44 - SOULS CONSUMED: 66

The moment I reached the base of a tree, I realized that I had never actually climbed one before. We didn’t have trees on the Withered Isles, at least, not any taller than a few feet. I glanced across at where Cossara was already four, maybe five meters off the ground, legs wrapped around the trunk, strong arms pulling herself up rapidly. No chance I could do that. And now other students were reaching other trees, ascending fast, and leaving me far behind.

Stupid. The whole thing. Better not to play the game. To stand there and refuse.

But how would that look? Would the result of today affect our rankings?

Dead gods, but I wanted to be prefect. If I was anything less, if I graduated at the bottom, then the four years I was prepared to invest in the Academy would be utterly wasted.

I refused to let that happen.

I began to climb.

Splinters of bark scratched at my hands. Soft hands, I had no shame in admitting. I was a necromancer. A scholar. A man of books, knowledge, and arcane secrets. I didn’t do things like this.

But this was a test of courage, not climbing skill. And although I’d been warned against using my magic, that was only because they feared what would happen if I was discovered.

I would not be discovered.

I was a bone magician, not a shadow mage, but even still I had some control over darkness. I raised my palms, eyeing the shadow that I cast against the tree. I commanded those shadows to take on subtle shapes. To meld to my palms, and to bury themselves in the tree. Now I placed my hands against the tree, and, using the shadows, started to climb.

One hand in front of the other. Deep, slow breaths. I passed a branch, then another, and glanced back at Cossara. I was ascending much faster than she was; the shadows were supporting my bodyweight, allowing me to move quickly. Even still, she had a good lead on me, was now so high up that the thought of her falling made my stomach lurch. That was a lethal height. And there—a nest. One in her tree, and one in mine.

Hers was not occupied.

Mine was.

The bright, golden eyes of a hawk watched me with cold intent.

Just my luck.

This, I thought, was surely the most foolish thing I’d ever done. My heart hammered away inside my chest. Adrenaline surged through my veins. Exhilaration mixed with terror, became an urge to keep going. And so I did. Pulling myself up and then, stupidly, looking down.

The world seemed to fall away from me. So very far away. A drop that I would not survive, not unless I wished to catch myself with shadows, and there was no way of doing that without someone noticing. I’d take discovery over death any day, but it was still disastrous.

I was only a few feet away now from the branch upon which the hawk’s nest balanced. I pulled myself onto an adjacent branch. The hawk spread its wings, a threatening gesture, black feathers edged with gold. Gold streaking its inch long talons. I let out a breath. A beautiful animal. Majestic. And I could see, behind its taloned feet, the curves of several eggs, at least three, maybe four.

“I don’t suppose you’d just let me…take one?” I asked hopefully. “I’ll even bring it back.”

The hawk cocked its head to one side. Violence shone in those bright eyes.

I sighed. “This is going to be extraordinarily painful, isn’t it?”

From a high branch of a neighboring tree, a hawk hissed. Someone started to scream.

I winced. I could’ve killed the hawk with a thought. Could’ve strangled it with shadows or snapped its hollow bones. But it wasn’t worth it. I refused to destroy such a beautiful animal for such a stupid test. If I wanted an egg, I’d just have to pay the cost.

I dove for the branch.

The hawk was fast. It leaped at me, wings flapping, talons flashing. A bright, hot line of pain as it raked across my arm, raised high to protect my face. I tried to push the bird away, to reach past it. It hovered above me, and now its talons dug into my shoulder, burying themselves deep in my flesh.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The pain was exquisite. I couldn’t help but let out a shriek.

This fucking bird was going to be the death of me.

I gritted my teeth. Pushed. I layered shadows between myself and the hawk, thickening them, turning them into a protective layer.

And then I reached out, caught an egg, and snatched it.

The hawk reacted immediately, tearing at me, beak stabbing, talons slicing. The heat of my own blood drenched me. I scrambled back, mindless, panicked, scrambling backward down the tree, shadows still clinging to my palms and hastening my descent.

By the time I made it back down to the clearing, I was so dizzy I could barely stand. I stumbled, fell, hit the grass. I was aware of voices. People talking. Someone shouting. One particular voice, stern, but maybe also a little concerned.

