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“I’m worried I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you shooting that guy.”
“I wouldn’t tell Edmund that part,” I said. “He thinks I almost shot someone.”
“Where is the guy you shot?”
“Got away.”
He chuckled. “On another note, I heard you and Viktor yesterday.”
My cheeks heated. “Oh gods. It was a mistake. I was caught up in the moment. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Sure,” he said rather unconvincingly. “Now focus. I want you to pass.”
My eyes glossed, watering the image of Maddox. I wasn’t going to pass. There was no way. Raiden would and then he would become the next keeper, steal the keys, and then what? Would he leave? Would the keeper spot open up again? I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“Also, Elle.” Maddox arched an eyebrow. “Don’t try to cheat again. There’s a charm placed on the room to alert any magical interference.”
“What do you mean?” I feigned innocence. I hadn’t actually stolen the Joker’s Ball, and how would he know I’d wanted to?
“I heard you searching through Edmund’s office. I know what’s in there.”
That was why he’d taken to reading in the room across from Edmund’s office the nights after. It made sense now. “I was never going to take it.”
“Good.” He didn’t say anything more. “Go on in. You’ve got this.”
He opened the door. Edmund waited for me behind a desk. The room had been mostly cleared out, save for one bookshelf. In the middle of the room was a polished stone on the ground, marked with various symbols.
Edmund pulled at the sleeves of his tweed suit, then looked at his gold watch. “Just in time. Now, step into the middle.” He pointed at the large round stone lying flat, engraved with ancient symbols. It covered half the room. “It’s a magic enhancer. Today you’ll be given two top-level objects to manage, and an ancient text stone to translate.”
“This is it?” I looked around for exam papers. “Why did I need to study so much?”
“Knowledge is important to become a keeper, and I wanted to make sure you took it seriously. If I told you this would be the test, it’s all you would have worked on.”
My heart raced when I saw the first object. Pandora’s Box. I’d heard of it. Who hadn’t? It was filled with forbidden magic and had killed the seven humans who found it. Filled with deadly sins in curse form, it was one of the most powerful objects in the mansion. My lips parted. I couldn’t control them.
“Is this used for everyone’s test?”
“If you’re asking if we all passed it, then yes, we did.” He placed the chest on the stone. “The stone will contain all magic and enhance your own. We use it when accessing the objects from the vaults. I need you to concentrate. They are only curses. It’s not unlike any you’ve managed before. Remember, you have dark magic running through your veins. Any fears or self-doubt the sins will try to use to make you submit. The stone will now be cloaked, and the barrier will go up for our safety and for you to concentrate. We won’t be able to see or hear you now. You’re on your own for this test.” He moved his black-framed glasses back up his nose. “Good luck. I know you can do this. You just need to focus.” He snapped his fingers, and darkness covered me. A small orb of light floated overhead, illuminating the black barrier surrounding the circular stone.
I reached down, hovering my hand over the black lock on the chest, when I noticed a key. I pushed it into the old lock and cracked open the lid.
The first sin hit me with force, throwing me back. I crumpled against the edge of the stone circle, hitting the barrier.
Green smoke, flowing upward in an illusory dance, told me it was envy. It snaked toward me, then dissolved into my chest. I squeezed my eyelids shut as the curse rippled through me, bubbling a rage of feelings I didn’t even know I had to the surface, magnifying how I felt about Naomi and Maddox being accepted for their magic and not me. Suddenly, a part of me despised them. But my feelings toward them weren’t half as bad as what I was feeling for Raiden. He was respected and loved despite everyone thinking he was human-born like me.
I inhaled sharply, focusing on an image of Mona in my mind. My auburn-haired sister would dance in the meadow near the orphanage, despite the rain, and would laugh at the most random things. She was still there, in that dreadful kingdom, and I was the lucky one for getting out when I did.
The jealousy bubbling under my skin moved like it was its own entity, curling my thoughts of Mona into warped, dreamlike images where everyone else got everything and I didn’t.
“No.” I exhaled shakily. “This is just a curse. This isn’t real.”
It weakened, but the curse continued to fight resiliently. I loved Naomi and Maddox, and Raiden… Well, he was something else. I may not be loved by the other covens, but I was loved by mine, and that was what mattered.
Perhaps there was a small chance I could pass. If Raiden and I both passed, then Maddox and Edmund would pick me.
The thought strengthened my resolve. The curse weakened and dissolved. I’d barely caught my breath when the next one crept out in pink-and-purple smoke. It danced toward me, glittering, captivating in its essence, and curled into my body through my parted lips.
It moved silkily through my veins, lulling me into a false sense of security. My fingers tingled, reminding me of yesterday. I rolled back my aching shoulders, letting my neck and head droop back. Heat and wetness gathered between my legs. Every nerve ending was on fire, and all I could think about was Raiden.
