Chapter 23
rune
. . .
I’d barely slept last night.
After last night’s attack at the formal, there was no part of me that felt rested. The adrenaline had long faded to a slow, vibrating ache beneath my ribs, and my body healed fast after five cups of poisoned tea. Though my mind was a completely different story.
I stood with the other fourth-years in the dusty morning light on top of the bright blue protective ward circling Apex Penitentiary’s entrance.
It was my last day at Apex Elite Academy.
The final trial.
No squads, or mentors, or safety nets.
Just individual agents ready to prove they were worthy of working for the Supernatural Council by breaking into whatever waited beneath Apex.
My mates stood close to me in the formation. Slater and Zuko were on either side of me, while Dimitri and Koa stood just behind me. Jesper, Drecken, and even Tibby were in attendance, but they weren’t allowed to stand with the fourth-years.
Even though this was an individual test, I could feel the support of my mates through the matebonds as a constant flow of warmth.
The other fourth-years whispered around us, and some were still pale from the tourmalyke poisoning. Others looked like they’d barely crawled out of bed. Everyone wore the academy-issued uniform.
A ripple of magic rolled across the courtyard like a heartbeat from the entrance below.
My dad, Headmaster Lake Bloodwyne, stood in front of us.
It was always so interesting to me to see him in his headmaster position, even though I’d been here for four years now.
His black hair caught the rising sun in spots, and his golden eyes, which were always full of warmth and pride at home, were glacial with authority.
“Year-four students,” he said, voice deep enough to vibrate the wards beneath our boots. “Your final trial begins now.”
A cold thrill shot down my spine.
I’d been wanting to dive into that entrance since day one.
My father’s gaze swept over the formation with intensity, lingering a fraction of a second on me before moving on in a professional, unreadable manner.
“Despite last night’s attack, we proceed as scheduled.
The humans grow bold, so we will grow sharper.
Apex Elite Academy was built for this. You have been trained for this. ”
He turned, gesturing toward the entrance of Apex Penitentiary.
Most students never bothered to glance at it unless they were aware of what it was ahead of time, apparently.
It always looked like a simple decorative glade or a reflective pool.
Until a closer examination showed that it was a pit hiding a jagged, yawning black chasm filled with water so still it might as well have been glass.
Except for when it rippled and breathed.
The water bulged, and the shape beneath shifted. The mouth was enormous, with rows of teeth.
It wasn’t a creature, not exactly, but an ancient, organic structure. A fae-wrought sentinel gifted to the supernaturals in Kalista after Kalista’s First War.
Several students gagged.
Dad continued, “Apex Penitentiary lies beneath this academy. It was built during the war, reinforced, expanded, and now used to house only the worst we have ever encountered. The criminals that are beyond rehabilitation but ones for whom death would be too light.”
A few fourth-years whimpered, but Dad didn’t spare them a glance.
“Your final trial is to infiltrate that prison.”
My heart rate spiked.
“The entrance awaits.” He pointed again at the pit, the teeth glinting faintly in the morning sun. “You will dive into that maw slowly and with no fear. It will not eat you if you control your magical essence and emotions, that is.”
A murmur of dread swept through the group.
I resisted the urge to grab my mates’ hands. I wasn’t worried about myself, and I knew they were skilled enough for this. But I felt their worry for me along the bond the same I felt for them.
Dad raised his voice. “Below the water lies a series of tunnels. Twisting, shifting, and built as a death puzzle to deter intruders. This prison was built with the help of the fae. Keep that in mind. Many of you believed the penitentiary’s entrance lies within Apex Nexus.
It does not and never has. This is a trial that every single agent should be capable of completing.
It tests discretion, stealth, emotional control, and the ability to navigate threats without confrontation.
You may use any of your abilities or devices. ”
“To pass, you must infiltrate Apex Penitentiary and reach the Visitor’s Book without dying. You must not be seen. Not by guards. Not by inmates. Not by the prison itself. If you are seen, you will be killed.”
A chill gripped the crowd.
Someone swallowed audibly.
Dad’s expression darkened. “The magic below can sense intent to a greater length than the academy. The book sits in the heart of the prison, un-warded. Because no one should ever reach it. Your task is simple: write your House name. Nothing more.”
A few students shook visibly.
My dad’s voice dropped to a near growl. “And if you do not come back…”
He didn’t finish the sentence; instead, he clasped his hands behind his back.
