Shadow Warrior: The Nightwatch Academy book 3

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Other books by Debbie Cassidy

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019, Debbie Cassidy

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Cover by Carol Marques

  One

  Harmon was back?

  I stared at Thomas, framed in the doorway to Brady’s recovery room. Had I heard him correctly?

  “Indie, Harmon is back,” Thomas repeated. His voice sounded odd, choked up.

  My pulse kicked into gear. My best friend was back? How had he gotten away from the fomorians? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was safe, and he was home.

  “Where is he?” I glanced over Thomas’s shoulder like a fool, because of course he wouldn’t be behind him.

  I checked myself and focused on the nightblood. He looked way too distraught for someone whose lover had returned from being presumed dead.

  Icy dread gripped the back of my neck. “Thomas … What’s wrong? Where’s Harmon?”

  His throat bobbed. “I saw the knights bring him in. They took him down to the basement level. They wouldn’t let me anywhere near him.” He tugged at his hair in agitation. “What are they doing? Why have they taken him to the basement?” His attention flew to the guys behind me—the second years who might know more than I did. “What’s down there?”

  “It’s not a basement,” Lloyd said. “It’s a dungeon.”

  A dungeon? “Why would they take Harmon to the dungeon?”

  “Security protocol,” Brady said hoarsely from his bed.

  “Ah, the dreaded protocol,” Carlo drawled. “Cavity checks, no doubt, make sure they didn’t smuggle any fomorians through the mist.”

  “Not funny, Hartwood,” Lloyd snapped.

  Carlo sighed. “Sorry. Still recovering from getting my ass handed to me by a supernatural virus and then being siphoned by a weaver.”

  Lloyd’s shoulders relaxed. “I guess that’s a valid excuse.”

  We were all recovering from the events of the last few days. The supernatural virus, Rage, had almost wiped out the knights, and if not for Kash’s siphoning ability and Joti’s magnify rune, we’d all be dead. Instead, the troop was alive—weakened but together.

  “Protocol for any possible fomorian contamination is a period in the dungeon,” Lloyd said. “That relates to any knight who spends time on the other side of the mist.”

  I frowned. “And how often has that happened?”

  Lloyd gave me half a shrug. “I have no idea. It’s just one of the protocols in the handbook you get when you graduate to second year. This is the first time I’ve seen it in action.”

  “I need to see him,” Thomas said softly.

  His eyes glittered. Shit, he was going to cry.

  I bridged the distance between us and pulled him into my arms, hugging him tight.

  “Can we do something?” I looked to Lloyd. “There has to be someone we can speak to. Just to get an update.”

  Damn, I wanted to see Harmon too, but this place was literally a fortress, and if the knights wanted an area to stay off-limits, then it stayed off-limits.

  Devon and Aidan exchanged glances, and an unspoken communication seemed to pass between them.

  “I’ll have a word with my uncle,” Devon said gruffly. “He’s responsible for any prisoners we take.”

  I gently released Thomas, who sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “Thank you.”

  But the word prisoners had alarm bells going off in my head. “Harmon isn’t a prisoner.”

  It was Brady who replied from his sickbed. “No, but he’s been gone for weeks. He could be compromised.” His voice was gruff from lack of use, but it still sent a pleasant shiver across the nape of my neck. “The knights will have to vet him before allowing him back on duty. Protocol.”

  My scalp prickled. “Vet him? What does that mean, exactly?”

  Beside me, Thomas had gone very still.

  “I don’t know,” Brady said softly.

  “Dungeons are off-limits to anyone but full-fledged knights,” Aidan said. “And even then, you need clearance. No one without clearance knows what goes on down there. Not for sure.”

  Annoyance made my tone tight. “But they’ve caught fomorians before? Do we have fomorians down there right now?”

  “Who knows?” Carlo replied. “But if they do, they probably wouldn’t last long. Their organs would be damaged from the mist, and there’s no coming back from that.”

  So, Harmon had been taken into the dungeons to be vetted, which could mean a whole host of things, but the only thing that came to mind was torture.

  “There’s nothing we can do,” Lloyd said. “If he’s clean, then we’ll know soon enough.”

  “And if he’s compromised?”

  Lloyd’s mouth turned down. “Henrich and the seasoned knights will decide what happens. They’ll decide what needs to be done to protect our cause.”

  He didn’t have to say anything more. The sadness in his ice-blue eyes told me all I needed to know. Harmon’s life was at stake, and there was nothing we could do about it. Not without compromising our cause to protect humanity and this mortal realm.

  There was a deep silence as we all absorbed these unspoken facts. A silence in which I pushed down my rage because it wouldn’t help right now. It wouldn’t get Harmon out of the dungeon because the truth was, it was highly unlikely he’d come back unscathed.

