Page 15 of House of Mages and Raven

“I and my team will join you then and see it through,” Headmistress Ethel said.

Cassius shrugged. “Be my guest.”

I sighed. All that had changed was that I’d be escorted by a friendlier group. The academy sentinels opened a path, and Cassius and Rock stopped a few feet in front of me.

“Let’s go, Miss Barbie,” the lord ordered. “Time is of the essence.”

“Talk like an immortal,” I murmured.

The chaos warriors immediately moved in to surround me and pushed out the academy sentinels like one well-oiled machine.

And then we were on the move again, with the academy sentinels trailing behind.

This was going to be a long day.

My heartbeat picked up as I thought of seeing Killian again after his absence of three days.

10

Barbie

Through the leyline, our big group reached Kingdom of Chaos in an hour.

We passed valleys, rivers, mountains, and towns before I spotted a majestic, towering castle. Magic kept it looking relatively new, though the magic here was weaker than in Shades Academy.

Maybe in a century or two, magic wouldn’t be able to sustain the realm. I could see why the supernaturals were so fixated on the Brides Selection, as it was their last hope to bring back the old magic, supposing one of the heirs met his fated mate and the pair produced the prophesized One.

We climbed more stairs and approached the vast door of the palace at the peak of the castle. Stone dragons and columns of pure gold adorned the façade.

“You’ll not speak until spoken to, Barbie,” Cassius ordered me.

“You’ve said it ten times now, and it is starting to hurt my ears, Lord Silent Blade,” I complained.

“No one else dares to call me that,” he said menacingly. “But I won’t hold you accountable at the moment. It’s important you remember how to address the kings, queens, and the Council properly, like we rehearsed on the road. Keep your answers short and to the point. Don’t run your mouth. Don’t try to be cute or aim for funny! And most important, keep your inner thoughts and opinions to yourself.”

“I can’t remember all those,” I said, widening my eyes. “I won’t know how to answer the kings, queens, and the Council properly if I have to focus on your long-winded instructions.”

Rock laughed. “Our scorpion likes to complain about everything before she stings her opponent.”

I scowled at him, offended. “You don’t know anything about me, werewolf.”

“This is very serious, Barbie,” Cassius snapped.

My scowl turned to a smile when I peered at him. “I get it. I’m going on trial. I’ve never been on trial before, so I don’t have much experience or high expectations.”

“Just talk less, Barbie,” Rock said. “Think before you talk. Silent Blade is right”—he tilted his lips up in an amused smile—“about not letting everything running through your head come right out of your mouth.”

“You worry too much, wolf,” I said. “Who’ll be on trial, you or me?”

Rock arched his thick brows, and Cassius shook his head in dismay. “It’ll be a disaster, but it’s out of our hands now.”

We entered the vestibule. Natural light showered through the ceiling and gemstones glowed from the walls. The color theme was lavish violet, the design spelling old money. Armored royal guards were stationed at every crucial post. None impeded us. I bet they dared not stop the Silent Blade.

“The palace is fancy,” I told Rock.

“What did we say about staying quiet and keeping your opinions to yourself?” he asked in a low voice.

“I don’t like to fly blind. It bit me in the butt in the past—” I started to protest.

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