17. Raven

RAVEN

With my hair braided back off my face and my uniform on, I’m ready for the week ahead. I’ve spent enough of the past weekend hiding away in here and I can’t deny that I’m starting to go crazy. Avoiding the Bishops as much as possible after Eldon's revelations hasn’t been as complicated as I thought it might be. If anything, they’ve given me the space I’ve silently asked for.

I’ve sat and had every meal with them, the conversations light and the complete opposite of any pink-feathered raven ready to save the world. Save the world? I couldn’t save myself from drowning in a damn puddle at this point.

Grabbing my bag, I open my bedroom door as quietly as possible. As respectful as they may have been, I’m still hoping to tiptoe past them and sneak off with Leila this morning. To my surprise, the open living space is empty as I rush for the front door.

I don’t look back as I let it click closed behind me, only to find all four of the Bishops outside, staring at me expectantly, with Leila grinning behind them.

“I told you she would try and sneak out,” Creed states, a ghost of a smirk on his lips as Eldon chuckles.

Assholes.

“I wasn’t doing anything at all.”

“Of course you weren’t.” Zane hums with amusement. Everyone falls into step and I startle when his hand finds mine, lacing our fingers together.

I stare, dumbfounded, at where our hands are joined, trying not to stumble over my feet before meeting his gaze. “What’s going on?” I keep my voice low as the rest of the group chats around us.

“You really do need to read the handbook, Raven,” he says with a smirk, squeezing my hand, and my body tingles.

“This handbook is driving me insane. Why don’t you just explain things to me?” I cock an eyebrow at him, internally berating myself for not reading the stupid thing already.

He shrugs. “It’s more fun if you read it.”

“There’s no fun in reading unless it’s inked porn,” I say with a scoff, acutely aware that he’s still holding my hand while other students start to join us on the pathway.

“Inked porn? Color me intrigued.”

“It’s the good stuff. The holy grail. The raw existence of slipping away from reality and escaping into another world. Sexy stories written by women, for women. Hot guys who know how to make a woman find ecstasy and look good doing it, even with their asshole tendencies. You don’t find that in real life.” I was going for the shock factor, but the smirk on his lips makes him appear unfazed.

“Fuck that bullshit about not finding it in real life. You just described me.” Eldon’s voice is so loud I almost blush from embarrassment over a game I started. “And don’t you try to tell me otherwise or I’ll be forced to give you a reminder of Friday night.” He winks, making my cheeks heat as Leila grins at me.

“Girl, you got some explaining to do,” she whisper-shouts, and I shake my head at both of them. I’m too speechless to come up with an excellent snarky response and find myself leaning into Zane, who squeezes my hand again.

The academy building comes into view, and the sound of the bell chiming echoes around us. Wordlessly, everyone picks up speed, heading for the courtyard for another gathering. As we enter the bustling, waiting crowd, I try to pull my hand from Zane’s but he only holds it tighter.

“I feel like you’re doing yourself a disservice associating yourself with me.” I look up at him, noting the frown that marks his forehead. I’ve never really walked around holding someone’s hand before and I kind of like it, but with all the bullshit that’s following me around already, I don’t want to pull him under with me.

“I feel like you need to hold yourself in higher regard,” he states, lowering his head slightly to murmur against my ear. As he speaks, my eyes lock on Genie, who glares at me from the front of the courtyard. The scathing look on her face could slay a man but I keep my chin high and shoulders back, refusing to wither under her gaze.

“Everyone is watching us.”

“Nah, it’s just Genie…” Zane explains, running his thumb over my knuckles. “Oh, nope, you’re right. That’s a lot of eyes,” he adds when more and more people seem to turn in our direction. The two of us were leading the way for our group, but in an instant, Creed and Brax move in front of us as we stop. I can hear Leila and Eldon talking behind us like the four of them are standing guard.

Zane’s hand flexes tighter around mine as I glance around Creed to see Genie still giving me her best death stare.

“Why is she mad at me for holding your hand if she was chasing Eldon?”

Zane nudges me forward a step and releases my hand, plastering my back to his front as his hands find my hips. I can’t breathe. My body is so aware of his that I feel like I will fracture into a million pieces from the tension running between us.

He leans down to whisper in my ear, his soft lips brushing against my skin. “Because we didn’t accept her. If you had read the handbook, you would know that when one of us is claimed, we all are. So when Eldon declared you had claimed him…”

I had claimed them all.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I’m hot all over. I definitely need to read the damn handbook.

The projection flickers in the sky and a few moments later, Professor Burton appears in a crisp white shirt and tailored suit with black-rimmed glasses framing his face. I’m in no state right now to listen to what he has to say but he starts despite the fact.

“Good morning, students.”

“Good morning, Professor Burton,” I mutter in sync with everyone else.

“We’ve had some changes arise this week, which means your usual timetables will not apply.” He spreads his arms out wide, a touch of a smile on his lips, but it doesn’t seem pleasant. “This week, we will have each year rotating in the Monster Gauntlet.”

