Chapter 18

18

The bureau officers were not done with me. Not by a long shot. They let me go with an order to stay close (or face the consequences) and a promise they would see me again soon.

I believed them on both counts.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked Juno as we squared off in her office. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Don’t be silly, Tavi. I’m absolutely fine. I heal fast.”

Her face was a bloodless mask and even to me she looked small and tired, her eyes dark. If she were human then what she’d gone through might have warranted a longer stay in the hospital. Although she never got into the details of her wounds, I knew they were bad. The creature had thrown her around and knocked a few things loose.

Luckily, like me, she knitted back together quickly.

I shook my head, remembering the way the shifter loomed over me while I was on my back. Definitely bigger than a bear in his halfling warrior form. One of these days, if I could muster up the courage, I’d talk to Onyx about the form. And how one shifted into it.

My gaze fixed on Juno. “I’m glad you heal fast, but I have something to ask you.” I let my hands hang limp at my sides, unwilling to engage yet, unwilling to do anything except try to stifle the sick feeling in my gut.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“I was pulled from school by cops today.” I’d missed my first two classes thanks to their interrogation. My teachers were not happy with me. “They didn’t look like cops, of course. They said they were investigators from the Faerie Bureau of Investigation or something like that. They took me to a building downtown and they really seem to think I had something to do with the attack on you. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” I asked. “I’ve never heard of this bureau before.”

Twin butterflies held Juno’s hair in place at the sides. One of them fluttered its wings and she didn’t bat an eye at the motion, holding up her hand to stop me. “Hold on, wait a minute. Who pulled you out of school? You really don’t need to be missing classes.”

Tell me about it. “Missing classes isn’t the point. The point is that we tried hard to keep all evidence of our presence away from the scene and somehow the bureau still knew I was there. They said someone gave them an eyewitness account of a girl with my coloring and build. So someone had to have told them about me.” I worked hard to keep the suspicion out of my voice. “You promised me you wouldn’t say anything.”

Facing Juno today, I wanted to rip into her the way I did with the shifter when I’d saved her ass. She’d given me her word. Made a promise. Did it mean nothing? My old pack mates would say never trust faeries. They were all liars and tricksters, intent on turning your life into hell for their personal enjoyment.

Being half Fae, I’d never agreed with them. And now I hoped the words were wrong.

Juno swallowed and my heart sank. Damn Fae. They made a promise and broke it in seconds. And stupid me, I’d trusted her, I’d gotten involved.

“Tavi, I’m sorry,” she said. “Things are different here for pure-bloods.”

“You don’t get to say that to me.” I bit my lower lip to keep it from quivering.

“It isn’t an excuse. I’m simply saying it’s impossible for pure-bloods to get away with anything under Tywin’s watch. Not an excuse,” she insisted again. Then sighed, moving around the desk to place her hands on my shoulders, unsurprised when I jerked away. “No matter how we tried to hide what happened, they knew. His guards knew when they came to question me. They came for me and I had to tell them the truth. At least, shades of the truth.”

“You threw me under the bus,” I insisted. Wiping at suddenly burning eyes.

She reached for me again, her hands dropping to her sides seconds before they touched mine. “I swear to you, Tavi, I didn’t tell them. I never said anything about you and your friend being involved. In fact, I told them nothing about you except in general. I said there was a man in the shape of a wolf creature, much larger than me, larger than anyone. I mentioned I was woozy, my head light, and a girl with your description helped me to the hospital. I’m not sure why they think you would have had anything to do with the attack.”

Why wouldn’t they? I was still suspect number one for Madam Muerte’s death.

I closed my eyes for a long moment. “How did they find out it was me?” I asked finally.

“I’m not sure how. But they always do. They always do, honey, but I kept your secret, I swear. They don’t know about your blood status, any more than anyone else knows about you.”

I saw the looming shape of the halfling shifter in my mind again. Saw those teeth, and his mouth gaping wide. That’s who I was, too, underneath the human shape I wore here. Had I really expected Juno to have my back after what he did to terrorize and hurt her?

“Well, they might figure it out after today. They grilled me for hours. I missed classes. I missed everything.” I took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry.” Juno closed the distance between us and drew me forward into a hug. It felt odd, strange, and awkward, but I didn’t resist.

