Chapter 34
They came out of nowhere. Landing from the sky like stray bullets. There was no time to think, to act. When they arrived, we knew it was over.
ANONYMOUS FROM UNKNOWN NEWSPAPER (VAULT ARCHIVES)
The southern border had two wards, one that separated it from the Academy grounds, and another three miles from the first. The grading would take place between the two, an area dotted with woodland and valleys, with a mountain range to the west.
The field before the first ward had been turned into a spectator ground, sporting an arena bordered by seats that rose three levels, occupied by eager, excited faces.
There was an area in the middle of the arena for the administration—Coterie members, and a few faces I didn’t recognize.
I searched the stands for Drayven and found him in the upper row with Brek, Jay, and the other Thropes.
Cami was among them and waved when she spotted me.
I waved back. She’d be taking her grading in a year, and hopefully, I’d be there to help her through it.
My gaze tracked back to Drayven, hoping for a smile, but all I got was a dip of the chin.
Fine. If he wanted to act like we hadn’t had a connection, then so be it.
I had Horrors to hunt.
If only they would let us out of the fucking wards.
Around me, the other students from my Combat 101 class shifted from foot to foot, nervous and excited to begin.
We were the first group to take the grading this way.
The group to lead the charge of change, and I was certain the students from Sterling’s other classes were keen to see what it was all about.
My stomach churned in a mixture of dread and excitement, an internal conflict that would only be resolved with action. I needed this test to begin already, but we wouldn’t set off until sunset, and the sun was still making its descent.
I flexed my toes in my new boots—thick leather with steel caps at the toe—not broken in yet and waiting to give me blisters. My whole outfit felt stiff and new—from the linen shirt under my long-sleeved, fitted tunic, to the breeches hugging my thighs.
I scanned the crowd again, eager for a distraction, and found the Unwoven in the stands to my right, their faces pale smudges of anxiety, and our conversation on the way here scrolled through my mind.
“It’ll be perfectly safe,” Clary had said, her tone overly cheerful. “The Horrors are carver-made, so they won’t kill you.”
“But they will do serious damage,” Benedict reminded me. “I spoke to one of the Carvers this morning. He was tight-lipped about the whole thing, but he said this grading was as close to a real hunt as you could get without…you know, going on a real hunt.”
“You’re making her nervous,” Clary chided.
“She should be nervous,” Dori said. “Nerves will keep her sharp.”
Yes, nerves would keep me sharp.
The air crackled with static, and then a voice blared, “Welcome to the first True Grading.” Walter Regent stood in the stands, a megaphone held to his lips.
“Thanks to the hard work of the Carver Initiative, today, we will administer our first True Grading, where students will hunt real Horrors. These are Carver creations, designed to operate and function like any other Horror. Combat students will be required to work together to hunt and subdue a Horror of their choosing to pass the grading. Active hunt teams will allocate marks based on your performance, which will be watched through our corvus speculum.”
A shimmering wall shot up between us and the Coterie, and the next moment, a flock of ravens appeared overhead.
The shimmering wall flickered, and an image of the arena appeared, shifting with the unnatural tilt and glide of the ravens’ flight—watchful, tracking, capturing every movement below.
The image zoomed in on Vitra’s face—his mouth set in a firm line, gaze hooded—before shifting to Sterling, who looked bored out of his skull.
Then it flashed over to Tamina and her Haematophage cronies.
She looked bored, too, like she’d prefer to be anywhere else but here.
The image panned away, settling on a tall, pale woman with inky eyes and dark hair streaked with gray.
She wore a high-necked coat, fitted to her upper body but flaring at the hips, falling loosely down to her calves.
“Hello, students.” She did use a megaphone, but her voice carried regardless.
She must be using magic. “For those of you who do not know me, my name is Helena Grimani, and I am Master Carver here at Nightsbridge. The Initiative has worked tirelessly to create accurate representations of what you will face outside the sanctity of our wards. Make no mistake, these Horrors will want to harm you, just as real Horrors will. Although they cannot kill you, they can maim and maul and bring you to the precipice of death. This grading is the closest representation to what you will face as a Hunter.”
The image swung away from her and back to Walter.
“Maddox, Murder, and their flock will keep watch as you progress through the hunt.” The ravens cawed as if in confirmation.
“The hunt will end at midnight, when the Horrors will be recalled by the Carvers, and you will be free to return to the Academy.” The last rays of the sun died. “Make your way to the wards now.”
The wards rippled, preparing to fall.
“Move!” A pair of older students, probably hunt members, ushered us toward the wards.
Panic gripped me, digging its claws into my lungs.
I was about to enter a hunt with people I didn’t have any connection to, some of whom hated me and wanted me dead.
Sterling had done his best to keep me separate, never allowing me to get to know the others.
Never allowing me to build relationships.
Deliberate, no doubt.
But if I was going to pass this grading, I’d need to find a way to integrate and work with them.
My skin prickled as the ward dropped, and we stepped through. Moonlight spilled over the dense forestland waiting in the distance across the vast frosty plain.
