Page 32 of Shadow Caster
“Yeah, you guys have nothing to worry about,” Harmon said. “Not like you’re about to get the death stamp.”
I locked gazes with him, shocked.
“What?” His lip curled.
I shrugged. “Nothing. Just thought I was the only one who thought of it that way.”
Harmon snorted. “Well, you’re not. Trust me, I’m not the only one who feels that way. Did you know that they send moonkissed shadow knights into the mist first? They use them like fucking hounds.”
“That’s a vile rumor,” Thomas snapped. “The Watch would never do that.”
“Oh, and you know this because you happen to come from a legacy family? Well, moonkissed aren’t part of the legacy posse, we only get a cursory place on the council.”
Thomas’s face fell. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but the system works.”
“Does it?” Harmon glared at Thomas.
I looked to Minnie, who was sharing a wince with Harper.
Fuck this. “Hey, drop it. Both of you. It is what it is. We can’t change it. And if you get picked, you don’t have to accept the position as shadow cadet. You can decline.”
All eyes were suddenly on me.
Harmon let out a bark of laughter and shook his head. “You really have been out of the loop, haven’t you? Not that it affects you, but the law changed last year. If you’re marked, then it counts as conscription. There is no way out. You try and leave, and they will execute you for treason to the council.”
What the fuck? “They can’t do that.”
“They can, and they have,” Minnie said softly. “It seems that the number of shadow knights being born is dropping. There’s even talk of making the nectar compulsory to every supernatural male over the age of sixteen.”
Harper continued. “But the opposition from the legacy families is all that’s keeping that law from being passed right now. However, if the number of shadow cadets falls any further, then it might become a reality.”
Oberon approached the table, his golden hair pulled back off a face that was paler than usual.
“Let’s get this over with,” he muttered.
A bell rang just as the last people at our table joined us. A stocky, angry-looking feyblood sat to my right. She shot me a glare before fixing her attention on the tutor table. This had to be Nettie.
Harmon looked to the doorway, probably to see if Lottie was about, but then Principal Brunner was speaking.
“Welcome to the Revelation ceremony, cadets. Tonight, we will unveil our next class of shadow cadets, and we will celebrate the continued protection of our world.” She reached for the goblet before her. “Please, stand.”
The room was filled with the sound of chair legs scraping against polished wood.
“The goblet before you is filled with revelation nectar. You will each take a sip, male or female, as we are united in this revelation that protects us all.”
Hyde stepped off the raised platform housing the tutors’ table and onto the main floor.
Around us, cadets began to drink. Thomas took a deep breath and reached for the goblet, but Harmon got to it first.
He raised it in a mock salute. “Fuck it.” He took a swig and passed it to Thomas.
The nightblood took a sip, and then Harper took a gulp.
“Yum.” She passed it to Minnie.
Minnie took a dainty sip and held it out to me. “Tastes good.”
I took the huge goblet and sniffed. It didn’t smell of anything. I shrugged and took a sip. Flavor exploded on my tongue as the cool liquid slid down my throat. It was sweet and tangy at the same time.
