The Culling Trials 3 (Shadowspell Academy #3)(33)

“How the hell is that magical?” I asked as Ethan started jogging, heading northwest. “And do you know where you’re going?”

“The scenery isn’t how it should be.” He picked up his pace. “I don’t know who you pissed off, Wild, but you sure don’t have many friends in the magical world. My father won’t be impressed that the security is so lax. Going after you is one thing, but dragging me into it isn’t a good look. Not when he’s on the board.”

“Sometimes you’re a good guy, Ethan, and sometimes I want to bitch slap you.” I increased my speed, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the next attack came.

The scenery around us changed again, turning rocky with surprise dips and falls dug into the landscaping. Mountains rose on one side and waves crashed away on the other. It was like the engineers had gotten into a fight about what they wanted the scene to look like, and settled it by drawing a line and each doing their own thing.

“This isn’t an easy one, Ethan,” Wally said, frustration ringing loud and clear. “You’re the only one that can do it.”

“What?” I asked as white lines appeared near our feet, rolling to a stop ten yards away. Sand filled in between the lines. Four people, two men and two women in robes of all shades, decorated with stitched moons and stars and a dusting of glitter, stood at the end of the white lines, facing our way. Like a weird bowling alley...and we were the pins. “What can’t we do?”

“He’s planning to leave us behind again,” Wally accused, grabbing his arm and getting in his face. “You low-life, cheating—”

“We’re a group,” Ethan yelled over her comments, shaking her off. “As long as one member can defeat the enemy, the group can continue on.”

“Then why do we each get our own lane?” Wally demanded amid Pete’s growling.

Ethan gestured everyone toward the lines. “Trust me. Just keep yourself from being taken down until I deal with this guy. You’ll see.”

“We’ll see? Trust you? What kind of a stupid idea is that?” Wally screeched, closer to losing it than I’d thought possible. “We trusted you on that tower. We trusted you when we faced that troll. We trusted—”

“Okay, okay.” I put out my hands, eyeing the people on the other end of the lines. Their robes hid their bodies, but these were mages—trained to attack with magic, not their bodies.

They expected to face off and trade spells. That was it.

“Whoever is messing with these trials probably expected us to go for gold. They planned for the wrong contingency. So this is just a simple challenge, like Ethan said.” I wished I felt as confident as I sounded.

“There’s nothing simple about this, Wild. Do you know the type of spells they hit people with in these—”

I put up my hand to quiet Wally. She’d clearly reached the end of her rope. I couldn’t blame her, but I also couldn’t let her give in to it.

“This is fine,” I said, walking along the end of the lines, reading our opponents. I silently noted their stance and balance, judging how they’d react to a charge and, more importantly, their general stance on violence. All the information I needed was right there in front of me—in the way they held themselves, in the way they sized us up or didn’t.

“In poker, they say play the player, not the hand. This is the same.” I pointed at the line leading to a man in a black robe with more glitter than was really necessary. “Wally, you here. Act like a damsel in distress. He’ll take it easier on you. Deflect his spells like you did back at the saloon. Ethan…” I pointed at a woman with a bob and a pink robe. “She’s the meanest. You’d better take her.”

“No.” Ethan pointed at the man across from him, with a drab brown robe and impatience written all over his face. “I’ll take him. He’s the highest magical worker.”

“He’s bored, look at him. He won’t try as hard as—”

Ethan didn’t wait for my assessment. He stepped up to the lane, aligning each foot with the lines on either side of it. With a snap, he, the lane, and the man on the end disappeared.

“Damn it,” I whispered, shoving Wally to her lane. “I’ll take the pink robe then. Pete, you’re the last. The woman in purple. Charge her, move fast, lots of snarling.”

“Watch yourself, Wild,” Wally said, her eyes solemn. “If you fail this challenge, you don’t come back to the trial. They’ll have you alone. We won’t be able to get to you.”

Wally’s words sunk in slowly, casting a new light on Ethan’s sudden interest in being a team player. He was passing up an opportunity for gold. He was taking an easy challenge.

He was not acting like he’d always acted, and I’d fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.

You’ll see. Trust me.





Chapter 13





“I’ll be fine.” I put a hand on Wally’s shoulder. “You watch you, okay? Use your power. Charge him. Dodge his attacks and throw him around. Knock his wand away—anything you can. Try to beat him, or hold out until Ethan finishes and saves us.” Maybe he was playing us, maybe he wasn’t. All we could do now was hope for the best. Orin wasn’t even there to point out a logical solution.