19. Adelaide

19

ADELAIDE

As Blackthorn's eyes sweep over the raised hands, he nods approvingly. "Excellent. Group together now."

My heart races as I move to stand beside Corvus. He leans in slightly as he whispers, "Ready for an adventure, Dollie?"

I suppress a shiver, not entirely sure if it's from unease or excitement. "Born ready," I mutter back, keeping my eyes fixed on Blackthorn as I dig around in my jeans pocket for a hair tie. I find one and scoop my hair up, twirling it around into a tight bun on top of my head with an ease born from years of ballet lessons as a child. I ignore Corvus's eyes on me as I focus on Blackthorn.

The professor's eyes twinkle with something that might be amusement as he addresses us. "Your quest is to retrieve the Chalice of Carthage from the Labyrinth of Shadows."

A collective gasp ripples through the crowd. I have absolutely no clue what that means, but clearly, this is no small task.

"The Labyrinth of Shadows," Blackthorn continues, "is a magical construct that shifts and changes. It's designed to test your physical abilities, your mental fortitude and teamwork as well. The chalice is hidden at its heart."

He pauses, his gaze intensifying. "Be warned: the labyrinth is filled with illusions and traps. Trust your instincts, but more importantly, trust each other. You have until sunset to complete your quest."

With a wave of his hand, a shimmering portal appears to our left. Through it, I can see the entrance to what must be the Labyrinth - a towering arch of dark stone, beyond which lies an impenetrable mist.

"Good luck," Blackthorn says, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "And remember, in Carthage, we rise to every challenge."

Corvus turns to me, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement. "Shall we, partner?"

I take a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. "Partner? Since when?"

He shrugs. "Might as well buddy up. Haven't you noticed we are the only two vampires in the House this year?"

I glance around but come up empty. I can't tell a vampire from a shifter in human form. "Wonder why that is?" I murmur.

"Oh, I can think of a few good reasons," Corvus murmurs back. "Shall we?" He bows slightly, letting me pass to step through the portal behind everyone else.

The magick tingles against my skin when we pass under the stone arch, the mist swirling around us, cool and damp. The portal winks out of existence behind us, leaving us alone in the ghostly silence of the Labyrinth.

"Well," Corvus says, his voice unnaturally loud in the stillness, "this is cosy."

I roll my eyes, but I'm grateful for his attempt at humour. The oppressive atmosphere of the place is already starting to get to me.

We move forward, the mist parting reluctantly before us, only to close in again behind. The walls of the Labyrinth loom on either side, made of the same dark stone as the entrance arch. They seem to absorb what little light there is, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.

"Hey!" I say suddenly. "Where is everyone else?"

Corvus looks around, eyes narrowed. "It's separated us."

"And why would it do that?" I snap, my anxiety growing that this idiot Labyrinth has forced me into solitary close proximity with a creature I don't trust one bit.

He shrugs again, unconcerned. "Let's focus on the quest, yeah? This is now a race to find the chalice first."

"So it split us up on purpose? How is that teamwork?"

He doesn't answer me, his eyes scanning our surroundings.

"Any ideas on how to navigate this place?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

"In a normal maze, I'd say we should keep one hand on the wall and follow it. But something tells me this place doesn't play by normal rules."

As if to prove his point, the wall to our right suddenly shifts, melting away to reveal a new passage.

"Okay," I mutter, "that's disconcerting."

"Still got that compass on you, Dollie?"

"Nope."

"Didn't think so. Come on," Corvus says determinedly. "Let's keep moving. Standing still won't get us anywhere."

We press on, taking turns seemingly at random. The Labyrinth is constantly changing around us, passages appearing and disappearing, sometimes even as we're walking through them. It's dizzying and more than a little terrifying.

After what feels like hours of wandering, we turn a corner and find ourselves face-to-face with... ourselves.

I blink, startled. It's like looking into a mirror, except the reflection is moving independently. The other Adelaide and Corvus are staring at us with the same surprised expressions I'm sure we're wearing.

"What the fuck?" I blurt out.

Corvus hisses. "It's an illusion. Don't engage with it."

It?

But as we try to move past, our doppelgangers step into our path.

"Are you sure about that?" the other Corvus says, his voice identical to the real one. "Maybe we're the real ones, and you're the illusions."

I feel a chill run down my spine. The other Adelaide is looking at me with pity and contempt that feels uncomfortably familiar.

"You don't belong here," she says, echoing my own deepest fears. "You're not special, you're just a mistake. A half-breed freak who doesn't fit in anywhere."

I flinch, the words hitting home harder than I'd like to admit. Beside me, Corvus is staring at me as the other Adelaide's harsh words affect me more than I'd like.

"Don't listen to them," he says.

I reach out on instinct and grab his hand. His skin is cool against mine, but there's a spark of electricity at the contact.

