Killer Magic Academy

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Mark and Kelly are gone," Nile said as she came back into the room.

"Who?" I asked.

"Mark was a mind reader and Kelly had ice powers. They were both really powerful 3s," Erin answered.

"How did you find that out?" Alyssa asked Nile.

"One of the 5s is sending me field reports through the fires."

"Can't Anthony pick stuff up through the fires?" Alyssa asked.

"I can block out Anthony," Nile replied.

"Just checking."

"Should we bring everyone in?" Griffin asked.

"And risk having one or more of them become a Searcher while they're in here?" Nile said. "Not a chance."

"It's better than giving the darkness guy enough fuel to break out," Tenya added.

"What if we kept the fuel away from him?" I asked.

"I'm listening," Erin said.

I began elaborating. "What if between the two of us, we kept the energy out of the arena."

"You're saying we take their energy before the other guy can?" Tessa asked.

"At least until you guys can come up with a plan."

"Ok, we'll consider it, but for now we need other idea," Nile said. "The only way to stop a shadow or darkness or whatever you want to call it is fire and light."

"That's why Anthony is so important," Ace said. "He's keeping fire and that away from the arena, since Alyssa killed the dragon."

"So I go to the arena, and burn it down. As long as the darkness guy hasn't gotten enough energy to escape and Anthony isn't in the way, I'm good."

"Yeah, nothing can go wrong there," I said.

"Any other ideas?" Alyssa asked. No one responded. "Great! So we've agreed on something. Who else is coming?" No one responded again.

"I'll come," I said.

"Absolutely not," Nile instructed. "Killing you would easily break the darkness out. Erin, you're not allowed to go either."

Erin didn't put up a fight.

"What about Tenya?" I asked. "Can't you slow down time enough for Alyssa to burn down the arena?"

Nile looked at Tenya. Tenya took a deep breath. "No, I can't."

"Why not?" I asked.

"I lost my powers."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"I was trying to help Nile with something and I froze time for too long."

"When did this happen?" Octavian asked.

"Earlier today."

"What were you doing?" Griffin asked.

Tenya shook her head. "I can't tell you."

"Obviously it was something important if you lost your powers over it," Tessa said.

"I can't tell you guys, ok? But yes, it was important. But we couldn't find it so it doesn't matter."

Erin spoke quietly. "Why are you trying to find it?"

"You know what they're talking about?" Griffin asked.

"You know it was destroyed. We watched it get destroyed."

"That was seven years ago," Nile said.

"And masks don't just grow back!" Erin shouted. "I don't want to be a part of that and I don't know why you keep trying to get it back!"

"It's one of our only chances to get an advantage," Nile said. "I was trying to help us!"

"And you ended up getting Tenya almost killed!"

"That wasn't Nile's fault," Tenya said.

"Hayden's mask is gone, and so is she!"

"But she met with someone, and that person might still be here or someone they sent after them!"

"Nile, shut up already! Just because you're the most powerful doesn't mean you own us! You don't know everything and you can't keep trying to get us to do what you want!" Erin yelled.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"There was a very powerful energy person who had this mask that she wore when she killed people. She was one of the worst Searchers ever and she left after she won the Showdowns, after she killed a guy and passed on her legacy to someone else," Griffin said.

"And Nile's trying to find the mask?"

Griffin nodded. "It had all of these super cool features that made it a super dangerous advantage."

"Legend has it the mask broke in the last round and that's why Hayden took it off," Ace said.

"Where were you looking for it?" Erin asked Nile.

"We were in the arena."

"YOU WERE IN THE ARENA THIS MORNING?" Erin shouted. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

"I made it out!" Nile said.

"Tenya, did you freeze time for too long because Nile didn't make it out in the time you told her?"

Tenya didn't answer.

"Tenya, I just need to know," Erin said.

"It wasn't her fault."

"Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself?" Erin said to Nile.

"I thought of you all when I was trying to get us out of here."

"But what about everyone else?" Octavian asked.

"You all were willing to leave too, don't pin that one on me."

The room was silent. "At least she trained Alyssa so she could survive the Showdowns."

"That was just so she would know for a fact that she wasn't the one in the prophecy," Tessa said. "We've been following you blindly for years, Nile. Give us a reason why we should still listen to you."

"And the fact you're the most powerful doesn't count," Griffin said.

"Look, guys. I'm sorry. I was just trying to help. That's all I've been trying to do."

I looked around the room. No one seemed convinced. I checked to see Alyssa's reaction, but then I noticed something.

"Alyssa's gone," I said.