Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

D ewey clapped his paws together as he shook his head. "Bravo, good show. Wow. You Durands really know how to put on a show."

Dominic's jaw flexed as he addressed the breathless crowd. "It seems there has been another challenge issued. And we shall have a double Amor Fortis. This will now serve as the picking ceremony for both challenges. We will begin with the women."

Devon shifted his weight next to Paige as he frowned at the sword-carrying prince. "What's he doing here?"

"Challenging you for my hand, I guess," Paige answered.

"You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe this."

"Ohhh, now it's a big deal, huh? Now it's unbelievable. Everyone thought it was funny when I was the one being put to the test."

"Oh, I'm going to win, Paige. But it's ridiculous. That guy is a complete idiot."

"I don't know about that, Perfect Hair," Dewey said with a shake of his head. "He's kind of capable."

"Are you serious? "

"Yeah. I mean, when we first met him, he was a total idiot, don't get me wrong. He cried when Paige knocked him down. But now…it's like suddenly he's morphed into the very definition of a knight. You, on the other hand, are only deceptively capable. He's going to give you a real run for your money."

The rattling of the balls ceased and one slid into the slot next to the bin. Dominic picked it up and held the pulsating red ball before the crowd. "The riddle of hearts!"

Applause broke out at the challenge as Paige wrinkled her nose. "What's that?"

"I'll explain later," Dewey whispered as Dominic spun the bin again.

The balls rattled around until one popped out, and he read it. "The Gauntlet of Trust."

Paige frowned. "Oh, that sounds awful."

"And now, the final challenge for the women." After another few turns of the bin, Dominic read the final ball. "The Duel of Shared Memories."

"Oh, no. Not a duel."

"And now we shall select challenges for the men," Dominic announced as the balls magically changed colors, pulsating with a new energy.

Devon sucked in a deep breath, his chest puffing out as he lifted his chin. The first ball dropped from the container, and Dominic stared at it before he shifted his gaze to the crowd for the announcement. "The Feat of Valor!"

Paige slid her eyes sideways to gauge Devon's reaction. His jaw tightened slightly at the words, but he remained otherwise stoic.

The balls rattled in their container again before another popped out. Dominic arched an eyebrow as he read off the second battle. "The Duel of Devotion. "

Devon snorted a laugh. "Oh, it's so over for him. I'm winning this hands down."

Paige rolled her eyes at him. "Right, because you are so devoted to me."

"Are you serious? I am. Obviously."

"Whatever," Paige shot back.

"Seriously? I'm not going to get into an argument about it during the picking ceremony. You'll see when I win this easily."

"Wow, I can't believe you two are fighting just before your wedding," Dewey said with a shake of his head.

"My fake–"

"Shh," Devon said, clasping a hand over her mouth. "No one's supposed to know that, remember?"

The rumbling of the balls in the tub stopped and silence came over the crowd as Dominic read the last challenge for the men. "The Test of Selflessness."

Dewey burst into laughter. "Oh, no. You're done, dude. You'll lose that one. Actually, you both might lose that one. Neither of you is selfless. Henry whines all the time, and you are…well, you."

"I am selfless. I have risked my life over and over to save Paige. I'm being selfless right now, marrying her so she can find her mother."

"Oh, hardly," Paige shot back. "You're getting me out of the deal."

"Oh, right, because you are so wonderful that it totally makes up for the loss of my pretty awesome bachelor life."

Paige's jaw unhinged, and she curled her hands into fists. "Are you serious? You asked me to marry you, remember? You were willing to give up your bachelorhood, duh."

"Point taken, but then it was for a real marriage, not a fake one so you could find your mom."

"You offered!" Paige shot back .

"Problem?" Dominic asked as he shuffled toward them.

"No," they both answered as they turned away from each other and crossed their arms.

"Good, then let's get on with it, shall we? Each set of competitors should shake hands, then we will break to change for the opening ceremony banquet." Dominic strode away from them toward the center of the room, raising his voice. "And now, the competitors will join me to shake hands."

He shifted his gaze from Ivy and Henry to Paige and Devon. Paige heaved a sigh as she stalked forward toward him, her eyes narrowing at Ivy.

The woman offered her a smirk as she flicked a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. She thrust out a hand toward Paige.

Paige stared down at the long fingers, tipped with perfectly manicured nails before she slid her hand toward the woman with a wince. Ivy grabbed it harder than she hoped, tugging her closer. "You don't stand a chance."

