of her sacrifice, his anger shook the realms. He used the fountain as a portal to kill Eris, but without his moon to bring out the stars within him, Hades’ grief drove him to insanity. He and the God of Life waged war on the kingdoms of this world. Hades slew Eris, but now that Danica had her powers as well as her sister’s, she was able to injure the Dark God so much so that he was sadly forced to retreat back to the underworld and was stripped of his ability to return.
“Peace settled among the forest for a time. Sunlight filtered through the trees on what was called the Red Dawn, the day in which no evil lurked within the shadows. Danica passed the Throne of Luna to Ares, who was quick to succumb to the allure of darkness, and he became the first Dark Fae in existence and our very first king.”
The assembly hall goes wild.
Mr Greyhorn watches everyone cheer and applaud him like he’s Ares himself, and the way he lifts his chin and curls his lip into a tight smile is unsettling. Something seems to catch his attention and he narrows his eyes into sharp slits.
I follow his gaze to the girl at the end of our row, and though I can’t hear her over the noise, I can tell she’s trying to grab his attention. He lifts his hand once more, just an inch, and the voices settle.
“Yes, Miss Wringley?”
All eyes turn to her.
The poor girl’s face turns beetroot and she squirms in her chair. “I… I was just wonderin’, sir, how shadowborns came to be? Was it because o’ the Dark God like some o’ the ancient text suggests?”
The same sniggering students cackle again, deepening the girl’s blush. A surprising rush of anger surges through me. As I turn to glare at them, Mr Greyhorn answers her.
“It seems not everyone did their research accurately before coming here.” He huffs under his breath, encouraging those dickhead students to sneer and laugh again. “The short answer is no. Those claims are merely speculation. Shadowborns are an amalgamation of dark and light magic, which is why you are here, child, to learn how to harness your powers instead of fear them. Now, with all that said, it is time for you to take the Sacred Oath.”
Holding his crystal out again, he pushes his finger onto the pointed tip, drawing a single droplet of blood.
“Once your blood infuses the magic inside this vial, you must cast the spell written on the scroll. The incantation will ensure your safety here at the academy for as long as you remain within the forest. It will heal and guide you in moments of darkness, for each crystal contains a flicker of starlight, and it’ll be entirely unique to the blood holder depending on the strength of one’s powers, Now.” He casts a cold stare around the students in front of him. “Who would like to go first?”
Nobody dares volunteer.
A few students at the back snigger at the lack of courage.
Sage rolls her eyes and raises her hand. “I’ll go, sir.”
“Very good, Miss Millhouse. Do read the spell out loud for all to hear.”
Sage stands and uncurls her scroll. Clearing her throat, she reads the words clearly, her voice confident just as I knew it’d be. The second she drops her blood into the vial, the crystal changes into a luminescent green. With a reassuring nod from her, I go next, and my crystal is the same colour as hers.
I whisper the incantation. My crystal changes to a deep emerald, and a warm sensation spreads through my chest, followed by pain. Sharp, blinding pain that snatches the air from my lungs. Nobody else apart from me seems to be feeling this and I know it’s because of Pitch.
He’s recoiling at the spell, tightening the air in my lungs, just like he did with the protection spell. I lean over in my chair, trying to catch my breath. Sage touches my shoulder and asks if I’m okay, but I can only answer with a nod. Tears prick my eyes, and I blink them away, trying to appear perfectly normal.
When I look up at the stage, the headmaster’s eyes are on me, cutting through to my core like shards of ice. It’s like he can see what I’m trying to hide, the demons within me that I call by a name.
Pitch.
As quickly as the pain surfaces, he pulls back, loosening his shadow from