Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

T he guards are not shocked to see me healed. Instead, they are angry that a healer has slipped in and apparently helped me. I go along with their assumptions, threats, and vows that no other healers will be allowed near me, until finally they bring me up into the palace to the next trial.

But instead of heading toward the arena, we move through the palace to the outside where the rest of the competitors are. The guards leave me there with a vicious warning I instantly ignore to focus on Alderic and his little speech. I glance around and note not all competitors are here, and even some who were not seriously injured are missing.

"For the final test in the competition, we have decided to do things a little differently. Please follow me," Alderic says.

We move along a long, open pathway that encases most of the side of the palace. Just when I think we're about to stop, we are brought through another entrance and led through a guard watch station, though this one is far more capable looking than those that are placed in the Sidus town.

With passing glares and looks of disgust from the guards there, I move on past them and out to the side of the mountain, following a jagged stepway of large stones.

The tension is thick in the air as we move in silence farther from the palace to a carved pathway around the mountain, the edge not railed off. Should you fall, you fall to your death.

The competitors around me grow more and more uneasy the longer we move into the mountains and away from the palace grounds.

We move around a huge rock, and that is when I see what they have planned for us today. Or at least the opening of it.

A colossal structure, made from the mountain rock itself, sits before us. It looks like the start of a stone maze with a wide opening and no way else around it.

Alderic and his group of guards come to a stop. He turns to us with a wide smile on his face. A smile I have no trust in.

"As you can see, we have decided to change things up. The final trial will not be in the arena, and instead, placed here." Alderic shares a look with the guards. "The guards have been gracious enough to allow you to use their training ground and obstacle course."

Training ground… From my viewpoint, all I can see is the entrance to what looks to be a maze. But for them to have something so grand to potentially grow their skills and still not use it to help those in need fills me with disbelief.

It is a waste of a structure. No advantages have come from it for the Sidus, and the only benefit I can see is it adding to the grandeur of the palace.

I knew the Caligo guards were trained and somewhat skilled. But it is detestable to think they have an entire training ground to grow those skills and yet still sit back and watch as the Sidus die.

My stomach churns as the lieutenant and Levon arrive, moving up beside Alderic as if they were always there.

"A few rules to note," Alderic continues, his eyes wide with anticipation, making my churning stomach drop. "As this is a trial to test your powers, no weapons will be given; you are to rely on your abilities alone."

A few smug expressions slide my way, but I ignore them to listen to whatever else they have planned for today, knowing that they will have something up their sleeves. The last two trials alone confirm it when they tried to break me. I doubt today will be any different.

In fact, I'm expecting it to be worse.

"There will be no pairs today. You will each go into the maze alone and face each obstacle. There is only one entrance, and it is the same exit you see behind me." Alderic points at the wide stone entrance before turning back to us.

"Once you enter, you will need to pass through each obstacle to move on. If you attempt to turn back, you will forfeit immediately. That is if the obstacles have not already killed you."

Alderic shares a chuckle with the guards. It crawls down my back like ice.

And there it is. Their last attempt to make sure I do not make it through this final trial.

Murmurs and looks of disbelief fill the crowd of competitors around me as I prepare myself for what I will need to do.

I no longer have the healing stone Asra gave me, so I will need to be smart. Alderic said this trial was filled with obstacles, and although I can only see the entrance to a maze, I'm sure there are places I can use to evade and escape. I work best on my feet and should be able to set about a plan and fend off when needed.

I can make it through this; I just need to have my wits about me and not let the guards get the better of me.

"No one said there was the possibility of death!" a male competitor shouts out.

Alderic gives him a sharp look with a cruel smile. "When you are a guard, you face all dangers. Death is always around the corner. Especially when it comes to unlawful rebels." Alderic gives me a pointed look, one that I ignore, before continuing. "One final amendment. You all will be fighting one another for the top three spots once again to meet with the royals. Any recent top three competitors can still be knocked off their spot."

I catch some of the competitors sizing me up, and I know that I am going to have my work cut out for me today.

Oryn comes up beside me, wearing a frown.

"What about her abilities?" he calls out to Alderic, bringing a look of disappointment to his face.

Oryn ignores it to continue on, pointing to my bracelets. "She will need her powers if she is to compete."

