Okay, so, my whole Academy "mission" slash "punishment" was nothing but a smokescreen for more of Sebastian's dangerous reindeer games. A fact I probably should have seen coming, considering his track record.
The true reason for sending me into the Aces' viper's nest?
His legacy.
Now, that? That was the real surprise. A quintessential Grayson blindsiding, if you will. We thought we'd done our due diligence-so how the f*** did we miss this? All I know is our slip up may just cost me one of the only people that my rusty, sluggish heart beats for.

The Gray Man will still be counting on a bunch of new souls to be added to the ranks of his empire; he's nothing if not ruthless and wickedly ambitious. I'm definitely not off the hook there.

No time to stop and take a breath, however, because not only has the Underworld's Symposium arrived, but the South's time to crown a new Sovereign has just run out.

It's time for the Labors to begin.