Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5)(11)
Author: Jennifer Estep

Jason raised his blade for another strike, and I lurched to the side –

A pencil zipped through the air and embedded itself in Jason’s shoulder, causing him to arch back and scream with pain. It was quickly followed by two more pencils, a roll of tape, and a metal stapler that beaned him in the side of the head with a loud, satisfying thwack.

I looked past the Reaper. Oliver stood behind the checkout counter, his green eyes narrowed, already reaching for one of the computer keyboards. Spartans had the freaky ability to pick up any weapon – or any object – and automatically know how to kill someone with it. In Oliver’s hands, that keyboard could be as deadly as a battle-ax.

But the Spartan wasn’t the only one on my side now.

My fight with Jason had stunned the other students, but their surprise had quickly worn off. Chairs scraped back, shouts rose up, and the other kids started digging into their bags, drawing out the swords, staffs, and spears that were their weapons of choice. Oliver yanked the keyboard off the counter and headed toward the Reaper. Jason’s eyes flicked from one kid to another, and he realized he was going to be seriously outnumbered in another minute.

"This isn’t over, Gypsy!" Jason hissed again.

Then, he turned and ran toward the back of the library.

For a second, I froze, surprised that he wasn’t going to stand and fight, but then I bolted into action, running after him. Jason had headed toward the right side of the library, away from Oliver, who was rushing toward him from the left, the keyboard still clutched in his hand.

"I’ve got him!" I yelled. "You circle around! We have to cut him off before he reaches one of the side doors and gets outside!"

Oliver nodded, turned, and raced in that direction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nickamedes standing behind the checkout counter holding his bottle of water – the water that had been poisoned along with mine. I immediately veered in that direction.

"Stop!" I yelled. "Don’t drink that!"

"Gwendolyn?" Nickamedes said, his brow furrowing as he stared at the chaos in and around the study tables. "What’s going on? What are you doing? Why are all the students drawing their weapons instead of studying?"

I slapped the water bottle out of the librarian’s hand. "Don’t drink that!"

Nickamedes looked at me like I’d lost my mind, but I was already moving past him, reaching down, grabbing Vic, and pulling the weapon free from his scabbard. The sword’s eye snapped open, and he fixed his purplish gaze on me.

"Reaper?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

"Uh-huh."

I felt the sword’s mouth curve into a smile against the palm of my hand.

"Fuzzball!" Vic barked. "Time to fight!"

Nyx scrambled up out of her basket and let out a fierce growl, like a soldier obeying her general’s orders.

"Gwendolyn?" Nickamedes asked again, his blue eyes going back and forth between the three of us.

"Reaper! Poison! Chase!" That was all I managed to get out before I rounded the counter, headed toward the back of the library, and started to run again.

Those moments at the checkout counter had cost me, and I didn’t see Oliver or Jason as I darted into the back half of the building. The lights were turned down low on this side of the library, making the shadows seem that much darker and even more sinister than usual. But instead of charging blindly down the aisles, I slowed, eased up beside a bookcase, and peered around it.

Nothing – I saw and heard nothing.

Rows of books stretched out as far as I could see before the shadows swallowed them up at the far end of the aisle. A few glass artifact cases squatted here and there in front of the shelves, the metal and jewels inside gleaming like dull stars. I drew in several long, slow breaths, trying to calm my racing heart, and straining to hear any footsteps, any rustles of clothing, or any other whispers of movement that would tell me where Jason was.

Nothing – once again, I saw and heard nothing.

Well, if Jason wasn’t going to come to me, I’d have to find him instead. So I tightened my grip on Vic and eased down the aisle, looking in front of and behind me, and peering left and right through the rows of books on either side. Nyx trotted along behind me like a pup-sized sentry. The Fenrir wolf was quiet, although her toenails softly scraped against the floor. I thought about calling out to Oliver, but I didn’t want to give away my position to Jason –

I started to move over to the study tables on this side of the library when Nyx let out a fierce growl and a sword zoomed out of the darkness. I jumped to my left, and the blade bounced off the side of one of the bookcases, throwing red sparks everywhere.

I whirled around. Jason was behind me. Jeans, sweater, nice features. He looked the same as before with one notable difference – his eyes were glowing red. A bright, fiery, intense red that told me exactly how much he hated me – and just how much he wanted to kill me.

He let out a wild battle cry and raised his weapon for another strike.

Clash-clash-clang!

Back and forth, we fought through the study tables. Nyx danced all around us, trying to get into the battle, but Jason and I were moving too fast for that. He cursed every time I blocked one of his attacks, but I didn’t bother responding to him.

All I wanted to do right now was kill him.

"Gwen!" Oliver’s voice drifted out of the stacks to me.

"Over here!" I yelled back.

Jason lashed out with his sword, causing me to jump back. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the same thing I did – Oliver running out of the stacks, still clutching that keyboard.

Jason lunged forward. The attack caught me by surprise, and I stumbled back a few more steps. My hip hit the side of one of the study tables, and I growled with pain. I raised Vic, expecting Jason to try to end me while my defenses were down, but, instead, he turned and ran again. I started after him, but my legs got tangled up in a chair, and it took me a few precious seconds to free myself, even though I knew any delay on my part would let him escape.

But I’d forgotten I wasn’t the only one fighting the Reaper – Nyx was too.

I don’t know how she did it, since she was actually behind me, but the Fenrir wolf pup sank down on her haunches and sprang through the air, leaping farther than I’d ever seen her go before – and landing on the back of one of Jason’s legs.

Nyx let out another growl and sank her needle-sharp baby teeth into his calf. Jason yelped in pain and staggered forward, his leg almost buckling beneath him. Nyx drew back and bit him again. Jason managed to shake her off, sending the wolf pup sliding across the floor, but he was limping as he headed toward one of the side doors, shoved it open, and staggered out.