Chapter Twenty-Four: Cassie

“Wow, I still can’t get over that teacup incident,” Byron said, sounding just as impressed as he had the first time he’d said those exact same words. “You were incredible.”

“We all worked as a team,” Cassie reminded him.

“But you could see what needed to be done,” Byron said. “I mean, you said your sisters were powerful, and your parents, but you were the one who pulled them all together. They’d have been standing there all day trying to keep that containment spell together if you hadn’t guided them.”

“I got lucky.” Cassie brushed off his comment. She was not comfortable being praised for anything, especially her magic. She never felt like she deserved it. “And now we need to focus on tonight’s trial.”

“No time to rest on our laurels,” Byron said as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. “You know, we could always skip the competition and go and do something else.”

Cassie laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “And give Jerome and Amelia a chance to win?”

She pulled out of his arms and grabbed hold of his hand, pulling him along as they reached the alleyway where The Lonely Tavern stood. Only it was not alone. A large group of people were gathered around, but tonight they seemed subdued, as if they knew the end of the competition was close. There was no barbecuing and drinks this time, though their faces lit up as they spotted Bryon and Cassie approaching, and they got plenty of waves and calls of good luck from the gathering.

But the party was not over yet and no one knew how many more trials there were before the competition ended. The only thing they did know was that there were only six couples left out of the original twenty.

“What do you think happened to the couples who didn’t make it back in time?” Byron asked as they neared the tavern door.

“I’m sure the tavern wouldn’t leave them stranded forever,” Cassie said. “Perhaps the tavern went back overnight and collected them.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it…” Byron said as the door opened for them, and they stepped inside. “What the hell?”

“I guess this is the next trial?”

Trees once again surrounded them, but they stood on the edge of a large clearing. In the center was a small rise in the land from which rose the shattered remains of a once great building. It was hard to tell if would have been a castle or a temple, but whatever it was had been trampled down by the march of time. A light mist lingered amongst the old stone pillars and walls, and across the stone and bricks scattered across the grass.

“And what do you think we have to do?” Byron asked. “This looks a little intimidating. I was really not expecting to not be inside the tavern. I mean where is Morwenna’s introduction?”

“Take a deep breath,” Cassie said, imitating Morwenna’s Zen-like voice. “In through the nose, and out through the mouth. And again.”

“All right. I’m calm,” Byron said.

“You don’t sound it,” Cassie replied and placed a hand on his arm.

“Okay, I’m not that calm because we don’t have any instructions. We don’t know what is in here, or whether it’s a timed trial, or...” He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly.

“Are you doing okay?” Cassie asked.

“Yeah. Because we’re together, it doesn’t matter what the tavern throws at us. Let’s go figure this out.” Byron held out his hand, and she took it, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“We’ll be just fine,” Cassie said. “That life-changing sagely knowledge is ours. I can feel it.”

Byron pressed his lips together as they climbed up the short rise and approached the ruined wall. “There’s something written there.”

“There is.” Cassie summoned her magic and waved her hand as she released it, brushing away the ivy that had overgrown the ruined wall.

“Riddle of the Ruins,” Byron read out loud.

“I guess that’s our first clue,” Cassie said as the ivy swung back into place.

“If the escape room was any indication, we’re not too bad at riddles,” Byron said with confidence as they followed the wall around to their left since the right side was blocked by large chunks of fallen stone.

“Then we should be out of here in no time,” Cassie said as they rounded the wall and looked into what would have been the interior of the building. She could see the remains of corridors and rooms, but where the ceiling and supports had collapsed, it had become more of a maze made of fallen stone.

She kept hold of Byron’s hand as they made their way through the ruin, having to occasionally squeeze through narrow gaps and duck under thickets of vines that had grown over the old passages.

“Do you really think it’s going to be that easy?” Byron asked.

“I guess we’re about to find out,” Cassie said as they reached what felt like the center of the maze. Before them was a large courtyard area. The flagstone floor was still mostly intact, but wildflowers and shrubs had begun pushing their way up through gaps in the stone.

