Wicked Rebellion (Darkwater Reformatory Book 3) Read online

  “Why?” Kylie asked, crossing her arms on her chest. Her right foot fidgeted on the grass.

  “Tag, you’re it?” I wouldn’t tell her why. I wouldn’t tell any of them why. Well, maybe Brodin if he asked.

  She grumbled and started pacing, trampling the grass I recently stomped on already. “I don’t want to decide.”

  “You have to,” I said.

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” she snarled.

  “You owe us.”

  “I owe you nothing.”

  “Then you owe the dragons.” Silly me for trying to sound reasonable. “Call it a gesture of good faith.”

  Her teeth snapped together, and she raked her hair so much, it stood on end. “Okay!” Pivoting sharply, she stomped toward the fork, but she stopped when she reached the junction.

  I crept up behind her with everyone else on my tail.

  “What if I pick the wrong one?” she asked, I didn’t like the sympathy I felt when her voice broke. “You don’t know what it’s like.”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. What would I have done with the dragons if I’d been in her situation?

  At this point, I’d do almost anything to save my sister.

  Almost. That was the key. I wouldn’t kill Brodin. I wouldn’t betray my friends. “In that, we’re different.”

  She spun around and glared. “Spare me your platitudes.” Turning, she stomped forward but stopped again. “Once I start and you all follow, I bet this is it. There’s no turning back.”

  Wasn’t that the way with everything at Darkwater?

  “We’re here to take the trial,” I said. “We have to pick. No, you have to pick. Lead us, Kylie-Akimi. Take us where you want us to go.”

  She whirled around. “I haven’t been here. You know that.” Pleading came through in her voice. “I was sent back to the prison.”

  I leaned in close to her. “You live.”

  A frown filled her face. “What does that mean?”

  “It means nothing,” Rohnan said, striding around me. “Pick, Kylie.”

  “Pick,” Jacey whispered.

  A glance to my left showed Brodin standing with me, nodding to urge Kylie on.

  “Don’t blame me if it’s wrong, then,” she said. “Please, not again.”

  I hardened my heart, but it wasn’t easy. “Go on. We’ll follow.”

  Her panicked gaze swept across us while we watched and waited.

  Pivoting, she strode down the left path.

  Chapter Fifteen

  We trod behind Kylie, heading down the left path. In the woods around us, creatures chirped and howled. I was glad moonlight lit up the surroundings, because then I’d be able to see when the creatures attacked. Assuming it did.

  Brodin, loping along with his long-legged stride, put his arm around my shoulders. He leaned in close to whisper. “Why did you make her pick, and what did you mean by she lived?”

  “While I was gone…”

  “Gone when and where?”

  “When I seemed confused on the path earlier… Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I was pulled into the woods by magic, and I followed someone to her home. She took me inside, and she gave me this.” I tugged the chain from underneath my shirt and showed him.

  “A pendant.”

  “Not just a normal pendant.” I lifted it toward him. “Look closely. See? It’s my core magical essence.”

  He snapped his fingers. “Just like that some woman gives it to you, and you trust it’s what she says it is?” He didn’t sound snide, just concerned.

  “The woman was…” I walked on tiptoe and spoke into his ear. “Kylie.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “How is that possible?”

  “What’s even weirder is she was old. Gray-haired. Snarky.”

  “Sounds like the…former friend we used to know and sort of…okay, mostly love.”

  “Yup.” He summed it up right.

  “She’s here in the woods somewhere, and she gave this to you.”

  “She said she bartered with my father and this was the trade. He needed something.”

  “If it was a bartered item, why give it away?” he asked, his gaze narrowed on the other three walking ahead of us side by side. They chattered, seemingly oblivious to our conversation. I’d fill Jacey in later, and she could tell Rohnan.

  I nodded. “That’s a great question.”

  “All right. You’ve got it but you don’t have it, because you’re wearing it. It’s not inside you,” he said.

  “She said I need to hold off taking it back fully until a time of great need.”

