by M Guida
I had two hours before the trial started and decided to practice with my crossbow first. It was supposed to enhance my powers or grant me new ones. I could shoot really well, but I hadn’t felt anything different.
I rolled my shoulders, but then I remembered what Bo had said.
I closed my eyes.
Dragon, please help me.
My silver dragon appeared in my mind.
What do you request?
I need to be able to breathe fire.
You know I can’t do that. I’m an ice dragon.
I lifted up my crossbow. Can you please help me with this? I need to enhance my weapon.
That I can.
I opened my eyes and prayed I could do something right.
I put my foot in the cocking stirrup and pulled back on the string. I loaded an arrow in the flight groove. I aimed at my target.
Please…
Tingles ran up my fingers, and I fired, and the arrow whizzed toward the target. Was it my imagination or had the arrow turned blue? It hit the target dead center and then ice crawled over the target. I smiled. Hopefully that would satisfy one of the requirements.
Loud claps turned my attention. Lucien and the others headed over to me.
“You did great.”
“Way to go.”
“You’re going to ace this.”
They all said it at once, and I smiled. Warmth spread over me. I didn’t know what I’d do without them. The only one missing was Bo.
I continued to practice with the crossbow, and each time, the arrow iced over a target. I didn’t try lighting any of the pyres of wood. Mostly, because I knew what would happen.
Ten o’clock came faster than I wanted. Anton, Professor Soto, Heath, Professor Griffith, and Professor Elfiel all came out to meet me.
Heath pointed to the Royals. “Anton, no students are supposed to be at this trial.” The disdain in his voice made me stiffen.
Lucien, Rhys, Dante, and Xavier all stood their ground. Xavier released a loud growl and pulled back his upper lip.
“And they aren’t,” Anton said. “The Royals represent each of the different races and will be allowed to watch.”
Heath glared. “That’s not what we agreed on.”
Anton didn’t wilt underneath his stare. “We agreed on no students. No one said anything about excluding the Royals.” He turned to the Royals. “You may all take a seat on the sidelines.” He shook his finger. “But no interference.”
“We won’t,” Lucien said.
They all sat on a bench. Xavier flashed me the thumbs up sign.
Something caught my eye, and above in the sky, a red dragon circled the field. Bo. Some of the rejection I had felt eased a bit, but he still hadn’t defended me in the cafeteria. How did anyone get over being called an abomination?
Rather than sitting up in the bleachers, the judges sat on the opposite sidelines, their seats prepared for them.
Anton stood. “At this trial, you must demonstrate that you can cloak yourself, deflect magic, and transfer power through your weapon.”
“And three different types of heat,” Heath added.
I groaned.
“I was going to get to that,” Anton said. “For your first task, you need to demonstrate that you and your crossbow are one, and it can enhance your power or grant you new ones. You may begin.”
The old targets I had been shooting at were replaced with new ones.
I took a deep breath and put the arrow in the flight groove.
I aimed.
Please
The same sensations rolled over my fingers. I fired.
Whooosh
The arrow hit the target, and it frosted over perfectly.
“Thank you, dragon.”
The Royals hooted and hollered.
Anton stood. “Very good, very good, Raven. You may now proceed to the next test, which is deflecting magic. Professor Soto will assist you by throwing magic at you. To pass this test, you must shift and deflect the magic.”
My heart quickened, and my hands shook. I quickly stripped down, not looking at the professors or the Royals. I still felt like the main attraction at a peep show.
I shifted into a dragon.
Heath crossed his arms and smirked.
I only knew how to do one thing, and I wasn’t sure if I would pass. It was also the reason I was placed in the separate room.
Professor Soto swirled her hands, and black balls formed in her palms. I had no idea what those black balls were, but I knew it was some kind of dark magic.
She threw one ball and then the other at me. The stench nearly choked me.
Please.
Energy surged through me. All of a sudden, the balls disappeared, and Professor Soto fell to the ground, trembling.
Her teeth chattered. “Raven, stop.”
Anton put up his palm. “Cease.” I immediately stopped and shifted.
He rushed over to Professor Soto and helped her stand. “Professor, are you all right?”
Professor Soto nodded. “I’m fine, but my power has been drained.” Her face was pale, and her voice was weak.
Anton escorted her to her seat. “Can you still judge?”
Professor Soto patted her forehead with the sleeve of her robe. “Yes. I can.” She dropped her arm.
“Raven,” Anton said. “The next test is for you to cloak yourself for five minutes.”
I sighed and drew on my dragon power. Tingling sensations burst inside me like a water balloon. I trembled and tilted my head back. I stretched my arms wide and closed my eyes.
“Very good, Raven.”
I opened my eyes. By the professors’s rigid faces and the Royals looking everywhere but at me, I wasn’t sure if I had cloaked myself or not. But the gloat in Heath’s eyes left little doubt I hadn’t passed this one.
Shit, strike one.
Anton stretched out his arm. “Raven, for your last task, you must demonstrate different heat on each pyre.”
Once again, I got to strip, but this would be the last time for the trial. I hoped it wouldn’t be the last time at Legacy.
I shifted into my dragon.
Please.
