Chapter 45 Vallynn
Tension thrummed through my body as I leaned against the back wall of the dining hall, waiting for the rest of the Second through Fourth Year students to file in.
Dante stood beside me, so still, I almost had to check he wasn’t in stone form.
The second trial had been brutal. Seeing Shadrie, Miles, Zypher, Gabriel, and Archer in our group only made it worse.
I knew that meant Bechora didn’t have anyone on her team that I could count on to protect her.
Somehow, she’d still managed to survive it in one piece.
I just had to worry about her making it through today.
My eyes landed on her and the others at their usual table, just as Professor Pelarian cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.
“Congratulations to those of you seated in this room. You’ve made it to the third and final trial.
Today, you will compete in The Relic War .
You will work in groups of four to capture an enemy flag and hold it at a secure location for twenty minutes.
While this may sound like a simple task, you will have to face constructs built to mimic the abilities of supernaturals throughout the realm, each one willing and able to kill, in order to retrieve their flag.
Beyond that, you will be in competition with other teams to be among the few who capture a flag, and successfully complete today’s trial without having to wait out the full twenty-four hours against the constructs. ”
“Fuck!” Dante muttered. “It’s gonna be a fucking bloodbath.”
I hummed my agreement as the Professor continued to speak.
“As there were so many losses during the second trial, the Brownies on staff have been asked to assign new groupings at random. You will discover who you are grouped with, once the trial begins. Now, without further ado, good luck to you all.” Professor Pelarian smiled brightly before clapping her hands together.
Her magic washed over the room, pulling us into the twisting nether toward whatever magical arena had been crafted for the final trial.
My boots hit solid ground, kicking up dust as my eyes scanned my surroundings.
Our group was tucked away in a rocky alcove, with a banner staked into the ground that read ‘Base’.
That was good. It was a defensible position.
Dante landed beside me with a grunt, and then Bechora appeared, before a large male shifter completed our group.
“Lark!” she smiled at the male, and I gritted my teeth together, fighting back the possessive urge to snatch her to my side.
“Hey, fire mage,” he grinned. “You’re looking better after yesterday.”
“I slept like the dead. It helped,” she laughed,
Dante cleared his throat, drawing their attention to us. “You our Fourth Year?” he asked without preamble. The group trials always had at least one Fourth Year meant to act as the group lead.
“Looks like,” Lark shrugged.
“We should map out a plan. Maybe have Dante scout ahead to see if he can spot any of the constructs,” I suggested. “Unless your beast is one that can fly.”
“He’s an elephant,” Bechora supplied, a look of admiration on her face for the shifter.
“I’m not one to argue with a good idea,” he said smoothly. “The gargoyle’s the only one with wings, might as well use them to see what he can find, so we can make a proper plan of attack to capture a flag and hold it. I don’t really want to be stuck in this arena any longer than I have to be.”
Dante looked to me for confirmation, and I gave him a curt nod. He shifted to his stone form, squatting down to launch himself into the sky the moment his wings emerged. I tracked him across the sky until he was nothing but a small dot in my vision.
“So, what do we do while we wait for Dante to scout things out?” Bechora asked.
“We should make a plan to defend our base location,” Lark answered.
“Getting a flag is just the first challenge. We still need to hold it for a full twenty minutes here, in order to pass the trial before the full time is up.” He paused to scan over our base area before turning his attention to me.
“You got any suggestions? I’m game to listen.
You are the Crown Prince after all, and I’m sure that means your education about these sorts of things is more extensive than anything we’re taught here. ”
My eyes widened in surprise. A glimmer of respect bloomed begrudgingly in my chest for the shifter who was standing far too close to my mate for my liking.
I took a deep breath and let my eyes roam over our area again.
This time, I noted the height of the rocky outcropping, just high enough that Dante could lie in wait to attack from above, while the land itself prevented an attack from behind.
There was only one passage leading in or out, and I moved closer to study it.
It was narrow enough to force any attackers to come at us in pairs rather than as an entire group.
