Page 97 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“Do so.”

Tessa looked around the lobby. There wasn’t another piece of furniture in the entire space. Theon’s fingers tightened around her hand as the sound of clicking heels sounded from behind them. They turned to find another Fae walking towards them, dressed the same way as the one who had greeted them. She dropped to a knee in front of Theon immediately. When he had bid her to rise, she said, “Heir of Arius, it is an honor. The Head Priestess is preparing the assessment. If you would follow me to an exam room, they will collect your Source from there.”

“My associates will join me.”

It wasn’t a request.

“Of course, my Lord,” she answered, her eyes staying fixed on the ground.

She led them through a door and down a corridor with more doors on either side of it before she opened one and let them all enter.

“The wait should only be a moment,” she said, before shutting the door behind them.

This room had a small sofa and padded chairs in it. There was an exam table of some sort against one wall. Axel set the duffel bag he was carrying onto a chair, his gaze flickering over Tessa.

There was another door opposite the one they had entered, and when it opened, a muscular Fae male came through. He wore a loose linen tunic and pants. Tessa immediately unzipped her jacket, shrugging out of it and handing it to Theon. She only wore a sports bra beneath it.

“Tessa, what are you—”

But he stopped speaking when she held out her hand for a heart rate monitor to be placed on her finger. The Fae said nothing as he attached sensors to her chest and side, but she caught a glimpse of the markings on his inner wrist. He’d attended the Falein Estate, was assigned to serve in the Arius Kingdom, and his element was water.

“Left or right?” he asked in a deep tone.

“Right,” she answered, moving back and hopping onto the table before lying back. He nodded, moving to a cabinet on the wall, pulling down supplies to start an IV line.

The Fae met her eyes as he wrapped a band tightly around her arm, and she made a fist. He glanced once at the Legacy in the room, before returning his attention to her arm. When he was bent over her to insert the catheter, he asked quietly, “Do you want to know?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“A Level Five room,” he replied, and Tessa closed her eyes, sucking in a breath as the needle went into her arm. She knew deep down that she would be going into the worst rooms. The young Fae who were first starting assessments went into Level One rooms. As they got older, they progressed to Levels Three and Four with the horrors faced more terrifying the higher the level. She had only heard of Level Five rooms, never been in one.

“What does that mean?”

Tessa opened her eyes to find Theon standing on the other side of the table. She hadn’t realized he’d moved so close to her.

“What does a Level Five room mean?” he demanded.

Neither the Fae nor Tessa said anything as the Fae wrapped her IV site.

“You’ll need to remove your socks and shoes,” the Fae said to Tessa before he retreated out the door he’d entered through.

“Tessa, what does that mean?” Theon repeated, knocking her hands out of the way as she sat up and reached for her sneakers. He undid the laces and pulled them from her feet, stuffing her socks inside of them.

“It means you should have a fairly accurate answer to your question of my element when I am done,” she replied in a monotone voice. She didn’t have it in her to fight with him. Not with what she was about to face.

The door opened again, and a Legacy came through. Her copper hair was braided over a shoulder and gold ivy was woven through it. A golden circlet sat low on her brow. She bowed to Theon before coming to stand beside them at the table.

“Heir of Arius,” she said in a melodic voice that all Priestesses seemed to have. “My name is Zefira, and I am honored to be performing your Source’s assessments this morning.”

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Theon answered, lingering by Tessa’s side.

“While unconventional, the Arius Lord was rather insistent,” she answered, leaning forward to check Tessa’s IV. Seemingly satisfied, she asked, “Do you have any questions before we begin?”

“How long will the assessment take?” Theon asked. He’d shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his suit pants.

“Lord St. Orcas indicated you wanted the advanced assessments done, correct?”

“Yes,” Theon answered tightly.

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