Declan’s piercing eyes roam over my face, and he nods at whatever it is that he finds. “Is what you said back there true? Do you really want to bridge the gap between the Dark and the Light?”
“Yes,” I say, eyeing them each in turn but not for too long. “Plus, Lore wishes to visit the library. It’s said to hold a number of old volumes that she hasn’t been able to get her talons on.” I shrug, hoping that that answer will be sufficient.
The guys exchange a look and then nod in unison, their colorful aura’s merging together. Mostly, auras are like a thin, transparent bubble around people that change color and shape depending on the person’s mood, power level, and abilities. But all semblance of logic is being broken in front of me as I watch the boys’ auras interact and swirl together into a cacophony of light and color.
Interesting. I wonder what that means?
“We need to get into this academy, so if you’re willing to put aside your differences, we’re willing to put ours aside.” Stepping forward, the red-haired boy holds out his hand, and I shake it gingerly.
“I’m Rory,” he says with a smile, before gesturing to the hulk on his right. “That’s Dane. The silent guy behind me is Paxton, and you obviously know Declan. Somehow.”
“He’s my jailor,” I clarify.
Declan rolls his eyes. “All things aside, Serena, this is important to us, so are you actually serious about this?”
Sighing, I stare at the sky, wondering what I ever did to deserve such suspicion. Lore scoffs, and I feel her amusement flowing into me.
I turn to face Declan head-on and draw a cross over my heart with my index finger. “Promise. I want in as much as you guys. So don’t hold me back, kay?” I hold out my hand which he takes suspiciously in his before quickly dropping it.
“Students! Can I have your attention please?” A woman’s voice rings out across the land. We turn to find a smartly dressed woman in a soft-gray tailored suit on a stage to the front of the crowd.
“Thank you for being prompt. Your team-building exam will begin shortly,” she says, gazing around. “Please be sure to find your teams as soon as possible. Time you waste at the beginning of this trial is time lost that you could have spent solving it.” She gazes down at us with sharp features and a no-nonsense coolness in her eye.
“As you’re now aware, we have made this year’s entrance exam a group trial. If you succeed, you succeed as a group. If you fail, you fail as a group.”
Echoes of outrage spill from our fellow examinees, but the woman just holds up her hand. “Teamwork is a skill we seem to be lacking, and as such, it will be the basis for much of the curriculum this year. Again, please find your teammates. The examinations will begin in five minutes.”
Students hold up their papers, calling for others with the same letter-number combination, while we stand off to the side, watching the mayhem unfold around us.
“So, Serena… what are your abilities?” Rory asks.
My body tenses as I peer over my shoulder at him. “Don’t you know that curiosity killed the cat?”
He stills at my words, and I turn back around, observing the rest of the students and making notes on who looks like our biggest competition—a few bright auras stand out to me, but none so unique as the men behind me. But I groan when I notice the three blonde mice from earlier. Unfortunately, their power level appears our biggest threat.
“From what I can tell, we have to be careful of that group. But otherwise, we should be in the clear—battle wise, anyway. But seeing as I can’t judge brain smarts, it’s anyone’s ball.” I glance over my shoulder again. “What are your rankings?”
They silently communicate among themselves, their aura’s moving in sync once again. How do they do that? But none of them answer my question.
“To gain a secret, you must share one. If you can’t do that, then you have no right to ask,” Lore chides.
I sigh and run my fingers over my hair and down my braid, playing with the ends as I say, “At the Academy of the Dark, I was ranked as one in both fields: magical ability and intelligence.”
I frown at the obvious shock on their faces; my feelings would be hurt if I had much of them left. “I know this might come as a shock to you guys, but we’re not all stupid. Otherwise, Light would have won the war a long time ago.”
Rory opens his mouth to speak but is cut off as the speakers around us crackle. “Students! Members of staff are handing out your first puzzle; ensure that you collect one. Once you receive it, your exam begins,” the woman declares as a horn trumpets in the distance.
When I turn to the guys, the shock on their faces has been replaced by steel determination. But it is Paxton that draws my attention. His hard eyes scream strength and knowledge as he scans the area around us, observing the other students and searching for our puzzle.
And one word clings to my mind as I continue to watch him: paladin. His aura glows and moves like everyone else’s, but there’s an essence to it I’ve not seen before—righteous power. I remember being taught about the men and women whose beliefs were so ingrained within them that their strength and wisdom is unparalleled. But to become a paladin means to suffer a blow so great it changes your view on life forever.
What happened to him?
As if sensing my gaze, his eyes meet mine, and I become lost in the ancient blue.
“Serena, do you have any idea what this is?” Rory asks. My eyes snap to him as he holds out a gold, cylindrical object, the runes etched on the side all too familiar. It surely can’t be this easy…
Taking the cryptex into my
