12. Raven

RAVEN

Groups gather outside in the open field as a few Professors arrange everybody into organized lines. “Find your symbol and join your group,” someone orders, pointing up to the sky. I follow their finger and notice six glowing symbols, each with a magical category etched beneath it, thankfully offering me the extra guidance to figure out where I will assign myself.

“Miss Hendrix, I’m going to assume you’ll be joining the nature-based group I’m leading, just like your brother.” I freeze at the mention of Sebastian as I turn to see a professor I haven’t met yet. Despite my instant need to snarl at him, I put a forced smile on my lips instead.

“Thank you, but I’m nothing like my brother.” Before he can respond, I spin in the opposite direction and settle in the line forming for the medics. I can’t change my mind now, so I just keep my head down and wait.

“Raven?” I glance over my shoulder at the sound of my name to find Finn. “Hey, fancy seeing you here.”

I’m acutely aware that someone is watching us, and I know it’s one, if not all, of the Bishops, scrutinizing our every move right now.

“Hey, it’s a small world, huh?” He smiles wide at me, inching closer.

This isn’t going to end well. I can already sense it. He gazes around us as if feeling tension before looking back at me with a gulp. Yup. The Bishops are definitely watching.

It’s irritating as fuck. I shouldn’t be worrying about their reaction. I should be able to talk to whoever I want. They don’t control me.

Looking up at him, I stare into his wide eyes, taking in his blond curls and considering my thoughts from earlier. He’s handsome, sure, but not as hot as the Bishops. That’s also a fact. Well, in my opinion, at least. Would trying to have a good time with him be more hassle than it’s worth?

“Students, we’re ready to roll out. Stay with your groups at all times and do not try to be with your friends. All off-campus visits come with safety precautions. Stay in your magical categories or find yourself taken off the next outpost visit,” Professor Fitch states, and I turn to face the front, very aware of Finn’s presence behind me.

“Nice, we’re using gateways,” he murmurs, almost to himself, but I’m too intrigued not to peek around the person in front of me to see what he means.

The air swirls at the front of our line, morphing before my very eyes until a translucent oval appears. It shines in the morning light, a pale iridescent purple dancing in the wind as the person at the front steps through it.

Wow.

I don’t recall hearing about or seeing a gateway in Shadowmoor. Your immediate mode of transport was on foot, or if you were gifted with the ability to teleport, you could do that. Although, if you had money, which nobody did, you likely owned a vehicle.

There’s so much I don’t know, so much that people around me are familiar with, leaving me at a disadvantage. Maybe I need to add this to the list of things I need Leila to teach me, but I don’t want to put everything on her shoulders.

As the line starts to move, student after student stepping through the gateway, my body thrums with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. I twist my hands together for a beat before turning back to Finn.

“Have you been through a gateway before?”

He smiles down at me with a nod. “Yes. Only once, but it was cool as fuck.” I can’t decide whether to push for more details or ask how he usually travels around, but I’m forced to take a step back when a figure stands between us, blocking Finn from my view.

The rich smell of sandalwood swirls around me and I don’t even need to glance up to know who it is.

Brax.

Tilting my head back, I glare at him, but he continues to stand there unfazed, with his arms folded over his chest. Seconds turn into minutes as we stare each other down and I can’t decide whether I’m surprised or not that Finn doesn’t even try to move around him. Just when I’m sure he’s turned into a statue before me, Brax suddenly juts his chin forward, signaling me to move.

Reluctantly, I glance over my shoulder to find the line has dwindled to only three people ahead of me waiting to go through the gateway, and one of them is Finn. Shit, when did he move around us? I was so focused on Brax that I hadn’t even realized he had moved past us.

Asshole.

With a huff, I turn away from him and rush to catch up to the back of my line. Despite the urge to glance back at the overbearing idiot, I don’t take my eyes off the gateway as I step through it.

A shiver runs down my spine, a sensation I’ve never felt before consuming every inch of my body as I move through the air. It can only be described as stretchy and thick, completely disorienting until my breath hitches and the cobbled ground returns beneath my academy-issued shoes.

The wind whips around me, the sound of chatter and mumbling increasing as each student takes in their new surroundings. Blinking, I look up from the ground, and a gasp lodges in my throat. There’s so much happening simultaneously to be in awe of. I don’t know where to look first, my eyes roaming wild as I slowly spin.

Water laps below and far into the distance where white cliff faces and gray mountain peaks continue for miles. A thick layer of clouds rolls in overhead and not a single ray of light breaks through the thickness as I move to the turret-guarded wall in front of me. It’s made of the same material as the path we’re standing on, small cobbled rocks, stones, and boulders, all looking battered and worn.

When my hands press against the rough top, I peer over the edge, watching as the waves crash menacingly on the rocks below. I’m on a bridge. Glancing left and right, I find two towers on either side, secure on land, with the bridge beneath me connecting the two. Spinning again, I find it’s not the only bridge. One after another, each building is connected to another and another, joining the smaller islands and the guarded outpost towers that take up most of the land.

