Gift of the Gods (Magic Blessed Academy 1)

Both of us jerked, pulled out of the little bubble we’d found ourselves in. I twisted the hem of the oversized t-shirt between my fingers as I stepped over to stand next to Trace, who was looking out at the valley that stretched before us.

We stood at the edge of a lush forest. Without the height and distance we’d had on the mountain, we couldn’t see over the tops of the trees.

But we didn’t need to.

The glow I’d spotted before seemed to pulse through the trees. I was pretty sure we were at least a couple miles away from the source, but whatever it was, it was so bright that there was no way to miss it.

It flickered and pulsed, but in no specific rhythm or pattern. I knew it couldn’t be coming from fire—thank all the gods in the realm—but that was the kind of light that it gave off. It flickered like a flame in the wind.

The only difference was, it was a hell of a lot brighter than one single flame.

I clapped my hands together and rubbed them swiftly, palm to palm. “At least we’re getting close to whatever it is. Let’s go.”

We started off through the forest, diverging briefly when Lachlan caught the sound of running water. We’d left our pack behind, which meant we were entirely out of food and drink, as well as any other supplies we’d had, and although I was anxious to reach the source of the glow, we had to be smart.

There was no guarantee the challenge wouldn’t continue for another month, so we couldn’t afford to pass up a chance to hydrate.

“Thank fuck. I feel like a new man.”

Trace shook out his wet hair as we tromped through the thick underbrush. He’d stuck his whole head in the stream, and water droplets clung to his bare neck and shoulders in little beads.

The temptation to stop and bathe in the stream like we’d done on a few other occasions had been strong, but that could wait until we knew what we were dealing with up ahead.

I sighed. “Gods, I’d kill for a hot shower right about n—”

A loud crack sounded from my right, cutting me off.

We all spun in that direction, instantly alert. Half a second later, two figures came barreling through the trees, hurling bolts of magic at each other.

For a wild moment, hope actually made me perk up. Was it Chetna and Knox? Had they survived.

“Fuck! Ari, look out!”

Merrick’s cry of warning made reality slam back into me like a truck. The figures approaching us were locked in a deadly fight, and one of the blasts of magic had gone wide, heading right toward me. I threw up a shield at the last second, and it deflected the sharp, glowing spear, although the force of the blow still sent me staggering back.

The newcomers both caught sight of us at the same time, pausing their fight for a second as they processed the fact that they were no longer alone—that this was now a six-way fight instead of a two-way battle.

Then they took off, pivoting at almost the exact same moment.

“Shit! Hurry! Don’t let them get there first!”

Trace’s yell came as we were already sprinting after them, heading straight for the flickering light. We couldn’t let them get there before us, especially since we needed a clue. Without any kind of guidance, we’d be left wandering the deadly landscape aimlessly.

We bombarded them with magic, not trying to kill them, just trying to slow them down. None of us wanted to be the cause of someone’s death out here.

Merrick was the quickest of all of us, pulling at least four body lengths ahead of us, right on the heels of one of the contestants.

It wasn’t Chetna and Knox, I realized. It was Brielle and another student named Shane. I hadn’t seen either of them since the very beginning of this whole ordeal.

Merrick slapped his hand downward, letting a long, thin rope of magic extend from his palm. Shane looked back as he ran, cursing and flinging what looked like balls of smoky energy at Merrick. One skimmed his cheek, and his stride stuttered.

Picking up his pace again, he reached up and wiped soot from the burn across his skin.

His face tightened with anger as he pulled back his magic rope and whipped it toward Shane. The lanky guy yelled out, tumbling forward and slamming against the forest floor.

He slid through the leaves and twigs, coming to a stop face down.

Still alive.