Chapter 15
We were led out of the sitting room, down a corridor that sloped deeper into the building, lit by electric lanterns. The walls turned to rough stone. It felt subterranean.
Finally, we stepped into a cavernous chamber under the Alumni House, some sort of crypt or catacomb. Thick columns supported the low ceiling. A faint smell of damp earth clung to the air.
Sophie waited at the far end, flanked by two older men in suits. One wore a black tie with a skull pin. The other had a half-mask. They exuded a powerful presence.
“Laudari,” Sophie said, addressing the masked man. “Shall we commence?”
He nodded once. “Commence.”
My heart thundered as Sophie pointed to a large circle inlaid on the stone floor with silver mosaic. “Each pair stands within the circle. For this Rite, you will offer your loyalty and an object of significance. Something that ties you to your old life. If you do not have a physical token, a confession or vow will suffice.”
An object that ties me to my old life? My mind raced. They want a symbolic sacrifice.
The first pair stepped forward, each placing an item at Sophie’s feet. One left a thick journal. The other, a photograph. Sophie gestured, and watchers took the objects away.
When it was our turn, I felt faint. I had nothing on me except the cloak and slip dress. My phone was in a hidden pocket, but I sure as hell wasn’t giving it up.
Anubis touched my elbow, then unexpectedly he reached inside his cloak. He drew out a battered driver’s license, the one from high school. I glimpsed his younger photo on it.
He placed it on the stone. “This represents my old life before the Skulls,” he said quietly. “I give it up.”
Sophie’s gaze shifted to me. “And you, Nubia?”
My breath caught. “I…I have nothing.”
“Then speak your vow,” the masked man called Laudari said, his voice resonating in the crypt. “A vow that severs you from your past.”
I felt everyone’s eyes on me. My throat burned, the wine from last night still lingering in my system. I saw Toccara’s face in my mind, my old room, that tiny house up for sale, the bike rides in the wind. My mother, my father’s absence.
I exhaled unsteadily. “I vow to let go of…my fear,” I said haltingly, tears pressing behind my eyes. “The fear that’s ruled me since I was young. I vow that I won’t let my past define me.”
Something pulsed through the room, an electric hush. I wasn’t sure if it was enough. My voice echoed off the stone.
But Sophie gave a small nod. “Accepted.”
The watchers stepped forward, brandishing slender rods with glowing tips. They traced arcs in the air, as if sealing our vows with invisible ink. The tension in my chest eased.
Laudari raised his hands, commanding attention. “Tonight, you have bled together and sacrificed your old selves. You are reborn as novices in the Skulls. Prove worthy, and we shall open every door for you. Fail us in the coming months, and you will discover how swiftly the river claims the unworthy.”
A trickle of relief poured through me. We’d passed. I could feel it, sense it in the hush that followed.
Sophie’s lips curved into a chilling smile. “Thus begins the Bone Trials.”
Begins?
By the time we emerged from the crypt, dawn was fully breaking over the estate’s manicured grounds. We were ushered into an antechamber where the watchers removed our cloaks and gave us discreet medical attention for our palms. Then, as if everything was perfectly normal, the masked members congratulated us briefly and vanished into side rooms.
The next step was a celebratory breakfast, apparently. A bizarre tradition, but the Skulls loved their symbolic theatrics.
We drifted into a grand dining hall set with a buffet of fruit, pastries, and steaming coffee urns. I found a corner with Anubis, away from the clusters of exhausted novices.
“You did it,” he murmured, handing me a cup of coffee.
“We did it,” I corrected, sipping with trembling hands. “Now what? Are we stuck here until classes?”
He glanced around. “Usually, they let novices return to campus after the induction. But we’ll be called upon. This has been too easy. Except for…” he wouldn’t mention the dagger. “We’ll get tasks to prove ourselves, to climb the ranks. Meanwhile, Sophie and the higher-ups will be watching us closely.”
I lowered my gaze to my bandaged palm. “It’s not over, is it?”
Anubis leaned in, voice low. “No. The Bone Trials are just beginning. But we’re inside now. That means we can see how the Skulls function, find out if they had any hand in Toccara’s death, or if there’s a deeper pattern behind these so-called suicides. And…expose them if we’re careful.”
A swirl of determination settled over me. “Right,” I said. “We can’t let them keep hurting people.”
His hand found my waist, pulling me close. For a moment, we forgot the opulence and the onlookers. “I’m proud of you,” he whispered, pressing his lips to my temple.
Despite the fear, the exhaustion, something warmed in my chest. I rested my head against him, inhaling the faint cedar of his cologne.
Sophie’s voice rang through the hall, announcing the final formalities. We parted before she could see us too cozy. For the next half hour, we pretended to mingle, picking at fruit and pastries while masked members came by with quick remarks about “our bright future.”
Eventually, we were dismissed. A cluster of black SUVs waited outside, and watchers ferried novices back to campus.
I caught a glimpse of Sophie at the threshold, smiling her predator’s smile as she watched me leave. It felt too similar to Toccara’s final wave in the corridor the day she died. The hair on my neck stood up.
In the SUV, Anubis held my hand, occasionally stroking his thumb over the bandage. No words seemed enough to quell the swirl of emotions. The beginning trials had ended, but our dark romance with Edenvane’s underbelly was only beginning.
We arrived near dawn’s full light. Other novices trudged toward dorms or apartments, some in tears, some in shock. The driver dropped Anubis and me at a discreet spot near Eden Hall, the “slums,” ironically where I used to live.
