Bitter Brambles (The Ivy Institute #2)

Chapter 21

brIAR

M y hands are so clammy, my fingers slip off the long handle of the entrance to the arena. This is our final test before the selection, and my gut is in knots. I desperately want to go, but I also know it could be a death sentence.

The last several weeks of training and secretly meeting with Ziv and Kage through the mirror have been exhausting. I’ve spent endless hours in the arena. My time has been split between sparring with Moros and fending off magical attacks, yet I still don’t have control over my abilities. Anger seems to be the only thing I can tap into, and that isn’t nearly as plentiful as the dread that seems to live inside me as of late.

Sunny’s whispered words of encouragement late at night when he curls around me are probably one of the few things that keep me going back to the ring every day. While I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to the cold here, the only time I’m truly warm is when he’s inside me. If I had to survive here permanently, I think I would go insane or never leave our bed.

When I see how packed the arena is, I’m grateful I skipped the tavern. I will say that despite the number of bodies crammed in here, it’s unusually quiet. I make eye contact with Moros across the sand. I have no doubt he will make it through the selection, and I can’t seem to escape the thought of him leaving me behind, even though I know it would never be his choice. He gives me a small nod of reassurance. I’m glad he has confidence in me, because mine abandoned me days ago.

I give him a weak smile in return that I hope conveys my gratitude before heading toward Mick. His daily attendance at my training has been hit or miss over the last few weeks. I guess he trusts that I want to live enough to take my training seriously, or maybe he’s already accepted there’s no way we could best the Ivy since I’m still a dud half the time.

He’s at the edge of the ring, where the sand is looser and there aren’t as many people. My heart is already beating fast. I tell myself it’s just from trudging through the grit, but the truth is, I’m scared. I have no idea what’s going to happen today.

“You’re late,” he gripes.

I could argue and remind him that I had at least three minutes, but it would be a waste of breath. “I’m here now.”

“That you are.” His eyes roam over me from head to toe. It doesn’t feel smarmy like it did when I first arrived at Frostburn. I don’t know if the change is in him or me. He takes a step closer to me, and I stiffen, fighting the urge to pull away from him. I may no longer think he wants to bed me, but I still don’t like the idea of him being all up in my space.

“The die has already been cast. There’s no stopping it. You have one objective—survive.” The second he finishes speaking, a sound rips through the room that makes the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand on end. With our eyes still locked, Mick mouths, “Survive,” again as he backs away and jogs toward the center of the circle, leaving me alone at the edge of the sand.

I try to spot Moros through the crowd, but it’s impossible with this many people in the arena, and my senses feel dulled. I’m certain it has something to do with the noise that thundered through the space.

I find myself inching backward a little more to make sure no one can get behind me as my gaze is drawn to the front of the ring. I can’t be certain, but it seems as if every tutor is present, surrounding Foley. The headmaster is wearing a deep emerald robe with the hood peeled back to expose his small, rat-like features.

The urge to open my mouth wide and pop my ears from the pressure filling the expansive space is almost disorienting, but I’m afraid I might miss something if I do.

“Greetings, trainees.” Foley peers around the room. Even from this distance, I can see the wild sheen in his eyes. Mick almost seemed nervous, but the headmaster looks positively ecstatic. What the hell did Mick mean that the die has already been cast?

As the charged seconds tick by, I realize I’m no longer fighting the sudden pressure change in the room. Either my body adapted, or the unseen force dissipated—I’m betting it’s the former.

I don’t take my eyes off the group at the front of the ring. I know I need to hear whatever he’s about to say if I want to survive. “Today is the qualifier, your final test to see which of you will go to the Undertaking as a contender for Frostburn, and which of you will become the fodder.”

An audible gasp comes from too many people to count, but the sentiment can’t be ignored so easily. I’m not the only one caught off guard by this information, and what does he mean by fodder?

“Now don’t give up just yet. Even the prey can make it out of the games alive if you’re cunning.” His jovial tone is so at odds with the sinister topic, my mind has a hard time with the contrast. I shouldn’t be surprised. We’re nothing more to him than pawns, but I didn’t realize he was a sadist and would be so damn happy about it.

