by Lynette Noni
“I had a feeling I might see you here,” a warm voice whispered in her ear, causing goose bumps to rise up on her skin.
Alex whipped around to find Kaiden standing close behind her. The others were deep in conversation about the various ways they could have escaped the trap, and Alex hadn’t noticed him approach. Other than in Combat the previous day—where she’d had very little interaction with him—the last time she’d seen him had been in the Medical Ward.
… When she’d turned her back on him.
“Why do you say that?” she asked as she took in his striking features. If anything, he was even more mesmerising under the light of the moon. The way the shadows framed everything from his strong brow to his chiselled jawline—
Chiselled jawline? Alex mentally slapped herself. Snap out of it, girl. Jeez.
Kaiden shrugged and his cape rustled with the movement, reclaiming her attention. “Call it intuition.”
“Yeah, well, thanks for the heads-up,” Alex said pointedly.
“You’re obviously here for a reason,” he told her, echoing the words of her friends. “Hunter wouldn’t have taken you on otherwise.”
“That’s what everyone keeps telling me,” she muttered on a sigh.
“Time’s up,” Hunter called out at last. “For the rest of this lesson, you’ll be paired up and given a task to complete. Phillipa, you’re with Tom; Jordan with Kaiden; Blink with Declan; and Alex with Skyla. Grab your partner and come get a piece of paper from me.”
This’ll be fun, Alex thought sarcastically, noticing the disappointed pout on Skyla’s face.
“Tough luck,” Kaiden murmured to her as he went over to meet Jordan.
Not sure what to make of Kaiden’s comment, Alex stepped forward to take the paper from Hunter, since Skyla didn’t seem to be making any effort to move. She opened it and read the words as she walked over to her partner.
Where the little people play,
sing songs, and dance around all day;
only there you’ll fto retrieve a figurine of clay.
Follow the mushrooms and you’ll be okay,
but do be careful what you say;
for tricky are those pesky Fae,
so take care or there’ll be a price to pay.
“Well? What does it say?” Skyla asked.
Alex handed over the paper. “It’s a riddle or something.”
Skyla scrunched up her face, squinting at the note. “What does it mean?”
“I’m the new student here,” Alex reminded her. “You’ve been in Hunter’s class for a year, so your guess is better than mine.”
Skyla shrugged and proceeded to buff her fingernails against her cape.
Wonderful.
“You have ninety minutes to follow the instructions you’ve been given,” Hunter called out. “If you’re not back in that time, you’ll have failed your task.”
“What do we do if that happens?” Alex asked.
Hunter looked at her as if the answer was obvious. “You keep going until you’re done. Only when you’ve completed your assignment will you be dismissed.”
Alex had to hold back a groan. She was going to be stuck out there all night, she just knew it. Maybe even longer.
“Off you go,” Hunter said. “And new students, remember what class this is. You won’t have an easy journey.”
As much as she wished it wasn’t true, Alex presumed that was Hunter-code for, ‘I’ve rigged more traps and you’re all going to die’.
Cue: sigh.
“Let’s go, Skyla,” she said, taking charge and heading deeper into the forest.
“Where are you leading us?” Skyla asked, trailing along behind Alex.
“The clue mentions following mushrooms,” Alex said, “so that’s where I say we should start. Unless you have any better ideas?”
“Nope,” Skyla said, too busy inspecting a tendril of her hair to even watch where she stepped.
“I didn’t think so,” Alex muttered, too low for the other girl to hear.
Ten minutes later and she wondered if she was developing a nervous tick. While Alex wasn’t the quietest person in the world, she might as well have been in comparison to the racket Skyla was making as they walked through the forest.
“You know,” Alex couldn’t help but say, “I’m pretty sure it’s called Stealth and Subterfuge for a reason. Emphasis on stealth. Do you mind picking your feet up when you walk?”
Okay, so that was kind of snarky. But she was anxious to get out of the forest, and so far they hadn’t seen any mushrooms, let alone ones that led to places unknown.
