Page 55 of Edge of Wonder

The man stopped laughing. “No. I don’t trust you, and since there aren’t any more stones to test whether you’re lying, I’ll just have to use her.”

He dropped his arm and spun me around. I heaved in a breath, delirious from the rush of oxygen, and unable to make a sound as he shoved me across the tile.

Sebastian’s roar echoed in my ears as I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the pain to lance through my body. It was so loud, I couldn’t hear the snap of the chain.

One second, two…

The pain didn’t come, but the momentum sent me sprawling, and I landed on my knees. Silence followed. A sickening silence that hollowed me out and left me gasping for air. I blinked through blurry vision at the dirt-covered floor. I blinked again, certain I was seeing double.

With my heart thundering in my ears, I brushed my fingers over a sandy tile. There were two off-colored squares, each separated by a few feet, the second barely visible beneath a coating of sand.

It was a trick. My mind reeled as the puzzle pieces snapped into place. The obstacle had been repeated, and since it was the second time the trap was used, the trigger was the second tile in. The first was a decoy.

“See, I told you it was a lie!” The man lunged, attempting to grab me by the neck. My gaze dropped back to the tile under my hand.

He’s a murderer. He wants to kill you, too…

I crawled forward over the edge of the second tile, forcing him to take the extra step.

A snap sounded, and the ball swung on its chain. The man grunted as it struck him in the side. I crawled a few more feet to clear the obstacle, trying to tune out the gruesome sounds. Air rattled in my throat as I stared sightlessly at the stone floor.

Shock numbed my system. I’d just killed a man. Not with my hands, but with intention.

“Alice, look at me.” Strong hands moved over my shoulders, then clutched my face. “Alice…”

My name was a plea; an anguished appeal that sank into my bones. I forced my eyes to focus and looked up into Sebastian’s ravaged features. He eased me further away from the deadly tiles and into his lap. His arms came around me, and we sat on the ground, covered in dust. We stayed that way until our heartbeats slowed and the reality of our situation took hold.

“Did we win?” I asked against his shoulder.

A laugh scraped his throat. “We did.”

“Is he dead?”

“Very much,” Sebastian said, preventing me from turning to look.

“Good.”

Lifting my head, I peered up into the stands. The people were on their feet, chanting my name. The rumble of their voices tremored around my heart, shaking its foundation. They knew my name. I was no longer invisible. Never again.

The announcer spoke through his megaphone, “Alice, you’ve won your first challenge! When you’re ready, collect your key.”

A red carpet rolled down a stone staircase leading to a raised platform surrounded by banners and flaming torches.

“They expect us to climb stairs after all that?” I grumbled, losing count of the steps.

“Do you need me to carry you?” Sebastian asked with a teasing glint in his eye.

I scoffed and disentangled from his embrace. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you? All the ladies in the stands would swoon in their seats. No, thank you. I’ll carry myself.”

“Just trying to be a gentleman.” He grinned, climbing to his feet.

“Yeah, well, don’t hurt yourself.” I took his outstretched hand, and he tugged me up so that I tumbled into him. He caught me around the waist, and the crowd murmured their excitement.Bunch of romantic fools in this realm.They didn’t know he was about as unromantic as they came. It was a good thing he didn’t break his leg during the challenge. They’d assume he was proposing.

We climbed the stairs to the winner’s platform. Someone released a group of doves and they flapped around us in a winged circle. When the birds cleared, a horn sounded and a recessed door in the wall opened, revealing a metal birdcage sitting on a marble pedestal. Inside hung a small gold key.

I placed my hand on the cage door, and a shock of energy transferred from my palm to the lock. The door clicked open, allowing me to reach inside and remove the key. The crowd continued to chant my name as I unclasped my necklace and strung the key along the chain.

“Let me,” Sebastian murmured, taking the chain from my hand and placing it back around my neck. As his fingers deftly hooked the clasp, a hush fell over the stands. When he finished, the chanting started again, but this time, they weren’t chanting my name.

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