My hands ball into fists. It’s the first hint of anger I’ve felt in days. I embrace the simmering fury, letting it fill me in a way that eclipses the fear I wallowed in when I walked into this arena.

The trainees’ heads start to swivel, as if they are searching for someone or something, but clarity strikes, and I realize they are sensing something I can’t—magic. My stomach tightens in anticipation. If the magic is strong enough for everyone to feel it at once, then is it going to overload me?

It’s strange to realize the one thing I wanted so badly when I first got here is the last thing I want now. If I disappear for even a few hours, there’s a chance I won’t make it to the selection. I can’t let that happen, especially now when the possibility of seeing Kage and Ziv is at my fingertips.

Every door in the arena slams closed at the exact same time, causing quite a few of us to jump in response to the startling noise. When the din dies down, Foley makes a final announcement. “The wards are in place. Those of you who are left standing once they drop in twelve hours will move on to represent Frostburn in the next step of the selection process. Remember, with the games comes glory, now more than ever.” The sand they are standing on begins shifting, and I realize they are positioned on some sort of dais that is rising, leaving a waterfall of sand to drip from the circle until it reaches a perch high above the arena. They file off and into an enclosed glass box where they’ll be able to witness the qualifier from a safe distance. It’s sickening, and I can’t stand to look at it for another second.

Trainees start assessing their neighbors with open suspicion while I do the same. I’m distracted by the elites as they gather together to form a unit while searching for Moros when the first scream splits the air.

My eyes jump over the large group, trying to find where it came from, but all hell breaks loose in the next moment, like the shriek served as the opening bell of the battle.

Magic I can’t feel, but I can blessedly see, explodes in the room. The glint of a golden whip flashes, catching my attention just in time for me to see it lick at the neck of a large male. Time seems to slow as he narrows his eyes on the wielder—a petite female with purple hair. The male takes one sluggish step forward before he lifts his hand as if to reach for his neck. That’s when I notice the long slit that formed where the whip struck. Blood spurts out and sprays the bystanders near them, creating a macabre sight. The male collapses to his knees then pitches face-first into the sand where he doesn’t move again. The first of us is dead.

The female who controlled the whip glances over her shoulder before taking off in a sprint and getting swallowed by the throng of trainees around her. By the time I look away, there are a few more bodies in the sand, but the trainees seem to be converging into sects, as if there might be protection in numbers.

The elites slide into their typical formation. I’ve never been welcomed into their group or their training sessions, but Sunny took the time to explain their methods to me in detail. Basically, they work as a unit, defending each other to up their chances of survival. I scan their ranks for Moros, even knowing he would never leave me to fend for myself, but I don’t see his snow-white hair among them. I’m going to have to trust him to take care of himself and find me when he can.

That realization comes much too late, because the moment I start focusing on what’s closest to me, I see Hawk, his arms outstretched with his fingers splayed wide, brushing over anyone stupid enough to let him get close. One female goes so far as to rip her top off and start massaging her breasts as if a fight to the death is her biggest turn-on. It turns my stomach to know he’s taken her will from her and left her completely exposed to any attack.

Trepidation fills my chest, making it hard to breathe because my heart is beating so fast. I knew there was no way Hawk had forgotten about me. His hate-filled stares made it obvious that he would like nothing more than to make me pay for humiliating him every time I saw him in the ring.

Unfortunately, I don’t have surprise on my side to defend myself against his attack this time. Hawk has watched me train for months, so he probably knows my weaknesses better than I do, but he isn’t the only one who prepared. I knew if given half the chance, he would come for me.

While he’s still twenty feet away, but approaching quickly, I reach behind my back and palm one of my knives. Other than reacquainting myself with them in our room, I’ve kept them in the box they arrived in two weeks ago, courtesy of Ziv, until today. I don’t know how he got them to Frostburn and, in turn, to Sunny. I didn’t ask questions the next time we communicated after receiving them, but I did tear up when I opened the box that was locked in a way so not even Moros could access it. My knives were surrounded in silver silk that somehow reminded me of the fallen god’s shifting eyes.

