Butterfly Enigma : Academy of Fae

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE | RIDDLES

Monday morning brought a math examination Kallima easily passed. Sable made odd squeaks from the seat next to her, surprised by how simple the problems seemed to her. Kallima smirked. Ignatius' teaching methods worked. Kallima's worked better. Sable claimed that she couldn't remember her dreams, but her ginger roommate had been able to imprint the basic functions in her brain.

"Do you think I'll pass?" she asked when the test ended.

"Of course you will! This test is half your score. And I think you aced it."

After lunch, Kallima faced her dreaded literature test. The whole thing was a single essay question: What does 'Soul of Ink' tell us about life during the Century War? She pulled a deep breath and wrote as much as she could about how Madeline and Karin fought for Jared's affection and how it symbolized internal struggle between loyalty to the crown and personal integrity. All she could do then was hope for the best.

Tuesday devoted itself to the running of freshmen through the Labyrinth again.

Since they went first on the introduction, Coach Drummer decided that Shay and his team would face the maze last for their final. Shay insisted, as a result, that they spend the morning training and the afternoon resting and making up a strategy.

"We have to beat forty minutes," he explained as the five laid on the gazebo floor in the open air. "Sable, we'll need you on point, same as last time."

"'Kay."

The cold wind stinging everyone's cheeks but Kallima's. She relished the numbness it provided her healing eye.

"Marcus, no jumping into things this time. I've been working on sedating people, and I will take you out if I have to."

"Ye-yeah. Got it, Boss."

"Case, how have your spores been coming?"

"I think I've mastered ivy and poppies.

"So we can make them tired and itchy."

"I've been making sap, too."

Shay sat up, a sudden idea in his eyes.

"Sap? How quickly does it solidify?"

"Not too fast, but it's really heavy."

"This is great! If they put that damn drake in there again-"

Kallima said, "I won't hurt him."

"You-" Shay stammered, "won't- No fight?"

"No fight."

"Why n-no fight!?" Shay squealed, losing control of his speech.

"Because it's not fair. They're prisoners."

"They're animals," Acacia said.

"No, they're not. The sphinxes, at the very least, aren't animals."

"Yes they are!" Shay said.

"I'll prove that they're not!"

"Fine," Shay challenged, "if you can convince me by the end of the day, I'll... b-buy you new ea-earrings."

"I want the dangly kind."

"Deal."

The dark-haired boy smirked and held out a hand, which Kallima shook. The wager had been made, and Kallima had absolutely no clue how to win.

Kallima gripped Sable's shoulders tightly and prompted her to breath deeply. The gargoyle's skin popped and cracked as she pressed her beacon to her chest. Coach Drummer waited, bouncing his small recorder in his hand like a cricket ball. Shay watched the girls with concern, and Acacia tapped her foot and rolled her eyes next to him.