Page 76 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

Phantom warmth like his hand rested on my thigh, and I looked away from Silas. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re not responsible for Red’s behavior,” Silas told me firmly.

How could I tell him, or any of them, what happened between Seb and me, or how good it felt? I closed my eyes, pretending to need more rest, to avoid talking to him. Silas insisted I drink a potion, then Freta and Penry returned.

After I reassured them both that I was fine and Freta gave me a fresh undershirt and tunic to put on, they explained how they’d found me. They had been worried and so they went looking for me, and found Red torturing me. Freta and Penry had created a diversion so Silas could carry me back here.

“Thank you. I’m not sure he would have recognized when he went too far,” I said. I toyed with my amber brooch. I’d been worried that Red’s attack meant I lost it, but it was still here. Some of the bent filigree had snapped off entirely, reminding me of Seb’s cruelty before. How had I let him touch me just hours ago?

Penry put her arm around me and squeezed. “That’s what friends do, Z. We look out for each other.”

Friends. I leaned my head against her shoulder. “And I’m so grateful to have all of you as friends.”

***

The third binding trial, the Concord, took place later that week. Once again, we weren’t given any warning about it. We divided into pairs, based on the ladder-rank decided by our scores in the Assay, with students being paired with other standings that were within a two-grade range of each other. Care was taken to avoid placing allies together.

The point of the trial was apparently to help reinforce the pecking order. The pairs weren’t working together, but rather competing. We’d be put in a maze of sorts, and have to overcome various obstacles to get through to the end. Whenever one of the pair succeeded in overcoming an obstacle, it was removed. That student was given a point, while the other lost a point.

When Quincy explained the rules to us, I clenched my fists beneath the table. Why was everything constantly about pitting us against each other? Freta showed most strength with her badger when she was being encouraged, and we were there to help her. When we worked together, Silas showed some signs of minor magic.

Maybe if the fae world wasn’t so obsessed with establishing a strict hierarchy, everyone would be stronger.

“You may all go retrieve whatever supplies you wish now,” Quincy said. “Be back within an hour or face punishment.”

I turned to the others. “We should each go get something for the group. Penry and Feta, why don’t you go to the Alegro room and grab our potions? Silas and I will get our weapons.”

They agreed and we quickly scattered, each heading to one of our secret stashes. Nerves churned in my stomach. It wasn’t just the binding I was worried about. If I had to maintain my beast form during this trial, having a partner involved would increase the chances I’d be caught out. They’d see me close up and sense the wrongness I could hide in a crowd. Worse, if I accidentally skimmed their form, they’d know without a doubt what I was.

If that happened, would I have to kill them to keep my secret?

We returned to the hall as quickly as we could and divided up the potions and weapons. Penry was visibly shaking, but I didn’t have the chance to reassure her. We didn’t even get the chance to tell each other good luck, because a portal opened across the hall and every student was sucked into it.

I hit the ground hard, clutching my supplies to my chest. Quickly, I scrambled to my feet and looked around wildly. Panic threatened to overtake me, so I took a deep breath, forced myself to slow down, and look again. Tall, white walls surrounded me on every side, above which were the same witness stands that had been erected for the first trials. The ground was hard cement.

I wasn’t alone. Jasper got to his feet nearby. He brushed off his clothes, looking pissed off. When he glanced over at me, his expression darkened even further before it went back to his normal coldness.

“Looks like we’ve been pitted against each other,” he said. Then he frowned again and reached up to touch his neck. It was only then that I noticed a thin metal band around it. “Ah.”

I stashed away my potions and weapons into various pockets, then touched my own neck. A collar lay flat against my throat. It warmed when I touched it. “What is this?”

“An added challenge, I suppose. These are used on prisoners. They deliver a powerful jolt of pain if they leave their assigned areas. Prevents escapes.” Jasper glanced up the tall, blank walls and back at me. “My guess is that whoever fails a challenge will get a nasty shock. Incentive to prevent us working together.”

“Lovely.” Just when I thought I couldn’t despise the fae more, they pulled something like this.

One of the walls shifted, lowering slowly to reveal the opening to the maze. I glanced at Jasper, who shook his shoulders and took his beast form. Then he glanced at me and nodded. I hesitated. He already suspected what I was, I was sure. Or he knew outright. What if he was just looking for the definitive proof to give Gareth?

I didn’t have much choice, though, so I shifted to Seb’s wolf form. It felt more natural and comfortable now, and I followed Jasper into the maze. I’d been practicing as much as I could, so I was reasonably confident that I didn’t have as many tells now.

We soon reached a fork in the road. Jasper’s head swung back and forth as he searched for some sign to tell us where we should go. I sniffed the air and reached out with my magic, using all my senses. There was something cool that came from the left branch. It was like the air wafting off a block of ice on a hot day and felt inviting.

Anything that the fae invited you to was bad news, so I took the right. Almost instantly, Jasper let out a short cry of pain. I whirled to find him shaking himself and breathing hard. He shook his frill and pointed at the collar.

Oh. Well, that proved I was right. He’d just received the punishment.

We’d only gone a little ways when we came to a large puddle of water. It looked placid and still, so I tried to skirt around the edge. Instantly, a dozen tentacles burst from the water and came at me. I backtracked to solid ground, snapping and tearing at the rubbery flesh as they tried to wrap around me. A wall rose up from behind me, blocking off my escape.

Jasper let out a stream of venom, spewing it into the pond. A terrible screeching filled the maze, and the tentacles left their attack, writhing in agony. At the same time, pain shot through me. It felt like I’d been struck by lightning, and my legs gave out from beneath me.