  I closed my eyes and took a slow, steadying breath.

  Thomas was the first to break it with a plea. “Please.” He looked to Devon. “Can you find out what’s going on? I know I can’t see him yet, but I need to know… I need to know he’s okay.” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “He has to be okay.”

  Devon nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  He left the room, and Thomas wiped his eyes. “I’ll go get changed. Just in case they let me see him.”

  Thomas followed Devon from the room, leaving me with Lloyd, Carlo, Aidan, and Brady.

  His optimism never failed to astound me. He’d believed all this time that Harmon would come back. Believed even when I’d begun to lose hope. The shitty friend award goes to Justice. How could I have given up on him like that? I should have had faith.

  I looked at the ground, at the grooves in the wooden floor, focusing on the intricate swirls until the stinging at the back of my eyes
ebbed.

  Only when the urge to cry abated did I look up. “This is wrong. It’s unfair. Harmon didn’t ask to be taken.”

  The impotence of the situation grated. The fact that we, as first and second years, weren’t important enough to be part of the decision of what happened to our friend was unfair. We’d fought alongside the knights against the virus, and it was my idea that had helped stop the damn thing. If not for us, the knights would have fallen. We deserved to know what would happen to our friend, and if Harmon was lost, if the fomorians had succeeded in somehow tainting my friend, then we should have a chance to fix it. Only when all avenues were exhausted should we have to say goodbye.

  “We need to focus on our duty,” Lloyd said wearily. “As hard as that is, we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture. The fomorians had the balls to take two of our own. They have networks beneath us. They’re getting bolder, and we need to push back. We need to recharge and get out there to protect the mist. The final trials are in six weeks. We need to be ready.”

  I threw my hands up. “Trials? Surely we’ve proven ourselves by now.”

  “Maybe …” Carlo said. “I overheard a couple of the knights talking earlier. Henrich is calling an assembly later today to address what happened. The knights seem to think he’ll be canceling the trials. The set-up requires too much time, and the shadow knights were saying they feel that we need to be focusing on patrols and the actual job.”

  “Well, that’s something,” Aidan agreed. “About time.”

  “It doesn’t mean that’s what Henrich will decide,” Lloyd reminded us.

  Carlo pulled himself out of his seat and slung one arm around Lloyd’s neck and the other around Aidan’s. “Either way, nothing we can do until we know for sure. So, how about we go forage for some food and leave Justice and Brady to play kissy-face?” He steered them both toward the door. “Be gentle with him, Justice.”

  He was diverting the conversation, and maybe that was for the best. We’d talk ourselves in circles otherwise.

  They left, closing the door behind them, and just like that, Brady and I were alone.

  “Breathe,” he said.

  I took his advice and sucked in a couple of calming breaths. Harmon was out of my reach right now. There was nothing I could do at this minute. God, I hated being powerless.

  “Better?” Brady asked.

  I lifted my gaze to his, and it hit me again how I’d almost lost him, and what a miracle it was that he was here. Alive. Looking at me. A lump formed in my throat.

  “Come here.” The command was a possessive growl that sent prickles of delight chasing over my skin.

  I rounded the bed and climbed up next to him. He wrapped an arm around me, tucked me into his side, and rested his chin on my head. His heartbeat was strong and steady, and his cedar scent surrounded me. He was safe. He was alive.

  “I thought I’d lost you.” My voice was thick with relief. And that L word, the one I hadn’t wanted to say, hovered on my lips. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

  He hugged me tighter. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, Indigo.”

  I fisted his T-shirt and raised myself on an elbow to look down into his face. His eyes darkened, and the stars came out to play. He was so fucking beautiful, it hurt my heart.

  “Brady?”

  His gaze fell to my lips. “Yeah?”

  “Can I sleep here with you tonight?”

  His throat bobbed. “I’d like that.”

  * * *

  Devon had come up blank on news of Harmon. His uncle had refused to discuss the issue and sent him packing. But as we filed into the assembly hall, I could only hope Henrich was about to give us some answers.

  “Where’s Thomas?” Carlo asked.

  I scanned the rows of cadets and spotted him up front. “He must have gotten here early.”

  Carlo looked worried. “How did he take Devon’s lack of news?”

  “Not good. He kind of shut down.”

  We took a spot at the back of the room near the main exit, and I caught sight of Aidan and Devon entering via a door to the far right of the room. There was no sign of Lloyd, but he could be here, just not in view. Vince was on the other side of the room. I’d barely seen the shadow knight since we’d been fast-tracked. I guess his role in our training was over for now.

