A darkness stirs, born of pain
They must rise, shadowed blades
Take the oath, decide our fates
Where the land bleeds, and the skies fall
Forests of ash, before the final call
Stand as one, our forgotten, lost warriors
For without you…
There will be no times at all.
When the last word is spoken, the warriors break into applause.
“Now, we must determine who is worthy of immortality and a place within the shadow army,” the queen calls out with a gleeful tone. “Over the following days, our students will face a series of tests, whereby they will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities. No competitors are permitted to say the wordsKorsinus Aleiaand unenroll now that the games have commenced. And by the time the final challenge comes, we will have determined who is strong enough to join our fight against the Xalgrith.”
When she mentions the Xalgrith, the crowd’s cheers turn to angry shouts, and I take the time to actually study a few of the faces in the stands. The warriors look hard and rugged. Shadows curl around them in agitation, making it look like the stands are filled with hissing black snakes, and the soldiers all have a wild, untamed look in their eyes.
“They sound so…angry,”I say to my mates.
“That’s the result of spending endless years fighting against an unbeatable foe, and watching your comrades die in front of you,”Thane answers bitterly.“There are some things even shadow magic cannot heal.”
I nod slowly, knowing he’s talking more about mental pain than physical.
“Our first challenge is simple,” Queen Krosia says, her lips stretched into a smile as she turns her attention to the students. “Survive the night in the arena. But to complete this challenge, you must do it without the aid of your bonded animali.” She pauses like she’s finished speaking, but then she adds, “Oh, andto survive, I suggest you find shelter. The weather is about to turn, and it’s advisable that you’re not caught in the storm.”
We lift our gazes to the sky, confused as the weather looks fine, but when Thane curses and lifts to his feet, dread rolls through me as I understand the queen’s meaning.
Oh, crap. “Please tell me she’s not talking about what I think she is,”I whisper to my mates as Thane moves past the queen who’s seated again, and he stops at the front of the ceremonial box. My mate’s face is hard, but a flicker of fear passes over his expression as he stares down at me, his gaze burning against my skin.
Raith curses in my ear.
“Unfortunately, I suspect this is exactly what you’re thinking,”Galen replies to my question.
“Run, sunshine,”Raith rumbles, and there’s a desperate edge to his voice.“You need to get to one of the oases to escape the rain.”
I think of how Thane had reluctantly told me about his power nights ago.Acid rain… Isn’t that what he’d said? Oh, crap.My gaze scans the three forests.“But which one do I go for?”I ask them.
Galen is the one to answer me.“Knowing the queen, each oases will have at least one zenali creature lurking between the trees. You’ll just have to pick your poison.”
“But stay away from the taseral,”Raith reminds me.
I let out a shuddering breath.Okay, that leaves the jungle or the pine forest.
“Come on,” I say to Kenzie. “We need to get to one of the forests. If we don’t, we’re dead.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
~ Shade ~
Kenzie pales, and she points to the jungle. “Well, we can’t go in there. We all saw what happened to Jericho!” She turns her attention to the ghostly pine forest instead. “What about that one?” As she says it, the pine trees shake like there’s something big walking in the forest, and she swallows hard.
“There are monsters in each section,” I tell her.
Around us, the students have started forming into groups. A large gathering of about sixty students forms neat lines, advancing on the pine forest with a couple of the more powerful students leading them. The rest of us watch as they slow before the trees, nearly stopping as they eye the forest for movement.