But my sweet beast didn’t answer. I thought of what Lucien had been teaching me. I concentrated on the atomic make-up of the wood, pictured it bursting into flame. I exhaled and the first pyre turned to frost, the second to ice, and the last to snow.
“Thank you,” Raven said. “The judges and I need to discuss among ourselves your results.”
I shifted back into a human and got dressed.
“Hey.” Lucien came up and behind me. “Are you okay?” His warm breath washed over me.
“No.” My brittle voice shattered.
Rhys, Xavier, and Dante all surrounded me.
Rhys brushed a tear off my cheek. “You know we’re behind you, beautiful.”
I smiled through my tears, but what could they do? They couldn’t undo an expulsion.
Anton headed toward us, and with one look at his face, I knew the answer.
Lucien clasped my hand.
Xavier growled. “Those assholes.”
Dante hissed, and Rhys actually flipped them off.
Anton frowned. “Was that appropriate behavior for a prince, Rhys?”
“It is when you’re dealing with assholes.” Rhys smirked.
“This wasn’t an easy decision,” Anton said.
“Yeah, it was.” Lucien tilted his head. “Heath’s practically doing the Snoopy dance.”
I squeezed Lucien’s hand. “When do I have to leave?”
“We’ve have decided to give you a week to collect your things. I’m sorry.” The lack of emotion in his voice was like a cold slap. I always thought he was my advocate, and he abandoned me, just like Bo.
Lucien narrowed his eyes. “You know we’re not giving up without a fight.”
“Yeah,” Xavier growled. “We’re the Defenders.”
“Yes, I anticipated that.” He put his hands
in the pocket of his robe and returned to the committee.
“What do you think that means?” Dante asked.
Lucien put his hands on my shoulders. “I think he expects us to fight.”
I took a quivering breath. “What can we do? You heard him. I’ve only got a week before they kick my ass out of here.”
Aaooooooo
Xavier howled.
Only Heath turned around, and the hate in his eyes made my heart stop.
Dante, Rhys, and Xavier fanned out behind Lucien, who lifted my chin. “We’re the Defenders. Have faith is us.”
I looked into each one of them and saw determination in their eyes, and for the first time, I had hope.
The red dragon landed behind us and shifted. Bo puffed out his chest and headed over to us in all his naked glory. “I won’t let you down, either.”
Xavier growled.
“I’m a Defender, too.”
Lucien dropped his hands. “What about your crown?”
Bo grinned. “Didn’t you say outlaws have more fun?”
“Bo, get over here,” Heath yelled. “Your father commands it.”
“Let’s go,” Bo said. “One thing I know for sure, Ryker’s behind this.”
We all left the auditorium, Heath screaming himself hoarse. Because the Royals––especially Bo––were determined to fight for me, something bloomed in me. Tears melted away, and sheer anger surged through me.
No matter what, I’d find a way to survive.
Chapter 25
A couple of hours, we were all back in the library, and this time Poppy, Katona, and Mina were all there. The only chance I had was solving the riddle of the prophesy, and maybe, just maybe, Anton would let me try again. Lucien promised he’d make him. I almost laughed. I didn’t think anyone, not even Lucien, could make Anton do anything he didn’t want to do.
“This is such bullshit.” Mina flipped through a book on constellations. “No one else had their trials moved up.”
I smiled. “It’s because of Ryker. He has my mom, and now he wants us.”
“Well, I’m not going to lose the best roommate I’ve ever had.”
I laughed. “I’m the only roommate you’ve ever had.”
Dante scanned another angel book. “What are we going to do? We’ve been at this for hours, and we’re no closer in finding anything.”
Lucien rushed into the library. “I’ve got it.”
I frowned. “What?”
He raised a book. “The supernatural constellation book, what else?”
“How’d you get it?”
“I snuck into Anton’s.”
Bo frowned. “You could get all of us into even more trouble. Do you want all of us to be expelled?”
“I’m willing to take the risk.” Xavier let out a low snarl. “Are you?”
Poppy rubbed his arm. “Down, Wolf. Down.”
He turned and kissed her.
Lucien opened the book. “Raven, we were right. According to this, you can only see the constellations clearly on top of Mt Elbert.”
Katona looked at each of us. “So, what are we going to do?”
Lucien shrugged. “Go to Mt Elbert tonight. What else?”
I examined the book. “According to this, the constellations could only be seen by supernaturals during a new moon.”
“I checked.” Lucien pointed to the table. “That’s tomorrow tonight.”
“So, we’re all going to just leave?” Bo asked.
“I don’t think it should be all of us. Anton and Heath would notice.” Lucien looked at each of us. “Besides, it can only be those of us who fly.”
Xavier stiffened. “Wolves can travel fast.”
Lucien cocked his eyebrow. “Mt Elbert is at least hundred miles from here. Can you get there and back in one night?”
Xavier shoved back in his chair. “You know I can’t, but Raven could carry me.”
Lucien shook his head. “I think if we all try to leave, we’ll get caught. Do you really want to fight Anton and the rest of the professors?”
“I know it seems like they’re our enemy, but they’re not. I don’t want the rest of you to get into trouble, or worse… hurt.”
