Page 28

“What in the hells is that?”

Chapter

Seven

Water cascaded from the four corners of the courtyard, flowing from nowhere specific and rushing toward us in powerful waves.

My first instinct was to panic. It took me all but two seconds to swallow that fear and think.

Think, Huntyr. Think.

This must be The Blessing, the test to weed out the first round of recruits.

And I couldn’t fucking swim.

The tutors had all left, leaving just the apprentices behind to panic in the courtyard. Some twisted, evil magic must be forcing the castle to bleed water.

A few screams rang through the air as soon as the water hit our feet.

And it quickly climbed our legs.

“Don’t panic!” Lanson yelled. “They want us to fight.”

“I can’t swim,” I admitted. “I don’t know how.”

“You won’t have to,” he pushed, grabbing hold of my wrist. I didn’t shove him away. “They’re trying to scare us, that’s all.”

“It’s working!” Ashlani screeched as she sprinted over to us.

The water rose, cascading in waves around the courtyard, pushing us all toward the center.

“Hold on to me,” Lanson said. “I won’t let go of you.”

I wasn’t sure why a complete stranger would help me, nor why I would let him, but all I could focus on was the freezing water lapping at my knees, my thighs, my hips.

By the time the water hit my chest, fear had taken over.

“Are they trying to drown us all?” I seethed, my pulse skyrocketing in my ears.

A few of the fae began to swim against the spiral current, as if that would help anything. As if that would stop the water that continued to pour.

Only a few seconds went by before we were forced off our feet, too.

I kicked as hard as I could, trying with everything in me to keep my head above the water. But even with Lanson pulling me upward, I couldn’t avoid the bodies that shoved into me, all of us helpless against the strength of the current.

We circled, fighting against the water with sheer panic and instinct.

I inhaled a mouthful of water and immediately coughed it up, cursing at myself for losing the vital air.

Hells, I needed air.

My legs burned from kicking, my chest tightened with panic.

This was it. Not even day one of this fucking place and I was going to die, was going to drown like the weakest of the weak.

“Kick!” Lanson screamed, though the water now roared around us, making it hard to hear. Ashlani bobbed her head in front of us.

I kicked. I kicked as hard as I fucking could.