At last, I released the tension I held. I wanted to trust her, I really did, because the alternative meant I needed to watch my back with literally everyone in my life. I thought I could let my guard down at least a little with Juno.

I supposed we’d see going forward. I’d have to make sure I didn’t step a toe out of line around her. Slowly my arms moved around her and I squeezed my eyes shut.

“It doesn’t seem to matter what I do,” I said against her hair. “I always get into trouble. It finds me.”

“It certainly seems to.”

The more I thought about it, the more I believed Juno hadn’t sold me out to the bureau. The king still harbored suspicions about me. If she’d mentioned a girl of any description, no doubt he still would have found a way to pin it on me, or at least make my life very uncomfortable. No matter what he said, he didn’t want me to succeed, he didn’t want me here. I knew it in my bones.

“Now.” Juno released me. “We’re going to keep things short today.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because the commencement ceremony for the Trials kicks off at sixteen bells and we need you strong. Although I know your strength is not going to be an issue.”

Holy crap, the Trials were tonight! I’d actually forgotten. I dropped my hands to my sides and Juno chose that moment to send a blast of tornado-strength wind at me. It knocked me on my ass, sending me skidding along the floor until I hit the wall. Blinking.

“What did you do that for?” I finally managed.

She shot me a small, hard smile. “To remind you to always be on your toes, Tavi. Because the Trials aren’t going to go easy on you, and neither will I. Now stand up and let’s get to work.”

* * *

Fanfare kicked off the start of the Trials, with a large gathering held in the amphitheater where the labyrinthine maze from the Spring Games had been held. I remembered the space then with hedges and monsters in place for Elite Academy students to fight their way through.

Tonight, the stands were filled with people, the screaming, stomping masses of Fae and elves and pixies who enjoyed nothing more than to watch a bloodthirsty fight to the death. Especially when it involved young adults.

I even saw a few harpies in the stands, with their wings flattened against their backs and their claws gleaming in the evening light. As though they were anticipating the bloodshed, eager to see how the students tore each other apart.

Climbing toward the top rows of the stadium where Melia and Bronwen waited for me, I’d never felt more lost in my life. I’d always felt in control, planning my next steps carefully because I had to be cautious to protect my secrets. Now I’d finally gotten to one of my end goals: I’d made it to Faerie. And I hated it here.

“There you are!” Melia called out when I came into view. She stood up, waving her arms to get my attention. “What took you so long? I thought you said you were on your way.”

“Sorry, I ran a little late talking to Juno,” I told her, scooting in toward the seat she’d saved for me. “Took me longer than I thought to break away.”

“You’re fine, girl, you’re fine. Although we had a hell of a time keeping this space for you. There were a ton of people looking for a last-minute seat and I had to get a little nasty with some of them.” Melia flexed a muscle looking little bigger than a twig. “Show them who is boss.”

Bronwen nodded emphatically, her brown hair in twin braids on either side of her face. “Everyone came out tonight to see the show! It’s sure to be good.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” My stomach dropped to somewhere around the bottom row and didn’t come back.

It seemed like everyone from town and maybe some of the neighboring cities had turned out for the kickoff of the Trials. It pleased me to see Bronwen and Melia getting along. I’d introduced the two of them several months ago, hoping the three of us would be able to hang out. It seemed like a silver lining.

Tonight, the air above the amphitheater had been magicked to keep the cold at bay and most everyone wore clothes more appropriate for summer. Melia had on a pair of jeans and a tank top while Bronwen looked like she was heading to the beach with shorts and sandals. I’d grabbed whatever was handy on my way out the door, packing it into a bag and changing after meeting with Juno.

It was hard to hear above the roar of the crowd. Especially when King Tywin stepped out from between a pair of stone pillars. He raised an arm for silence to address the stands. A large golden crown sat on top of his head, with precious gemstones gleaming in it. He wore a robe to match in a striking yellow color with white fur trim around the top and sides. It trailed behind him as he strode toward the center of the stage.

As a royal, Mike had to be up on the stage with the rest of his family. He and his mother stood behind King Tywin at a proper distance, their matching blond heads bowed as he prepared to speak.

I sure did miss Mike.

When I glanced over at Bronwen and Melia, their gazes were glued to the stage and the king, unable to look away.

A wave of power pulsed outward and at once the quiet became suffocating. Any move made me uncomfortable, my clothes itchy against my skin. It felt like Tywin had his eyes on me and only me. He’d somehow found me in the stands.

True or not, I felt the pressure of his attention.

King Tywin addressed the crowd with his arms thrown wide and a smile on his face. I held my breath waiting to hear what he would have to say. Wondering if I would like or hate the words ready to pour out of his mouth.

“Welcome, citizens of Eahsea, to the Elite Trials!” the king’s voice boomed out, and from the shadows I could make out the hazy outlines of the council waiting in the wings behind him.

The king was not a small man, nor was he a Viking, but with his elaborate crown reaching toward the heavens and his regal robe, he looked like a god tonight. He looked untouchable and all-powerful.

I kept my hands in my lap to keep from fidgeting. Everyone seemed so excited. So ready for this to take place. Were none of them anxious? Nervous about what could happen to people they knew, children and brothers and sisters?

The king continued. “It is my great privilege to welcome you to the first official night of the Elite Trials. The students at the Elite Academy have been graced with magic above and beyond normal. Through these trials, their abilities will be honed, their ingenuity tested, and their true courage revealed.” He stopped. Paused for effect and measured the temperament of the crowd. “Not only will they prove themselves to be productive members of our world, they will show their mettle and build character.”

I blinked, wondering how bad it would be to start laughing in front of everyone. When would the king get to the part about dying? About the young Fae in the past who’d lost their lives because of these ridiculous tests? Probably never, because no one wanted to talk about what would happen if you weren’t strong enough or fast enough or brave enough.

“This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community. A chance for our youth to prove themselves, to see how well they measure up to our Seven High Values: Balance, Bravery, Cleverness, Creativity, Fairness, Justice, Respect. These Trials are not for the faint of heart. Some may be hurt.”

Wow. He’d come closer to the topic of dying than I’d thought he would.

Tywin clasped his hands together in front of his chest and continued as though he hadn’t just casually swept “death” under the rug of “hurt.” “We follow in a long line of tradition. The students attending the academy know the risks they are taking in their eagerness to prove themselves. We look forward to watching their progress and know they will make us proud.”

Give me a break. I thought the king was full of crap. So full of crap his eyes should have been brown instead of blue. The scary thing? The crowd totally agreed with him. They clapped and cheered and stomped their feet right on cue in every place he expected a reaction.

Even scarier was when I glanced at Bronwen and Melia to find them staring at the king, and not with the twin expressions of horror I thought I’d see on their faces. Instead, they were caught up in it, intrigued. They were watching, listening, as if what King Tywin had to say would make a difference in the sun rising in the morning. They actively wanted to hear what he had to say.

I crossed my arms over my chest. Something inside of me hardened as I turned back to the stage to pretend to listen to the rest of the speech. My attention zeroed in on the king’s final proclamation to let the trials begin.

A zip of fire streaked across the stage behind him, followed by a second. Then a third, magic sent out from the council and guards. The tendrils wound their way into the air and exploded overhead in a display of showering fireworks. The mortal realm should be jealous of fae fireworks, I decided on the spot, tilting my face skyward to watch the exhibition.

The colors alone were all shades of the spectrum and some I couldn’t put a name to. They curled through clouds, sparks showering down on the earth and the awed crowd.

Faerie magic. There was nothing like it in the mortal world. We watched the swirling colors, the sparks, and the flames, changing direction and shape in the air as if they had minds of their own.

“Wow,” Bronwen murmured.

I flashed her a small smile. Sure, wow. She was excited for the show, while I focused on what it meant. The start to the Trials. I was forced to participate. She was not.

“Look!”

The lone voice cut over the hushed coos of the crowd and it didn’t take long for me to see why.

Sparks had somehow gathered and now rained down on a tree near the raised royal dais, alighting the tinder-dry leaves so that the trunk, the limbs, everything burst into flame. It shouldn’t have happened. Had never happened before, I knew without anyone telling me.

The gasps from the crowd quickly turned into screams as officials and guards surrounding the royal family rushed forward with their hands in the air, sending waves of magic toward the flames.

“Oh shit!” Melia burst out.

“Well,” I said as I turned toward Melia and Bronwen, “that can’t be a good omen.”