Page 89 of Enchanted Shadows
On the way back through, they began sprinting, Kessara calling out directions with her shadows ahead of them, Molly’s power sprawling out on the ground just before them, lighting the way. I glanced at my watch, willing them to move faster.
Dammit if I didn’t want my wife to win this.
Kessara’s shadows were still crawling before them, guiding them, when she came to a stop and turned her head at one little corner. In the corner of one dead end was tucked another key, the extra.
She quickly ran to it and snatched it up. “Another?”
“Options,” Sam commented as they began running again. “I love options.”
“Either a fake or one for another team?” Molly asked.
“Either way, it’s coming with us,” Sam commanded.
When they got to the portion they would be chased, Molly cut off her Enchantment and Kessara grabbed them each by the hand and doused them in shadows. Or that’s what I assumed because one moment they were there, the next they were gone.
I walked along the walls of hay, making sure they were going to make it. At the current rate they were moving, they were going to beat Magnolia’s group back out, who also had a key in hand.
I recognized it as Sam’s voice who whispered, “Boo,” to the men before the three of them were laughing and running.
The men turned this way and that, but they couldn’t see them.
Sam, Molly, and Kessara emerged from the shadows and opened the door at the exit with one of their keys. They stood at the door and deliberated heading back in with their other key to give to another team, until Miles called over to them and informedthem the second key they’d found was just an extra, not required for Magnolia’s team.
Kessara must not have felt like taking his word for it, as she sent the extra key on her shadows toward the other team.
They stumbled out of the maze together, and I felt relief travel to my very toes. I knew Kessara could do it. I knew all of them could.
And within two more minutes, Magnolia’s team also made it out, not even needing the key from Kessara. I used my magic to jump off the top of the maze.
“Congratulations,” I told them, smiles to be found all around. “You all passed.”
Shrieking was the best way I could describe the sound that came next. They were hugging and I was pretty sure there were a few tears, hopefully from relief.
A few of them were muddy, but no one seemed to care. They passed.
After letting them celebrate a minute, Krew and Keir approached to offer their congratulations.
“Wait!” Jessina yelled at me. “Who won for time, General? Who got out of running today?”
I looked to Miles. I was fairly certain I knew the answer to this, but he was the man with the stopwatches.
“Kessara, Molly, and Sam won for time.”
Kessara grinned while Sam put a fist in the air. “We even found an extra key!”
Molly hugged them both.
Krew stepped forward and again congratulated them on the hard work, telling a funny story about our maze trial, making sure to point out how impressed with the team he was.
My eyes went to Kessara. She had a small spot of mud on her chin, but she was watching her brother intently. It was so obvious seeing her and Krew and Keir together that they were somehowrelated. High cheekbones and stubborn assness was a Valanova trait, it seemed.
I hoped our time at the castle during the break would give her the opportunity to get to know at least one of her brothers better.
By the time we made it back over to the training area to run, the women’s joy was not to be deterred. All thirteen of them had passed the first round of training. We had one more day tomorrow, mostly wrap up and instruction for how the second session would go, some advice for the break, and they were free. Free to go for a month.
I stood back, watching the women start their run and feeling a sense of pride over this group. Their training was not done, but they were a third of the way there. It hadn’t been easy. Somewhere along the way, I had wound up married to one of them, but it felt damn good to stand here with the team before me.
“Hey,” Kessara said as she came up beside me.