His loose grip on my hand tightens after a hesitation that speaks volumes. "They're just playing on our insecurities. We're real, we're here, and we're going to complete this quest."

I squeeze his hand. "You're right. Nice try other us, but we're not falling for it."

With a sound like shattering glass, the doppelgangers dissolve into mist. The passage ahead is clear.

Grinning at each other, we walk forward, still hand in hand. Neither of us mentions it, but for once in my life, I'm grateful for the contact. It's a reminder that I'm not alone in this strange, shifting world. It feels natural, which is the most unnatural thing in the world to me. I try not to dwell on it and concentrate on what I'm doing.

As we navigate the twisting passages, the Labyrinth seems determined to test us at every turn. We round a corner, and suddenly, the floor beneath our feet begins to crumble.

"Adelaide, jump!" Corvus shouts, his hand tightening on mine.

I leap forward just as the ground gives way completely, revealing a pit of writhing shadows below. Corvus's vampiric speed allows him to dart forward and catch me mid-air, pulling me to safety on the other side of the chasm.

We stand there for a moment, hearts racing, as we stare at the void where solid ground had been just seconds ago.

"Thanks," I breathe, still clinging to his arm. "Guess my vampire half is slow on the uptake."

Corvus nods, his eyes scanning the path ahead, ignoring my remark. "We need to be more careful. This place is actively trying to take us out."

No sooner have the words left his mouth than we hear a low rumbling sound. The walls on either side of us begin to move, slowly but inexorably closing in.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I mutter, looking around frantically for an escape route.

Corvus grabs my hand again. "This way!" he shouts, pulling me forward at a run.

We sprint down the narrowing corridor, the walls scraping our shoulders as we go. His vampire speed is dragging me along in its wake, and my feet are unable to keep up. I stumble, but he doesn't slow down. Instead, I seem to lift off the ground and hover behind him as he pulls me along. It's the most surreal experience I've ever encountered, and it takes my breath away.

Ahead, I can see the passage ending in a solid wall.

"Corvus, it's a dead end!" I yell, panic rising in my throat.

But he doesn't slow down. Instead, he turns mid-run and wraps one arm around my waist and shouts, "Hold on tight!"

Using his vampire strength, Corvus leaps upward just as we reach the end of the corridor.

"Eeek!" I scream as we go airborne, and I'm being held in place with just an arm.

His fingers catch the top of the wall, and with a grunt of effort, he hauls us both up and over.

We tumble to the ground on the other side, rolling away from the edge just as the walls slam together with a thunderous boom.

For a moment, we just lie there, catching our breath. Then Corvus starts to laugh. No fear, no exhaustion, no panic, only glee.

"Well," he says, sitting up and brushing dust from his clothes, "that was exciting."

"You're fucking nuts!" I retort but join in his laughter, the release of tension feeling almost euphoric. "Is it always like this once the term starts?" I ask.

Corvus grins, helping me to my feet. "Only on the good days."

He releases me and I mourn the loss of his cold skin touching mine. It seems to take the itch away that sits right under the surface.

As we continue on, I become more attuned to the Labyrinth's tricks. When a section of the floor ahead suddenly turns translucent, revealing another pit of shadows, I'm the one who spots it first.

"Wait!" I call out, grabbing the back of Corvus's suit jacket to haul him back. "Look at the floor."

He nods approvingly. "Good catch. But how do we get across?"

I push aside the niggling thought that he let me have that one and look around, noticing a series of protruding stones on the wall beside us.

"Handholds," I say, pointing. "We can climb across."

Corvus raises an eyebrow. "Risky, but it might be our only option. Ladies first?"

"Oh nice, so you can see if I drop to my death first?"

"You're immortal. You'll live," he snickers.

"Fuck off," I grunt and take a deep breath, steeling myself. Then, reaching out, I grasp the first handhold and begin to make my way across the wall. It's slow going, and my arms are soon aching with the effort, but I force myself to keep moving.

Halfway across, my foot slips. For a heart-stopping moment, I'm dangling by my fingertips over the pit of shadows.

"Adelaide!" Corvus calls out, alarm clear in his voice.

But something inside me refuses to give up. With a grunt of effort and a strength I didn't know I had, I swing my body, managing to hook my foot back onto a hold. Gritting my teeth, I continue on, finally reaching the other side.

"Vampire side, activated," Corvus calls out. "Nice work."

As soon as my feet touch solid ground, I turn back to watch Corvus make the crossing. He moves swiftly and gracefully, showcasing his supernatural abilities as he crosses the distance quickly.

He lands beside me, a note of genuine admiration in his voice. "Do you feel it?"

I grin, feeling a surge of pride. "Sort of. Yes, at the time, not so much now."

He nods as if he understands, but how can he when I don't even get it?

