Page 38 of Fae Trials

A hand landed on my arm, sending a jolt of panic through my already frantic heart. “Unity?”

I flinched. “Huh?”

Helen drew back, her hand over her mouth. “Did I startle you?”

“Sorry.” I tried shaking off thoughts of my impending death, but they jumped back into my mind like persistent fleas.

She frowned. “I don’t have much in the way of protective magic, but I can share my knowledge with you.”

“Thanks.”

The other students filed out of the classroom and Helen wrapped a hand around my arm. “We’d better leave with the crowd. No one is going to assassinate you if there’s a chance someone else might get hurt.”

“Good point.” I scrambled to my feet, tamping down the twinge of guilt at potentially endangering my classmates.

We stepped out of the classroom into the white courtyard. The sun hung low in a cloudless, indigo sky, half obscured by the distant mountains, bathing the palace and its surroundings in orange light.

I inhaled lungfuls of jasmine-scented air and sighed, letting out some of the tension from Mr. Whittaker’s announcement. “It smells so good up here.”

“Of course, it does.” She looped her arm through mine. “Only the very best plants are reserved for the Prudence district.”

I frowned down at our joined arms. “Are you sure it’s safe for us to be so close?”

“Not even the Fated would dare shoot at the Duke of Medietas’ offspring.”

My brows drew together. From what Helen had told me earlier, it looked like her father had abandoned her to the academy. But what did I know about faerie parents?

We followed the rest of the class across the courtyard to the nearest tower, where that creepy, metal effigy of the goddess Danu stared out at us from a wooden door.

“Is she alive?” I asked.

“Danu?” asked Helen. “Gods are the only truly immortal beings. She watches over the island, ensuring our survival in the modern world.”

We walked through the doorway into a marble hall lined with faerie statues that were so realistically carved, I expected them to blink. A few passing students gave me knowing smirks, and I wondered if one of the Fated had shared their plans on how they would knock me out of the upcoming trial.

A fire pit crackled and popped in the dining hall, filling the room with soft, atmospheric light and the sweet scent of burning resin. Students sat at candle-lit tables, chatting over bowls of soup ladled out by pixies with glowing, transparent wings.

My steps faltered. If it wasn’t for the arrogant princes, furious Fated, and the impending death match, this place could be paradise.

Helen guided me toward the side of the room with the floor-to-ceiling windows. “This is where the remedial students sit.”

The seats all had their backs to the spectacular mountain vista but offered a view of the fire pit and the blossoms climbing the walls. “Where are the teachers?”

“In their staffroom,” she replied.

“So much for student safety,” I muttered.

We took a left around the huge circle of tables and sat at one that seated eight.

The black-haired girl from the remedial class plonked herself at my side. “I’m Florensis of Nemain, another half-blood like you, but you can call me Flora.”

“Um…” I shot Helen a nervous glance. Didn’t those two dislike each other? “Hi.”

She shot Helen a withering glare. “I should warn you that the faerie you’re associating with grew up with the Fated and used to sit with them until she lost her magic. She might not be on your side.”

Helen blew out a breath. “It’s true.”

“What?” I turned to my new friend.