11. Raven

ELEVEN

RAVEN

Seconds twist into minutes, which meld into hours. All the while, I’m ready to tear my hair out, eager for the end of the day to come. Yet it laughs at me, forever in the distance as the day drags into the longest ever recorded in history.

My ink scratches along my parchment, taking all of the notes as I gaze off into the distance, even less present now than I was in the first class of the day.

Leila has breezed in and out of my self-made bubble throughout the day with Grave on her arm. On one hand, it’s a relief she’s not quite under her father’s thumb right now. Although, I’m sure he’s got plenty of watchful eyes on her, making Fitch even more unpredictable than ever, in my opinion. Yet it’s Grave’s recent dedication to Leila that causes the smallest stutter in my thoughts.

We may not know Fitch’s motives or what side of the faint line he stands on, but I feel like I have a better understanding of him than Grave. Maybe it’s because I’m untrusting. I don’t know. But an icky feeling twists in my gut when I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He’s older than us, so he’s not in our classes, but he seems to be waiting at every door when time is called by the professors.

Sighing, I roll out my tightening shoulders and shake him from my thoughts. As much as he’s making me question him, his presence doesn’t rank high enough on my list of to-dos, and I really have to prioritize what I let myself get stressed out about. He’s not one of them. Yet.

Professor Trigwell mutters about the plant in her hand, drawing me a little more to the present, but the information continues to go straight over my head. Nothing has stuck in my mind all day. Not a single class, and now, as we edge toward the end of the academy day, I’m getting antsier to get out of here.

As if sensing my thoughts, Trigwell plops the plant pot down on her desk, mumbling under her breath before tilting her head up to look at us. “Class is dismissed.”

I don’t need to be told twice. I’m on my feet and out of the door with Brax hot on my heels in less than five seconds. There were a few grumbles along the way, complaints of my barging past people in my mission to get out of there, but I don’t give a fuck.

Brax nods at me as we head down the hallway, reaching for my hand as we make our way outside. Instead of taking the path toward the house like we usually would, following the rest of the students, we veer to the right, heading for the one spot that’s been calling out to me all day.

The Gauntlet.

Anticipation swirls in my veins, quickening my pace until the arena comes into view. Once at the main entrance, we stop, glancing back to see if Professor Figgins is on her way. It’s no surprise that she’s not here yet, it will likely take her a few more minutes to not look suspicious, and I don’t mind waiting a minute or two.

Turning to look through the open archway into the Gauntlet, a shiver runs down my spine. The first time we were led here feels like yesterday and a million years ago, all at once.

“Do you remember the first time we were brought here?” I murmur, still clinging to Brax’s hand. “It doesn’t feel that long ago,” I add, the taste of worry still lingering along my skin from then as I stare down into the depths of the arena.

“It wasn’t,” Brax states, and I hum.

“So much has happened since then. Damn, so much happened that day.” I shake my head in disbelief as I try to remember everything we faced so early on in the year, but it’s completely dwarfed by the bigger problems we now face. I would much rather be selfish and go back to then, though, when I was worried more about myself and not the entire fucking realm. “Can you believe you, of all people, helped me survive the Gauntlet?” I muse, glancing up to meet narrowed eyes as he grunts at me. “I bet that’s not something you ever thought you would do.” It seems I’m in a pushy mood, wanting more than the simple grunt he offered.

He shrugs. “Maybe not, but everything changed when I met you.”

“You didn’t like me,” I point out with a scoff, refusing to believe he’s going to admit that so easily after fighting against the pull between us for so long. Things have changed drastically between us, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be all hearts, flowers, and rainbows now, where he tells me all his thoughts and feelings. Not this guy.

“I was instantly drawn to you. That was the issue.”

I gape at him, waiting for some smart comment or dig in my direction to counterbalance his statement, but nothing comes. Clearing my throat, I glance back at the Gauntlet. “Seems like a tough issue you were dealing with.”