“You think that will save you?” Hawk smirks, but he can’t hold the expression long, because he’s far too enraged for even a half-assed smile.

I don’t waste my breath responding. I’m certain only one of us will walk away from this encounter, and I’m more than okay with that. I’m fucking tired of living with an anvil over my head, and he’s just the first obstacle to freedom.

He lets out a roar as he breaks into a run, heading straight for me. Even though I’ve been training for this exact moment, the urge to run and get the hell away from him is hard to suppress. I lean forward and soften my knees before rushing straight forward to meet him head-on.

If the move surprises him, his expression doesn’t give it away. His lips are curled back in a snarl that promises retribution. I stop looking at his fucked up face and watch the way his limbs move as he makes his way through the sand. Hawk is many things, like a monster and a waste of space, but there are just as many things he isn’t—smooth and graceful come to mind. He has the finesse of a troll.

I slow my approach, ensuring when we collide his left arm will be pulled back, giving me room to plunge the blade between his ribs and hopefully into his heart. I haven’t practiced the move since I trained with Ziv, so I could be a little rusty, but I was smart enough not to give away all my secrets to my enemies.

Just as I start to arc my arm out, my legs are taken out from under me, and I realize much too late I was too focused on Hawk’s attack, opening myself up to a second assault. We both go careening to the side. I pull my arms in, mindful not to stab myself in the process.

The air in my lungs gets knocked out when I hit the sand hard. I ignore the urge to inhale, knowing I’ll be fighting a losing battle, and allow the momentum of the fall to carry me farther away from both assailants. I scramble into a crouch, realizing much too late my blade is no longer in my hand.

My first inhale is choppy, there’s no helping it, but as my body fights for oxygen, one thing becomes clear—Sunny found me, and his teeth are currently buried in Hawk’s neck. His body twitches a few times, but he’s no match for my wolf. Even if he could get to Moros’s skin, I think it would be much too late for him to use his magic on Moros. His head is twisted in an unusual angle, making me think his neck is already broken.

I crawl forward, patting the sand for my knife while swiveling my head and keeping watch in case anyone else tries to attack us. A glint in the sand several feet away catches my eye, and I practically dive for my knife, nicking my palm on the blade when I grab it.

Sunny’s head snaps up as I wipe my hand on my pants. The ten feet separating us is not enough to hide the way his nose twitches. I should have known he would scent my blood. “I’m fine,” I promise. My voice is a little hoarse, but otherwise, I’m in one piece.

Moros’s head lowers, and his lips peel back, exposing razor-sharp teeth. For a heartbeat, I wonder if Hawk did somehow affect him with his compulsion magic, but the idea dies the moment it was formed, and I look over my shoulder instead to see several familiar faces moving toward us.

I wasn’t expecting the entire elite wing to come for us, but if we can’t make it through this, then there’s no hope of surviving the Undertaking. I pivot to face off with the group, knife in hand, but Sunny angles himself in front of me.

“We aren’t here to fight you.” Jeh stops the group while there’s still enough distance between us that I don’t immediately feel the need to go on the defensive. “If we stand together, our chances of survival are better.” I take the flatness in his tone as reluctance to admitting the truth. I don’t think he’s spoken to Moros since the fight outside our room, but the prospect of death is a great motivator. I know the other shifter doesn’t like me, and I also know it’s because he’s in love with my mate. I see the way he stares at Moros with longing in his eyes. I’ve seen the same expression in the mirror when I can’t ignore how much I miss Ziv and Kage.

The possessive side of me wants to refuse his offer and all who stand with him for the insult, but my desire to make it through the qualifier so I can reach the selection is stronger. The silence between our two lopsided groups stretches for a long moment before I warn, “If this is a ploy to earn my trust and stab me in the back, I will slaughter every last one of you.”

Jeh tries to hide his flinch behind a few rapid blinks, but it’s pointless. I already witnessed his startled response. “It’s not a ploy. Our plan was always for the elites to stand together so they couldn’t pick us off one by one.”

