Death's Academy (16 page)

“Do you remember which door she was taken in?” I ask.

“It wasn’t a door; it was a ramp that goes underground. I couldn’t see very far down into it. It was too dark.”

“She’s been taken into the dungeons,” I say, scratching my chin. I extend my hand out to Brilliance. “Thank you for all your help.”

She glares at my hand as if it is covered with scabby puss and shakes her head.

“I’m coming with you,” she says.

“Why? We’re hoodies, and you’re a halo,” I say.

“And? I want to help if I can. My dad would help. My dad would take on all of these unicorns. I’m a Michaels, and we Michaels—”

“Yeah, yeah, help with dangerous stuff. I know,” I say. “Well, let’s go. Follow me.”

She jumps in front of me, blocking my way. “Yeah, right. You’re not leading. You’re about as stealthy as an elephant in clogging shoes. “Follow me,” she says, pressing tightly against the shadowed wall.

With each step, the sound of flames and raised voices crackles together like stones tumbling down a mountainside. We reach the edge of the alleyway. We dip down onto our stomachs and slide underneath an abandoned car. We get our first glimpse of the Lock. The stone spires are engulfed in a lapping sea of flames. On the right side of the building, part of the second floor has been completely torn away as if a giant’s meaty hand punched through it.

The scene between our hiding place and the
pronged gate that leads into the Lock courtyard is a horrific site. Shattered glass sparkles red and yellow, reflecting the roaring fire above. Peppered among the glass are at least a dozen bodies in Sickle uniforms. Each one of them is twisted and bent unnaturally.

Only thirty yards away is a pack of hoodies herded together by a handful of unicorns. Some of the hoodies are cowering in fright, and others are pleading for mercy. The unicorns seem to be basking in the experience. They pull out a victim—Wolf, the hulking guard with the mousy voice. One of the unicorns picks Wolf up over his head. Wolf lets out a high-pitched squeak. The unicorn twirls him around like a helicopter blade and then flings him twenty feet into the air. The other unicorns laugh and cheer. Wolf’s body flails like a rag doll through the air, and right before it smacks into the cement, the unicorn catches him. The unicorn then shoves his limp body back into the group of hoodies, knocking others over like bowling pins.

“I saw them take her down there,” Brilliance whispers and points behind the mangled gate.

There’s a forty-yard gap between our hiding place and the gate. No cars, no walls, nothing to sneak behind. Only wide-open street.

“There’s no way we’re going to get there without getting spotted,” she says.

I peer down the other side of the street, hoping for another route, but flashes of white unicorns rushing about and distant screams discourage that idea.

“Especially with the way you run,” she continues.

I give her a dirty look. “I’ve got to try,” I say.

She snorts. “They’ll catch you before you can get halfway there.
You
might be okay with suicide, but I’m not. You don’t become a hero by getting caught.” She scoots herself backward from underneath the car. “Let’s get out of here before they spot us. We’ll sneak around and ambush any stragglers we come across.”

I don’t move.

“Come on,” she says and tugs on my shirt. “There’s no chance.”

I shake my head.

She crawls forward so she is eye to eye with me.

“Mal wouldn’t want you to do something stupid. Besides, you’re a hoodie, not a hero.” She tugs harder on my shirt. “Come on, before they see us.”

“No. It’s my fault she’s down there. I’m not leaving without her, so you can either help me or button up, because it’s making it hard to concentrate,” I say and pull her hand off my shirt.

She stares at me for a moment with an expression that seems to be a mixture of surprise and pity. She shakes her head. “Good luck. You’re an idiot, but good luck.” She scoots herself backward again.

Suddenly, one of the hoodie prisoners bolts from the pack. The unicorns spring into action and race after him.

“Look!” I whisper and reach back to get Brilliance’s attention.

“They’re distracted! Now! Go now!” Brilliance says and pushes me. I roll out from underneath the car and can feel broken glass sticking to my shirt. I’m on my feet, galloping for the courtyard, and I hurdle over
a piece of the deformed gate, landing in the cobblestone courtyard.

I glance over my shoulder, and to my surprise, Brilliance is right on my heels. We cut for the ramp descending into the parking garage and the dungeons. There’s a slight reddish glow coming from the ramp. I feel Brilliance’s hand on my lower back.