“There are stages. Listen carefully. Stage one is the door. It appears only when you’ve swum low enough.
It only opens when you’ve agreed to erase someone from your memory.
If you do not give it a memory of someone, you will not pass further. The maw will shut on you.”
Someone gasped.
“Stage two is when you enter the tunnels from the door. Follow sound, not sight. But some sounds lie, so be mindful.”
A girl whimpered.
“Stage three will be the silent hall. Do not speak. Even thinking too loudly may trigger the wards, so be aware.”
Excitement thrummed through me.
“Stage four sometimes merges with stage three. Other times, you will not experience it at all. If you do, your footsteps become echoes of your memories. Each echo will become louder. Ignore them and do not stop, otherwise you will fail.”
A knot tightened in my lower abdomen. I didn’t want to hear my memories repeating through a prison hall.
“Stage five will be a spectral shadow that is not real. They will ask your name. Do not answer and continue walking.”
The entire class stiffened.
“The last stage is signing the visitor’s book. Do not touch the stand or anything else. Write your House name, then leave through the door beside the book. You will come up through the bottom of the pit. Swim back up, and you pass.”
The words echoed, and Dad looked over all of us. We started as eighty students, but we had dropped to thirty-four who’d survived four brutal years, who’d trained for this, who’d nearly been killed last night…
“This trial is not meant to test strength or endurance. It tests who you are when no one sees you.” His gaze moved to me again, slower this time, lingering like a hand on my shoulder.
“Year-four of Apex Elite Academy,” he said, stepping aside. “Begin. One at a time. Volunteers to go first?”
“I will,” I said, stepping forward.
Dad frowned. “Very well.”
“Trust your instincts, viperling,” Drecken whispered.
Jesper nodded, his reassurance flooding the matebond.
“You got this, venom baby,” Slater told me.
“I’ll jump right after you, lethal darling,” Dimitri promised.
“Then I’ll go, pretty little poison,” Zuko said cheekily.
“See you on the other side, little vixen.” Koa’s reassurance trickled down the bond with worry.
“I’ve been wanting to explore this ever since the first time I saw it,” I admitted, walking toward the edge and looking down.
Below, the glassy water showed the mouth that waited just beneath the surface, ringed in teeth, each one as long as my leg.
My stomach clenched.
I rolled my shoulders back and jumped.
Cold water swallowed me as I plunged straight down, arms tight to my sides. The enchantments in the suit stopped me from freezing as I sank deeper.
Rows of ancient teeth slid past me. My skin crawled, but the maw didn’t bite down.
It was like diving through a throat that had forgotten how to swallow.
The pressure shifted, and I moved my arms to push myself deeper. I turned face down and swam, holding my breath.
I swam and swam until my lungs burned.
Bubbles emerged beside me as a door formed.
But it wasn’t really a door like Dad had suggested. Instead, it looked more like a rip in reality or a portal. A thin vertical line sliced the water, glowing faint gold. It split open like an opening eye.
Beyond it pulsed a corridor of darkness and faint green light.
I swam closer, and a sharp pain split my head open.
Take the memory of Aura—not Allison—but Aura.
My vision blotted as I attempted to swim into it again. This time, it swallowed me whole.
I burst from the water into empty air, falling several more feet before hitting a slick stone floor with a grunt. My wet hair plastered to my temples, and I inhaled a greedy stream of oxygen into my lungs as I pushed to my feet.
“Fates,” I hissed, wringing out my hair. “Who did I just forget?”
I racked my brain but came up empty.
Six matebonds pulsed in my chest, and the memories of my parents and brother remained.
Therefore, I didn’t care who I’d forgotten.
It wasn’t just the absence of light in this tunnel; it was a silence so dense it felt like cotton had been shoved into my ears and down my throat.
The air inside the doorway was warmer than in the pool, tinged with the scent of damp stone.
The door closed behind me with a soft hiss.
Faint green sigils pulsed in the stone beneath my feet, just bright enough to outline a narrow corridor ahead. The walls were slick black rock veined with a dull, greenish glow.
I inhaled slowly, forcing my breath to remain steady. My heart thudded a little too loudly in my ears, but I pressed forward.
The corridor sloped downward at a gradual angle, and the air grew colder and wetter.
My footsteps were unnervingly soft. The stone here drank sound and swallowed it.