Page 47 of A Curse So Cruel

“We all know how long it’s been,” I rumble.

“And we know why we’re here,” Knox adds.

“Yeah, it’s called exile,” Raith mutters.

“It’s war,” Knox counters. “It’s strategy.”

“That’s bullshit. We’re here because of that damned oracle and his predictions,” Raith replies gruffly. “The prophecy was bad enough, but then he had to keep talkin’.”

I think of the prophecy that was spoken to us on our first day in the shadow realm. The last lines echo in my head:For without you…there will be no times at all.There can be no mistaking the message in those words. It’s the reason we all chose to stay in the shadow realm. Because if we didn’t, everything would come to an end. Why the attacks have started becoming more recent of late, is a mystery, but everything indicates that the dark entities are planning something. For the first time in centuries, they’re becoming more organized, and that doesn’t bode well for us. As for the oracles other predictions…well, I don’t disagree with the queen’s orders.

“We need to keep training shadow warriors,” I say. “We’re the only ones stopping the Xalgrith from sweeping across the realms.”

“Yes, we know,” Galen mutters.

Ignoring him, I look at Knox expectantly, waiting for him to share the rest of the news. Galen and Raith follow my gaze.

“Let me guess,” Galen drawls. “There’s more?”

“Queen Krosia wants to visit the academy,” Knox replies.

Galen uncrosses his legs. “What the devil?”

“She wants to see our top students. The ones who should be graduating this year,” Knox explains, though it’s clear he’s not happy about it. “She wants to see if they can graduate early.”

I can’t stop my scowl. We were friends with Krosia once. But like many who come to this realm, over the years she has changed, and lately, meetings with the queen have become…tense.

“And when will we have the pleasure of her company?” Galen asks.

Knox turns to us and lets out a long breath through his nose. “She wouldn’t say. Could be days. It could be weeks. In any case, this is another example of why we can’t afford to be distracted. Warriors are dying and graduates are needed now more than ever. We must ensure our students are ready before they’re sent out there, or their blood will be on our hands.”

Everything Knox is saying makes sense, but instead of focusing on the other students, I can only think of one specific student.Shade.I imagine the queen taking her before she’s ready and sending her to the front lines. There, she would face off against the Xalgrith—dark beings who would be unlike anything she could imagine. The idea fills me with rage, and I feel Rinoc inquire through our bond. He’s busy in the forest, and I’m quick to clamp down on my anger so I don’t worry him.

“I’m not arguing, but I have a counterproposal,” Galen says. “We should figure out who Shade is before the queen comes. There must be a reason she’s affecting us like this, and if we’re going to focus, we need to find out why. If she is our mate and the queen finds her here…” he trails off.

“We need to know, Knox,” I rumble. “We need to find out what we’re dealing with.”

This time Knox stays silent.

“The only way to be sure if she’s our mate is if someone beds her,” Raith says, his eyes eager. “And I volunteer as damn tribute.”

Galen rolls his eyes. “And why should you have all the fun?”

“This is a mistake,” Knox mutters, and he slips into a mass of shadows, disappearing from the room.

Chapter Twenty-One

~ Shade ~

Something drops beside my head, thudding onto my pillow, and I groan, cracking an eye open. A granola bar sits there, close to my nose.

“Girl, you need to get up. You’ve already missed breakfast,” Kenzie says, shutting our dorm door behind her as she moves into the room, and I have to say, I’m impressed with her aim. She’s already dressed in a clean pair of leathers with her hair braided to one side. “You’re lucky none of the professors were there this morning.”

“Let me die here in peace,” I moan dramatically.

She shoots me a deadpan look. “You’re not dying.”

“You wouldn’t understand. Everything hurts,” I mumble, my words muffled by my pillow. “I meaneverything.”