My best friend unfolded her paper and her blue eyes widened.
“Who is it?” I asked, unable to take the suspense any longer.
“Amethyst,” Eva breathed and leaned back in her chair.
I mimicked her reaction. That was good. Amethyst tested consistently near the top of the class and had progressed to conjuring solid objects with ease. If they needed a stake or cross, Amethyst could provide one.
Hunter and Alex had torn their envelopes open too, and both were staring at them in wide-eyed wonder.
“What about you guys?” I asked.
They lifted their heads and pointed to the other Wardwell.
No freaking way.
I heaved a sigh of relief, even as regret that Alex wasn’t my partner seared through me. Thank goodness they’d made up earlier this year. Now they’d have each other. The guys would be fine.
Which left me.
My hands found my envelope and brushed the creamy paper. If it couldn’t be Alex, Hunter, or Eva, who did I want beside me? I hitched a breath, unsure of the answer, but ready to discover the hand fate had dealt me.
My finger slipped beneath the wax seal, and I applied the slightest amount of pressure to crack it open.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” a voice screeched. “I’m partnered withher? Two of my friends aregonebecause of her! This is foul!”
I dropped my paper on my lap and whirled about to see Diana stomping toward the entrance to Kyteler Hall.
My stomach clenched, and I bit my lip.No, she can’t mean—
I ripped open my envelope and unfolded the paper quickly to find the name “Diana Wake” scrolled in emerald green ink.
Chapter Forty
The pit in my stomach deepened with every step I took toward Merlin Amphitheater.
“You haven’t talked to Diana yet?” Eva asked.
“Nope. No one spotted her in the dorm after they allowed us out of our rooms. She wants nothing to do with me.”
“To be fair,” Alex started, “it’s against the Beltane Trial rules to confer with your partners.”
Frustratingly, he was right. Headmistress Wake had insisted that if the partners had been sitting together at last night’s dinner, they separate. And just like before the Samhain Trial, we’d been locked us in our rooms after dinner, ensuring no one could talk to anyone else. The professors had released the spell only a half hour ago so we could make our way down to the amphitheater.
“To befair,” I stuck my tongue out as I mimicked Alex playfully. “Diana wouldn’t have conferred with me, anyway. She hates me. I only wanted to hash out a temporary peace before the trial to give us both the best chance.”
I ran my hands down my cheeks. The Samhain Trial had been hard enough, and Hunter and I were friends. Working with someone who despised me, and actually succeeding without a temporary understanding was difficult to imagine.
As soon as I crossed the threshold into the stadium, I sensed the excitement in the air.
“There are more people present this time,” I said, noting that the tension was far greater than before our last trial.
“How can there be?” Hunter asked as we strode deeper into the building. “During Samhain, every Spellcasters student, all our professors, and people from the PIA were present. Who else would they allow to—”
“Our parents!” Eva yelped, her eyes sweeping the stands to the right as we entered the open space of the amphitheater.
My heart clenched as my eyes scanned the crowd. It took me only seconds to find my parents in the sea of silver, black, white, and green—Spellcasters colors. Mom particularly stood out in the long, yellow dress she always wore for special occasions. Just seeing it made me smile.
“They said nothing about inviting our parents,” I commented.
