Page 118 of The Reign of Blood

This is so fucked.

“Aren’t you going?” Tora asks, cocking a brow at me, and I scoff.

“It’s not tactful to run into chaos mindlessly,” I murmur, making him smirk. He nods, a flash of respect gleaming in his eyes.

“Survive, and I’ll make sure that remark is put next to your name in a positive light,” he states, catching me by surprise, but I don’t respond as I start toward the madness. “Oh, and Addi,” he hollers, forcing my gaze back to him. “Be careful with my brother.”

I frown, confused by what that means, but I really don’t have the time to process it right now. Shaking my head, I up my pace toward the hedges.

Stepping between the tall shrubs, I’m alarmingly aware of how much sunlight they block out. They’re literally everywhere. This is going to be far from easy, even without the impending inevitability that someone is going to jump out and attack me.

Remaining alert, my hands fall to my waist, ghosting over the daggers pinned to my body as I walk to the end of the pathway. Noise and cries ring from the left. Do I follow the noise because they’ve figured it out, or do I attempt to take the quieter path?

A snap of a twig from behind me catches my attention and I whirl around, instinctively tugging two daggers from their holsters, but I seem to startle the human more than they have me. He halts, hands raised as he nods to the left. I don’t utter a word, and he takes that as confirmation that I’m not going to attack him. He’s gone a second later.

Taking a deep breath, I keep my daggers in my hands. One silver, one steel. With my mind made up, I move to the right. I manage to take four turns before I reach a dead end. Backtracking, I take a left where I had previously gone right, and it leads me down a long walkway. It feels like it goes on forever, and by the time I reach the turn at the other end, I realize I mustbe on the other side of the maze because the sun is no longer behind me.

I roll my shoulders back, taking in my options, and opt to move to the left since that should bring me closer to the center of the maze.

Three turns.

Dead end.

Backtrack.

Right instead of left.

Success.

Four turns.

Dead end.

Backtrack.

Left instead of right.

Success.

Fuck. This is insane. I do like that it’s a solo trial though. We’re meant to make it to the end by following our own gut, not relying on someone else’s.

A bursting sound echoes in the distance, and I look up just in time to see a girl go hurtling through the air. My eyes widen in horror until I realize she’s fae, and she did it to herself, aiming for the center.

Holy. Fuck.

Get a grip on yourself, Addi. Use your magic.

Exhaling sharply, frustration bubbles inside of me. I delve into my magic, trying to connect with the earth beneath my feet, but it instantly takes its toll on me.

This fucking kiss of amethyst.

Surviving this trial isn’t about being the quickest; it’s about following your gut and leading yourself to victory so you will, in turn, lead the kingdom to success. I mean, that’s how I see it, but I could be completely off.

Does that mean I should use my magic to speed the process up or not?

Fuck.

Maybe I do need to think smarter, otherwise I’m going to be in here forever.

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