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  But before my foot could touch the ground for another step, I was suddenly flying through the air in a strange vortex of colors. It felt as if my skin were being pulled from every direction. It was nearly impossible to breathe, as my lungs felt like they were about to burst.

  Then, all of a sudden, I was standing next to Maren at the Parliament building. Whatever magic had brought us here apparently didn’t see fit to include our familiars or princes.

  “I thought we were meeting at the reef?” I whispered to her.

  She shrugged, annoyance flaring in her eyes. “That’s what Helia said.”

  The princesses of every kingdom were gathered in the lobby, staring at a giant board with digitalized text. Each of our names was listed in the order of our placement in the Trials. Nerissa was at the top with twenty-seven points. I was second with twenty-five.

  The Blood Witch stood atop a glossy desk at the front of the room. Normal people moseyed by, completely oblivious to the giant crowd of witches before them. She must’ve put some sort of invisibility spell on us or something.

  One crooked finger pointed to the board, while the other hand clutched her staff.

  “This is where the scores will be kept from here on out. I realize that we are flying through these Trials at breakneck speeds, and I don’t want the points to get lost in the chaos.”

  She then casually stacked both hands atop the staff, as if we weren’t about to discuss and embark on another death-defying stunt in the name of regality.

  “The Fourth Trial is an individual one, and will take place completely within your mind. No one will share the same vision as you. You will be awarded points based on how long you survive. When you die in the vision, you will not die in reality. Is that clear?”

  When, not if. Great.

  We nodded, though I’m sure none of us could truly comprehend those words.

  “I will be moving our gathering to the reef on the south side of the shore to avoid unwanted attention. From there, you will each drink a potion and enter the trial one at a time, in order of your placement. Do you understand?”

  Everyone nodded again.

  I stole a final quick peek at the board, knowing full well that I would be going second. Seeing my name right under Nerissa’s did nothing to reassure me.

  The Blood Witch bowed her head in return. “Then, let the Fourth Trial begin!”

  She stamped her staff, and I was suddenly soaring through that same tunnel of colors. My skin tugged and pulled. My heart hammered as I tried to breathe and failed. Then the next thing I knew, I was down at the reef, standing on the sandy shore like nothing at all had happened.

  Laken rushed over to Maren and me and squeezed us both in a hug. No one said a word, though. We didn’t need to. We probably couldn’t have, anyway, even if we tried. My throat ached with the strain of holding back fears and tears.

  Nerissa was given a dark green potion that hissed like a snake. She drank it swiftly—and if it tasted awful, she gave no indication of it. She then lay down on the ground and waited. Before long her eyes glassed over and her breathing picked up. Her limbs twitched. She moaned, groaned, cried out, and screamed. It was yet another petrifying event to add to my rapidly growing list of terrifying experiences.

  Distant movement caught my eye to the right. Gage, in dragon form, was soaring through the air clutching an elated Elijah in his claws. When they hit the ground, the landing was rough. Poor Elijah tumbled across the sand like an uprooted weed, while Gage smoothly morphed into human form like nothing had even happened.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, rushing over to me. “What’s the next trial?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. We’re going in one at a time. Nerissa is first. I’m next because I’m in second place. The goal is to survive the longest.”

  “The fuck?”

  “Yeah, I know,” Laken scoffed, butting in.

  I nodded my wholehearted agreement. “According to the Blood Witch, each of us will die in our visions. But whoever lasts the longest gets the most points.”

  Anger blazed across his face, darkening his eyes. He might’ve even puffed out some smoke. I couldn’t be sure.

  “This is bullshit,” he said, stabbing a finger at the ground. “I’m going to talk to that old bag and demand that she change the rules of this stupid challenge or else.”

  Then he stormed off. And to my complete surprise, he really did march over and give her a piece of his mind—loud enough for every princess and maybe even some of the citizens back in town to hear. Oddly enough, I felt kind of proud. It was strangely gratifying to have a prince who was bold enough to demand better treatment for his princess.