Tiredness pressed on my eyelids like a heavy weight, but I strained myself to stay upright. “I need a shower, a change of clothes,” I mumbled.
Anubis tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Go rest. Meet me tonight at the caretaker’s cottage. We’ll compare notes about what happened in the crypt, see if there are next steps.”
I nodded gratefully, slipping away before campus security or the gossip mill could note our arrival together.
My new dorm room felt stale, the air heavy. I peeled off the slip dress and cloak, stuffed them in a bag, and stepped under the shower’s hot spray. The water turned pinkish near my bandaged hand, reminding me of the vow, the dagger, the entire twisted night.
But at least we’d made it through. That had to count for something.
I sank onto my bed afterward, exhaustion crashing in. A wave of memory threatened to swallow me, my confession to Anubis about my trauma, the puzzle, Sophie’s triumphant grin, the crypt’s ominous vow. But in the swirl of it all, I recalled his arms around me, his murmured comfort, how we’d chosen each other in more than one way. And I saw the hooded figure on the ground, bleeding, dagger protruding from his chest.
I drifted off into a dreamless sleep, praying that our fragile alliance would be enough to survive the Skulls’ next demands.
When I finally awoke, it was afternoon. My phone displayed a few messages:
Harry (The Howler): “We’re running a piece on the suicides next week. Need your draft.”
Unknown number: “Congratulations.–S.M.”
Seeing Sophie’s message made my heart pound. She had my phone number, of course. She had access to everything. This was her little victory note, reminding me that I was now hers in some warped sense.
I suppressed a shudder and texted back a single word to Harry: “Soon.”
My body still ached, and my palm stung beneath its bandage. But I needed to see Anubis. After grabbing a quick bite in the cafeteria, my appetite nonexistent, I made my way to the caretaker’s cottage. The autumn sun was low on the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of orange and purple.
I slipped into the cottage and found him there, perched on the edge of the old desk, reviewing a ledger by the light of a single lamp. He looked up, relief washing over his features when he saw me.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, setting the ledger aside.
“Sore. Exhausted.” I managed a small smile. “But I’m here.”
He opened his arms, and I stepped into his embrace, letting the tension in my shoulders melt. For a moment, we just held each other in the hush of that secret space.
Finally, I pulled back, eyeing the ledger. “What did you find?”
He ran a hand over the old pages. “Documentation on past novices who passed the Trials. Some were assigned tasks that escalated into extortion or sabotage. Others were given high power jobs and blackmailed for the rest of their days. All of it orchestrated by the Skull’s leadership. Toccara’s name is here in a side note. She was approached for a brand deal connected to a shell company under the Skulls. She must have discovered the link and threatened to expose them.”
My mouth went dry. “Which might explain her death. They labeled it a suicide, but maybe they pushed her or cornered her until…she had no escape. Maybe they asked a recruit to kill her. Thad said killing me was his trial.”
He nodded darkly. “This is the pattern. Now we’re part of them, at least outwardly. Which gives us the vantage point Toccara lacked.”
I stared at the page, the swirling old script detailing each novice’s tasks. Some had infiltration missions, like forging official documents. Others had more personal manipulations, seducing a wealthy sponsor, entrapping a professor. Reading it made my stomach turn.
“They’ll give us tasks soon,” Anubis murmured. “We have to appear cooperative while gathering proof to eventually blow this open.”
I swallowed, glancing up at him. “So, we become traitors. Double agents?”
His jaw tensed. “Better that than letting them keep doing this. People are dying… I was Thad’s captain.”
My eyes stung with tears. I reached out and squeezed his uninjured hand. “I’m in,” I whispered, voice shaking with determination. “We’ll do it carefully. For Toccara, and for whoever’s next on their list.”
His gaze softened, and in that moment, the heaviness in my chest eased. I didn’t feel alone anymore, maybe for the first time in my life.
We shared an embrace that grew more feverish with each exchanged breath. Pressed close, I found solace in the curve of Anubis’ arms. I tangled my fingers in his hair as the desperate tension of the Trials melted into something warm, alive, and tethered to hope as our lips met. Like the last time in my dorm room, there was no coercion, no punishment, just the comfort of each other's arms, each others’ bodies coming together. As the rest of Edenvane slept, we tangled together in front of the fire, losing ourselves in one another.
When the tender moment receded into a hush, the world snapped back into focus. The candle on the desk flickered, illuminating the ledger’s damning words.
I sighed, smoothing my rumpled clothes. “We should get some air. I’ll suffocate if I stay buried in secrets all night.”
He agreed. We left the caretaker’s cottage, strolling side by side along the moonlit path. A crisp breeze rustled the trees overhead. For once, the campus felt almost peaceful, if you ignored the labyrinth of lies just beneath its surface.
As we passed Eden Hall, I paused, recalling how I’d once carried all my worldly belongings in trash bags across this very sidewalk. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Anubis gave my hand a squeeze. “You’ve changed so much since that day,” he said, reading my mind.
“I had to. Maybe that’s what Edenvane does, forces you to grow up or break.”
“You won’t break,” he said firmly.
Despite the swirl of conspiracies and an uncertain future, I believed him in that moment. Because as dark as everything had become, the chance to rewrite my own fate alongside him felt like the first real control I’d had.
I caught a glimpse of the moon reflected in a distant window. Dig Your Grave , a voice whispered in the recesses of my mind. The threat still loomed, but I was no longer the terrified, lonely scholarship kid. I was the girl who had bled with Anubis, who had stared down Sophie Mence without blinking.
They might have started a game with me, but I wasn’t playing alone. And I sure as hell wouldn’t let them bury me without a fight.