We’d definitely been given a base that was likely the most defensible in the entire trial.
I couldn’t help wondering if that was in part due to my rank as Crown Prince.
“I can use my shadow magic to cut down anyone who comes through the pass. Post Dante on the ledge up there,” I said, turning back toward Bechora and Lark to point behind them.
“And you two can stay behind me to deal with anything that makes it through my shadows. I’m assuming the constructs will have the same weaknesses as whatever supernatural they’re modeled after, but having you two as the second line of defense means we aren’t caught off guard, if not.
And it keeps you both out of range of my shadows, so we aren’t risking either of you being harmed by my magic. ”
“Smart,” Lark nodded. “Solid plan. I like it. Now we just wait for the gargoyle to get back, and we can make a plan to get us a flag and finish this shit.”
I nodded at him, turning my attention back to the passageway.
Lark and Bechora fell into quiet conversation behind me while we waited for Dante to return.
Sweat was running down my back, soaking my combat uniform, by the time his shadow crossed overhead and I heard the thud of his feet hitting the ground.
“What did you find?” Lark asked as I turned and moved back to where the other three were grouped.
Dante shifted back to human form, stone melting away from his skin as his wings folded in tight behind him before vanishing.
“Constructs are worse than the professor made them sound,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “They’re not just mimicking abilities. They’re working in coordinated groups. I spotted at least three patrol groups moving between a handful of nearby bases.”
My jaw tightened. “What kind?”
“Mixed,” he replied. “One group had something that looked like a vampire construct paired with a shifter and two fae elemental casters. They were already engaged with another group of students, and the students weren’t faring well.
Another looked like heavier tank types. A couple gargoyles and metal mages, and there’s at least one aerial patrol, circling what looked like a central clearing. ”
Lark cursed under his breath. “So, no easy grabs.”
Dante shook his head. “No, but I think with the first group of constructs distracted already, we have an opening.” His gaze shifted to me, then Bechora.
“Their base is about a quarter mile east of here, and when I was heading back this way, it looked like the student team was starting to smarten up a bit and try to draw them away from their base, while one of their teammates went around to try and flank them to get the flag. If we can get there while they have the constructs distracted, it’s just one student to deal with. ”
“Assuming the student team doesn’t fall before we get there,” Bechora said.
“That too,” Dante smirked. “But it’s the easiest option we’ve got. Unless you’re afraid, Red.”
Bechora crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at Dante, while Lark cast a puzzled glance between them. “Just worried your heavy, stone ass won’t be able to keep up.”
Dante barked out a laugh that only seemed to confuse Lark further. Our Fourth Year leader seemed too befuddled by the dynamic between Bechora and Dante to make a call about our plan.
“Sounds good to me,” I spoke. Lark seemed to snap out of his confusion and nodded.
“Let’s get moving, then,” the shifter grinned. “The faster we do this, the faster we’re sitting back on campus.”
We didn’t waste another second. Dante took to the sky again, lower this time, scouting ahead as we slipped from our alcove and into the rocky terrain beyond.
I stayed close to Bechora, my shadows stretching along the ground ahead of us in anticipation.
We moved quickly and quietly. Quieter than I thought possible for an elephant shifter.
The sounds of battle carried on the wind as we crossed the uneven terrain, but we managed to make our way toward our goal without interference.
Dante dropped lower ahead of us after we’d been walking for what felt like ages, gliding lower as he turned back toward us.
“Still engaged, different student team from the looks of it,” he said as he landed beside us. “The constructs are pushing the new group hard, and the team is barely holding.”
“Great,” Lark said under his breath with a sharp grin. “Let’s not waste this perfect opportunity.”
He picked up his pace, careful to keep distance between himself and my shadows crawling over the ground.
We crested a ridge, slowly, and keeping low.
The construct base came into view below, smaller than ours and tucked between jagged rock formations.
The banner stood planted near the center, glowing faintly.
The student Dante had seen attempting to circle around must have been waylaid elsewhere, as nobody was in sight.
“Go,” Lark whispered, surging forward, fast despite his size.