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The two classmates Alex hadn’t yet met were Skyla Fay, a girl in the year above her, and Tom Barrett, Hunter’s first year apprentice. Skyla was tall and willowy, with golden hair framing her classically beautiful face. She barely glanced at Alex and Pipsqueak when they introduced themselves, instead focusing entirely on Blink and Jordan—Jordan more so. When she wasn’t looking at either of them, she was staring—rather obviously, in Alex’s opinion—at Kaiden. Alex couldn’t exactlyblame the girl, but still, Skyla clearly had her priorities, and apparently neither Pipsqueak nor Alex rated high on that list.

Tom seemed like a nice enough guy, if quiet. He was also tall, with closely-cropped black hair and skin so dark that he effortlessly blended in with the shadows of the forest.

Once their introductions were complete, silence descended upon them until Blink asked the older students if they’d witnessed them getting caught up in the net. Apparently they had, and mentioned that Hunter had pulled the same initiation trick on them.

Alex was only half listening. She was hyper aware of the eerie forest around her; every little noise intruded on her peace of mind, making her wonder just what might be out there. What if Aven was nearby? Or another snarling beast? She scanned the surrounding trees, anxiously waiting for Hunter to begin the class so that she could be distracted by his lesson.

“I had a feeling I might see you here,” a warm voice whispered in her ear, causing goose bumps to rise up on her skin.

Alex whipped around to find Kaiden standing close behind her. The others were deep in conversation about the various ways they could have escaped the trap, and Alex hadn’t noticed him approach. Other than in Combat the previous day—where she’d had very little interaction with him—the last time she’d seen him had been in the Medical Ward.

… When she’d turned her back on him.

“Why do you say that?” she asked as she took in his striking features. If anything, he was even more mesmerising under the light of the moon. The way the shadows framed everything from his strong brow to his chiselled jawline—

Chiselled jawline?Alex mentally slapped herself.Snap out of it, girl. Jeez.

Kaiden shrugged and his cape rustled with the movement, reclaiming her attention. “Call it intuition.”

“Yeah, well, thanks for the heads-up,” Alex said pointedly.

“You’re obviously here for a reason,” he told her, echoing the words of her friends. “Hunter wouldn’t have taken you on otherwise.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me,” she muttered on a sigh.

“Time’s up,” Hunter called out at last. “For the rest of this lesson, you’ll be paired up and given a task to complete. Phillipa, you’re with Tom; Jordan with Kaiden; Blink with Declan; and Alex with Skyla. Grab your partner and come get a piece of paper from me.”

This’ll be fun, Alex thought sarcastically, noticing the disappointed pout on Skyla’s face.

“Tough luck,” Kaiden murmured to her as he went over to meet Jordan.

Not sure what to make of Kaiden’s comment, Alex stepped forward to take the paper from Hunter, since Skyla didn’t seem to be making any effort to move. She opened it and read the words as she walked over to her partner.

Where the little people play,

sing songs, and dance around all day;

only there you’ll f

to retrieve a figurine of clay.

Follow the mushrooms and you’ll be okay,

but do be careful what you say;

for tricky are those pesky Fae,

so take care or there’ll be a price to pay.

“Well? What does it say?” Skyla asked.

Alex handed over the paper. “It’s a riddle or something.”

Skyla scrunched up her face, squinting at the note. “What does it mean?”

“I’m the new student here,” Alex reminded her. “You’ve been in Hunter’s class for a year, so your guess is better than mine.”

Skyla shrugged and proceeded to buff her fingernails against her cape.