by Olivia Ash
We are caught within each other’s gazes for a very long moment. But it’s not an impatient time, it’s more peaceful. Blissful. Incredibly sweet.
A sound echoes through the room, and though I don’t know what made that sound, it reminds me of a book falling onto a floor. But I’m not sure. Still, it was enough to break the spell we were under.
Milo smiles bashfully and says, “I know what you have been looking for.”
My smile fades. “What do you mean? The research on shadow mages?”
He shakes his head. “You say research, but I cheated and saw your notes.”
A weight settles in my stomach.
This isn’t good.
He reaches for me. I jump back. Slowly, he pulls his hand back and says, “Relax, Wren. I’m not going to tell.”
“It was an accident,” I say barely above a whisper.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Milo asks, his voice soft, sweet, caring.
My heart feels like it’s shattering into a thousand pieces, each shard turning into a weight that makes my center heavy and my body can’t move.
I try to stop the words from bleeding out, but it was no use. My mind and body operated on their own terms.
“I was fighting off a lamia… My conduit was broken.” My voice remains barely above a whisper. “I didn’t intend for anything to happen. It just… did.”
Milo shakes his head as I rub the blur from my eyes. “Wren, there is a simple explanation to it. Yes, there have been mages who have used magic that way in the past, but they aren’t talked about. Not in books, not in whispers.”
“I thought…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“What? That I was going to turn you in? Wren, no. We are in this together, okay?”
I blankly stare at him. I almost don’t believe him. “I don’t understand.”
He nods and holds his hand up. “Although those types of mages aren’t talked about in books, they are talked about in homes. Mine included.”
“Wait. What?” I lean forward, keeping my voice low.
“Long ago, an ancestor of mine had done magic without a conduit and was later put to death. One of the reasons my parents are so bent on me succeeding here is because they want the prestige and boosted reputation to make up for that tarnish on our family name.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say and reach across the table to cover his hand with mine. His skin is so freaking smooth.
I smile, and the relief that runs through my body is instantaneous. My body sinks into the chair and I release a breath. “Thank you, Milo. I don’t deserve it, but thank you.”
“But you do. You don’t deserve to be condemned for saving your own life.” Milo smiles. The warmth of it flows through me, sinking lower until it settles in between my thighs.
And just like that, I’m aroused.
I’m just a mess of emotions and hormones.
“I appreciate your kindness, Milo. Truly. It’s not something I’m used to getting.”
“That’s a shame.”
My eyes focus on his lips and I wonder what they taste like. I’m compelled to find out but grip the side of the table and try to focus on something else other than how nice it would be to have his lips on any part of my body.
Relationships with initiates are banned. And I don’t need one more way to get into trouble. I already have enough on my plate.
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You are very welcome.” He sits forward. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”
“I appreciate that. I seriously owe you one.”
I’m astounded he is taking things so smoothly. That sort of worries me, but this is Milo. He has never given me a reason to doubt him so far. I hope this isn’t a warning. At this point in the game, though, I might as well go for broke.
I need a way to get into the professor’s office and that secret room he keeps locked. I can’t risk being caught again. Milo is book savvy. He probably knows what I need to help get the job done.
“Hey, so, do you know of anything that may help with stealth?”
“I might know of something.” He playfully places a finger on his chin and looks to the ceiling. He shifts his eyes to me. I giggle. He adds, “What sort of time limit are you needing? What is the task?”
“That’s necessary for a stealth spell?”
“I’m an alchemist.”
I study him for just a moment. He’s stellar with book knowledge, a bit nerdy. Alchemy is based in philosophy as well as experiments aimed for specific results. I nod. It’s so easy to see the two things coincide with each other. “That actually makes perfect sense.”
“So…” He drags out the word, eyes focused on me, pulling me into those brown depths.
I clear my throat and shrug. “As long as I can, with as little as possible, I suppose.”
He nods. Pulls out a book, flips a pages, and runs his fingers along a paragraph. He taps the spot. “Got it. It will make you seem invisible for about two hours. Is that enough?”
“Should be,” I say. Though I don’t know. I may need more time. But this is a start.
“It’s an illusion. The problem is someone will need to cast it for you. I can do that.”
“No. You are risking enough as it is. I would hate for you to get caught and risk your place here.”
He waves my concern away. “We won’t get caught. That’s the beauty of this spell. It doesn’t leave much of a residue if at all.”
“Huh. That’s good to know.”
“So, my lovely Wren,” he says with a smile, and I try not to swoon. “I insist.”
“All right, since you insist.” I hold out my hand and we shake on the deal.
He marks his page with a ribbon from the spine and sets the book aside. “What do you need the spell for?”
Somehow, I knew I would have to tell him. He’s in this with me now. With just as much to lose as I do when it comes to the Academy. Might as well tell him the reason.
“Something is off about Professor Lawrence. I need to find out what that is and why he is so focused on me.”