Sunny tips his head back, taking his eyes off the possible threat in front of us to meet my gaze. I don’t need to read his mind to understand he’s looking to me for a decision. The weight of knowing I might be making the wrong choice lands heavily on my shoulders.

“It would have been nice to be privy to this sooner,” I challenge. Jeh isn’t the only elite who didn’t accept me as one of them, but he is the one who preferred to pretend I didn’t exist at all, and I think the others followed his lead, leaving me out.

“How were we to know we could trust you?” he questions, and I have to admit I felt the same about him and all the others. I’ve been solely focused on myself and didn’t take the time to try to get to know them either.

“Same,” I agree simply.

“Moros knows you can trust us.” His eyes stray to the huge wolf still standing as my protector, and lines form around his eyes when his face twists into a soft grimace.

Moros did say we could rely on them, but trust was not a word he used. I think he picked up on my reluctance to ally with them, which has more to do with my own stubbornness. “What I said before stands. If you turn on us, I will make sure you don’t live long enough to regret it.”

Jeh inhales deeply, then he jerks his chin in a show of understanding.

I don’t take my eyes off him, but the sounds of fighting and battle have already slowed considerably. While many of the trainees engaged in violence from the first moment of the trial, just as many, if not more, chose to retreat and look for cover. I can’t imagine this lull will last long. People will be planning their next move, and we need to do the same.

MOROS

After a rather quick exchange and agreement to work together with the other elites, Jeh proposes we move to a more defensible location. I’m not surprised by this effort. We discussed many strategies for the qualifier, most of which I devised, and this was one of them.

A small team of scouts moves ahead of the larger group. Normally, I would be one of the four in the lead group, but there’s no way I’m leaving Briar behind. We stay toward the back of the group so any threat from the front will first have to make it through the others while I can protect her from behind.

I’m not certain anyone would have the nerve to go after her though. They have seen what she is capable of, and besides that, she is Frostburn’s greatest chance at winning the games. Getting rid of her would be like shooting yourself in the foot, but that’s not something I will take for granted. Hawk was willing to kill her before I ripped out his throat, so there could be others.

The lead group files through the sand, only meeting resistance once when they happen upon a group of three trainees using the archery targets as a hiding place. Calling it a battle would be a waste of the word. The small elite team easily dispatches the group before continuing to travel toward the largest of the barricades near the front of the arena. These areas are used to keep wayward magic from spilling out into the field and affecting the others practicing nearby. Through Briar, I know the Ivy Institute doesn’t have such areas, but their combat rings are much larger than Frostburn’s.

Lynx lifts her fist up near her shoulder, halting the group behind her as they edge toward the entrance of the bay. With practiced movements, she signals her intent to clear the corner before they follow. There’s a reason she was chosen to be in the front line. Lynx’s ability enables her to harden her skin to the point that most weapons are useless against her. If that same ability didn’t slow her down so much and hamper her stamina, she would have easily been a contender to be in Jeh’s position as my second.

The female steps out from behind the tall barrier that separates the bay from the rest of the arena, and a flash erupts. It’s bright enough to light up the entire space for a split second, forcing me to blink several times as I try to clear my sensitive vision.

As my sight returns, I see Lynx flat on her back in the sand, convulsing until she eventually stills. There’s no question she’s dead.

Shock reigns for a heartbeat before Kino shouts, “Pull back,” while trying to distance himself from the mouth of the bay by running back toward our larger group.

Wes grabs him by the collar of his shirt and hauls him backward, stopping Kino’s escape and causing him to flail around before he ends up with his ass in the sand. Wes is now in the front of the shrinking group. “If you’re a punk, just say so.”

I snort in agreement at the male’s candor. I doubt anyone else from our group can hear them from this distance, but my beast makes it easy for me to listen in.

“We should have secured the pit first. We waited too long, and they have already dug in,” Kino says, looking to place the blame on someone else when it’s him he should be repulsed by. He wasn’t even in danger, and he tried to run. He allowed his fear to control him, and that, more than anything, proves how weak he is.

