Wicked Challenge (Darkwater Reformatory Book 2) Read online

  “I won’t do it again,” I said. “That’s all I can offer. And I won’t ask for forgiveness because I have to find that within myself for me first.”

  Her hand reached out, tentative at first, then landing solidly on my shoulder. “And when you do, I’ll be here. Waiting.”

  My eyes stung with tears because her words implied second chances.

  “I won’t mess up again,” I gulped out. I wiped my eyes but the tears kept coming.

  “It’s okay. Really.”

  If I touched her, would she pull away? I may have ruined our relationship forever, and that hurt. Because Jacey had become a good friend, someone I could count on. She had probably thought the same about me, only to have me show when things got tough, I wouldn’t have her back.

  If only I could go back and start this all over again.

  Jacey turned and walked toward Akimi and Brodin but stopped and spoke without turning to face me. “Those of us who don’t learn are the true failures.”

  Life stretched ahead of me and like always, there were multiple paths. I had to make sure I took the right ones from now on.

  I started toward the others but stopped when Akimi barreled toward me, her branches outstretched. She barreled into me. Lifting me, she gave me a big hug.

  I soaked it in.

  “I know how you are feeling at this very moment,” she said after she put me down. Only trust shone in her eyes, but I couldn’t be reading her right. She must be upset with me.

  “I don’t hate you,” she said, stealing the thought from my mind.

  “But the thread of truth inside me… I let it thicken. I shouted it out and hurt you. Jacey and Brodin, too.”

  “Did you want to?”

  “Then? Yes. I’d burned to spit it out.”

  “And now?”

  “Never.” My shoulders sunk. “I’m upset with myself for causing all of you pain.” Lifting my chin, I met her gaze, reading only understanding, but how could that be? “I don’t think I can make amends but I’ll try.”

  “Trying is all any of us can do. Like others—and you—I also make mistakes.” Her gaze glided toward the forest. “Too many to count.”

  During the triad trial, I’d thought she was hiding something, but perhaps she’d only buried her own pain deep inside and that’s what came through. If so, I’d misunderstood.

  She hugged me again, swaying us.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “I know. I can see you, you know.”

  “The thread of truth that shames me? Can you see that, as well?”

  “I do. We all have our own threads but it is important to look beyond the surface to see what is beneath that bit of truth. The pure, self-sacrificing Tria is the one I see always, not those threads that try to disguise who you truly are.”

  She awed me. “I won’t do it again.”

  “Then the true test has been successful.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You did not fail, because you learned a valuable if painful lesson.”

  The weight lifted off my shoulders. I’d still carry the burden of what I’d done but she was right. I’d never make that mistake again.

  Her smile creased the bark on her face. “See?”

  “I do.”

  She linked a branch through my arm and tugged me toward the others. “Then let us go whip the ass off this trial.”

  “No need to watch another ring drop.”

  She tipped her head back and her laughter tinkled around us. Flowers sprouted among the dead grass in every color of the rainbow.

  “Did the catacombs do that?” I asked.

  “They must’ve. I cannot access my powers.”

  Cool. A tiny respite. Not food or sleep or water, but a moment to know joy.

  “We good?” Brodin asked when we reached where they waited by the basilique. The welcome in his eyes humbled me.

  I nodded, my eyes stinging all over again. “Let’s get going, right? Time to…” My gaze fell on Akimi and we both smiled. “Time to whip this catacomb’s ass.”

  All of us laughing, we walked through the front door of the maze.

  Seventeen

  Tria

  Inside the entryway, we stopped and stared at each other. I had no interest in stepping forward, demanding I take the lead.

  And I’d chew my hand off if it accidentally touched the wall.

  “We went through the far right door last time,” Jacey said. “Should we try it again? We figured out the puzzle already.”

  “Seems like a good plan to me,” Brodin said. “Complete it, and we’re out of here.” His gaze met Akimi’s, and she nodded.

