I was standing in the lion’s den. Any sign of weakness would show. If I let them insult and walk all over me, I was sure they’d try to do it during the Trials. The vamp gave me a toothy smirk. “Not bad, tweety bird.” He jerked his chin up at me. “My name’s Grayson Shade. You can call me Gray.” His words had the barest hint of a British accent.
“Tucker Brand.” I turned from him and sat on the bench as Blackwing fussed with my locker.
Meanwhile I took in the rest of the competitors. Just past Grayson stood a hulking male with long, sleek muscles, dark blond hair in a crew cut, and green, feline eyes. His jaw was obscenely square, and I could’ve sworn I saw a stripe or two running down his bulky shoulders. His army fatigues barley contained his thick tree-like legs and enormous arms.
Gray leaned toward me. “Oy, that’s the tiger shifter, Brax. He’ll be in the finals for sure. I heard he can lift an eighteen-wheeler over his head and toss it.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “And you’re telling me this, why?”
With lightning-fast speed he was in front of me, leaning against his locker. “I’m telling you this so you know what you’re up against, pretty bird. A vamp and a tiger shifter are sure to be in the finals, but a bird…I don’t think so.” He shoved away from the locker to walk toward the other Guardians.
“Ignore him, Tuck.” Blackwing stood next to me with his hands balled into fists at his sides. With white knuckles he handed me my satchel.
“Ignore him?” I chuckled as I pulled a spare pair of leather pants and shirt from the bag.
The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Well, the fanger should know better.”
A steady bird-like whistle sang through the air. “Hey bird, bet you won’t last through the first round.”
“Tucker,” Blackwing warned, but it was too late. All my life I’d been told what to do, where to go, and how to act. I’d be damned if I was going to let a baby vamp walk all over me.
I spun on my heel and launched a small ball of fire toward Grayson. It smacked into his chest, sending him sprawling onto his back. With the wave of my hand I extinguished the flames before they could catch onto him. “Careful.”
The locker room around me grew silent and I felt the gazes of the other contestants bore into me. Grayson brushed his chest where the hole had burned into his shirt. He grinned. “Not bad, not bad at all.”
When the door swung open once more, the males around me all shot tight with tension, quickly forgetting the fireball I’d just thrown. Their eyes were riveted to the door. Everyone stood still as stone as the latest arrival walked into the room. Whispers about the first male witch Guardian drifted around me. When I glanced at the right side of his neck, there it was, bright as day. The mark of the Guardian. A black star stood stark against his tan skin. His dirty blond hair fell into his eyes and he shoved it back out of his face. Our gazes locked and for a moment I swear I saw magic swirling behind his ice blue eyes. A male witch as a Guardian? I’d never heard of such a thing. In the past all the witch guardians had been female.
“You need to keep a close eye on that one,” Blackwing whispered in my ear. “He will be one of the deadliest competitors.”
“Who is he?”
He sauntered into the room then glanced around for only a moment before he threw his shoulders back and walked through to his locker. His lips were set into a tight line as he looked past everyone. He was a mix of my style and Grayson’s. With his tailored black pants, supple leather jacket, and expensive boots, he reeked of money. Even his black T-shirt had to be hand-made.
“Beckett Dust. The first male witch of his house to be a Guardian and up for becoming a Knight.” Blackwing’s voice was tinged with respect for him.
“What’s his power?” I needed to know what I was up against, and how best to handle it.
“There is no known listing of his powers. He was instantly accepted on the terms of him being the first male witch to bear the Guardian mark. There hasn’t ever been one born before, it’s always been female witches who carry the mark of the Guardianship.”
An anomaly…Perfect. I stood straight, meeting Blackwing’s eye. “This just got interesting.”
