“Open your package and let’s get moving before you cause Miles to stroke out,” Shadrie called, causing the mage in question to shoot me a sheepish smile and shrug his shoulders.
I waved my hand at Shadrie and moved to pick up the plain package from the counter. Like all the others, it only had my name, nothing else. Ripping it open, I tipped it toward the counter, and a bracelet of sapphire blue gems, glowing slightly with magic, clattered onto the countertop.
“Odd,” I murmured, picking it up to study it.
“Another trinket from your mystery benefactor?” Zypher asked, leaning over my shoulder to examine it. “A powerful one at that. The gems will enhance your shields.”
“But aren’t they already basically impenetrable?” I asked, frowning at the bracelet. “I copied them from you, and yours are.”
“Yes, but someone thinks yours need assistance. Giventheir last gifts helped you through yesterday’s trial, I’d be hesitant to question it, Dilectus.”
“Just wear the damned thing, you lucky bitch,” Shadrie snapped playfully. “We need to get moving. You three already missed breakfast and the death toll, and I don’t want to find out if we end up on tomorrow’s for being late to our last trial.”
We hurried across campus, Zypher not leaving my side until we arrived at the cathedral. He kissed me softly, wishing me luck before vanishing in the throngs of students back the way we’d come. I let the crowd move me forward, one hand clutching Gabriel’s as the other reached for Shadrie. The closer we got to the threshold, the more my gut screamed that something wasn’t right. I tried to convince myself it was just my nerves, but the moment we finally stepped inside, the floor beneath us gave way. My hands were ripped from Gabriel and Shadrie’s as the world spun out around me. I landed with a thud on my backside, towering walls rising up on either side.
I pushed myself back to my feet and moved to study my surroundings. Grass covered the ground beneath me, the strange walls spanning every direction, the sharp corners in places signaling turns. I was still trying to sort out where I was when Dean Femirea’s voice boomed out.
“Welcome, First Years. Today marks the third and final trial—the Maze of Allegiance.” It sounded like she was standing right next to me, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Inside these walls, you will be tested not only on your skill and endurance, but on your choices. Loyalty and survival rarely walk hand in hand. Today, you must decide what matters most. Those of you who survive the maze and reach its center will advance to Second Year.”
“Fuck,” I hissed to myself.
The air felt charged, pulsing faintly with magic, and the silence pressed in thick enough to smother a scream. I knew I had to move if I wanted to make it out of the maze, and I forced myself to cautiously start walking forward. My hand trailed along the cool stone wall, and I’d nearly reached the first turnwhen a growl cut through the stillness. My heart lurched. From the shadows, a beast I recognized from the packet Professor Sabelus had given us slithered toward me. My mind raced as I tried to remember the weaknesses of the basilisk.
It hissed, the sound scraping down my spine like nails on stone, before lunging. I flung my shield up, sapphire light sparking into existence around me. The serpent slammed into it, scales screeching across the barrier. The impact rattled my bones, but the bracelet I wore pulsed, feeding strength into the shield, thickening it.
“Fuck this,” I panted, sprinting around the writhing mass.
My feet thudded against the soft ground as I ran, taking corner after corner in my blind attempt to flee the monster. Around the time the hissing sound stopped, I realized I was as good as lost. Tilting my head back, I looked to the sky as if it could tell me where to go.
“Maybe I should have gone with Geordie to those classes when he got weirdly into navigating without a compass,” I muttered to myself.
“Bechora?” A familiar female voice called out. “Thank Selir, it is you.” Shadrie raced toward me from an opening in the maze to my left.
Relief flooded my system, causing me to sway on my feet. “Shadrie!”
She skidded to a halt in front of me, her hair askew, frost clinging to her sleeves where she’d clearly thrown up walls of ice to slow something down. Her chest heaved as she bent forward, catching her breath.
“I’m so fucking glad I found you. This maze is nuts. I ran into two different minotaurs and barely made it out alive,” she panted.
Before I could respond, a distant scream echoed through the maze, chilling the air between us. It was abruptly cut off, leaving only silence. Shadrie and I exchanged a look, both of our bodies tensing.
“Let’s not stick around to find out what did that,” I said,urging her forward.
We moved quickly but cautiously, taking turns that felt more like guesswork than strategy. Once, a deep snarl rattled the walls just a few feet away, shadows shifting as some enormous beast prowled the other side. Shadrie grabbed my wrist, tugging me faster. We didn’t stop running until the sound faded. The sun dipped below the towering walls as we wandered, trying to find our way to the center. I was starting to think this trial would be the end of us when, finally, we stumbled into a clearing. At its center rose a black stone altar, its surface pulsing with power. Dean Femirea’s voice boomed above us, and a transparent copy of her materialized beside the stone.
“Illusion,” Shadrie muttered.
“Congratulations, First Years. You have reached the center of the maze. There is one final task before you can be transported to safety. You must choose—loyalty or survival.”
The stone hummed louder, the air pulsing around it. I could practically taste the threat building in it.
“They can’t be serious.” Shadrie’s voice hitched.
My stomach turned as the hum built further, raising the hairs on my arms. “They are.”
Shadrie’s fingers brushed mine. Her jaw was tight, but her eyes—bright with fear and resolve—locked on me. “Leave me, B. You have to. Everything we’ve found about what you are tells me you have to survive this, or we’re all screwed anyway. It has to be you.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I snapped, tears burning in my eyes. “No way in hell I’m sacrificing you.”
