Page 78 of Blood of Hercules
Hawk wings flapped with excitement.
BOOM.
A tall man with gray eyes appeared in the front of the room in a cloud of smoke. A pink ferret the size of a small cat clung to his arm.
He’d leaped straight into the mountain.
“Vorex, heir to the House of Poseidon,” General Cleandro said to the new man. “You’re the mentor of Alessander, correct?”
“Yes, General!” Vorex held up his palm and bowed his head, laurel wreath gleaming even in the shadows.
His pink ferret nodded up and down.
Aw, cute.
General Cleandro stared at him. “Lead the class through their first round of the circuit. And you might want to advise your mentee about paying attention in class. He’s a fucking imbecile.”
Not cute.
“Yes, General!”
Vorex gave Alessander a hateful look that promised retribution.
I shivered because Patro hadn’t been physically violent with me—yet.
“GET UP!” General Cleandro bellowed in his booming voice, and we scrambled to our feet. His hawk screeched louder. “FORM A LINE BEHIND HIM!”
My left ear burned with pain.
We followed Vorex, who jogged out of the room.
“Stay here,” I whispered to Nyx as I forced my stiff legs tocooperate.
Scales tightened around my neck, and I choked. “No wayam I leaving you alone, kid.”
That was unfortunate.
A few minutes later, we emerged from the mountain, and I struggled to adjust to the warm weather and bright daylight. The July sun was scorching, and grass squished as we ran across it.
It was a shocking contrast to the dark chilly classroom.
Vorex cut toward the nearest mountain and led us along a dirt path.
In school I’d participated in a grand total of one gym class—I’d been starving, and the movement had made me want to pass out, so I’d hid behind a shed, doing math problems, for the rest of the year.
They’d never assigned it to me again.
Now I suffered for my inactivity.
I ascended the side of one of the dolomites, my lungs burned, calves and thighs cramping, as sweat dripped. I pumped my arms desperately.
One by one the other initiates passed me.
Nyx was deadweight around my neck.
Halfway up, the temperature cooled, and my sweat froze, making it hard to open my eyes.
“Are—you—” Gasp. “—trying—to—kill—me?”
