by J. M. Kearl
Taz lifted an eyebrow. “What kind of mark?”
“A birthmark shaped like a human skull.”
“Sounds ominous,” Legacy said, stabbing her fork in a piece of meat. “I wonder if he’s secretly evil.” Then she laughed at herself before either one of us could respond.
“Not evil,” I said and rolled my eyes. “But it probably has some significance or he wouldn’t have reacted the way he did.”
When most of the food was gone, we were led out to different areas of the academy. My age group was taken to the archery range. Simplistic, and should be used for first and second years, the twelve targets were painted on bales of straw.
“Since it’s the first day, let’s do something fun,” Madison said, and pulled a bow from her back. Papa, handed her an arrow and within seconds it sat lodged in the center of a target.
“A tournament, to see who is the best shot,” Madison continued. “Nothing fancy, no moving. You’ll stand on the line and shoot. The professors and I will judge who goes onto the next round.”
There appeared to be two professors from each kingdom standing near their own groups. “We need four volunteers from each group,” a male professor from Collweya said. “Since there are so many of you, you’ll get one shot. If you are within inches of the center, you have a good chance of moving on.”
Legacy’s hand darted into the air. Archery was one of her best talents. It wouldn’t surprise me if she won the whole tournament. With about a hundred and fifty students, I faded to the back to wait. I wanted to watch and see who my competition was.
The shooting began and it was almost laughable how bad the other two kingdoms were compared to Delhoon, though not surprising to me. Most of them could at least hit the straw but were usually a foot from the center. They had a lot of work to do.
I chuckled to myself when one girl’s arrow soared two feet over the target.
“You must be good if you’re laughing at everyone,” that deep honeyed voice of Zyacus said from my right.
Annoyed that he’d approach me, I turned my head slightly. “You could say that.”
“Care to make a wager?” A mischievous smile grew on his handsome face.
Beauty must run in their blood… Ugh I wanted to punch him in that perfect nose, but I was always up for a good gamble. “Let me guess, who’s the better shot between you and I?”
“Of course, but you’re forgetting the wager part.”
Curiosity piqued, I raised an eyebrow. “What do you have that I could possibly want?”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s plenty I have you want,” he said.
Trying not to blush I looked away, and tapped my foot, waiting.
“If I win,” he said, his wintery-blue eyes locked onto mine. “You have to kiss me.”
I let out a mocking laugh. The audacity of this boy. “No.”
One side of his mouth lifted and he said, “Afraid of losing?”
I was a good shot, but not perfect, and I’d never seen his skills. “I’m not going to waste my first kiss on you if I do lose.”
He looked even more amused, if not surprised. “You’ve never been kissed?”
Folding my arms, I looked to the students shooting. I didn’t care to indulge his stupidity.
“How about...”
I waited for him to go on. He tapped a finger against his lips.
“At midnight the loser has to jump into the lake in their undergarments.” His voice lowered. “The water is icy-cold.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You go from wanting to kiss me to getting me half-naked? No thanks.” Luckily no one was close enough to hear this conversation.
Zyacus kept his mesmerizing eyes on me, and grinned. “I’m just trying to up the stakes and you keep insinuating you’re going to lose. It could be me jumping in but then again, you’re probably right. I’m definitely the better warrior.”
Heat rose to my cheeks and he hooked me; he most certainly wasn’t the better warrior. “You got yourself a deal, Prince. But if I jump in it will be fully clothed. You’re not getting lucky enough to see what’s beneath this uniform.”
He held out his hand. “Fine by me. We have to shake on it, there’s no backing out when the time comes.”
Anxiety sparked within me, not because of the wager but because of the touch. Our short-sleeved shirts exposed plenty of skin. I wished I had my gloves right then. What was it with everyone wanting to shake my hand? I took in a deep breath and we gripped each other’s forearms… No flashes of death. I let out a slow breath of relief. It seemed Zyacus wouldn’t be dying tragically any time soon. Even if I didn’t care for him, I didn’t want him to die.
“What has he gotten you into?” Aric asked, drawing both of our attention.
Pushing his shoulders back Zyacus said, “Nothing you need to concern yourself with, cousin. Unless you want to join in an icy cold dip.”
“Visteal, you’re up!” Madison shouted, holding a bow in hand.
Zyacus and Aric both stepped up to the shooting line at the same time as me. The three of us royals drew the eyes of everyone.
My heart rate kicked up a few notches, no pressure with the bet and everyone watching or anything. My grandmother’s lavender eyes fell to mine. “You’ve been doing this since you were a young child,” she said quietly. “This is easy for you. Show them what Delhoon is made of.”
She was right, what was I even worried about?
Pulling back my weapon, I took in a deep steadying breath, and peered down the shaft of the arrow. My vision focused on the target, and I waited for the command.
“Fire!”
The twinge of the bowstring echoed in my ear and the whistle of three arrows could be heard in the silence of anticipation.
Dead center. That was my arrow’s final destination. I looked over to see Zyacus’s maybe a half-inch to the right but still in the red, and from my angle, Aric’s looked to be centered.
