18. Raven

RAVEN

Still biting my tongue to not react to Genie, I heed the professor’s warning and follow everyone else outside. The girls seem to give me an extra wide berth but I don’t take offense to it. Once we’re through the doors, we mingle with the guys leaving their locker room all heading in the same direction.

A hand on my shoulder startles me and I turn back to see it’s Creed.

“Don’t startle me like that. I almost hit you,” I grumble, falling into step with him as the others emerge from the crowd.

“What took so long in there?”

I roll my eyes. “Genie happened.”

“What did she do?”

“Nothing. I can take care of myself,” I reply, shaking my head dismissively. I do not need these guys thinking I need their protection every moment of the day. I’m prepared for some backlash but, to my surprise, he lets it drop. “Where are we going for the Gauntlet?” I ask as the crowd moves outside.

“The arena.”

Since when has there been an arena? I really need to explore this place instead of just bouncing between my room and class. Only knowing what falls in my direct path isn’t giving me the upper hand, especially in comparison to how it was back in Shadowmoor. I had learned every trail, every hiding spot, every loose bit of pathing. All of it. But here, I seem to be in some kind of imaginary security blanket where none of that stuff matters.

If I survive this test, I need to change that.

The sea of people thins out a little as the pathway widens. I feel fingers brush against mine, and my body instinctively reacts, taking the hand at my right that my gut knows belongs to Zane. A quick glance in his direction confirms it and a pleased smile is evident on his face.

I have no idea what I’m doing, this isn’t me at all, but I’m enjoying it too much to stop.

Veering to the left, my steps slow as a vast stone building comes into view at the end of the walkway. I try to recall if I’ve been down here before or not, but either way, it’s standing obnoxiously in the middle of the grounds regardless of my memory of it.

“When we’re in there, I need you to stay as close to us as possible. I don’t anticipate them splitting us into genders, more likely year groups, so we can keep you safe,” Creed murmurs against my ear. His voice is raspy, the resounding ripple like electricity zapping across my skin. Maybe it feels more intense because he seems the quietest out of the four of them.

“Keep me safe from what? I should be fine spectating. It’s in the Gauntlet I should be most concerned, right?”

“You say that like you don’t have targets on your back from both Sebastian and Genie. One of those is because of us and we won’t let anything happen to you.”

My eyebrows pinch in confusion, a refusal on the tip of my tongue, but we approach the open archway into the stone arena and I’m completely distracted.

A black dome replaces the bright-blue sky as we enter the arena. Torches burn every few feet, illuminating the entire space, and row upon row of tiered seats overlook the middle pit. When I move my head slightly, I notice an iridescent glow over it—an invisible mini dome hovers above the center, separating the action from the spectators.

“First years to the right. Second years to the left, and third years make your way to the bottom, go around the dome and fill the middle block of seating.” I have no idea where the instructions are coming from, but I follow their order.

Zane tightens his hold on my hand, leading the way as Creed remains closer to my back. I search the crowd, hoping to see Leila, but she’s nowhere to be found. Worry forms in my gut but I cling to the fact that she was with her father. She’ll be okay.

Coming to the end of a row, Zane takes the next available seat and I drop down beside him. Creed shuffles into my left side while Eldon leaps forward and takes a spot directly in front of me.

“Move.” I turn at the grunt that falls from Brax to find him stepping up onto the higher row behind us. He shoves the guy to the side who was sitting behind me and takes his seat. He doesn’t look at me, his scowl firmly in place as he looks down at the pit.

Rubbing my lips together, I decide not to question what’s going on and focus on the pit too. Beneath the iridescent dome, there’s a large rock formation, a sandy floor, and a small puddle in the left corner. There’s no hint of what lurks inside, what we’ll have to face, offering the first person up no chance to prepare.

“How are we supposed to survive this thing?” I ask, smoothing my hair back off my face with one hand since Zane won’t let go of the other one.

“The whole point of the Monster Gauntlet is to give students a chance to use their magic in different scenarios. One, to strengthen their connection with their abilities, and two, to weed out those that aren’t going to protect the realm the way The Monarchy deems fit,” Creed explains, and my heart stings with the reality.

This is to weed me out. Get rid of me. A Void is no use at all to The Monarchy. Why would my father force me to come here, despite my insistence on what I am? If he was just trying to off me, that would have happened in Shadowmoor eventually. He didn’t have to go to these extremes.

