Page 74 of Trivium

“You stopped it from killing you without your weapon, without any sort of attack, without anything,” he growled, his grip tightening, strangling her.

The palm of her hand hit his nose with a crunch, splattering her face with blood.

“Agh! You broke my nose!” he shouted, letting go of her and covering his nose with his hand. It did very little to stop the blood from pouring down his chin.

“Oops,” she said, deadpan. “My bad.” Fuck him.

“I will kill you, you spoiled noble bitch⁠—"

“She said she doesn’t know,” Ren said cooly. “Back off, Ahman. Let it go.” He pressed the tip of his dagger into Ahman’s sternum, stopping him from taking another step toward Loveleena, and Ahman’s dagger flew to Ren’s throat.

Ren cracked a chilling smile. “I’d love to see you try. Go on, big boy.”

“Watch how you speak to me, Elmerian,” Ahman said.

Lennox rolled his eyes and put an arm between them, his concern from moments ago vanished. “Alright, alright. I love a good Slayer fight as much as anyone but come on. We’re already behind on our mission. Let’s keep going.”

Annoyed, Ahman turned around and stalked forward to the front of the line. Loveleena watched as he cursed under his breath, complaining to Sasha and Professor Barrow.

Lennox turned to her, a lopsided grin spread on his face. “Slayers will be Slayers,” he said, tossing his dagger in the air and catching the handle in his palm. She watched as he sheathed it and turned to follow the rest of the group. Ren glared at her, before nodding for her to follow Lennox.

Everyone ventured forward in shock. The other students spoke in hushed voices, looking around the trees as if a creature would jump out at any second. Loveleena pulsed with adrenaline, and as much as she tried, she couldn’t stop her body from shaking.

To distract herself, she picked up her compass. She should have been using this thing from the moment they stepped into the forest. The wand moved forward and backward frantically, as if to signal that creatures were ahead of them and behind them. Loveleena shoved it back in her pocket. Not much good that would do if it couldn’t even settle on a direction.

When they finally returned to the castle, an excited buzz ran through the students. All eyes were on her as they gossiped and congratulated her for acing her first Soul Snatcher encounter. But all Loveleena could think about was how the creature spoke into her mind. And what it said:

I’m just here to check up on something—someone.

51

AHMINA

Ahmina watched the Slayer shadows in front of her wide-eyed. The Defenders in the group were clearly caught up in some sort of disagreement. They were too far ahead for her to hear why.

“Stay back.” Professor Kaplana’s voice was stern. “Something’s not right.”

“Looks like Slayer drama to me,” Artie said, unconvinced. “Oh! Do you think they’re going to take off their shirts and start wrestling?” He jumped up and down sending the group into a fit of laughter. Leave it to Artie to turn it into some sexy Slayer throwdown. That’s what she loved about him. He was a formidable opponent, a skilled fighter, and an even better Clever. And still, he could always put a smile on his friends’ faces with some sassy, sexy joke.

With the conflict resolved, they followed the Slayers’ path deeper into the forest. They walked for so long that Ahmina’s body ached. The arches of her feet protested the rough terrain, and she longed to reach down and rub the knots from them. Finally, after what felt like forever, they reached a river with rapid, crystal-blue water roaring and crashing against the shore. They traced it carefully until it split and slowed into a soft, steady rhythm. The Slayers collected along the edge, prowling, as her squad stood clustered in between them.

“Today you’ll be searching for traces of a well-known group of Blood Bears,” Kaplana said to the group.

“Why are they called Blood Bears?” Artie whispered, his face tight. Her friends had all come together to help her study, giving her pop questions whenever they could.

“Because their fur is the color of dried, stale blood,” Ahmina answered, grateful she could remember as much.

“Ability?”

Blood Bear. Travel in families and small groups. Giant in size with great strength and power. Magical ability: Physical. They can make all your organs spontaneously tear, shredding their opponent from the inside out.

“Internal tearing,” she said, prompting a nudge of approval from Artie.

The thought of the Bear’s magic alone made her adrenaline spike. She looked around and spotted Lennox in a deep discussion with Ren at the edge of the forest. She studied him, the way his biceps flexed slightly at the hem of his shirt while he gestured, a phoenix tattoo winding down his forearm.

The way the breeze ruffled the tuft of hair that always fell into his face.

His casual stance and steady shoulders.