A Faerie's Secret (Creepy Hollow Book 4) by Rachel Morgan Read Free Book Online

minutes ago.”
    “What?” I stand quickly, forgetting that I’m supposed to be portraying an air of composure.
    “Oh, I’m sorry, are you too high and mighty to bother with reading your timetable?”
    “I don’t have a timetable. Aren’t you supposed to give that to me?”
    Her glare becomes frostier. “I have enough people telling me how to do my job without Miss High-and-Mighty adding her two cents to the mix.” She yanks open a drawer on the other side of the desk, peers inside, and removes a scroll. “Here.” She strides past me, pushing the scroll into my hands as she goes. “Timetable, locker instructions, code of conduct, rules, and other things I don’t have time to explain. Follow me.”
    I spin around to find that she’s already left the office. I grab my bag and hurry after her.
    “The first part of fifth year consists of lessons, physical training and assignments,” she continues as we head down the corridor at a brisk pace. “Some assignments are written, but most are out in the field. Initially I’ll be observing some of those assignments, but you’ll soon be doing solos. For both kinds, you’ll report to me before and after. Any questions?”
    “Uh—”
    “Good,” she says as we reach the stairs. “In a few months, lessons will end, and you’ll spend all your time on physical training, solo assignments, and the occasional written assignment. Every kind of assignment earns you points. Points go toward your ranking. The rankings are displayed on a notice board in the training center, but all rankings will be removed several months before the end of the year as final rankings remain confidential until graduation.”
    “Do points carry over from previous—”
    “That’s the entrance you’ll come through every day.” She points across the foyer to the guarded entrance room as we reach the bottom of the stairs. “It’s the only part of this Guild accessible from the faerie paths. Make sure you wear your trainee pendant every day. You won’t be allowed in without it.”
    Several questions come to mind, but I’m almost certain Olive will ignore me if I attempt to ask them.
    “The dining hall is down here,” she says as we reach the other side of the foyer and enter a familiar corridor. “You’re welcome to eat all your meals there, unless, of course, Guild food isn’t good enough for you.”
    “It’s—”
    “Further down on the right is the training center, which I sincerely hope you’re familiar with by now. At the end of the corridor are the trainee lockers, and here on the left—” she stops beside a door that stands ajar “—we have the lesson rooms.”
    Nervous adrenaline shoots through me as I hear voices on the other side of the door. Trainees are in there. My class. My fellow fifth years. People who’ve been friends for years. People who, just like Olive, might not want me here.
    “Now.” Olive folds her arms and looks down at me. “I know the only reason you’re here is because your brother sweet-talked the Council into letting you do some kind of elaborate month-long audition. And I—”
    “It wasn’t an audition,” I protest as indignation rises within me. “There were exams and assignments, and I passed every—”
    “And I don’t like people who think they’re better than the rules we’ve all worked so hard to put in place,” she continues.
    “But I haven’t broken any—”
    “I also don’t like to be interrupted.”
    I open my mouth to point out that she’s doing just as much interrupting as I am, but I decide against it. I’d rather not make this conversation worse than it already is.
    “But you’re here now,” she says, “and there isn’t much I can do to change that. So I have only one more thing to say to you.” She leans closer. “Don’t embarrass me.” After a threatening pause, she straightens and walks away.
    I stare at the door in front of me, frustration giving way to fear. Questions assault my mind as I raise my