Milo’s eyes darken to nearly black as his lips form a tight, thin line. He nods once. The movement is stiff and insinuates he has carried the same suspicions, which only encourages me further.
“I take it you’re not too fond of him either?” I ask.
“Let’s just say I’ve had my own unpleasant run-ins with him, and leave it at that for now.” He leans forward on the table and I join him, almost like we’re sharing dark secrets, or exchanging devotions to each other in a quiet manner.
I like that last thought best.
“We need a plan,” I say.
“The best time for the spell to go off without a hitch is when there will be no distractions. That means everyone else needs to be occupied,” he says.
That makes one time in particular the best. And it’s soon, which makes it even better. “The ceremony for the end of the trials.”
He points at me. “I like that. Everyone in the academy will be there. It’s prime time for additional coverage. Even Deacon will be there. No one will notice us gone.”
“Right,” I agree. “The ceremony isn’t over until midnight. We can meet at my room at nine. That gives us an hour to prep, cast, and get me going. You can hang out there while I’m gone. I’ll come back when the time is close to being out. So, when the spell is over, it will look like I never left.”
“Wow,” he says, leaning back in his chair with a smile. “I’m impressed. Looks like we have a plan then.”
“Yes. Thank you again.” I cover my hand with his this time, and he sucks in a breath. But it’s such a quick movement I almost question if I only thought it happened. He tightens his fingers around mine with a dazzling smile.
My heart skips a beat.
This beautiful man just doesn’t know what his smile does to me.
“See you at nine?”
I wink. “It’s a date. See you at the ceremony.”
I stand an
d gather my things. Milo stands as well, and as I face him, I smile again. He runs his hand through his hair while the other is tucked into the pocket of his slacks. I close the gap between us, breathing in the scent of his delicious cologne and lift on my toes to place a kiss on his cheek, which is soft and warm.
As I pull away, there is need in his eyes that doesn’t escape my notice. “Bye,” I say.
“Bye,” he repeats, voice low and deep.
As I leave the library to take my things back to my room, I realize there are two men, whom my magic reacts to, that know my secret and still don’t want to hurt me. Two of the four men that want to stay by my side.
It’s almost too much to comprehend, but the feeling inside me is one of hope. True hope. Not just a dream of it. And I know, deep down, the connection between the men and my magic isn’t coincidence. There’s more behind it. Now that I’m a step closer to figuring out what Professor Lawrence truly wants with me, and I’m a little closer to figuring out my magic, I can allow myself to entertain the idea of these men of mine.
Chapter Twenty-Five
She’s quite vulgar for a girl. But funny.
I laugh at Savannah’s joke. The sound echoes down the hall and bubbles away as I walk with her toward the garden to sit and enjoy some sunlight following our lunch.
“Where do you learn this stuff?” I ask.
“When you have four older brothers, you come across things naturally,” she says, slipping her arm through mine. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Nope. I’m an only child.”
“No wonder you’re so out of the know,” she shakes her head and laughs.
“Hold on, I do know some stuff other girls don’t. In fact, most people don’t.”
“What’s that?” she asks as we turn a corner.
But instead of her being with me and getting my vague reply, she’s gone—the academy is gone—and I stand in a dark forest alone.
It dawns on me this is my fourth trial.
Crap. What’s in store for me this time?
One thing is for sure, since this is the last trial, it’s not going to be easy.
A path stretches in front of me and I follow it, knowing full and well there is a time limit I’m not allowed to know specifics on. Regardless, I move forward until I arrive at a fork. Either direction I pick, I know one thing is for certain… it’s darker here. The blackness is so thick, I can barely see the outline of my hand directly in front of my face.
In order to go forward, I have to use light. But the deathly quiet that surrounds me warns to not draw unwanted attention to myself. However, if I don’t make some sort of light to see by, I could fall over the edge of some ravine.
Either is a gamble.
But time is not on my side.
So, I take the somewhat safer bet, and make a small ball of yellow light in my hand. I hold it up, so that the light cascades down in a shower of light bright enough to see by, but hopefully dim enough for me to go mostly unnoticed for whatever unpleasant things lurk in the intense, endless shadow around me.
I take one step forward into the path to gauge a direction in which to go when the ground starts to quake. At first, I wonder if I made a mistake with producing the light and consider dousing it when hedges shoot up from the ground in all directions around me. Soon, the trembling stops, and I look around me to figure out what just happened.
The path behind me is now blocked. A wall of green surrounds me on all sides but one. With no other choice, I move forward to a turn on my right. From there, the path opens to the right again but seems to remain a solid wall of green on my left.
This is a labyrinth.
And what does one do with a labyrinth?
Find the center.
In essence, it seems pretty clear what I need to do. So, I cautiously continue forward. As I move, about every fifteen feet or so, an unlit torch glints in my dim light. I turn right and left until I come up to a dead end.
Crap.