  The three of them looked at me and my heart crumbled because, even after what had happened, they were willing to let me be part of the decision.

  “I’m…” My throat choked off.

  “You are part of our team,” Akimi said. “With equal say. What are your thoughts?”

  “Just that I’d prefer to hang back a bit and keep learning from my friends.” I waved my hand to Jacey. “Why don’t you pick? I’m happy to follow.”

  “You are sure?” She glanced around at the others, who nodded, then her spine tightened as the mantle of leadership fell on her shoulders. She wouldn’t fail us. I knew it. Neither would Brodin or Akimi.

  As for me? I had one strike against me so far. I couldn’t fail my second chance. I’d do my part as a member of the team and find a way to let this go.

  Jacey strode through the archway and into the hall that had contained the four options. Her gasp rang out as we entered behind her.

  “Only three,” I said, gaping at the seamless wall on the far right with a noticeable gap where the fourth door used to be.

  “We will not be given another attempt with the one we failed,” Akimi said. “’Tis wise, I suppose.”

  “The catacombs aren’t wise,” Brodin said with a growl. “They’re conniving. The goal here isn’t to ensure we make it through this test and gain entry to the Reformatory.” His grim expression passed among us. “The only goal here is to see us fail. To watch us die.”

  “We’re not letting that happen,” I said fiercely. Yes, I’d made a mistake. I’d set us back. But I’d been manipulated by the energy spit out by the walls. My upset at myself was projected outward at the maze and even farther, at the catacombs themselves. And at the person who controlled it all: Warden Bixby. “We’re going to get through this and reach the Reformatory.” My hands clenched to fists at my sides, and I formed a new plan. I’d confront my father, which seemed like a silly goal when compared to survival. But then… “Before I escape the Reformatory, I’m going after Bixby.”

  “I’m with you,” Brodin said.

  “Once a team, always a team,” Jacey said. “She’s crossed us all and deserves a taste of what she’s delivered.”

  “Long ago…” Akimi closed her eyes as if pained. When she opened them again, they shimmered. “We do not have time for lengthy explanations but I, too, have reason to seek revenge on the warden.”

  I’d thought she’d always lived on the island, that she wasn’t a prisoner.

  What if she’d been brought there like all of us?

  “Were you imprisoned as well?” Jacey asked, speaking my thoughts.

  “In many ways,” was all Akimi would say. Cryptic, but she was right. We didn’t have time. “I will explain before all this is over. The final truth will come out.”

  I looked forward to hearing her story.

  “Then we’re back to picking a door,” Jacey said. “Any ideas?”

  “Three choices,” Akimi said, studying them. “One will provide no way out.”

  “You think there’s one with a test no one can complete?” Brodin asked.

  She shifted her branches, her version of a shrug. “I assume.”

  “Unless all offer a way out as long as no one messes up,” I said ruefully. “That’s what you guys suggested earlier, right?”

  “If that ‘tis the case,
” Akimi said. “Then it will not matter. Any we choose could provide our way through the trial.”

  “As nice as it would be to hang out here.” Jacey’s nose scrunched. “Why don’t we randomly walk through one of the doors? If we agree upfront not to get mad at whoever chooses, meaning we all accept the consequence of the selection, we remove the weight of blame from each other.”

  “I like that,” Akimi said, and we all nodded.

  “Then here we go.” Hunching to the side, Jacey slid the sleeve of her prison uniform down over her hand and used it as a barrier between her and the knob. A twist, and it opened. She strode inside and we followed. As the door banged shut, complete darkness surrounded us, broken only by the ragged breathing of Jacey or Brodin. I couldn’t tell which.

  I shifted forward and bumped into what I believed was Brodin. His hand slid back and guided down my arm to link us together. I squeezed, thanking him for the reassurance. This was too damn creepy.

  Something scraped overhead and I prayed it was Akimi’s branches, but who could tell? It could be something creeping up on us. It would leap down, and we’d never see it coming…

  My heart rose into my throat, eager to escape. Adrenaline shot through me, crying for me to run.

