Grayson cradled Niche in his arms, peered down at her, then to me. “You take her through.”
Before I could protest he tossed her to me. I caught her with one arm and cradled her to me. When I looked down at the Reanimants they appeared to be ants swarming over each other, still trying to claw their way up the walls. But they were nowhere near us. I was about to climb through when the rocks gave out under my grip. For a split second I thought I’d drop. A hand shot out from the top of the opening catching me under my arm. I tilted my head up and met eyes with the one of the rarest species in Evermore, a Demi-Greek. A child of one of the most powerful supernaturals to ever walk the earth. When she smiled down at me her ebony skin seemed to illuminate from within. Her long thin sable braids hung down past her shoulders nearly hitting my face.
She arched one eyebrow. “Thought you could use some help.”
Shocked relieve flowed through me. I sucked in a breath and nodded then grabbed her hand. “Indeed.”
She swung me toward a smaller ledge where I could catch my feet. She grunted. “Just push up, I’ve got you.”
With a last glance to my team I jumped through the hole into blinding light.
Chapter 8
Niche disappeared from my arms and the crowd roared to life on all sides. I turned toward the female who’d helped me through and extended my hand toward her. “I’m Tuck, of the Phoenix clan.”
She quickly took my hand shaking it hard. “Adrienne, daughter of Athena. Pleasure to meet you.”
Before I could answer blinding spotlights shined down into my face. I threw my arm up to block them. After being in a dark cave for what felt like hours it felt odd to be standing here. Behind me Beckett the witch, Grayson the vampire, Brax the tiger, and Ashryn the noble elf fanned out to my sides.
The announcer boomed to life. “People of Evermore, I give you your remaining competitors.”
There was little more than a handful of us left. We had started with at least fifty and now we were down to about a dozen. One included the wolf, bloody and bruised. He sneered at me then ran his finger across his neck in a ‘you’re dead’ motion. I turned away from him, he could’ve worked with us, he chose not to. There were so many other things hanging over my head, I didn’t have time to dwell on one pissed off wolf.
As I looked around all I thought was…Remaining competitors? Are all the others dead? Then I spotted them, riddled with injuries, swollen faces and broken limbs. They sat on the sidelines, draped over benches, watching to see what would happen next. Though they were out of the Trials, a part of me was relieved to see them all still alive.
I pushed my shoulders back, gazing up toward the box where the Queens sat atop their thrones. I imagined this was what professional athletes felt like: the roaring crowd, streamers flying, and my face big as day on a Jumbotron in the center of the arena.
Serrina the Queen of Desire rose to her feet, and all at once the arena quieted. She flipped her blonde-streaked hair over her shoulder, and regarded the crowd with hooded eyes. “The first Trial is complete.”
The patrons erupted once more as Serrina took a step back.
Nova, Queen of the Dead, stepped forward with her eyes locked on a point behind me. When I glanced over my shoulder a Reanimant crept through the hole. I waited for her to call it off or to use her powers on it. Instead she turned to the side and gagged. Her dark eyes slid shut as shudders wracked her body. I drew my sword, turned and ran at it. I slashed through the Reanimant’s neck, claiming its head. The pieces fell to the ground and disintegrated into dust. Beside Nova, Tabitha stepped up and waved her hand over the arena. The hole came together like pieces of a puzzle, one rock at a time, until it closed completely, blocking out the rest of the Reanimants.
Nova stumbled to the front once more. She pressed the back of her gloved hand to her deep red lips. She turned toward Tabitha. “They’re so gross. So gross.”
I arched an eyebrow and glanced at the competitors around me as they hid their smirks. A Queen of Death who found Reanimants gross. How odd. Tabitha leaned in and whispered in her ear.
Nova waved her hand to stop her, her white-blonde hair falling in straight stands down to her waist, it wavered with each nod of her head. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
She sucked in a breath and pushed her shoulders back, then glanced down directly at me and to my utter shock mouthed two words…Thank you. I inclined my head ever so slightly. You’re welcome. When she looked away I swung my gaze toward the crowd hoping to search out Blackwing. Did he see that? When my eyes locked onto his crimson stare, I found both his eyebrows raised in shock. I knew he had seen it.
