School of monsters

CHAPTER 15: THE RESISTANCE

I was pinned against the pedestal of the Core, my muscles aching, my blood drained, and my friends trapped or unconscious. The Headmaster stood over me, his glowing staff raised for the killing blow.

"Any last words, Warden?" Williams mocked.

I looked past him, noticing David and Marcus slipping quietly into the upper balcony of the chamber. David caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod, holding up three fingers.

Three seconds.

I looked back at the Headmaster and forced a bloody smirk onto my face. "Yeah. Look up."

"What—?"

Before Williams could finish his sentence, David and Marcus dropped from the high balcony directly onto the Headmaster's back.

David slammed two charged electrical cuffs around Williams' wrist, while Marcus wrapped a heavy, anti-magic iron chain around the Headmaster's neck, pulling him backward with immense force.

"Now, Lisa!" David roared, blue sparks flying everywhere as he struggled to hold the towering Headmaster down.

The kinetic barrier holding Emily, Emmie, and Isabella shattered as Williams lost his concentration. Emily instantly shifted into her wolf form, sprinting across the room and sinking her jaws deep into Williams' leg. Williams screamed in rage, unleashing a dark energy blast that threw David, Marcus, and Emily off him, but the distraction had bought me enough time.

I pushed myself off the floor, grabbed a heavy, sharp silver shard from Drake’s shattered sword, and lunged forward.

I didn't aim for the Headmaster. I aimed for his weapon.

I drove the silver shard straight into the glowing violet crystal at the top of Williams' wooden staff.

CRACK!

The crystal shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. The dark magic built up inside the staff erupted inward, exploding in a blinding burst of purple flame.

Williams let out a blood-curdling screech as the magical backlash consumed his dark robes and threw him backward across the platform. He hit the stone floor hard, rolling to a stop near the edge of the chasm.

His staff was completely destroyed, reduced to burnt charcoal.

The cavern fell quiet, save for the heavy breathing of our group and the gentle hum of the restored Core overhead.

David sat up, rubbing his bruised shoulder and laughing breathless victory. "That... was... awesome!"

Marcus helped him up, checking his arms for injuries. "Is he dead?"

We walked slowly toward the Headmaster. Williams lay on the ground, his dark robes scorched, his magic completely spent. He looked old, frail, and powerless without his staff. He glared up at me with bitter, bloodshot eyes.

"This change nothing..." Williams rasped, coughing up dark smoke. "The student council... the higher-tier lords... they will never accept a human master..."

"They won't have to accept a master," I said, standing tall over him, the silver shard still held firmly in my hand. "They're going to accept an equal."

Behind us, a weak groan came from the pillar.

I turned around instantly. Drake was slowly pushing himself up against the stone wall, clutching his bruised ribs. The deep claw marks and burns on his skin were already beginning to heal under his vampire physiology.

I ran over to him, dropping the silver shard and kneeling by his side. "Drake! Are you okay?"

Drake looked up at me, his icy blue eyes clear and steady. He reached out, his cold fingers gently wiping a trace of dust from my cheek.

"I'm fine," he said softly. "You really know how to make an entrance, Warden."

I let out a breathless, tearful laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck. For a second, he froze, unused to human affection, but then he wrapped his arms tightly around me, holding me against his cold chest.