  “This is…” Jacey’s voice shook. She wasn’t far ahead of me and it was clear now that she was the one breathing unevenly. “It’s too much like what happened the first time I took the Challenge. Something grabbed Rohnan and Kylie. They screamed! And then something else choked me. I can’t… It’s too much. I’ve gotta go back. I have to get out of here!”

  I inched around Brodin, maintaining a solid grip on his hand, and stretched my other arm out until it found Jacey.

  She jumped and released a cut-off shriek.

  “It’s me,” I whispered. “Grab my hand. It’s gonna be okay. Akimi?”

  “I am here,” she said from what I gauged was behind Brodin.

  “Grab Brodin’s other hand. Let’s form a chain. We’re not losing anyone. We’re a team and we’ll fight whoever or whatever might come at us together.”

  “I don’t know where to go,” Jacey said in a shaky voice that held more confidence than it had a moment ago.

  “We have to go forward,” I said. “There is no turning back. Standing here can’t be the solution. We’ve got to find our way out of this black hole.”

  “There will be a test,” Akimi said. “Watch for it.”

  I held back my snort of half-laughter, half-fear because of course there would be a test. Assuming we didn’t go out of our minds before we located it.

  Unless the test was surviving the complete isolation of the black hole.

  “You want me to take the lead?” Brodin asked.

  “Would you?” Jacey sighed. “But watch out. Kylie took the lead with Rohnan right behind.” She gulped. “They didn’t…”

  I shuddered. It hadn’t worked out well at all. No one could blame her for being afraid of what might come next. We all were.

  “Let me go first,” I said. My words were greeted with silence. My cough came out uneasy. “Truly, I haven’t touched the wall but… I’m a Seeker.” I held up my hand, though it was unlikely they could see it. “I’m wearing tennas, which suppress my skapti Seeker magic. Still, I messed up last time. I want to be the first in line if something goes bad. Please. I need to do this.”

  This silence felt heavy, as if they communed together in their minds, but that magic was also restrained by our tennas.

  “Let her go first,” Akimi said. “She is correct. She must do this.”

  Not that I needed to but that I must do this. What did she know? While I was eager to talk to Brodin—about us—I also ached to sit down with Akimi. We also needed to have a solid conversation.

  Brodin squeezed my hand and tugged me close, where he let go and wrapped his arm around my waist instead. He whispered by my ear. “Be careful, okay? We haven’t had our chance.”

  I couldn’t forget our kisses.

  He bent forward and his lips brushed my cheek as if he fumbled to find me in the dark, before moving to my mouth. Surrounded by blackness, all my senses shut down. Except I could feel. Silly to have such a meaningful moment in the middle of a dangerous test and with other wizards around us, but I couldn’t help it. I leaned into him, begging for more. His kiss was sweet, as new as dawn, yet full of fire. Too short to ever be enough.

  When had my heart decided about Brodin?

  When one of the others coughed, we pulled apart. His low, soft laugh sunk through me, spreading a sense of rightness. This had happened fast but I accepted it. It was meant to be.

  “Take us forward, Tria. I’m right behind you.” He took my hand again.

  I nodded and though he couldn’t possibly see the gesture, I was sure he felt it.

  I inched around Jacey and we traded positions. Stretching out my free hand, I shuffled forward, taking care where I stepped. The ground beneath my feet made dull thuds when my sneakers hit. It randomly swayed and shifted. “Feels like wood.” I stuck my toe out to the side, fearing the wall, despite the barrier between me and whatever I’d find. Testing, I found nothing. “We’re walking on a plank. I think. Watch where you step. What’s underfoot is it and it’s narrow. Maybe only a few hands across.”

  There was no reason I couldn’t try to use magic here, as best I could while wearing tennas. I sent out my intuition, wishing I was still a full Seeker, but I’d already looked for the threads to craft power and come up empty. Again, I couldn’t find a location to reach with my skills. My shoulders slumped. Would I ever use my Seeker abilities again?