With a reluctant nod from Amaro, Levon walks over to me with a snarl and grabs my wrists, yanking me forward. I bite my tongue and glare up at him as his hands tighten painfully around my wrists.

Oryn takes a step to move toward me, but I slightly shake my head, and he stops, clenching his hands at his sides.

Levon's grip tightens further before he releases my wrists with a yank, taking the bracelets with him.

The minute they are gone, I feel it. The warmth. It pulses from my chest, spreading outward before encasing me whole.

"What the?—"

It rushes out of me, the warmth igniting to flames that burn and seek out all those who have shuttered it out.

Blocking out the murmurs and horrified gasps around me, I try to shove it down, focusing on each inhale and exhale as I center myself and calm the wildfire inside me.

Beads of sweat slide down my face as I manage to drag it back beneath the surface. Opening my eyes, I catch the end of my luminescent strings floating out around me, captivating the competitors nearest to me. I pull them back into me, and the competitors shake off their enthrallment. It quickly morphs into a collection of varying glares, all aimed at me.

"When your name is called, you are to enter the maze. Those who did well in the previous trials will get to go first," Alderic announces.

Oryn bumps my shoulder with his, a happy expression on his face. "Finally, a trial in your favor. We shall get a head start and buy ourselves another chance to find what we're looking for."

I give him a small smile as my reply, not having the heart to tell him that I will not be joining him. I have no doubt that the guards will leave me to the end before allowing me to enter the maze.

" Oryn ."

"See you in there." Oryn dips his head to me before turning and running into the maze. And just as I had assumed, the guard waits to call my name until the very end.

"Seren." The guard gives me a savage smirk. It is mirrored on the rest of the guards' faces, including Amaro's, Levon's, and Alderic's.

Their watchful eyes follow me as I move toward the entrance. I keep watch, my gaze following their every move as I head inside, but they don't move, nor do they try to stop me. Though, I can tell from the look they are giving me that most of my troubles will be inside the maze of obstacles.

Once I'm clear of them, I rush forward, moving around the dead ends and through the large stone pathways, when a scream sounds out, cut off a moment later by complete silence.

The rules said not to help another competitor. I've never been one to follow rules. At least not blindly. But there are also a lot of people counting on me succeeding here today.

Damn it. My foolish conscience wins out, and I get moving in the direction of the screams, hoping to find someone alive. But the maze is a twisting nightmare of dead ends and tight paths that stop me from getting anywhere near it.

A rumble brings me to a stop, and I watch as the wall beside me detaches and rolls to the side, cutting off my path. I turn, ready to go back and search for another way, when two competitors block my exit.

One with shoulder-length black hair and the other a deep amber, almost the color of flames. Both are wearing vicious smirks.

"If it isn't the little Sidus," the male with black hair sneers.

"Caligo," I reply with a smirk.

"The guards have put a pretty little reward on your head. Should an accident befall you, well, the reward doubles." They share a savage smirk. "I'm afraid this is where your little journey ends," he taunts.

I feel the endless limits to my Sidus power brushing just under my skin, and when the black-haired male lunges forward, his shadows whipping out ready to slash, I'm ready for him.

I spring to the side, using the wall to kick off and flip over him. Landing in front of the other male, I punch him straight in the face, knocking him out.

I turn to the male now baring his teeth at me like a wild animal.

"You'll pay for that," he grits out.

His shadows rise up around him, and I wait until they are encasing his body before using my own shadows to join them. His pitiful attempt at a vortex of shadows quickly doubles in size. He frowns at the sight around him, a bead of sweat dripping down his head as he tries to contain it.

But he is not the one in control of it.

With one push, I move the shadows closer to him, and his eyes widen in shock and fear as the shadows envelop him whole, taking the breath from him.

Walking closer to him, I pull my powers back just as his knees hit the ground.

"I'm afraid this is where your little journey ends," I say, echoing his little taunt before hitting the back of his head. He drops to the ground with a thump.

Quickly moving out of the dead end, I stay watchful and make sure to listen for any sound before moving around the next path.

The guards must be getting desperate if they feel the need to pay off some of the competitors to finish their task, finding it so difficult themselves.

I smile to myself at the thought.

