Shadowborn Academy_ Year One (Dark Fae Academy #1) - G. Bailey Page 0,8
soon.
The snatches of moonlight dwindle the deeper we venture into the forest. It’s only dusk, but under this thick canopy of leaves, it’s difficult to make anything out without second-guessing myself. We would be shuttered in complete darkness if not for this enchanted torch.
“Let’s face it, we’re lost,” I grumble at Sage, dragging my feet through the rotting vegetation after her. The damp leaves sliding against my pale skin and the underbrush snagging my electric blue hair feel like spectral claws trying to ensnare me again. Not today, Satan! I kick them away with my leather boot, a cold shiver snaking through my body. “We’re going around in circles, Sage.”
She looks over her shoulder at me, pausing for a moment before glancing around. I follow her gaze, reminded for the first time since we got here how strangely mesmerising this part of the forest is: the way the vines and moss wind around the towering trunks; the light from my torch gleaming against dark puddles of water like liquid peridots; the fireflies glowing and flashing in the dark, giving us that extra bit of light. Even the plants are unique and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Some of them stretch out as we pass by and others open their beautiful, glowing petals to release small critters that must have been snoozing there. Or they were just regurgitated supper. Either way, I’m surprised by how cool this place looks, despite that Sage and I are most definitely lost.
Sage comes back over to me, pointing to her book. “I think we’ve been going the wrong way.”
Not the best at deciphering cardinal points, I follow in her wake. But when I turn around, something catches my eye, a glint of moonlight glittering against a spiderweb.
Pitch shuffles inside me, tightening the air in my chest as a warning.
He’s right.
Gossamers.
They love to hide in places like this—dark, damp, desolate. It’s the perfect place for a young demon to fester in their nest. They’re not the most powerful of demons, and while I’m sure Sage and I can handle ourselves should any ambush us, I don’t really fancy fending off a whole nest of Gossamers on an empty stomach.
I’m about to suggest we put out a signal for help, when the branches start moving around me and the earth sways a little beneath my boots. I steady myself and tighten my grip on the torch. The branches creak and crack, their tips extending into daggers that slowly inch towards me. I look around for Sage, but the blood in my heart freezes when I see her. She’s on her hands and knees several feet away, screaming in agony.
Panic grips me, and I thrust out my free hand, casting a simple arctic spell to freeze the branches from moving. They just shatter the ice and continue to grow faster, over and around me like a deadly cage. I manage to cut through most of them with magic and run after Sage; I need to get her out of here. I knew this journey would lead us to our doom instead of our destination. People like me rarely get good luck. But I’ll be damned if Sage is to suffer alongside me.
“I’m coming, Sage, just hold on!”
Despite shouting from the top of my lungs, I can barely hear my own words.
A sharp, stabbing pain grips the back of my neck. I abandon my torch on the ground and let out a surprised scream. Whatever it is, it burns all the way down to my toes, and when I look at my trembling hands, the veins in my wrists are luminous and pulsing with some kind of poison.
Oh, fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! What did we do?
We never touched anything or triggered any traps.
It’s like someone has hexed the trees and cast the two of us under a curse. But why? What for? Surely torture can’t be part of the challenge?
Pitch recoils within me. His shadow projects out from my body, writhing in agony, only to merge back into me again with a shattering smack. The impact knocks me off my feet and I collapse to the ground, clutching my neck. There’s a puddle behind me, and I can see a rose made of fire singeing into my flesh, drawing blood that races down and onto my top, staining the pale blue material with splashes of red.
Sage stops screaming in the distance, reminding me that I need to find her. I let go of my neck, grab my