Baelfire growls. "I smell that, Mayflower. And I'm not about to let you go into combat smelling like that pretty pussy of yours needs another good, long fucking."
Everett surprises me by striding over and scooping me up, talking over his shoulder to the others as he marches toward my room. "The lizard's right, for once. Our keeper needs us. Come on."
Yes, please.
Now that my body is starting to accept that their touch is safe, how the hell am I supposed to pry myself off of them all the time? Even though I should point out the time and how we need to get going, I'm wet as Everett's cool lips dance along my jaw as he carries me toward my room.
But we're all stopped cold in our tracks when someone bangs loudly on our front door. Baelfire growls and storms toward it, his inner dragon's moodiness on full display.
"Whoever this is, I'm going to fucking kill them for interrupting."
It's Mr. Gibbons, who is oblivious to the glares he's getting from the rest of my quintet as he explains that he wanted tomake sure hisfavoritequintet got to the assembly on time since it's starting very soon. It's a very effective mood killer.
Everett sets me down, grumbling unhappily about it as we follow the mage through the halls of Everbound. Surprisingly, he leads us outside to the training fields where I see that a makeshift stage has been set up in the snow-dusted grass near the dark, misty forest. Lined up in clean rows in front of the stage are formations of quintets, all dressed in their new combat attire. Some are shivering since the uniforms didn't come with jackets and winter is finally starting to deepen.
Onstage, Iker Del Mar and Natalya Genovese stand observing the final legacies trickle onto the field. I can feel their immortal gazes burning into us—intome—as we line up behind another relatively highly-ranked quintet. Crypt and Everett flank my sides, with Baelfire standing in front and Silas behind me. It's standard for quintets to stand at attention like this, with their keepers central to the group.
I can feel how tense every legacy here is. It's not just the matched legacies emphasizing in combat who are lined up, so I can't help searching for Kenzie's quintet in the crowd. I finally spot her standing near the front, fidgeting nervously while Dirk comforts a terrified-looking Vivienne. Luka glares at everyone nearby as if he expects foul play during the assembly.
One of the hired legacy minions joins Iker and Natalya onstage, his hand glowing with a simple megaphonic charm. When Natalya speaks, her bell-like voice carries easily over us legacies standing on the snowy field.
"Welcome to First Placement. Many of you will die today."
If she wasn't one of my targets and a selfish monster, I would like her more for leading with that. As it is, her words clearly strike fear into the hearts of the legacies standing around me. Some start crying quietly, while others crack their knuckles ormove closer to their keepers. It's obvious which legacies have been practicing combat and which picked other emphases.
As if she can sense that I have no heart for her to strike fear into, Natalya's blue gaze flicks to me. Her eyes begin to glow. Instinctively, I empty my head of anything she could possibly find incriminating or suspicious. Amadeus knew each of the Immortal Quintet's abilities and trained me extensively against psychic probing.
Silas slips something warm into my pocket, and I glance up at him.
"Keeps her out," he mutters quietly.
If any one of us needs help controlling their thoughts, it's not me. I take the talisman and slip it into Baelfire's pocket. He just shakes his head and winks at me.
"Don't worry, baby. I've been thinking about last night on repeat so if that bitch tries to look into my head, all she's getting from me is an endless loop of you coming."
Well. That's infinitely horrifying.
"Just keep it," I mumble, shivering from the cold, which only seems to be getting worse. My dragon shifter automatically steps closer to share his excessive warmth while Everett moves away from me with a grimace.
"Sorry, Oakley. I’m shit at controlling it when I’m nervous.”
I frown. How can he struggle with his element so badly after so much training? Didn’t he say he even had private combat tutors?
Whatever Natalya was looking for, she obviously didn't get because she pouts and turns to whisper something to Del Mar. While they're conversing, I look for Somnus or Engela near the stage, but they're nowhere to be found.
Finally, Del Mar takes over, his voice booming over the gathered legacies while his forked tongue flicks out occasionally. "We decided to keep First Placement exceedingly simple thisyear. It is a test of survival. If you escape the maze alive within one hour, you pass. If you fall prey to one of the many shadow fiends on the prowl inside, you die a failure, as weak legacies ought to. Foul play is expected and encouraged. Weapons are welcome, and many may be found as prizes inside the maze. May the gods favor you, or may you die as fate always intended."
Touching.
With that, the faculty members gathered on one side of the stage begin ushering students toward the edge of Everbound Forest. Transportation spells are set up to take us into First Placement. I wince when Kenzie and her quintet step through the tree line and vanish.
Please make it out of there.
If we're not too busy fending for our own lives, perhaps I'll try to track them down. I'm not much for allies, and I wouldn't care if Luka gets staked, but I don't want to lose Kenzie.
"This is going to be brutal," Everett sighs.
Silas nods as we follow the crowd of uniforms, sticking close together. "Everyone guard Maven."
