“Lex,” Jacqueline said. She beckoned me up to the stage. Declan and Giselle melted back into the background.
As I ascended the steps to the stage, the crowd went wild. I knew most of them were cheering because I was throwing myself at the mercy of the supernaturals. I didn’t care. If I had a chance to master opening and closing a portal, then I might not have to be trapped by the seal forever.
Jacqueline cleared her throat. The crowd quietened. “Well,” she said. “That was an interesting turn of events.” As she surveyed the contestants, I did the same.
Kai, Max, Bradley, and Drake, the captain of Ruby House, had been chosen to represent Bloodline. I bit my lip thinking that if Desi were still alive, she would be up here instead of one of the boys.
Chanelle, Barbara, and the two Fae from Pantheon Academy looked like they had bit into a lemon. All the mages from Dominion Academy appeared to be cursing the no-powers rule.
Andrei stood there looking pleased with himself. His Academy teammates were made up of another vampire and two necromancers. They stood around looking both bored and menacing. I couldn’t help sizing up the other vampire, a female, and comparing her to Andrei. She wasn’t as tall but her skin glowed silver despite the sunlight.
They both wore light amulets to keep the sun from burning them to a crisp. Her skin was smooth, her hazel eyes alert. She had a good amount of toned muscle on her. Vampires didn’t tend to be bulky, but Andrei was just gaunt.
Then there was me. If you looked up foolish in the dictionary, my mug would be stamped right there. Everyone else had dressed for the games. Thank goodness I lived in jeans and sneakers. The problem was that these jeans weren’t that great to run in. And since I had no powers, running was probably going to be the number one trick in my arsenal.
“We’re at an uneven number of contestants,” Jacqueline commented. The elite guards conferred. While they did that, we were led forward to the front of the stage where the mage who had stamped my hand during my entrance trials now stood.
“Single file,” she said. I was shunted to the back of the line. Naturally. One by one she planted yet another emblem on the back of our hands. This time it was a circular image with a shattered heart inside of it. Not ominous at all. When it was my turn, she looked down at me curiously.
“I knew you would be trouble.” My breath hitched as she placed her palm on the back of my hand. Warmth shot up my arm. From what I gathered, the brands would allow the MirrorNet to track us in the arena. It blazed in a soft pink glow that reminded me of Sophie’s magic, only paler. I arched a brow.
“Not blue this time?”
Her lips tipped up just the slightest bit. “Not everything is about you.”
When she was done, Jacqueline re-iterated the rules. “Once you enter the arena, your only way out is to forfeit the games, if you suffer a critical hit by trial or by another contestant, or if you win.”
The crowd went nuts. I didn’t want to think about how many of them were hoping I would be ejected by the first two means. I kept my gaze locked on where the portal to the arena was beginning to manifest. It started as a tiny speck and then grew in size by the second. Soon it was a gaping mouth the size of a doorway. On the other side, I heard the sound of water lapping. Urgh. Was I already having second thoughts?
“The games are predicated on an even number of contestants,” Jacqueline said. “This first trial is to return us back to that state.”
Once upon a time, I would have withered against the glares of the other contestants. Today I just stood there, shoulders back, eyes forward. This was war and there was no room for anything but conviction.
“Let the first trial begin,” Jacqueline said.
Kai and Max both jumped through the portal at the same time. They started a stampede as the others rushed to get through. I was about to step forward when Jacqueline grabbed my arm and held me back.
“Just a second,” she said.
“But I’m going to –”
There was a shocked rabble in the crowd. “Where did she go?” I heard Diana shout. Then another uproar as Charles snarled. In their seats, both Sophie and Cassie had vanished into thin air.
I stood there like a mannequin until somebody touched my shoulder. I turned around to come face to face with a First Order mage. I had a second to register his lips moving silently as he chanted. He reached out with a finger and touched my forehead.
A blast of cold air hit me. It ripped me from where I stood and blew me backwards. Rather than hit the back of the stage, I sailed through the Ley dimension. Sparks of every colour whizzed past. I was there for a mere moment and then the sky opened up again. Grey storm clouds loomed over me, blocking out the direct light of the sun.
I crash-landed on a circular platform with a two-metre diameter. There was no railing of any sort. My back hit the metal pole that held the platform erect. It was smooth and extended about three metres above the platform. I fell to my knees and yelped as my palm touched the warm metal. What the heck was this?
We were on a beach. The platforms stood inside a gaping whirlpool. Around us, the ocean churned in its usual gruesome way. Why was it so hot?
I scrambled to look over the edge. Never look down. Wasn’t that the first rule?
I almost upchucked at the drop that showed jagged rocks sticking just above an ocean of lava. It crashed against the rocks, sending up waves of heat. We were trapped between the opposing forces of
