The ache in my arms forgotten, I began to climb once more. Hustling and not daring to stop, I was at Tabby’s side in no time. Quickly, I pulled her to me, positioning her arms around my waist. All the while, I remained alert for moving bits of the wall.
“Hold on tight and release your magical tether,” I commanded. The hold to my direct left shot out and I hurled my body an inch out of the way to avoid being struck.
Tabitha did as I said, and the weight I bore increased substantially. Immediately, it became harder to draw a breath. Ignoring the discomfort, I began to descend.
I was incredibly thankful when a few seconds later her weight lightened a touch. Hunter had cast another levitation spell on Tabby, which had halved her weight and made things easier for me.
We descended slowly but surely, never stopping. What felt like a year later, but was really no more than two minutes, we were five feet from the ground. Sweat dripped from my elbows and chin, cutting through the dirt that caked my face.
“Hunter and I will catch you, Tabby,” Phoebe said. “Just let go!”
Tabitha shot me a glance, and I gave her an encouraging nod.
She let go of my waist and I heard a softoomphas Hunter and Phoebe caught her. Once I hit the ground our group wasted no time. We took off at a sprint with Tabby hanging between Hunter and me. We’d gone what I estimated was about a half mile more when a new sound reached my ear.
Cheering.
My chest tightened. We were near the finish line. I pushed harder, urging Phoebe to be extra careful as she scouted for traps so that we could focus on carrying Tabby. My muscles strained with each step. I was thankful that I’d trained hard for this. If I hadn’t, I doubted I’d have made it this far.
Phoebe let out a gasp.
My head snapped up. “What?” I asked, unable to see past her.
She pointed in front of us and to the right. “I can see the finish line!” she squealed just as Mother’s voice barreled through the woods.
“Two minutes remaining.”
“Let’s go!” I yelled and my team surged forward. I’d just caught sight of the break in the trees when another group, three male witches who were all soaking wet, surged by us. My teeth gnashed together as my competitive nature flared. I picked up my pace.
“Whoa!” Hunter said as we exited the forest and my speed increased to a near sprint. “It’s not that far! We’ll make it, but we need to slow down. Tabitha can’t—” Hunter’s words were cut off as one of Tabby’s feet caught on a rock and sent everyone tumbling forward.
I nearly face planted but my free hand managed to save me from an embarrassing and painful collision with the ground. Immediately, I scurried back onto my feet. “Get up! We need to finish as fast as possible. The rankings—” My mouth snapped shut as I glanced at the finish line expecting to see the male wizards running through it at that very moment. But they weren’t. In fact, the trio of guys in front of us had just vanished right before my eyes.
“Did you see that?” Tabby asked, her eyes wide.
Without speaking Hunter and I helped Tabby up, and our group jogged to the spot where the witches had disappeared. My heart hammered with every step, nervous as to what we’d find. But when we reached them, instead of experiencing another surge of anxiety, my lips quirked up a touch.
They were trapped in a hole ten feet deep and at least as large as my bedroom. The crater had been covered by a thin layer of grass, as indicated by the turf on their heads. They’d fallen into the final trap before the finish line.
The guys begged for us to help them out, but I shook my head and pulled my team along. Even if I wanted to give my competition a hand, I couldn’t. My body was so done.
We sprinted toward the parents and professors waiting, to a spot where a bright red line had literally been drawn on the ground. The moment we crossed it a bell rang, and my mother proclaimed there was only a minute left to finish the first of three entry exams.
One minute.My heart rate sped up at how close we’d cut it.We barely made it. Holy crap.
With Hunter’s help I set Tabby down gently, and then collapsed next to her, gasping for air. I noticed another group of four test takers hustling toward the end of the course. Then my gaze shifted to the crowd already behind the finish line, searching for any hopeful initiates who had already finished. When I spotted none, I fist pumped the air. We might have barely made it, but I didn’t see any other participants on this side of the finish line.
“Guys . . . I think we came in first,” I whispered, barely daring to believe it was true.
“Uhh, not quite.” Phoebe who was still standing, pointed right, and I squinted to see who she’d spotted.
A black-haired boy, his glasses askew and chest heaving. Sooneperson had beaten us. And it looked as if Alex had managed to beat the courseandus, all on his own.
Chapter Nine
“Welcome! Welcome!” Ms. Seeley, the professor of Faeology, greeted families as they funneled into Agnes Sampson Hall for the first meet-and-greet. When she caught sight of me her violet eyes lit up. “Diana! Come here and tell me about your first day of testing!”
My cheeks warmed slightly, a little embarrassed by my obvious insider ties to the school as a few people turned to stare. Even if Mother never offered me any advantage, the attention heaped upon me by professors in the hallways made it unlikely that others would believe that. Still, I couldn’t justignoreMs. Seeley. Her carefree attitude had always endeared her to me. Plus, it would break her heart.
