Page 40 of A Sky of Storms
I left him and made my way into the hall, shoulder-checking anyone who got in my way. The Overseer was nowhere in sight, so I found a spot at the back and flicked through the Acadameet app as I waited for her to arrive. I didn’t have any private messages, so I scrolled through the public feed. The app was filled with shitty gossip and humiliating shots of Potentials captured mostly by those in one of two camps—Kayden’s little gang or Victoria’s. The people here had this holier than thou attitude, yet when it came down to the crunch, they were just like everyone else. Sheep loved to group together under a powerful leader and abuse everyone else to make themselves look better. I’d seen it all before and it was always the same shit. Just a different day and a different bunch of assholes.
I thought of the little rat from Hallow’s Griff and scowled. The fucker no doubt assumed that befriending me would be his ticket into the Drakes. The guy was delusional.
From memory, his name was something childish like ‘Danger Dog’. The guy had the face of a ferret—including the hair—and he was far from dangerous. Word on the street was his loyalty was shaky and he was always scheming to move up in the ranks. He’d pulled a couple of low-level jobs, resulting in several suspicious arrests of those he’d been working with. With a rap like that, there was no way Cormac would ever initiate him into the Drakes.
The thing that set my gang apart from others—including the two that had formed here at the House of Ascension—was that loyalty meant more than your life and we didn’t go after small players. Torture was endured and we’d die before betraying another Drake. When we made a move, we struck at the top and if we wanted to make a point, we made sure it was loud and clear. Only cowards struck out at those who couldn’t defend themselves.
Kayden and Victoria’s little gangs were pathetic and only reaffirmed what I already knew. None of them knew what real bloodshed meant. None of them had seen the things I’d seen.
The rat had been the only one from my home city stupid enough to proposition me. There were others at the House of Ascension, all coming from smaller gangs, but they’d been drawn to the mean-spirited power that Kayden and Victoria were flaunting. I was almost embarrassed to think there were Potentials that came from my city, but then I remembered the dragon tattoo inked across my chest. We may have been from Damascon Hollow, but other than sharing the same streets, I was nothing like them.
I hadn’t bothered to make nice with anyone. I didn’t see the point in subjecting myself to small talk with people when I wasn’t here for the same reason as them. They were all here to be crowned ruler of Terrulia and I was here to steal some shit. I saw no point in deceiving anyone with niceties without some sort of payoff at the end. I’d done my research and the past trials had a reputation for being fucking savage. The aim was to make them prove that they were worthy of the crown. I figured that meant a large percentage of the people in this room would end up dead. Why waste my time with odds like that when they most likely wouldn’t be around to benefit me in the future?
The room fell quiet as the Overseer walked onto the stage and tapped the microphone, the sound echoing in the vast hall. I tapped the screen on my cuff, turning it off before I folded my arms over my chest and waited for another of the woman’s over-the-top speeches. I hadn’t planned on being here when the trials kicked off, but it was proving difficult to hack the security systems. I was in, but making changes and clearing a path was a whole other ball game. Much to my disdain, I needed to listen to the Overseer because it looked like I was competing in the first trial.
“Good evening, Potentials,” Overseer Celeste said, smiling broadly. I swear she got some sick enjoyment out of this whole thing. Her hippy-dippy shit was the icing on the cake … Fucking psycho. “I hope these last few weeks of training have aided you on your quest for greatness, as tomorrow, your first trial will be thrust upon you!”
Murmurs rippled around the room and I couldn’t help myself as I searched for the reactions of a few particular individuals. I spotted Kayden first, the biggest shit-eating grin on his face as he spoke to his stocky sidekick. Victoria was sitting a few rows away, his mirror image as she whispered to her friends. Those two were some of the cockiest bastards I’d ever known and I’d spent my life around gangsters who thought they were the baddest motherfuckers to exist.
“The Trial of Body will test your physical strength and stamina. It will force you to reach deep down inside yourself, and I pray that you are able to discover someone worthy within the depths of your soul. As many of you most likely already know, there is but one rule; you will not be allowed to use your magic.” The Overseer glanced around, her voice lowering in warning. “You won’t all return, for this trial will weed out the weak in this garden of would-be royals. I advise you to use whatever is at your disposal and push yourself harder than you ever have before. You are to survive a single month and survive you must, for the alternative is a grave.”