“It was. I let Eldon in because he was my friend, and he literally took me in with his family. When we became friends with Zane and Creed, that was all him, too. I was much slower to let my guard down, and that was a long time ago. I thought I had forgotten how to do it until you waltzed in with your crazy pink hair, big personality, and no-bullshit attitude.”

Oh, he’s on a roll. “Those are some pretty big compliments.”

He cocks a brow at me, staring deep into my eyes. “Compliments?”

“From you? Definitely.” A grin tips the corner of my lips playfully, but before a full smile can spread across my face, he leans down, crushing my mouth with his in a fierce kiss that leaves me breathless.

Clinging to his tie, I hold him closer, refusing to let go until the sound of someone clearing their throat breaks through my thoughts.

“I thought we had things to do.”

We break apart, the interruption well and truly ruining our moment, but one glance at Professor Figgins as she stands awkwardly beside us with her arms folded over her chest reminds me exactly why we’re here.

“Tell me something that only you would say and not someone impersonating you.” Brax’s demand makes her eyebrow quirk in challenge, but when he doesn’t back down, she sighs, inching closer.

“Neither of our gateways worked that day in my office because of the drill siren. I will forever wish we were five minutes earlier.”

Her words ring true and my lips press together, knowing she is exactly herself. Brax must agree because he doesn’t miss a beat.

“That will do. And you’re right, We do have things to do,” Brax grunts, taking a step back as I use the moment to catch my breath. “But don’t question what we do while waiting for you to get here. Raven is the one out of all of us with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Don’t trample her for having five seconds of a reprieve from that.”

Gaping at him, I feel my cheeks heat. I’m prepared for Figgins to throw a retort back at him, but to my surprise, she nods. “You’re right.” He is? “Let’s get on with it now, shall we?” Without waiting for confirmation, she steps around Brax and me and heads through the archway, hovering on the top step of the stairs. “What are we doing here anyway?”

“Getting to the compound,” I explain, rushing past her to get to the bottom where the dome usually is.

“But I tried before I left. The gateways still aren’t working,” Figgins calls out, hurrying to keep up with us.

“We know. That’s why we’re here,” Brax adds.

There’s a coolness in the air that I don’t seem to feel anywhere but here. It’s not eerie and doesn’t leave me on edge, but it’s not soothing either. I don’t know what it is, but it lingers, that’s for sure.

Reaching the bottom, I place my hands on my hips and survey the center of the arena.

“What are you looking for?” Figgins asks, and I decide to come right out with it, hoping she knows where to find it. It’s an irritation to my ego, asking someone for help, but I’ll get over it.

“We’re trying to find the gateway that brings the magical creatures here when called upon to fight in the Gauntlet.”

Her eyes widen as uncertainty flashes across her face. She stares at me for a moment and I’m sure she’s going to bombard me with questions or refute it altogether, but after a few moments, she steps into the arena. I follow her to the center of the platform, where she reaches down, pulling at a small latch to reveal a swirling golden gateway beneath it.

“Holy fuck,” I blurt, excitement fluttering through my veins as I beam at Brax.

“How is it still here? I hadn’t even considered it to be an option,” Professor Figgins murmurs, glancing between the two of us, and I shrug.

“I was told that for security measures, it’s always generated under different wards.”

“Who told you that?” Her eyebrows are pinched slightly, almost as though she’s irritated she didn’t know the information herself.

“Does it matter, or are we going before someone finds us?” I distract, not wanting to give away too much given all the obstacles we’re trying to maneuver.

She assesses me for a brief second before nodding, reconfirming her trust in me.

“Lead the way.”

My academy-issuedshoes squelch beneath me, the sodden ground shaded by huge trees, as a soft glow filters through the leaves, lighting the surrounding area. Relief floods my brain as I take a deep breath, letting the reality of where I am settle in.

