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Three, make it to the safe zone unscathed by sunrise.
“Oh, God,” Kyler whispers behind her. “This is really happening.”
Damn right it is. And I’m going to make sure I don’t just survive, but win.
Whatever it takes.
21
As soon as we land on the other side, the portals flame out, trapping us here—wherever that is. A quick glance around shows we’re on some sort of small island surrounded by a huge urban city.
Professor Crenshaw is here, and she and Mr. Willis go around checking our equipment and GPS devices while Mrs. Richter gives us a speech. “As a shadow, one of the scenarios you might find yourself in is an extraction situation where your Keeper is injured inside an area taken by darklings. Your Keepers are positioned around the city. You have until sunrise to find yours and escort them to the safety zone on the map.”
Kyler raises her hand. “What are the glowing red dots on our GPS devices?”
I glance down at mine, startled to discover clusters of bright red specks moving around the city.
Mrs. Richter’s eyes narrow. “Those are darklings.” She waits until the crowd quiets and adds, “Each of you will see a white circle to indicate the location of your Keeper. The faint green dots are special weapons imbued with magic.”
Disappointment hits when I see there are only ten or so magical weapons available—not nearly enough for even half of us—and they’re all stashed in the most heavily infested darkling clusters.
“Remember,” she continues, “Keepers and sprites must not use even a hint of magic. Any caught doing so will result in their shadow’s immediate expulsion, and permanent marks will go on your Keeper’s record.”
Mr. Willis addresses us next. “The gauntlet will push all of you to your breaking point, but I believe every one of you are capable of passing if you stay calm and remember your training. Don’t forget, this isn’t simply about your skill with a weapon. You’re being tested on strategy, thinking under pressure, and, most importantly, your ability to work with your Keeper—which all mortals know can be like dealing with a child sometimes.”
Nervous laughter ripples through the group. We’ve never heard any instructor dare to openly criticize the Fae like this, but these are special circumstances.
“Years of successfully guarding the Fae have shown me that the most successful shadows are experts at reading their Keeper. You have to know when to take over control of the situation to protect your Keeper, and when it’s safe to let them join the fight. At least, just enough to smooth over that fragile ego they all have.”
More chuckles.
“It’s a dance,” he finishes. “A skillful shadow can find the right balance to sync with their Keepers—and when that happens, let me tell you, it possesses a magic of its own.” His eyes turn serious, and he sweeps his kind but firm gaze over all of us in turn. “May the luck of Queen Titania be with you all.”
As soon as both instructors leave, I scour the island. It’s night here as well, the sky veiled in ominous gray clouds that block out the stars and moon. Around us, high rise marble buildings the Fae prefer stand next to older brick complexes that look more like apartments.
So we’re in a turned city, like Evernell, which used to be Las Vegas and is now some Frankenstein of both Fae and mortal worlds. A tug on my belt draws my eye to Ruby, who’s trying to lift the GPS.
Mack already has her own out, and she gasps. “No, we’re in . . . Lumeria.”
Ruby hisses. “Orc balls, we won’t last the night.”
Some of the others must have already figured out the same because gasps fill the air.
“What’s Lumeria?” I ask, praying it’s not as bad as they’re making it.
Mack slips her GPS back onto her belt and fixes me with a determined stare. “Only the most modern and famous city in the Spring Court territories. Or it used to be . . . before the wards fell and darklings infested the place, driving out all the residents. Now it’s scourge-touched, infected with basically everything that can and will kill us. Darklings, orcs, trolls, dark magic.”
I nod, forcing the fear from my chest. “Okay, we knew it was going to be tough. Let’s not panic.”
Ruby snorts, but I ignore her as I look over my own map. The landmarks dredge up a sense of familiarity.
The Washington Monument. United States Capitol. The old White House . . .
“Holy Fae hells,” I murmur. “This is . . .”
“Welcome to the former capital of the United States of America,” Mack says, sweeping her arm out to indicate the rising skyline in the distance.
Washington freaking D.C. Just being here, witnessing the city that used to represent the height of our world’s power before the Lightmare, is enough to make me feel lightheaded. Out of all the territories affected by the Lightmare, it was losing Capitol Hill and most of our regulatory body that nearly destroyed our country.