“You think you’re so special, don’t you?” Skyla said.
“Not really,” Alex answered, though she figured the question was supposed to be rhetorical.
“Good,” Skyla said. “Because let me tell you, you’re not. Special, I mean. You’re not special at all.”
“Thanks for clarifying,” Alex said, her tone dry. “I wasn’t sure what you were talking about for a moment there. But now I know, I’m not special.”
“That’s right,” Skyla said victoriously. “It’s good you can agree. But you should also know that unlike you, I am special. And that’s just the way it is.”
She’s special, all right, Alex thought. During their walk, she had come to the conclusion that Skyla wasn’t really the uncaring snob she came across as; she was just shallow, but in a harmless way. While that was better than her being an utter cow, it didn’t help their current situation, nor did it explain how Skyla was accepted into Hunter’s class to begin with.
“Can I ask you something?” Alex asked, ducking under a low-hanging branch. “Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but how did you get into SAS?”
Hopefully Skyla wouldn’t read the obvious message in her words—the ‘what the hell was Hunter thinking?’ implication.
“It’s because I’m special, remember?” Skyla said. “I just told you that. Weren’t you listening to me?”
“Of course I was,” Alex answered quickly, wanting to avoid the impending hissy fit she sensed was coming. “What I meant was, what is it exactly that makes you so, uh, special?”
“Oh,” Skyla said. “Well, that’s all right, I guess. I hate it when people don’t listen when I talk.”
Alex didn’t say anything, figuring it was best to keep her thoughts to herself.
“Other than my obvious appeal,” Skyla continued, and Alex had to fight back a snort of derision, “Hunter recruited me because of my gift. It’s very handy in stealthy and subterfuging situations.”
Alex knew that ‘subterfuge-y’ wasn’t a word, but at least it made more sense. Skyla’s ‘subterfuging’ sounded like some kind of nasty chemical reaction.
“What’s your gift?” Alex asked, holding back all the other comments that wanted to burst from her mouth.
“I can shape-shift,” Skyla said.
Alex stopped pushing her way through the leafy woodland and turned to gape at her companion. “Seriously?”
In answer, Skyla’s whole body began shimmering and, seconds later, she transformed into an exact replica of Alex.
“Seriously,” the Skyla-Alex-copy answered, mimicking Alex’s response.
“That’s just freaky,” Alex said, staring wide-eyed at her doppelganger.
Skyla shimmered again and shifted back to her normal self. “I can’t hold other forms for too long without getting tired, but it’s worth it for the shock value sometimes.”
Alex didn’t doubt that. She certainly wouldn’t get the image out of her mind for a while, that was for sure.
“Shape-shifting would definitely be a huge help with subterfuge,” Alex admitted. She didn’t bother to mention how sucky Skyla seemed to be with the stealth aspect. “You could literally trick people into thinking you were anyone. That’s insane.”
“You’re insane,” Skyla snapped.
Alex jerked in shock and carefully said, “I wasn’t insulting you, Skyla. It was a compliment.”
Alex mentally shook her head and moved forward again, intent on finding some mushrooms before her partner’s ‘specialness’ began to rub off on her.
Thankfully, they had their first fungi sighting just a few steps later, much to Alex’s relief.
After twenty minutes of following the mushrooms, Skyla broke the peaceful silence.
“Are we almost there?”
Alex grumbled under her breath, “I sure hope so.”
“What was that?” Skyla demanded.
“I said, ‘I think so’,” Alex covered. “There are more mushrooms now than there were before. That’s probably a good sign.”
It was true. At first the fungi had been sporadic at best, dusted around the forest floor so infrequently that Alex had been challenged to find a clear trail. But now that they were further along, the mushrooms practically formed a straight line to follow.
“I’m hungry,” Skyla said. “Do you think these mushrooms are edible?”
