CHAPTER 32
I didn’t have time to think. Didn’t even have time to glance at Thorne one last time as the sucking, swirling portal spit us out.
The second my feet hit solid ground again, he released me and roared, “Go, go, go!”
I was off like a shot, my senses firing on all cylinders as I beelined toward the black, yawning mouth of a large cave carved into the mountainside.
Normally, the sight would have freaked me out, but I didn’t have time to be scared either.
Any hesitation could cost me, and I wasn’t going to start this trial like I did my last one.
If I fell behind, I might never catch up again, and I was determined not to finish dead last this time.
More shouts bounced off the rocky mountainside as mentor after mentor dropped off their first years.
Since I couldn’t see anyone ahead of me, I assumed Thorne had gotten here first, which gave me a much-needed head start.
I churned my legs as fast as they would go, knowing that I was most vulnerable to my peers out here in the open with my back exposed.
Sure enough, the telltale whoosh of magic alerted my senses to an incoming threat, and I threw up a shield just in the nick of time. The magical attack pounded into my invisible shield with lethal force, and when I spotted orange flames in my peripheral, I knew exactly who’d lobbed it at me.
Gritting my teeth, I ran faster, annoyed that Blaze had already forced me to expend some of my energy.
At least I’d defended myself against the bastard this time.
Two months ago, that fireball would have hit me.
Muscle memory from blocking Thorne’s attacks during our training sessions was saving my butt already, and I was beyond grateful for all he’d done to prepare me for this moment.
I could feel the darkness inside me roar awake at Blaze’s attack, encouraging me to retaliate instead of flee.
I ignored it, along with my need for revenge, knowing that engaging him right now would be foolish.
He had allies, and I didn’t. Plus, after spending almost the entire semester eating with the Arcane Three, there were probably dozens of other first years who’d love nothing more than to eliminate me.
Permanently.
If I was going to survive this trial, I had to be level-headed like Thorne had taught me.
Every move needed to be calculated and controlled, and going on the offensive when I was at a clear disadvantage would be stupid.
I had to be patient. Smart. The dark cave ahead would offer me protection and the perfect advantage, so I raced toward it without looking back even once, determined to lose myself in the shadows before anyone could reach me.
Just a few more steps. A couple more. One more step.
I heard the roar of another fireball heading my way, but my feet had already made contact with the darkness.
With a single thought, I called the shadows to me, ordering them to surround me, to protect me.
They immediately plunged me into pitch black nothingness, whisking me from sight just as the deadly magic streaked inside the cave.
It harmlessly sailed past, its tail of light growing dimmer and dimmer as the deep darkness swallowed it whole.
Now that I was concealed, I breathed a bit easier but didn’t allow myself to lower my guard even a little.
Being the first one inside the cave was an advantage, but it also meant that I would be the first to blindly face the challenges ahead.
How I handled them would pave the path for the other first years, giving them an advantage, but I didn’t let that slow me down.
After the challenges I’d faced yesterday and managed to overcome, I was more than ready to prove myself. Add in Thorne’s encouragement, a restful night’s sleep, plus a whole lot of caffeine, and I was feeling pretty awesome.
Setting off into the cave at a fast walk, I immediately realized that it wasn’t just dark. It was the darkest of darks. There wasn’t a speck of light in here, and the cave walls felt oppressively close. Each step was heavy yet somehow weightless, the still air dead but also frightfully alive.
Despite being a Darken witch, even I was intimidated by the cave’s inky interior, the darkness so absolute that I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face.
If this had been my Initiation Trial, fear would have rendered me immobile, but I wasn’t that afraid of the darkness in and around me anymore.
Little by little, I’d begun to accept it again, thanks to Thorne’s insistence that I face what scared me most. My magic still felt like an entity of its own most of the time, intent on destroying anything that posed a threat, but I could wield it again without worrying that it would hurt someone.
Problem was, completing this trial without hurting anyone might be impossible.
I could already hear some of the other first years entering the cave, their footfalls and voices echoing off the jagged walls.
The sounds were muted due to my shadows, and I relinquished them a bit to hear better.
Sudden shouts, followed by a flurry of commotion, announced that a fight had already broken out.
Colorful flashes of magic lit up the darkness as the skirmish turned deadly, cries of pain ringing through the cave.
