“Ninety minutes. Let’s not fuck this up,” I grunt, my voice harsh as my hands curl into fists at my sides. I don’t know where that came from, or why I needed to say it, but before I can make even more of a fool of myself, I turn on my heels and charge toward the lines forming.
Keeping my head down, I can feel the growing tension in my neck as goosebumps prick along my forearms. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me, but it’s not made any easier with the prophecy swirling around continuously in my mind.
They will rise with fire in their bones and ruin in their wake, step the shadows that you reap and give more than you shall take. Blood shall bind you, love shall break you. Only in the face of death shall the path be clear; the world mourns with the final tear.
One by one, the line inches closer to The Sanctum, still standing before the tree.
I manage to tilt my head up just enough to see each student have a bracelet secured around their wrist before they disappear entirely from sight. I hate this kind of magic, especially if I’m not the one in control of it.
Daring to glance from the corner of my eye, I spot Elodie to my left. She’s further up the line than I am, reminding me of the imbalance between women and men here. Enraptured, I watch as she approaches Toman, his facial expression dipping as she nears, and I want to scrub it from his face.
If she sees, she doesn’t acknowledge it as she offers out her hand.
My heart races as the thick gold chain is draped around her wrist, a large amethyst stone at the center, before Toman cinches it tight and she’s gone. Just like that.
Still waiting for my turn, I slip my cell phone from my pocket and send out a text.
Thorne: Are you safe?
I stare at the screen,one gray tick confirming it has sent, but the second one doesn’t appear as an indication that Elodie’s device has at least received it.
Dragging a hand down my face, I sigh in frustration as I near Saken, a gold bracelet held between his finger and thumb as he looks at me expectantly. I stop beside him, offering out my wrist willingly, and he purses his lips at me.
“I see you’ve been making unauthorized trips away from The Vale,” he murmurs, giving me a pointed look.
Tilting my head at him, I match his stare with one of my own. “That was the agreement, or are you forgetting?” I ask, and his nostrils flare with irritation.
“And there seems to be a shift in The Vale’s magic. Would you happen to know anything about that?” he pushes, trying to call me out, but I shrug.
“No idea. But I can’t say I’m disappointed. The effectiveness of your protection is questionable most days, and with the constant rebellion attacks, something needed to happen.”
“We allowed for those attacks to help build everyone’s strength,” he retorts, a vein protruding at his temple as frustration gets the better of him, and I fight not to roll my eyes.
“I’m sure, but in the middle of the Institute Games is a little unprofessional, don’t you think?” I cock my brow at him in question, but he doesn’t even meet my stare as he snatches my wrist, securing the bracelet in place before my breath stutters in my chest and my surroundings change.
Toman’s magic. I should have known, heisThe Sanctum witch after all. He could have done a better job. We didn’t need to lose our breath, but that’s probably a little factor that delights him, so he does it on purpose.
Cracking my neck from side to side, I grimace when I realize where I am. The building before me is Institute Seven, and The Vale is way off in the distance. Ninety minutes sounds like a lot of time until you find yourself here. It would probably take that long to do a full lap of the outer walkway that encompasses the center of The Vale and connects all of the institutes together.
How are you even supposed to guess which direction to turn in?
A claxon sounds in the distance a moment later, confirming the start of the trial, and I start walking. My feet carry me around Institute Seven’s building, and along the winding path that leads to the outer walkway. It takes a solid eight minutes, and my irritation is real.
Rubbing my hands together, I encourage my shadows to come forward, but my heart stutters when nothing happens. I can’t even feel my magic inside of me.
Anger burns through my veins as I realize the significant fact they left out of their speech.
They took our magic.
Motherfuckers.
I up my pace, fury fueling me as I come to a stop on the circular walkway and glance from left to right. A few students are hurrying in every direction in front of me, but my bracelet does nothing at their proximity.
Frustration threatens to get the better of me now that I know they’ve subdued my magic, but I swallow it down and focus on the task at hand so I can get this shit done and feel my shadows again.
My gaze darts from left to right again before logic takes over, and I at least have the first step toward a plan. Striding forward, I head into The Vale, trying to calculate where the central point is. Maybe from there I might be able to feel something from this damn new attachment I’ve got.
“Holy fuck, that burns,” someone hollers a few steps behind me, and I pause, glancing to see what the commotion is about.
