Page 22 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

Penry lifted her pale eyes. “Oh, um…”

“It’s a fairy tale,” Freta interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “A story told to children to make them behave. Shape-thieves have been wiped out, thank goodness.”

As she, Silas, and Penry talked a bit more about these shape-thieves, it became apparent that this was one thing that the various classes agreed with. Shape-thieves were the boogeymen of the fae world. I idly wondered what else the different courts and ranks would agree on. Their views on humans, perhaps?

I dismissed the idea of asking them. I wasn’t foolhardy enough to give myself away like that. And even if they didn’t guess why I was asking, if they all hated humans as much as I suspected … well, there were some things I’d rather just suspect over knowing for sure.

Penry, it turned out, was a servant fae in Court Xandes’s lands. As such, she was known to Savannah, and Savannah had taken it as a personal insult that a servant from her household was permitted to attend the Academy.

“They say that I have a hidden aura,” Penry explained as we headed across the ground to Thatcher’s training pavilion. “My mother is rumored to be the illegitimate daughter of a royal in Court Xandes, so I guess they think I might have a royal beast. I wish I had never been invited, though….”

Freta patted her arm, her normally cheerful expression faltering slightly. Silas, too, darkened. Well. Regardless of my unique position as human among fae, there was this. A sense of kinship stirred in me. The four of us didn’t want to be here. None of us expected to survive. The thought unsettled me. I wasn’t used to caring about other people.

I tried to tell myself that I hadn’t known them long enough to care, but then rejected that. I wanted to be less cold and cynical. Didn’t know how, but I wanted to be more like Freta, who kept her warmth despite everything. And I supposed that the way I could start was by allowing myself to care.

“If you want to start hanging out with us, you can,” I told Penry awkwardly. “With Savannah taking interest in you already, I mean. But the golden boys and their lackeys are already targeting us. It might make your position worse.”

Penry offered me a tight smile. “I’m not sure that’s possible. I … I’m tired of being alone.”

I was spared the emotions that threatened to rise in me because Thatcher swept into the pavilion at that moment. He wore a sleeveless tunic, showing off his muscles. He was unequivocally the hottest of all our teachers, but his permanent scowl somewhat marred the effect that he could have.

“Today we are having practice duels,” he announced as he took his normal spot. “No beast forms. No magic.”

Oh. I quicky glanced around the room. A few students looked startled, but others only looked like they expected it. Apparently wandering around campus being armed wasn’t very usual. Now that I thought about it, the serrated blade I’d taken from the great hall wasn’t your typical steak knife. Were they deliberately set out for students to take and use?

“Lady Flora, you will duel first with Miss Penry.”

Flora grinned widely as she bounced to her feet. Her gleaming red hair was wound up into a bun at the back of her head. Penry stood frozen next to me and Thatcher’s eagle-sharp gaze started to narrow on her.

Acting quickly, I spun Penry toward the large circle painted in the middle of the pavilion and put her hair up for her. Her breathing was coming in quick gasps.

“Sir, what are the rules for how a match ends?” I yelled.

Thatcher frowned at me. “It ends when I say it ends. Penry. In the circle now.”

Reluctantly, I gave Penry a little push. I wished I had some sort of advice to give her, but without knowing how the match ended, how did I tell her to end it quickly? My hands clenched as Penry shuffled into the circle. A magical barrier popped up all around them.

“Begin,” Thatcher said.

I wasn’t sure I’d call what followed a ‘duel.’ It was more like Flora beating the shit out of Penry, and Penry desperately trying to escape. It made me sick to watch, but every time Flora landed a hit, Red laughed, Savannah cheered, and the trio of golden boys politely clapped. A wide smile was on her face the whole time.

Penry was bloody and sobbing before Thatcher called for an end to the match. Silas rushed forward to help her, and Thatcher instantly called, “Mr. Silas, since you’re so eager to be in the circle, you can go next. Lord Gareth, perhaps you are ready for your match?”

Penry limped back over to us. Freta put her hands on her back and a shimmering light surrounded them both. A few of Penry’s scrapes disappeared before Thatcher’s riding crop whacked across Freta’s back.

“I said no magic, Lady Freta,” the teacher said coldly. “There are healing potions for those who need it, but Miss Penry needs to feel the consequences of her behavior.”

My mouth dropped open as a furious heat rose up my chest, but I managed to hold it in. Silas versus Jasper was not quite as bad as Penry against Flora, but it was still bad. Silas was quicker and clearly had some training in self-defense, but Gareth took clear, savage pleasure in every hit he landed. He didn’t show any mercy, and had cruel amusement on his face the whole time. It only stopped when he broke Silas’s jaw.

Thatcher allowed Silas the healing potion, and I held his jaw in place as it healed. Jasper fought next, against one of the other low-class students, and showed as much joy in his violence.

To my horror, Freta was paired against Red next. Her expression was perfectly smooth as she entered the fighting ring. I glared hatefully at Thatcher as the fighting bubble popped up. He caught my gaze and stared coldly back.

That’s when I got it. This wasn’t ‘dueling practice.’ This was the playground for the high-ranked fae. It was their place to beat up the low ranks to their heart’s content. A place for the hierarchies that already existed to only be strengthened. Thatcher wasn’t pairing people at random. He was making sure that the stronger students had the opportunity to sate their bloodlust on the weaker ones.

Bastard.

“It’ll be a shame to ruin that pretty face of yours,” Red taunted Freta as they circled each other. “But perhaps you can convince me to go easy on you … what do you say?”