Chapter 6
As I walked down the long tunnel toward the arena, I imagined it must be what human football players felt like before a big game. The adrenaline rushed through my body, my hands twitched with anticipation. I’d been born for this, bred for this, and now the time had finally come for me to prove everyone wrong…by not dying. Darkness surrounded me in the tunnel, and at the end a beacon of light beckoned me forward. The mark on my neck smoldered like it knew what we were about to do and it wanted to taunt me. To my right, Beckett strolled along the tunnel swirling a ball of magic in his hand absentmindedly. Behind me I heard the other large shifters sucking in deep breaths and grunting as they fought not to transform into their animal forms. Their bodies rippled with each of their moments, the inner beast trying to break free. Some howled, other let deep growls rumble in their chests as they moved.
Grayson strolled up on my other side. A sly smile spread across his face and he didn’t show one sign of strain. “I’ll tell you this much. This lot isn’t going to last long unless they get their stuff together.”
I gave him a sideways glance but said nothing.
He raised his eyebrows at my silence. “Oh, come off it. A little fire between friends never hurt anyone.”
“Who says we’re friends?” I continued to march forward. I kept my eyes on the end of the tunnel doing my best to focus on the task at hand.
“A vampire chooses his friends wisely. I’d bet good money you and I will be in the finals.”
Would I be in the finals? I didn’t know. I could only hope I’d make it that far. “So?”
“So the way I see it, we should work together. I could always use a wingman.” He rubbed his elbow against mine.
I froze mid-step. “I’m no wingman.” I’d been working toward this all my life, there was no way I was going to be a wingman.
“Suit yourself.” Gray shrugged and strode away.
I waited in the tunnel and took a deep breath. If this was going to work I had to be calm, cool, and collected. I reigned in my nerves, mother always told me the anticipation is worse than the event. I prayed that was true. Even so, I took a second to listen to the crowd in the area. The walls around me vibrated with cheers and movement. As I walked toward the entrance the roar grew louder. When I stepped into the stadium I held my hand up to shade my eyes from the blinding lights shining down on me.
“Tucker Brand.” My name blared out over a loudspeaker and the crowd went wild.
I was in the center of an oval-shaped stadium. Boulders riddled the hard-packed dirt field. It looked more like a rocky desert than a grassy football field. Gravel crunched under my feet. I felt the magic in the air, it pressed down on me like a impending storm. All around me shifters, vampires, the noble elves, and Demi-Greeks cheered from the stands. Pixies fluttered about dropping drinks and popcorn to waiting hands.
“My money’s on you, Tuck!” Someone in the crowd called out to me.
I turned slowly and gazed up into the bleachers. Straight above there was a box where three thrones sat empty. Three? I thought there were five queens. Odd.
The announcer’s voice boomed all around. “Citizens of Evermore, I give you your Witch Queen.”
One by one, three teenage girls walked out into the box. I’d expected them to be dressed like the queens they were, like my mother. In royal regalia. But they were dressed like they belonged in the middle of a human high school. Having lived my whole life in the Cindelore Kingdom with the other members of the Phoenix Clan, I’d become accustomed to our traditional dress. Now standing before the Witch Queens I rather liked how normal they all were.
From out of nowhere Beckett appeared at my side. “I thought there were supposed to be five Queens. Where’re the other ones?”
“I’m not sure.” My senses went on high alert. Whe
re were the other two? Had they already fallen to Alataris? Or were they simply in hiding? Either way my unease increased.
I would have thought that Beckett, being a witch, would know more about the five Queens. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why he was even talking to me right before the contest. Where competitors supposed to keep to themselves? I’d always done so at the training center back home. I expected it to be much the same here.
Beckett rolled his eyes. “That’ll make this Cycle even easier.” Sarcasm dripped from his every word. Everyone knew Evermore needed all five Queens, with only three the fight would be over before it even started.
I shrugged. “Maybe they have other plans.” I hope.
“What’s to stop Alataris from coming here today and ruining everything, I wonder?” His icy gaze ran over the crowd and his body tensed as though he were waiting for Alataris to make an appearance.