"Look, Ivy," Paige started, "the thing is–"

"The thing is you are a dead woman. If you win even one of these challenges, I will end you before you can win another. If I were you, I'd give that ring back because then you may stand a chance of leaving here with your life."

Paige wrinkled her nose, her eyes going wide as Ivy shoved her backward. She screwed up her face and glanced at Devon and Henry who still had their hands locked while they glared at each other.

They finally broke free from each other, and Henry slid his gaze to Paige. "Never fear, Kitten, I shall rescue you from this foul beast's claim."

"Uhh, I didn't ask–"

"You didn't have to," he said with a bow before he spun on his heel and strode from the room .

"That guy's a real jerk," Devon said, shaking his head as he watched him go.

"Like Ivy is any better. She told me if I won one of the challenges, she'd kill me."

Devon slid his arm around her shoulders and led her back to Drucinda and Dewey. "Come on, we need to prepare for these challenges."

"Yeah, I'd really like to know what the heck all of these things are." Paige rubbed at her temples. "Or maybe I don't. I don't know what's worse. Knowing the horror facing me or being surprised."

"You definitely want to know so you can prepare," Drucinda said. "Unless you'd like to lose and die."

"No, wait," Paige said as they shuffled toward the doors of the ballroom. "If I win one, Ivy will kill me."

"And if you lose one, Dominic might," Drucinda answered. "So, looks like you're a dead woman walking."

Heat rushed through Paige at the words. No matter what she did, she likely wasn't going to survive this weekend or find her mother. Maybe she should run, head for the hills, and leave the entire thing behind. Could she survive on the run? Of course. Probably. Maybe.

She shook her head at herself. "No."

"No what?" Dewey asked.

"I have to figure out a way out of this. I can't die. And I can't run away because I'd never survive on my own. I'm an idiot."

"You can say that again," Drucinda said as she shot a glance over her shoulder. "But still, you can win."

"I don't see how. Devon and I aren't…" She winced as her voice echoed in the hall. "Never mind. Let's just get back to my room, and you can tell me what I have to look forward to."

They climbed the stairs, the only sound between them the clicking of their heels as they navigated the halls to her room. Paige strode inside and collapsed into an armchair.

She covered her face with her hands as the weight of the situation crushed down around her. But she couldn't leave her mother to fend for herself. She had to find her.

With a deep inhale, she dug deep to find the strength to continue. "Okay. Someone tell me what the heck my challenges are. What hell awaits me?"

"The Riddle of Hearts," Dewey said, a claw poking in the air as he paraded back and forth in an aerial pace. "Each riddle will test your understanding of love and sacrifice, delving into your shared experiences with Devon."

"Oh, well that's easy. Devon and I have no shared experiences, so my riddles should be simple to solve."

"Or harder. Maybe it would be easier if you actually had shared experiences to draw from," Dewey said with an arch of his fleshy eyebrow.

"We've had shared experiences," Devon said. "The kidnapping, for one."

"Oh, right. Yes, I can use the time you locked me in this room to ‘protect me.'"

Devon bobbed his head up and down. "Yep."

"It's still weird to me that you don't find that weird at all."

Drucinda rolled her eyes as she leaned against the mantel. "Can we please focus? You obviously have shared experiences with Devon. You've completed a few missions together. Use that."

"Okay, fine. How does this work? Does Dominic just quiz us and judge the answers?"

Drucinda doubled over with laughter. "Are you joking?"

"No? You said they're riddles. Is it a written test? Do we sit quietly in a room somewhere and fill out our answers then turn them in for a grade? What?"

"Paige…" Dewey shook his head as he paused .

"What?" Paige scanned the expressions on their faces. "What aren't you saying?"

Dewey crossed his arms over his scaly chest. "The Riddle of Hearts is held in a dreamscape realm. Basically, you'll be presented with a series of floating islands, each representing a different memory or emotion. Some will be pleasant and some will be…very painful."

"It's up to you to solve the riddles to progress."

"Okay, that doesn't sound awful," Paige said as her mind whirled. She was good with riddles. She could do this.

"Well…" Dewey wrinkled his nose, his horns wiggling. "Here's the thing. There are phantoms there."

"What?" Paige frowned at the words. "Like ghosts? I thought you said there were no ghosts?"

"There aren't. These are phantoms ." Dewey stressed the last word, waving his paws in front of him. "They'll reenact moments from your past with Devon."

"And sometimes, they'll make them worse than they were before," Drucinda warned.

