Page 29 of The First Trial
Juniper
Iblinked awake to find myself standing in a dark cavern, the only light shining dimly from a single sconce embedded in the rock of the far wall.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in this strange place. Other people were spread out, though they were too far away to catch a proper glimpse. They were mostly just shadowy silhouettes that I only realised were people because they were the only sign of movement.
No one called out, each of us taking in our new surroundings while trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I racked my brain to recall any memories, but the last thing I remembered was the Fae, Evander and Aspen, intercepting me at the entrance to my garden, and Aspen's blade at my throat. And then the drumming…
Oh, shit.
It seemed we had been magically hypnotised and transported to a… cave? Shadowy, pointed formations of stalagmites and stalactites made it difficult to pick out the dim silhouettes of the others, but at least they let me know where I was. Sort of.
The atmosphere was thick with tension, and silence prevailed like the calm before a storm. No one spoke, as if afraid to break the silence and bring forth some terrible monster waiting patiently for its cue to devour us. The only sound was water dripping from somewhere in the distance, likely the cause of the chilled humidity turning the air dank and wet.
The rustle of clothing and the quiet whistle of silently panicked breaths should have made me feel at least a little saferknowing I wasn’t the only one here, but I had never felt more alone.
Trying not to let the unusual situation freak me out, I scanned the space for Oz, or maybe even Evander and Aspen, anyone I recognised, but it was no use. We were too far apart, and there was no way to pick out individual features. From what Icouldsee, they all seemed to be tall enough that I could assume they were adults, so at least the younger students hadn’t found their way here. I hoped. I would just have to move forward under the assumption that these were strangers, and Mother taught me never to trust a stranger.
Speaking of… I reached my hand down to rifle around in my bag, seeking the mirror I always kept there for emergencies, but my hand met nothing but cool air and my hip. I checked the other side, trying not to panic, but found the same. Nothing. I hadn’t taken my bag with me to my garden. It, and my mirror, were still in my new room in the middle school dorms.
Shit.
‘Ozzie?’I attempted to reach out using our newfound mental connection, needing the comfort of his presence, but I knew before I even tried that there would be no response. I could feel his absence like a missing limb, whatever magic connecting us flailing into the abyss with nothing to latch on to.
Separated from my twin, unable to call for help. This… was not looking great.
Suddenly, a distorted, disembodied voice boomed throughout the cave. It felt like it should have been shaking rocks loose from the walls and burying us alive, but the physical realm had no reaction. Everything was still.
‘The Unity Trials have been initiated. Your task: earn the clue, find the portal. Win and survive or fail and perish. The first trial has commenced.’
Well… That wasn’t ominous at all.
It was slow at first, but movement soon picked up as everyone strayed to the walls, searching for a way out. Or the ‘clue’. I stayed put, knowing my best chance would be to cast out my Earth magic to get a lay of the land and find any obstacles or threats. That voice had claimed that this was a trial of some sort, and the whole ‘fail and perish’ part didn’t sound too great, so I wanted to be sure I knew what I was getting into before I made any moves.
If there was anything that I was completely sure of, however, it was that I wasn’t going to make it out of here alive on my own. It was called theUnityTrials for a reason, and that little hint hadn’t gotten past me. I was going to have to find an ally or two before whatever these trials contained left me for dead.
But first, the lay of the land.
I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply of the stale, musty air, wrinkling my nose at the scent. It smelled a little like cheesy feet and a lot more like rotting meat. Not a good sign. If there was anything I knew to be an absolute truth, it was that there was always a balance. With life came death. It was inevitable, but the dangers it posed right now were more concerning to me. I needed to find which direction it was coming from so I could avoid the predator responsible.
Because that smell, rank though it was, confirmed that there wasat leastone, and I doubted it would be friendly.
I pushed my magic out in a wave, but I kept it subtle to avoid the others detecting its presence and assuming the worst. I didn’t know what anybody here was capable of, let alone if they were Human, Fae, or even something else. If there were more than just Fae interspersed throughout the cavern, then it was going to make things more difficult to communicate, let alone work together. There would be absolutelyzerotrust amongst the different races, and that would be a major problem for the whole ‘unity’ aspect of this thing.
My magic was quick to report back to me in the form of an image, mapping out our surroundings inside my head. The cave itself was a giant bubble in the centre of what seemed to be a system of offshoot tunnels that all converged here. The only way out would be through one of the tunnels, but which one?
My magic kept creeping along, and I hurriedly pulled it back, afraid I would accidentally brush against the creature that called these tunnels home and draw its attention. I had no idea if it would even be able to sense me, but I didn’t want to take that risk. If I could sneak out of here unnoticed, that would have been great. I was vaguely satisfied with the general knowledge of the immediate vicinity that I was comfortable enough to take the time to try to find an ally or two.
I wished I had a weapon, and a shiver skirted down my spine alongside the heat pooling between my thighs at the reminder of Arden’s blade at my throat, Evander as eye candy. I physically shook those thoughts from my head and prayed that my magic would suffice to at least keep me alive. I was powerful, even for a Witch, but I wasn’t invincible, and I had the worst feeling that I was going to need all the help I could get.
With a bit of pep in my step born from my eagerness to get this show on the road rather than actual joy, because let’s face it, things weren’t looking so great for me in my current circumstances, I inched my way closer to the perimeter to start my search for new friends.
The closer I got to the shadowy figures, however, the more space opened up between us. It was like they saw me coming and were actively avoiding me. My heart sank a little at that, knowing my best chance for survival here would be to team up, but I wasn’t about to give up that easily. I could practically hear my mother’s voice berating me from here.Juniper Olwyn, you are the future leader of the most powerful coven in the northern hemisphere. Act like it.
I wasn’t getting anywhere with my current plan, so I decided to step back and watch. Hands traced over the walls as they searched for a way out, but… wait. Not everyone was searching. My eyes had adjusted well to the darkness, so I was able to get a better look at my current company. A group had formed, and relief tried to swarm me when I was close enough to recognise them all as Fae, because if I squinted, I could make out the faces of the two Fae I had recently met.
Confidence bolstered by even the smallest grain of familiarity, I strode forward with a pleased grin already stretching my cheeks and inserted myself in their circle. ‘Hi!’
Evander and Arden stood side by side and blinked at me in surprise. Or perhaps they were merely blinded by the brilliance of my smile. I had been told on numerous occasions that it could light up a room, and this room in particular needed it more than any other.
