AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Move.” I turn at the grunt that falls from Brax to find him stepping up onto the higher row behind us. He shoves the guy to the side who was sitting behind me and takes his seat. He doesn’t look at me, his scowl firmly in place as he looks down at the pit.
Rubbing my lips together, I decide not to question what’s going on and focus on the pit too. Beneath the iridescent dome, there’s a large rock formation, a sandy floor, and a small puddle in the left corner. There’s no hint of what lurks inside, what we’ll have to face, offering the first person up no chance to prepare.
“How are we supposed to survive this thing?” I ask, smoothing my hair back off my face with one hand since Zane won’t let go of the other one.
“The whole point of the Monster Gauntlet is to give students a chance to use their magic in different scenarios. One, to strengthen their connection with their abilities, and two, to weed out those that aren’t going to protect the realm the way The Monarchy deems fit,” Creed explains, and my heart stings with the reality.
This is to weed me out. Get rid of me. A Void is no use at all to The Monarchy. Why would my father force me to come here, despite my insistence on what I am? If he was just trying to off me, that would have happened in Shadowmoor eventually. He didn’t have to go to these extremes.
As if sensing the stress swirling inside my head, Zane nudges me with his shoulder to gain my attention. “Nothing is going to happen to you. We’ve got time to come up with a plan.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to debunk his hopes when a flicker appears above the pit and the entire space grows silent. A slamming sound echoes around the room and I turn to find the entrance sealed off. A feeling of dread instantly rises, especially from the first years surrounding us.
“Students, I hope you are excited for the week ahead.” Professor Burton appears above the dome and I wonder if I’ll ever actually see him in real life, or will he remain a projection forever? “Let’s not waste any more time and get straight to it, shall we? We’re going to begin the Gauntlet with the third years. Since they have experience in here, they can show our first and second years how it’s done. Or not, in some cases.” The smile that spreads across his face at the mention of people’s failures makes my gut sink. “Good luck. Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”
“Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”When the students around me echo his words, I notice for the first time that Creed and Zane don’t join them.
The eery silence that draws out around us is palpable, pulling my intent gaze from them as I hear a girl’s name being called out.
“Taryn Bracken, please make your way down to the entrance of the pits.”
Murmurs echo around me, everyone seeking out the first unfortunate soul to be summoned. When she wades her way through the crowd of third years and down the steps, a few of the third years clap for her, but most of them sit in silence, ready to observe either her triumph or demise.
She’s not someone I recognize but still, concern wars inside of me.
I can’t help but compare anything and everything to Shadowmoor in my head. Back home, I felt no sympathy or concern for anyone. It was a dog-eat-dog world and everyone was trying to survive. In comparison, this feels barbaric. We’re getting ready to be slaughtered by the system.
Zane pulls my hand into his lap as warmth spreads across my left thigh where Creed’s hand rests. “From what I’ve heard, the monster remains the same for everyone. It’s only Taryn that has the surprise,” Creed explains, and I nod, too caught up in where both of them touch me while also trying to give my full attention to the pit.
A professor murmurs in Taryn’s ear for a moment and I can just about make out her nodding in response before she closes her eyes and steps through the barrier protecting the pit. My heart starts to race as I watch her every move. The torches dim, lowering the outer glow of the arena as the domed pit seems to brighten.
She takes a few steps across the sand before climbing some of the boulders. It’s unbelievable how much you don’t notice the actual size of the pit until someone is in it. It’s almost like a small town. You could easily fit a few dozen houses the size of the one I lived in back at Shadowmoor in there, if not more. The boulders become small hills and rocky peaks as she starts to climb, occasionally stopping to glance around in hopes of catching a glimpse of what lurks inside.
It feels like an eternity passes and nothing happens, making my nerves draw tight as the anticipation rises inside of me. A tap on my shoulder is followed quickly by Brax’s voice in my ear.
“The water.”
My gaze flicks to where the puddle was earlier, only to find a rising tide.
Holy shit.
Taryn hasn’t noticed it yet and if anyone else has, they don’t call it out to her. My pulse rings in my ears as anticipation burns through me, yet nothing reveals itself. She reaches the top of the rock formation, crouching as she turns to get a good view of what lies below. As she turns toward the water, she freezes instantly, and a soft hum begins to fill the air.
Sitting taller in my seat, I shuffle forward so far my knees bump into Eldon, but he just leans back against me as I try to place the tune. I don’t recall hearing it before, I’m sure, but it’s enticing, alluring, and captivating nonetheless.
Hands clamp down on either side of my face, covering my ears, and my face is twisted to look at Zane.“It’s a siren,”he mouths, the intriguing melody muffled as his eyes scrunch together.
It takes me a second to realize he’s covering my ears to sacrifice his own and I quickly reach up to replace his hands with mine, but he refuses to budge. Glaring at him, it goes unnoticed as his eyes remain tightly shut, so I do the only other thing I can think of and cover his ears with my palms.
A few beats pass before he slowly blinks his eyes open. My heart is racing in my chest and I can’t fully decipher if it’s from everything happening around me or the fact that he just protected me over himself.
His gaze is locked on mine, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly with every breath he takes. I’m staring at his lips, mesmerized by how full they are, when a gasp echoes loudly around us, pulling us apart.
Protecting my ears with my hands, I turn to the pit to see the source of the sound swimming through the crystal clear waters that have risen close to where Taryn is standing.
For a monster, she sure looks beautiful. Long pink fins for legs, hip-length blonde hair cascading in curls in every direction as her bright red lips open wide for her melody to consume us.
She bursts through the water's surface, startling Taryn, who stumbles back, losing her footing on the boulder, but she manages to stop herself from tumbling off it completely.