Nova lifted her hand and cleared her throat. The area went silent. “The following are the standings for the Knights.” She waved her arm toward the Jumbotron and our names lined up like sports stats. I gaped at it with wide eyes. My name was at the top.
“Tucker, step up and take a bow,” the announcer demanded like some kind of resonant invisible presence.
Instead I stepped back among the others who had helped me out of that cave. I motioned to the people at my side. “Couldn’t have done it without their help.”
Grayson stepped forward, waving to the crowd. “It’s true, it’s true.” He gave them a fangy smile. For a moment I thought he was about to take a bow, but he just turned in a slow circle. He ate up the limelight with a wide smile.
Beckett and the noble elf, Ashryn, gave tight-lipped nods, each seemingly happy to take the cheers but not as much of a crowd-hog as Grayson. Adrienne the Demi-Greek stepped in closer to Beckett’s side. Her toe caught on the back of her jeans and she stumbled nearly falling on her face a moment before she caught herself on his shoulder. But the biggest shock of all was Brax the towering tiger shifter. His cheeks turned red and he ducked his head then gave a single wave, then dropped his arm loosely at his side.
“Nevertheless,” Nova continued, “these standings are for only one round. There are two more.”
Tabitha stepped up. Her wild curls surrounded her mocha skin, giving her a wind blown witchy look. A bright wide smile spread across her face. “For your next Trial you will have to be cunning. You will need strength and teamwork to get to the prize.”
She waved her hand and Niche’s still-sleeping form appeared above the arena. Her arms were spread wide and her hair billowed out as though she were floating in a pool rather than mid-air. Again the surge of brotherly protection I felt toward her came toward the forefront of my mind. This was how I would feel about the next Queen: protective, purposeful. Yes, I’d been forced into a position I didn’t want. But I would work my hardest to help Evermore anyway I could.
“For the next challenge you will be tasked with finding our dear friend, Niche. The top eight contestants to come close to finding her will move to our final round. Don’t forget, you still have the crystals around your neck should you chose to leave this Trial. For now, welcome to the next challenge.”
The world around me wavered and spun. Dizziness like I’d never known flooded my system. I pressed my hand to my head as I stumbled forward. While I battled the vertigo I noted the competitors next to me weren’t faring much better. They too stumbled around as though drugged. Some fell to the ground, sprawled out like starfish on a beach, their eyes dazed. All around me the arena spun like a top, and the patrons seeped together in one big blur. Weightlessness overcame me, the way it did when I flew. Except this time I had no control. Then the ground rushed to my face. I barely had time to put my hands out before I landed flat on my stomach with a mouth full of grass.
I rolled onto my back. “Damn it.” Nausea churned my stomach.
“I agree.” Beside me Beckett coughed into his fist. “That sucked.”
When I glanced to the side, fields of green stretched as far as the eye could see. Blue skies drifted along with them just as far as the fields went. Then one by one vines erupted from the ground and wound each other like snakes in a pit. They twisted and curved upward, creating a wall that be
gan only ten feet away from me but ran for miles. Leaves unfurled over the swirling vines, filling in any gaps that I might have been able to crawl through. Then tropical purple flowers bloomed all over it, just like the one Tabitha had in her hair.
“Where are all the other competitors?” I murmured.
As far as I could see, Beckett and I were the only ones there. Beckett glanced down one side of the impossibly thick wall of shrubs and then the other. “I suspect we’ve been split up for a reason.” He looked me up and down. “I wonder why they’ve put us together?”
“Whatever the reason might be, standing here thinking about it isn’t going to get us anywhere.” I put my hands on my hips and leaned back on my heels to peer up at the wall. “I’ll fly over, see what I can find.”
Beckett reached out and clapped his hand down on my shoulder. “You think it’ll be that easy?”
