She frowned and got up, picking up a book and setting it down in a different spot for no apparent reason.
“I don’t know what’s happening anymore,” she whispered, finally pausing and looking at me. “I swear to you, I don’t know what’s happening. We do attempt to conceal any adverse memories of recruits that are sent home or do not make it, but to be losing Initiates like this isn’t normal. I’m going to find out what’s happening, Anna.”
I watched her, seeing a darkness I never had before.
“What did he do to you? Kalmont?” I asked.
Roslyn shook her head. “Nothing he hasn’t done before.”
I triedto see Reece the next day, but they told me she was recuperating and wasn’t allowed to have visitors. Frustrated and restless, I looked for Roslyn, but she was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t process the events of the night before. It was like a bizarre dream turned nightmare, the kind you had when you were ill and fever kept you in a constant state of delirium.
Giving up, I headed to Griffin Hall, my body itching to train and purge myself of this restless energy dwelling within me. When I got there, every Initiate at Nightfall was there.
I groaned. I wanted to be in my training area back home, alone with my thoughts.
I left the hall, desperate to get out of the crowd, and found Blake in the corridor.
Words failed me as he approached, a flicker of curiosity on his face.
“Training?” he asked.
I huffed. “I wanted to, but not with every other Initiate in the castle.”
Blake frowned in acknowledgment. “This time of year, close to finals, everyone is in there training. If they wanted to train, they would be out in the cold at the real training grounds.”
A spark of joy burst into flame. “Real training grounds?”
“Yes, there’s an outdoor arena,” he said. “No one is ever there this time of year.”
My boots crunchedacross the fresh snow.
It was achingly cold, but I didn’t care. It was worth it to have the view and that much space. I exhaled, mist forming in the air from my breath.
The training grounds looked like some medieval ruin that was still fully operational. Towering stone pillars were placed around the stone-tiled courtyard like chess pieces. While weathered, they were solid structures, as if they’d been carved from the mountain. The sun was beginning to set beyond the peaks, making the snowflakes glitter across the red and orange palette across the horizon. Long shadows were cast beyond the pillars, stretching far beyond what I could see.
“Wow,” I said, stepping and touching one of the pillars. “This place looks like it’s been here a long time.”
“It’s woefully underutilized,” Blake said.
A brisk wind howled across the grounds, and I drew my sword.
“I heard your friend was in the hospital,” he said.
So, he knew.
“I don’t know that friend is the right word,” I muttered.
“She is going to be fine,” he said. “But Malakai has received his final warning. If the situation were not delicate, he would be gone.”
I could feel outrage rising like bile in my throat. I couldn’t take it. The insanity of him being allowed to stay. What rules were these people living by?
“Fight me.”
Blake studied me, his eyes darker than ever. Then, without a word, he drew his sword.
“On one condition,” he said.
The sun’s evening rays were welcomed against my cool skin. “What’s that?”