“We need a distraction.” Hildi searches the open area around them, her eyes narrowed in concentration as if the skirmish behind her is unimportant. “Watch my back, Wes,” she mumbles before taking off in a sprint. It only takes her a few heartbeats to reach a male hunkered down behind a box used by the kinetics. When he realizes she’s coming for him, he scrambles backward to get away, but he’s no match for her speed and determination.

“Wait, wait!” he cries, but Hildi reaches for his arm anyway in an attempt to haul him to his feet. When I see him slip back into the sand after she gives his arm one quick jerk, I can’t figure out how she’s still holding onto his limb, but he’s no longer connected to it.

“Eww.” She releases the dismembered arm with a shove, but it doesn’t deter her from stalking toward the male trying to hop backward in the sand. In the place where his arm once was, I see a child-sized limb already growing in its place. Damn, some days I’m more thankful for my gene pool than others.

He cowers. “I won’t hurt you.”

“I know. If I pick you up, are you going to fall apart at the seams?” Hildi questions.

“I can’t help it.” He slows his retreat, seeming winded from hopping on one hand and scooting back on his butt.

“So that’s a yes. How about if I just take a few limbs? You’ll recover, right?” She’s already reaching down for his legs.

“Wait, if you… I’ll be stuck here.” Unfortunately, he finishes much too late, because Hildi already has both of his legs in her grip after ripping them from his body.

“Stuck in the sand is better than dead. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t need your head.” She swipes up the previously abandoned arm and jogs back to Wes.

He’s shaking his head and watching her with an expression of awe—or maybe it’s disgust, because I can’t tell from here. “Shut up! You go try to pick him up, and when he falls apart all over you, you’ll understand why this is easier.”

“I’m not saying anything.” He lifts his arms in surrender.

“You better not, because I have a few extra pieces I can beat you with.” She waves a foot around, and it dangles lifelessly.

Wes snorts so hard I see snot fling from his nose before he manages to rein in the humor and remember this isn’t a joking matter. “What are you going to do with those?” He tries to suppress his chuckles but does a piss-poor job, so he just coughs a few times, probably hoping no one else can hear him.

“I’m going to use them to draw the attention of whatever killed Lynx so we can take them out while they are distracted by this.” Without missing a beat, she turns back to our main group and whistles once, which was unneeded because I’m already paying attention. “Send Ren to me,” she announces a tiny bit louder, making sure she was heard over the distance. I look over at Briar, knowing I’m meant to relay the message. I could shift to tell the rest of the group, but I have a better chance of protecting Briar in this form. I nuzzle her chest when she looks down.

“What did she say?” she questions perceptively.

Instead of answering, I give her a lingering look before slinking away as fast as I can to dig my snout into Ren’s back. He jerks around as if he might try to retaliate, but I snarl at him in warning. His eyes widen when he realizes it’s me before I give him another push with my nose, telling him to go.

“They called for you,” Jeh says as he makes his way over to us at the front of the group. I should have realized he could hear Hildi too, but I’m used to being the one in control.

After the order is delivered, I make my way back to Briar, who’s still standing in the same spot, but now she has a knife in each hand. I brush up against her leg in hopes of reassuring her, but she doesn’t sheathe the knives.

Ren makes his way to Wes and Hildi, ignoring Kino who seems to have collected himself a little since he’s no longer trying to flee from the group. The new trio takes a few moments to refine Hildi’s plan before putting it into action.

Ren removes his gloves and tucks them into his belt then claps his palms together a few times. Once he seems satisfied, he smacks his right hand on the wall high above his head, followed by the left, before he picks up his feet and scales the twenty-foot wall like a lizard. When he reaches the top, he slows before hauling himself up to the ledge to become the lookout.

Once he’s lying on his stomach, presenting the smallest target he can, he gives Wes and Hildi a thumbs-up. Hildi picks up the bundle of limbs and tosses all three of them past the mouth of the barrier.

The flash of light comes again, but this time I’m better prepared for it, and it doesn’t interrupt my vision for quite so long. Ren makes his way back down the wall with the same efficiency to report. “There are two of them working together. One is an amplifier. I was wondering how someone powerful enough to kill that fast wasn’t with us,” he comments before detailing their location to Wes.

