I hardly need to do anything before stasis tokens have flared, immobilizing every last attacker. It’s all over in a matter of seconds, and we’re all still on our feet. Every last attacker is shrouded in blue and laying in the mist.

"Everyone okay?" I ask between ragged breaths. It can't have been more than half an hour since we were teleported here, and I already feel as though I've run a marathon.

"They're slaughtering anyone they catch," Beck says, his usual lighthearted demeanor replaced by grim determination. "Activating stasis tokens then killing people while they're defenseless."

Mireen nods. "We saw Serena's group shortly after we arrived. They triggered stasis, then pulled the tokens from their victims and cut their throats. They're executing people."

“I know. I saw Corpus kill someone already. I was hoping the others didn’t know… but I suspected they did.”

"Someone clearly put them up to it," Ambrose says. "And they were given every possible advantage. Malakai's people knew exactly where they'd be transported. They were ready, and they came in with their groups while the rest of us were scattered and disoriented."

"Someone wanted this to be a bloodbath, but they wanted to make sure they got to pick which side survived it," I say, lips twisting in disgust.

Through our tether, I can feel Raith growing closer. His determination pulses through our connection, along with flashes of what he's seen—bodies lying where they fell, students hunting students, blood soaking into the forest floor.

A warning cry from Akaron makes us all tense. Ambrose's eyes widen as he interprets his elemental's message. "Someone's coming."

We form a defensive circle, weapons ready. I can hear them now—footsteps approaching rapidly from multiple directions.

"Get ready," Mireen whispers, water gathering at her fingertips.

But through our tether, I feel a surge of relief from Raith—not fear or preparation for battle. He's close. Very close.

The trees part and figures emerge from the mist—fires, at least ten of them, their elementals blazing like beacons in the morning light. There are a few earths, airs, and waters, too. At their center, I see Raith, his eyes immediately finding mine across the clearing.

"Nessa," he breathes, eyes reflecting the slowly rising sun staining the sky a deep, bloody red. Above, clouds are thickening, too, growing darker as the air fills with the unmistakable scent of an approaching storm.

The fires spread out in a protective formation around us, their elementals making a perimeter that pulses with heat. I recognize Cade among them, his slight frame half-hidden behind two larger students. The other students fill in, eyes wary as they scan the distant trees.

"Raith's gathered an army," Ambrose murmurs, adjusting his glasses as he takes in the newcomers. "Impressive."

Raith strides toward me, radiating purpose. I feel his relief at finding me unharmed warring with the horror of what he's witnessed in the forest.

"Malakai's people—" I begin.