The other man bent to help, no gentler.

“Ow,” the cowering man bleated, then followed it up with a long groan as the second man slung him over his wide shoulder.

“How deep did you stab that guy, Red?” Bria asked with a crooked grin.

She stared after them, disappearing into the trees. “I mean…pretty deep, but it wasn’t worth all that agony. That guy is as green as they come. Or a pet of some sort. He shouldn’t be out here.”

“He doesn’t have a choice.” Zorn straightened his shirt over his broad chest. “If you are brought as part of a crew, you have no choice but to fight. That’s how it goes. Those who cower in their living quarters will lower the status of their leader and pay the price for doing so. Come on, this garden is ridiculous. Let’s check out the main building.”

I didn’t budge from my spot. “Upping the challenge is also upping the danger. Let’s meet a couple of other groups first. We can cut through the trees and seek them out to get the show on the road.”

“You’re just putting off the inevitable, Lexi,” Bria said.

“I agree,” Boman said, his hands on his hips. “This isn’t the right place for us. Now we know. We need to move up a level and reassess. It’s inevitable we’ll end up there anyway. Let’s not drain our energy first.”

I gave the trees a longing look and then heaved a sigh, knowing he was right.

“Fine. But just one step up. I’m not ready to face the halls yet.”

8

Kieran

“As easy as you thought it would be?” Dara grinned at Kieran as they broke for lunch. The meeting hall was decked out in finery, from the plush velvet seats to the glittering chandelier hanging down the middle. But he’d been too busy soaking everything in to notice the details of his surroundings. His empty coffee cup sat at the edge of his desk space beside his open laptop, already running low on battery. Five pages of single-spaced notes, haphazardly organized with slashes and bullet points, filled his screen.

He pushed the laptop closed and tucked it into his backpack. He’d need to plug it in when they reconvened for another grueling session.

“Just as, yeah.” Kieran allowed himself a sigh and rolled his shoulders, something he knew he could get away with, given he’d seen Magnus and Zander both do it.

“You didn’t say too much.” She jerked her head to get him walking.

“I had nothing of value to add.” He slung his crossbody satchel over his shoulder and affixed his suit button.

Kieran nodded to Demigod Flora, the Demigod he’d beaten to secure Dylan, and received a slight bow in return. He was too tired to care about how good that looked.

Demigod Lydia slipped by, her head down and her hair covering the scars still evident on her face. She wove between the other leaders without acknowledging anyone.

She is beat. She’ll be useless within a decade.

Kieran let his father’s voice slide right by. It had come much less frequently today than last night as Kieran got more acquainted with his role here.

He turned his head away to ignore Lydia. At the edge of his vision he glimpsed a somewhat glimmering, hazy area. It almost looked like Zorn’s gaseous form.

Kieran squinted, trying to peer past the throng of leaders to get another glance. It wasn’t Zorn, he knew, who was downstairs somewhere, clustered with Lexi and the others, but Kieran could’ve sworn it was the same magical look as his friend’s gas form. Something rarely seen this side of the fae border. But when the throng of people opened up again, allowing him to see better, nothing was there. His mind was clearly playing tricks. Not surprising, given how mentally exhausted he was.

Lexi’s momentary worry last night drifted into his mind. Frowning, he moved to see one last time. It was no use, though. Not to mention Lexi could still feel Zorn’s soul in his gaseous form. The two issues couldn’t be connected. Right?

He turned his attention back to Dara, somewhat surprised she was heading to lunch with him instead of her other friends. He was thankful, though. As far as status went, he knew where he should be—on the outskirts with almost zero pull—but that didn’t fit the way he’d been acknowledged by the big players. He had the feeling no one knew what to do with him, and so he’d take his cues from Dara.

Take every advantage you can. Climb every stair offered, no matter how distasteful, until you make it to the top. Once you are powerful, you can avenge any wrongs dealt you during your rise.

His father had never put much stock in morals.

“It’s a good sign…that you kept quiet when you didn’t have anything to say. A lot of newbies aren’t so wise.” Dara glanced at him. “I may not like the parts of you that are so…heavily trained, but I trust this man beside me. I trust that I can speak to him about my concerns, and he will hear me. I trust the leader that garners such loyalty from his inner circle. Everything else is details. I think aligning with you will help me the most. I feel it in my gut.”

“Ah. Now we come to the crux of the situation.”

“Yep. You didn’t think I was doing this for you, did you?”

He chuckled as she led the way into another room—a dining area set up for lunch. Dozens of single-occupant tables were arranged in tiers so as to give everyone a view of the open-air courtyard down below.