  Maybe I should see if one of the others could use the skill, but…

  Though I hadn’t yet seen it here, I called mist power; that luscious, familiar, and ancient sketar witch skill passed down to me by my stepfather. Thinner than air at the top of the world, it trickled into me. It sunk deep inside and spread out through my flesh, giving me strength.

  I sent it out with Brodin’s Influence. Light.

  A dull, greenish glow bloomed ahead.

  “What’s that?” Brodin whispered, his face appearing ghoulish in the beam. Actually, I caught hints of Eerie, his ghost-walking alter ego, a saber-toothed tiger who should only appear in dreams but stood at my back this moment, protecting me. His fangs gleamed before retracting.

  “I asked for—no I influenced—light.”

  “It…doesn’t work that way,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Yet there the light is.”

  “Cool,” he sighed.

  “Sometimes magic works best when you don’t follow the rules,” I said.

  Akimi crowded up behind us, squishing Jacey, who only looked happy about the contact and the light.

  “Tria’s right,” Jacey said. “When I apprenticed in necromancy, they made that clear. If you assume anything is as it seems, that nothing around you can be bent in a completely wrong direction. You’ll never reach your full power.”

  “What is your skill, Akimi?” I asked kindly, with only curiosity shining in my voice. Gone were my worries she’d try to trick us, but if she had a skill we could use, we needed to tap into it.

  “I’m a tree nymph,” she said. “I can—could—control nature.”

  Brodin frowned. “Could?”

  Her branches fluttered. “I was not restrained as you with tennas. I had lived for so long outside the prison, I had been forgotten. Tennas came after my arrival. Yet here, I can no longer feel my power. I believe it was stripped from me the moment I entered the catacombs.”

  “As part of the test?” I said.

  “Perhaps. I believe so. Just as you cannot use your innate abilities, neither can I.”

  “Do you think you’ll be able to use ours?”

  “I have not yet tried.”

  “You should,” Brodin said. “We need to maximize the abilities of our team.”

  “I will, then.” She paused and we waited, but she shook her head. “Sadly, I cannot find anything to grab
hold of. Perhaps I am useless here.”

  “You’re part of our team, and that’s all that matters,” Jacey said. “Keep trying. Maybe the magic is being elusive.”

  She brightened. “I shall.”

  “Did you say you think this place is made up of nature?”

  She said nothing for a long moment. Her branches wavered in the air as if seeking… “I think so. While I cannot tap my magic, I feel as if the entire catacombs are alive around us, that it is a being all its own.”

  “Back at the prison,” Brodin said. “Jacey said she’d heard it changed for each team who took on the Challenge.”

  Bixby seemed to be in full command and she’d shown she controlled the gorelon. Had she also woven herself into the catacombs? If so, we did need to destroy her.

  “I know where you’re going with this,” Brodin said. “I’m thinking the same thing.” He squeezed my hand. “We can do it.”

  That remained to be seen.

  “Now that we can see, we should keep going,” Jacey said, flicking her hand forward. “Tria?”

  With a nod, I turned and stepped forward, toward the light, but it remained elusive no matter how far we traveled.

  We crossed an open cavern, lit below by a greenish glow, but the light I’d called with sketar magic still remained far ahead, though now it appeared higher up. At the end of the cavern, my hands shook and my jaw hurt from clenching my teeth together.

  “Fun, huh?” Brodin asked from close behind me.

  I peered back at the narrow strip of boards we’d used to cross the great expanse.

  “Hope we don’t have to go back the same way,” I said.

  Jacey and Akimi nodded, their eyes wide.

  Turning, I surveyed the strip of land with a board laid down the center. It ended at a steep cliff, then stepped out onto it with my friends behind me. The glow we’d followed reached out to us from above.

  I arrived at the base of the cliff and found a rickety-looking wooden ladder.

  “Up?” I said, my hand lifting. I yanked it back before it made contact with the ladder, not daring to touch.