This isn’t going very well. There has to be more to this trial than traversing a labyrinth. Like this school, not everything is as it seems. Still, I turn and try to find my way back, but come up against another dead end.
But this doesn’t make sense.
I know I turned here not long before, but where there was an opening, it’s now closed.
Well, if it wasn’t hard enough to get through a labyrinth with nothing but dim light to see by, I have to do it with moving walls.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I say under my breath. There’s no way I can do this without more light.
I walk back toward the direction I came from once more, finding the same dead end.
“This is ridiculous.” I’m frustrated. I can’t really see much, and I have no idea what I am doing.
With the time ticking, I know I have to make a move, and soon. I’m so close to completing the trials and being accepted into the academy. I can’t fail now. I won’t. I’ll be damned if this is the end.
Finally, I do the only thing I figure will help me in this situation. I give up on being anonymous and make my light brighter until its heat pulsates through my hands. I hold the flame up to a torch and it lights up.
No sooner than my eyes become adjusted to the light, the remaining torches around me light up and the wall blocking my path lifts.
I have unlocked a new path through the labyrinth. Something tells me this part is going to be harder.
Moving through, able to see where I’m going now, as the torches that line the hedges are lit with the crackling glow of the fire I used, I traverse through the paths in front of me. The darkness above me moves slightly, revealing a colorful view of the universe above, complete with fuchsia and purple nebulas, and more stars than I have ever seen, all set against a deep navy-blue backdrop.
I’m in awe.
The sight gives me hope and I’m encouraged even more to continue.
The tightly woven leaves on the tall hedges begin to dance with a light breeze that cools my skin. It’s the first time I realize I’m sweating as I focus on the paths in front of me, working my way through each twist and turn toward the center, where I’m positive will be the greatest challenge I will face with the trials.
But as I make one final left around the corner of a hedge, I stop. The path just… ends.
“Shit.” My voice, though low, still carries through the air.
A chasm stretches before me, and it seems like an impossible feat. There is no hint to what I’m supposed to do other than get across.
But how?
A breeze blows around me. Gentle, comforting, cooling. It feels good, uplifting, and replenishes my energy.
I pause.
The torches. When I first entered the labyrinth, they were unlit. It wasn’t until I lit them that the whole thing changes and opens up to allow me into the next section. Just as I was approaching this chasm, I notice the air blowing through.
What if…
“I have to use the elements.” My voice shakes a little with nervous excitement. I had been given clues this whole time and it just now came to me.
Fire, air, earth, and water.
Those are the elements that are the pinnacle of all magic. The houses in Blackbriar also symbolize that. Phoenix for fire, Winterwolf for earth, Kraken for water, and Drakon for air.
I smile.
Nothing can stop me now.
Though the problem of getting across the open space still exists, I know what I need to do.
In magic, intention is everything.
Every spell, every ounce of energy, every thread of focus all comes down to the first basic step of any magic performed.
And my intention is to get to the other side of this expanse.
Magic glows through my hands, pulsating, waiting, willing to do my bidding.
“Not yet…” I whisper.
I close my eyes and will the winds to swirl around me as I take concentrated steps backward until my back comes up against the wall of a he
dge. My eyes open. The path I had taken to get this far is sealed off by the greenery. That motivates me, because I know I’m on the right track.
Taking in steady breaths, I allow the magic to flow through and around me, strengthening my body. The air swirls around me as well, promising to keep me protected.
Good.
With a smile, I kick myself forward, pumping my legs as fast as they go. And as soon as I reach the ledge, I push off.
My heart pounds, my breaths still, as I float weightlessly through the air.
Though I don’t know how far down the chasm goes, I know it will only end in a very bad sudden stop.
The other side of the labyrinth comes into view. The air around me propels me forward in short bursts.
But all too soon, I realize I’m coming up short.
I don’t know exactly how short, but short is not a good thing. Using my magic, I urge the air to push me harder.
I’m descending, and there is about six feet before I reach the other side.
No! I… I can’t die. Not now. Not this close. I will not fail. I can’t. I have to find a way through this!
One last push from air is all I get before I slam into the other side with a heavy grunt. The air is forced from my lungs as my hands fumble to catch a grip of anything that will keep me from falling into the pit.
I grab hold of a root that barely supports my weight.
Without wasting a single moment, I pull myself up, willing the root to keep hold of the ground long enough to get myself over the edge and on land. Finally, I’m on the other side, crawling a few feet from the edge of the cavern. I roll to my back and lay there a few moments to catch my breath and let my heart return to its normal pace.
That was way too close for comfort.
Though figuring out what I had to do was simple enough, the follow through was a lot harder than I expected. And underestimating the force needed to get across was a near grave mistake.
Once my breathing and heart rate level out, I climb back to my feet and face what is left of the labyrinth. Two elements down, and two to go.
And something tells me, these next two will be the hardest yet.
As I let out a deep breath, I move forward.
Unlike the last two parts, this one has no turns. Just a straight shot.