“Uh, slight issue,” Figgins murmurs, lifting the hem of her long, black cloak off the ground as she frowns. “This gateway has put us inside the compound, which is exactly what we didn’t want to happen. Especially if there’s no way of getting out.”

“I know.”

Her eyes ping to mine with surprise. “Don’t you think that’s the kind of heads-up I deserve?”

I shrug. “Maybe. But if I’m honest, I hadn’t even considered it would be an issue. You said you wanted to help. I wasn’t aware that it came with stipulations. No one is forcing you to be here or help. You can leave of your own free will once I’ve done what needs to be done.”

There’s no time for me to consider if it’s shitty of me to not mention that fact ahead of time, but surely she should have realized where it would put us before we stepped through the gateway. If she’s expecting an apology, she should prepare to be disappointed. Right now, I have one thing on my mind.

Trudging through the grounds, I take a deep breath and call out to my familiar in my mind. It’s not a surprise that I’m greeted with nothing, but it still causes a deeper stir in my gut. Instead of letting the worry weigh me down, I try again. Only this time, I speak out loud.

“Ari.” Nothing but the sound of our shoes beating against the hardening soil can be heard around us. “Ari,” I repeat, making sure to be louder this time, but still, there’s nothing back from him.

Leaves rustle to my right, making me pause as I glance over to where the shrubbery is thick. I’m almost certain it’s in my head when I don’t see or hear anything else, but just as I’m about to carry on moving, I see them.

“Gia? Gia, is that you?” I call out, immediately moving in her direction. She remains mostly hidden in the shadows, head lowered as she peers at me.

“Stay back.” It’s a whisper, dancing in the wind, and I frown but keep on moving.

“Gia. What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“Stay back.” The warning comes again, high-pitched and barely audible above the breeze.

It doesn’t make sense. If I can just get to her, then⁠—

“Heed the warning before I force you back myself.” My head snaps to the left of Gia, where a tall griffin steps from the shadows, a mountain of golds and creams emerging from the depths of darkness to reveal my familiar.

“Oh my goodness,” I say with a gasp, my heart racing in my chest as I quicken my pace, only now he’s my target.

“Stop,” he bites, his front claws sinking into the ground as he stands protectively in front of Gia. His defensive snarl aimed my way.

I freeze, finally letting the warning sink in, but none of it makes sense. I can hear the footsteps of Brax and Figgins behind me, but I don’t turn to check on them as I focus on Ari.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Ari. I’m here to help. I’ve been worried about you.” He circles me, not offering a single word as a deathly silence clings to the air. I can feel his gaze tearing at me, ripping me apart and piecing me together again, but why? For what? “Ari?”

He comes to stand in front of me, head now high with a snarl still lifting his lip. “Of all the men you could have brought, you chose the one I trust the least. How foolish of you to think you could play tricks with me twice.”

“Trust the least? What’s that supposed to mean?” Brax grumbles from behind me, and I startle.

“You can hear him?” I ask, glancing back to see him, and he nods.

What the fuck? It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him about it, but he continues on with his tongue-lashing before I can beat him to it.

“I won’t fall for your foolishness again, skinwalker, I⁠—”

“Woah… skinwalker? Ari, it’s me, Raven. I’m not a skinwalker.”

My chest tightens with worry as I take a tentative step forward, only to yield again a moment later when he shakes his head vigorously, anger vibrating from him.

“I said⁠—”

“How can I prove it? Please, Ari, tell me how,” I interject, lifting my hands in his direction while somehow keeping my feet glued to the ground. All I want to do is feel his feathers, fall into his embrace, and drown in the connection I have with him and only him. My familiar.

He stands tall, looking down his beak at me as he cocks his head to the side. A sudden tug in my gut makes me yelp, dropping me to my knees with a gasp as my hands clutch my stomach. I can’t explain it. The pull is right where my connection to him always is, where his emotions swirl inside of me, but there’s never been anything like that before.

I don’t get a chance to question it before it happens again, my palms slamming into the ground as the wind is blown from my lungs.