“According to my mentor, this arena is mystically enforced to keep evil out.” I looked around at all the supernaturals gathered to watch the Trials and wondered how many of them were spies for King Alataris.
“Good to know.” Beckett nodded at me then in the blink of an eye he was gone. How in the hell is he doing that?
“Citizens of Evermore I give you Serrina Darling, Queen of Desires,” the announcer boomed. His voice drew my attention back up toward the thrones.
Serrina took a small step forward and tossed her blonde and brown wavy mane of hair over her shoulder. When the delicate lifted her hand she waved to the crowd, cheers and whistles erupted from the crowd. Again it struck me how normal those Queens looked. With her black leather leggings and graphic tee, she’d fit in with any punk rock band. She was beautiful, with a delicate, oval-shaped face and small, straight nose. I saw the other competitors gazing at her with interest. She didn’t smile or laugh, simply raised her hands to her lips and blew a kiss. Across her T-shirt in hot pink letters were the words ‘wild child’. I tilted my head to the side, wondering if indeed she was the wild child of the group.
She motioned for the crowd to quiet down. The craziness settled to a low hum when she began to speak. “Thank you for coming to the Guardian Trials. As you know, there will be three separate events, in which each of the contestants will compete. As done in the past the Trials take place before the last Queen ascends to her full power. The final Queen will Ascend in two weeks’ time and we must all be prepared. All of you were born to be Guardians but six of you will becomes Knights. No more and no less, so says the law of Evermore and the elder witches of the five casts.”
“Please welcome, Nova Pass, Queen of Death,” the announcer said as Serrina took her seat.
Nova rose and stepped forward. When I first heard of the Queen of Death I’d expected her to be a dark, goth-looking teenager. I was completely and utterly wrong. Her white hair hung in long, straight locks nearly to her waist. Though it was only about seventy degrees she looked like she was a wilting plant. Sweat beaded her brow. She wore a burgundy tank top and cut off shorts, as if it were summer rather than early fall. But the strangest part was her bright red gloves that ran from the tips of her fingers to her elbows.
“Within the first Trial our volunteers will be sent to the depths. I will stress that in this trial it is important to defend our dear friend. To...” She paused and gazed down at all of us. Where Serrina’s voice was deep and sultry, Nova was the opposite. Her voice was soft and calming like a whispered promise. “To protect her. Each competitor will be awarded points for how they complete the tasks. Whether they work together or alone, and if their style matches ours. I must point out that there will be three tasks, each focusing on a specific aspect necessary to become a Knight. Offensive skills, Defensive skills, and immunity to Magic. Each of these will serve us well in the time to come and the difficulties the Queens will face in the future.”
Nova sucked in a deep breath and fanned herself with her hand then sat back down. The crowd hummed with excitement.
The microphone squeezed and I fought the urge to cover my ears as the announcer boomed, “Please welcome, Tabitha Spry, Queen of Elements.”
Tabitha’s dark, wild curls seemed to stand on their own accord. Her mocha skin glistened with golden sparkles. A bright purple flower sat perched behind her ear, which matched the bright colors of her bohemian, floor-length skirt. She held her hands up. “For your second Trial you will be expected to find our volunteer within a challenging and dangerous terrain. Intelligence will be key in this Trial. Failure to find our volunteer will result in your dismissal.”
Dismissal? I peered at the others I’d be going up against wondering if their lives had been like mine. Did the others of their Kingdoms think they’d die as well? had they been written off and put on a path not of their choosing? For me, I knew I had to make it to the end, had to become the Knight my family hoped I would be.
Tabitha folded her hands in front of her and smiled down at us. “The third and final Trial…Well, that’s our little secret. Now, the rules. If you are a shifter you may not shift into your full animal form.”
