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Years and years before the war, fae like us had free rein to wield magic whenever they pleased. I’ve heard stories of mothers using fire magic to warm their children, of farmers using magic to adjust the winds and save their crops.

But now? Not a scrap of magic existed in Midgrave. I had a hard time believing it existed anywhere, even in The Golden City. The magic came from the archangels, and without them, we had nothing.

“There are a lot of things that go on there, Huntyr. Things the rest of us could not even fathom.”

I set down the rest of my bread. “Why are you telling me this, Lord?”

He took a long breath. My nerves erupted, tightening my chest. It wasn’t like him to act this way, so unsure. He braced his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together as he said, “I’m sending you there, child. Your next assignment is to make it into The Golden City.”

My blood froze in my veins. “Is this some sort of test?”

Lord smiled softly. “No. This is no test. You must pass a series of challenges with others who are attempting to become one of the elites, and you’ll be one of the very best.”

I shook my head. It was all way too much information. “But why? Why now, and why me?”

He leaned forward, seeking my face with his eyes. “You are the one I trust the most out there, my child. There’s something I need from you once you are inside, something I cannot trust with anyone else here.”

My heart fluttered. “What is it?”

“Don’t worry about that now,” he said, sitting up straighter. “For now, we must worry about getting you inside.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. How am I supposed to do that?”

Lord explained the process, starting with a special academy I would be forced to attend. I had never heard of the academy, but I suppose I never wondered much about the exact process of making it into The Golden City. Living there was never an option for me, and thinking about how to get in was a monumental waste of time.

The academy, Moira Seminary, would push me to my limits, physically and mentally. I would learn even more physical combat, as well as how to wield magic, magic that we had only heard about in legends from our elders.

“Why?” I asked, my brow creasing. “What are they preparing us for?”

“The Golden City is home to the strongest, most powerful fae and angels that exist, Huntyr. The city is a frequent target for enemy attacks and vampyres. They have become so elite because every single citizen within those towering walls can defend themselves. They earned the right to be there.”

I considered his words. “You’re saying we’ll be training to protect The Golden City before we’re allowed to live there?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “That’s right.”

“And what if I fail? What if I don’t make it through Moira?”

Lord leaned forward again, coming a mere few inches from my face, so I could feel his breath on my skin when he whispered, “Failing is not an option, child. You’ll make it through Moira, or you will die like the other students who are not strong enough to pass. Do you understand your assignment?”

Fear threatened to infiltrate my senses, but I pushed it away and lifted my chin. “Yes,” I answered. “I understand the assignment. When do I leave?”

Lord sat back in his chair, apparently pleased with my answer. “Three days. Get plenty of rest. No more training for you; you have everything you need.”

He stood to exit, leaving me speechless on my cot.

Three days? How was I supposed to prepare for a secret elite academy in just three days? My back certainly wouldn’t heal in that amount of time, even with ointment, and I was in no condition for combat training. Not after what Lord did to me.

“Wait,” he said before he reached the door. “I forgot something.” He returned to the chair before unclipping the sheathed dagger from his belt and handing it to me. “Here. I want you to have this.”

I glanced at him in disbelief. This was so unlike Lord, even now. “You’re giving me your dagger?”

He nodded. “Her name is Venom. She’s been with me through many life-or-death trials, and now she’ll be with you.”

I took the weapon from his grasp, stunned by the solid weight of it. I slowly removed it from the black sheath, amazed by the green emeralds embedded into the perfectly sized silver handle. “She’s beautiful,” I whispered. “But I cannot accept this, Lord.”

“You can, and you will. Let it remind you of why you’re in that school, of what your end goal is. You are the only one who can do this, Huntyr. It must be you.” His words held a certain desperation. “This is what your entire life has been leading up to.”

I nodded, hesitantly accepting the weapon. I still didn’t know why it had to be me, why he couldn’t trust one of the other assassins to do it. But Lord was not a trusting person at heart, and whatever he needed me to do inside The Golden City seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders.