by L. C. Mawson
“Passing this trial only inducts you into our training. Becoming an Amazon will require many more trials after that.
“The door will open shortly. Be ready.”
She shifted away, leaving us alone.
Lauren turned to me. “Nervous?”
I shrugged. “A little. You?”
She grinned. “Not at all. I’ve been training for this day for years.” She turned to the others. “Who are your friends?”
“Natalie, Lena and Charlotte are my friends,” I said, indicating to each of them in turn, “and Willow here is my girlfriend.”
My stomach fluttered at saying the word aloud, but Willow gave me a reassuring smile as I did so.
Lauren raised an eyebrow as she turned to Willow. “Part-Elf, huh? Well, I guess I could see the appeal.”
Before I had a chance to figure out what the hell she meant by that, the doors in front of us opened to reveal a wall of rough stones.
“I guess this is the physical section,” Lauren said before running up and leaping at the wall, grabbing one of the stones with her hand and pulling herself up.
I turned to the others and Lena shrugged before running after Lauren.
The rest of us then approached the wall.
I cringed as I looked at it. I wasn’t in terrible shape, but could I pull up my entire body weight, as Lauren had?
I cautiously reached for a ledge, finding footing with both my hands and feet.
My hands slipped a little on the rocks, causing me to grip tight and not want to let go.
But if I had to get up there, I knew that I would have to.
I steeled myself before reaching up with one hand, being careful to keep my footing steady as I went.
Thankfully, I managed to find another hold fairly easily, managing to push myself up the wall without much need for pulling.
My legs were stronger than my arms, so that was a relief.
Until I came to the top of the wall, only to see a lake in front of me, the first half of which had monkey-bars across it.
I groaned as I realised that my arms would definitely be getting a work-out whether I wanted them to or not.
Lauren was already halfway across, so I took a look at the water below before stepping as far back as I could and then taking a run and jump at the bars.
My hands scrambled as they came into contact with them, slipping against the cold metal.
I scrambled desperately, sure that dropping into the water would label me a failure.
My right hand finally managed to grip the bar and I let out a sigh of relief, my jump having gotten me about a third of the way across.
I just hoped that I was up for the rest of it.
I swung myself across, letting my momentum do most of the work while I avoided holding onto one bar for any length of time, hoping that just moving quickly enough would save me from dropping down.
I didn’t look down until I finally ran out of bars, managing to just barely land upright on the small platform beyond.
The small platform which was then followed by even smaller, thin platforms across the water.
A test of balance.
Also not one of my strong points.
Why couldn’t they have just had me spar with someone to test my physical abilities?
But then I remembered my scars and figured that, actually, this was probably for the best.
“You okay?”
I turned to see that I had, somehow, caught up with Lauren.
“Yeah. You?”
She shrugged before warily eyeing the water. “Just not great with swimming.”
“Well, you know, just don’t fall off.”
She managed a nervous smile as Willow dropped off the monkey bars to join us.
“Everything okay?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah. Just a little unsure about my balance.”
Willow placed a reassuring hand on my arm. “Don’t worry, you’ve got this.”
I smiled before focusing on the platforms in front of me and choosing one to hop on to.
I just barely found my footing, wobbling more than a little as I landed.
But I did land.
Except now I had far less space to manage my next jump.
I focused on the next platform, again refusing to look at the water below.
I just needed to keep my focus.
The next two jumps were wobbly, but I made them.
And then I heard a scream.
I spun around to see Willow falling from a platform.
A platform that Lauren was now standing on.
Willow stretched out to grab the platform at her other side, but the gap was too far.
She wasn’t going to make it.
And then she was pushed up through the air, able to grab onto the platform.
It took me a moment to look below her and see that the water had reached up, pushing her back up.
Willow pulled herself up onto the platform and looked behind her. “Thanks.”
I followed her gaze to see Lena with her arm outstretched.
Right, she must have been the one to control the water.
Lena just nodded before making her way across, both her and Charlotte lagging behind, with Natalie slightly further ahead.
I refocused on Willow and caught her eye. “All good?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, fine. Just an accident.”
My jaw clenched. An ‘accident’, not that she slipped.
So, Lauren had done something.
And maybe it had been an accident, but there were enough platforms that even if we were all at the same point, we shouldn’t have had to bump into each other.
But then Lauren reached the end of the platforms and I realised that I needed to refocus.
I made my way across the rest of the platforms, determined to catch up with Lauren and...
Well, really, I wanted to punch her smug face for hurting Willow, but I knew that that was my anxiety about being judged by the Amazons mixing with my ADHD.
So, I would settle for beating her in these trials.
But as soon as I reached the end of the platforms, the world around me fell into darkness.
“What-” I said aloud as I spun around, unable to see anything.
I took my wand and cast the spell to generate orbs of light, the words not having to leave my lips.