As we carry on deeper into the Labyrinth, the challenges become increasingly treacherous. We turn a corner and are immediately confronted by a long corridor lined with ominous-looking holes in the walls.

"I don't like the look of this," I mutter, eyeing the passage warily.

Corvus nods, his body tense. "Stay alert. Something's not right here."

We take a cautious step forward, and suddenly, a jet of flame erupts from one of the holes, nearly singeing my hair.

"Back!" Corvus shouts, pulling me against the wall as more flames shoot out in rapid succession.

The heat is intense, the roar of the fire deafening. I can feel sweat beading on my forehead as we press ourselves against the cool stone.

"We need to time this perfectly," Corvus says, his eyes darting back and forth, studying the pattern of the flames. "There's a split-second gap between bursts. We'll have to run and dodge."

I nod, my heart racing. "Oh-kay, but I'm not as quick as you!"

He grins and holds his hand out. I reach out and take it, mine shaking uncontrollably.

Corvus counts down, "Three... two... one... Now!"

We sprint forward, ducking and weaving as jets of flame erupt around us. The heat is overwhelming, and I can smell singed fabric as a flame catches the edge of my sleeve. But there's no time to stop. We keep running, guided by Corvus's keen vampire senses and my own growing instincts.

Just as we reach the end of the corridor, a final burst of flame shoots out directly in our path. Corvus grabs me and pulls me down into a slide. We skid across the stone floor, the flames passing harmlessly overhead, and tumble into the next chamber, him on top of me, crushing me with his weight.

For a moment, we lie there, panting, staring into each other's eyes. His lips are millimetres from mine, and I let out a little gasp. His gaze drops to my mouth and lingers for a heartbeat. A jolt of electricity runs through me. But then he blinks, and the moment passes. He quickly rolls off me and stands, offering a hand to help me up.

"You okay?" he asks, his voice a bit rougher than usual.

I nod, trying to ignore the lingering coolness where his body had pressed against mine. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit singed." I examine the scorched edge of my sleeve ruefully.

Corvus reaches out and gently touches the burnt fabric, his cool fingers brushing my skin. "That was too close," he murmurs, then seems to catch himself and steps back.

But our reprieve is short-lived. The room around us begins to shift. The floor tilts sharply to one side, then the other. The walls seem to rotate, the ceiling becoming the floor, and vice versa.

"What the hell?" I gasp, struggling to keep my footing as the room spins around us, making me want to vomit from motion sickness.

Corvus grabs onto a protruding stone, anchoring himself. "The gravity's shifting! We need to adapt quickly!"

As he speaks, the ‘floor' we're standing on suddenly becomes a wall. I start to fall, but Corvus reaches out, catching my hand. We dangle there for a moment before the room shifts again, and we scramble to find purchase on what was previously the ceiling.

"This is insane!" I shout, my mind struggling to make sense of the constantly changing orientation.

"Don't think about it!" Corvus calls back. "Just react! Trust your instincts! You have a strong vampire in you, Adelaide. Let it take over."

Taking a deep breath, I try to let go of my preconceptions about up and down. I relax and will the vampire inside me to take over. As the room continues to shift, I move with it, leaping from wall to ceiling to floor as gravity realigns itself.

Corvus and I navigate the chamber like a bizarre dance, leaping and twisting, sometimes catching each other, sometimes using the momentum of the shifts to propel ourselves forward. It's dizzying and exhilarating, and by the time we finally reach the exit, I'm not entirely sure which way is up anymore.

We stumble into the next corridor, slumping down as we wait for the world to stop spinning.

"Mind if I vom?" I blurt out, closing my eyes and clutching my head.

"Only if you mind if I do," he retorts.

Before I can respond, the air around us shimmers. Suddenly, we're surrounded by multiple versions of ourselves, each pointing down a different branching path. "Not again," I groan as we get to our feet.

"This way!" they all shout simultaneously, their voices a perfect match for ours.

I freeze, unsure which way to turn. "Corvus?" I whisper, reaching for his hand.

But when I look, there are multiples, each urging me down a different path. Panic starts to rise in my throat. Which one is real? How can I tell?

"Adelaide," they all say, "trust me. This is the right way."

I close my eyes, trying to block out the visual confusion. I think back to what Corvus said earlier about trusting my instincts. Taking a deep breath, I reach out with my senses, trying to feel for the real Corvus.

Near me, I hear a faint pulse, a familiar scent, and a pull in a certain direction. Without opening my eyes, I reach out and grab a hand. "This way," I say firmly, pulling the real Corvus down one of the paths.

As we move, I hear the illusions shattering behind us. When I finally open my eyes, we're alone in a normal corridor for once.

Corvus looks at me with something too soft for my liking. "How did you know?"

I shrug, feeling a bit surprised myself. "I felt it. Something about the others didn't feel right."