“What’s this?” Byron strode forward. “There’s something in the center.”

But Cassie tugged at his arm and pulled him back. “Careful. We don’t know if this is a trap.”

“True.” Byron retreated to the edge of the courtyard and looked around. “I can’t see anything out of place.”

“Me neither.” Cassie shrugged. “One step forward?”

“One step forward.” They took their first step onto the stone courtyard and paused, holding their breaths, waiting for something to happen. It didn’t.

“Can you sense anything?” Cassie asked.

“Only us, and a lot of stone,” Byron said.

“Okay, another step.”

They took their time moving over the uneven slabs of stone toward the center, where the flagstones came to an end, replaced by a strange design of large concentric rings of stone.

“That’s very impressive,” Byron said as they reached the edge of the stone circle.

“It looks like there’s something written here.” Cassie stooped down and brushed away some of the dirt from the outermost stone ring. “It’s a question. ‘What are your honest feelings about your partner’s occupation?’”

“Do we both have to answer?” Byron asked.

“I guess so,” Cassie said. “Let’s try. I think my partner’s occupation is very educational, and it’s impressive that he knows so much about so many things and can positively touch many people’s lives.”

They both stepped back as the outer rings began to turn with the loud grinding sound of stone against stone.

“That seems like a good sign.”

“My turn?” Byron said. “I think my partner’s occupation is intriguing and unique. It’s not something anyone could do, and I don’t even think I could write a handbook on it.”

“Intriguing, huh?” Cassie said as the first stone ring continued to turn. “Okay, this isn’t so hard. We just have to tell the truth, I think.”

“Next question,” Byron said. “What is your partner’s favorite food?”

“Easy,” Cassie said.

“Sushi, for you.” Byron smiled.

“And a meatball sandwich for you,” Cassie said lightly.

“No!” He shook her head. “That’s not my favorite food.”

“But I thought you...” Then she froze and crouched down as the ground beneath their feet shuddered as a distant rumbling reached them. Loose stones fell to the floor as the air reverberated.

“I guess we know what happens when we get a question wrong.” Byron winced.

“What can you sense?” Cassie asked.

“Nothing specific,” Byron said. “Just rock. I can’t tell if that makes me feel better or worse.”

“Okay. Let’s not get any more questions wrong.” She took a breath. “What is your favorite food?”

“Sweet potato brownies.” His eyes widened as the ground shuddered again and the rumble grew closer.

“We can’t give clues or answers,” Cassie said. “My partner’s favorite food is sweet potato brownies.”

The next ring turned, coming to a stop when it lined up with the first.

“Okay, next.” Byron peered across the rings to see the next question. “Why did my partner enter the competition?”

Cassie locked eyes with him. “To be the person his family needs him to be.” As the ground shook, her brow furrowed. “That’s what you told me.”

“I know,” he said with a grimace.

“But that was before you told me we were mates,” she mused. “You did it for me.”

“Yes,” he croaked hoarsely.

Cassie smiled at him. “Thank you. Voluntarily being put into danger by a magical tavern is probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“My pleasure,” he cracked a grin. “I suppose I did it for me, too.”

“And your dragon,” she replied.

“And you entered the competition to be the person you believe your family wants you to be,” Byron said.

“I did.” But there was an undercurrent to his tone that worried her. But this was not the time to question him. They still did not know if this was a timed trial.

“Next question, what do you like most about your partner?” Byron asked.

“That he accepts me for who I am,” Cassie replied.

He smiled and closed the distance between them, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her into his arms. “I love you for who you are.”

“That wasn’t the question,” she murmured as she cupped his face in her hands and brushed her lips against his.

“And the thing I like about you most is that you also accept me for who I am,” Byron replied.

“Hey, you can’t use my answer,” Cassie giggled, and they both turned to look as the penultimate stone ring slid into place, nestling itself into the previous ones.

“This place seems to think I can,” Byron chuckled and kissed her.

She pulled away from him and read the next question. “Do you admire your partner?” She nodded. “Of course, I do.”