“It’s crazy beautiful, right?” Zane’s voice startles me, but despite my avoidance campaign with the Bishops, I eagerly nod in response.

“It’s so battered and worn it shouldn’t be so stunning. Imagine what the walls could tell you if they were able to talk,” I muse, appreciating his hum of agreement.

“I heard a story once that the Pinebrook outpost was attacked by an army of stragglers who were overpowering the guards at every turn. Until Fitch showed up with his spirited familiar and burned them all to Hell.”

“Spirited familiar?” I ask, enraptured by his story.

He shrugs. “Yeah. It’s rare, and I don’t believe Professor Fitch has ever confirmed if he has one, but it’s when someone of magical ability connects with a spirited force. It can be an animal of any shape or size or a spirit apparition.” I’m sure my jaw hangs slack, but he doesn’t mock me. “I’m guessing that’s not something you’re familiar with in Shadowmoor,” he murmurs, nudging me with his arm as he looks out to sea.

“No. There are a lot of things it seems I’m not familiar with,” I breathe, my stomach clenching at the admission.

“That’s what I’m here for, then. If you have any questions or confusion, just say the word and I’ll explain it to you or help you find the answer. Deal?”

Looking up into his hazel eyes, I nod before I can actually consider his offer. “Deal.”

“Are you two in your assigned groups, or are we breaking the rules?” I freeze at the sound of Sebastian’s voice, irritated instantly. I’m about to voice my agitation when Zane’s hand wraps around my arm in warning as he discreetly forces me to take two steps behind him.

“I thought she was going to go for a swim and I didn’t think that was such a good idea for our visit. So I cut through the crowd to prevent an accident,” Zane murmurs, shrugging like it’s no problem at all. “You can just call me Zane the Heroic now,” he adds, beaming from ear to ear as he nods at Sebastian and turns away without further concern.

He forces me to stay ahead of him until I’m back with the medic group and his thumb strokes lazily over my forearm as he looks down at me. I’m sure there are words on the tip of his tongue, but he keeps his mouth shut and saunters off with a sharp nod.

Rubbing my lips together, I glance back at him, mesmerized by his every step until a professor claps their hands, garnering my attention.

“Medics, please follow me. For those who don’t know me, I’m Professor Duran. I’ll be guiding you through your tour of the outpost.” She smiles politely, standing tall as she assesses each of us. When she’s satisfied that we’re all paying attention, she nods before waving for us to follow her.

Intrigued by my new surroundings, I eagerly keep close to her, listening to the stories and folklore this place holds. She doesn’t mention the same venture Zane told me about, but she talks about the many attacks on our realm as a whole that we’ve been able to stave off from this post alone. She speaks of the honor of the men and women fighting to protect us without ever meeting us, giving their life and sword to keep us safe.

It all sounds so loyal, regal, and awe-inspiring, but I can’t help but wonder if they did it out of choice or because they were enrolled in this madness just as I was, just as we all are. All too soon, we’re right back where we started, richer with knowledge and achy from our steps. I needed to lie down after all that, but it was totally worth it.

“The third years are setting up the gateways home. If you would like to return to the building on our right, they will assist you,” Professor Duran advises, dismissing us.

Taking off in that direction, I startle when someone falls into step beside me. A glance to my right confirms it’s Finn. I was so caught up in the tour that I forgot he was in this group too.

“How boring was that?” he says with a snicker. “I thought I was going to pass out from lack of interest, but at least we weren’t back at the academy doing classes,” he adds, and I frown.

I thought that was awesome. I don’t know whether it’s because we were never taught any kind of history at Shadowmoor, but I loved it. My mind is wild with everything I’m learning and I won’t take that for granted.

I consider telling him as much but catch sight of Sebastian up ahead in front of the gateways and think better of it. I don’t need to argue about how we thought the past couple of hours went when I have bigger things to be concerned with.

Upping my pace, I try to veer toward the left to avoid my brother, but despite my best efforts, our group is lined up with him. I can’t decide between sneering at him and dipping my head to avoid confrontation, so I settle on ignoring his presence as the students in front of me start to go through the gateway.

Thankfully, Finn doesn’t attempt to say anything else to me as the line clears. I glance around to see if I can find Leila or any of the Bishops but come up empty. As it’s my turn to disappear through the gateway, Sebastian shoulders into me, knocking me sideways as my arms flail, making him grin.

“This one is for you, bitch. Good luck getting home.”

The slightest squeak parts my lips as the world moves in slow motion and I fall through a different gateway. The iridescent sheen of the transporter clings to my skin as I pass through it, making it almost hard to breathe until my back hits the hard ground with a thud.

Uncertainty and confusion cloud my brain as the remnants of the gateway disappear before me. Pushing up onto my elbows, I shake my head, trying and failing to clear the fog consuming my mind.

“Where the fuck am I?” I blurt out loud, hoping someone will hear me, but as I slowly clamber to my feet, I’m more than sure that will not happen.

There’s no one around me. There’s nothing around me. It’s just me and the orange and cream shades of sandstone under my feet that go on as far as the eye can see.