Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

S he blew out a long breath as he raised his hand in the air before he swung it down shouting, "Go!"

Paige dove into the realm portal alongside Ivy. Her feet hit the ground, and she stumbled forward before she toppled in a heap to the ground.

A foot pressed against her back, forcing the wind from her lungs.

"See you at the end, loser," Ivy called over her shoulder as she raced into the labyrinth.

"Stupid Ivy," Paige said as she scrambled to her feet and raced into the maze.

As the stone walls closed around her, she ran headlong down passages, sliding around twists and turns until she hit a dead end. "Dang it," she muttered, retracing her steps back toward the entrance.

She shook her head as she hit another dead end and panic rose within her. "No, think, Paige."

The high walls rose at least two times her size, making them impossible to scale. She couldn't seek out a path forward, she'd have to use her gut .

"Too bad my gut stinks at this," she thought as she slowed her pace, desperately searching for a way through as quickly as possible.

She finally found a way forward and followed a long corridor to a wide chamber. Mirrors surrounded her, blocking the way forward. She stared at multiple versions of herself as a voice spoke over her.

"Find the correct mirror and your way will be clear."

"Oh, no, not this again." Paige shook her head, recalling the last mirror task she had where she'd nearly been pulled into the darkness.

"Paige, Paige!" Dewey's voice called.

She twisted to find a likeness of the dragon in one of the mirrors. He waved at her as he grinned. "This way, Paige. This way."

"Dewey?" she asked as she stepped closer.

"Come on, Paige. This way. This is the right mirror. Just step inside."

Paige wrinkled her nose, pulling her chin back to her chest. "Uhh, how sure are you?"

"Very, very certain, Paige. Very certain, indeed."

Paige scrunched her brow. "Uhh, I don't know, buddy. You always say that, but it's almost never right."

The little dragon's smile faded, replaced by a frown. "Because you're stupid."

"I am not. Geez, you're hostile. And you're not even the one under duress here."

The dragon's features twisted before he lunged toward her with his teeth bared.

"Whoa!" she shouted as she stumbled back a step, but the mirror image remained trapped behind the glass. "Yeah, okay, not trusting you."

"Here, Paige," Drucinda said from behind her. "Trust me. I can show you the way. "

Paige twisted to stare at the leather-clad woman in the mirror. She chewed her lower lip as she moved closer. "Drucinda's not exactly trustworthy either."

"Aren't I? I'm a lot better than you."

"That's debatable. I mean, yeah, you're a badass. You're really good at fighting and stuff. And also, you're really smart, but you're not perfect. I managed to get the ring back in the ice caves, for example."

"Pure luck. Do you wish to move forward or not?"

"I do, but I feel like you're not the right mirror either."

"You really are stupid."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're insulting me so I choose the wrong mirror. I'm not listening to you anymore." She plugged her ears as she stared at the other mirrors. Which one with her own reflection was the right one to use?

She spun in a slow circle assessing each option until she found someone else. Devon. A smile broadened across her face. "Devon. Wait, this entire thing has been about how much we trust each other and how strong our commitment is. I bet I have to pick Devon."

She hurried forward toward the mirror as he grinned at her. "You can trust me, Paige. I'm here for you."

"What about me?" Henry asked. "I'm here for you, too."

Paige swallowed hard. "Uh-oh. Now what?"

"Trust me, Paige. I'm your true love," Devon said.

"The foul beast is lying. I am your true love. Trust me."

Paige flicked her gaze between the two of them, their voices competing to win her attention. "Wait," she said, "maybe I'm supposed to just trust myself. That would make sense. I should find my true self in these mirrors."

"Don't be a fool," Drucinda taunted. "Your true self is an idiot."

"Wow," Paige said as she studied the mirrors in search of the correct one. "Maybe I should go with you. You're definitely the true Drucinda."

"Of course, I am, darling. And you'd do well to trust me. Not one of your flighty mirror images."

Paige spun in a slow circle, studying each reflection. Her heart pounded, urging her to think faster. Was Ivy already past this point? Probably. The woman probably confidently strode straight to the correct mirror and dove in.

Paige shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying to find some clue into which one to pick. "Okay, I just have to go for one. I can't keep wasting time."

She gave another glance around before she focused on a bright version of herself. "Bright. Yes, you're probably the right one. I'm going for it."

She took a step toward the mirror and pushed a hand through. Nothing but warmth met her on the other side. "That's promising."

She stepped into the mirror, hovering in darkness for a moment before she plunged downward with a shriek escaping her lips. She fell for what seemed like an eternity before hitting the cold, damp ground with a hard smack.

With a groan, she wriggled on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she pushed herself up to sit. "I guess I picked the wrong mirror."

"You have now been downgraded to dungeon level," an overhead voice said.

