Sera's POV
I couldn't breathe.
Three words were carved into the dead girl's forehead. Three words that made no sense.
SERA IS INNOCENT
Everyone in the library turned to stare at me. Not with anger anymore. With confusion. Fear. Questions.
"I don't understand," I whispered. My legs felt weak. "I didn't... I didn't do this."
Master Aldric's face had gone completely white. He stared at the body, then at me, then back at the body. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out.
Kael stepped closer to the corpse. He knelt down and examined the carved words. "These cuts are fresh. Made within the last few minutes." He looked up at Master Aldric. "Sera's been locked in a cell. Under guard. She couldn't have done this."
"Then who did?" Master Aldric's voice shook. "Who killed Emma? And why would they claim Sera is innocent?"
A guard spoke up. "Maybe it's a trick. Maybe she has a partner. Someone helping her."
"I don't have a partner!" My voice came out too loud. Too desperate. "I don't have anyone! I've been alone this whole time!"
Master Aldric held up his hand for silence. "Take Sera back to her cell. We need to investigate this. We need to—"
"No." Kael stood and faced Master Aldric. "I'm taking responsibility for her."
Everyone gasped. Even me.
"What did you say?" Master Aldric's eyes narrowed.
"You hired me to investigate these murders. To find the truth." Kael crossed his arms. "The truth is that Sera couldn't have killed this girl. She was locked up. Which means someone else is doing this. Someone who wants us to think Sera is guilty."
"So you're saying she's innocent?"
"I'm saying the evidence doesn't add up. And until we know what's really happening, I'm keeping her with me. Where I can watch her."
Master Aldric's face turned red. "You can't just—"
The Tower shook.
It wasn't like an earthquake. It was worse. The whole building groaned like a giant waking up. Books flew off shelves. The floor cracked beneath our feet.
Someone screamed.
Then came the explosion.
A massive boom from somewhere below us. The floor buckled. I fell to my knees. Smoke poured through the doorway, thick and black and choking.
"Fire!" a guard yelled. "There's fire in the detention level!"
More explosions. One after another. Boom. Boom. BOOM.
The Tower was falling apart.
"Everyone out!" Master Aldric shouted. "Evacuate the Tower! Now!"
Students ran in every direction. Teachers tried to organize them but there was too much chaos. Too much smoke. The walls were cracking. Pieces of ceiling rained down.
I couldn't move. I was frozen with terror.
Then a hand grabbed mine.
Kael.
He pulled me to my feet. "We have to go. Now."
"But Master Aldric said—"
"Forget what he said. This whole place is coming down."
He was right. Another explosion shook the Tower. The floor tilted. We stumbled and nearly fell.
Kael kept hold of my hand and pulled me toward the stairs. We ran. Smoke burned my eyes and throat. I couldn't see more than a few feet ahead. Students pushed past us, screaming.
"Stay close to me!" Kael shouted over the noise.
We made it down one flight of stairs. Then another. The smoke got thicker. I could barely breathe. My lungs burned.
A section of ceiling collapsed right behind us. Stone and wood crashed where we'd been standing seconds before.
"Faster!" Kael yanked me forward.
We reached the main entrance hall. The massive wooden doors stood ahead of us. Safety. Fresh air. Escape.
But between us and freedom stood six Tower guards with weapons drawn.
"Stop right there!" The guard in front pointed his sword at us. "Sera, you're under arrest for murder and sabotage. Kael Thorne, you're under arrest for helping a criminal escape."
"Are you insane?" Kael shouted. "The Tower is exploding! We need to get out!"
"You're not going anywhere."
Behind us, another explosion. Closer this time. The heat hit my back like a wave. I turned and saw orange flames eating through the hallway we'd just left.
We were trapped between guards and fire.
Kael's hand tightened around mine. Through our blood bond, I felt his thoughts. His plan. His determination.
We had to run.
"I'm sorry," Kael said to the guards. "But I'm not dying here today."
He charged forward, pulling me with him.
The guards raised their weapons but Kael was faster. He ducked under the first sword swing and punched that guard in the stomach. The guard went down hard.
I'd never fought anyone in my life. I was a student. A scholar. Not a warrior.
But I wasn't going to die here either.
When a guard grabbed my arm, I yanked free and kicked him in the shin as hard as I could. He yelped and loosened his grip. I ran.
Kael fought two more guards. His sword flashed in the firelight. He was fast. Trained. Deadly.
But there were too many of them.
A guard grabbed me from behind. His arm wrapped around my throat. I couldn't breathe.
Panic exploded in my chest. My magic surged without permission. Black sparks erupted from my hands.
The guard screamed and let me go. I looked at my hands in horror. The black marks were glowing. Spreading up my arms.
"Sera!" Kael grabbed my shoulder. "Focus! We have to move!"
He was right. No time to panic about magic. We'd die if we didn't escape.
We ran for the doors. A guard tried to block us but another explosion threw everyone to the floor. Stone rained from above. Smoke filled the entire hall.
Kael kicked the doors open.
Cold night air hit my face. Beautiful. Clean. Safe.
We ran outside into the courtyard. Behind us, the Tower groaned. Windows shattered. More explosions boomed through the building.
Students and teachers poured out of every exit. Everyone was screaming. Crying. Running.
"Don't stop!" Kael pulled me toward the main gate.
We were almost there. Almost free.
"There they are!" Master Aldric's voice cut through the chaos. "Stop them!"
More guards appeared. They formed a line between us and the gate. Their weapons gleamed in the firelight from the burning Tower.
Kael and I skidded to a stop. We were surrounded. Guards behind us. Guards in front. No way out.
Kael looked at me. Our eyes met.
I'd known him less than a day. He was a stranger. A hunter who killed people like me. Someone who hated magic.
But in that moment, I trusted him completely.
And somehow, I knew he trusted me too.
"Ready to run?" he asked.
I nodded. "Ready."
"On three. One... two..."
The ground beneath us exploded.
Black energy erupted from the courtyard stones. It shot into the sky like a pillar of darkness. The force threw everyone backwards. I flew through the air and hit the ground hard. Pain shot through my shoulder.
When I looked up, my blood turned to ice.
A figure stood in the center of the black energy pillar. Tall. Wearing a white mask with no face. The same person who'd attacked me in my cell.
"Found you," the figure said. Their voice echoed like ten people speaking at once.
They raised one hand toward me.
The black marks on my arms flared with burning pain. I screamed. It felt like my skin was on fire. Like something was trying to rip out of my body.
Kael struggled to his feet and tried to reach me. But the black energy formed a wall between us. He pounded on it with his fists but couldn't break through.
"Sera!" he shouted. "Fight it! Don't let it take you!"
The masked figure stepped closer. "Your time has come. The Void Queen awakens. And when she rises, this world will burn."
They touched my forehead.
Everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing. But I wasn't in control anymore.
My body moved without my permission. My hands raised. Black magic poured from my palms in massive waves. It was stronger than anything I'd ever felt before.
And I was using it to kill everyone around me.
Through my own eyes, I watched in horror as black energy shot toward Master Aldric. Toward the guards. Toward Kael.
I tried to scream. Tried to stop. But I was trapped inside my own body. A prisoner watching myself become the monster everyone said I was.
The last thing I saw before darkness consumed me completely was Kael's face.
He was running toward me. Not away. Toward.
Even though I was about to kill him, he was trying to save me.
Then my vision went black and I felt myself falling into an abyss that had no bottom.
Somewhere far away, I heard the Void Queen's laughter.
And I knew that when I woke up—if I woke up—nothing would ever be the same.