Free Spearwood Academy Volume Eight (The Spearwood Academy Series Book 8) by A.S. Oren Page B

afraid to hurt me, but I can fight dirty too, Lusk. Remember that for the next time." I unhook my talons from his skin and let my hand travel down over his shirt to the top of his pants. If I weren’t doing this to get out of this situation, I would be furiously blushing right now. He arches a pointed eyebrow at me and his Adam's apple bobs in his throat. My hand ghosts over the crotch of his pants. Dear Sun god, I hope this works. His grip on my arm lessens ever so slightly, but it's just enough for me unlatch his claws from my arm and twist myself in his arms. I use his own weight to propel him over my back and toss him to the ground a few feet in front of me
    He gets to his feet in a second and rushes me. I dodge him and throw a fire tornado at his back. He spins just in time to catch it with his hand and take the fire into his body. He places his hands on the ground, it rumbles as the ground cracks and magma bubbles the surface, filling the air with the acrid scent of sulfur and catches the ground on fire. I transform my wings and fly into air, just as lava spurts out where I stood. He's more advanced than I thought he was with fire magic.
    I'm going to have to fight him with something else. Fire against fire isn't going to work, and I only have a tiny bit of training in air magic. I glance at Bullock, he stands off to the side, leaning against the Cabin. He isn't going to attack me too? This would be the perfect time to do it. 'Use air magic against him, ' he says in my mind.
    'You don't want to fight me too?'
    'One of us needs to go with you there. They're being morons, as usual.'
    I dodge another lava geyser and pull the flames from the ground into me. We don't need the forest engulfed in flames. 'I don't know enough.'
    'You don't need to know, use your instinct; you're more powerful than you give yourself credit for, Avalon. You just used metal magic on Mathis. Focus and the air will do your bidding.'
    I look to Lusk. He's shifted his wings now too and forms a fireball in his hands. If he hits me with that, it will knock me out. I need to think. I mimic him, but instead of forming a fireball, I focus on the air forming it for me. A mass of grey starts to swirl between my hands.
    'You're doing good, focus on making the air tighter, more compressed.'
    I can't believe I'm doing it. Blood rushes inside my head again, making a vein in my forehead throb, but I ignore it. I release the air ball at him, just as the fireball comes at me. They collide in the air, cancelling each other out and blasting apart. My ears ring.
    Lusk stares at me with wide eyes. I rush at him, hitting his chest with all the force of my weight. We fall out of the air. This is reminiscent of my first day at Spearwood. I straddle his hips as we hit the ground. He groans as all the air leaves him. I wouldn't doubt he just broken a rib or two. "I'm sorry; I'll be back for you two after I get my brother." I place my hand on his forehead. "Sleep."
    He tries to fight it, his eyes roll in his head, and he flops his arms around. My hand moves to his cheek, resting against the partial scars that still mar the lower half of his face. "I said sleep, Lusk." His body stills, as his eyes close. I let out a sigh of relief. I don't think I would have been able to do that a third time. My own head spins, my hearing drowned out by the rushing blood. Why does using different magic wipe me out so bad?
    I crawl off his body and struggle to get to my feet.
    Two strong arms pull me up and I brace myself against Bullock. "You did well," he says. 
    "Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without your help." I ready myself. He said he would go with me, but how do I know he wasn't bluffing?
    He turns to me and places a hand on my shoulder; I grab his arm, ready to throw him if he tries anything. My vision goes white as my skin meets his.
    I stand in the dark tunnels of the Outcasts. The only source of light comes from oil lanterns. Two small boys sit across from each other, both