Page 54

“I can speak for myself, child,” Phyllis snapped, cutting Marina off mid-sentence.

“And it isn’t a matter of opinion. It’s just common sense.

What’s the point of this silly game? To make students believe that throwing a good punch here or there can actually save them against the likes of Nocta and his acolytes?

” Her laugh was bitter and harsh, but her eyes were filled with anguish.

“It’s ludicrous . And not only that, it’s also dangerous.

Who among you all will succeed today, have your celebration and your cake, full of pride, only to find yourself in a situation where you stand toe to toe and battle against evil itself when you should have run?

” Her voice broke and she turned to me, nearly pleading in a whisper. “Why didn’t they just run?”

I could hear my own heartbeat as the others broke into an argument, most scoffing at the matriarch’s worries, but a couple taking it to heart. Ellie stood with her. “You know me. I hate fighting unless there’s no other choice.”

As for me and Fable, we were both struck dumb, because we knew the truth.

She wasn’t talking about some future hypothetical.

Phyllis was talking about the past. The Neverthorn Nine.

And what had they gotten for their efforts?

No annual day of remembrance. No memorial gardens with headstones to shower with flowers.

In fact, they had been basically erased from Neverthorn history.

All that remained was a page in some yearbook that someone forgot to purge from existence while those in power cleaned up the unsavory mess, probably using dirty tactics like memory wipes, silencing spells and rune gags.

And Phyllis. Who remained here ever since, under the watchful eye of our Sage.

The chill that settled over me had nothing to do with the bite in the air and everything to do with the stark realization that, while Nocta was definitely the bad guy in this story, he certainly wasn’t the only one.

Neverthorn was run by a team of soulless ghouls who cared more about public relations than they did its students.

Never forget that.

Second on the list? I needed to get my hands on that frucking journal again. And this time, electricity or no, I wasn’t letting go.

I reached for Phyllis and was about to pull her aside when Tarquinius stepped up to the podium and lifted a hand to silence the chatter. The courtyard had filled up quickly and all houses were present, looking toward the Sage expectantly.

“Good afternoon, students of Neverthorn. As you all know, it’s a big day.

An important day. One that will determine who amongst you can claim to be the strongest. The fastest. Maybe even the smartest when it comes to non-magical disciplines.

This might seem a small thing but mark me.

There are times in battle where magic is .

.. inaccessible. It is in those times you will need to dig deep and find the strength in your humanity and your body. ”

I could feel Phyllis stiffen beside me and I gave her hand a pat. I wished there was something I could do to spare her having to sit through an event that was clearly triggering for her.

“We will roll the die to see which team will select its opponent first,” Tarquinius continued, waving his hand with a flourish and producing a palm-sized, multi-sided die. “Make some space, will you?”

The students directly in front of him stepped back, leaving a large empty swath of grass.

“Annnd, off we go!”

He tossed the die high in the air and it hit the ground with a thunk , sticking the landing.

We all leaned in, craning our necks to see. A black cat with orange wings.

“The first house to select its opponent ... Felinita!” he boomed, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

House Felinita exploded into chatter, forming a circle as they discussed who would represent them and what house they would challenge. Strategy was one of their strong points.

“I bet they select Big Benji Meadows as their representative and challenge someone from Unicorna,” Marina murmured as we all looked on in interest. “I would.”

Unicorna was Opie’s house. They were one of the weaker teams when it came to magic, maybe just a step above Felinita, and most of their members were on the smaller side physically.

That all said, it was still possible that House Felinita wanted to flex and show some strength by picking a strong house with a strong opponent.

Or not.

“We choose Benji Meadows, and challenge Aiden Quimbly of House Unicorna!” a grinning young woman shouted, sweeping a hand in front of her.

A massive teenager wrapped in the body of a full-grown linebacker stepped forward.

I glanced over to find House Unicorna gathered together, clearly stressed as their discussion grew heated.

Opie and the rest of the underclassmen stood to the side looking worried, and I was glad to see Bandit pressed against her ankles.

Gladder yet that they hadn’t challenged Opie.

Good looking out for her, little buddy.

A short, lean young man from Unicorna stepped forward and swallowed hard. “Um ... Aiden Quimbly. I will be representing House Unicorna.”