Seconds later, I felt a presence behind me, and all the hair on my body stood on end. I whirled around, my hands extended as I prepared to defend myself.
No one was there. It was just me and the darkness.
My senses suddenly muted again, making it hard to see and hear the fight yards away. But I didn’t miss the shift in the damp air, the foreboding chill creeping up my spine closely followed by a scent, one that could only mean one thing.
Death had arrived.
I froze, torn between stopping it from claiming a victim and self-preservation. That split second of hesitation decided for me.
A wail penetrated my foggy senses, the mournful sound sinking deep into my bones.
“Nadine! No!”
Recognizing the name, my heart sank. It was one of the girls who’d sat closest to me at the first year dining hall table. She and her friend Sage were always gossiping about the Arcane Three and dreaming of being noticed by them. They’d ignored me but had never been outright mean either.
“Nadine!” Sage wailed again, and I knew, just knew that death had already claimed Nadine’s spirit.
Sure enough, death’s chill and scent started to evaporate, allowing my senses to come roaring back. Knowing that there was nothing I could do to save her, I set off into the darkness again, wanting to get as far away from the grieving girl and bloodthirsty pack as I could.
Hurry, hurry, hurry, my instincts screamed at me, knowing that Nadine wouldn’t be the only casualty of this trial if the other students found me.
As the cave plunged me into black nothingness once more, I veered to the right, searching for a wall to guide my path. When my fingers hit something hard and wet, I jerked back, my brain immediately convinced that the cave walls were covered in blood.
Shouts echoed behind me, closer this time.
Ignoring the wetness, I placed my fingers on the wall again and took off at a light jog, determined to stay in the lead.
Every time I considered conjuring a small orb of magic to light my way, I dismissed the thought, unsure how the cave would react.
It hadn’t reacted so far, even with my shadows cloaked around me, but I didn’t want a repeat of the Initiation Trial.
The more discreet I was and the more I conserved my energy, the greater chance I had of making it to the end.
Minutes ticked by, and the shouts gradually faded.
Not because they’d slowed or passed me, but because the cave must have chambers.
The majority of the students had taken a different path from mine, making me wonder if I’d chosen the wrong one.
Even so, I kept up my steady pace, trailing my fingers along the rough stone wall despite how raw they were becoming.
It felt like hours passed. Time started to lose meaning as I walked and walked, the darkness feeling more and more oppressive the deeper I went into the cave. All I could hear was my footsteps and slightly labored breathing, and something about that creeped the hell out of me.
Where was everyone?
I picked up speed, trying my best not to panic. This cave had to end eventually. It wasn’t like I was going in circles or anything. As soon as I had the thought, my stomach dropped.
What if . . . What if I was walking in circles?
I hadn’t seen anything, hadn’t heard anything in what felt like hours. Something wasn’t right.
My chest tightened, and I stopped dead, struggling to breathe. Allowing myself a moment to calm my racing heart, I took a risk and conjured an orb to my fingertips. When the glowing violet strands barely made a dent in the darkness, I released my shadows and willed the orb to brighten.
The light cast eerie shadows on the wall beside me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin before realizing the shadows belonged to me.
Shaking my head, I held the orb higher and took in my surroundings.
One glance, and my stomach dropped even more.
I was in a narrow passage that resembled a crude hallway, the width barely six feet.
When I noted that it was slightly curved, my stomach threatened to expel my breakfast.
I started to move again, my steps frantic, panicked.
It couldn’t be. I must be mistaken. Maybe the passage would twist left soon.
It had to. I started to run, my breaths coming in panicked spurts as the corridor continued to twist right.
The longer I ran, the more I knew in my gut that I’d been going in circles this entire time.
I swore sharply, too upset to even care that the sound echoed off the walls of my hellish wheel. No one would hear it anyway. I was alone. Alone. And the others were no doubt far ahead of me by now.
Swearing again, I searched for a way out of this endless cycle, switching my attention to the opposite wall.
Precious minutes raced by, but eventually, I found the exit and barrelled through, not even pausing to make sure the coast was clear.
The time for stealth was over. If someone was lying in wait to attack me, then I would attack them back.
But no one was.
The cave opened up again, yawning wide like a mocking laugh. It had bested me this time, but I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I was hellbent on catching up with the others, and this stupid cave wasn’t going to stop me.
Like a shot, I took off into the abyss, letting the magical orb guide my way.