Why don’t you try one and see? Alex thought. But then she realised that if anything happened to Skyla, it would be she who had to carry her out of the forest. So, in a very firm voice, she said, “It’s probably not a good idea to eat them. They might be poisonous.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Skyla said, her disappointment clear. “Oh, look! That’s much better than mushrooms!”
Alex turned around to see what the other girl was talking about only to find Skyla walking away from her and heading over to a massive tree. Resting on a branch at eye level was a picnic basket bursting with food.
“Skyla, wait!” Alex said, knowing that the food was clearly a set-up. And an obvious one at that. She had no doubt it would be booby-trapped by Hunter.
“Stop telling me what to do,” Skyla hissed, ignoring Alex’s warning and stomping towards the branch.
“No, really, you need to listen—”
“Look,” Skyla interrupted, “I know you’re all, ‘blah, blah, let’s get this riddle nonsense over with’, but I won’t take long. And I’ll share too, since I’m so nice.”
“Skyla!” Alex yelled, trying to get the girl’s attention, but she just wasn’t willing to listen.
“Seriously, Alex,” Skyla said impatiently. “You need to get over your—AHHHH!”
“SKYLA!”
Alex sprinted over to the massive hole in the ground where Skyla had previously been standing. She dropped onto her stomach and wriggled the last few feet, balancing her weight so she wouldn’t fall in as well.
“Skyla, can you hear me? Are you hurt?”
“I’m all right,” Skyla answered weakly, her voice echoing up the deep hole.
Alex released a breath. “How far down are you? I can’t see anything.”
“Not too far, I think,” Skyla said, her voice shaky. “I didn’t fall for long.”
“Can you see me?” Alex asked, knowing there was at least some light shining on her and hoping it was enough for the other girl to see.
“Yeah,” Skyla answered. “But you’re too far away for me to reach.”
“Okay, hold on.” Alex wriggled away from the hole and stood up. She looked around the area, hoping to find something to help them, and settled on a long, sturdy branch attached to a tree. It took some twisting and pulling—and earned her more than one splinter—but finally Alex was able to yank it free.
She scurried back to the opening of the hole and lowered the branch down into the darkness. “Try to grab hold, Skyla.”
After a few moments of silence, Alex wondered what the other girl was waiting for.
“Ready when you are,” she added.
“I can’t stand,” Skyla whimpered. “I think I’ve sprained my ankle. I can’t reach the branch without standing.”
Alex had to stifle a groan. She had to get Skyla out of the trap, but how could she do that without a rope?
“Skyla, can you use your gift to lengthen your arm?” Alex asked. “Or just shape-shift it into something long enough to reach me?”
“I don’t have supernatural elasticity, Alex,” Skyla returned in a pained voice. “I can only shift into other people. And I don’t know anyone who has ladder arms.”
It had been worth a try, if nothing else.
Standing up again, Alex began pacing around the area, hoping for some kind of inspiration. She’d only taken three steps when she managed to trip on her cape yet again.
“Stupid thing,” she muttered, flinging it over her shoulder and continuing onwards. But then she froze as an idea came to mind, and she unclasped the annoying garment and hurried over to the hole, shoving the material down as soon as she was close enough.
“Can you grab my cape?” Alex asked.
“I still can’t reach it,” Skyla answered, her voice hitching. “Please don’t leave me down here.”
“I’m not going to leave you,” Alex promised. “Are you able to throw your cape up to me? Can you do that? I might be able to tie them together so they’re long enough to reach you.”
“I think so…” Skyla said, and Alex had to quickly grab the material as Skyla flung it towards her face.
“Good job,” Alex encouraged. “Give me a second.”
She tied the two capes together, securing them tightly, and threw one end of the cloth back into the hole.
“I’ve got it!” Skyla cried.
“Make sure you hold on,” Alex called down. “And help me if you can.”
