Page 26 of Shadow Witch

“No,” they both answered as they turned away from each other and crossed their arms.

“Good, then let’s get on with it, shall we? Each set of competitors should shake hands, then we will break to change for the opening ceremony banquet.” Dominic strode away from them toward the center of the room, raising his voice. “And now, the competitors will join me to shake hands.”

He shifted his gaze from Ivy and Henry to Paige and Devon. Paige heaved a sigh as she stalked forward toward him, her eyes narrowing at Ivy.

The woman offered her a smirk as she flicked a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. She thrust out a hand toward Paige.

Paige stared down at the long fingers, tipped with perfectly manicured nails before she slid her hand toward the woman with a wince. Ivy grabbed it harder than she hoped, tugging her closer. “You don’t stand a chance.”

“Look, Ivy,” Paige started, “the thing is–”

“The thing is you are a dead woman. If you win even one of these challenges, I will end you before you can win another. If I were you, I’d give that ring back because then you may stand a chance of leaving here with your life.”

Paige wrinkled her nose, her eyes going wide as Ivy shoved her backward. She screwed up her face and glanced at Devon and Henry who still had their hands locked while they glared at each other.

They finally broke free from each other, and Henry slid his gaze to Paige. “Never fear, Kitten, I shall rescue you from this foul beast’s claim.”

“Uhh, I didn’t ask–”

“You didn’t have to,” he said with a bow before he spun on his heel and strode from the room.

“That guy’s a real jerk,” Devon said, shaking his head as he watched him go.

“Like Ivy is any better. She told me if I won one of the challenges, she’d kill me.”

Devon slid his arm around her shoulders and led her back to Drucinda and Dewey. “Come on, we need to prepare for these challenges.”

“Yeah, I’d really like to know what the heck all of these things are.” Paige rubbed at her temples. “Or maybe I don’t. I don’t know what’s worse. Knowing the horror facing me or being surprised.”

“You definitely want to know so you can prepare,” Drucinda said. “Unless you’d like to lose and die.”

“No, wait,” Paige said as they shuffled toward the doors of the ballroom. “If I win one, Ivy will kill me.”

“And if you lose one, Dominic might,” Drucinda answered. “So, looks like you’re a dead woman walking.”

Heat rushed through Paige at the words. No matter what she did, she likely wasn’t going to survive this weekend or find her mother. Maybe she should run, head for the hills, and leave the entire thing behind. Could she survive on the run? Of course. Probably. Maybe.

She shook her head at herself. “No.”

“No what?” Dewey asked.

“I have to figure out a way out of this. I can’t die. And I can’t run away because I’d never survive on my own. I’m an idiot.”

“You can say that again,” Drucinda said as she shot a glance over her shoulder. “But still, you can win.”

“I don’t see how. Devon and I aren’t…” She winced as her voice echoed in the hall. “Never mind. Let’s just get back to my room, and you can tell me what I have to look forward to.”

They climbed the stairs, the only sound between them the clicking of their heels as they navigated the halls to her room. Paige strode inside and collapsed into an armchair.

She covered her face with her hands as the weight of the situation crushed down around her. But she couldn’t leave her mother to fend for herself. She had to find her.

With a deep inhale, she dug deep to find the strength to continue. “Okay. Someone tell me what the heck my challenges are. What hell awaits me?”

“The Riddle of Hearts,” Dewey said, a claw poking in the air as he paraded back and forth in an aerial pace. “Each riddle will test your understanding of love and sacrifice, delving into your shared experiences with Devon.”

“Oh, well that’s easy. Devon and I have no shared experiences, so my riddles should be simple to solve.”

“Or harder. Maybe it would be easier if you actually had shared experiences to draw from,” Dewey said with an arch of his fleshy eyebrow.

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