"Well, that figures," Paige answered as she rose to stand and dusted herself off. "Now, I'll have to claw my way out of the dungeon and then probably redo the entire mirror thing."

With a sigh, she reached out to press a hand against the wall and followed it through the dark corridor. As she went, the wall turned from damp stone to a slippery material.

"Ew, what is this?" She wrinkled her nose as her fingers traced the barrier. "Some kind of fungus or something? "

A hiss echoed in the corridor, and she froze. "Uhhh."

"Not a fungusssss," a voice said, the s's long and drawn own. "A body."

"Oh, right, a body." She screwed up her face. "Wait, what kind of body?"

"My body," the voice purred.

She pulled her hand from the slimy surface as her eyes slid from side to side. "Uhh, oh, sorry, bud. Didn't mean to cop a feel there. I'm just trying to get back up to the main level. Can you point me in the right direction?"

"I could…but I'd rather not."

"That's typical," Paige said. "Fine. I'll find my own way."

"I don't think sssssso," he answered. "You ssssee it's been quite a long time sssssssince I've had a yummy ssssnack."

"Snack?" Paige asked. "I don't have any–"

Heat rushed through her as realization struck. The body wasn't slimy, it was scaly. She'd just felt up a massive snake, and now it had threatened to eat her.

"Look, Mr. Snake, sir, there has been a huge mixup here. I'm just here to try to win an Amor Fortis. I just want to marry my sweetheart, and I'm battling it out against a real witch of a woman. I mean, you can't even imagine. So, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to be on my way."

The snake slithered past her, disturbing the air.

"Ssssssorry, but I'm awfully hungry."

"That's too bad. Oh, you know what, though. I'm not a very good snack. I'm probably way too salty, but I have a really good alternative. Very healthy, but also tasty."

"Oh?" The snake slithered around her legs.

"Yeah. Her name's Ivy. She's somewhere in this maze, too. And if we can find her, oh, I promise you, it'll be good eating."

"Ivy? Hmmm, but that would take ssssssome effort. I'd prefer to jusssst eat you. You're already here. "

"Yeah, but I'm high in fat. You don't want to eat me. Look at my thighs…pretty fatty. Ivy is a much better snack, I promise. All you have to do is help me out of here, and we'll find her together."

"Hmmm," the snake murmured.

"Listen, she's a primo find, I'm telling you. She's a Venompire. I'm just a plain human. It's like the difference between Raisin Bran and Frosted Flakes. No one picks the bran. Or…salted nuts and plain nuts. Who picks plain?"

"All right, all right," the snake said. "You've made your point. Let'sssss find Ivy. I ssssshall give her a tasssste, and if I am not ssssatisfied, I'll eat you, too."

"Deal," Paige said. "Hey, if it's not too much trouble, you seem big enough that I could ride on your back while we search. It'll go so much faster."

"Sssssure," the snake said. "I know every passsssssage in this placcccce. We'll find her in no time."

The snake uncoiled from around her legs. She spotted massive fangs gleaming in the dim light as he sidled closer to her. "Hop on."

With a grimace, she climbed onto his back. The air blew her hair away from her face as they sped through the corridors at breakneck speeds. Within seconds, they reached a stairway.

The snake slithered up to the next level before he paused.

"What are you doing?"

"Lissssstening," he answered before his head snapped to the left. "There!"

Before she could answer, the snake slid down the hall, moving from corridor to corridor with practiced ease as he barreled toward the noise he'd heard.

Ivy came into sight as they rounded a corner. Paige's heart leapt with both hope and anxiety. With the snake's sights set on Ivy, could she possibly escape from the labyrinth?

"There she is. Get her!" Paige urged.

The snake surged forward toward the running blonde. She leapt onto the wall, running sideways for a period before she hit the ground again.

"Faster!" Paige urged. With a burst of speed, the snake shot toward Ivy. Paige tumbled off his back, rolling across the ground.

She scrambled to her feet as she spotted the realm exit swirling in front of her. She raced toward it headlong, hoping to burst through before Ivy.

A glance over her shoulder made her eyes grow wide. The snake's massive jaw snapped at Ivy's heels, but the woman continued her sprint forward.

Paige pushed herself to run faster and slammed into the portal first. Her heart lifted as she rolled across the ballroom floor, the first person to emerge from the challenge. "I did it! I won!"

Ivy stepped out moments later, unscathed by the serpent. "She's a liar. She completed none of the challenges."

"What?" Paige said with a crinkled brow. "I bypassed them. All's fair, right?"

Dominic flicked his gaze to the judges who conferred before the head judge leaned forward. "We have come to a decision."

Paige held her breath as she awaited the results of the competition. Would she emerge triumphant and head into her wedding day on easy street or had she just suffered her first loss?