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We gathered roughly by year, and when everyone was seated, Dean Frost walked out to the center of the room, wearing her usual dark robes. She put her arms out and smiled, and everyone cheered.
Well, almost everyone.
I caught sight of a few confused faces in the crowd from first-years like me. Others seemed to be whooping and hollering just because everyone else was, with no clear idea of what they were cheering for. And a few second and third-year students looked almost scared.
What the hell is going on?
Finally, when everybody had calmed, the dean lowered her arms. She waved a hand in the air, and what looked like an enormous movie screen popped up behind her. There was no sound to it, just video-like images of students competing in some sort of tournament.
“It’s that time of year again,” she said, her magically amplified voice resonating with excitement. “We will be having our schoolwide competition to determine who will participate in the Gods’ Challenge this semester. Remember, these events are separate from your regular classes, but anyone who participates will receive credit for it. The winner of the challenge will be afforded the opportunity to meet the gods face-to-face after they complete their training at Magic Blessed Academy. For those of you who are new, this is one of the highest honors you can be awarded.”
My eyebrows lifted, and I sat up straighter in my seat.
I didn’t know what the Gods’ Challenge was, but I was all about competition. I’d been competitive my whole life, often to a fault—but my determination to come out on top had gotten me this far, so I wasn’t going to change tactics now.
The dean continued as the screen disappeared from behind her. “All students, from first-years to third-years, are encouraged to compete. While I know some of our returning students spent all summer preparing for these challenges, everyone should feel welcome to participate. As usual, if you have any questions, please see Miss Avery in the administration office. Good luck to everyone, and may the gods be with you.”
All of the higher-level students repeated the statement back to her in unison, with the first-years tripping along behind them.
“May the gods be with you.”
Dean Frost spoke for a little while longer before releasing us. As we all filed out of the Great Hall to head back to the dorms, the very air seemed to buzz with excitement. I’d never really been big on sports or cheerleading back in high school, and I wasn’t much for “school spirit”. But I was always up for a challenge, a competition, a chance to prove myself against daunting odds.
But what the hell was the Gods’ Challenge? Dean Frost hadn’t really given us any specifics, except that the preliminary competition would take place the following week.
Eden was practically bouncing with excitement as we made our way through the halls, but I shook my head to tell her to wait as I cocked my head and listened to the hum of conversation around us.
Thanks to Merrick being a giant asshole, none of the second or third-years would give me the time of day, but I didn’t have to be friends with them to eavesdrop on them.
Eden and I stood right outside of the Great Hall for a little while, listening to everyone talk about the challenge and speculate about who would win. Apparently, the event happened every semester and incorporated intellectual, magical, and physical trials that students had to pass.
Had I heard about this when I first got there, I would’ve laughed at the idea of trying, but now that I’d actually gotten some control over my magic, I was intrigued.
“I know I won’t win.” Eden shook her head, scrunching up her nose. “But I’ve heard about these for years. My parents used to work for a magical couple, and they talked about the challenges. It’s something only students from Magic Blessed Academy do, but the competition is broadcast so that anyone in the magical community can watch. They’re apparently insanely difficult, and only a small number of students get picked to participate each semester. But no matter what I score, I still want to try.”
I smiled at her, liking her enthusiasm and determination. “Don’t say that. You have just as good a chance as anyone else. Your magic may not be as strong as some, but your control is great. Don’t sell yourself short.”
The gray-eyed girl grinned, her cheeks rosy. “Thanks, Aria. I know I’m not as badass as a lot of people here. Heck, I’m a grown woman, and I’m scared of spiders. But I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
I grinned and punched her lightly on the shoulder. I sucked at touchy feely stuff, but I was starting to genuinely like the bubbly girl with golden hair. She was a couple years younger than me, and I was positive we never would’ve been friends back in Boston, but here, our friendship made perfect sense.
“You’ll compete, right?” she asked, her eyes going wide.
Pursing my lips, I shrugged. “Yeah, probably.”
I didn’t know how excited I was about actually meeting the gods, but I liked the idea of the competition. It shook things up a little bit, made them interesting. The newness of the school had already begun to wear off, but the excitement of the competition was bringing it back.
“Probably?” Eden scoffed. “You definitely should. You could win the whole thing, I’m sure of it.”
We started making our way through the hallway toward the dorms, making our way through clusters of students talking in excited voices. As we rounded a corner, I ran right into a hard chest.
“Fuck, sorry—”
The words died on my tongue as I got a whiff of a familiar scent. Bergamot and honey, an addictive aroma that made a conflicting rush of emotions fill me every time I smelled it.
Very slowly, I raised my gaze to meet Merrick’s. As I did, I realized it wasn’t just him standing in the hallway, but Trace and Lachlan too. Of course. The three of them were like the three fucking stooges.
Good Lord, could I be any luckier in my life?