I shrugged him off. “Only one way to find out.” I knew the rules stated that I couldn’t shift completely, but I was eager to try my newfound talent. I forced my inner burn out from my back and wings erupted through the burned holes in my shirt. I focused my power on each of them, containing them so they wouldn’t ignite my shirt.
Beckett staggered back with wide eyes. “Not bad.”
I shrugged. “For a bird, you mean?”
“Sure, we can go with that.” Beckett pointed at the wall of foliage. “Let’s see how far you get.”
Challenge accepted! I leapt up, then pumped my wings. Even as a phoenix I couldn’t fly this quickly. The wind rustled my hair. The smell of fresh clean air invaded my lungs. I could see that there wasn’t just a wall of plant-life, but a maze. For a moment it looked like the overgrown hedges formed an intricate pattern. Then a mist rolled across it and everything shifted and moved. It’s alive!
I swooped in intending to investigate closer, to see if I could spot Niche’s fire engine hair anywhere. The invisible barrier came up on me like a mac truck. I slammed into it and was hurled back. I flipped and spun backwards until I regained control of my wings. Then I glided closer with caution hoping not to slam directly into it. With a tentative hand I reached out and felt the magic swirl around my fingers. It was like having sparks of electricity tingle over my skin.
When I slowly pushed my hand forward, the magic wall gave just a fraction before shoving me back out. This is going to be interesting.
“Tucker!” Beckett called from below me as he waved his arms for my attention.
I dove straight toward the ground. When I got close enough to Beckett I shoved my wings out and forced my legs down to land gently next to him. “What’s up?”
“Look.” He brought his hands together, cupping one on top of the other.
A blue sphere formed at the center. He pulled his arms apart and twisted them, making the sphere larger. With in the sphere a watery rippling effect divided the air and soon I was standing before another portal. But when he pushed the portal toward the hedges it closed so quickly I nearly missed it just from blinking.
He stood back with wide eyes he surveyed the vast emptiness. “It’s got to be magically enforced so no competitors can port directly to Niche.”
“Can’t fly overhead either.”
“That means there’s only one way in.” He looked toward the hedge. “Except I don’t see it.”
The bushes swarmed and created an opening every ten feet. I threw my hands up. “Great, which opening’s the right one?”
“Uh, Tuck. We need to decide which one to take fast.” Beckett pointed down at our feet.
The grass receded to a smooth rock trench. Water seeped up through the ground and began to form a mote around the maze as we spoke. It rose up past the soles of my shoes, then flooded over the steel-toed tips of my combat boots in mere seconds.
“Let’s move.” I ran for the closest entrance to the maze, pumping my arms. With each step I took the water rose, it splashed up into my eyes. My heart thundered in my chest. I sucked in deep breaths as the water rose to my waist. My muscles burned with the exertion it took to slog through the rushing tide.
“Is the entrance moving further away?” Beckett called. The flood had risen up to our necks already.
Yes, yes it is. Shit! “Just keep pushing, we’ll make it.”
But my legs swept out from under me. In the distance I heard the boom of a cannon. Another competitor had dropped out. I kicked my legs out and swam against the rapid current even as it pulled me further down. It dragged me under and I sucked in a mouth full of water. Then I fought my way to the surface, sputtering and spitting water. Before I could catch my breath, I was sucked back under. Beckett flailed his arms and legs while he fought to get to the surface for breath. With a single kick I was at his side. I grabbed onto his upper arm, then swam further down to get my footing against the river bed. The salty water stung my eyes, but I needed to find something to push off from.
Up ahead I spotted a boulder just big enough it might work. I planted my feet against it and shoved off. My lungs burned for breath as I drove Beckett toward air. My head breached the surface and I sucked in a deep breath.
Beckett gulped down oxygen. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” How we went from a puddle to rushing rapids, I didn’t know. The river banked to the left. Stone walls rose up three feet over the water, holding all the hedges that loomed over us. It was the Venice of mazes, and we were being swept into it without any chance of controlling our route. I reached out to grab on to a stray branch, but the leaves slipped through my fingers.
“We need to find our own way through the maze. We can’t just go along like this!’