The orbs danced around me, showing me that I was in a narrow stone corridor.
I frowned, wondering how I had gotten there.
If it had been a portal, it was smooth enough that I hadn’t noticed it.
But then, I had been focused on landing that jump, so maybe I’d been too focused to realise.
That didn’t sit well with me. Being unobservant probably wasn’t going to help me through these trials.
Especially when we now seemed to be out of the physical portion of the course.
I headed down the corridor, figuring that there was only one direction to go.
But then the corridor ended, giving me two paths forward.
Left or right.
I placed my wand in my palm and cast a direction spell, looking for the exit.
It pointed left.
I encountered two more intersections, and my wand kept pointing in the same direction, so I just followed the best fit.
Until I hit a dead-end, with my wand pointing technically at the wall in front of me, but at an angle.
Right. So, I was in a maze, and my wand was just pointing in the direction of the exit, not showing me the path to it.
Which meant that I would need a different spell to get me out.
I supposed that I could just keep going through corridors with trial and error, but that would waste time, and I assumed that that would count against me.
Just as I thought that, I tried to turn back around, only to find that the space seemed smaller, my hand brushing up against the wall as it held out my wand.
I frowned as I looked around.
The co
rridor hadn’t been this narrow before, had it?
I looked down at the ground and watched as the walls slowly creeped in, using the space between the stones as a measure.
Yep, the walls were definitely closing in.
Meaning that I was running out of time.
Trial and error definitely wasn’t going to save me here.
I looked down at my wand.
Clearly, I was supposed to use magic to get out of this situation.
But I didn’t know a spell that could help here.
Maybe some kind of pathing or mapping spell, but I didn’t know any.
I bit my lip.
I supposed that it would be a mix of the direction spell I’d just used and maybe some kind of perception spell...
Cold stone brushed the hairs on my arms.
I could feel the answer I needed, as if it were just on the tip of my tongue...
And then it was as I’d connected the dots and could finally see the entire picture.
I gripped my wand as I kneeled down, pressing the tip firmly against the stone, fuelling it with Energy as I focused on the spell.
It wasn’t really an incantation I thought of – more of an abstract idea – but then I felt the familiar release of Energy flowing through my wand.
A thin path of golden light lit up in front of me, getting to the end of the corridor and turning right.
I ran along it, turning slightly to the side to avoid the stone walls closing in and crushing me.
Eventually, it led me to another dead end.
“Oh, come on!”
I glared at the spot where the line hit the wall and groaned.
Of course it didn’t work.
Why would I think that I could pull a spell out of my arse and save myself?
That was instinctive magic, and never mind what Maria Brown had thought, I wasn’t strong enough.
“Shit!” I threw my fist at the wall without thinking, but found that when it hit the stone, it didn’t hurt.
No, the stone was like rubber, and my hand bounced back.
I frowned. A protection spell to stop anyone from hurting themselves?
I brought my wand up and cast a sensing spell, trying to figure out the magic in front of me.
It was a protection spell, yes, but this was the only wall with it on.
And it was mixed with a glamour.
I focused my eyes, trying to see past the illusion.
It wavered in front of my eyes, and I could see the outside beyond, with the Amazons waiting.
This was the final test.
I took some relief from that thought.
I just had to get past this protection spell.
I shuddered, remembering the last time I’d done that.
But then, no one was ever supposed to get past the protection spell in Mr Stiles’ study, but the Amazons did intend us to get through this spell.
Or at least, they intended those of us who were strong enough to be able to pass.
I pointed my wand at the protection spell and reached out, grabbing the magic and tugging with everything I had, expecting the same resistance as Mr Stiles’ spell had given me.
I almost fell backwards as the spell gave way with minimal resistance.
Of course. As brutal as this testing was, it was still just a test.
It was never meant to keep everyone out.
Still, it was hard to shake the memories.
But I pushed them aside as I made my way through, joining the Amazons just as Lauren and Charlotte joined me.
“Congratulations,” Dana said from the front of the group. “If you just wait here until your friends join us, we’ll evaluate you once you’re all here.”
I nodded as I turned back to the exit I’d just left, waiting for the others to catch up.
I wasn’t waiting too long before Natalie made her way through, swiftly followed by Willow and then Lena.
I gave Willow a small smile before turning back to Dana.
“Congratulations to you all for making your way to the end of the trial,” Dana said. “Not everyone does.”
She then turned to Lauren. “Your performance was exemplary, Lauren, except for your stumble at the obstacle course. As much as it was a mistake, you did knock another Witch down. This is not a competition, you should have been more mindful of the others. But nonetheless, your performance otherwise has proven that we were wise to choose you for training. Your use of instinctive magic was particularly impressive.”
She turned to me. “As was yours, Amelia. Tell me, have you had much practice with those techniques before? Ms Griffin told us that you were still new to your magic.”