Gasps echo around me. People murmur over him speaking for the first time since I’ve arrived. I don’t know how this place operates yet, but something tells me this isn’t the norm.

“If you’re not in the Gauntlet, you will be spectating. Then on Friday, we will hold a celebratory banquet with families and The Monarchy in attendance.” My body stiffens at the mere mention of family more than the fear of some gauntlet.

Zane pulls me even tighter against his chest as Eldon steps into my right side. Creed shuffles back to my left, positioning Leila in front of him while Brax moves back so far he’s almost pressed against me.

“What don’t I know?” I ask any of them, and it’s Creed who turns to glance at me.

“The Monster Gauntlet is life or death, Raven.”

I gape, eyes widening as Professor Burton repeats the same fucking mantra he does every time.

“Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”

* * *

“This is fucked and it makes no sense at all,” Brax growls, swiping a hand down his face as we head toward the locker rooms. “First years haven’t had a single lesson on honing our abilities, yet they want us to charge into the Gauntlet and survive? Whose idea was this?”

No one has an answer for him. Leila and the rest of the Bishops are seething just as hard as he is, but I’m used to bullshit being thrown my way. What difference is this?

“Move…out of my way…Leila?” My friend spins at the sound of her name and relief washes over her face. I turn to see who was calling her to find Professor Fitch with fury burning in his eyes.

“Papa?”

“Leila. Come. I am short on time,” he barks.

“But my friends…” Her eyes dart to me, concern swirling in her irises, but I quickly wave her off.

“Go. Don’t worry, I’ll find you later.”

She pauses for an extra beat but Professor Fitch pulls on her arm and she falls into step with him. Eldon throws his arm around my shoulders and steers me toward the locker room with everyone else.

“I can’t believe Fitch is her father. They don’t look anything alike.”

“He’s the reason she usually gets a lot of shit from people,” Creed explains, making my eyebrows pinch.

“I heard. Why do they do that?”

“He’s a harsh professor. Rightfully so, but some people don’t like it. They seem to think this should be easy, like we’re not offering our lives in sacrifice. When they can’t give him a piece of their mind, they turn it toward Leila.”

I gape at Creed.

“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard.”

“Almost as dumb as first years taking on the Monster Gauntlet,” Brax snarks, and my gut twists. If he’s mad about it, maybe I should be more concerned.

Life or death, Zane said. I faced that every day in Shadowmoor. A Monster Gauntlet, though? What kind of monsters are we talking about?

We arrive at the locker rooms before I can ask any of them. I slip out from under Eldon’s arm and follow the girls inside. I’m sure I hear him call out my name but I don’t stop. Emotion wells inside me and he will only draw it out of me.

Once inside, I startle at how much bigger it is compared to the last time I was here, but I immediately realize it’s because it’s accommodating more of us. The first, second, and third years are here. I’m not sure about the fourth-year students. When I find a free coat hook, I’m very aware of how close I am to Genie, but I keep my back to her and press my thumb to the tip the same way Leila showed me last time.

Quickly changing, I listen to the conversations happening around me. The uncertainty I felt from Leila and the Bishops echoes around the room. The biggest concern I’m hearing repeatedly is that we don’t know what order the years are going in.

Would I rather be first and face my fate quicker to get it over with? Or would I rather watch everybody else beforehand? I’ve seen enough brutality in Shadowmoor that it no longer registers as entertainment, so I would rather go first, but the murmurs around me would suggest the opposite.

The hairs on my neck stand on end and I turn to find Genie behind me.

“Can I help you?”

Her eyes narrow at my question as she folds her arms over her chest.

“You can help yourself and stay the fuck away from what’s mine.”

I had a feeling something like this would happen after the way she stared at me in the courtyard, but a part of me thought she might be a little more worried about our fates instead. Apparently, she’s more obsessed with the Bishops than I thought. Unluckily for her, I’m a hardcore petty bitch.

“I’m going to cut to the chase and assume you mean the Bishops, right?” She sneers at me as I take a step toward her. “They were never yours. The quicker you realize that, the easier all of this will be on you.” I smile sweetly before shouldering past her. I count in my head, and when I get to three, her retaliation comes in the form of a fist in my ponytail.

“Listen here, bitch,” she hisses, yanking me back as the room quiets. I drop my body and spin, just like I’ve done many times before, and drive my shoulder into her gut, making her stumble back.

Genie’s hold on me loosens as her back hits the floor and I grin like a mad woman as I hover over her. “What did you say, bitch?” Her nostrils flare as she looks up at me.

Rising to my full height, I step back to let her stand. The girls move around me, creating a makeshift circle, but as soon as Genie is on her feet, a professor I haven’t seen before steps between us.

“I don’t care what your issues are; save your energy for what actually matters. If you’re not ready, the Gauntlet will claim you without even caring for your name.”