Tabitha regained her composure first. “He’s all right, I guess.” Her eyes darted to the other side of the room and lit up. She extended a slender finger adorned with an assortment of chunky rings. “Nothing compared to that one over there though.”
I searched where she was pointing and my eyes locked on a guy with golden blond hair, eyes so green they glinted even from halfway across the room, and a swagger that would do James Bond proud. He was an attractive man, but he wasn’t my type—at least not anymore. He reminded me too much of Jackson.
“If you like the ‘I’m handsome and I know it’ type of guy, then he’s right up your alley.”
Tabitha and Phoebe shared a look and giggled. I rolled my eyes, realizing belatedly that Ken Doll was exactly the type of guy they both liked.
“Good.” I smirked. “I’m glad you guys won’t be vying for Alex’s attention. I want to show him I’m a badass in my own right.”
I was excited to show my skills off to the young healer. After all, wasn’t the best kind of attraction half physical connection and half mental? Alex and I hadn’t gotten to the mental part yet, but I thought he was good looking, and I knew I was attractive. If he reciprocated my feelings, it wouldn’t be a major shock.
An owl hooted, the sign that something new was about to start at the academy. My nerves picked up almost immediately, but instead of giving in to them, I straightened my shoulders and tried to project as much confidence as possible as my mother took the stage.
“Welcome,” she said when she reached the microphone. “I’d like to thank you for joining us at Spellcasters Spy Academy for the first of two entry examination sessions available to those students interested in enrolling in the upcoming Culling year.” Mother paused and smiled conspiratorially. “I’d never admit it to the second lot scheduled to try and test in, but those who make it a point to attend the first session always seem the more serious students. As far as I’m concerned that counts for a lot.”
Applause sounded throughout the room, and excitement swelled within me. This was the moment I’d daydreamed about during boring classes at my human high school. The three days when I would be tested to join my mother and father in the Supernatural Society of Spies. It was the start of a new journey.
“Yes. The examination period is all very exciting—as many of you know firsthand.” Mother gave an indulgent smile and waved at a few acquaintances in the crowd. “Others, however, are new to Spellcasters, and are therefore unfamiliar with our traditions and expectations. I am here to fill you in on both.” She cleared her throat. “Since the supernatural underworld became known to world governments, there has been an increased need for our talents and gifts. The United States is no exception, and employs not only witches among its ranks of intelligencers, but fae, vampires, and shifters too. Of course, no one in this crowd can attend the academies for other magicals, but they bear mentioning. Since right after World War II, Spellcasters has been training the most elite supernatural spies in the world. The PIA recruits our graduates straight out of Convocation and often praises them for their training and ability to contribute at the PIA right away. Not all academies can say the same of their graduates. It is for this reason that we accept only the best witches.” My mother paused and scanned the crowd with intense eyes. “No doubt many of you have been training for some time. That is good, for you shall need it. The entry examinations are intense. Should I hazard to guess, I would say that no more than half of you will pass.”
The crowd murmured and a handful of people gasped. The reaction surprised me. All the shock must have come from families new to the academy, because legacy families should have known better.
“That being said, as long as you have already signed the waivers provided when you entered this room, please make your way toward the front lawn.”
Professor Umbra, who was the Conjuring instructor, and Professor de Spina of Demonology waved the crowd over to gather near Merlin Amphitheater. The building, which was reserved for special occasions, like the Samhain and Beltane Trials, was situated on the edge of the woods that surrounded Spellcasters. The strange gold spirals that topped its roof always reminded me of a Russian cathedral. Tabitha, Phoebe, and I grouped tightly together while we waited for the specifics of the first exam to be announced.
Everywhere around us, parents chatted, oblivious to the nerves their children were feeling. It was common that when Spellcasters parents and alumni got together, they were very interested in networking or partying. I chalked it up to the spy training in them. Even if they’d already left the trade, they were always curious about the lives of others. And today, one particular family, the Danes, seemed to be on the tip of many people’s tongues. I’d even heard the name whispered a few times as we left Agnes Sampson Hall, but out here, in the open, it seemed to have spread like wildfire.
“Who the heck are the Danes?” I asked out loud. The name sounded familiar, but with all the families I’d studied and my nerves being out of control, I couldn’t place it at that moment.
Tabitha shrugged, but Phoebe’s eyes lit up with recognition.
“Ohhhh! They mean Joseph and Lauren Dane. The Danes used to be spymasters. The youngest ever! They got assigned a lot of epic missions that made history. And apparently they have a daughter our age.” Phoebe gave a pointed look and shuddered.
I ignored her dramatic reaction. Many witches believed that the next Spellcasters initiate class was cursed. But my mother didn’t buy it, and neither did I.
Seeing that I wasn’t going to comment on the supposed curse, Phoebe continued. “The Danes left spying after we were born. They moved to Hollywood and are well-known film producers now. Their daughter was on the list of students who wants to attend this Culling year.”
So everyone was wondering where the Danes were. I scanned the large crowd. No one screamed Hollywood or valley girl, so I assumed they weren’t present. Perhaps the Dane girl was planning to attend the second round of entry exams that Spellcasters held next week.