Vision darkening, I peered up into Aramira’s single, bright eye, and with the last of my strength, held up the egg triumphantly.

“Well,” said Aramira, “that was the single dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

And then I blacked out.

#

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed. I cracked my eyes open. Beds to either side of me, plenty of them, all currently empty. Several lanterns provided a soft, warm glow. Furnishings were sparse. It didn’t take a genius to figure out I was in some kind of medical ward. Dreading what I might see, I peeled back the sheets, winced as I saw the collection of bandages criss-crossing my pale and scrawny body.

“That bird really fucked you up,” Mezamir said.

I turned my head. There he was, seated upon a simple wooden chair, a wry smile on his face.

“Mezamir…” my voice was rough. “What are you doing here?”

Mezamir raised his eyebrows. “We may not know each other particularly well just yet, Aurion, but I do consider you a friend, and this, I think, is just what friends do for one another. I mean, if no one sat by your side, that’d be a little sad, wouldn’t it?” He grinned. “Plus, there’s the fact that I laughed when I heard what happened. I laughed a lot, to be honest with you. And Cossara was absolutely furious. She would’ve been first, if it weren’t for you.” He touched my shoulder gently. “Anyone who angers my sister is an even greater friend of mine.

I closed my eyes. “So, I did it then. I was first.”

“Climbed that tree like a gods damned squirrel, is what I heard.”

“How long have I been here?”

“Oh, not long. A few hours. You lost a decent amount of blood.” Mezamir yawned, stretched, sat back. “Nothing serious, is what I was told to pass on to you. Rest a few days. Eat up. Drink a lot of water. Let one of the nurses clean your wounds. Only real risk is infection. Those birds have filthy claws.”

“Hawk,” I said. “It was a hawk. I just feel that the word bird makes me sound as if…”

“As if you were nearly killed by a bird.”

“Exactly,” I said, grinning. “When, in reality, it was a hawk.”

“A massive hawk,” Mezamir said, nodding. “Titanic, in fact. With talons like knives.”

“More like swords.”

“You’re a crazy bastard, Aurion.” Mezamir stood. “That’s why I like you. Listen, I should go, but—”

I threw the sheets all the way back, grunted as I sat up. Beneath the bandages, I could feel that the wounds had been stitched. “I’m going with you.”

“I was told that you ought to stay a while—”

I gave him a look. “I got sliced up, but I’m fine. I’m not going to simply lay here for days. Not while classes are ongoing. Not while the others are working hard. I did what I did and got that cursed egg because I wanted to get ahead.”

Mezamir laughed and clapped me on the back, which hurt, and caused me to wince, but then I laughed with him. He helped me to my feet, turned around while I dressed, and then slung an arm beneath one of mine and supported my weight while I staggered out of the medical wing. I’d heal whether I was bedridden or not. I’d just have to return to have the wounds cleaned.

“Did I miss anything?” I asked. “What class did you have first?”

“Combat training,” Mezamir said. Suddenly, he sounded weary. “Brother, I’ll tell you now, I nearly broke.”

I glanced at him as we exited the wing and made our way down a corridor. Peering through a row of clear glass windows, I saw that it was late at night, the moon half-full and bright. A sea of cold stars glittered.

“That bad?” I said.

“Worse,” Mezamir said grimly. “Our instructor—an ex-Sun Knight—pushed us to the very brink. I won’t tell you much more, Aurion. Better that you find out for yourself. But…brace yourself. I saw other students, full-grown men, openly crying. Nearly all of us vomited at least once. And I hear that in one of the other classes, a girl drowned.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Drowned?”

“You’ll see,” he said, shaking his head.

“Yes,” I murmured with a sinking feeling. “I suppose I will. I believe I have combat training tomorrow.”

Which, now that I was thinking about it, made my decision today extra foolish.

I refused to miss the class. Couldn’t, if I wanted to be competitive in the rankings.

But now I was wounded. Exhausted.

And for what? A single, worthless egg.

I’d been told to keep my head down. To focus on my studies. To learn as much as I could, but not do anything foolish.

Day one, and that was already out the window.

And now it was time for combat training.