Now for the hard part, Alex thought, as she strained to lift Skyla out of the hole. It wasn’t an easy task given that she was lying on her stomach and could only use the strength in her upper body, but between the two of them, they managed to get Skyla out of the trap. Alex’s arms burned from the effort, but she was more concerned about Skyla’s ankle. What were they supposed to do if she couldn’t walk?
“Can you stand?” Alex asked once they had scrambled a safe distance away from the hole and caught their breath.
“Maybe, if you help,” Skyla said in a pained voice.
Alex reached out and gently pulled Skyla to her feet. She was wobbly and couldn’t place any pressure on her left foot, but at least she was upright.
“Do you think you can continue? Or do you need me to go and find help?” Alex asked.
“Don’t leave me alone out here,” Skyla pleaded again, clutching desperately at Alex’s shirt. “Please, don’t leave me.”
“It’s all right,” Alex soothed. “We’ll stay together. But that means we have to finish the task. Hunter was pretty firm about not dismissing us until it’s done. Unless—you know him better; do you think he’ll be lenient because you’re injured? Should we just go back now?”
Skyla shook her head, her face pale. “Tom snapped his wrist in class last year—the bone was poking out and everything. But Hunter just wrapped a bandage around it, gave him a vial of pain reliever, and made him wait until the task was finished before he was allowed to leave with the rest of us. Hunter said it was character building.”
Alex felt sick at the thought. “Right. Let’s just—let’s just hurry up and finish this, then. We’ll be back in no time, I’m sure.”
Bearing most of Skyla’s weight, Alex helped her hobble along the mushroom path deeper into the forest. A few times she noticed more evidence of Hunter’s traps—a tripwire that crossed their path; mushrooms of a slightly different shade that led in a different direction; and even a rope snare on the ground that would have trapped their feet and hung them upside-down in the air. Alex wondered what would have happened to them, had they fallen victim to any of those perils.
After what felt like forever, they came to the end of the mushroom trail. It led them into a clearing where the fungi grew in an almost perfect circle. The moonlight streamed through the trees, creating a beautifully eerie atmosphere.
“That’s a fairy circle,” Skyla said, hopping backw
ards a few steps and dragging Alex with her. “No way am I stepping in there.”
Alex looked at the mushroom ring then back up at Skyla. “Don’t tell me you’re superstitious?”
“It’s not superstition,” Skyla said, her voice thick with nerves. “You read the note we were given. Even Hunter knows how dangerous the Fae can be. Uh-uh, no way.”
“He didn’t say they’re dangerous, just that they’re tricky,” Alex argued, amazed that she wasn’t debating the possibility of fairies being real, but whether or not they were a threat.
“He said there could be a price to pay!” Skyla replied, her voice rising. “Everyone knows that if you step into a fairy circle, you might never come back!”
“No, he wrote to be careful what we say, not what we do,” Alex reminded the frightened girl. “I’m sure Hunter wouldn’t make us do anything that would result in us getting stuck in… wherever the Fae live.”
Skyla folded her arms stubbornly. “I’m still not stepping in there.”
Alex sighed and looked at the circle again. It was large, filling most of the clearing. But what caught Alex’s eye was the small statue in the centre—apparently the rhyme’s ‘figurine of clay’ that they needed to retrieve. The only way to reach it was by entering the circle.
“All right,” Alex said, propping Skyla up against a tree trunk. “You wait here and I’ll go get it, okay?”
“No, you can’t!” Skyla shrieked. “Then I’ll be stuck here all on my own!”
“I’ll just be over there,” Alex said in her most calming voice. “You’ll be able to see me the whole time.”
“Not if you disappear—then I’ll probably die out here!”
“It’s nice to know you’re so concerned for my welfare,” Alex commented under her breath. Louder, she said, “Listen, the sooner I grab that statue, the sooner we can get out of here. Just relax. We’ll both be fine.”
Ignoring the desire to hesitate, Alex walked forward and determinedly stepped over the edge of the mushroom ring into the clearing. Once both feet were inside the circle, she released the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. She then turned to look back at Skyla with a reassuring smile.