AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sure you feel much better in a clean set of clothes,” he says with a small smile. “I was waiting to escort you to your exam portal.”
He leads me into the underground tower and I follow slowly behind. My punishment is to clear this exam alone. It seems fitting. I half hope I don’t come out alive.
Arthur doesn’t speak until we reach the doorway at the bottom.
“I’ll be accompanying you,” he says meagerly. I finally meet his gray eyes and raise a brow. He shrugs. “There’s something I want to show you.”
That draws a laugh from my chest. I hate the way it sounds leaving my mouth. “What could you possibly show me that would matter right now?”
He smiles. He seems a bit on edge compared to his normal placid behavior. “You’ll see,” he says as he opens the portal.
49
Finn
Idon’t sleep at all the night before the Blood Crowns exam. I haven’t slept well since we retrieved Edgar. Fuck. I rub my eyes and sit up in the top bunk as sunlight peeks through the drapes.
Kai mumbles, “Couldn’t sleep either?”
He swings his legs over the side of the bed and stands, stretching and groaning as I hop down from my bunk. Kai has dark rings beneath his eyes but smiles at me anyway.
“Yeah, I’m too anxious for today,” I admit and start stretching too. Gods know what the day will bring. I really don’t want to kill other students, but my hands may very well be red by the end of this.
“Me too, but hey, we’ll be okay,” he says with uncertainty, but there’s hope in his eyes.
I pat him on the shoulder and bring him in for a tight hug. “We’ll keep each other safe. No matter what.”
The homeroom is quiet. Even Frederick doesn’t bother stirring up the others; worry pulls on his frown. His gray eyes shift and he stares at me with a silent, lethal promise. Kallos doesn’t bother pepping us up with a speech or explaining. His shoulders are heavy as he leads us down to the courtyard where the other Houses are waiting.
The sorting begins.
I had a feeling they’d be grouping us into teams, but as students move to different sides of the courtyard and intermix with other Shadow Houses, I’m not sure there is much reason behind it. Fifteen groups in total, each with around fifty students.
Kai gets put in a group with Terra and Corvus and a mix of other House students. Knowing they’re together helps calm my nerves a little, but after seeing what happened to Edgar’s friends, I haven’t been able to shake the fear of what this exam will bring.
How strong the world really is compared to us.
Raine gets sorted over to my group and I let out an audible breath of relief. He walks over to me and crosses his arms like he’s bored and has better things to be doing with his dwindling time. A strong facade that I see right through. Last night he was on the brink of breaking along with Terra.
Don’t get me wrong, I want the guy to live, but Terra would destroy herself if she killed someone else for it.
I doubt I’m Raine’s favorite person, based on how he looks at me when I talk to Terra, but as long as he’s going to watch my back, I’ll watch his.
“Any idea what the Blood Crowns will entail?” I ask as I watch the sorting continue.
Raine looks at me silently for a moment, as if considering whether I’m worth speaking to. I don’t bother meeting his gaze; I’d rather see where Frederick is going. Somehow I’m not surprised when Kallos points him in our direction.
Revenge is a dark and resentful thing. Everyone says it’s never worth it, but I disagree. My scowl deepens as I watch Frederick shove a few Dvars students to the side. I fucking hate him.
“I don’t think we’re allowed to kill our own teammates, so keep it together,” Raine mumbles dully at me.
I take a long breath and finally look at him. He’s a good inch taller than me but our features are oddly similar. His dark hair and broody demeanor always make me believe he saw dark days long before Fernestia came into the picture.
“We don’t know that until the headmaster gives us our tasks,” I reply sharply.
Raine quirks a brow. “You’re right. Killing the people in our groups might be the task.” There’s no sign of doubt in his eyes and that’s quite unsettling. I’m not sure Raine would spare my life should it come down to it.
The sorting finishes quickly and Headmaster Emerai finally stands before us on the hillside. His power is so immense that just his mere presence is enough to prickle your skin. He wears a different, thicker cloak today: black fabric with golden antlers that protrude from the top of his hood. It’s difficult to believe that he’s the headmaster since he’s so young. All the professors are.
