by Eva Ashwood
The information Dean Frost had given us about what to expect had been vague at best. Pretty much everything I knew about the competition was stuff I’d picked up from eavesdropping. But from what I’d heard, it took students out of classes for almost a month. The challenges were very long and hard, and I was pretty sure the teachers were annoyed that they had to help everyone catch back up with their schoolwork when they got back.
Curious what other people thought of the challenge, I pressed away from the wall and walked slowly around the perimeter of the large foyer, lingering whenever I picked up a snippet of an interesting conversation.
“I’m not even trying to get in this year,” one of the third-year students—whose name I was pretty sure was Serena—muttered to her friend. “It’s not worth it. My parents were absolutely livid that I tried to get into the challenge last year. Now that I’m older, I’m starting to understand why. It’s so fucking dangerous!”
Her friend, a round-faced girl named Alyssa, shrugged. “I mean, of course it’s dangerous. But when we leave the academy, we’ll have to go out into the real world, and nobody pulls their punches out there. The admins are just trying to prepare us.”
Serena scoffed. “By putting us in life-threatening situations? The preliminary competition is one thing, but the people who actually make it into the challenge and are sent to the godly realm don’t always make it back alive. I remember my first semester at Magic Blessed, I watched them bring three different kids out on stretchers from the portal room. From what I heard, the third-year who was brought out last didn’t actually survive.”
My racing heartbeat seemed to slow as I slipped away from the girls, moving toward the next interesting conversation. It seemed that no matter where I went in the foyer, someone was talking in a hushed voice about the negative aspects of the Gods’ Challenge.
I had to admit, it was putting a bit of a damper on my desire to even go out there and compete. My assumption had been that whatever threats we faced would be like the boulder Professor Howes had summoned up in class—lifelike illusions that felt totally real but would never actually hurt us.
Apparently, this shit is for real.
I shook the thought from my head as the doors opened and everyone spilled out onto the lawn, heading toward the huge stadium.
The Magic Blessed grounds were large, and the entire school was surrounded on all sides by dense forest. I had no idea where we were, although I felt certain we were far away from Boston, maybe even outside the United States. I had asked one of the professors on my first day and been told not to worry about it—which I interpreted as code for “stop asking me”.
When we reached the stadium, those of us who would be competing went down into the center and everyone else filled the stands. I had assumed that the number competing would be much higher than those just watching, but it was about half-and-half.
There were no real instructions, and the dean didn’t make any long, flowery speeches. She just stepped out into the open space in front of us and raised her magically amplified voice.
“Congratulations to those of you who have chosen to compete. The challenge you will undergo today is just a small taste of the kinds of trials the winners will face in the Gods’ Challenge. It is not only a defensive competition; there are goals for each area of the maze you may end up in. You may use whatever magic is at your disposal against your competitors and any threats you face in the maze. Good luck.”
The outdoor stadium had been magically curved in the shape of a C, opening out into the maze beyond. The mass of hopefuls anxious to compete for the right to participate in the Gods’ Challenge gathered in a tight knot facing the open end of the building. I elbowed my way through the crowd toward the front, gazing into the mist that hovered around the maze’s opening.
It was so thick and white that it obscured everything beyond. I couldn’t see shit.
When the sound of the horns blared, we all surged forward, and for a terrifying few seconds, I ran through blinding white nothingness. Then the heavy cloud dissolved, melting away and allowing me to see again.
My eyes went wide as I found myself in what looked like a jungle. Two people had been running alongside me when we’d entered the white fog, but they were nowhere to be seen now—the mist had probably transported each of the competing students to different spots within the maze.
Heart thundering with adrenaline and nerves, I took in my surroundings at a glance, then moved through the forest at a low crouch. Movement in my periphery caught my attention, and I saw two other students emerge from the underbrush several yards away. They caught sight of me and each other and scattered like leaves in the wind.
Safe behind the cover of a large tree, I glanced around quickly, remembering Dean Frost’s words.
It is not only a defensive competition; there are goals for each area of the maze you may end up in.
I had to figure out what exactly I was supposed to do in this section of the maze. I knew that heading toward the outskirts of the forest was probably a bad idea. Why would they put the goal in the easiest place? So once I was in the clear, I turned back and started searching deeper inside the woods. As I shoved my way through the thick foliage, I caught the sound of strange bells chiming in the distance and altered my direction to follow the sound.
When I stepped into an open area of the forest several minutes later, I stopped in the cover of a large bush. The bells had grown so loud that they were making my ears ring, and they were loudest in the center of the clearing, where a large pillar stood with a golden scroll floating above it.
My muscles twitched, my entire body straining to jump out, scramble up the pillar, and snatch the scroll as fast as I could. But I knew it couldn’t be that simple. Even in the “preliminary competition”, there was no way they’d let any of us win that easily. So I hunkered down in the bush and waited, watching for anyone else who may have been transported to this section of the maze.