“I’d rather walk.” Beckett sputtered water and glanced forward. “What is that?”
The river rushed straight into a giant swirling pool surrounded by wall-like hedges. An eerie feeling of unease settled into the pit of my stomach. A memory tickled the back of my mind, something I’d learned as a child. Then it hit me.
“Swim!” I shouted as I forced myself against the tide.
“What’s happening?” Beckett didn’t hesitate. He matched each of my strokes. Water sloshed up in waves. For a moment we swam in place, making no progress against the current.
“Charybdis! It’s Charybdis!” The muscles in my arms and legs burned with exhaustion. I could barely speak.
“Your wings?” Beckett gasped out.
“Fire wings in rapids…I think not.” Again I reached for a limb, and again it slipped through my grasp, tearing my skin. “Your magic?”
“In rapids…I think not.” His blond hair was slicked back from his face in messy tatters. His eyes were wide and his skin was a pale shade of green. At this rate we would drown before we even faced the monster. We could fight the tide and ultimately end up exhausted and eaten or we could face the beast. “I.” Gasp. “have.” Spit water. “A plan.”
Beckett swam closer to me. “Yeah?”
I stopped swimming and let the rapids carry me toward the swirling pool of water. “Face Charybdis…Try to avoid the teeth.”
Chapter 9
“The teeth?” Beckett called after me, but it was too late.
The current swept me away. When I twisted into the whirlpool I caught on the outer row of three sets of teeth. The rushing water pinned me to them. The teeth lined up in a large circle, row after row of jagged pillars. Water billowed around them, each one waiting to catch my skin or cut me in two.
We were in the mouth of Charybdis, a monster of legend. A giant worm like creature that sucked in water causing a funnel we were now trapped with in. We had been drawn down its fanged gullet. Who knew where the vast tunnel led? Perhaps a stomach filled with acid, ready to digest any morsels of food that were swept their way. And right now we were looking like its next meal.
Beckett swept past me and shot to the other side of the whirlpool before he caught himself on a tooth. “Now what?”
“Hold on!”
“Hold on? Is that all you’ve got?” Beckett rolled his eyes and called a
ball of energy to his palm. “I’m going to blow this thing up if you don’t have a better plan.”
Flames wouldn’t work in the rapids, but my sword alone might do what I needed it to. I summoned one of my swords to my hand and with the other I clung to the tooth like it was a lifeline.
My plan was no better. The only way we weren’t going to end up as lunch was if we killed the beast. “Piss it off, blow it up…then light it on fire.”
“Yes, let’s just anger the hungry beast…Are you insane?” He slammed his fist down into the water as he railed at me.
“Maybe.” But what choice did I have? If we died, then all this would be for nothing. It wasn’t in me to give up once I started something. I’d fight for this, for the win, for the Queens…For Evermore.
I let go and dove to toward the root of the tooth, then let the tide carry me toward the center of the whirlpool. I stabbed my sword as deep as I could into it’s gums. Crimson blood mixed with the water, a cloud of darkness spread all around, I could barely see through. I felt a powerful tremor ripple through the water. The beast flung its body up! The direction of the current reversed without warning. I thrashed through the tide back past the rows of teeth. For a moment I thought I’d succeeded in freeing us and then I went weightless.
I flew through the air with the water spraying from its mouth. My arms pinwheeled while I flew into the air. Its body thrashed around. I shot out of its mouth, hurdling back up toward it’s teeth. My back smacked against one rock-like tooth and knocked the wind from my lungs. Pain radiated up my shoulders and down my legs. Charybdis thrashed from side to side, it’s angry bellows filled the air. I peered down it’s throat into the black whole.
A giant wormlike creature with unending rows of teeth. Another powerful gush of water propelled me upward, past the teeth, back into open air inside a fine mist of vomited water. I was high, high above the maze, my arms flailing in the air. Beckett yelled beside me. I saw the serpentine head of Charybdis now, which had risen from its wet nest near the corner of the maze. I had no choice but to let gravity draw me back towards its gnashing head. But I wasn’t going to be lunch for this thing.
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