“Whatever the fuck you’re doing to her, stop. Now,” Brax snaps, his hand landing on my back as he stands protectively over me. It won’t do any good, though, not if he can cause me pain like this. But why?

“Raven?” My name on his tongue settles everything inside me as I peer up at him. The harshness to his gaze vanishes as he takes a step toward me.

“Ari,” I rasp, and he cuts the remaining distance between us.

Crouching before me, he tucks his beak under my chin, forcing me to stand as I place my hand against his feathers. “It’s you.”

His words hang heavily between us and I feel the emotion in his eyes. Now isn’t the time to be vulnerable. Forcing a smirk to my lips, I give him a pointed look. “I said it was. What makes you think it wasn’t?”

He draws me closer, so I’m pressed in a warm embrace against his feathers, and sighs. “The skinwalker.”

“A skinwalker showed up here… as me?” I clarify, disbelief rippling through me.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t trust our mind bond after that and blocked my thoughts from yours,” he offers, making complete sense of the total disconnect I’ve felt from him, but the reality doesn’t ease the pain that it’s caused me.

“And apparently, you’ve now decided to start talking out loud instead,” I grumble, leaning back so I can see him properly. I sense Gia moving closer to us, but I keep my gaze locked on my familiar, too scared to let him out of my sight.

“I always could.”

My jaw falls slack as I blink up at him. Fucker. Wasn’t he the one to say he couldn’t? Asshole. With a shake of my head, I sigh. “Of course you could. Here I am, panicked and worried because I can’t reach out to you, and here you are, causing mayhem.”

“You’re welcome.” I’m certain he’s smiling, but the beak makes it impossible to know.

“Raven,” Gia murmurs, calling out my name as she leans into her love, and Ari nuzzles against her.

“Gia,” I breathe, relieved to see that she’s still okay.

“If it really is you, why are you on the inside of the compound?” she asks, and I sense Ari stiffen with worry as I smile brightly.

“To get you out,” I explain, taking a step back to intertwine my fingers with Brax’s while Figgins gapes at all of us with a sad longing in her eyes. Her need for her own familiar must be driving her insane. I can’t even imagine.

“You know that’s not possible,” Ari states, pulling me from my concerns, and I wag my eyebrows at him.

“Are you underestimating me?” Before he has the chance to lecture me on it, I take another step back. “Where is the closest barrier to the compound from here?”

He glances over me for a moment before reluctantly nodding behind him. I take off in that direction, Brax right beside me and Figgins trying her best to keep up as I hurry over the fallen trees and protruding roots sticking out of the ground.

“Where are you going?” Ari asks, the ground vibrating slightly with his steps. I ignore him, remaining focused on getting to the edge of the compound. “Raven, where are we going?” he prods again, but I continue to ignore him. I feel it the second he’s no longer on the ground, and a moment later, he lands in front of me, blocking my path with his wings flung out wide at his sides. “Raven.”

I ignore the warning tone of his words as I beam at him. “The silent treatment isn’t so nice now, is it?” I snark, cocking a brow at him before I practically skip around him. I’m certain I hear what almost sounds like a chuckle from Gia, but I’m too fixated on the compound wards to double-check.

“You’ve made your point,” Ari grumbles, turning to keep beside me, and I look up at him with another pointed look.

“Have I? I’m not sure.”

Thankfully, I avoid another lecture when the area grows lighter and I spot the perimeter of the compound. Brax starts running before I do and I cling to him as we eliminate the distance, coming to a stop beside the barely visible ward that shimmers ever so slightly from the glow falling from the sky.

“Raven, before you attempt whatever you think you know here, I think we need to catch each other up to speed, don’t you?” Ari asks, making a valid point, but uncertainty wars inside of me. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I turn to face him.

“Honestly, Ari, I trust you with my life, but I don’t know who or what may lurk in our surroundings and I refuse to give anyone the upper hand on us right now when everything is crumbling to the ground.”