“I am, and that was the first time I’ve ever used magic like that. But when the walls started to close in... I just knew.”
Dana nodded. “Pressure can bring clarity. Hopefully, this is a sign that you will do well in your training.”
The warmth in her voice didn’t quite reach her eyes, like it had when she’d praised Lauren, and I was left with the distinct impression that she actually wasn’t all that pleased with my success.
But she turned to Charlotte, rather than saying anything else about my performance. “While none of the rest of you did anything as impressive as use instinctive magic, Charlotte, your skills still rivalled those of our hand-picked recruits. You were clumsy on the obstacle course, but that is to be expected from Litcorde, and using your magic to enhance your physical abilities was a clever approach. Your use of magic in general, while not instinctive, showed a breadth of knowledge and understanding that we expect from the Amazons.
“You have passed the trial, Charlotte, and shall join Amelia and Lauren in their training.”
I let out a sigh of relief, knowing how hard Charlotte had worked for her shot at Amazon training.
And I was glad that I wouldn’t end up alone with Lauren.
Dana then turned to Lena. “As for you, Lena, both your spellcraft and physical skills left much to be desired, and when you used your magic to help Willow, you used your elemental powers, rather than a spell.”
Lena folded her arms. “You didn’t say that that wasn’t allowed.”
“It is allowed, but it takes less skill. You had an opportunity to impress us, and you failed. I’m afraid that you will not be inducted into our training.”
Lena rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.
Dana then turned to Willow. “Speaking of Lena’s rescue, the fact that you had to be saved during the obstacle course was unfortunate. Hitting the water is usually an automatic disqualification, and while your spellcraft from that point on was impressive, we cannot ignore that early failure.”
Lena frowned. “She didn’t hit the water, though.”
“She would have, if you had not saved her.”
“I only had to save her because Lauren screwed up. If she hadn’t pushed Willow into the water, Willow would have made it across the course without issue.”
“Perhaps. But if Willow were good enough to enter our program, such a minor inconvenience wouldn’t have stumbled her.”
My heart stopped dead and my blood chilled.
She couldn’t mean what I thought she meant, right?
She was just critiquing Willow, she wasn’t actually saying that she wasn’t good enough to be inducted into the training... Was she?
Lena glared at her, speaking up before I could process what was happening. “Minor inconvenience? She was knocked down.” She shook her head. “You know, the fact that you’re dismissing the only two Witches with elemental blood is pretty transparent.”
“If this were a case of bigotry against those with mixed blood, we wouldn’t be inducting Natalie into the training, now, would we?” Dana then turned to Natalie. “Your use of spellcraft during the trial was impressive, as were your physical abilities, even accounting for your Vampiric strength and speed. You have shown that you have what it takes to be considered for the Amazons.”
She then turned to Lena. “If you wish to re
ach the same heights as your peers, I would suggest learning to take failure with grace in the future.”
Lena just rolled her eyes again as Dana turned back to me, Lauren, Charlotte and Natalie. “I will see the four of you back here for training tomorrow morning.”
I turned to Willow as it became clear that she really wasn’t going to be training with me, but she had already turned to leave.
WE ALL HEADED BACK to the dining room once it was over, having eaten a light lunch before the trials and now wanting something substantial.
Thankfully, Ms Griffin had anticipated that and had kept it open all afternoon.
“I still can’t believe they didn’t let you in,” Lena said to Willow as we made our way across campus. “I mean, me I understand. She’s right, my spellcraft is kind of sloppy. But you, Willow? You’re constantly nipping at Charlotte’s heels for the top spot. What the hell were they thinking, punishing you for someone else’s mistakes?”
Willow just shrugged. “I’m fine, Lena, really. It’s their decision who they train.”
“Yeah, but it was a bad decision.”
Willow looked away, not answering her.
I sighed as I looked at Willow. She might not be saying anything, but she clearly wasn’t ‘fine’.
“Actually, I’m not that hungry,” I said before turning to Willow. “Are you?”
She shook her head.
I turned to Lena. “Maybe we’ll meet you guys in a bit.”
Lena took a moment before realising what I was doing and nodding. “Yeah, we’ll see you two later.”
The others headed inside to the dining hall, and I turned to Willow. “Are you sure that you’re okay?”
Willow shrugged, refusing to meet my gaze. “I guess. I mean, I never really expected to ever get the chance to join the Amazons anyway, so it doesn’t matter. And it’s probably better this way. Better that I’m kicked out now, rather than having to go through the rest of the trials, only to be rejected later.”
“You’re sure?”
Willow nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. Now come on, we should probably go and meet back up with the others before they start to worry or something.”
I bit my lip.
Part of me wanted to argue that I wouldn’t be fine in her position.
And in all honesty, I wasn’t fine in my position.