Page 50 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

~ Shade ~

I sit on my bed in my dorm, watching as Kenzie uses her magic to create a badass battle outfit.

Her braid is coiled into a bun at the top of her head, and a sword sits in the sheath at her hip.

More knives are tucked into her boots and along the strap across her chest, and black is smeared around her eyes and to either side of her nose.

“You should get ready,” she tells me softly.

I don’t move from the bed. I’m still wearing the dress Galen made for me, and neither Kenzie nor I have slept.

I spent a large portion of the night telling my roommate about the events of the previous days, about how the professors are my mates, and how I found Satine in a cell.

But sunrise isn’t too far away, and already, we can hear students in the corridor heading outside to the forest.

The last time I looked through the window, a large tent had been erected on the grass, and now drums pound outside, a band playing some kind of unnerving war tune.

They don’t care if you die. The thought has played in my head all night.

For a long while, I waited for Galen, Thane, or Raith to turn up and tell me this is all some big joke.

I don’t know what I expected. I think deep down I hoped I was wrong about them.

That maybe they would whisk me away somewhere, because there’s no way they would let their mate be sacrificed.

Well, it turns out the joke’s on me because they never come.

I swallow hard. I came to this academy for answers, but so far, all I have is more questions.

And now I’m the Token for the hunt… As much as I want to find out about my past, even I know that I’m in a bad position.

In a few hours, the hunt begins, and there’s no way I’ll survive it.

At least, I wouldn’t if I didn’t have this…

I peer at my portal ring. I don’t have any choice.

I need to get out of here. I remember Galen saying that the magic of my ring won’t work inside academy grounds.

So somehow, I need to get over the academy wall, and then I can create a portal to Blake.

If I can get away quickly enough, I can close the portal behind me, and maybe Blake and I can find a way to save me, so I don’t die after I leave this place.

The plan isn’t ideal, but it’s the best I’ve got.

Kenzie slides a few knives out from their sheaths, and she places them on the mattress beside me. “Here.”

I shake my head at her, not wanting to accept them. “No, they’re yours. I can’t.”

“I only have the power to create a single outfit at any given time, but knives are easier,” she says. “Take them.”

I give her a small smile, and she sits on my other side, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and squeezing. “They’re assholes,” she whispers. “They kept you hidden in that room, and now they’re sending you to die. You sure they’re your mates?”

“Apparently,” I mutter. I haven’t told her that the guys believe their mate is prophesized to destroy them.

If they’d wanted the students to know about that, they would have told everyone by now, and it feels like something I shouldn’t be divulging.

I also haven’t mentioned the portal ring.

It’s not that I don’t trust Kenzie, but I’m not supposed to have it, and it feels safer to keep the information to myself for now.

“Well screw them,” she says. “You find the damn relic, and you win this.”

I give her a skeptical look. “Girl, you’ve seen me run. Pair that with my bad navigational skills, and I have no hope.”

She makes a face. “Well, not with that attitude. Who knows, maybe luck will be on your side. I’ll hold the others off for as long as possible.”

“You’re going to hold off every student in the academy?” I nudge her. “Thanks, but I don’t want you killing people because of me.”

“What else am I going to do? Watch them come for you?” she protests.

“Focus on keeping yourself alive,” I tell her. I might have the worse position, but it’s not going to be safe out there for her, either. The other students will all have the heightened abilities their animali give them.

I can sense she wants to say more, but at that Kenzie grows silent and we simply sit there for a while, listening to the sound of the drums thudding through the walls of the academy.

All of a sudden, Kenzie bursts out crying. “You know, if you weren’t the Token, it would have been me.” She sniffs. “It should be me. At least, you’ve seen your animali.”

I squeeze her tightly. “Well, if that’s true, then I’m glad it’s me,” I tell her, smiling.

“How can you say that?”

“Because I’m selfish, and I’d much rather worry about myself than have to think that you’re the one being hunted down,” I tell her.

I mean it, too. Kenzie has a good heart, and she deserves to be here.

Heck, at least she can mostly keep up with the others.

I, on the other hand, don’t belong at Shadowbone.

I told the professors from the beginning. I’m no warrior.

Kenzie starts sobbing more, and I have to bite my tongue from turning into a blubbering mess myself.

“They’ll come to their senses and fight for you,” she says stubbornly as her tears finally subside. “They will if they’re truly your mates.”

I realize she’s talking about Galen and the others, and I want to agree with her, but I can’t. Instead, I squeeze her again and force myself to my feet. Putting on a brave face, I walk over to the mirror. “All right,” I say, sounding serious. “Now, what would a Token wear?”

Tarlaz and Elgen escort me and Kenzie as we make our way along the academy corridors, and I spend my time telling the shadows about some of my favorite foods. As irrational as it is, I feel a little guilty for leaving them.

“Oh, and there’s this thing called chocolate mousse,” I tell the shadows. “It’s like chocolate clouds in your mouth. The texture is light and silky, and it’s oh so decadent.”

“Tell us when you get back, girl,” Tarlaz replies somberly.

“Hush. We both know she’s not coming back,” Elgen quips. “Stop interrupting her.”

Kenzie and I reach the open front doors of the academy, and I pause, giving the shadows a soft smile. I’m going to miss the pair of them.

“We’ll be waiting for you when you return,” Tarlaz tells me, ignoring his friend.

I nod once and turn. As I go to step through the door, I hear Elgen’s voice. “Good luck, girl. You’ll need it.”