"Worse?"

"Right, like your kidnapping may now be super dark instead of sort of romantic," Dewey explained.

"Uh, it was never sort of romantic," Paige argued. "Okay, so these phantoms can basically take a normal memory and turn it into a nightmare."

Drucinda bobbed her head. "Correct. They'll do anything they can to try to stop you from solving the riddle. Basically, they'll twist your memories into a living hell."

"Great, perfect. So, the first challenge will be a bunch of memories of Devon that have been soured by these goofy ghosts. How do I win?"

"Be the first to make it through all the riddles and escape the realm," Drucinda said. "And don't worry about Ivy killing you in the realm. She won't be able to get to your islands, so just complete the challenge as quickly as you can. You do not want to lose."

"Yeah, about that…if I lose…doesn't that just mean Ivy wins and gets to marry Devon?"

Devon heaved a sigh as he slouched in his seat. "Please don't lose. I don't want to marry Ivy."

Paige offered him an incredulous glance. "Yeah, well…it's not like I can help it. Plus, what if you lose? I'm stuck with Henry."

Devon set his gaze on her. "That's simple. I'm not going to lose."

"Fine, fine. Okay, but the worst-case scenario here…I lose, Devon has to marry Ivy."

"And you die," Dewey said with a nod.

"What? Wait, why?"

"Loser in one of these challenges always dies. That's the way of it. Usually at the hand of the winner. So, if you lose…you die."

Paige's jaw unhinged. "No. No, you're not serious. That makes no sense. It's a challenge for someone's hand in marriage. Not a duel to the death."

"Well, yes and no. Ivy could very well spare you. Though I doubt it." Drucinda flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and shrugged. "She hates you. I'd say she'll kill you."

"Oh, definitely," Dewey said. "Probably in a really painful way too. She'll make you suffer. She'll drag it out. She'll–"

"Okay, stop. I get it. Don't lose. So, if I win…I have to kill Ivy?"

"No, it's not required. You could let her go." Drucinda puckered her lips and arched an eyebrow. "I wouldn't. I'd stake her right through the heart."

Paige winced at the idea, imagining herself shoving a wooden stake through the woman's heart as blood spurted everywhere. "Okay, we'll, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. So, first challenge, solve the riddles quickly and get out. What was the second one?"

"The Gauntlet of Trust," Dewey answered. "A mystical, maze-like gauntlet brimming with illusions and obstacles that will test your commitment to Devon. You'll have to navigate a treacherous path while actively choosing things that demonstrate your willingness to sacrifice for Devon."

Paige let her eyes slide closed. "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. And the fun bit is…we'll get to watch it on the Jumbotron like a live-action movie." A grin spread across Dewey's face.

"Stop smiling. This is awful."

"But it is another realm where you will have limited contact with Ivy, though there may be some. So you'll need to watch your back, but for the most part, you can concentrate on the challenge without fearing she will kill you."

"Oh, awesome, great. Super simple, yeah. I've got this."

"I wouldn't be so cocky, Paige," Dewey said with a shake of his head. "I doubt you've ‘got it.'"

Paige narrowed her eyes at him. "I was being sarcastic. What's the last one? Assuming I make it that far."

"The Duel of Shared Memories," Dewey announced, his voice dramatic.

Paige covered her face with her hands. "A duel. That's just great."

"In this wonderful event, you and Ivy will go to a magical area where you will each be given the opportunity to conjure a vivid illusion of your most cherished memory with Devon. Whoever created the most powerful, heartfelt memory reflecting their love and connection with him wins. You'll take turns for three rounds."

"And also," Drucinda added, "Ivy will have the ability to kill you in this one because you'll be together."

"Ohhhh, perfect. So, I need to come up with heartfelt memories of Devon while avoiding being killed. Perfect. This is just grand. I'll die before I ever find my mother."

"Come on, Paige," Dewey said. "Don't be a Debbie Downer. You have to think positive. You can win."

"Can I? My connection with Devon is tenuous at best. This is a fake marriage, so my loving memories should pale in comparison to Ivy's, not to mention my humanity will likely be a detriment, and I'll probably just get bitten and die a slow painful death."

"Or you could win…and marry Devon."

Paige slid her eyes closed. Which was worse? Dying at the hand of a Venompire or being stuck with Dominic Durand as a father-in-law for the rest of her life? She wasn't certain, but she knew one thing. She may not survive this challenge no matter the outcome.