“Faster!” she whispers.

I double my efforts, and within a moment the ground beneath our feet begins to slope.

Ahead of us, the garage is illuminated by dozens of bonfires. Sickle coaches are scattered about and aflame. Several of the stone columns that support the ceiling have been eaten away by glowing green and orange gumdrop acid.

“Don’t touch the walls!” I call over my shoulder. “Acid!”

“I know.”

A few more Sickle bodies lay strewn across the cobblestone floor. A unicorn carcass lies motionless not far from their bodies.

I motion to Brilliance to follow. I lead her behind a stone column in front of the skull-encrusted entrance to the building.

“That’s how we get in,” I say, panting.

She crinkles her nose. “Where does it go?”

“It’s a tunnel for a while, but then it opens up into a gigantic room. There’s a door to the dungeons on the opposite side of that room.”

Her crinkled nose evolves into a disgusted scowl. “What kind of skulls are those?”

“Unicorn, manticore, and griffin.”

She shakes her head. “Hoodies.”

I shrug and creep forward to the mouth of the tunnel. Many of the skulls have been ripped from the arch and lay scattered across the ground at our feet.

I put my finger to my lips and inch into the tunnel. Only a few torches remain, so stretches of the path are obscured in darkness. We scurry forward. Pieces of broken stone and skull dot the floor.

“We should almost be to the gate,” I whisper. The flickering torch casts a dancing pool of light just ahead of us. I extend my leg to take a step into the light when I’m yanked backward. “Hey—”

Brilliance slaps a hand over my mouth and points down the tunnel. I squint into the darkness. Behind the shattered gate, a shimmer of firelight reflects off something pressed up against the wall.

“Unicorn,” she whispers. She motions for me to follow her and we creep back out of the tunnel. “That was close.”

I nod and peek back around the opening of the tunnel, but it’s too dark to see the hiding unicorn.

“Any ideas?” she asks.

I shake my head and slide down the wall onto my backside.

“Is there another way in from down here?”

“No. This is it,” I say and kick at one of the skulls at my feet. The unicorn head tumbles forward and spins once on the ground. I glance up at Brilliance and see the iron boot still hanging over her shoulder. An idea pops into my head. “We’ll knock him out!”

I pick up the unicorn skull and twirl it in my hands.

“I’ll get his attention and get him to chase me. You kick the skull and knock him out,” I say excitedly.

Brilliance grabs the skull from me and flips it over in her hands. She shakes her head.

“You can do it. You’re an amazing striker,” I say encouragingly.

“I know I am, but look at the shape of this thing. There’s no way I can control where it goes.”

I take the skull back and twirl it once. My heart sinks. It feels clumsy. She’s right, there’s no way to control where it would go.

“But you’ve given me an idea,” she says, staring at the archway over the tunnel entrance.

I tiptoe down the corridor and reach the edge of the torch light. I can still see the shimmering reflection off the unicorn’s white coat. I check both of my shoes to make sure the laces are tied; I get my insult ready and hop into the light.

“Hey, you buck-toothed donkey! Why don’t you come out and play?”

Okay, so “buck-toothed donkey” isn’t the best insult I’ve ever come up with, but under the circumstances you can’t expect to demean in Shakespearean verse. I guess it worked because the startled unicorn leaps from his hiding place and nearly knocks over the remaining pieces of the iron gate.

His teeth are clenched and his mane bristles in anger. I gulp. He lets out an ear-piercing whinny. I turn on the spot and race for the corridor entrance. I have to dodge a minefield of skulls and stones. The
charging hooves crash down the corridor behind me. The
clack, clack, clack
echoes through the corridor like cannon shells exploding behind my head.

Suddenly my foot catches the edge of a manticore skull and I tumble to the earth.

“Got you now, hoodie!” the unicorn cackles.

I scramble up and sprint as fast as my legs can take me. I am nearly to the edge of the corridor when I feel the hot panting of the unicorn’s breath on the back of my neck.

“I’ll crack your head like a chestnut, boy!”

“Now!” Brilliance screams.

I throw myself to the ground just as Brilliance swings down from the archway, the iron boot fastened to her foot. She extends her leg and the boot smacks the unicorn square in the jaw.
Crack!
The Unicorn spins around violently, collides into the corridor wall, and goes limp.

