very bad thing. Once we entered Everwilde, we belong to them. Any human who loses their spot at Evermore Academy goes to work as a slave in the Unseelie Courts, or worse . . . fighting the darklings in the scourge.”
An image of those poor souls trudging mindlessly behind Magus flashes in my mind, and newfound fear pierces my core. I cannot let that happen. God only knows what life in the Unseelie Courts would be like.
And the scourge . . .
My hands clench the bars as we’re plunged lower. The Fae students peer down at us. Inara’s face is gleeful as she calls out, “Watch out for the hungry selkies, little humans.” Her cruel gaze flicks to me. “I hear they eat the ugly mortals first.”
I can’t quite catch my breath. I should have expected something like this in the beginning—the Fae are vicious jerks—but still, I’m caught off guard, and I hate the feeling.
Someone is crying—a tall girl with lavender -dyed hair wrangled into a tight knot. In between sobs she blurts out that she can’t swim.
“We should help her,” I say, but Mack puts a hand on my arm and shakes her head.
“No. She’s already panicking. In the water she’ll drown anyone who tries.”
I feel sick. This isn’t right. But I don’t have time to come up with a plan. In a few moments, we’ll have to swim.
Swim . . . with shoes. I lose my scarf and sweatshirt, pocket my mittens, then I bend down and rip my boots off. Mack catches on immediately and does the same, wincing as she has to get rid of her expensive Jimmy Choo’s.
Together we chuck our stuff through the cage bars. Mine barely miss a blond Fae boy’s head before disappearing above.
I’ll have to come back for those later.
The others follow our lead and shoes fly through the air, a few missing the dwindling ledge above and raining back down on us.
A giant greenish-yellow orb hangs from the top of the cage, illuminating tiny streams of water rivering down dirt walls as we’re dragged deep into the earth. The circle of light from above grows smaller and smaller, the faces of the Fae watching us becoming nondescript.
The others inside the cage are starting to group into packs of three to four.
“Here’s the deal,” Mack says, turning me to face her. “There are seven tunnels leading out from here to the lake, each with magical reeds placed along their length to let us breathe. But there aren’t enough of the breathing devices for all of us.”
A mixture of anger and fear roils my gut. “Why would they do that? Give us less than we need?”
“Because they’re the Evermore, and we’re their entertainment. The sooner you get used to that fact, the better.”
My jaw locks as anger pours through me. I’ll never get used to that idea. Never.
The trembling beneath my feet stills as the floor stops moving. Water begins to fill the space, lapping at my socks. It’s surprisingly warm. The stagnant odor fills my nose and turns my stomach.
“So how do we make sure we get a breathing device?” I ask, my eyes glued to the brackish water now swirling around my calves. Now my knees . . . my thighs . . .
The cavern is filling fast.
“Swim like hell?” She gives a nervous laugh. “Everyone knows the shortest route is that tunnel”—she nods to her left—“so we just need to be the first ones inside.”
Already, a crowd blocks that door, waiting to be first. Frowning, I scan our surroundings. A small cavern hardly larger than our cage greets me. I can just barely make out the tops of the tunnels. They must be low to the ground because they’re already underwater. Golden light flickers from each entrance, brightening the water enough to highlight its clarity.
At least there’s light to guide us. It could be worse.
Silver linings and all.
“Which one is the longest tunnel?” I ask.
She raises an eyebrow and nods behind me. “The one directly at your back. But no one takes that one . . .”
“And you’re a good swimmer?” I ask as water reaches my armpits. My long hair swirls around my body, and I regret not pulling it up out of my face before we came.
She winks. “State champion two years running.”
For some reason, that’s not surprising. I grin. “Good, then let’s take the long tunnel.”
Her eyes narrow as she works out my thinking. “It won’t be crowded . . . so we won’t have