Page 209 of Knox Academy Omnibus
Fuck. He’s right; I don’t remember seeing the old fart before this went down.
I leave Kalen to sort himself out. I was too wrapped up in Kalen’s plan with Amelie and how she felt coming around my finger, to pay attention. I need to find someone. Where is Onyx or Sawyer? Hopefully they made it out, and one of them is with her.
I scan the outside foyer and I can’t see anyone I remotely care about. My eyes meet Jasper’s and he races to my side. He is trained for situations like this, but I can see the panic in his eyes.
I know nothing is going on with him and Amelie, but she has this way of making everyone around her care about her. It’s unnerving at times that she can charm men like Baxter and have them wrapped around her finger. Fuck! Could this all be Baxter?
He has voiced his opinion about Amelie joining The Order because he hates this life. As far as I know, she’s his only friend.If he has staged this to take her away from us, I will kill him with my bare hands, consequences be damned.
“Any sign of her?” I ask Jasper.
“No. Frost caught sight of something and took off, but I lost him in this mess,” he says gesturing around. “I’ll take the rear side of the building, you head that way towards the trees. Meet me back here in half an hour if you don’t find anything.”
I nod at his instructions – standard for The Order – and take off in the direction he mentioned. There are so many damn trees, it doesn’t even allow for the moonlight to help guide my way. My phone’s torch doesn’t help me to see further than a foot in front of my feet.
“Amelie!” I call for the hundredth time, my voice getting hoarse.
Dread fills the pit of my stomach.
Where is she?
It isn’t possible she got this far. Yet, I keep searching, circling around until I get back to the main building. Frost is standing next to his car talking to Jasper.
“Anything?” I ask, my voice right with worry.
“No. No one has seen Amelie or Onyx. Sawyer is pretty messed up but refused medical help and has gone out to search, the same as Kalen.”
I swipe a hand down my face and think. I can’t think of why someone would do this, besides Grandfather or Baxter. They’re the only two with motives. Did I see Baxter in the ballroom before the explosion? I’m not sure. Though hurting a room full of people who don’t deserve it isn’t Baxter’s style.
It has to be Grandfather. Would he really be that pissed at Amelie getting in, that he would want to kill her along with innocent bystanders? I know he doesn’t give a shit about anyone else in the room really, but Kalen has always been his prideand joy, his hope for power. I would have gone as far to say he actually genuinely loved him. Would he risk Kalen’s life for this?
Chapter Forty-One
Kalen
“Fuck!” It hurts like a motherfucker. What the hell just happened? One minute I’m racing all over, looking for Amelie, the next I’m doubling back to the ballroom and being thrown across the room by a blast so strong it rattles my bones.
I blacked out for sure. I remember hearing screams, but they sounded distant, underwater. I came to on the ground, pinned down by something fucking heavy.
And then Slate was there – or was it Onyx? – I’m not sure, but he lifted the rubble off me before I sent him to find Amelie. I’ll be fine. We need to find her.
With that thought, I grit my teeth and force myself to my feet. Looking around, I can see that the force of the blast when I was in the doorway to the ballroom threw me back out into the corridor. What’s left of it anyway. Gingerly, wincing with every step, I pick my way between the chunks of fallen plaster and marble, heading into the ballroom.
I know I should be heading to find Amelie, but Onyx – or was it Slate? Damn, I think I have a concussion – will surely havefound her by now. I need to check on the others. My brothers. Our father. Even Grandfather.
I know he’s awful. Evil. But he’s still my blood. I can’t leave without knowing he’s okay. If only so that I can be the one to take him out, on my terms.
But the ballroom is chaos. There’s no way I can make my way across the room, even if I was in perfect health. Which I’m clearly not. I think I’ve broken a rib or two. And I don’t even want to think about the sticky blood drying on my forehead.
Painstakingly slowly, I circle around the labyrinth of corridors, until I come to one of the other entrances to the ballroom. A sea of panicked Order members are still pushing past, trying to evacuate. I have to stand to one side until the crowd diminishes, and then I slip through.
Bodies, blood and bones greet me.
My stomach lurches and I can’t even begin to process the devastation in front of me.
Think, Kalen, Think!I know one of the twins is okay. Amelie was probably out of the building by the time the blast went off. If it was Slate that I spoke to, it would make sense because Onyx had stormed off before. So he could be safe too. That means I need to find Sawyer first. Father next. Grandfather last.
Tentatively I tiptoe through the rubble. It’s awful to say but I ignore everyone who isn’t family, my eyes desperately scanning the...bodies for the people on my list. Aside from a handful of initiates, I knew every person in this room. We were bound together through The Order and the many losses will be felt hard. But the time for grieving comes later. Family first.
