They were suspected of being… you know… involved.”

My heart did a weird sort of flip in my chest. Involved with the Purity Front? That couldn’t be true, could it? Xavier was such a nice guy. He was from an older witch family that was fairly wealthy, like most witches. But he’d never given me any sort of indication that he was prejudiced. And I’d spent a summer at his estate when I was a kid. His parents were super nice. They made sure we always had ice cream in the house and took us anywhere we wanted to go.

“Who did you hear that from?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

“Some of the freshmen were talking about it in the locker room⁠—”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Freshmen? Really Greg? You know you can’t believe a word they say.”

“Yeah, but Xavier’s not here,” he retorted. “Nobody has heard from him.”

“People are scared. Maybe his family is hiding.”

“Would they hide if they weren’t guilty?”

“Do you think Florence is guilty?” I shot back. “Because she’s staying in the Fae realm?”

“Well, no… but she’s a Fae, right? She probably just doesn’t want to get attacked.”