I pray like hell that he understands that we’ll be able to do all of the catching up, but now just isn’t the time. Even with Figgins in our proximity, it’s too much.

“We could discuss it like this, in here,”he offers, speaking directly into my thoughts again, and I make a mental note to ask him to help me block my mind off from others as soon as possible.

“I don’t trust anything, Ari, and if something has you this spooked, I don’t want to risk it. Once I’m done, we’ll have all the time to catch up.”

He stares at me for what feels like forever until he nods. “Yeah, you’re definitely my Raven.”

I smile at him as Brax’s hand tightens around mine.

“My Raven,” he bites, making me press my lips together to hold back my grin as both Ari and Brax glare at each other.

“Shall we get to the point?” Figgins asks, looking at me pleadingly, and I nod in agreement.

Turning to face the barrier that separates us from the real world, I suddenly feel a bout of nerves. This has to go right. I can’t mess it up.

With a long and heavy breath, I stand mere inches from the ward, my skin tingling with nerves as I stretch my hand toward the barrier. I gasp when my fingertips connect with it, the magic coursing from it almost overwhelming, but as I twist my hand into the magic, I latch on to what I’m searching for.

“I can feel it.” Hope blossoms in my gut as I tilt my head to glance at Brax.

His eyes are wide, arms slack at his sides as he stares at me. “You can?”

“Yeah.”

I see the same hope reflecting from him as I feel in my veins. The magic dances over my skin, encouraging me to take control.

“What can you feel? What are you doing?” Figgins asks tentatively, and I turn to face her. It seems it was never meant to stay a secret, and I don’t know why, but I trust her enough to be honest.

“I can use my mirror magic to take control of the ward. Whoever placed it here left tendrils of their magic for me to harness. I believe it’s on top of yours, so possibly, together, we could work through it. I wasn’t sure it would be possible when someone offered the advice, but if I tug at it, I think it will fall down.”

Wait until the guys hear about this. Wait until Brax can fill Marieta with hope that her guidance was perfect. I know the compound being opened doesn’t directly impact them, but it feels like the first step in the right direction, and we all need that.

“Fall down? That would unleash all of the magical creatures,” Figgins states, eyebrows pinching in concern.

“Well, yeah. I’m not just going to free Ari and leave everyone else to suffer here.”

“But doing that would also include those from the Basilica Realm,” she explains slowly, horror washing over her features.

“We can’t,” Ari grinds out, taking a step toward me, but the sound of a twig snapping underfoot doesn’t come from him; it comes from the shadows to the right.

My gaze snatches to the Drake looming in the darkness and my spine stiffens.

Fuck. They’re right.

“You can set us free from here?” The Drake asks, and Ari snarls.

“You can speak?” my familiar shouts, but the Drake ignores him, keeping his focus on me as he takes a step forward.

Wrong move.

Both Ari and Brax move to protect me, but the Drake manages to keep his eyes locked with mine. “Can you set us free from here?” he repeats.

“I could, but I don’t believe that to be a safe or wise choice when you have familiars on the wrong side of the war on the other side of this barrier.” Being honest makes sense. There’s no point sugarcoating this shit with him, either.

He shakes his head. “We are fake familiars. That was just a ploy to get us on the property, nothing else,” he explains, making my heart race. That does make sense, especially since no one has been going crazy over the fact that some of the Drakes have been dying at the hands of Ari.

“And then?” Ari snaps, dragging his claw through the compact soil at his feet.

“And then what?”

“What are you supposed to do? What are you here to destroy?” Ari pushes, and the Drake huffs, eyes returning back to mine, but not before he takes a moment to stare at my hair.

“You are the necromancer,” he points out, redirecting the conversation and ignoring Ari’s questions.

“What makes you say that?”

“Your hair.”

Of course, he’s familiar with the fact that my hair darkening in certain spots is linked to my magic.

