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I clawed my way out of it with the determination I’d honed over a lifetime, bursting awake under a starry night sky. Chest heaving, I did a quick but thorough survey of my surroundings. The slivers of the triple moons above told me that thankfully, this was still the first night of the Trial.
I was in a small clearing of sorts, resting on a plush mound of blue-green moss dotted with tiny star-shaped flowers that reminded me of Rush’s house. Hedges covered in sparkling vines rose on every side, towering into the night. They were at least twenty feet tall. I could climb them, but orange and golden magic crackled softly at the top, so I doubted that sort of escape was the answer.
So this was the labyrinth, and we’d been dropped in the middle of it.
Multiple hedges stretched in all directions, creating narrow tunnels and corridors, and I realized quickly that I was at an apex. A crossroads, with seven paths to choose from.
Well,wewere. Jillian and Darnell were sprawled nearby, slowly blinking awake. I considered disabling them both now and leaving before they were even aware enough to know it was me, but Merden had said we would need our teams. It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.
Jillian still clutched theBook of Flora, but there was no sign of the other teams.
“What... where are we?” she asked groggily, rubbing at her eyes with one hand.
“The labyrinth, obviously,” Darnell said, his voice tinged with sleepy impatience. He stumbled to his feet, patting down his pockets and grimacing as if something were missing.
“What is the point of this Trial?” I murmured to myself, turning a full circle to see if I’d missed any sort of clue.
Thank the Goddess I’d followed my instincts before the announcements and worn good boots and my full set of knives. It was chilly in the night air, and my battle leathers would keep me warm, plus I had on a thin tunic underneath that I could strip down into if it got too hot during the days. Darnell had on similar clothing, though he didn’t seem to have any weapons.
Jillian, unfortunately, was wearing a dress. The heavy material might keep her warm, but the full skirts would be a problem along these narrow passageways. And her fancy shoes would be shredded after an hour of walking.
I stepped closer to look at the hedge - some of the vines were covered in glistening thorns. Climbing was definitely out, then.
“Poison,” I guessed, gesturing toward Jillian’s book. “We may have an advantage with identifying these plants.”
“Which means the others will have some advantage with their books, too. So we’re to battle creatures, myths made real by magic, and historical... events?” Darnell said, stumbling over the purpose of the history book.
“I’d say it means we’re meant to steal the other books,” Jillian pointed out. I considered the idea, nodding.
“Possibly. I’m sure we’ll come across the other teams as the Trial goes on. It’s going to suck if we’re stuck in here for an entire moon cycle.” I sighed.
Vampires could survive for a while without food or blood, but at some point, we’d need to feed or risk growing too weak to fight off other teams or animals. And finding fresh water should be a priority. Too much thirst combined with hunger could put us straight into the bloodlust, and we’d start attacking each other.
“Likely, we’ll figure out the purpose of the Trial as we play the game. Be aware, princess, I’ll follow the rules of no mortal harm, but if I find you cannot aid our team in the face of your romantic interests, I will incapacitate you,” Darnell warned suddenly, glowering at me.
“What?” I asked, frowning at his convoluted sentence.
“No playing favorites with the wolf and the thief. Or we’ll fuck you up, dearie,” Jillian explained helpfully, flashing me an unhinged grin. I doubted she’d need a reason to try and fuck me up - I was already resigning myself to a month of sleepless nights.
“Likewise with your creepy-ass brother,” I shot back, realizing at the same time that I wasn’t sure who Darnell might be partial to, and that was a problem. My alliances were far too obvious to everyone, and they were all on one team together.
This Trial could prove to be very difficult indeed.
Wings flapped overhead, drawing our attention. My gaze hardened as I saw a male harpy circling us, the pale face of a noble vampire peering out between his wings.
“Maybe we can shoot them for sport,” Jillian suggested, giggling.
“The nobles, sure. But the harpies are just another victim of Merden’s greed,” I snapped, not thinking about who I was actually talking to.
“It’s called thriving of the fittest,” Darnell answered, his voice low and dangerous.
“Don’t you mean survival?” I asked, and he smiled slowly.
“Survival is a weak goal, princess. Those harpies are surviving, but they certainly aren’t the fittest in this equation.”
I watched him without expression, and he matched my gaze, second for second.
Somewhere behind us in the labyrinth, a female scream echoed through the hedges, reminding us that this game had begun, whether or not we were playing it yet.