I smirked. And there it was. They were culling numbers and they weren’t dragging it out by waiting for the later trials.
Celeste waved her hand in the air, gesturing towards the exit that led to the courtyard. “Now is the time to whisk yourself away if bravery has not been blessed upon you, for once you’re in the trial there will only be one way to leave before the time is up. Death.”
A few nervous glances passed between people, but no one moved. It was one thing to fail the trials and another entirely to return home with the shame of not competing at all. It didn’t help that she was offering a way out that meant announcing you had no balls in front of ninety-nine of your peers. Fucking brutal.
“There is much courage in these halls tonight,” the Overseer said, smiling broadly and clapping her hands in a quick rhythm. “Dinner will be served shortly, then I encourage you all to rest well, for your trial is but a few hours away.”
Everyone started filing out, the hall echoing with the sound of cocky remarks and predictions of the trial’s location and who would survive. I swore I even heard a whimper. Whoever it was should fucking leave while they still had the chance.
I waited for the crowd to shrink, not wanting to rub shoulders with anyone on my way to the cafeteria. I noticed Fallon Auger and Zane Loch were standing around too. The guy was talking quickly, his face switching from one expression to another, and I was feeling drained just watching him, let alone being in the conversation. Fallon was taking it in her stride and I had to wonder what she was playing at. What advantage was she getting from befriending the surfer? Last I’d heard, House Neptune and House Jupiter didn’t get along, but anything was possible with the elite class. Money and power could easily turn the biggest enemies into friends. There definitely had to be an incentive, as Augers didn’t do anything without a payoff. They extorted or manipulated to get what they wanted.
My cuff buzzed and I dropped my gaze to check it, finding a message from an unknown number on my Acadameet app. I knew exactly who it was though. The Overseer may have stopped me from using my power to manipulate electricity, but they couldn’t take away the other skills I’d acquired over the years. I tapped on the screen, opening the message from my boss.
Cormac had sent a single sentence cutting straight to the point.
I want the sky ring.
There was only one thing Cormac could possibly mean by that and it was the ring high-ranking members of House Jupiter wore. What he needed it for, I had no idea, but I never failed a job. I added it to the list of things I would take from this place.
Removing incriminating evidence was a habit, so I quickly deleted the message from my cuff then pushed off the wall towards the exit. Everyone had left now, so I walked towards the cafeteria alone, devising a plan to get the ring. There were a few Stormcrest City Potentials at the academy, but I only knew of two who would have the item I sought.
I had two options: take it by force from one of the Auger sisters or steal it without anyone seeing. The first would be detrimental to my end game, so not ideal. The latter required getting close to an Auger without them being suspicious.
Luckily, there were two Augers to choose from. Stealing one of their rings would be difficult, but at least I had multiple plays. Victoria was always surrounded by a gang of followers which meant increased barriers in my way, but on the other hand, having a lot of people around her would also be a convenient distraction of sorts.
Reaching the cafeteria, I shouldered the door open and made my way to the service counter to grab some food. After jumping the queue, I filled my plate then strode towards a nearby table.
“Move.”
The Potentials sitting at the table I wanted quickly grabbed their plates and scurried away, leaving me alone. Perfect. Sitting down, I tucked into my pasta and contemplated my second option.
Fallon.
I eyed the table where the Stormcrest Princess now sat. I fucking hated myself for finding her so easily in a crowd, but she was like a magnet drawing my gaze. Zane and a petite woman with dark brown eyes and long dark hair were sitting with her. She’d found herself a little group of her own, but she must have thought they were beneath her. I could tell by the look in her copper eyes and the stiffness in her shoulders that she was still a lone wolf.
The younger Auger would be easier to get alone than her sister, but she was suspicious as fuck of everyone thanks to the constant threat of humiliation or abuse from either Victoria or Kayden. If I were going to target Fallon, I’d need to win her trust or find myself some leverage. What would a rich bitch with access to anything that popped into her pretty head want enough to trade her family ring for?