As if sensing the stress swirling inside my head, Zane nudges me with his shoulder to gain my attention. “Nothing is going to happen to you. We’ve got time to come up with a plan.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to debunk his hopes when a flicker appears above the pit and the entire space grows silent. A slamming sound echoes around the room and I turn to find the entrance sealed off. A feeling of dread instantly rises, especially from the first years surrounding us.

“Students, I hope you are excited for the week ahead.” Professor Burton appears above the dome and I wonder if I’ll ever actually see him in real life, or will he remain a projection forever? “Let’s not waste any more time and get straight to it, shall we? We’re going to begin the Gauntlet with the third years. Since they have experience in here, they can show our first and second years how it’s done. Or not, in some cases.” The smile that spreads across his face at the mention of people’s failures makes my gut sink. “Good luck. Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”

“Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”When the students around me echo his words, I notice for the first time that Creed and Zane don’t join them.

The eery silence that draws out around us is palpable, pulling my intent gaze from them as I hear a girl’s name being called out.

“Taryn Bracken, please make your way down to the entrance of the pits.”

Murmurs echo around me, everyone seeking out the first unfortunate soul to be summoned. When she wades her way through the crowd of third years and down the steps, a few of the third years clap for her, but most of them sit in silence, ready to observe either her triumph or demise.

She’s not someone I recognize but still, concern wars inside of me.

I can’t help but compare anything and everything to Shadowmoor in my head. Back home, I felt no sympathy or concern for anyone. It was a dog-eat-dog world and everyone was trying to survive. In comparison, this feels barbaric. We’re getting ready to be slaughtered by the system.

Zane pulls my hand into his lap as warmth spreads across my left thigh where Creed’s hand rests. “From what I’ve heard, the monster remains the same for everyone. It’s only Taryn that has the surprise,” Creed explains, and I nod, too caught up in where both of them touch me while also trying to give my full attention to the pit.

A professor murmurs in Taryn’s ear for a moment and I can just about make out her nodding in response before she closes her eyes and steps through the barrier protecting the pit. My heart starts to race as I watch her every move. The torches dim, lowering the outer glow of the arena as the domed pit seems to brighten.

She takes a few steps across the sand before climbing some of the boulders. It’s unbelievable how much you don’t notice the actual size of the pit until someone is in it. It’s almost like a small town. You could easily fit a few dozen houses the size of the one I lived in back at Shadowmoor in there, if not more. The boulders become small hills and rocky peaks as she starts to climb, occasionally stopping to glance around in hopes of catching a glimpse of what lurks inside.

It feels like an eternity passes and nothing happens, making my nerves draw tight as the anticipation rises inside of me. A tap on my shoulder is followed quickly by Brax’s voice in my ear.

“The water.”

My gaze flicks to where the puddle was earlier, only to find a rising tide.

Holy shit.

Taryn hasn’t noticed it yet and if anyone else has, they don’t call it out to her. My pulse rings in my ears as anticipation burns through me, yet nothing reveals itself. She reaches the top of the rock formation, crouching as she turns to get a good view of what lies below. As she turns toward the water, she freezes instantly, and a soft hum begins to fill the air.

Sitting taller in my seat, I shuffle forward so far my knees bump into Eldon, but he just leans back against me as I try to place the tune. I don’t recall hearing it before, I’m sure, but it’s enticing, alluring, and captivating nonetheless.

Hands clamp down on either side of my face, covering my ears, and my face is twisted to look at Zane. “It’s a siren,” he mouths, the intriguing melody muffled as his eyes scrunch together.

It takes me a second to realize he’s covering my ears to sacrifice his own and I quickly reach up to replace his hands with mine, but he refuses to budge. Glaring at him, it goes unnoticed as his eyes remain tightly shut, so I do the only other thing I can think of and cover his ears with my palms.

A few beats pass before he slowly blinks his eyes open. My heart is racing in my chest and I can’t fully decipher if it’s from everything happening around me or the fact that he just protected me over himself.

His gaze is locked on mine, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly with every breath he takes. I’m staring at his lips, mesmerized by how full they are, when a gasp echoes loudly around us, pulling us apart.

Protecting my ears with my hands, I turn to the pit to see the source of the sound swimming through the crystal clear waters that have risen close to where Taryn is standing.

For a monster, she sure looks beautiful. Long pink fins for legs, hip-length blonde hair cascading in curls in every direction as her bright red lips open wide for her melody to consume us.

She bursts through the water's surface, startling Taryn, who stumbles back, losing her footing on the boulder, but she manages to stop herself from tumbling off it completely.