  “Sounds clichéd.”

  “I know, right?”

  “And you’ll do that?” he asked. “Honestly, if it was mine, I’d just do it. It belongs to you. There shouldn’t be conditions for the return of something that was stolen from you.”

  He made a good point, but what if old-lady Kylie was right? I couldn’t risk the importance of this solely to feel complete. At this point, I didn’t remember what it was like to have complete magic inside me. What difference would more time make? I could afford to wait, for now.

  “I’m tempted to do it, of course, but I’ll hold off,” I said. “Wait to see what happens. What if old lady K was right? I could make a horrible mistake. Been there, done that. Won’t be doing it again soon.”

  “You’re right. There’s no harm in waiting, I suppose.”

  “Yup.”

  “So how do you absorb it again?”

  “She said I need to drink it when the time is ripe and then…Hell, I don’t know what happens then. Magic, I guess. Hopefully, the good kind and more of it.”

  “Sounds awesome to me.” He squinted in the direction we were walking. “We could use more magic. And…hmm.”

  I followed his gaze. Up ahead, a clearing waited for us with overgrown grass, a hillside, and a big, crumbling stone building.

  “Someone order an Indiana Jones movie?” Kylie asked.

  “Who’s Indiana Jones?” Jacey asked Rohnan, who shrugged.

  Brodin looked puzzled, too, but I lived in the human world while they’d grown up fae. I recognized the name from a popular series of movies from when my parents were young.

  “Indiana Jones was a fictional character,” I said.

  “He was an archeologist,” Kylie added with a pert nod to me. “He traveled around the world finding lost treasures in ancient archeological sites. The movies were cool. Lots of romance, action, and adventure.”

  Brodin snorted. “Kind of like what we’re dealing with, right? Just one game after another.”

  “With the same consequences,” I said. I stared toward the building made up of tall white pillars on the front, turrets, and huge statues of wexal cats sitting or lying down on either side of the building, staring forward blankly. At least this one wasn’t castle-like. It reminded me of something out of…okay, an Indiana Jones movie.

  “I assume this test involves the building,” Rohnan said, studying the structure. “Do we go around the outside or open the door and take on whatever’s inside?”

  “I wonder if there’s anything inside,” I said. “Creatures, traps, or tricks?” Probably all of them combined.

  “No matter what, I’m not eating or drinking anything,” Jacey said.

  “This isn’t the catacombs. I doubt we’ll find the same type of challenges we faced to get to the Reformatory,” Rohnan said. “They’ll be different.”

  “More deadly,” Jacey said. “There are no students at the Reformatory. I imagine they either make it through and leave, or they die.”

  “Or they get sent back to the prison,” Kylie said. “Remember, they use us for one thing or another.”

  “Are you being used right now?” Brodin asked. “Tell us if you are. Please. We have the right to know.”

  “If she made some sort of bond,” I said. “She won’t be able to talk about it.”

  “Which I haven’t,” Kylie said.

  Except the one
old lady Kylie committed to. Was it made when she was this age or later? I’ll never know. I didn’t want to know.

  “Let’s go,” I said, striding toward the building. “We could walk around outside first if you want, but I want to try the front door. If it opens, that could mean we’re supposed to go inside.”

  “Or maybe it’s locked until you touch it and touching it unlocks it and sets us on a course we can’t return from,” Kylie said.

  Pausing, I turned and put my hand on my hip. “You have a better idea?”

  She shrugged. “I’m along for the ride. I told you I didn’t want to do this.”

  “No one twisted your arm,” Brodin said. A snarky comment, but his tone was reasonable. “You came with us, which means you’re responsible for whatever comes from the choices you made.”

  She huffed and pinched her hands together but said nothing.

  “If you want to walk about outside, let’s do it,” I said. “I’m eager to get this over with.” I pulled the timepiece from my pocket and groaned when I saw I was eating through the second day. Three more after this one, and there would be nothing I could do to help my sister. I had to get through this trial and the others before the last day.