A loud clap broke through my thoughts and I turned to find my mother at the mouth of the forest, waiting.
“In these woods is an obstacle course, a test of intense physicality and strength,” my mother said, her voice magically amplified. “The course is five kilometers long, about three miles, but it will feel much more substantial, I am sure. Any and all things magical may appear within the course. Your task is to make it through the challenge in as little time as possible. Be aware that the maximum time allotted is thirty-six minutes. Yes, that is twelve minutes per mile, so I hope you have been training hard.”
A few testing participants paled, but my lips turned up. Twelve minutes? My best mile was five and a half minutes. Twelve minutes was cake.
“If you are over that time limit, you will have failed this test,” Mother continued. “If that occurs, you will need to perform extraordinarily on the final two exams. The course is about a mile and a half wide at its widest point, but getting lost should be difficult. Multiple red lights have been set up to guide your way. Stay within the boundary of those lights, else what you might find in the forest could be worse than what I approved for this exam.” Mother held up a gleaming whistle. “Lastly, expect the unexpected. There are no rules within this course.”
We’re starting right now?! Oh shit!
My eyes shot to my feet. I cursed myself for not wearing my tennis shoes, opting instead for a pair of cute boat shoes and tight jeans in case I saw Alex during the welcome assembly. We were supposed to have a small break between the assembly and the first exam, but apparently that wasn’t happening. I should have known to expect the unexpected and worn sensible clothes. Stupid vanity.
But as I took in what others wore, my confidence rose yet again. At least I wasn’t in a dress, or a suit and tie like some guys. Even in boat shoes, I wouldn’t come in last.
“On my whistle,” my mother said before placing the whistle between her lips and blowing.
Chapter Seven
T
he woods felt very vast as our group of hopeful initiates burst through the trees. Despite it being the middle of the day, the darkness swallowed us up right away. Even with Tabby and Phoebe running by my side, it felt super eerie and raised goosebumps all up and down my arms.
It has to be an enchantment they placed over the woods to freak us out.
Keeping that in mind, I set about implementing the basic principles of espionage that Mother had taught me. Firstly, don’t go barreling into a space, and secondly, expect the unexpected.
My gaze swept right then left. I noted the bright red boundary lights on each side of the course. They floated about fifty feet apart and then seemed to grow farther and farther away as the course progressed, just as Mother had said they would. I bet that in the middle of the course, one side’s boundary light wouldn’t even be visible from the other.
Which meant there was a lot of room in here to mess up, get caught, or get injured, but only a little time.
Despite that realization, I refrained from sprinting to be at the front of the pack. I wouldn’t have many advantages during these trials, but Mother’s thought process was one advantage that I possessed.
And knowing her, there were sure to be unseen traps dotting the course. Those who went sprinting into darkness first would also stumble upon them first. Particularly if they weren’t paying attention like the three girls ahead of us who wouldn’t shut the hell up.
As if my thoughts had conjured it, a huge cage sprang up out of the forest floor, catching the chatty trio in its iron teeth.
“Help! Let us out!” a girl with long blue hair screamed, trying to pry apart the iron jaws with her fingers.
I shook my head. She was an idiot if she thought anyone was helping them. Three opponents had just been eliminated from the first exam. Why would their competition put them back in the running?
“Good luck with that!” Tabitha yelled. “Should have been more cautious!”
“Don’t give anyone else ideas,” I hissed.
Phoebe slapped Tabitha on the arm. “Yeah, quiet! The more distracted others are, the better our chances at finishing near the top.”
Tabby made a show of zipping her lips. Satisfied, I did another scan of our surroundings. Most of the competition had chosen to run down the middle of the course. While I saw value in following the crowd, I also didn’t want to risk someone sabotaging or flat out attacking us during the exam to derail us—which, since there were no rules, was fair play.
“Let’s skirt the edges” I pointed to the right.
My friends followed my lead, and we broke apart from the pack. As soon as we got to the far edge of the boundary, a grin bloomed across my face. The blond Ken doll whom my friends had admired earlier was dashing through the trees up ahead.
“Nice, a view.” Tabitha wagged her brows.
“More like a canary,” I said. “This is perfect.”
The only downside to not going through the well-traversed middle of the course was that we’d have to be extra careful scouting for traps and that could slow us down. But with this guy running up ahead, he would hit the traps or dodge them first. As long as we kept an eye on Ken, we’d know what was coming and would reduce the risk of attack from other participants by staying away from them.
Five minutes later, we hadn’t run into a single snag, but somewhere in the middle of the course I’d heard many other people scream, curse, and even seen a few flashes of magic through the trees. I was mentally patting myself on the back for choosing the better path when something caught my attention.
Up ahead, Ken Doll dodged something on the right. I squinted. Nothing had knocked him over or visibly snapped out of the ground, but it was better safe than sorry. I moved left and gestured for my friends to follow, so we could avoid trouble. We were almost even with the spot that he’d darted away from, and I was keeping my eyes peeled for flying objects, when a loud snap made me stop in my tracks. At my side, Tabitha let out a loud stream of profanity and fell to the ground.
