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When he puts it that way . . .
Yep, this place sucks.
I quicken my pace. The weight of his dark gaze falls heavy over my back, but he follows quietly. When we get to the first waterfall, I pull out my map again. Satisfied, I nod to a high cluster of mountainous ridges in front of us. They’re dark gray quartz, nearly black, spotted with trees and thorny bushes.
The climb to the top is a lesson in pain. By the time I scramble over the side, panting, sweat burns my eyeballs and pastes my shirt to my back.
The prince waits for me on a rock, his entire beautiful body stretched out as he lazily swats at two persistent mosquitoes the size of apples.
“You know,” he says with a dark grin. “If your plan is to throw me off the cliff, there’s a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I can fly.”
Ignoring the urge to lie face down on the rocky ground, I struggle to my feet. “Holy Fae ears, Prince. Was that a . . . joke?”
“I do make them, on occasion.”
“What, in between being a giant asshole?”
His jaw clenches. “Okay, I deserve that.”
“No, you deserve being thrown off a mountain naked into a swarm of fire ants.”
He flicks up an eyebrow. “Well that’s mildly worse than being bathed in taco innards.”
“Is that another joke?” I say. “Two jokes in a day. Someone call a healer, there’s something wrong with you.”
Turning my back on him, I take stock of our position. We’re on a large, flat area of the ridge overlooking the swamps below, which from here look like a blanket of bushy green treetops. Above us, waterfalls feed into a small basin of clear blue water, their spray forming countless mini rainbows. Without the cover of trees, the sun’s glare scorches our skin.
Sprawling out on a flat outcropping, I close my eyes, enjoying every minute of the sun.
I march down the hill, sure every step I take will be my last. But, for once, the universe aligns in my favor, and the two professors take that moment to announce the field trip.
Professor Balefire gathers us around. I flock to the front before the members of the Six can reach me, my arms shaking.
A flash of dark hair draws my eye to the right. Kimber. Flat, normal teeth flash as her lips draw into a grin. “That was awesome.”
By the time Eclipsa rushes to me, Kimber has already left to join the Six on the outside of the crowd.
The Mythological Creatures instructor, Professor Balefire, and Potions and Poisons instructor, Professor Spreewell, stand around a wooden chest.
Professor Spreewell is the first to speak. “Inside this chest, we have class two weapons taken from the forbidden vault below the school. Every shadow will choose a weapon and two items they deem helpful.”
“What are the weapons for?” a lycan boy with golden eyes asks.
A Lunar Court Fae girl with one side of her head shaved adds, “And where are we going?”
Professor Balefire holds up a gloved hand. I try to focus on what he has to say rather than the large horns that curve around in spirals over his ears.
“We will be traveling to the Hemlock swamps situated deep in the Summer Court,” Balefire says as murmurs fill the air. “Shadows and their keepers will be paired together in duos. The first duo to come back through the portal with the white venom of a raverous snake wins the very special potions and creatures cup for their Court.”
Spreewell takes a golden cup trophy out of a purple bag. “Autumn Court was the last court to win. Let’s see who will take the cup this year.”
“One more thing,” Balefire calls, the crowd going quiet. “The Evermore are not allowed to use any magic. So, shadows, choose your weapon carefully. If you get into life-threatening trouble, say the words eros sanctum and a portal back here will appear.”
After that, Spreewell casts some sort of lottery spell, and our names are called in the order they’re drawn. I cringe when Reina’s named as the first shadow to select her weapon. She chooses the sword of flames. Its edge can cut through anything.
