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When we reached the stadium, those of us who would be competing went down into the center and everyone else filled the stands. I had assumed that the number competing would be much higher than those just watching, but it was about half-and-half.
There were no real instructions, and the dean didn’t make any long, flowery speeches. She just stepped out into the open space in front of us and raised her magically amplified voice.
“Congratulations to those of you who have chosen to compete. The challenge you will undergo today is just a small taste of the kinds of trials the winners will face in the Gods’ Challenge. It is not only a defensive competition; there are goals for each area of the maze you may end up in. You may use whatever magic is at your disposal against your competitors and any threats you face in the maze. Good luck.”
The outdoor stadium had been magically curved in the shape of a C, opening out into the maze beyond. The mass of hopefuls anxious to compete for the right to participate in the Gods’ Challenge gathered in a tight knot facing the open end of the building. I elbowed my way through the crowd toward the front, gazing into the mist that hovered around the maze’s opening.
It was so thick and white that it obscured everything beyond. I couldn’t see shit.
When the sound of the horns blared, we all surged forward, and for a terrifying few seconds, I ran through blinding white nothingness. Then the heavy cloud dissolved, melting away and allowing me to see again.
My eyes went wide as I found myself in what looked like a jungle. Two people had been running alongside me when we’d entered the white fog, but they were nowhere to be seen now—the mist had probably transported each of the competing students to different spots within the maze.
Heart thundering with adrenaline and nerves, I took in my surroundings at a glance, then moved through the forest at a low crouch. Movement in my periphery caught my attention, and I saw two other students emerge from the underbrush several yards away. They caught sight of me and each other and scattered like leaves in the wind.
Safe behind the cover of a large tree, I glanced around quickly, remembering Dean Frost’s words.
It is not only a defensive competition; there are goals for each area of the maze you may end up in.
I had to figure out what exactly I was supposed to do in this section of the maze. I knew that heading toward the outskirts of the forest was probably a bad idea. Why would they put the goal in the easiest place? So once I was in the clear, I turned back and started searching deeper inside the woods. As I shoved my way through the thick foliage, I caught the sound of strange bells chiming in the distance and altered my direction to follow the sound.
When I stepped into an open area of the forest several minutes later, I stopped in the cover of a large bush. The bells had grown so loud that they were making my ears ring, and they were loudest in the center of the clearing, where a large pillar stood with a golden scroll floating above it.
My muscles twitched, my entire body straining to jump out, scramble up the pillar, and snatch the scroll as fast as I could. But I knew it couldn’t be that simple. Even in the “preliminary competition”, there was no way they’d let any of us win that easily. So I hunkered down in the bush and waited, watching for anyone else who may have been transported to this section of the maze.
About twenty minutes later, I spotted another student creeping toward the scroll from across the clearing. It was a tall girl with shoulder-length blond hair. I couldn’t remember her name, but she looked wild-eyed and excited, giving away the fact that she was a first-year. She stepped right out into the clearing and ran toward the scroll.
Three steps in, four apparitions appeared in front of her, making her jump and shriek. My heart thundered in my chest as the smoky black figures hurtled toward her. She shook off her surprise quickly, dropping into the defensive position we’d been taught by Professor Howes, and the battle began.
It was a lot like sparring, only when magic thrown by the shade sliced past the girl’s arm, I could see blood trickle down her pale skin.
It was no joke. Every threat in this competition was real.
The smartest tactic would’ve been to stay right where I was in the bushes and let the girl draw the shades away from me. But for some damn reason, my conscience pinged as I watched her fight off the four howling creatures. I couldn’t just stand by and let this girl get demolished. In my head, I kept hearing the voices of the students I’d about heard talking about people dying in the competition.
It’s not your job to save her, Aria. It’s not your job to save her.
Rolling my eyes at myself as I ignored my own advice, I pushed up my sleeves and allowed the floodgates to open. Flinging my hands down, I let the magic surge around me as I stepped out into the open. Two of the apparitions turned toward me, sending bursts of dark magic at me. I used my own magic to block them, building a wall of protection in front of me. The girl, however, had lost all of her bravery. By that point she was bleeding, on her knees, and begging for someone to help her.
Holding the wall with one hand, I sent a stream of magic in her direction. I concentrated as hard as I could, wrapping it gently around her waist and using my arm to lift her up in the air. The shades watched me with hollow black eyes as I lifted her out of harm’s way and stretched my magic out, setting her down in a safer part of the forest. I
was shocked to realize I was capable of doing it.
When the girl was settled safely about a dozen yards away, I heard a loud crack. A second later, my wall of protection shimmered and fell to the ground like dust.
So much for playing it smart. Now I was facing four angry shades with no magical shield to protect me and no backup.
It’s on, motherfuckers.
I stepped forward smoothly, throwing balls of magic at each of them. When they launched counterattacks, I threw myself into a forward roll, ending up in a crouch as I flung my hands out in different directions. Energy burst from me, sending what looked like arrowheads racing toward two of the apparitions. Their eyes went wide as the magic hit them in the chest. I could hear their screams echoing in my mind as their bodies burst into sparks.
Gods, I really hope that means I beat them.
I had no time to think about it though. There were still two shades left, and they were throwing everything they had at me.
Ducking and diving, I caught a sharp lash of magical energy across my cheek. It burned and sizzled, and I could feel my own warm blood as it dripped down my chin. I squatted low behind the pillar holding the scroll and took in a deep breath.
Trust your magic. Trust it.