About twenty minutes later, I spotted another student creeping toward the scroll from across the clearing. It was a tall girl with shoulder-length blond hair. I couldn’t remember her name, but she looked wild-eyed and excited, giving away the fact that she was a first-year. She stepped right out into the clearing and ran toward the scroll.
Three steps in, four apparitions appeared in front of her, making her jump and shriek. My heart thundered in my chest as the smoky black figures hurtled toward her. She shook off her surprise quickly, dropping into the defensive position we’d been taught by Professor Howes, and the battle began.
It was a lot like sparring, only when magic thrown by the shade sliced past the girl’s arm, I could see blood trickle down her pale skin.
It was no joke. Every threat in this competition was real.
The smartest tactic would’ve been to stay right where I was in the bushes and let the girl draw the shades away from me. But for some damn reason, my conscience pinged as I watched her fight off the four howling creatures. I couldn’t just stand by and let this girl get demolished. In my head, I kept hearing the voices of the students I’d about heard talking about people dying in the competition.
It’s not your job to save her, Aria. It’s not your job to save her.
Rolling my eyes at myself as I ignored my own advice, I pushed up my sleeves and allowed the floodgates to open. Flinging my hands down, I let the magic surge around me as I stepped out into the open. Two of the apparitions turned toward me, sending bursts of dark magic at me. I used my own magic to block them, building a wall of protection in front of me. The girl, however, had lost all of her bravery. By that point she was bleeding, on her knees, and begging for someone to help her.
Holding the wall with one hand, I sent a stream of magic in her direction. I concentrated as hard as I could, wrapping it gently around her waist and using my arm to lift her up in the air. The shades watched me with hollow black eyes as I lifted her out of harm’s way and stretched my magic out, setting her down in a safer part of the forest. I
was shocked to realize I was capable of doing it.
When the girl was settled safely about a dozen yards away, I heard a loud crack. A second later, my wall of protection shimmered and fell to the ground like dust.
So much for playing it smart. Now I was facing four angry shades with no magical shield to protect me and no backup.
It’s on, motherfuckers.
I stepped forward smoothly, throwing balls of magic at each of them. When they launched counterattacks, I threw myself into a forward roll, ending up in a crouch as I flung my hands out in different directions. Energy burst from me, sending what looked like arrowheads racing toward two of the apparitions. Their eyes went wide as the magic hit them in the chest. I could hear their screams echoing in my mind as their bodies burst into sparks.
Gods, I really hope that means I beat them.
I had no time to think about it though. There were still two shades left, and they were throwing everything they had at me.
Ducking and diving, I caught a sharp lash of magical energy across my cheek. It burned and sizzled, and I could feel my own warm blood as it dripped down my chin. I squatted low behind the pillar holding the scroll and took in a deep breath.
Trust your magic. Trust it.
Professor Wist, our Power and Precision teacher, had practically beaten that mantra into our heads over the five weeks we’d been in classes. I repeated it to myself now, willing the words to give me courage.
I had to learn to trust my magic, knowing that my magic came from me and there was no one more protective of my own body than myself.
If given the chance, my magic would protect me.
Letting my eyes drift closed, I let my magic surge out of my arms and down across the ground. I concentrated hard, managing to almost visualize the path it was taking toward the two remaining shades. I even changed the color of the magic, camouflaging it against the tall grasses.
When I could sense the creatures near my magic, I jumped into action. I focused on the streams of energy, hardening them like bands of steel. Then I stepped out from behind the tree I’d taken cover behind and swung both of my arms hard to the left. The apparitions shrieked and narrowed their sightless eyes at me, raising their hands to create large orbs of dark, swirling magic.
Just before they released them in my direction—a blow I was pretty sure would’ve killed me—I swung my arms back to the right, hitting the creatures like a freight train with my giant rock solid magical beams.
Almost instantly, both of the creatures exploded, bursting into a shower of dark sparkles.
I let the energy slowly flow back up toward my body and into my core. Glancing back and forth, I found no other threats in the area. I didn’t even see any other students. There was a bright light growing in the clearing, and when I looked over at the pillar, the golden scroll pulsed, calling to me.
Now I did sprint for it, racing across the clearing from where I’d taken cover at the perimeter. The pillar was about ten feet tall, and I scaled it like a monkey, not even bothering to figure out a way to use magic to help me reach the top.
When I finally hauled myself up onto the smooth circle of polished stone, I reached for the glowing scroll with trembling hands. My fingertips touched the warm golden paper—
And everything went dark.
It was only for a moment, but it was enough to scare the fuck out of me.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing back in the arena and everyone was cheering wildly around us. Dean Frost walked up to me and nodded, an appraising look on her face.
“Very good, Aria Banks. You’re a winner of the competition.”
My mouth dropped open, and I laughed at myself, feeling pride surging inside me.
“Holy shit. I qualified for the Gods’ Challenge?”
“Yes.” The dean gestured with her chin to the space over my shoulder. “You and the others as well.”
Others? Am I the last one out?
