throat.
“Where’s Rage?” I blurted, louder and far more demanding than respectful.
Master Carn furrowed his brow and straightened in his chair. “Off-island with his brothers.”
Brothers? “They’re all gone?”
He rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you hear one of them was injured in the attack last night?”
My whole body tensed as I nodded. “Yes, but which one?”
“That is something you can gossip about with your friends on your own time.”
Frak frick fook!
“But all of them went off-island?”
Of course they did. I would too if I had a sibling injured.
“Maybe you should stop worrying about boys and start focusing on your studies for the midyear test. It’s only a month or so away.”
I nodded. Time to eat humble pie. “Yes, Master Carn.”
He gave me a curt nod. “Good. Then when you’re done with your studies and dinner service for the day, meet me here.”
“Why?” I studied him, looking for a hint of something.
“It’s a surprise.”
I hated surprises, especially here, because none of them were ever good.
I nodded and then settled into my coursework, feeling the absence of the giant douchebag I’d come to miss. I hoped was okay.
The day dragged on with a special torture. Justice, Honor, Noble and Rage were all gone from lunch and dinner. Now, I had to meet Mr. Carn for my “surprise” when really, I just wanted to inspect the Midnight princes for shoulder wounds.
I headed down the hallway just as Master Carn stepped out the door.
“Ready?” he asked.
Before I could respond, he walked off, taking massively long strides further into the building.
Okay.
Please don’t lead me to the king’s dungeon and kill me.
We traversed the hall, and every snatch of conversation I overheard was regarding the attack or how one of the Midnight princes was injured. The one bit of news—or rumor—that caught my ear was that the attacker was a rogue wolf from the mainland.
Shady.
My thoughts were so deeply consumed that I bumped into Master Carn when he came to an abrupt stop.
“Sorry,” I muttered, backing away.
Master Carn huffed but said nothing else as he drew a key from his pocket, which he used to unlock a stone door.
I glanced down the long concrete hallway, first to the right and then the left. “Where are we?”
He grunted, pulling open the door.
My fears of dungeons evaporated with the sight of Kaja, Nell, Evil Barbie, and one of her sisters all seated on a gray mat. I passed my instructor and crossed the threshold into a gymnasium of sorts, but it was fully made of concrete, from the floors to the ceiling. On the far wall was a cache of glittering weapons.
Cool.
“Young ladies,” Master Carn greeted the others.
Nell and Kaja waved excitedly at me while Mallory and her clone sister Heather just crossed their arms and glared.
Backatcha.
“The midyear practical is slowly creeping up, and with the recent attacks, the king has asked that all alpha heirs start practicing within a group. This will help strengthen your abilities, both individually as well as collectively.”
Ugh. Why was Evil Barbie in our group?
“Nell will brief you on a few details of the exam and give you some strategies to help you do well. The other professors are doing the same with their students. Good luck.”
With that, he left, locking the door behind him…
“Did he just lock us in?” Kaja said, her eyes widening.
Exactly my thought!
Nell chuckled. “It’s for our safety as well as theirs. Imagine poking your head into the room and getting hit in the face with a fireball. This is a practical skills gym. No one in or out without a key. Don’t worry. We can leave.”
She held a key up as if for further reassurance.
“All right,” I grinned. “So, give us the deets.”
Nell cleared her throat. “So, here’s what you need to know—”
“My sister already told me.” Mallory pointed to her sister Heather and rolled her eyes until they stuck to the ceiling. “We play magical ‘capture the flag.’ A demonstration of our skills for the High Mage Council and king.”
After Mallory finished with a huff, Nell snapped her mouth shut with a click of teeth.
“Yeah, well, it’s a bit more complicated than that.” Nell’s gaze bounced to each of us, and she continued: “A student died two years ago. If you don’t practice enough, not only could you fail to return for studies the second half of the year, you could fail to draw another breath. Did your sister tell you that?”
Nell glared at the mute blonde next to Mallory.
Mallory blanched and then glared at her sister. “No.”
“All right! Well,