At least I won the bet with Zyacus. Turning my head to gloat, I grinned at him. He, for whatever reason, didn’t look upset to lose. I wondered if he had other, more menacing reasons to lure me to the lake.
“All three of you will move onto the next round,” a Hesstian professor said.
I handed the bow to my grandmother and walked to the group of students who advanced.
Zyacus made his way over and stood next to me. “You’re better than I thought.”
“I don’t know why you doubted,” I said waving at Legacy who pushed her way to us.
With a nod to her, the Prince said, “We haven’t met yet. I’m Zyacus.”
“Legacy Exavior.”
“Cousins?” he asked.
“Cousins,” she confirmed.
I supposed he knew my close family tree as well as I knew his.
The advanced circle narrowed down to nine of us. Then three. Final round, I was off by a fourth of an inch compared to Legacy and she took the victory.
“Good shooting, sorry you lost,” Legacy said tentatively.
“Don’t apologize for being better,” I said, lightly punching her arm. “It was a Delhoon win, that’s what matters.” When it came to Legacy and me, she was one of the only people I didn’t mind losing to.
Madison whistled and called us over. “That’s all for today. You can all go to your rooms to finish unpacking, explore the grounds, whatever you choose. Dinner is at six. Tomorrow classes begin.”
Taz, Legacy, and I decided to check out the fruit orchards. When we set off in that direction, Zyacus popped out of thin air using the appearus spell—teleport magic. “Midnight, don’t forget,” he said and vanished.
“He already knows the appearus spell?” Taz said in disbelief. “We’re not supposed to learn that until the end of this year.”
The fact that the prince knew that magic aggravated me further. He wasn’t even magic-born. Like those in his family, he relied on a magic stone to perform spells.
“Who cares about that,” Legacy said, folding her arms. “What are y
ou doing at midnight with him?”
“I won a bet,” I said, smirking. “He has to jump into the lake at midnight in his undergarments. Want to come watch?”
Wiggling her eyebrows, Legacy said, “Sure do. I’d love to see what’s underneath that uniform.”
Taz stuck his finger in his mouth and faked a gag. “I’ll pass.”
Chapter 5
With the sunshine peeking through the trees, I plucked a green apple from a branch and wiped it on my shirt before taking a bite. The sweet, tart flavor burst on my tongue when I bit into it. I loved a good crisp apple.
“You think one day the people we train with could be fighting against us on a battlefield?” Taz asked, searching the tree for his own perfect apple.
“If my parents trusted them enough to allow us to become warriors together, I doubt it. Besides, if we’re friends with them, who would fight?”
“Not everyone likes this idea,” Legacy said, sitting against the trunk of the tree. “I overheard my parents talking last time I was home. There are people who don’t want us to train with the other kingdoms and especially not mixing bloodlines with them. Which is bound to happen.”
“Who cares what those people think.” I leaned up against a tree across from Legacy. “The Hesstians and Collweyans are just like us, except for the illcasts. But not even all Delhoon men have magic.”
Legacy looked at Taz. “Which is why the queen rules.”
He scrunched up his nose, sneering. “I’m well aware of the reason behind why women rule Delhoon. Women generally have stronger magic. Besides, I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that, I’m not an illcast.”
Mid-conversation, a high pitched scream jolted all of us upright, instincts searching for danger. “Where did that come from?” I asked.
“I think over there,” Taz said and took off in the direction he pointed.
I pulled the dagger from my boot and went after him. Breaths coming heavy, we sprinted through the orchard, weaving between trees. Legacy was just a few paces behind us.
We reached a clearing and a group of Hesstian students stood in a circle around something. I nudged two of them aside to see a dead horse with its throat ripped out. Like something took several bites, tearing out chunks of flesh. Blood had seeped out a foot from the horse, staining the grass dark red.
“What did this?” I demanded.
All looked at me but none offered an explanation. I pointed at a boy, probably the oldest of the group. “Tell me what did this.”
He shrugged. “We didn’t see it happen. But looks like a wolf, or maybe even a brockendae.”
Ferocious, furless, bear-like creatures, brockendae were incredibly rare. But I couldn’t see a wolf doing this kind of damage. I bent down and dipped the tip of my finger in the poor horse’s blood, cold. This wasn’t a fresh kill but with no bad smell it couldn’t have been long ago.
I rose up. “We should get back to the academy where it’s safe and tell the professors there is something dangerous out here. Someone could get hurt or worse.”
Without hesitation, the group set off. My trio straggled a few yards behind them on high alert. Without a cloud in the sky, the sun warmed my skin, the bees and butterflies fluttered about, and the sound of laughter drifted in the air. This didn’t seem like a place where a dangerous creature could be lurking about. What didn’t make sense to me was how a predator like this could have gotten in. The entire property was surrounded by a fifteen-foot, metal fence with spiked tips. On top of that, a magical barrier. I brought these concerns up and both Legacy and Taz grew quiet.
“What if someone let it in?” Taz whispered. “Like Legacy said, people don’t want this academy to exist.”
“But who?” I asked, everyone here should be a trusted ally. Well vetted.
Taz shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.
“If someone let it in,” Legacy said with a nervousness growing in her voice. “Then their target probably wasn’t a horse.”