Moving quickly through the maze, I come out to another long pathway, grateful it is not a dead end, when I hear a swish. Instinct has me ducking just as a blade shoots overhead before slamming into the wall beside me.

I take a step forward, attempting to move away from it, but I must have stepped on a hidden trap, as dozens of blades begin to shoot back and forth from the walls, not letting up for even a moment and completely blocking my way through.

I hear movement from behind me and know I must be quick. If I were a Caligo, I would use my shadows to form weapons and fight my way through, and if I had a weapon, I would use it to defend against them. But as I can't be seen using either, I bring my light to the surface and let it guide me. The urge to look up brings a smile to my face when a way out comes to mind.

Weaving a net with my Sidus light, I use it to climb up the wall to the top of the maze. With my new vantage point, I quickly spot the exit and head for it.

Once I'm at the end of the stone maze, I drop down onto an open path. Thinking I'm finally clear of the maze, I grimace when I spot the maze of steps and stairways as the next obstacle. It's covered in a green substance in the form of large rectangular structures in and around the steps.

But whereas the maze was on one level, this has multiple, the stairs and passages overlapping each other with small thin wooden bridges as underpasses.

I move closer to inspect the green substance and touch some of it with my fingertips, finding it slimy.

A plan to climb over it like the maze won't be an option, but a vantage point would give me an idea of where I should go. And this is an abilities test, after all.

Glancing around, I listen and look out for anyone before drawing up the cool, dark tendrils inside me and using my shadows to form small steps just big enough to get a foothold on. Jumping on one, I create another quickly and keep moving. The shadows are not as stable as my Sidus net and won't hold for long, so I need to move fast.

Moving quickly, I make it across the nearest bridge and overpass and move to climb up and over to a large open area above.

I land and find Oryn standing right in front of me, his eyes wide in shock as he watches my shadows disappear.

Damn it. How did I not see him?

"Is there anyone else around?" I ask, glancing around for anyone who may be hiding or concealed among the structures. But he doesn't answer me, his mouth still open with shock.

"Oryn?" I hiss, snapping him out of it.

"No." He shakes his head. "There's no one. How is this possible, Seren? You're a Sidus. I've seen your powers."

Guilt seeps into my chest at the look on his face. I knew I was eventually going to tell him. But so many things have happened since then that it became something I would do later.

I guess later is now.

"I didn't know if I could trust you," I tell him. I wince when I hear myself say it out loud, especially when he has trusted me this long with his. "But the truth is, I have both Sidus and Caligo powers. Just like you."

He snaps his mouth closed as he nods his head quickly. "Yes, I mean… I just?—"

"Never met anyone else like you?" I finish.

"Yes…" Oryn gives me a strange look.

"I understand. I never thought there was anyone else like me, either. But I'm glad I have. It's nice not to feel so alone." I give him a soft smile, one he slowly shares with me.

"Let's keep moving," I tell him and turn to inspect the rest of this obstacle.

With the vantage point, I am able to spot the end of it easily. We move through the rest of the green stairway maze without much resistance.

Once we're clear of it, we come to a long tunnel with a roof overhead and sides that encase it. There is a slim stone path through the center of it. But the path doesn't reach across to the sides, and it is only held up by its connections to the end of the tunnel and the start of it where Oryn and I stand. There doesn't seem to be any other way around it, and should either of us fall, we most definitely will be falling to our death.

Oryn steps up beside me, swallowing hard when he sees it. "We should be able to just walk across it. The path isn't that thin. It's wide enough for one person to walk on at a time."

But it's not the path that I am worried about. The guards would never have something as simple or easy, and I have already sensed them.

Oryn moves to step forward when I reach out to stop him.

He begins to explain. "I'll go first to check?—"

"No. Look." I tip my head toward the shadowed sides.

He turns to scan the area. "I don't see—" The shadows move slightly. "What are they?"

"Guards," I reply.

Oryn's head whips to me. "How are you so sure? They could be beasts or rebels."

A shadow slashes out at us before retreating, and I raise a brow at Oryn. "Rebels don't have Caligo abilities."

Oryn frowns as he looks to them. "Why are they doing this?"

"They don't want me to continue on in the competition," I tell him truthfully.

"I think they're doing it for all contestants, not just you." He gives me a sympathetic look meant to alleviate the worries he thinks I have. But he has no idea what the guards are truly like, nor how far they are willing to go to see me fail.