I press my palms deeper into my skull, the tune getting louder, and watch in horror as Taryn slowly gathers herself to her feet. All of the tension and panic is gone as she walks toward the water’s edge instead of trying to rush away from it.

“What is she doing?” I gasp, even though no one can hear me, and a hand clamps down on me from behind.

Whipping my gaze behind me, I frown when I notice Brax isn’t covering his ears. They’re a stone gray color, just like his hand was the other day. What is that about? I need to ask, but I focus on what he’s saying instead.

“Don’t look.”

Why wouldn’t I look? He raises his eyebrow, demanding I listen to him, but it’s too hard to refrain from knowing what comes next.

I turn at the exact same time a gut-wrenching scream burns from Taryn’s lips. The siren’s beauty is gone, in its place are rows and rows of sharp teeth covering her face as it takes bite after bite out of Taryn’s flesh.

Gaping in horror, I lean back, desperately wanting to escape the awful sight. I should have listened to Brax. Holy shit.

Taryn’s body goes lax as the siren drags her around like a doll before plunging back into the depths of the water with her. The water level drops all at once until only a small pool remains in the left corner again. I take three breaths before I realize the melody has stopped and chaos breaks out around me.

“What the fuck, Raven? I told you not to look,” Brax snarls, and I turn to him.

That’s not…

I’m not…

“I’m going to die,” I choke, fear coating every inch of me.

I can hear everyone else gasping and screaming with shock around me, but my gaze remains locked on Brax’s, praying for him to give me some kind of answer.

“You’re not going to die, Little Bird,” Eldon states. I hear his voice but it doesn’t penetrate through the fog clouding my judgment.

I walked in here thinking I could take on the world, just like I had in Shadowmoor, but nothing like that existed there. How can I save myself in the pit with no magical abilities against a fucking siren?

“I’m going to die,” I repeat, wondering how I ever thought I was a strong person to begin with.

A hand grips my chin, tilting my head until I face Creed. “You. Are. Not. Going. To. Die. We won’t let that happen, Raven.”

At a loss for words, I nod, despite not believing him one bit.

“Thank you, Taryn. Next up, we have Sebastian Hendrix.”

My eyes widen at the mention of my brother’s name and I spin to face the pit. Creed’s hand drops from my face as I watch my smug sibling saunter down the steps where the third-years are seated.

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you all how it’s done,” he hollers, earning a few giggles from some of the third-year girls while the rest of us gape at him.

Is it wrong to want to watch him meet his demise so that he can eat his fucking words?

“I hate your brother,” Zane mutters, and I nod.

“Same.”

He barely speaks to the Professor waiting at the pit, entering immediately. Instead of climbing straight to the top of the peak like Taryn did, he keeps low, eyes fixed on the water level.

I hate how much you can tell he knows what he’s doing. I hate that he’s skilled at this. I hate that he’s still the asshole he always has been instead of a caring and supportive brother who could guide me through this mess.

He’s the enemy. That’s not going to change.

I notice the water level rise instantly, but so does he. The water doesn’t immediately rise high like it did when Taryn was in there, it stops about knee-deep, and he seems to take that as his cue to sneak closer. He’s hiding behind a boulder when a flash of blonde hair peeks out above the water, revealing the siren, and her melody quickly floats through the air once more.

Before I can plant my hands over my ears, Brax does it for me. This time saying nothing as I watch everything unfold. Sebastian presses his back against the rock, holding his arms out before him. His palms are turned inward, aimed at each other, and a bolt dances from one hand to the other.

My heart lurches, my chest aching as I try to breathe.

He has Mama’s magic. He has her magic, and I have nothing.

Another zap and a crackle buzzes between his palms as he glances around the rock at the searching siren, who is looking around in confusion for him. Before the monster can locate her prey, Sebastian spins from behind the rock and thrusts his hands in her direction. Thunder rumbles around the room as a zap of lightning hits the water, making the siren scream in pain before the bolt hits her directly.

The water disappears completely, the siren along with it, and the unmistakable rupture of applause consumes the room as Sebastian throws his hands up in the air in victory.

Motherfucker.

Brax removes his hands from my ears as my pulse throbs so prominently I’m sure my eardrums are going to burst.

Somehow, Sebastian manages to find me in the crowd and a smile spreads across his face as he makes a show of slicing his hand over his neck. I don’t react. I just stare him down.

He’s not wrong. Not one bit.

He’s the winner and I’m about to sign my life away to a cause I don’t even understand.