  But it didn’t help.

  Ezra refused to budge.

  Nerissa suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. Her eyes tore open and she sat bolt upright. Sweat poured from her forehead and neck. Beneath her sickly-pale skin, her pulse throbbed wildly. I’d never seen her so shaken.

  “Eight minutes,” the Blood Witch announced. “Very good.”

  Then her wizened eyes fell on me.

  “Your turn.”

  Chapter 15

  Frantically, my eyes shot to Nerissa. “Was it that awful?”

  She didn’t speak. She merely nodded and turned away from me.

  Trepidation curled up in my stomach and made itself at home.

  The Blood Witch soon shuffled over with a potion. It was electric blue with swirls of lime green, and it was literally bubbling.

  Gage shook his head. “Eliza, you don’t have to do this.”

  I smiled faintly at him. “Yes, I do. I’m not going to die in real life. Nerissa’s proof of that, right? I just need to suck it up and get it over with.”

  I took the potion in my hands and sniffed. Oddly enough, scents of blueberry and lime filled my nose. I had no doubt the taste would differ greatly.

  Laken squeezed my shoulder. “You got this.”

  Maren put her hand on top of Laken’s. “Kick some ass.”

  I nodded, so very grateful for each of them. Before I lost my nerve, I gulped the potion down without even tasting it. Then the aftertaste hit. It was bitter, extremely salty, and stale like moldy bread. The combination made me want to gag.

  “Lie down,” the Blood Witch instructed me calmly.

  I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to puke, and did as she said. Though, mentally, I was absolutely freaking out. I had no idea what the hell was about to happen.

  Suddenly the world shook. Everything vibrated and blurred, making me dizzy. Then it froze, like a movie on pause. And finally, it kicked back to normal. I looked around, but found no source for the strange vibrations. All I saw was a sea of apprehensive faces.

  A moment later, the world shuddered again, shaking my vision into another blurry haze. Everything froze, momentarily turning into living statues, then unfroze. I blinked and shook my head to try and make it stop, but it wouldn’t.

  Gage grabbed my hand, Laken squeezed the other, and Maren tried to force an encouraging smile but failed miserably.

  A distant boom sounded along with the blurring, then silence and freezing. Another boom, louder, closer. More vibrations that slowly shifted the real world into a dark glade surrounded by forest. Another boom, this time accompanied by a screeching roar that physically lifted the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck.

  My heart hammered. My breathing became erratic. I scrambled to my knees and crawled forward, only to discover I was in a massive glass dome. Like a spider in a glass. I crept to the edge and dragged my hands down the sides. It was smooth and reflective, and through my own horrified expression, I saw Gage, Laken, and Maren staring at me in terror. Beyond them, the rest of the princesses gathered, looking on in distress. Only the Blood Witch kept a stoic expression.

  I wondered if she knew what was about to happen. If she knew what the outcome would be. If any of this was even necessary.

  Another boom thundered through the dome, rattling my very bones.
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  Something was coming. Something huge. And it was coming fast. Flight kicked in—there was no “fight.” If I wanted to survive, I needed to hide. I scrambled to my feet and tore off to the middle of the cage where a tall tree stood apart from all the others. It was probably a setup, but it was the closest thing to safety I had.

  I no more than grabbed the first branch when I saw the head of a creature charging my way—just the head, as that’s all that was visible above the trees. It had a crown of bones around its skull, and sharp black teeth dripping with blood or maybe red saliva.

  Please God, let it be saliva....

  It thundered into the clearing, threw its head back, and screamed like a banshee.

  The urge to block my ears from the terrifying sound was overwhelming, but I was too busy frantically climbing higher up to care. Twigs snapped. Tree bark scraped my skin. The electrical taste of adrenaline coated my tongue. I had zero experience with being an animal’s prey, but I already knew I was being too damn loud. I was going to get myself killed.

  The creature stopped and sniffed the air. I couldn’t see it through the leaves, but I heard the deep gusts of wind as it filled its lungs with my scent. From what I’d glimpsed of it earlier, I’d swear to God the thing was a fucking dinosaur.

