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“If you’re not in the Gauntlet, you will be spectating. Then on Friday, we will hold a celebratory banquet with families and The Monarchy in attendance.” My body stiffens at the mere mention of family more than the fear of some gauntlet.
Zane pulls me even tighter against his chest as Eldon steps into my right side. Creed shuffles back to my left, positioning Leila in front of him while Brax moves back so far he’s almost pressed against me.
“What don’t I know?” I ask any of them, and it’s Creed who turns to glance at me.
“The Monster Gauntlet is life or death, Raven.”
I gape, eyes widening as Professor Burton repeats the same fucking mantra he does every time.
“Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”
* * *
“This is fucked and it makes no sense at all,” Brax growls, swiping a hand down his face as we head toward the locker rooms. “First years haven’t had a single lesson on honing our abilities, yet they want us to charge into the Gauntlet and survive? Whose idea was this?”
No one has an answer for him. Leila and the rest of the Bishops are seething just as hard as he is, but I’m used to bullshit being thrown my way. What difference is this?
“Move…out of my way…Leila?” My friend spins at the sound of her name and relief washes over her face. I turn to see who was calling her to find Professor Fitch with fury burning in his eyes.
“Papa?”
“Leila. Come. I am short on time,” he barks.
“But my friends…” Her eyes dart to me, concern swirling in her irises, but I quickly wave her off.
“Go. Don’t worry, I’ll find you later.”
She pauses for an extra beat but Professor Fitch pulls on her arm and she falls into step with him. Eldon throws his arm around my shoulders and steers me toward the locker room with everyone else.
“I can’t believe Fitch is her father. They don’t look anything alike.”
“He’s the reason she usually gets a lot of shit from people,” Creed explains, making my eyebrows pinch.
“I heard. Why do they do that?”
“He’s a harsh professor. Rightfully so, but some people don’t like it. They seem to think this should be easy, like we’re not offering our lives in sacrifice. When they can’t give him a piece of their mind, they turn it toward Leila.”
I gape at Creed.
“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard.”
“Almost as dumb as first years taking on the Monster Gauntlet,” Brax snarks, and my gut twists. If he’s mad about it, maybe I should be more concerned.
Life or death, Zane said. I faced that every day in Shadowmoor. A Monster Gauntlet, though? What kind of monsters are we talking about?
We arrive at the locker rooms before I can ask any of them. I slip out from under Eldon’s arm and follow the girls inside. I’m sure I hear him call out my name but I don’t stop. Emotion wells inside me and he will only draw it out of me.
Once inside, I startle at how much bigger it is compared to the last time I was here, but I immediately realize it’s because it’s accommodating more of us. The first, second, and third years are here. I’m not sure about the fourth-year students. When I find a free coat hook, I’m very aware of how close I am to Genie, but I keep my back to her and press my thumb to the tip the same way Leila showed me last time.
Quickly changing, I listen to the conversations happening around me. The uncertainty I felt from Leila and the Bishops echoes around the room. The biggest concern I’m hearing repeatedly is that we don’t know what order the years are going in.
Would I rather be first and face my fate quicker to get it over with? Or would I rather watch everybody else beforehand? I’ve seen enough brutality in Shadowmoor that it no longer registers as entertainment, so I would rather go first, but the murmurs around me would suggest the opposite.
The hairs on my neck stand on end and I turn to find Genie behind me.
“Can I help you?”
Her eyes narrow at my question as she folds her arms over her chest.
