Chapter 2

Darren

"Darren!" Bianca called as she ran across the quad as fast as she could. "We have trouble on the north side!"

Darren turned and headed across the quad to meet his friend and Knight. Once he passed her, Bianca turned and started running at her flank.

It had been six months since this whole thing had started all over again. Maddie had been told who she was and what was going on. He had been surprised when she had stepped into her role with such vigor and a new outlook on life. She didn't allow anything to sway her, including him.

It wasn't a secret that he had feelings for her, but he couldn't decipher if they were for who she had been or the young woman she was now. That had been the problem. He had said they were dating but it hadn't been what she thought. She had put a stop to him claiming they were together when she told him she wasn't his girlfriend. It had stung but she needed to make the decision on her own.

He hadn't been around when she had been attacked and that made him sick. Casey was trying her hardest to make sure this cycle was as bad as the last ones had been. Drew, Darren's best, had whisked Maddie away when things got too tough. He had left Darren in charge of the campus.

Two months ago Casey had somehow managed to take over the campus. Shades were now attacking the normal students. It was getting out of control and there were really only four of them there. The other three Knights had gone with Maddie. It was really rough because they were in charge of the entire school. That was how Casey had taken over the campus.

When he was close enough, Darren let his dagger fly. Out of all of them, he didn't have a sword to call his own. When he found out who he was, he set about finding where his sword was. He had no idea where it was or who owned it. He had an idea but he wasn't going to demand it. Drew hadn't told him who possessed it and that annoyed him.

"How many?" he asked as they jumped into battle instantly. He saw a flash that could only be Bianca's silver whip.

The girl lashed out with said whip, wrapping it around a Shade's neck and yanking. She plunged her sword into its heart and watched it dissolve. "Casey's brought out about a hundred more since last month. We need more Knights. We can't handle this on our own. There are too many of them."

"We have to try. I will not let this place fall to Casey." He got within two feet and decapitated the Shade, listening as it screamed in anguish and pain.

Bianca looked at him, black goo smeared across her normally pristine face. "Darren, we need to find the others."

He shook his head. "We won't be able to bind them without Maddie."

"We shouldn't have to. If they know they're Knights like we did then it shouldn't be a problem. I think we should talk to Mr. Yeats' younger brother. He's a sophomore here. There could be a high possibility he is a Knight as well." She grabbed him when he refused to look at her. "We need help. Simon can only do so much. We've missed enough classes. If we miss anymore we might have to repeat a year."

Darren pulled out of her grip and turned, heading for the administration building. Finding all the Knights was Maddie's job. She had the pendant and she knew the words to say. She would know the names of the Knights. It was his responsibility to make sure they got all their training so they could fight against Casey.

Sheathing his dagger under his shirt, he walked in the administration building and went straight up the stairs. Simon's office was on the second floor at the end of the hall on the left. Simon was the headmaster of Union Academy and he was also a Knight, Sir Galahad to be precise. He had signed off on Drew taking Maddie back to Dallas, something that he was still mad at him about.

He knocked on the door once then walked in. Another teacher was standing there, Mr. Rawlings he thought, but Darren didn't care. He walked to the left corner of the room and leaned against the wall, waiting patiently even though his patience was worn thin. He was tired but he wasn't going to show that to anyone who didn't know him.

"Next time that happens, make sure you send him to me. I will come up with a punishment suitable for a boy his age," Simon said.

"Thank you, Headmaster," the teacher said. He nodded towards Darren as he walked out the office.

Simon turned to his computer and typed. "What do you want, Darren?"

"You need to bring Maddie back now," he said. He didn't move from the spot he had chosen to rest against. Truth was he couldn't move if he wanted to.

"She can't come back, Darren. Drew knows that."

"Who gives a damn what Drew thinks. It's his fault in the first place for allowing all of this to go down the way it did. If he had just told everyone what he was planning, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Drew had his reasons."

The young man lost his temper. "It's always about Drew. Can't you see we have to…?"

Simon turned sharply before the sentence was even finished. "Don't you tell me what we have to do. I know better than you do what's going on. I've known who I was longer than you have and I can see what's going on in Maddie's mind a hell of a lot better than you can. She's a teenage girl who has to find her own path before you can force anything on her, and trust me. That's what you're doing."

Darren stepped off the wall. "She doesn't know who she is."

"She knows who she is but she's trying to figure out how to cope with all this and you're not making it any easier. Just let her stay in Dallas so she can figure out the next move without your interference."

The reincarnation of King Arthur stared down at this subordinate. Well, semi subordinate considering the man was the headmaster of the school. It was hard to know he was supposed to be in control but the fact that his best friend and the woman he was supposed to protect were in a different state really stuck in his craw.

"We need help. We can't stop all the Shades by ourselves. Every time we take out ten, Casey sends in twenty more to take their place. We have to close the focal point before something hurts the Lady of the Lake." Simon shook his head. "What do you mean no?"

"The Lady of the Lake moved once Maddie was taken away. She's with Merlin at the moment." He turned around when the boy didn't answer. "Don't give me that look, Darren. The Lady of the Lake is a friend of Merlin's. It's only natural she'll move when he does."

"Do we know who she is?"

Simon sighed. "No, we don't. Even that was kept from me, as well as the whereabouts of Excalibur."

"Damn Drew and his secrets. He didn't tell anyone about the Lady of the Lake or Excalibur."

"Darren, Drew's secrets are the only thing that kept us alive all this time. You can't deny that. As for the other Knights, talk to Matt Yeats and Carlos Rodriguez. They'll give you your answers. The others on campus aren't ready yet because they are young, but if they see Matt and Carlos fighting with you, they will join."

He watched the thought pass over his face. "Darren, they have to know you have their best interest at heart otherwise it won't work. They won't trust you."

Darren nodded. "I need my dagger sharpened."

Simon sighed once again. "Take it to the shop. Mr. Wright will sharpen it for you."

The senior walked out of the office then the building. Bruce stopped him as soon as he hit the bottom of the stairs. The other guy searched his face for something that would give away what his leader was thinking. When he found nothing, he rocked back on his heels.

"So far the Shades haven't multiplied but I'm not holding my breath that they will stay down for long. We need to close the focal point," he said.

When Drew wasn't around, Bruce was always the voice of reason. Calm to the point of wanting to knock his head in, he was good in a tight spot. And they'd been tight spots the last five months.

"I'm not sure how we can. I think the only one who can is Drew but if you haven't noticed, he's not here," Darren replied hotly.

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "Don't take your anger out on me. I stayed here because I was ordered to do so. I would much rather be with Maddie and Drew figuring out how to stop Casey. If you want to get your head out of your ass and help, that would be much appreciated. Bianca's gone to the freshman dorm to talk to Matt Yeats and his roommate Carlos. She said she'll see you at dinner."

Darren watched one of his allies walk away from him. The thought that if he didn't pay attention to what was going on around him instead of inside him he was going to lose everyone. Groaning, he walked across campus to the stables where there was a forge for horses' hooves to be made or repaired.