“We need a diversion,” Dante said. “Keep the professors, Anton, and Heath busy.”
Rhys snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it––a party.”
Xavier’s frown turned into a sly smile. “Where we can be rowdy and distract them.”
“What better liquor to get everyone wild than High Tempest.”
High Tempest was a Fae drink and highly potent.
“That would do it, all right,” I mumbled.
Last year I had one too many High Tempest and ended up kissing both Lucien and Bo, and all hell had broken loose.
Bo asked. “How much High Tempest do you have?”
Rhys grinned. “Plenty.”
“Enough to knock a dragon on his ass?”
“Yeah, why?” Rhys drawled out his voice.
“What better way to keep Heath busy than taken care of a drunken dragon prince?”
“I like it,” Lucien said. “We’ll say it’s a goodbye party for Raven.”
For the next hour, we planned the party, and then Lucien and the rest of the Royals presented it to Anton who, strangely enough, granted permission. Probably because it was going to be on a Friday night. As usual, the party was going to be held in the senior auditorium.
My nerves were on edge for the next twenty-four hours. I didn’t bother going to any of my classes. I did start packing, not that I had very much, just some clothes and books. I stuffed the magic orb into my bag. If our plan didn’t work, and with the dark demons hunting me, I needed eyes in the back of my head to keep from being snatched. The orb would at least help see if I was being tracked.
While everyone was in class, I looked through the angel lore book one more time to see if I’d missed anything.
I wrote out the prophesy again, but I added the word constellations:
Moon, sun, and stars
F the constellations
Ble
Wielding divine power
I bit the tip of my pencil. That first word had to be find. Now the prophesy read:
Moon, sun, and stars
Find the constellations
Ble
Wielding divine power
We’re close. Damn close. So, close I could taste it. For some reason, no one wanted this riddle solved. Bo’s father didn’t. Ryker didn’t. What was it about? What did they all fear? And what did have to do with me?
I wracked my brain, trying to come up with endings to the word Ble, but nothing seemed to work. Maybe if I could solve that word, then I could figure out the last part.
Mina walked into the room and smiled. “Hey, girl.”
“Hi.”
She looked at the scribbled paper littered around my bed. “What have you been doing?”
“Trying to solve the riddle.”
“Any luck?”
“No. Not yet. This is what I’ve playing with.”
Mina took the latest paper I’d been scribbling on. “That makes sense to me. Too bad that third line is so vague.”
“I’m not even sure how many words.”
“Maybe when you go to Mt Elbert, you’ll be able to find out more.” She sat on the edge of my bed.
“Mina, what’s wrong?”
She pushed her hair behind her ears. “I’ve been thinking about this all day, and I can’t get it out of my head.”
“What? Tell me.”
“I have had this nagging feeling that somehow Mt Elbert has something to do with my dream.”
I shook my head. “Didn’t you say you could see the towers of Legacy in your dream?”
“Yeah.” She clasped my hands and squeezed them. “Please, be careful. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Her low voice sent a chill down the back of my neck, and I shivered.
“Thanks for your vote of confidence.”
Tears slid d
own her face. “It’s not that I don’t believe in you and Lucien, but I don’t want anything to happen to either one of you.” She hugged me in the biggest bear hug that she cut off my breath.
I held her tight. Giggles outside our door broke our connection. We slowly untangled.
Mina brushed off her tears. “What are we doing? We’ve got a party to go to.”
I picked the papers up off the floor. “Yeah, party on, baby.”
“What are you going to wear?”
“Sweater and jeans. You?”
“You’re not going to dress up?”
I laughed. “I’m going to the mountains, Mina. High heels are not the best choice.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll wear jeans and a T-shirt, too. Too bad we didn’t have time to make up shirts that said Team Raven.”
“Thank you.” I clasped her hands. “I don’t know what I would have done without you guys.”
“Been miserable.” She stood. “Come on, let’s get ready. The party starts in two hours.”
Two hours later, Mina and I headed to toward the senior auditorium.
We ran into Vivian at the front door who was dressed to the nines in a little black dress and high heels. Music blared from upstairs.
She laughed. “That’s what you’re wearing. Figures.”
“Shut up,” Mina said as we walked past her.
Since this wasn’t a ball, there was a mixture of what people were wearing. Some girls had gone casual like Mina and me, and others had dressed up like Vivian.
The senior auditorium was always amazing to me, because it wasn’t just a ceiling and four walls. Tonight, the ceiling was the night sky, and silver dragons flew across it. I smiled. That had to be because of Anton. Maybe he hadn’t totally abandoned me.
Mina looked up. “Raven, those dragons look like exactly like you. They’re beautiful.”
“Yeah, I guess they do.”
Cliffs and mountains were on the walls. I almost felt like I could go hiking. The hair on my arms stood straight up and stopped me in the tracks… one of the mountain scenes was Mt Elbert. I was sure of it. Mt Elbert was above timberline, and there were no trees or brush up there. A rocky path led up to the top of the mountain. I had seen pictures of it. Did Anton suspect something?
Anton seemed to be in a deep conversation with Professor Soto. He didn’t even glance our way, but I’d bet dollars to donuts he knew exactly where I was.