Slowly, I turned, the smile dropping from my lips. Down at the end of the row of ten students, Trace, Lachlan, and Merrick were living it up, waving at the crowd and slapping each other on the back.
All my pride and excitement seeped right out of me like air from a punctured balloon.
Ah, fuck.
Chapter Nine
All the winners had to make it through one more week of classes before moving on to the Gods’ Challenge.
The preliminary competition had been difficult, but despite a few serious injuries, no students had died in the maze. Trace, Merrick, Lachlan, and the other students who had qualified for the challenge became minor celebrities around school, although I was still persona non grata.
However, as the week progressed, I noticed that my professors started paying closer attention to me. I could tell that they were trying to prepare me for what was coming. They were pushing me extra hard and would pull me aside in class to teach me more advanced defensive and offensive forms of magic.
“The Gods’ Challenge is not to be taken lightly,” Professor Wist told me after class on Wednesday. “You’ll be competing in the godly realm, and you’ll need to be completely focused when you go in there. It will be difficult, because you’re going to see things that you thought only existed in movies or your imagination. It’s important to remind yourself to pull in that curiosity and know that the things around you are serious dangers. That includes the people you go into the challenge with.”
Her warning made sense to me. It was exactly the same as when I fought in the ring.
The excitement and hoopla that surrounded the fights were always distracting, but when it came down to it, the only thing that mattered was me and my opponent. Once we stepped into the ring, it didn’t matter how many people were watching us and cheering us on. It didn’t matter how much money was on the line or how much backing we had from rich mafia in the area.
It was just me and the other person.
Spectators and bets be damned, my fists were the only thing that would do the talking.
If the week before the preliminary competition seemed to drag by, the week before the Gods’ Challenge itself seemed to zip past in the blink of an eye.
On the day we were set to leave for the godly realm, I did everything in my power to push thoughts of nervousness and doubt out of my mind as I stood at the top of the steps leading to the first floor of the academy. There were dozens of people milling around in the large space—I still didn’t know most of their names, but they would all be coming to watch us depart for the challenge.
“How are you feeling?” Eden’s voice behind me made me start, but I quickly wrestled my heartbeat back under control. She came to stand beside me, worry radiating from her like streams of magic.
“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” she continued. “The preliminary competition was so hard, and I didn’t even make it anywhere near the goal. I would be freaking out right now.”
I chuckled and turned toward her. “You’ve never really done this whole supportive friend thing, have you?”
She smiled, her gray eyes turning a little sad. “No, I guess not. After my mom died, I spent years taking care of my dad, and I didn’t really get to meet new people. So my friend pool is kind of small.”
I shrugged, nudging her shoulder. “Well, it’s bigger by one now.”
She surprised the shit out of me by turning and wrapping her arms around me. At first, I froze, not used to people hugging me… but it was kind of nice. Slowly, I released the tension in my shoulders and hugged her back. She looked down the stairs behind me. “They’re all here. They’ve come to watch you go through the portals. It’s probably time to go down there.”
I dragged in a deep breath and nodded. “I know. Will you walk out with me?”
“Of course.” Then she leaned closer and whispered. “Don’t look now, but your three favorite people are right behind us.”
Godsdammit. I didn’t even have to ask who she was talking about. As soon as she said the words, my nostril
s caught a hint of bergamot and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I’d become weirdly attuned to all three of the men who’d made it their mission to make my life miserable here.
I liked to pretend it was just a survival instinct, like an animal’s ability to sense danger, but that didn’t quite explain why my pulse picked up and my panties grew slick at the sound of Merrick’s smooth voice, Lachlan’s thick Irish brogue, or Trace’s gruff, almost raspy sound.
I had figured out a few weeks ago why he’d looked so familiar when I had first met him. It was for the same reason he looked like a rock star—because he was one. Before coming to Magic Blessed, he’d been the lead vocalist for a band called Twisted Roses, whose music I was embarrassed to admit I’d actually liked.
“Fuck,” I muttered, slipping my arm into Eden’s and starting down the steps. “Come on. Let’s go.”
The three men had been extra insufferable over the past week, basking in the awe of impressionable first and second-years, and even some third-years I was convinced should’ve known better.
“Those guys act like they’re gods.” I glanced up over my shoulder as we reached the first floor. “And they’re in serious need of someone who’ll remind them they’re not.”
“Be smart, Aria. Don’t get sucked into some petty game with them. Focus on staying alive and trying to win the challenge. That’ll be hard enough.”
The students who hadn’t already left for The Hill, the place where we would find our portals, parted to let us walk through the entry hall. The sound of whispers and murmurs filled my ears, but I tried to ignore it.
When we stepped outside, we turned left, heading in the opposite direction of the stadium where the preliminaries had been held. I cleared my throat nervously as a large hill loomed ahead of us. Dozens of people were already gathered at the top to watch our departure.
“What should I expect to happen?” I murmured under my breath. “Have you heard anything about how this goes?”