I sucked in a breath. Shit. I was stronger in my phoenix form, able to travel of great distance with ease and hunt like a predator. I turned searching out Blackwing in the crowd. Only the most powerful shifters could still hold their human forms while partially changing. They had all the benefits of being part animal, such as strength, agility, and power, with none of the disadvantages, like having to worry about a tail or paws. It was heard of among the larger shifters like wolves or tigers. But never with a phoenix, or any kind of bird for that matter. What would he think of this? Before I could find him Tabitha continued on.
“If you are a witch or elf—” Tabitha’s hazel eyes landed on Beckett. “—you may only use two of your given powers.”
Nova stood back up and nodded. “You were all given a necklace with a crystal hanging from it. If at any point in time you wrap your hand around this crystal and wish to leave, you will be immediately pulled from the competition. The cannon will sound, letting your competitors know that one of you has fallen. There is no shame in this act. Out of all of Evermore you few have made it this far. Good luck to you all.”
Tabitha raised her hands over her head and the ground rumbled under my feet. “Niche, come forward.”
A woman who looked to be in her late twenties strolled out in front of the three Queens. Her face was a delicate oval shape, with a small straight nose and thin lips. She plucked the glasses from her nose and handed them to Nova to take. When she turned away from the crowd her fire engine red hair stood out to me. Is she a phoenix as well? She was so slight, maybe five-foot-two, and barely a hundred pounds. The ground trembled so hard I had to take a knee and balance myself. The wolf shifter felt to the ground, taking down three others with him. Niche pulled a small vial full of bright blue liquid from her jeans pocket. When she uncorked it I knew something was going to happen. She tilted her head back and drained the contents fully.
She swayed on her feet then leaned against the rail around the Queens’ box with her back still to us. The rocks around me vibrated over the ground and skittered away from the center of the arena. The wind kicked up, blowing across my face. A crevice opened in the ground, slowly expanding toward the outer rim of the arena. The ground dropped out from under some of the competitors and they fought to hold onto the sides, then bellowed as they dropped into the abyss one by one.
I raced to the side trying to avoid falling in like the others had. A icee calm came over me as my training kicked in. I leapt from one dropping rock to the other, never taking my eyes off of Niche.
The arena rocked like the whole structure were going to fall into the opening. Screams of panic range amongst the spectators, I didn’t turn to see where they came from. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the swaying redhead who stood with the Queens. Her body went limp and she tumbled backward over the railing. Bright red streamed up past her face as she fell straight toward the center of the opening. I leapt into the air an
d forced myself not to phase into my phoenix form.
With the twist of my body I was only a foot above her. The air ruffled my hair as I dove straight down. I wrapped my arms around her catching her before she could disappear into the abyss. I cradled her close to my chest as I landed on the opposite side of the crater. My boots skidded across the hard-packed ground as I came to a halt.
The three Queens peeked over the edge of the railing.
“Interesting.” Nova, the Queen of Death, canted her head to the side. She tugged her red gloves higher up her arms. “Let’s see if we can give him a challenge.”
I felt the air move around me, a building weight settled over the ground. The woman in my arms had yet to wake and the floor began to vibrate once more. Dirt shifted upward, creating small mounds all around where I stood. Where things coming up from beneath the ground I stood on? “What the—?”
Skeletal arms shot up from the packed arena floor and wrapped their hands around my ankles. With one hand I cradled Niche, their volunteer. With the other I summoned one of my swords. Flames shot down my shoulder all the way to the tip of the blade. I swung my sword at the wrists of the skeletal bones severing the hands that held my ankles. I shifted from side to side to avoid the mounds rising up. All around me green smoke and skeletons struggled to the surface, their mouths gaping with soundless screams as they reached toward us.
“Hold on to your ass,” Tabitha called down from above.
What does that mean?
And then, with Niche still cradled in my arms, we plummeted.
Chapter 7
My stomach dropped as I fell through the stadium floor. The delighted cheers of the spectators faded into black nothingness as I plunged down the bottomless pit. My heart raced as my stomach dropped to my toes.
Wicked Trials Page 5