I looked down at my friend and all my breath left me. A trap, akin to one someone would use to catch a bear but much smaller and less vicious, had clamped down around Tabitha’s calf. Its teeth dug into her skin, making blood ooze out.
My stomach tightened and saliva pooled in my mouth. I wasn’t afraid of blood, but seeing one of my closest friends injured was enough to provoke a gag reflex. I tried to reassure myself that it probably looked worse than it was. Spellcasters wouldn’t injure anyone too badly. Enough to halt or slow them, sure—that was fair game because spies had to be agile, athletic, and quick-thinking.
But to cripple a participant? Those who crafted the exams wouldn’t dare. With that in mind, I tore my eyes from Tabby’s leg to catch her gaze.
She choked out a sob.“Just leave me. I’ll get out of here—somehow.”
“How could you even say that, Tabby!” I shook my head at her reaction and dropped to the ground alongside her. “We’re not leaving you here to—”
“Need some help, ladies?” A voice cut me off, and I glanced up to find Ken Doll standing before us and smiling like the devil. “I can see that you weren’t scanning the entire area for traps. Did my feint have anything to do with that?”
My mouth dropped open. This pretty boy had tricked us?
He stuck out his hand. “Hunter Wardwell. What do you say the four of us beat this thing together? Clearly you three are smart for not following the crowds. I have a feeling we’ll be much more adept if we work as a team.”
“Excuse me, but what?!” Phoebe exclaimed. “You just tricked my friend into nearly getting her leg ripped off. Why would we want to—”
I held up a hand, stopping her tirade. This guy was Alex’s cousin. If he had half as much magic and brains as the hot healer, I wanted him on our side. Especially now that I’d need help moving Tabby. We’d already lost a minute standing around and had to get moving. “Deal,” I said. “Help me pry this off her leg.”
By the time we freed Tabby, my hands were covered in blood. I brushed them on my pants as Hunter helped Tabby up. Then Hunter and I shimmied her between our shoulders. “Phoebe, run ahead and keep your eyes open. Tabitha, we’ll carry you, but if at any point you can make it on your own steam, let me know. We all stand a better chance if we’re moving separately.”
“I will,” Tabitha nodded, and actually had the gall to bat her eyelashes at Hunter, who beamed.
I swear, this girl!
“Actually, I might be able to jog soon,” Tabitha said, after a few tentative steps. “The trap surprised the shit out of me and it was painful, but I don’t think the jaws sunk in very deep or damaged my muscles. They were just meant to latch on and immobilize me.”
I had a feeling she was right. The punctures in her legs looked fairly small, but still, she’d need time to readjust.
“Alright, crew,” I said. “We’ve lost enough time. Let’s pick up the pace.”
The sounds in the forest dimmed as the course expanded in width. Just as I’d thought would happen, I could no longer see the lights that had marked the other side’s boundary. The participants seemed to have faded into the darkness too. Save for the sounds of our labored breathing, hurried footsteps, and an occasional yelp of pain from Tabby, the woods were silent. And in the quiet my mind began to race.
What else are we going to come up against? Weapons? Animals? Maybe—oh shit!
A young man came barreling back toward us, his arms waving frantically. “Shifter!” he screamed.
Everything in my body tensed. I didn’t believe that anything in these woods would actually kill us. However, I totally believed everything would put us in danger. And shifters in their primal aspect fell into that category. Especially in our current predicament. Hunter and I were quick, but we definitely couldn’t run fast enough to get away from a shifter and carry Tabby at the same time.
The hairs on the nape of my neck lifted with this realization seconds before a massive black wolf burst through the foliage and zoomed r
ight by us.
My eyebrows furrowed together and even though the wolf had disappeared, my heart still thundered on. “It didn’t even look at us,” I spoke each word as if it were its own incredulous sentence.
Hunter nodded, his eyes wide. “Shifters are lurking just past the boundary lines of the course. I’m guessing that dude strayed past the markers—trying to shave off some time—and the shifter is only allowed to latch on to him as punishment.”
I peered into the trees, beyond the flashing red lights and saw a pair of amber eyes staring back at me. I shivered. Yup, shifters were in the woods, prowling and waiting for anyone to stray out of bounds.
But how did Hunter know?
I turned my attention to him, and he winked. “I saw a few eyes watching me when I was skirting the edge too. When I backed off, so did they.”
“Hmm,” I mused, impressed but not wanting to show it as I gestured for everyone to resume running. After about a mile more of struggling through the dense underbrush, we came across our next trial.
And it was a doozy.
Chapter Eight
A river as wide as a six-lane highway appeared before us, rapids and eddies churning the waters. Immediately, I honed in on our best hope: a pathway of smallish rocks creating a spotty bridge across the river. Toward what would be the middle of the course, the river bent into the dense trees, hindering our view of downstream. But even though we couldn’t see what lay past the trees, I thought I heard someone splashing around.
I shook my head at their idiocy. No way in hell was I going in the water if I could help it. This forest didn’t have a natural river running through it, which meant this one had been formed by magic. And it wasn’t witch magic either. We weren’t elemental, only energy workers.
The fae had made this river, and knowing the fae they’d definitely laden it with traps.
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