Minutes later, Wes is preparing to open a portal directly into the pit, where Hildi and Ren will kill the two defending the entrance. Wes’s magic is powerful, but it isn’t showy. One second, he’s standing there with his hands at his sides, and the next, there’s a swirling circle in front of the barrier. Trusting him enough for me to walk through it the first time wasn’t easy, but it helped that I could see the other end of the portal only a few yards away. It still isn’t something I want to do. Moving through space like that feels wrong, like you left your organs behind or something.

Hildi is the first one to rush through, her arm already held high to attack, but Ren is right behind her. His ability isn’t exactly the best in combat, since the only thing his magic helps with is keeping hold of his weapon, but he’s crucial as a lookout. Not many people can climb any surface or even hang from the ceiling.

The scream that follows soon after they disappear through the portal doesn’t tell me much other than someone is hurt. A clash breaks out on the other side of the ring. I have no doubt whoever attacked is taking advantage of the distraction we’re providing now and catching their victim by surprise.

I lean up against Briar, worried chaos is going to erupt again, but the fighting is short-lived. There are three more bodies in the sand, and Tank is standing over them unscathed.

He could have easily made it to the elites, but he never once tried. Briar told me about her short stay in the nest and how everyone kept their distance from him, but she didn’t know why any more than I do. Just as I’m thinking I need to keep an eye on him, Briar steals my attention, running her hand over my neck and back. I only look away long enough to see Hildi’s head and torso pop out of the portal as she motions for the rest of the group to proceed forward, but by the time I look across the ring again, Tank is gone.

On guard, I immediately switch positions until I’m fully behind Briar. The male is fast for his size, and I don’t need him sneaking up behind us.

By the time we reach Wes, there’s sweat dotting his brow, and his face is strained. More than half the elites have used his portal to get past the barrier. When Declan moves as if he’s going to follow the others, I let out a warning growl. Not even a second later, the portal collapses. Wes would have too if Briar hadn’t intervened, slowly easing him to the ground. I know how strong she is, how determined, but I catch a few others looking at her in appreciation as they see her tiny frame take Wes’s much more substantial weight.

My beast stirs, not liking the other male being so close to her, but she backs away from him the moment he’s safely on the ground. “Thanks,” he rasps, clearly exhausted.

“You should have shut it down sooner if it was too much,” Jeh scolds. I don’t blame him. Wes’s stubbornness could have cost Declan his life.

“Okay.” Wes doesn’t bother arguing. He knows Jeh is right, or maybe he just doesn’t have the energy because he tips his head back and closes his eyes.

“There are enough of them on the other side to clear a path for us.” Jeh moves toward the mouth of the barrier with caution. In the past, I would have expected him to shift. He would be stronger, faster, and able to withstand more attacks whether they were magical or physical, but I understand why he hasn’t. Someone has to communicate instructions, and my sole focus is no longer on the team’s survival, it’s only on Briar’s, so he’s a better fit for the role.

Jeh crouches down then leans around the wall, only to spring to his feet and step back immediately. Hildi steps out, her hands lifted as if to show she’s not a threat. I’m pretty sure she just startled him, but the truth is he should have known someone was that close. I would have even if I wasn’t shifted.

“Sorry. When I realized the portal closed, I came to let you know there’s a clear path.” Hildi lowers her hands to her sides, relaxing. Warning bells go off in my head. They are treating this like it’s a practice run, not the real thing, even after they have witnessed others die or, in Hildi’s case, probably killed them. Confidence is one thing, but getting complacent is another.

I snarl and brush my body against Briar. They may not be taking this seriously, but I am, and we need to get on the other side of this wall. Jeh cuts his eyes to me. I’m sure his beast is bristling, but I also know he isn’t stupid enough to challenge me, even now.

Briar reads my cue and moves forward. The remaining stragglers who didn’t make it through the portal follow us past the barrier, leaving Jeh and Hildi to deal with Wes. The only movement I see is from the elites, but I’m not foolish enough to think we are the only trainees taking advantage of the natural protection this area provides. I haven’t decided if I should hunt them down and get rid of them, or wait to see if they come for us. Either way, I need to get Briar secured before determining my next move.