We jogged across the frozen ground, ravens flying overhead, before the group slowed.
“If we’re going to do this, we’ll need a team leader,” a student named Poppy said. Small and delicate looking, she was fearsome with a sword. I’d studied her form plenty of times. She was also the oldest in the class, aside from me, at nineteen. A late starter to Nightsbridge.
“You should do it, Poppy,” Bryce, a short, stocky Thrope, said.
“Like Fel,” Tyler snarled. “I’m not taking orders from a fucking kappa.”
Poppy’s eyes narrowed. “Then maybe you’d like to take a fist to the face instead.”
“Stop it!” Bella, an Arcanus with Silverthorn Coven, stepped up. “You’re a bully, Tyler, and if you think we’re going to let you lead, then you’re mistaken.”
“Yeah, and exactly how are you going to stop me?” Tyler demanded.
His three Phage friends stepped forward to flank him.
Were they from the Damascus bloodline, or simply bloodlines affiliated to Damascus and here to garner favor?
It didn’t matter—they outnumbered the opposition.
Even if I jumped in and backed Poppy, it would be four against four.
Above us, the ravens circled, and an idea struck me. “Nice, Damascus, show everyone what a bully you are.” I glanced up at the birds.
Tyler followed my gaze, comprehension dawning before his expression closed off. “I’m simply saying that I’m better suited to leadership.”
“And why is that?” I crossed my arms. “What qualities do you have that make you a better leader than Poppy?”
I had no idea if Poppy was a good leader, but I’d take her over Tyler any day.
His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “No one asked your opinion, Onyx.” He spat out my name like it was a curse.
“I want to know,” Bryce said.
“Me too,” Bella added.
“You don’t want to follow my lead, then fine.
Catch your own Horror.” He tipped his head up to the ravens.
“We have two teams now.” He dropped his chin and smirked.
“Come on, boys, let’s bag us a Horror.” They broke away and began to run westward across the plain.
The flock above us split into two, and half the birds followed them, while the rest remained circling us.
“Dark skies,” Poppy said. “We could have done with muscle. I wish you’d stayed out of it.”
Great. “You’re welcome.”
“No, Onyx is right,” Bryce said. “Tyler’s an asshole. We don’t need him. We can do this.”
“And we have one of the supply packs,” Bella said.
Tyler had taken the other two with him, so we’d have to make do with whatever was in Poppy’s.
Poppy exhaled. “Fine. Eyes peeled. Stick together.” Her gaze slipped over my shoulder to the sword strapped on my back. “If we’re attacked, run. Regular steel won’t do a damn thing to a Horror.”
“We should be fine till we cross the plain,” Bella said. “It’s the forest we have to worry about.”
“True,” Poppy said as we set off toward the forest at a steady jog. “We’ll see any threat out in the open for miles.”
It made sense.
We lost sight of Tyler and his team quickly as darkness swallowed them. We aimed for the eastern side of the forest, staying in tight formation as we ran.
Frost crunched underfoot, but at least there was no snow to deal with, and visibility was good except… “Is that mist ahead?”
“Yeah,” Bella said. “It’s come out of nowhere.”
“Nothing comes from nowhere,” Poppy said. “We should avoid it.”
“Agreed,” Bryce said.
We veered away from the mist, but it expanded, moving closer, aiming straight for us.
This had to be part of the Carver’s plan. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to get away.”
“Which means Horrors,” Poppy said. “Be ready. Onyx, aim for the forest if we’re attacked and wait on the outskirts.”
I wasn’t used to taking orders, especially not from someone younger than me, but her orders were sound, and she’d been here longer than me. “Okay.”
The mist rushed forward to swallow us, reducing visibility to the extent that we could barely see each other.
“Stay close!” Poppy ordered. “The mist isn’t natural. It smells off.”
We kept moving in the direction we’d been going, but the mist was everywhere, disorienting and thickening by the minute.
“It’s following us.” Bella’s voice pitched. “It has to be.”
“What’s that?” Bryce pointed at nothing. “There, again.”
“I don’t see anything,” Bella said.
“Doesn’t mean there’s nothing there.” Poppy drew her sword, and the others followed suit.
The muscles in my thighs bunched, ready to propel me into action at a moment's notice, as I scanned the mist, gaze snagging on a tall, elongated shadow before it melted into the fog. “I see something.”
“Me too!” Bella called out.
“No!” Bryce cried. “No, get out. Get out of my head!” He fell to his knees, clutching his head. “They’re in here. I can hear them.”
Ice filled my veins. “An Echo?” We hadn’t been trained to shield against echoes. Jay had warned that the Carvers might pit us against one to test our mental acuity, but I hadn’t expected it to happen.
Bryce screamed, an awful, shrill sound that morphed into a roar as he burst from his skin in all his beastly glory—five feet of fur and claws, red eyes burning with hunger.
Several shapes coalesced around him—echoes imitating his form. Fuck, there was more than one?
“Run!” he roared.
We didn’t need telling twice.