  I took off, jogging to the right of the building. When I hit the end, I turned left and started down the other side. Perfect. A small building. That was a nice change.

  The others followed, keeping up with my half-run. When I reached the end of the back, I turned left again and rushed beside the final side of the building.

  “Slow down,” Kylie puffed. “We need to make sure there isn’t something we’re supposed to see along the way. If we run, we’ll miss something.”

  “There aren’t windows,” I said, equally puffy. So what? Outside of the trials, I hadn’t been running much lately.

  “No doors,” Jacey said, passing me with a laugh. “Race ‘ya.”

  Jeez, this wasn’t supposed to be fun. But a lick of excitement sparked through my veins, and I found the energy to burst into speed and pass her.

  Neck-and-neck, we reached the end of the wall and turned to rush toward the front door.

  We both came to a shuddering halt, and the others plowed into us, not seeing what stood in front of us.

  The wexal cats—at least fifteen feet tall—had come to life.

  They watched us like cats did birds aimlessly pecking in the yard. As if we looked tasty.

  I yelped when the closest one pounced in our direction.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Before I could shriek or pivot to run, or find something to fight it off, Kai appeared in front of us, the fur on his back standing on end, his lips peeled back in a snarl. He strutted sideways toward the beast with his claws extended, like a housecat taking on a T-Rex.

  “Shit,” Brodin said, rushing forward with a stick in his hand. Brodin and his sticks. Like the weapon he’d use to take on his father in my dream of his possible future, he’ll defend us to the death while bringing about his own.

  I tried to grab his arm to hold him back, but he evaded my touch.

  He came to a stop beside Kai. “Just try me,” he growled at the wexal towering over him. His stick sliced through the air, whistling, making the wexal reel back. It hissed and swiped a paw at him. He ducked seconds before losing his head.

  The wexal cat roared and, with a burst of speed, leaped on top of Brodin. He rolled forward, between the cat’s legs, then came up behind the creature and swiped out with his stick, smacking the beast’s back legs.

  Brodin raced around the animal and joined us, holding his stick aloft. Kai strutted over to stand with Brodin, growling.

  Snarling, the cat flew toward Brodin, but when he hefted a rock and threw it, hitting the cat in the head, it stopped so fast, its claws dug into the ground, leaving grooves. Bits shot in our direction, a stinging shower. It snapped its teeth and its paw reached out to rip the stick from Brodin’s hand, but Kai jumped, landing on the cat’s shoulders. His claws dug in and the wexal whirled, trying to dislodge Kai.

  While the cat spun and twisted, Brodin clambered up the animal’s legs until he stood on the creatures back. He hefted the stick and brought it down on the beast’s head. The animal took off, bucking, with Brodin on its back and Kai ripping at the creature’s spine.

  Dislodged, Brodin tumbled to the ground. I raced around a second wexal cat roaring toward me and ran to Brodin, helping him stand.

  “We’ve got to get away,” I shouted. “Back down the path?”

  He searched feverishly until he found his stick, but then waved it toward the building. “Not going back that way.”

  A mesh of vines stretched across the opening.

  “Inside,” I yelled. Again, we were being driven. We weren’t being allowed to choose. Kai rushed to me and leaned against my side, his fur lifting and his lips stretching back in a snarl.

  Jacey threw rocks at another wexal cat while Rohnan leaped to the side to avoid its claws. Rohnan tumbled on the ground and came up in a crouch, a rock in his hand.

  Kylie. Where was she?

  A wexal cat leaped out from the side of the building, rushing toward us, with Kylie dragging behind, clinging to the tail. She wrenched free as the creature rushed past the building’s front door. Rolling across the dusty ground, Kylie came to a stop and lay still on her belly, her arms outstretched, and her clothing torn.

  I ran to her, evading another cat galloping across the open space between us and dropped down beside her. When I turned her over onto her back, she groaned, and her eyes opened.

  “We need to get inside,” I said. Cold sweat plastered my hair to my head, and my heart had to be going a thousand beats a minute.

