Page 14 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

“Duress?” I repeated. “What does that mean?”

“Puzzles, traps, and sometimes some students are given instructions to kill other students,” Freta whispered.

My head spun. So killing wasn’t just allowed in these trials, but actually approved?

“That isn’t until third year,” Freta added. “But … but if one student kills another even in first or second years, it’s not seen as breaking any laws. There will be political fallout in some cases.”

But not if the victim had no political clout. I fought back the waves of panic trying to overtake me.

“The purpose is twofold. For unbound students, the stress of the tests will often force their beast to manifest, so they can then be bound. For those of us who already have our beast form, it strengthens the beast.”

“And if we don’t have a beast at all?” I whispered.

Freta flinched. “Eventually, the trials will kill anyone who is unbound.” She reached for my hand and I pulled back, not wanting her to touch me. She spoke of it so casually. Even if she was uncomfortable with the whole thing, she accepted that it was necessary. “That’s why you need to keep away from the high fae. Students like Seb, Jasper, and Gareth are more likely to get away with killing other students during the trials.”

Seb’s furious, hateful black eyes shimmered in my vision. Oh, gods! Had Lotmas signed my death warrant by assigning him as my peer mentor?

“Especially with your background,” Freta continued. “You should just keep your head down and prepare for the binding rites.”

When were the first trials? Had I seen anything about that?

“Z, listen to me,” Freta said, reaching for me again.

I snatched my arm out of her way and backed away. “I don’t need to be told to try to avoid attention. I’ve been trying to avoid it. How can I help it if that sadist decided to target me? I don’t need your useless advice. Leave me alone.”

The words whipped out hard and fast. Freta dropped her hand, but she didn’t look angry at me. Instead, worse, pity filled her eyes. I turned on my heel and walked away, shaking my head slowly. I didn’t want her pity!

My mind was so full of these new revelations that I didn’t pay attention to where I was going. Nor did I notice that someone was following me until I got to the edge of the forest. There, I realized I didn’t want to venture into them and turned, only to find myself facing the same young man who’d warned me about the upper floors on my first day here.

I stared at him, tensing.

“Hi,” he said, lifting one hand to wave. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I glanced behind him. The academy gleamed darkly in the fading afternoon, with only a handful of students still out on the ground. And they wouldn’t come to help even if I screamed.

“My name is Silas,” he continued. He offered an awkward attempt at a friendly smile and stepped to one side, angling himself slightly away from me. “I don’t blame you for being freaked out. I saw what Seb and his goons did earlier today. Is it alright if we talk, or would you like me to leave?”

His cautious friendliness put my hackles up almost as much as Seb’s outright bullying. I took a few steps forward, passing him so I could be closer to the Academy. “You can talk while we walk back,” I said stiffly.

Silas nodded and fell into step beside me, making no attempt to close the distance between us. Seriously, what was up with this guy? He acted like … like he wanted me to be comfortable. Was it a trap?

“So, I have something else to apologize for,” Silas said after a beat. “I was sitting behind the bushes when you asked Freta about the binding trials.”

A hiss escaped through my teeth. “You were eavesdropping?”

“Not on purpose. You didn’t exactly check for listeners,” he said with an unapologetic shrug. “You were really rude to her. Freta was just looking out for you, which judging by your ignorance, you could use. And judging by your conversation, you’re only half-fae. You shouldn’t antagonize someone in the royal courts.”

“Freta doesn’t know shit about what it means to be half-fae,” I snapped, whirling on him. Ah, I probably should have pretended like I was full fae. Too late now. And, frankly, I didn’t much care what this guy thought. With Seb already targeting me, the chances I’d be alive at the end of the year were practically zero already. “She doesn’t understand what—”

“Freta is an embarrassment to her family,” Silas interrupted. “She has a weak bind and everyone knows it. If you weren’t so busy feeling sorry for yourself, you’d see that she’s treated like shit, too.”

I came to a stop, remembering that man from the camp of tents. He’d sneered at the youngest of Court Alegro joining the Academy. Was Freta being targeted? I tried to think of how the others treated her. They certainly didn’t give her any sort of respect. Now that I actually stopped to consider it, were all the nasty looks that were thrown our way at me, or were they thrown at her?

Then I thought of the fear in Freta’s eyes when she first refused to talk about the binding trials. And the way she kept flinching just a few moments ago … she wasn’t cold about the possibility of death. She was terrified, too.

Guilt leaked through the adrenaline in my system, making my limbs feel heavier. No, Freta hadn’t deserved the way I snapped at her.

“But what does it matter to you?” I asked, frowning at Silas. He was just some random guy who overheard us, right?