"Go first then," I tell him, ready to prove my point.

He pauses. "What?"

"Go first." I dip my head toward the thin path. "Use your Caligo abilities to keep you atop the path. Be quick about it, and you should have no problem."

"I'll prove it to you." He moves onto the path, his shadows coiling out of him to act like a rope to tether him to the path. They move along with him as he walks forward.

The guards' shadows don't move an inch, not until he's near the end, and then they make a feeble attempt to slash out at him.

Oryn turns to me at the end of the path, a wide smile on his face. He thinks he has just proven his little theory, but he hasn't seen mine come to pass yet.

The minute my foot hits the path, shadows from both sides whip out to slash and attack. Oryn looks on in horror, but I am ready for this.

I bring my Sidus light to the surface of my skin, letting it build and build. The world around me grows brighter and brighter until there is nothing but light around me.

Releasing some of the wildfire inside me, I let go and blind the guards with my Sidus light. Their shadows retreat and I quickly move across the path to Oryn.

I release my light as soon as I reach him, and he blinks it away before looking at me, a sad expression on his face.

"I'm sorry. I thought… I was aware the guards treated you differently, but I didn't realize…" He releases a harsh breath.

I shrug. "I've never known anything else. But coming here has helped me."

He frowns. "How so?"

"I'm no longer so close-minded as to judge all Caligo based on the guards' actions. A few of the Caligo I have met are some of the kindest people, with generous hearts."

A wide smile spills across his face. "I'm glad you don't think we're all bad."

"You're a little different," I remind him as we make our way to the next obstacle. Walking down the rocky path, we come to a long cliff. Glancing around, I find no other way around it.

"We have to climb over it," Oryn says, and I nod, agreeing before heading straight for it and starting my climb upward.

"Is there anything you can't do?" he shouts up as he follows close behind me.

"My mother told me there is no such thing. That the only limits we have are those we set for ourselves."

He grows quiet for a moment. "She sounds like an amazing woman."

"She is." One I miss terribly, even though I just saw her.

I grab the next piece of rock and then the next, making sure my grip is tight, my foothold firm as I ascend the cliff. Minutes pass as we both stay silent moving upward, our heavy breaths the only sound around us.

Reaching the top, I'm just about to pull myself over when I hear a resounding click from somewhere below. I glance down to find Oryn looking up at me, his eyes wide with fear.

"I think I've triggered some type of trap," he says. And then he plummets.

Without thought, I push my Sidus light toward him and weave a net around him, catching him just before he slams into the ground.

Holding the net in place, I direct it toward the bottom of the cliff and keep it still as he gets a foothold and slowly starts to ascend once more.

It takes him longer than before to climb it. His face is pale and he's out of breath, but he finally makes it up to the top. I grab ahold of his hand as he nears the edge and help him over.

"We're not supposed to help one another," he reminds me while trying to catch his breath, his face completely drained of color.

"I'd rather not watch you die," I tell him, and it brings a small smile to his lips.

"Thank you."

"Why didn't you use your own Sidus net?" I was glad to help him, but if it comes down to trying not to be caught by anyone or dying, the option should be obvious.

He glances back over the cliff, swallowing hard. "The trap caught me off guard. And I so rarely use them that I can't imagine ever being able to create a net like you can."

It hits me that he grew up in the Caligo city. A place where there are no Sidus. Which means he's never had anyone he could go to ask for help with his powers.

I was lucky. I had my mother. She found out everything she could about Caligo's powers and taught me it, making sure I was more proficient than any other Caligo.

"I can teach you, if you'd like?"

He turns to look at me, giving me a small unsure smile. "Maybe after everything is over."

I nod and let it go for now. But I will make sure he at least knows how to weave a basic Sidus net. Especially after today.

I turn and glance around at our next obstacle, my eyes widening when I see what it is.

"What is that?" Oryn asks, the horror etched in his voice.

"A pit," I tell him on autopilot as my mind tries to fully comprehend what I am seeing.

"Yes, but what are those?" He points straight at the familiar group of creatures inside it, clawing at the edges, trying to reach us.

My senses sharpen and the ice in my veins cool.

The guards don't just know about the dark creatures; they capture them to train against.