13. Deadly De-Part-ay #2
“You didn’t see it, but it was going for Moni’s Demstone on her vine, so I stopped it,” I tell her, but before she can react, I keep going.
“You have to realize, we’re not back home anymore.
It might seem like it, but with all of these students here from other schools, we might as well be back on the Trail.
The only people we can trust are ourselves again.
” I kiss her hair and sit back up when our fathers take the stage.
I cock my head to the side when I see five people and yet six chairs.
“What’s going on with the chairs? I’m lost,” Rez whispers.
“Welcome, students. Please have a seat,” Dean Caldron says as he walks forward in front of the six chairs on the stage.
“No clue,” Levi says on the other side of me.
Seeing Delvin up there is a surprise, but honestly, after knowing he was coming to help Matthew with the preparations for the meet-and-greet, I figured he would be here.
“I want to welcome you to this year’s Pre-Gauntlet Orientation officially,” Matthew greets the assembly, and the room cheers.
He snaps his fingers, and the noise quiets down immediately.
“Congratulations to all of you who have made it this far.
It speaks highly of your talents that you have not only gained knowledge but have conquered fears, slayed monsters, and mastered your magic with the dignity and prestige of the academies that you represent.
“The Gauntlet has always been a long tradition of demonstrating your worth through your magic and skills. The Fates will be watching you closely next week as you run through your course. For the practical exam, you are permitted to bring anything you can carry to help you. Now, I will turn this over to Dr. Steinbeck.” Matthew nods and moves back to his seat as Dad comes up to the podium.
“Hello. I am Dr. Steinbeck, and each of you will be required to come by my clinic tomorrow, else you will not run the Gauntlet,” he states, and even with Matthew’s dampening spell, there’s an uproar.
Wow, Dad, way to make friends.
“With the dangers of this year’s Gauntlet, the compromise all the schools have made is for everyone to be fitted with a health monitor.
It will not allow us to track you, but simply to know if you succumb to the elements, your neighbor, or if you need rescuing after the Gauntlet is over.
” There’s no sound whatsoever as those words sink in.
“The medical and science building is open, and I have staff that can answer any questions that you may have before Monday, but we will not be available during the Gauntlet. So, I would suggest getting the supplies you didn’t bring or already have with you.
Any medical questions I can answer while I’m here? ”
A few hands fly up, and Dad calls on them, but most of these I already know. All of this feels like a waste of precious time that I could be doing something better, or in between someone’s thighs, more like it.
“Will we be able to find all of the plants we need here in Nova?” someone asks, and Dad takes off his glasses and cleans them.
Bingo. A tell. He’s trying to figure out what he can and can’t say. I sit up a little bit straighter and lean into Rez.
“Pay attention. Dad doesn’t know what to say, so he’s weighing his options here,” I whisper, and she nods before zoning in on him.
“As the medical professor and a herbalist, I would suggest either making notes of exotic plants or making sure one of the books you carry is Tilly Wonders Over.”
Everyone starts furiously scribbling down what Dad says. I go to ask Rez how to spell Tilly with an ‘i’ or ‘y’, and she’s just looking down into her lap and biting her bottom lip, trying not to laugh.
“What—”
“I’ll explain later,” she tells me, and I’ll let it go for now. It must be an inside joke, because Dad is not that funny, I promise.
“Thank you, everyone. Please direct your attention to Chief Cloak,” my dad says as he goes back to his seat.
“I’m Chief Cloak, and for your knowledge, your head of security, so I’m not here to mince words. We shouldn’t be doing the fucking Gauntlet this year at all, especially here, but I was outvoted.”
Wow, don’t hold back. Tell us how you really feel.
“As Dean Caldron said, you will be tested on your magic and skills, but what he left out is how you’ll be tested.
The Gauntlet will be a death trap for you to survive in for a week.
You will be living off the land the entire time.
You will not be coming back here to sleep in your beds, take showers, or grab food.
So, for those of you who have the capability to portal around, that’s not going to happen,” Chief gruffs.
“Try to get smart and use a portal stone that’s anchored to the school or the grounds here or Nova? I’m warning you now, it won’t work.”
He takes a moment to walk the length of the stage, and his aura is as intimidating as it is without his Alpha presence, so I can only imagine how the shifters feel when he lets some of his power out. Knox’s slight shift in his seat is the only indication that Chief is even doing so.
“As our world intended, we are fierce creatures, meaning this course is fierce and unforgiving. If you missed our earlier announcement, the Sulks have been spotted here multiple times, and I have officially dubbed this their hunting grounds. So, you not only have to worry about your environment and the wildlife that reside within, but also about that. We also have the Rebels in droves, and they have been seen in and around our academy. Now with all of that said, that’s not even the worst of the worst that’s out there,” he says, stopping in the middle of the stage and looking over the room.
“The worst thing you’ll have to worry about is the other students, because there are no rules during the Gauntlet.
It’s a free-for-all.” With that said, he turns and walks back to his chair.
“Fuck me,” Rez says under her breath.
“Gladly.”
“Seriously, Ry, because this might be your last time. Me during the gauntlet with no powers? I’m a sitting duck with a bullseye on my flank. I’m fucked and not in a good way.” Rez closes her eyes and leans on my shoulder.
I must admit, I love how she’s relying on me to comfort her, but I’m kinda worried. Rez without powers is really a shitty plan, any way you hack it. We need a game plan, and quick, because like Rez says, right now the fates are fucking us hard, and they forgot the damn LUBE!!