Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #4)(68)

Mina tried to gauge the time by watching the suns cross the sky. She had to have been going in circles for quite some time. The contest had started a few hours ago, and it looked to be almost afternoon. Her stomach was growling, and she’d begun to lose feelings in her legs from walking for so long. She shaded her eyes and looked up at the tower for any sign of life. Had she seen a shadow move past the glass? Had someone made it to the tower? Or was that Teague pacing and watching them from above? She turned toward the tower and was again confronted with the stone bench.

She heard soft footsteps and angry muttering. The noise drew closer.

Annalora hurried around the corner of the hedge.

“You!” her angry voice rang out. The gnome princess looked out of breath, her cheeks red and perspiring. A sheen of sweat dotted her forehead. Her deep red dress was cut low to show off her assets, which honestly made her look desperate for attention.

Annalora glanced around hesitantly to see if anyone was near before approaching Mina. Her right hand was hidden behind the folds of her dress. The way she walked warned Mina that something was afoot. “I finally have you alone.” Annalora laughed softly, but it sounded stilted. Her eyes looked a little wild, and there was something desperate about her mannerisms.

“Leave me alone, Annalora. Solve the maze and go live your life with the prince,” she rushed out. “I’m no threat to you.” Mina took a seat on the bench, hoping to convey she wasn’t going to compete.

Annalora continued her approach, her head shaking, “Oh no you don’t. I’ve searched every inch of this maze, and I’ve gotten to the center—to the tower. There is no entrance. There’s no way up.” She started to laugh and scratched at right her arm. “Then it dawned on me,” she continued. “The Fates said that only the worthy one would make it to the tower.”

Mina looked at her, confused. “Yes, we all heard the rules. So what?”

“Don’t you see? The answer was there all along. There can only be one. Only one of us can win. The others didn’t believe me, but they couldn’t find the entrance either. I’m right. I know I’m right.” The whole time she spoke, she crept closer.

Mina noticed that some parts of her red dress looked darker than others—wet.

“So that means the tower won’t open until there’s only one of us left…alive.” She pulled a large stick from between the folds of her dress and swung at Mina’s head.

Mina wasn’t prepared for the assault and fell backwards off of the stone bench. Her dress hampered her attempt to get to her feet, and Annalora was on her in two seconds flat. Mina struggled under the weight of the gnome girl and used all of her strength to keep the makeshift club at bay.

Annalora’s animalistic scream echoed into the sky, sending birds flying. When she couldn’t get the branch past Mina, she tossed it aside and went for Mina’s throat. She squeezed.

“Anna…cough…Ann…cough…stop!” Mina gasped out. She clawed at the hands strangling the life from her. She didn’t dare release her grip to reach for the Grimoire, but she was starting to black out from the lack of oxygen.

Something moved in the corner of her peripheral vision. Mina heard a thud and a small groan as Annalora went limp and fell forward, crushing her. She continued to gasp and cough but was able to move her unconscious attacker to the side.

Ferah stood over her with Annalora’s discarded branch in her hands. The elf girl, wearing green leather pants and a vest, looked fully recovered. She gave Mina a slow nod, and a mutual understanding passed between them.

A life for a life.

“Thanks,” Mina wheezed, rubbing at her sore neck. But the girl was gone, running back into the maze.

That’s when Mina noticed the blood on her hands. She searched her body for the source, but she had no open wounds. She rolled Annalora over and searched her, but again came up empty—except for the blood splatter on her dress.

It must have come from one of the other girls! “No! Dinah, Ever!” Mina whined, and took off running, desperately searching for her friends.

There was blood on Annalora.

Fresh blood.

She’d said she had to convince the others. Did that mean what Mina thought it meant? Had the crazed Annalora killed Ever and Dinah?

“Ever!” Mina screamed into the maze. “Ever! Answer me, you stubborn pixie.”

Picking up her skirt, she ran toward the tower. Of course it wasn’t easy. It was a maze. Every time she turned right, it dead-ended into a wall. She’d turn around again and hit another wall. The hedges were changing, making her turns impossible to keep track of. She was thoroughly lost, and she kept envisioning Ever lying in a pool of blood somewhere in the middle of the maze.

What had happened to Annalora? Was it the maze that changed her? Bringing out her ruthless side? Or was that Annalora’s true self? Is that what Plaith had meant about the maze changing them?

Near panic, Mina grabbed her head and turned in a full circle. The maze changed again. There was no exit. She was completely enclosed in a square hedge. Mina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Please. I just want to find my friend.”

When she looked again, there was another opening. Mina dashed through it before it changed and found herself on a cobbled path. Was she getting closer to the tower? She tried to keep it in her line of sight, but every time she headed toward it, the path led her farther away. How was she supposed to get to the middle? To find Ever?