Page 45 of Edge of Wonder

“Is it working?”

“It is,” I said, wrinkling my nose at having to give him credit.

We entered the square, and the audience seemed even larger. Children clutched their mother’s skirts or sat on their father’s shoulders, their awe-struck gazes fixed on me. I waved and approval rang through the crowd.

“We’re here,” Shire said as we slowed in front of a large monument. Six tapered pillars rose out of a marble platform. Each one was capped with an orb, and the structures looked like pawns from a chessboard. The pillars contained a small circular inset, painted in red, the only color against the white marble.

Except for the pillar on the far left; the sphere glowed with a soft gold tint. Confusion knit my brow. The pillar had been activated.

“Shire, why is one of them already lit?”

“Ah,” Shire’s voice popped into my ear. “I forgot to tell you. A few years ago, one player emerged from hiding. His name was Tristan, a member of the Fawkes family. He activated the stone and set out for the first challenge, but he never made it. He simply vanished.”

“Is he dead?”

“No one knows for sure. One can assume, but the stone remains lit until there’s proof. So, as I said earlier, you may be the last hope for a generation.”

My stomach churned. Had Tristan suffered the same fate as the rest of the players? And what did his disappearance and presumed death mean for my chances of making it to the first challenge? I couldn’t stop myself from looking back at the castle as ice flooded my veins. We were standing in her shadow, and even though the sun beat down on the square, I sensed her darkness. It seeped around the edges, promising mayhem.

A hush had fallen over the crowd, and I felt hundreds of eyes on me. I clasped my hands together, pressing my fingers into my palms. The urge to run was a living thing inside me. And I knew then what a lack of control, and the expectations of those who revered you could do to your soul. The pressure was crushing, and their eyes screamed, “This is your destiny!”

Your destiny.The words reverberated in my head like a drumbeat. I stepped backward, shame tightening my chest until it was hard to breathe. I couldn’t do it. What if I failed all these people?

“Alice.” Sebastian’s hands closed over my shoulders. He lowered his head, his words only for me. “Just say so, and we’re out of here. To hell with the mirrors. But if this is what you want, then do it for you. Not anyone else. Not because the fates say you should. Make it your choice.”

“What if I make the wrong one?”

He was quiet for a moment, his breath rustling my hair. I heard him swallow, and when he spoke, his voice was oddly rough. “Then you make another one until you get it right.”

I nodded and took a deep breath.In through the nose and out the mouth.I’d already faced death once and came out the other side. If I failed, then I failed. But I had to try. For me. For the life I knew was waiting for me at the end—or should I say the beginning?

My fingers clutched the clock pendant around my neck as I stepped onto the marble platform. The mass of onlookers was silent, unmoving, like stone statues baking beneath the sun. I chose the pillar next to the one that had already been lit. Tristan might still be out there, and if so, I wanted to show our strength. Two champions facing off against evil.

Leaning forward, I placed the pendant into the red groove. It clicked into place and the clock hands spun. They slowed to form the correct time as I rested my hands on the pillar. Warmth engulfed my palms, sending little waves of heat to my toes. The globe on top of the pillar turned to gold.

A thundering cheer burst from the crowd.

It was done, and I hoped the queen heard us from her tower.

I removed the pendant and tucked it beneath my bodice, then faced the town. They continued to roar, their fists launched in the air. Birds circled overhead, their caws mingling with the pandemonium. The caterpillar perched on a mushroom angled his head in approval.

And then my gaze found Sebastian’s. His brow arched, and his mouth curled into a wicked smile. He lifted his fist, following the crowd’s lead. I laughed, throwing my head back.

Spirits, help me, I was doing this.

“Way to go, Alice!” Shire whooped. “Now, let’s get you ready for the first challenge. Road trip! We’re off to the croquet grounds.”

Chapter 16

Sebastian

“So then we cross the river of molten cheese,” Shire said, pointing to somewhere on the map.

“Cheese, got it.” My gaze wandered back toward the edge of the camp, where Alice spoke with one of the guards. We’d been traveling for days and were now camped in the forest outside the croquet grounds. Alice’s popularity grew with each passing hour, and she’d already charmed all the guards in our party.

The man currently monopolizing her attention leaned against a tree with a croquet mallet resting over his shoulder. He bent to whisper something in her ear, making Alice laugh. My eyes narrowed. What could he have said that was so funny?

Shire cleared her throat. “Butterflies have wings made of feathers.”

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