Page 23 of Midnight Trials

Grabbing the sword, I run over to my father, tears already dripping down my cheeks now that the immediate threat has passed. Falling to my knees, I lean over him and cut his bindings with frantic movements, freeing his arms and then untying the gag around his mouth. I know before rolling him over that it’s too late, his skin cold and purple, but that doesn’t stop me. I have to try.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” I whisper as I grab his shoulders and heave, turning him onto his back.

When I look at his face, I let out a shocked cry. The male on the ground isn’t my father. Now that I look closer, I realise there isn’t even a close resemblance. He can’t be that much older than me, his shaggy hair blond rather than my father’s brown locks. It’s difficult to tell thanks to the effect the poison has had on his body, but I’m pretty sure his skin is a much darker hue and his body is that of a young, fit male.

Sitting back on my heels, I try to come to terms with what happened. They tricked me. Those council bastards knew my greatest weakness would be my mate or my father. Seeing as Joel is competing, they couldn’t use him, so they went for my dad instead. Only, it was never him in the first place.

Staring down at the body, I wonder who this male is and what he did to earn the council’s wrath. An awful thought occurs to me that they might have just taken someone out of favour and condemned them to death because they needed a body for my challenge. No, even the council isn’t twisted enough to kill an innocent. There will be a reason that he was chosen, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.

Somehow, they made me believe he was someone else. I’ve heard of glamours that can change a person’s appearance. Is that what they used here? If it was, then it vanished with the male’s death—unless there was something in the room that affected whom I saw. Either way, it makes me wonder once more how they are managing all of this. They must be using magic, they have to be. Why has no one questioned it before?

I stare down at the dead male. The answer is right in front of me. The council would swiftly deal with anything or anyone who threatened their control.

There’s a shifting, grating noise behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see the small scorpions returning to the chasm and the door to the room opening to allow me to leave.

I completed my challenge, but at what cost? A male is dead, and I feel like something inside me shattered. If I do manage to survive this, I know I’ll never be the same again.

Sitting back on my heels, I let my guard down and have a moment of weakness. Sobs rack my body, my shoulders rounding in as I wrap my arms around my middle. If I’d have been faster, I could have saved the male. No, that’s a road that I’m not going to let myself go down. I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t choose this. Amongst the myriad of emotions, the strongest is relief—relief that the corpse before me isn’t my father’s. It hits me so hard that I lift my head to the sky and let the tears roll down my face in guilt and gratitude, whispering praise to the goddess that my father is safe and protected. Guilt slams into me because I’m gladit was someone else who had to die and not one of the men who means the most to me. It’s selfish, and I know I’ll see this unknown male’s face in my dreams, but that’s something I’m prepared to accept.

Star whines, wanting to comfort me when she can see how upset I am, and that breaks through the numbness that’s spreading through me. I’m being reckless. Anyone could come across me like this, and then everything I’ve done so far will be for nothing. I force myself to pull it together. Wiping tears and sand from my cheeks, I take a deep, shuddering breath and stand.

I look at the huge scorpion’s corpse and take it in properly for the first time. When I thought my father was in danger, I didn’t allow myself to feel fear. Now, seeing it up close, I shudder. It’s horrifying. I have no idea how I just did that, only that I thought my father needed me and instinct took over.

I feel completely drained, each of my limbs weak. I’ve still got the rest of the maze and other competitors to contend with, but I feel like I could sleep for a week. Weary, I turn towards the door which now stands open, with Star waiting anxiously for me on the other side of the chasm.

I frown at the body I’m about to leave behind, wishing I knew his name.

“I will remember you,” I promise instead. It’s an oath I intend to keep. I might never know who he was, but someone should remember him.

Walking to the edge of the chasm, I force myself not to look down as I keep my gaze on my destination. The platforms seem so much farther away now, and each leap takes my breath away, my body aching. By the time I reach the other side, I stumble and fall to my knees as exhaustion steals my strength.

Star whines, brushing against me and propping me up with her body. I notice how she keeps looking towards the exit, trying to encourage me to get moving, and I know she’s right. Digging deep down into myself, I scrounge up what little energy I have left, and with my wolf’s help, I stand on shaky legs. They burn as my body finally acknowledges the pain of the scorpions’ venom. Tearing the bottom on my leggings, I glance down and gasp. Great, swollen, purple marks mar my skin, with thin tracks of blood and a clear, yellowy fluid oozing from the wounds. I grit my teeth and force myself to look away. There’s no time for me to worry about that now. My werewolf blood will counteract it. At least that’s what I keep telling myself, but images of the male’s bloated body flash in my mind.

Squeezing through the gap in the stone door, I wince as it slams shut behind me. I have no idea how much time has passed, since I was completing my challenge, but a sense of urgency suddenly fills me, and the goddess’s presence settles over me, filling me with her strength and love.

You must be quick, daughter. The goddess’s otherworldly voice echoes through my mind.

If she’s warning me, then I must be cutting it close. I’ve still got to find Nicolai and get to the centre, yet it feels like I’m no closer to the beacon than I was before.

Jogging, I ignore my pain and push through. At this point, I don’t have a clue where I am in the maze, my mind foggy, and I only stay on course and upright because of Star’s support.

“Laelia!” A barked curse follows my name, and then footsteps run towards me. “What are you still doing here? You need to get to the centre!”

My lips stretch into a ghost of a smile as I turn and look up at the frowning male.

“Syn,” I whisper. “What are you doing here?” My voice is slurred, and I stumble forward. I’m jerked to a stop as his arms wrap around me and heave me upright.

“I came for you. I had a bad feeling…” He trails off, his expression dark as fear flashes in his eyes. “It doesn’t matter, we have to gonow.”

He came looking for me. Did the goddess send him? That’s the only thing that makes sense. We’re in a huge maze, and I’ve yet to bump into anyone, yet he managed to find me. If that’s not divine intervention, then I don’t know what is.

He wraps his arm around my middle and mine over his shoulder, and together, we hurry forward. I feel sick, nausea rising as we move. The world twists and changes around me, making me motion sick. A sudden moment of clarity strikes me, and my eyes widen.

Pulling my arm from his shoulder, I turn in his grip and try to walk in the direction we just came from, only his arm is a tight band around me. “I can’t,” I tell him. “I have to find Nicolai.”

Snorting, Syn shakes his head and keeps moving, dragging me behind him. “Leave him. He’s a big boy, he’ll get himself out.”

“Syn, I can’t leave him.”

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