Page 51 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)
Chapter Thirty-Five
~ Shade ~
“ O kay, this is fine,” I whisper to myself, stepping over an exposed tree root that twists across my path.
My boot lands on a patch of moss, and I almost slip before correcting myself.
“Yep, totally fine. It’s not like I’m about to be hunted and murdered or anything.
I just need to find the relic before the drums stop.
Easy peasy.” I rub my thumb over the jagged crystal in my hand.
The black stone is dull and lifeless, and I stare at it skeptically.
“Wait... how do I know this isn’t simply a decoy? ”
I huff out a breath. “Okay, I think I’m just going to have to go with option two and use my portal ring to get the hell out of here.
” Let’s be real, sometimes a girl has to know her limits.
But even so, at the thought of leaving this place, my chest tightens.
I try to tell myself it’s not because I’m thinking about the guys, but who am I kidding?
They’re my mates, and the reality that they don’t care if I die makes my heart ache.
Tucking the crystal under my arm, I take the portal ring from my bra and slip it onto my finger.
The little skull forged into the metal stares back at me, and I remember what Galen had said a long time ago.
That my ring wouldn’t work inside the academy boundary.
But I guess it can’t hurt to try. Closing my eyes, I focus on accessing the power of the ring.
I wait for the warm, buzzing sensation I always feel when I create a portal, but when nothing happens, disappointment sinks into me.
I open my eyes again and let out a resigned sigh.
“Okay, to the academy boundary it is,” I mutter.
I don’t let myself acknowledge that I might not make it there.
I simply keep walking further into the forest in the direction of the academy wall.
The crystal in my hand remains dull, and whatever the relic is, it’s nowhere around me.
Red eyes watch from the darkness between the trees, and I’m suddenly thankful the animali aren’t allowed to harm me.
Breaking into a jog, I keep going until my lungs burn, and every breath hurts.
It feels like I’m running for ages, but it’s probably only a few minutes.
Yep, I definitely should have been taking Thane’s physical training classes.
Letting out a humorless laugh, I let myself walk for a while as I try to catch my breath.
I’m well and truly lost in here now, and at this point, I’m not even sure if I’m still heading in the right direction.
North… Which way is North? I tell myself the academy wall is somewhere straight ahead, but unless I climb a tree, which I doubt I can do quickly, I can’t be sure.
I’m also aware that being lost doesn’t help me in the slightest. The students will find me no matter where I go.
Tilting my head, I listen to the faint thudding of the drums. The trees have thickened, dulling the noise, and I remind myself that my time is rapidly running out. How long will it take for the students to reach me after the drums stop? Minutes?
Fears spurs me on, and I start jogging again, ducking to avoid the twisted branches around me.
A blanket of fog covers the ground, making it difficult to see where I’m running, and when I take another step, my boot comes down awkwardly onto something hard.
I yelp as my ankle twists, and I fall, sprawling to the dirt.
Oof! The fog stirs as I land, white puffs drifting around me, and I curse under my breath as the black crystal flies from my hand.
Ow, crap. Sitting up, I prod my ankle with my fingers, and I wince when a sharp pain shoots up my leg. Oh, great. This is just what I need.
Around me, red eyes still watch from the surrounding trees, and at the thought of the shadow creatures, an idea forms in my head.
Hold on, didn’t the queen say students can use the heightened senses their animali give them?
Grinning, I whisper into the forest in a sing-song voice, “Oh beastie, any chance you might want to lend a hand?” I don’t care who or what my animali is, if I bond with a creature, at least I’ll get some of their abilities, and who knows, maybe they can help me survive this.
If my animali is a crow, they could spy from above, telling me which way to go to get to the boundary wall.
Of course, getting my animali to help is possibly cheating and I have no idea how I’m actually going to get over the wall, but the queen never said anything about it being forbidden for a Token to use their animali specially, so I figure these are problems for later.
“Pretty please?” I add. “I’ll bring snacks when I have some as a thank you.
