The sounds in the forest dimmed as the course expanded in width. Just as I’d thought would happen, I could no longer see the lights that had marked the other side’s boundary. The participants seemed to have faded into the darkness too. Save for the sounds of our labored breathing, hurried footsteps, and an occasional yelp of pain from Tabby, the woods were silent. And in the quiet my mind began to race.
What else are we going to come up against? Weapons? Animals? Maybe—oh shit!
A young man came barreling back toward us, his arms waving frantically. “Shifter!” he screamed.
Everything in my body tensed. I didn’t believe that anything in these woods would actually kill us. However, I totally believedeverythingwould put us in danger. And shifters in their primal aspect fell into that category. Especially in our current predicament. Hunter and I were quick, but we definitely couldn’t run fast enough to get away from a shifterandcarry Tabby at the same time.
The hairs on the nape of my neck lifted with this realization seconds before a massive black wolf burst through the foliage and zoomed right by us.
My eyebrows furrowed together and even though the wolf had disappeared, my heart still thundered on. “It didn’t even look at us,” I spoke each word as if it were its own incredulous sentence.
Hunter nodded, his eyes wide. “Shifters are lurking just past the boundary lines of the course. I’m guessing that dude strayed past the markers—trying to shave off some time—and the shifter is only allowed to latch on to him as punishment.”
I peered into the trees, beyond the flashing red lights and saw a pair of amber eyes staring back at me. I shivered. Yup, shifters were in the woods, prowling and waiting for anyone to stray out of bounds.
But how did Hunter know?
I turned my attention to him, and he winked. “I saw a few eyes watching me when I was skirting the edge too. When I backed off, so did they.”
“Hmm,” I mused, impressed but not wanting to show it as I gestured for everyone to resume running. After about a mile more of struggling through the dense underbrush, we came across our next trial.
And it was a doozy.
Chapter Eight
Ariver as wide as a six-lane highway appeared before us, rapids and eddies churning the waters. Immediately, I honed in on our best hope: a pathway of smallish rocks creating a spotty bridge across the river. Toward what would be the middle of the course, the river bent into the dense trees, hindering our view of downstream. But even though we couldn’t see what lay past the trees, I thought I heard someone splashing around.
I shook my head at their idiocy. No way in hell was I going in the water if I could help it. This forest didn’t have a natural river running through it, which meant this one had been formed by magic. And it wasn’t witch magic either. We weren’t elemental, only energy workers.
The fae had made this river, and knowing the fae they’d definitely laden it with traps.
Expect the unexpected.
“Tabitha?” My eyes slid to my friend who had gone as white as a tissue.
“I get it.” Tabitha let out a heavy sigh. “There’s no way we can get across those tiny ass rocks together. It’s okay, I think I can do it on my own.”
“But maybe you don’t have to do ittotallyalone,” Phoebe said. She sprinted toward a tree with vines hanging from it and using her magic ripped a ten-foot vine from its branches. “We can tie these together and then wrap them around our waists. That way if someone falls in, the others can haul them out. It would be best if Tabby went last—more hands to pull her out if she falls.”
I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Everyone set to work, tying dozens of long, thick vines together frantically, and then looping them around their waists. Hunter volunteered to cross the rock bridge first, stepping out onto a rock less than half the size of his foot.
After he made it halfway across, I nudged Phoebe to go. She stumbled on the second rock, but thanks to years of dance practice, she regained her footing quickly.
My heartbeat skittered through my veins as I watched both of them hop from rock to rock. Only when Hunter leapt onto the far riverbank did I allow a small relieved sigh. With someone on solid ground, we stood a much better chance of pulling a fallen teammate out of the water.
Once Phoebe reached the middle I stepped out onto the first rock. My eyes widened, and right away I was thankful for the core stabilizing ball Mother had put in Spellcasters’ physical conditioning room. The rocks were more slippery than I’d anticipated. I had just hit the halfway point and pivoted carefully to tell Tabitha to begin crossing, when Phoebe shrieked, nearly making me topple into the river. I whirled back around to face her and my blood froze.
A creature, some sort of water-based fae with green hair and milk-white skin, had lunged out of the water and grasped Phoebe’s ankle just as she was about to land safely on the shore.
Hunter lurched forward to grip Phoebe’s wrist and tear her from the creature’s grasp. There was a short struggle but Hunter prevailed and Phoebe pitched forward. As soon as she hit dry ground she scrambled away from the beast.
The creature let out a terrifying hiss, grabbed at her green hair, and whirled about. I stiffened as she spotted me, and her look of outrage was replaced with a blood-chilling smile complete with spiked teeth.
Then she disappeared beneath the waves.
Shit!My head whipped around. “Tabitha! Get moving.” I raced over the stones, knowing the creature would have a harder time yanking me to the depths of the river if my team only had to pull me a short distance. I’d made it about three-quarters of the way before the fae lunged out of the river and shot straight at me.