  The room was narrow and long. It jutted off the side of the building like an after-thought. Its super-high ceiling and narrow windows too high up to peer from gave it both a cavernous and claustrophobic air. According to Carlo, it had once been a chapel but was now used for assemblies. I guess supernaturals had little use for God.

  “How’s Brady doing?” Carlo asked.

  “Good. He fell asleep a little while ago, but the healer thinks he should be good to leave in a couple of days.”

  “Weird how hard it hit him.” Carlo frowned. “Hyde too. He’s still up at the Academy, right?”

  The mention of Hyde’s name was like a thorn prodding my heart. “Yeah. Deana’s with him.” I cleared my throat. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  Carlo slung an arm over my shoulder and gave me a one-armed hug. “You’re okay, Justice. Trust me. He doesn’t deserve you.”

  Wait, what? I peered up at him. “You know?”

  He offered me a small smile. “You wear your heart on your sleeve, twinkle toes.”

  Well, damn.

  A murmur skittered over the gathered.

  “Big boss is here.” Carlo released me and stood up straighter.

  In fact, the whole room was standing to attention.

  Henrich appeared at the lectern at the front of the room. He stood, hands braced on the wood, head bowed as if in deep thought. As if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

  “Shadow knights and cadets,” he began. “We have been tested, and we have come out strong. The ancient virus that swept over this land has never been averted before, and yet we succeeded in destroying it. Your Shadow Master and his council traveled through the mist, and we sought the help we needed to stop this atrocity.”

  Carlo balked and looked down at me. “Say what?” he mouthed.

  The pulse at my throat began to beat faster. Henrich was fucking taking credit for stopping Rage. My throat was tight with indignation. How fucking dare he?

  Carlo laced his fingers through mine and squeezed. It was a warning. A don’t-make-a-scene squeeze, but what the fuck could I do? Henrich was the Shadow Master. I mean, who else knew the truth? My troop? Deana? Hyde? The latter two, the two with any sway, weren’t even here. As far as the knights knew, Henrich had gone into the mist, and then Rage had been destroyed.

  The weavers didn’t come to the fortress, and the knights didn’t go to the Academy. He’d probably gotten the knights that had been with him that day on his side. This was a lie that would stick. One that gave Henrich even more power, because who in the world would believe the word of a criminal cadet over a Shadow Master.

  Henrich was still talking. “With the weavers’ help, we were able to beat back the threat and survive, and now we must persevere in our duty. I’ve heard the whispers, the rumor that many of you believe that considering the many attacks on us, the graduation trial should be canceled. But I ask you this … Should we allow the fomorians to dictate our traditions? Should we lower our standards simply to make up our numbers? Or should we stand firm and be the protectors we were born to be?”

  There was a low rumble of agreement.

  Oh, he was good.

  “The trials will go ahead as planned, but we will hold them a week after the half-term break.”

  The assembly hall broke out into a cacophony of exclamations. He was bringing the trials ahead by a month.

  He held up his hands, and the room fell into silence. “This is not a decision we have taken lightly. The fomorian threat grows, and the sooner we welcome new knights into our ranks, the better.”

  His hard gaze swept over the crowd and snagged on me. No guilt, nothing. He stared at me
as if he had every right to his earlier words, and the ball of anger inside my stomach churned, wanting out.

  “Cadets, you will be tested. Only the strongest will survive. Be ready.”

  He made to step back from the lectern when a voice piped up.

  “What about Harmon?”

  Carlo sucked in a sharp breath.

  Oh, shit, I knew that voice.

  Thomas.

  Henrich ignored him and stepped down from the lectern.

  “Hey!” Thomas called out. “What about Harmon, the cadet that was taken. He came back. What will happen to him?”

  “The cadet is back?” a knight a row ahead of us said.

  “Harmon’s back?” another one asked.

  Henrich stepped back up to the lectern. His jaw was tight, his nostrils flaring with each breath as if he was trying to keep his cool.

  “Yes,” Henrich said. “The cadet that was taken by the fomorians has returned to us and is being vetted as we speak.”

  “And then what?” Thomas asked.

  “Crap,” Carlo cursed softly. “He needs to shut his mouth.”

  Henrich fixed his gaze on Thomas. “If he survives, he will return to duty.”

  There. It was out. The possibility of death.

  Thomas went very still. “You’re torturing him, aren’t you?”

  There was movement at the periphery of my vision. Knights headed toward Thomas.

  “You can’t do this!” Thomas stepped out of line and into the aisle. “I want to see him. I want to see Harmon!”

  And then two knights had flanked him, and he was being hauled backward, away from Henrich and toward the far exit.

  “Shit.” I tried to push past Carlo to follow Thomas, but Carlo gripped my arm and tugged me back.