Aldwyn's Academy by Nathan Meyer

up and difficult. But a princess?”
    “Someone wants her for her
blood,”
Dorian said. “I didn’t understand everything the banshee said but it sounded bad.”
    “Blood? Like in death magic? Necromancy?” Caleb sputtered. “Wait … banshee? You spoke with a ghost in there?” His eyes spread wide in surprise. “We’ve got to tell Lowadar!”
    From behind him Dorian heard the shrill cry.
    The scream was sharp but short, abruptly cut off and unmistakably female in origin.
    Helene, Dorian thought with grim certitude. He was moving then, spinning and running once again before his mind made any conscious decision.
    “That’s her!” Dorian hissed over his shoulder. “We’ve got to help her or everyone is doomed. The banshee said so!”
    “Banshees are evil!” Caleb protested in confusion.
    “This one wasn’t. Trust me! Come on!”
    Caleb followed him, instinctively accepting the other boy’s lead. Just steps in front of him, Dorian thought he saw a flash of light among the rocks and stony string of hills set just beyond the huge Reflection Pool.
    A spell? He didn’t know.
    He thought of Helene telling him that the school dragon, Old Whiskers, made his home among those hills and boulders, and he wondered where the creature was now.
    Caleb put a heavy hand on his shoulder and slowed Dorian down. The half-orc fought to regain his breath, and Dorian forced himself to wait despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to get moving, to run.
    “Wait,” Caleb said. “I agree. Things look very bad right now. Helene seems to be in trouble, but
think,”
he urged. “A banshee of all things told you that you had to help Helene? How do you know she’s not workingfor Helene? Maybe this is some kind of trap? Or maybe Helene is in trouble, but maybe she’s in trouble because she got into something she shouldn’t.”
    “That thing back in the maze was scared,” Dorian repeated. “She said that whatever wanted Helene wants everyone here dead. I don’t know how Helene got into this situation and I don’t really care anymore. All I know is that wherever Helene is going, she’s headed straight into a trap that will destroy us all. We have to find her and stop it. I told you.”
    Caleb suddenly stiffened and turned his head. “Something’s behind us!” He shoved Dorian forward. “Run!”
    Even over the pounding of his footsteps, Dorian caught the sound of branches snapping behind him. Realizing they obviously didn’t belong to Caleb, he turned to look over his shoulder, and he tripped over his feet.
    He went down hard, grunted at the impact, and lost his wand. He uttered a word he’d heard his father use.
    Scrambling to his hands and knees with Caleb’s help he reached for the metal baton of his wand. He found it just as he caught the motion of shadows out of the corner of his eye.
    Something was coming out of the dark for them.
    Something big.

Chapter 19
    D orian pushed himself up and raced forward.
    Caleb brushed against his shoulders as the pair lurched ahead. The wooded groves and snow-covered lawns of the Alchemical Gardens gave way to broken rock as the two boys entered the little area of low hills and short, steep cliffs.
    Creatures were following behind Dorian now. He had no doubt. He and Caleb were no longer racing to help Helene as much as fleeing murderous hunters.
    Above him clouds choked the light from the moon.
    He looked up.
    The sky was dark and roiling from winds well above the surface of the earth. Out beyond Aldwyns, above the dark forest, lightning forked out. A second later the thunder pealed so close it hurt Dorian’s ears.
    He rounded a cluster of jagged boulders the size of horses and found a winding path.
    Abruptly a great, dark gash opened up before him in the ground, and he stopped short, arms windmilling as he fought to keep his balance. Coming up behind him, Caleb grasped Dorian hard by the arm, keeping him upright.
    Before the boys, a narrow ravine cut through the hills in