Dozens of eyes watch as Kenzie and I make our way down the stone steps at the front of the academy, and we cross the grass, joining the mass of students gathered beneath the huge tent that’s directly beside the forest. Some of the students look at me with pity, and others with awe, but there’s no disgust, today.

No, there’s a nervous excitable energy in the air.

As much as I’m dreading this, I’m reminded that the students who have been here the longest only see the opportunity this presents.

If they do well during the hunt, they’ll be one step closer to graduation, and to make it even sweeter, Queen Krosia and the originals are watching today, so they may even gain her favor.

Some of the students stare at me for a long while like they’re committing me to memory, no doubt wanting to make sure they don’t forget what I look like so I’m easier to spot during the hunt.

Not that I think that will be an issue considering what I’m wearing.

Or should I say, what I’m not wearing. I attempted using my shadow magic to create an outfit again, and for once, the result isn’t too bad.

A black dress decorated with silky onyx feathers clings to me, making me look like I’m headed to an extravagant ball rather than a hunt.

The only practical things I’m wearing include the weapons belt I have with a couple of Kenzie’s daggers, and my black, leather boots.

As the time goes by, the tension in the air thickens, but it’s around half an hour before dawn when the queen and the originals finally turn up, materializing from a cloud of shadows and standing at the end of the tent that’s closest to the forest.

Galen and the others are there, and all of the originals are dressed in fine clothing like they’re attending a royal gala. Looks like I’m not overdressed after all, I muse internally.

“How wonderful it is to see you all here on this fine morning,” Queen Krosia says, projecting her voice across the crowd. “I trust you all slept well and are ready to showcase your skills.”

A couple of the originals chuckle at that, and I decide I don’t care if they are the good guys. I think I might just hate them a little.

“Now, where is our Token?” the queen calls.

Instantly, the students around me take a collective step away. Kenzie is the only one who stays close. Wrapping her arms around me, she squishes me in a hug. “Give them hell,” she whispers in my ear. “You fight, Shade. If anyone can win this thing, it’s you.”

You mean if anyone can die, I want to mutter sarcastically, but I don’t. I appreciate the fact she’s trying to lift me up, and I give her a smile. No matter what happens, this is it for us. Either I’ll make it to the boundary, and I’ll disappear to the demon realm, or I’m about to die.

The queen calls out again, and Kenzie reluctantly pulls away from me.

I give her one last reassuring look, and I start my walk toward the originals.

Everyone is silent as I pass them, and I actually miss the whispers and looks of disgust I usually get.

Now all I get is pity, and I’m pretty sure I even hear a student muttering a prayer for me under their breath.

Which would be sweet if they weren’t mumbling something about committing my body to the earth.

Keeping my chin up, I force myself to put on a brave face as I stride forward.

“Okay, Shade, just put one foot in front of the other and don’t even look at your mates.

Who cares about their stupid, sexy faces.

” Despite telling myself not to look at them, my gaze strays to Galen and the others anyway.

They stand rigidly as they watch me, their muscles tense and their shoulders squared, but none of them speak.

My gaze locks briefly with Thane’s, but he looks away quickly as if having my attention burned him. I try not to let it shake me.

When I reach the front of the crowd, I stop before the queen and the originals.

Behind them, the forest fans out, and white fog curls around the closest trees.

Dozens of pairs of red eyes watch me from the darkness of the forest, and I wonder if Kazer is out there.

I could use an ally, and with the giant lion by my side it would certainly increase my chances of staying alive, but then I remember that the creature is bonded to Raith, and it’s not like the animali would act against the wishes of his bonded. No, I’m on my own.

“Mmmm an interesting choice of clothing,” Queen Krosia mutters.

“Quite the statement.” She pauses, and I’m not sure if she’s expecting me to say something, so I don’t.

For once, I don’t have any words. “Thank you for your service, young warrior,” the queen goes on when I don’t speak.

“Here are the rules. Your objective is to find a hidden relic in the forest using this.” She holds up a small, black crystal that’s sitting on the palm of her hand.

“The relic is an object dear to me, and when you are close, this crystal will glow, guiding you to it. Find the relic, and you will be the first student permitted to go through to the graduation games when the time comes.” Shadows curl around the crystal, carrying it over to me, and I take the rock, looking it over before gripping it tightly.

“You will be given a fifteen-minute head start, during which time, no one is permitted to touch you,” Queen Krosia continues.

“But once that time is up, the hunt begins...” Her gaze goes to the crowd.

“Your fellow students may not use their animali during the hunt, but they will still have the heightened abilities that their animali provides them. The first student to find you before you locate the relic wins the hunt . ”

I notice she doesn’t say anything about them killing me, so I’m guessing that part must be implied.

The queen opens her arms wide. “Now, let us recite the words that are the lifeblood of this academy.”

As one, the students, the queen, and the originals all recite the prophecy, chanting in unison.

Where the black sky weeps and shadows reign

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.

They stop there, but I go on to whisper under my breath. “When the time comes to close the fold, four must stand against the bitter cold. Only one can make you break, beware the bond of your beloved mate.”

Galen, Thane, and Raith all look at me then, and even Knox’s gaze slides my way. For a moment, their gazes are so intense my heart starts pounding just as wildly as the drums that start up again.

“The moment the drums end, the hunt begins!” Queen Krosia shouts, breaking through my thoughts. Staring at me, she gestures toward the forest with her hand. “Now go!”

There are cheers from the crowd. Clearly, the hype of the event is overriding the nervous energy, and I don’t think any of the students are going to feel too bad about taking my life.

Turning away, I ignore the burning gazes of Thane and the others, and I jog toward the forest, disappearing between the trees.