I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that motivation. “Would someone hate the Allied Kingdoms so much that they’d kill students to end it?”
In the distance I saw my grandparents talking near the archery range. “Come on,” I said and took off at a run for them.
Madison must have immediately noticed the distress on our faces because she tapped Papa’s arm and they both walked our way.
“Is something wrong?” Papa asked when we reached them.
Feeling a little sick, I nodded. “There is something dangerous inside the grounds.”
Chapter 6
All students were sent to their rooms and told to stay until further notice. Legacy and I sat at the window, looking out over the grounds. From here I could see three professors walking outside, weapons in hand.
I wanted to go with my grandparents but of course they said I needed to go inside with the rest of the students. I didn’t know why they thought I was incapable of helping. I was skilled with a blade and magic.
“It’s been over two hours,” Legacy said, hopping down from the window’s edge. “Let’s go to the dining hall.”
Leaping onto the window beside me, Atticus bumped his white furry head against my hand. “Students were instructed to stay in their rooms.”
Legacy snatched her boots off the floor and slipped them on. “We’re hungry, and bored.”
“If you insist on breaking the rules then I will be the lookout.” Atticus leaped down and darted for the cat door beside the big one. Moments later he poked his head back in. “It is clear. Apparently you two are the only rule-breakers.”
We slipped out and quietly moved across the hall and down the stairs. When we got to the foyer, I froze. Finnick and his friend stood there talking. I wanted to just walk by but Finnick waved. If there were other students, we probably wouldn’t have felt obligated to say a word.
“Hello,” Legacy said. “Shouldn’t you be in your rooms?” She smirked and her hazel eyes slid over to me.
Finnick and his friend bowed to me. “Shouldn’t you, your highness?” Finnick looked between us smiling, waiting for an answer.
If only he knew he was going to die soon, he wouldn’t be so cheerful, I thought but pursed my lips. The heaviness of that thought weighed on me. I wanted to say something so bad but the words wouldn’t form.
“We’re getting something to eat,” I said and tugged on Legacy’s arm. I wanted to get away as quickly as possible.
“Uh, Princess Visteal,” Finnick said, almost as if asking a question. “Your—Uh, I mean Professor Magnevara told us to make sure all the students stayed in their rooms. You should—I mean—you need to go back.”
Heat pierced the skin of my cheeks. They left him in charge and not me? He and his friends were not even seventh year students. I turned slowly. “You’re giving me an order? And what did they tell you to do if one of us should not listen?”
Legacy couldn’t stifle her giggle which made my statement feel less effective. I glared at her and the smile dropped from her lips.
Finnick cleared his throat, probably trying to work up some courage. “Well, she said if you came down you might say something like that. And to tell you that she said to go back to your room. It’s eerie actually.” He sucked in his bottom lip and looked away as if trying to remember something. “It’s almost like she knew you would come down here.”
With Madison’s gift of seeing glimpses of the future, she no doubt did see this coming. Her foresight was interesting, it would show our meeting but not the attack on the horse. Unlike mine, her special ability wasn’t predictable. But of all people, why would she have chosen Finnick to guard the foyer if she’d known I’d come down—does she know of my vision? Does she want me to tell him?
“Finnick, I need to—” my mouth suddenly went very dry and the words got caught.
His eyes narrowed. “You need to what, your highness?”
Panic slowly crept in my veins. How did one tell another they were going to die? What if
he and his friend told others what I saw? Then everyone at this school would find out about my ability and he would die anyway. As I said before, everyone always dies how I see it. My parents and I had worked so hard to keep it a secret.
“Just—just don’t go wandering about the halls at night, okay? It might not be safe.” I said it gently so as not to sound like I myself was threatening him, and turned away before he could question me.
Legacy and I headed back toward our room. “Where was Atticus to warn us about those two?” Legacy asked. “We could have found a different way to the dining hall.”
The big white furball had disappeared. Some lookout he was. When we rounded the corner barely out of sight of the foyer, loud chatter spilled into the halls behind us. The professors were back. I halted and turned on my heel. I had to know the details of what they’d found, so we peeked around the corner to spy.
It was hard to pick out any specific conversations given that there were at least twenty five people talking all at once.
Two Collweyan professors headed right for us and Legacy shot me a worried look, the kind that said we need to hide. Looking around frantically I found absolutely no cover. Even the paintings on the walls seemed to know we were in trouble. “Invisibility,” I whispered. “What’s the longest you’ve held the spell?”
Legacy sighed then hastily said, “Like thirty seconds!”
That wasn’t nearly long enough. “Hold my hand.” Maybe with our combined magic I could hold the spell for us. We pressed our backs against the wall and I took a deep breath and whispered, “Vizaro incante.” My body tingled as I felt my magic warm my skin. I willed myself invisible, picturing our bodies hidden from their eyes.
The two professors with white-blonde hair came into the hallway, and if the spell hadn’t worked they’d see us. I slowed my breath, barely letting it pass through my nose, worried they’d hear me. I didn’t want more dish duty.
“There wasn’t even a sign of an animal that could do that on the grounds,” one female Collweyan professor said to the other. “Other than the dead horse. No tracks, nothing.”