  Its footsteps thundered away, momentarily retreating. I paused to listen, but all I could hear was the throbbing of blood rushing through my veins. Then it charged, its steps coming loud and fast, and without stopping, it smashed its bony head into the tree truck. Chunks of wood and bark splintered off, shaking me loose from my branch.

  I dropped a few feet, bruising my tailbone on the branch below me and scraping my forearm on a jagged limb above. Blood trickled to my elbow and dripped onto the ground at the creature’s clawed feet, sending it into a frenzy. It head-butted the trunk over and over, shaking the tree like a violent hurricane. I could barely tighten my grip before another onslaught rattled it loose again.

  Then a sharp crack echoed around me, and I was suddenly met with the sensation of falling. The trunk had snapped. I clung to my branch like my life depended on it as I crashed to the ground at the creature’s feet.

  With no obstructions to block my view, I could finally see that it was atrocious. Almost completely skeletal, with sharp claws, spines, teeth, and bones jutting out all over the place. Its eyes were hollow, but they somehow glowed an evil black. It stood on its hind legs with its arms bent and tucked into its sides, ready to lash out and strike.

  I couldn’t help it, a bloodcurdling scream wrenched from my throat as I leapt to my feet in a dead sprint.

  The creature followed suit, screaming back at me and charging.

  I ran so fast and frantically, that I didn’t even realize how close I was to the dome’s translucent barrier. I smashed face-first into the glass, cracking my nose and instantly drawing a cascade of blood.

  “Fuck!” I shouted, but it wasn’t because of the pain—I barely felt that.

  It was because I was literally seconds away from being eaten alive.

  Gage stood on the other side, shouting and pounding the walls, but I couldn’t hear him. I could only imagine what he was saying.

  “Run”? “Get the fuck outta there”? “Use your damn—”

  My mind screeched to a smoking halt.

  Magic!

  I quickly dodged to the left and sprinted back to the fallen tree in the middle.

  “Power of this fallen tree, spread protection over me.”

  In a chaotic rush, the energy rose up and poured onto me like a waterfall.

  When the creature reached me and took me in its mouth and thrashed... I miraculously stayed intact. And the pain I felt was probably only half of what I imagined a violent death should feel like. Which wasn’t saying much; it still hurt like a son of a bitch.

  I yelped, and found myself tumbling through the darkened sky. All air escaped my lungs as I smashed to the forest floor. My vision went black. My hearing vanished. But as it came back, it was slowly replaced by a steady whine that gradually morphed into the high-pitched scream of the creature. The earth shook around me, and I knew it was coming in for the kill.

  The protection spell wouldn’t last much longer, I was sure. So I soaked as much energy as I could from the grass all around me, chanting, “Clearing where the grasses grow, steal some power from my foe!”

  The creature faltered, tripping over its own feet and crashed to the ground. It immediately righted itself, though, shaking its massive head, its crown of bones glimmering in the moonlight.

  I stood too, assessing my surroundings with a keener eye, but I had no idea what I needed. Not necessarily strength to fight the damn thing, but maybe speed to run from it? Wit to outsmart it for a while? I pulled energy from every tree, leaf, blade of grass, and threw it into a spell I wasn’t even sure existed.

  “Lovely flora of this place, help me live to land first place.”

  A circular wave of shimmering energy pulled toward me, leaving a wake of powdery dust in its path. It filled me, strengthening my muscles and bones, my determination and drive.

  The creature paused, curiously assessing the now-lifeless environment, no doubt wondering what the hell was going on. Then it spun around and stared at me, those hollow eyes pulling at my chest, practically sucking my soul from my body.

  I thrashed my head, clumsily backing away, trying to get some distance between us. But the creature stalked closer, filling me with fear and dread and a sudden sensation of hopelessness.