” I pause, considering. “Wait. Do you eat snacks?” I wave a hand in the air.
“Either way, it doesn’t matter. If you help me through this, I’ll give you way more than snacks.
Anything you want.” I frown. “Okay, maybe not anything, but you know what I mean.”
There’s a rustle in the trees to my left, and I hold my breath.
Honestly, I hadn’t thought this would work, but hope starts trickling into me.
For a moment, I wonder if by some stroke of luck, I might actually have a way to get an advantage, but when nothing emerges from the trees, my hope quickly deflates.
Whatever shadow creature made the noises, either it isn’t mine, or it’s not willing to bond just yet.
Stretching my neck, I peer up, but I can’t see through the thick canopy of the trees, so there’s no spying anything in the sky either.
Okay, that’s fine. I just need to get moving.
I have no idea how much time I have left, but it can’t be long.
I realize I should be way more panicked than I am, but if I let myself freak out too much, I’ll become paralyzed with fear, so I simply trick myself into thinking I’m not about to die. Good plan, Shade. Good plan.
I’m about to lift to my feet, when something slithers over my left hand. I yelp, yanking my hand free as my gaze drops to the fog that drifts around me. Flashes of black scales slide amidst the white tendrils of fog, and smooth scales slide up my other arm.
Adrenaline spikes through my bloodstream, but before I can move, something slithers over both of my legs as well, and wraps around my torso. I bite my tongue to stop myself from yelling again and giving myself away. No. No. No. Please don’t let this be what I think it is.
The fog clears more as I struggle, revealing the massive shadow python that has wound around me.
“Oh, that’s not good,” I say, speaking to myself because the silence in the forest isn’t helping my fear. Wait… Silence? “The drums,” I rush out in a panicked whisper. “They’ve stopped.”
Breathing heavily, I struggle harder, but the shadow creature only tightens around me.
“Look, I’m sure you’re a nice shadow creature,” I say soothingly, trying to calm myself.
“You don’t want me to be hunted and killed, do you?
” I realize then that while the queen said the animali couldn’t assist their bonded in the hunt, she never said anything about the unbonded animali getting involved. Oh, holy son of a demon.
The python’s grip tightens on me, and I struggle to breathe as it constricts. Its body covers the blades Kenzie gave me, pressing them into my body, and I gasp. Come on, Shade. You can’t die like this.
Gritting my teeth, I fumble around in the fog with my free hand.
My fingers brush against the cool ground, and I hiss when my palm grazes against something sharp and jagged.
Not wasting any time, I scrabble for the object, and I’m rewarded when my hand closes around the crystal the queen gave me.
Blowing air from my mouth like a mad lunatic, I disturb the fog and wait for my opportunity.
There! The snake’s head comes into view, and I don’t hesitate, slamming the rock down between its eyes.
I’m not aiming to kill it, but a spark of electricity zaps the snake as the crystal connects with its head, and it startles the snake enough that the creature loosens its grip.
The python hisses in anger, rearing back.
“Yeah, sorry about that buddy,” I mutter, seizing the opportunity and wiggling free.
“But I can’t stay here.” I’m on my feet in an instant, and I half hobble, half run away from the shadow creature.
I’ve only made it a few steps before there’s growling behind me and the sound of heavy paws hitting the ground.
“Oh goodie, more company,” I mutter.
I don’t turn around. Forcing myself to move faster, I keep running, weaving in and out of the trees.
Branches scratch at my face, tearing at my clothes, but I don’t stop.
I keep going, and I have the weirdest thought that Thane would be so proud of how hard I’m pushing myself right now.
Well, I think that until I remember what an ass he is, and I start scowling instead. Stupid shadow daddy mate .
I run until my legs ache, and I almost cry out with relief when I spy a wall of dark stone up ahead through a row of trees.
The boundary! Tears prick my eyes. I’d convinced myself I wouldn’t make it, but there it is, looming over the tree line, layers of stone that reach into the sky.
Even from here I can see deep grooves in the bricks. Can I climb it?