Page 49 of Shadebound
He’s a Fiore.I shrugged as I looked around to see if anyone was getting too close to my brother. Or looking like they were interested in testing their combat skills on him.
Oh. Ew. That explains it.He cocked his head, brow furrowing.I swear I’ve seen him before. He looks familiar.
I was conscious of the fact that Alessandro had used sign language the day before, so angled my body away from him so he couldn’t be nosy.He looks like his father. Renar was the judge begging for me to be executed in my trial. But he had brown eyes, not blue.
Draven stared over my head, eyes narrowed even though he nodded and signed,Oh, yeah. Maybe that’s it.
A hush fell on the arena as a tall woman emerged from a shadowed alcove, her gait slow. Crimson robes swished with every step—high-collared, split at the thigh, and dusted withsand at the hem. Her hair was iron grey and braided down her back, and a long scar ran from her cheekbone to her jaw.
She stopped in the centre of the arena and looked directly at me.
“I’m Professor Vadren,” she said. Her voice was raspy and blunt. “For those of you who need an introduction—this class isn’t for fun. This is survival.”
She paced slowly, circling us as if we were prey worth studying.
“In Mortavia, magic will do most of the heavy lifting. You’ll use it to win. To escape. Tokill. And most of the time, it’ll be enough. But not always.”
She stopped near a spear and lifted it in one hand.
“There are monsters in the wild hills that don’t just hurt you—they drain you. Every last drop of magic sucked right out. You’ll feel it go. You’ll feel hollow.Human. And when that happens, magic won’t save you. Only muscle. Reflex.Instinct. That’s why you’re here.”
She slammed the spear down. The sound echoed. Even my brother flinched.
“Even at your weakest, you should still be better. Still dangerous. Still skilled enough to survive.” She said.
I swallowed. My magic was part of me—stitched into my bones. The thought of losing it made my stomach twist. I didn’t justuseshadows. Iwasthem. The cuff was bad enough, but to have them gone entirely?
I’d rather have died.
“Get into groups of three and pick a weapon to practise with against the dummies and each other,” Vadren said sharply. “Now.”
Maya raised a brow and nudged me. “Looks like we’re a dream team, then.”
“Wouldn’t go that far,” I deadpanned. “If this were a dream, I’d be dead.”
“That’s because you have no good dreams, you beautifully gothic freak,” she replied, all cheer and no remorse.
Even Death chuckled inside my head at her.
Eris drifted closer to us, silent as ever. “Hightower moved me up to this class today.” She muttered, cheeks red. “Do you mind if I join you guys?”
“Of course not.” Maya beamed as she squeezed the smaller girl’s arm. “I’d rather be a girl squad and leave Zayden to play with the other hideous boys.”
Zayden caught the tail end of our conversation and shot us a grin like he’d just been complimented and threatened in the same breath.
“Well,” he smirked, “if I’m not invited to the girl gang murder circle, I guess I’ll go find other company where my talents are desired.”
He looked right at me when he said it, all mock-offended and smug.
“You can join us,Alpha. We’d never turn you away.” A voice nearby chirped. I didn’t need to look up to know it was Saphira. My brother was shooting me alookand gagging behind his hand obvious enough that Kalamity and Luna were almost laughing.
“Cool, thanks.” Zayden shot me a wink, not bothering to look at Saphira. “It hurts my feelings, Heartache, that you’d rather play with objects than me.”
I cocked my head. “You say that as if the two are different.”
He gave a mock-wounded sigh and walked off, chuckling.
Saphira lit up instantly, as if someone had handed her a crown and a spotlight. Practically floated into Zayden’s orbit, her laugh high and too loud at nothing, her hand snaking around his arm. She leant in, smiling as if she already owned him.