  I turned to run, but tripped over a fallen branch, scraping my cheek and twisting my knee. Pain flared up my thigh and down my shin. It hurt too badly to even flinch, let alone move, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to crawl as tears streamed down my face.

  Claws suddenly sliced through my back, sending me tumbling in a ball of agony and terror. As soon as I stopped rolling, I puked all over the forest floor. The pain was too intense to bear. Sweat, vomit, and blood mixed, dripping from my chin.

  The thunderous sound of the creature’s steps drew nearer.

  I closed my eyes and waited for the killing blow, but it didn’t come.

  Sobbing, I slowly turned around.

  And only when we came eye to eye did the awful thing grin...

  And bite my damn head off.

  Chapter 16

  I jerked upright, screaming and clutching my neck.

  But the creature was gone. As was the forest and the darkness.

  I suddenly found myself wrapped in Gage’s muscular arms, surrounded by the tear-streaked faces of Laken and Maren—and even Elijah. The gentle sound of lapping waves and the cawing of seagulls tickled my ears.

  The reef!

  I sobbed, relief melting the whole way down to my bones. The Fourth Trial was over.

  “Seven minutes,” the Blood Witch announced, to my utter astonishment and terror.

  “What?”

  My skin was still slick with sweat, and my whole body was trembling. No way in hell was that only seven measly minutes! It felt like an eternity.

  But the old witch nodded and moved over to Annika Eriksson.

  “It is true,” she said to me. “You are still currently in second place.” Then she directed her attention to the blonde. “Let us see how you fare.”

  Hot tears continued to stream down my cheeks. I’d literally just been decapitated by the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen, and for what?

  Gage planted a quick kiss on the top of my head and stood.

  “This is bullshit!” he shouted at the Blood Witch.

  His anger burned so fiercely that his body half started to change. Scales flickered on and off, up his arms. Claws extended out, then retracted.

  “You’re the one in charge of the Trials,” he said to her. “Do something!”

  She took a calming breath, then gave him a tiny shrug. “About what, dragon? Your princess is alive and unharmed. Is that not what you want?”

  “You know damn well what I want,” he threaten
ed, stomping over to her.

  But the Blood Witch stood tall and unafraid. “She is a witch between the ages of sixteen and thirty. She has no choice but to compete. And I am the Blood Witch. I have no choice but to obey what the universe demands of me.”

  “A glorious cop-out, I’m sure,” he snarled, rolling his eyes.

  Her gaze quickly snapped to mine. “Do you still not know what you’re doing wrong? You cannot fight darkness with the dimmest shadow.” She then thrust the potion bottle into Annika’s hands. “Quickly. We’re running out of time.”

  Gage came back and knelt down beside me.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” he asked. His voice was low and soft.

  I shook my head. “I can’t. I won’t leave Laken and Maren to suffer this trial alone.”

  “We’ll be okay,” Laken said, putting on her finest smile.

  Maren nodded. “Everyone’s gotta die. At lease we know it’s not for real.”

  “And besides,” Nathan said, coming down a sandy path with Catfish and Lucy in his arms, “they won’t be alone. Eli and I are here.”

  “Cat!” I half shouted, half whispered.

  He hopped from Nathan’s arm and sprinted over to me.

  “Eliza! I missed you so much! Oh my God, you don’t smell like me anymore—let me rub on your legs a bit.”

  I sniffed out a laugh and scooped him up a moment later. “Enough with the rubbing, give me some cuddles.”

  His purr was louder than I’d ever heard.

  “I hate these Trials,” he said in a pissy tone. “I never see you anymore. All I do is chase mice and worry about you.”

  I rubbed my face across his silken fur. “I’m so sorry, Cat. But we’re halfway through. Four down, three to go.”

  “Good. I wish you could just quit them.”

  I took a deep breath and sighed. “I guess that makes all of us.”

  Then I looked over at my sisters. Nathan had Laken in a tender hug, while Elijah had an awkward arm wrapped around Maren’s waist.

  I forced a smile. “Are you girls sure you don’t need me to stay?”

  Each sister nodded.