  “Yeah.” Kylie’s voice croaked; her throat caked with dirt. “Help me up?”

  Standing, I tugged her to her feet, and we hobbled toward the building.

  I shouted over my shoulder to the others still battling cats. “This way, everyone!”

  Kai stayed with me, snapping at any wexal that came near. He urged me on with head bumps on my thigh.

  The five of us hobbled up the broad, stone steps and jumbled together against the door. Something on the surface sparked a memory, but I didn’t have time to think about what it might mean.

  Brodin turned the handle and shoved the big, thick, wooden panel open.

  It creaked and groaned, and we rushed into the dark interior. The door banged closed, trapping us inside. Or trapping them outside. Either way, I assumed we finished the first part of the challenge. Time to face the next.

  I expected the cats to claw at the door, because that would drive us forward, but silence ruled outside, confirming my suspicion.

  “Everyone okay?” Jacey asked. “Any injuries?”

  We shrugged and I glanced at Kylie who stood beside me, her hand bracing her left upper arm against her belly.

  “Are you hurt?” I asked.

  She jerked her head. “I’m okay.” Her hand tapped mine. “Thanks for helping me out there.”

  With a nod, I stepped forward and away from her. Running to her and getting her inside wasn’t me offering a bridge to span the cavern of distrust between us, and I didn’t want her dreaming up ways to build one herself. I did what anyone would do under the circumstances. I wouldn’t leave anyone on the ground to be trampled.

  I wasn’t softening to her. If I did, she’d stab me in the back if it gave her the chance to fulfill her own agenda, whatever that was.

  “Where are we now?” I asked in a hushed whisper.

  We stood in a small room with walls made up of rough stone blocks. The ceiling loomed over head, and a canopy of thick cobwebs coated the surface. In the corner to my right, a spider the size of my hand hovered near a circular opening, watching. Waiting. For a fly or something—someone—else?

  It wouldn’t be me. I scooted forward, stopping in the center of the long room.

  Kai followed but after a nudge on my thigh, winked out of view. Where did he go when he left?

 
The only way out of the room we found ourselves in, other than going backward and taking on the wexals outside, was straight forward and through an arched, stone entry.

  “Do we have time for a breather?” Jacey asked, examining Kylie’s arm. Her voice grew softer, kinder. “I don’t think it’s broken, but I bet you’ll see bruising.”

  Kylie, her wide eyes shimmering with tears, chewed on her bottom lip. “Thanks.”

  “Let me…” Jacey closed her eyes, and I could swear I saw ancient magic swirling from her fingers lightly holding Kylie’s arm.

  Kylie’s face smoothed, and her teeth released her lip. “Yes. Wow.”

  Jacey opened her eyes. “Better?”

  “It is. Thank you.”

  Rohnan lifted his arms, displaying his tennas, the cursed power-restraining wristlets we still wore. I hoped they’d disappear once we reached the Reformatory but it felt like we’d wear them for life. “You healed with the magic you learned from your uncle,” he said.

  “It’s the only magic we can tap here.” Jacey’s gaze met mine. “Rohnan was also taught in the old ways.”

  “Good. Then three of us have power.” But my eyes fell on Kylie, who had tipped her head and was examining the room. I couldn’t tell if she was paying attention to the conversation.

  “Can you still shift here, Brodin?” I asked.

  He paused and held out his hand, watching as claws popped from the tips of his fingers. He retracted them just as fast. “Yep.”

  How could we use this?

  “If it was possible to do something to your tennas to keep you from shifting, they would have,” I said.

  He grinned. “Which means we have a small advantage.”

  I clutched the vial holding my magical essence. Take me.

  No. I needed to forget about it until I truly needed it.

  If you’re complete, you can finish the test quickly.

  “No,” I hissed.

  “What?” Jacey asked.

  “Nothing.” I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to mention the old Kylie or what she gave me, not to anyone other than Brodin.

  The door to this building…

  “Did you notice the markings on the outside of the door?” I asked.