He nods slowly, a wicked smile curving up his lips. "You know me, Dollie. I'm touched."

I punch him on the arm as hard as I can, then yelp, shaking my fist out. "You're a douche, you know that?" I snap.

"I've been called worse," he chuckles. "Come. Let's finish this."

I can't help the surge of pride. We're facing these challenges together, yes, but I'm also discovering strengths I never knew I had. For the first time since arriving at MistHallow, I'm starting to see why I'm here.

"These tests seem tailored to vampires," I murmur.

"Definitely. It's why it split us up, to test us with species-built challenges."

"This maze is a dick."

"Don't say that too loudly, we aren't out of the woods yet."

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of tests and traps, we round a corner and find ourselves in a large circular chamber. A gleaming silver chalice sits in the centre on a pedestal of black marble.

"The Chalice of Carthage," Corvus breathes, his eyes wide.

We approach cautiously, alert for any final traps. But nothing happens as we draw near. The chalice sits there, innocently glinting in the dim light.

"Should I...?" I ask, my hand hovering hesitantly.

Corvus nods. "Go for it. You've more than earned it."

"It seems too easy?"

"After what we just went through? You've been watching too many Indiana Jones movies," he jokes.

"Or maybe not enough," I mutter, but I take the leap of faith and reach out.

As my fingers close around the cool metal of the chalice, there's a sudden flash of blue light. The walls of the Labyrinth melt away, and we find ourselves back in the Main Hall of MistHallow.

Blackthorn steps forward, a proud smile on his face. "Congratulations," he says. "You've successfully completed your quest and proven yourselves true Carthaginians."

I look down at the chalice in my hands, then up at Corvus. He's grinning, his usually perfect hair mussed, and his clothes slightly dishevelled from our adventure. I realise I probably look just as worse for wear, but I can't bring myself to care.

"We did it," I say, a slow smile spreading across my face.

Corvus nods, his eyes sparkling with something that might be admiration. "We make a pretty good team, Dollie."

"Adelaide, Corvus," Blackthorn says, taking the chalice from me. "You've shown exceptional courage, resourcefulness, and teamwork today. These are the qualities we value most in Carthage. But more than that, you've demonstrated the ability to face your fears and overcome them. Adelaide, you placed your trust in Corvus and let him guide you and Corvus, you took on the mantle as a mentor to help Adelaide. You are quite the team. These are the true marks of a Carthaginian. The Chalice of Carthage is more than just a trophy. It's a symbol of the potential within each of you. Just as you two worked together to retrieve it, all of Carthage must work together this year to rise to the challenges that await us."

As Blackthorn finishes his speech, my gaze is drawn to Corvus. He's listening intently, but there's a softness to his expression that I haven't seen before. When he catches me looking, he gives me a small, genuine smile that makes my heart skip a beat.

I quickly look away, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. What is wrong with me? This is Corvus - arrogant, infuriating Corvus who tried to compel me. I shouldn't be feeling whatever this is. Should I?

But I can't deny that something has shifted between us. Facing the challenges of the Labyrinth together, seeing each other at our most vulnerable has created a bond that I'm not sure how to define.

As Blackthorn dismisses us, Corvus leans in close.

"So, partner. Fancy grabbing a bite to eat? I don't know about you, but near-death experiences always leave me famished."

I laugh despite myself. "Sure, why not? I could eat a horse after all that."

"Well, I can't promise a horse, but I'm sure we can find something to satisfy your appetite," he says with a wink.

As we head towards the dining hall, I find myself stealing glances at Corvus. The way he moves, confident yet relaxed. The way his eyes crinkle slightly at the corners when he smiles. The way he seems to be always aware of where I am, adjusting his pace to match mine.

It's disconcerting but not entirely unpleasant.

We grab our food - a rare steak for me, a cup of synthetic blood for Corvus - and find a quiet corner to sit.

"So," Corvus says as we settle in, "that was quite the adventure, wasn't it?"

I nod, cutting into my steak. "It was intense. I've never experienced anything like that before."

"You handled yourself well," he says, and there's a note of genuine admiration in his voice that makes me look up. "Most people would have crumbled facing their deepest fears like that."

I shrug, trying to brush off the compliment. "I'm sure you've faced worse."

Corvus is quiet for a moment, twirling his cup thoughtfully. "You'd be surprised," he says finally. "We all have our demons, Adelaide. Even those of us who seem to have it all together."

There's a vulnerability in his voice that catches me off guard. For a moment, I see past the cocky exterior to the person underneath - someone who, like me, is trying to find their place in a world that doesn't always make sense.

"Well, I'm glad we faced our demons together."

Corvus looks at me, surprised. Then he smiles, a real, warm smile that transforms his face.

"Me too, Dollie," he says softly. "Me too."