“And so do I.” Byron kissed the back of her hand. “Very much.”

“On to…the last one! This trial wasn’t so bad at all.” She could not keep the smile from her face. After a rocky start, they were in sync. And the last question was an easy one. “Do you want your partner to win the competition and gain life-changing sagely knowledge? Easy-peasy. Yes.”

Byron’s expression faltered. Along with her heart.

“Byron?” The word was barely audible.

She could see the conflict on his face, and he opened his mouth a couple of times as if trying to find the word he wanted to say. Finally, he did.

“No.”

The word was swallowed up by the silence of the ruins. There was no distant rumbling, no ground shaking. Then, after a moment, the innermost stone ring turned into place with a grating sound. The sound of a truth being spoken.

Once the last ring had aligned, the rings began to drop, forming a set of staircases that led underneath the flagstones.

Cassie just shook her head in disbelief. Byron reached out to her, but she shrugged him off as the stairs finished forming. Without a word, she ran for them, hardly seeing the steps as tears misted her eyes. How could he not want her to win?

He knew how much the prize meant to her. It would be life-changing, just as it said. She needed it to become the person she was always meant to be, to be the powerful witch. That was what her family wanted her to be.

The only question bouncing around her head was, why?

“Cassie...” His voice carried down the stairs and into the dark stone staircase that she found herself in, but she would not slow down. Below her was a warm light which quickly grew closer.

“Cassie, it’s not that I don’t want you to win, I just don’t want you to get the prize. No, that sounds worse…”

She could hear footsteps behind her and realized that the stone stairs had become wooden, and before she knew it, she was stepping off the stairs and into the bar area of the tavern.

“Oh my, that was quick. Cassie, Byron! Congratulations, you are into our grand finale tomorrow evening,” Morwenna said, sounding relieved that the competition was nearly over.

“Cassie...” Byron sounded breathless as he raced to the bottom of the stairs. “Let me explain…”

“All you have to do is…set up the perfect date! To show that you really understand the other person’s needs,” Morwenna went on reading from a piece of parchment. “All costs are to be met by the competitors.”

“Does it say that?” Flint asked from beneath a table, a screwdriver in hand.

“Yes,” Morwenna snapped and quickly rolled up the parchment. “It was actually very clear about that last part.

“Cassie.” Byron reached for her arm as she headed for the tavern door. “I just don’t think you need it, that’s all!”

They both stopped as the tavern shook, showering dust and cobwebs down from the rafters, along with several imps who bounced off the tables with displeased noises.

“Oh, my—!” a familiar voice yelled.

“Stan!” Cassie summoned her magic as Stan fell from the rafters. “Soft as a feather, light as air, hear my call, feather fall!”

“Nooooo!” Morwenna cried as there was a poof and the space below Stan exploded into a cloud of downy feathers. Stan landed on the soft cushion, sending feathers flying all across the room.

“Urgh! That’s not what I meant.” Cassie threw her hands up.

“I’m sorry!” Stan sprang to his feet and stared into the rafters as Nancy floated slowly down to land gently next to Stan.

“How could you not know that!” Nancy jabbed her finger at him.

“Well, you didn’t know that bread beer is my favorite tipple,” Stan retorted.

“Because when you drink it, all you do is complain!” Nancy said.

“I believe the waiver you signed at the beginning of this competition covers all breakages,” Morwenna said. “And that includes relationships.”

Stan turned around to look at the other people in the bar as if he had suddenly become aware that they were there. “Did you get dumped through the ceiling, too?” he asked Cassie and Byron.

“No, they are our first finalists,” Morwenna replied. “Do you hear that? This competition is nearly over! Life can go back to normal. I’ll have my paying customers back...”

“Maybe Kengar and Nyara might get through to the final, too. Have you seen them?” Stan asked.

“They were a no-show,” Morwenna said.

“Oh, I hope everything is all right,” Nancy replied.

“They had a family thing,” Flint pulled himself out from underneath the table and watched as feathers floated down around him with a sigh.

“Lucky them.” And then Cassie turned around and walked out of the tavern.