Page 24 of Storm of Shadows

I point to my leg, pulling up my pants to show him a now purple and swollen ankle. We both wince.

“Ouch! Did you trip over?”

“Nope,” I say, “some girl tried to push me to my death.”

“Ahhh,” he says, eyes flicking from side to side in their sockets. “Figures.”

“It does?” I say. “I know this place is meant to be brutal. But … I don’t know … I didn’t figure …”

“They’d come for you?” Fly wraps my arm around his shoulder, encouraging me to lean my weight against him before we start walking together. It’s a little awkward. He’s way taller than I am and is forced to crouch low to make this work, but I appreciate the help.

“Well, yeah.”

“They come for everyone, Cupcake.”

He’s right. They came for Amelia, didn’t they?

Maybe it’s inevitable they’d come for me too. I just didn’t expect it to happen quite so quickly. I need to be a hell of a lot smarter, especially about the people I trust.

“Plus,” he adds, “you’ve given them more reasons than others.”

“I have?” I say, racking my brains to understand what those reasons could be. Sure, there’s Amelia but that girl couldn’t know about that. Iwaslast back to the academy yesterday morning.AndI missed out on a beating by hiding out in a tree. Can that really be the reason?

“Beaufort Lincoln.”

“Huh?”

“The hot shadow weaver who picked you to be his and his brothers’ thrall yesterday.”

I dig my good heel into the cobbles and lean all my weight on Fly, forcing him to stop.

“Could you speak English, please?”

“Seriously, Cupcake?” he says, examining my face. “You telling me you don’t know about this stuff? You knew about the first night.”

“I know some stuff,” I say cryptically, “not all of it, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he says, rolling his eyes, then starts up the walking again. “The most powerful shadow weaver siblings are given the privilege of picking a thrall for their time at the academy.”

“And what is a thrall exactly?” I ask, my stomach churning. I have a bad feeling about this. I already knew this place was trouble. Perhaps I had no idea just how much.

“A thrall is like a servant, I guess. Someone who serves and obeys those who have chosen them.”

“What the hell?” I snap. “Then why did that girl nearly kill me?”

“Because in return for your …” his eyes dart my way, “service, the siblings will offer you protection. If you’re a thrall, no one else at the academy can touch you. You’re safe.”

“Siblings?” I ask. “That shadow weaver has brothers and sisters here?”

“Two brothers. But not regular brothers – not brothers by blood. Brothers by bond. Shadow weavers who are bound to each other by the forces of fate for the entirety of their lives.”

“What?” I say. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about shadow weavers. Seems I was wrong.

“Please tell me you know about bonds.” I hesitate, then shake my head. “I mean, I don’t understand it exactly. I’m nota shadow weaver, myself.” He draws his hand down his body. “Obviously. But from what I understand, it’s when individuals find their other parts.”

“Other parts?”

“Like a soul mate I guess. Although, it’s not necessarily romantic,” he muses, “or sexual. Although I’m gathering sometimes it can be that way.”