Brilliance drops from the archway.
Clunk
! She flicks her ankle and kicks the iron boot up into her hands and throws it over her shoulder.

“Not bad,” I say as I pick myself up.

She shrugs. “My dad would have probably come up with something better, but it was okay.” Brilliance puts her hands on her hips and tilts her chin up slightly. “When there is trouble or help is needed, a Michaels will always plunge into the fray without fear or concern for his own safety.” She nods her head and folds her arms.

“Are you going to repeat that every time we run into trouble?”

She gives me a sidelong glance.

“Because it won’t just be the unicorns that want to do you in by the end,” I say, dusting off my pants.

I notice a small smile cross her lips, and I can’t help it; I smile too.

“I’d love to see you try,” she says, and her smile spreads across her face. “Let’s go.”

We take off down the tunnel and pass the shattered iron gate. The mouth of the tunnel opens up and we sneak into the cavernous room. The room might as well be a nightclub. Reds, blues, and greens dance back and forth, lighting up splintered desks and scattered papers on the floor. Both Brilliance and I glance up at the ceiling at the same time. The stained-glass windows above us seem to be alive and moving like an old-time picture show. The roaring fire from the rooftop shines through the glass, causing the light spectacle below.

A distant crash awakes us from our stupor, and we dive behind a nearby desk. I peek through a crack in the wood. A handful of unicorns burst out of the far door. They’re moving fast and whooping and hollering in excitement. I recognize the unicorn leading the group by the long scar slicing down its face. It’s Raindrop, the same unicorn that killed Roger. I clench my fists and look around for something to use as a weapon. Brilliance grabs my hand, noticing my frantic search, and shakes her head.

“There’s too many,” she whispers.

Her warm hand calms me and I nod. I glare back at the unicorns.

“What’s the leader holding in his hands?” Brilliance whispers into my ear.

Raindrop
is
carrying something. I squint to get a better look. It’s a tall ebony staff with two handles sticking out from it at different intervals. Extending from its top is a swooping blade like a pelican’s beak.

“Is it a scythe?” I ask.

The unicorns are nearly on top of us. We duck farther down under the desk.

There is a clatter behind us and another unicorn bursts from the tunnel. It’s the same one that Brilliance had leveled. All of his front teeth are missing and his right eye is swollen shut. He skids to a stop in front of the charging Raindrop and holds out his hands.

“Sir! Someone’s here,” he slurs. “They ambushed me.”

Raindrop comes to a stop in front of the wounded unicorn. They are less than ten feet from where we’re hiding.

“You’re Sparkle-star, aren’t you?” Raindrop asks.

“Yes, sir.”

“How many ambushed you?”

“A dozen, maybe more. They’re here somewhere. We should find them and rip them limb from limb.”

Raindrop shakes his head. “No. We’ve got what we’ve come for. It’s time to head back.”

“But what about the hoodies we put in the dungeons?” Sparkle-star asks and bows his head lower.

“They aren’t important. The scythe is what we came for.”

Another unicorn, this one with a piece of its left ear
missing, pushes forward. “This has gone even better than the
Queen Suzanne
!”

Shocked, my head pops up from behind the desk. Brilliance yanks me back down and gives me a stern look. “Are you crazy?” she mouths.

I peer back up at Raindrop. He bares his teeth in a sinister grin. “Our halo friend has come through for us again. We wouldn’t have gotten in here or the scythe without him.” His grin spreads even wider. “I’m not sure if he’ll appreciate the reward we have in store for him.”

The other unicorns let out scraping chuckles and growling guffaws.

“Let’s move!” Raindrop says.

“But, sir, we have to find the hoodies that ambushed me. Look what they did!” Sparkle-stars says, motioning to his face.

Raindrop smirks. “It’s an improvement.”

The unicorns behind Raindrop laugh heartily. Sparkle-star’s face drops.

“You have two minutes. There’s a sweet little girl locked in a cell down in the dungeon. Go exact your revenge on her if you wish.”

I swallow a yelp before it can escape my lips. It’s got to be Mal.

Sparkle-star brightens, and a crimson smile creases his face.

“Thank you, sir,”

“You have two minutes,” Raindrop calls out, and he and the others rush past Sparkle-star and into the tunnel.