Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Cassian

51

Smoke still hangs over the field like a shroud. The sound hasn’t stopped-people shouting, boots pounding against the stone terraces, the low hum of the wards trying to stabilise after what she just did. The sky looks wrong, torn open in places where her power ripped through the clouds. My ears ring. My hands are still shaking. It started simple. A sparring exercise, two pairs. I told myself I could keep control of it. That if she kept calm, the Council would have nothing to use against her. But Kael fell-one heartbeat, he was moving, the next he was gasping on the ground-and the instant she saw him, I felt the bond fracture. The world tilted. Every bit of magic within reach bent toward her like gravity. She didn’t call for it; it just came. There was light, blue and

endless, and the wards screamed. She broke the curse choking Kael, and then she broke everything else-barriers, spells, the air itself. The students scattered, and Varyn smiled like he’d been waiting his whole life to see her come apart. I tried to reach her mind, but there was nothing left to reach. Just power. Just the sound of her heartbeat slamming through the bond until the whole field shook. And then the shadows rose around her, swallowing her, Kael, and Evander in one sweeping breath. Gone. No trace. No pull. Not even a whisper through the bond. Just silence.

Now the field is chaos. Faculty shouting orders, students crying, the Council’s guards forming tight circles around Varyn and Lyssa. I stand at the centre of it

all, my ears are still ringing when Varyn turns on me.

“Where is she?!”

I lift my head slowly. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be here.”

Varyn strides forward, eyes bright with fury. “You’re her mate,” he spits. “You should be able to feel her.”

Lyssa’s gaze slides across me like a knife. “You should be able to find her,” she adds quietly. “Or speak to her mind. That is the nature of the bond, is it

not?”

I grit my teeth. “It would be, if your Council hadn’t denied the completion of that bond.”

The silence that follows is sharp enough to cut.

Scorched steps in from the edge of the circle, soot streaking his sleeves. “Lord D’Altair,” he says carefully, “Professor Hill has already explained-”

“Don’t.” Varyn turns on him, voice like thunder. “Don’t defend him. This entire situation is the result of your leniency.” He points at the scorch marks still smoking across the grass. “You let that thing walk your halls. You let her grow stronger.”

“She’s not a thing,” I snap before I can stop myself. “She’s a student. A person.”

Varyn’s expression curdles into something ugly. “You don’t sound very objective, Professor.”

Lyssa lifts one hand, and the sound of the crowd dims instantly, her magic stilling the air, “Enough. Arguing won’t bring her back. She is registered now,

yes?”

Scorched nods once, grim. “Every student is. The records are sealed in the main archive.”

Lyssa looks to Varyn. “Then she can be tracked.”

The satisfaction that flickers across his face turns my stomach. “Call the hunters,” he orders. “Use the registry. I want her location before sundown.”

“Yes, my lord.” Lyssa’s eyes glow faint silver as she presses her palm to the air, sending the message through whatever infernal network the Council uses. The air crackles, and I know it’s done. They’ll be coming.

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Chapter 159

Varyn rounds on me again. “And you,” he says softly, almost smiling. “You’ll assist the retrieval team. When we find her, you’ll help bring her in.”

Every instinct in me screams no, but I school my face into the expression they want to see-compliance. “Of course, my lord,” I say evenly. “You’ll have my full cooperation.”

He studies me, searching for cracks, and I let him. I’ve had years of practice wearing masks for men like him. When he finds nothing, he finally turns away. already barking more orders to his men.

Lyssa lingers long enough to murmur, “Containment will be swift. Try not to let sentiment interfere with your duty, Professor.”

When they finally leave the field, Scorched releases a slow breath beside me. He doesn’t look at me when he speaks. “You did what you had to.”

“Not yet,” I murmur back.

He glances sideways. There’s a faint flicker of understanding in his expression. “You’ll go after her.”

“Tonight.”

“Then you’d better start preparing.” He turns away before anyone notices our exchange.

The courtyard empties slowly, guards herding students back inside, whispers following in their wake. I stay where I am, staring at the charred ring in the dirt where she vanished. The ground is still warm, faintly pulsing with leftover magic. I kneel, pressing my hand to it, and for a heartbeat, I swear I feel her pulse under my palm. If the Council finds her, she’s as good as dead. If I find her first, I might just have a chance. I stand and look toward the academy’s spires piercing the sky. They’ve always felt like a prison more than a sanctuary, and now I know why. Every order I’ve ever followed, every law I’ve upheld- it all led to this. The Council created monsters out of fear, and I’ve spent years pretending that serving them meant protecting people. I wipe the ash from

my hands. I’m done pretending.

When I reach the faculty quarters, I’m already building the mask I’ll wear tonight. I report to Lyssa’s assistants, answer their questions, and nod in all the right places. I even sign the parchment confirming I’ll aid in “locating and neutralising” Allison Rivers.

Varyn watches from the far end of the corridor, expression smug, assured. “Good man,” he says. “You know your place.”

I bow my head slightly because it’s easier than giving him the satisfaction of a real answer. By the time the meeting disperses, the sun has started to set. I make my way back to my cabin, every step measured. The guards are too focused on the outer gates to notice one tired professor slipping away. Inside, I gather what little I need-maps, a blade, a flask, potion ingredients and a worn cloak. The bond hums faintly, almost shyly, like it doesn’t trust that I’m still listening. I close my eyes and focus, reaching for the faintest echo of her magic. It’s there-thin, fading, but still alive.

“Hold on,” I whisper. “Just hold on.”

Outside, the last of the light bleeds out of the sky. The wards shimmer faintly over Thornhill, sealing the campus tight. Beyond them lies the world the Council has spent centuries controlling-and somewhere in that world is the girl they’ve just declared an enemy. I pull on my cloak, dousing the lantern before stepping out. If the hunters find me out here, they’ll call it treason, but I’d rather die a traitor than deny myself the right to protect my fated mate. I glance back once at the academy-at the life I’m leaving behind. Then I turn toward the forest. I’ll find her, or I’ll die trying.

“Fuck the Council,” I whisper, and step into the dark.

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17:13 Thu, Jan 1 M

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