Page 99 of Shattered & Returned

He flashed me a grin, undoubtedly enjoying how his recklessness frayed my nerves. I bet he did that intentionally. Was my panic really that entertaining?

“Never mind,” he said, returning his hands to the wheel with exaggerated care. “Why search for trinkets when I have two beautiful companions?”

I gritted my teeth as Sindy giggled.

“There isn’t any arena,” I said. “Are you serious about this trial?”

“It’ll be built in a day,” Sebastian said. “Earth and metal mages will construct it east of Kingsley Tower, partially outside the wards. Kingsley himself told me. In fact, he was the one who proposed it to the academy’s patrons.”

“Why would he do that?” I said in displeasure.

Sindy, however, perked up. “I’ve heard about them! The patrons are all powerful immortals, right? Some say they’re demigods.”

Sebastian smirked, all sharp white teeth. “The patrons make demigods look like children playing dress-up.”

“Actual gods?” I fished. “But they disappeared ages ago.”

“Nothing stops them from returning,” he said. “And they’ll be watching and judging whether their descendants are worthy or merely disappointments.”

“Who are those patrons?” I asked. “You got names?”

Sebastian’s smile was more than mischievous. “You’ll see the list soon, Bloom.”

Chills slithered up my spine. I had a very bad feeling about this.

“How many immortals are at Forsaken Academy?” I pressed.

“Plenty,” Sebastian said, eyes glinting with amused viciousness. “You’ll have to figure that out yourself.”

My jaw tightened. Another vague answer, another puzzle dumped in my lap. If he wasn’t lying about there being more immortals lurking in the academy, the killer could be any of them, not just the four I’d suspected. Morrigan, Dante, and Orren was immortals, and I’d been stupid to overlook them. And the three power players: Stardust, Kingsley, Ravencrux. And if Nero had an immortal team, the others surely did too.

“How will the arena fights work?” Sindy asked.

“Yeah,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “Will it be like the duels in the training hall?”

“Open combat,” Sebastian said. “Free-for-all. But relax, Bloom. You’re only against first-years. None are too far ahead of you.”

I pursed my lips. “They might as well be demigods compared to me.” Every student here looked like they could snap me in halfwithout breaking a sweat. Even Sindy, though slight, had proven she could hold her own with spells.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Sebastian said, his smirk not wavering. “You took down an experienced fighter before. Study gladiator tactics and you’ll get a good idea of what to expect. It might be a group combat setting, and you’ll have to form your own alliance if no one invites you.”

My stomach dropped. No one would choose me. The weakling. The outsider. The girl who still reached for her inhaler when the pressure mounted.

“I’m giving you ladies a head start,” Sebastian said, flashing that knowing smirk. “Consider it privileged information.”

Sindy beamed. “You’re the best, Sebastian!”

The valley passed without incident, no corpses rising, no demons leaping at the car. My white-knuckled grip on the seat finally eased slightly.

“But there’ll be safety measures in place, so no one will actually die in the arena, right?” I asked in a tight voice.

Sebastian’s expression turned almost pitying. “Oh, a lot of first-years will die. Ever watched the movieGladiator?”

“No.” My throat tightened. “It’s too violent.” Truth was, Mom had never allowed much screen time. “But the school allows this bloody sport? It’s got to be illegal.”

Sindy reached over and patted my arm. “Forsaken Academy isn’t like other schools.” She mercifully left off the usual tagline about it not being for the fainthearted.

A cold weight settled in my chest. “They never mentioned this during orientation,” I muttered. “No wonder they had to kidnap me.”

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