I could feel Opie’s panicked gaze locked on me and barely managed to keep myself from wincing. This was going to be a bloodbath.

Tarquinius nodded. “Here we have it. Our first match. Clear the square, everyone. You all know the rules. If you are knocked clear of the border, your team is automatically disqualified. You have two minutes to force your opponent to submit. To the winner go the spoils. If there is a draw, there are no spoils.”

Which meant no cake. Damn, he was being extra dicky today.

There were some grumbles at that, but Tarquinius waved them off.

“Both boys, please enter the field of play!”

Big Benji and not-so-big-Aiden stepped into the marked-off square and faced one another.

As much as I wished I could report that Aiden used his speed and agility to win that battle, it didn’t pan out that way.

Although I had to admit, he did better than I’d expected.

Sure, Big Benji tenderized his breadbasket for a few seconds before lifting him overhead and tossing him bodily out of the square into a heap long before the time bell rang, but Aiden was still alive, and in one piece when they carted him off, aside from the collapsed lung.

If I was Unicorna, I’d be calling that a win.

“Way to go, Aiden!” Opie called, clapping loudly, Bandit joining in. “So brave!”

Krishna and Phoebe both shot her dirty looks and moved further away.

If no one challenged me, I had half a mind to pick one of those little witches to fight.

“Don’t even think about it.” I looked to my right to find Liam there, smiling at me.

“Think about what?” I asked, with an innocent shrug.

“You’re not fighting thirteen-year-olds,” he added, shooting them a glance. “You’re House Phoenix. You’re going to do this the right way and select a worthy adversary if you get the chance.”

“I know . . .”

His dimple faded and he leaned closer. “We haven’t had the chance to talk since ... Are you okay, Harlow?”

I resisted the urge to fidget, realizing he was trying to have a heart to heart I wasn’t ready for.

“You know. Just out here fighting a bunch of teenagers for cake. Living the dream.”

His lips quirked and he bumped his shoulder lightly into mine. “Got it. We won’t speak of it for now. Just know that I would never ... ever ...”

I glanced up at him and nodded. “I know that. And I’m sorry I dragged you into my ... mess with Typhon.”

There was a sudden flash of rage in my gut, and I struggled to understand where it had come from. A tug on the bond, and I was looking across the ring at Typhon. His eyes were narrowed on me and Liam.

I struggled to breathe around the anger that snapped through me. Anger that was not my own.

“Are you okay?” Liam put a hand to my back. “You went kinda pale there.”

I cleared my throat and nodded. “Maybe a bit of nerves after all.”

“I’ll get you something to drink,” he slipped away from me, and the anger blazing from Typhon faded. Thank the gods. I wasn’t sure I could fight with that sudden emotional surge from him.

The next two fights were at least somewhat even.

A scrappy-looking dude from House Wolven challenged and lost to a muscular third-year Kelpish girl who, unbeknownst to anyone, was the daughter of a professional wrestler in the Unlit world.

When she got her opponent to tap out, he had the grace to let out a rueful chuckle.

She even helped him up afterward and they exchanged a quick handshake and, if I wasn’t mistaken, some googly eyes.

It almost renewed my faith in humanity for a hot second.

Until Tarquinius rolled Kirinash, and they pitted their strongest fighter against Draconell’s weakest at Nikita’s insistence.

If our illustrious Sage had been hoping for blood, he got it in spades this time.

Even Typhon looked disgusted by the time they wheeled the poor boy to the infirmary so they could try to mend the compound fracture he’d sustained in his left arm – his spell-casting arm. It was a dick move for sure.

Then again, Neverthorn was not known for being gentle when it came to training young Dwimmers. How did you get to be the strongest school, without the most brutal tests?

You didn’t.

“I can’t watch for another second,” Phyllis murmured, swaying on her feet. Her face was devoid of color, and she looked like she was about to be sick.

“Last but not least, the only team remaining and unchallenged ... House Phoenix! Choose your opponent.”

“Maybe we should just forfeit,” Fable whispered, looking a little green around the gills herself. “Who cares about cake anyway?”

Who cares about cake!? I damned well did. But more than that, even ...