“What does my magical ability have to do with anything?” I ask, irritated with the distraction the Drake is causing.

“If you’re the necromancer, that means your name is… Raven, correct?”

I still, my mouth going dry, but tamp everything down and focus on remaining unfazed. “Correct.”

With the confirmation from me, a sudden movement behind him catches my attention as more and more Drakes appear.

“Raven,” Brax warns as Ari growls, ready to attack, while Gia and Figgins inch closer to me.

Before anyone can make the first attacking move, the Drake standing front and center lowers to the ground, knees pressing into the dirt with his head tipped. The second he’s in position, the others follow.

I frown, staring at the group of Drakes kneeling before us as they shift before our eyes one by one.

They’re not magical creatures.

They’re men.

Shifters.

What the fuck?

“Raven, we are the Brotherhood of the Drakes. We pledge to help with all that we are, all that we could be, and all we wish to be.”

They speak in sync, causing my throat to clog and my pulse to thump in my ears as I gape at them.

“They’re pledging an oath to you,” Brax mutters, stating the obvious as he stares in disbelief too.

“Why are they doing that?” Figgins asks, like I have any idea myself, but thankfully, the Drake, or the man who was the Drake, answers for me.

“We believe in the necromancer.”

I shake my head. “Erikel may be trying to play me like a puppet, but I am not on his side or under his control. Pledging yourselves to me will not end how you envision.”

“Oh, I believe it will.” He rises, confirming that he doesn’t, in fact, have a single stitch of clothing on. “Our agreement with Erikel was voided the moment he imprisoned us here and went back on his word.”

“What was your agreement?” Ari grunts at the same time Brax speaks too.

“You can’t go back on a pledged oath.”

Silence descends over the forest as the Brotherhood of Drakes all stand, revealing far too much limp dick for my preference. I hear Figgins splutter on her next breath, and I fight back a chuckle at the current turn of events.

“We have never pledged an oath before. We know the value of it,” the original Drake states, planting his hands on his hips, all casual as hell.

“So, you didn’t offer him the same,” Brax clarifies, and the Drake shakes his head in confirmation.

“Why?” I ask, the question slipping from my mouth without thought.

“Because he won’t join the realms and set us all free,” he explains with a simple shrug.

“What realm are you from?” Ari asks, his tone a little less snappy now, and I’m hoping to take that as a good sign.

“We are from Torin Realm.” Torin Realm? Where the fuck is that? As if hearing my thoughts or from reading all of our facial expressions, he explains further. “Our home is beneath Basilica Realm, but none of that matters right now. What matters is setting us free from here so you can work on joining the realms and aligning us all as one.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “I don’t even know of most realms, nevermind hold the capability to align them all.”

“I know you will,” he states, like his words are enough.

“How is that?” Brax grunts, clearly thinking the same as me, and the Drake grins, his long black hair draping around his face.

“Because they saw it so.”

They saw it so?

“Who?”

“So many questions, Raven, when your destiny is filled with actions.”

He looks at me knowingly, as if he’s seen this all unravel before, and there’s something about it that fills me with strength beyond words, beyond my own thoughts. “What will it be, Raven?”

The Drake holds out his hand to me.

Everyone’s eyes are aimed my way, warming me from head to toe as I mull over the answer. I already know it, and a peek at Brax confirms he does too. When he doesn’t instantly object, I know he believes in me and my decision, so I exhale, and take the proffered palm in mine.

Light rises from every Drake present, drifting into the sky like a shimmering golden curtain before swirling around us in a vortex of power and settling between our joined hands with a gentle flash, cementing their oath and binding their magic to my own.

Taking my time, I turn back to the barrier and let my magic do the work. Professor Figgins moves to stand beside me, understanding without a word, her fingers grazing the ward with me.

Wetting my lips, I turn to Ari before settling my gaze on the Brotherhood of the Drakes, my new-found followers, and with all that I am, I tug at the ward.