Midnight Truth (Shifter Island #4) - Leia Stone Page 0,16
of earth, buried me in the dirt all the way up to my chin and then told me to get out. At first, I panicked because the earth bound me so tightly I could only gasp short breaths. Once I relaxed and tuned into the soil around me, I widened the hole and then pushed the dirt beneath my feet until I rose out of my tightly packed near-grave. Then I stepped across the gap to Heath’s side.
“Well done, Nai,” he’d said, crossing the distance to shake my hand. His eyes were swirling shades of brown and gold, and his silk robes were the same color as the ground he’d buried me in. His grip was just as strong.
“Thanks,” I’d said, releasing his icy hand as fast as I could.
Mental note to self: Heath might not be a psycho, but his hands were the same temperature as the dirt six feet down.
Air had been the hardest so far. Orion, high mage of air, had basically stuck me inside of a tornado and told me to get out. I did, finally, and then promptly threw up. Now I was bruised, my insides were still churning, half the day was gone, and I still had the fire and spirit obstacles left.
“Do you want this?” Rey asked, holding out a foil-wrapped package that resembled a burrito. “You look a little green.”
I cleared my throat. “What is it?”
“A chicken burrito.”
I groaned but held out my hand. I would probably need the calories; this magic work was taking a lot out of me.
“Sariah thought you should get plenty of protein and carbs.”
I unwrapped the package, and the smells of grilled chicken, fresh salsa, and warm tortilla hit my nose. I dug right in. “I’m sure she’s right,” I mumbled between bites, not even taking the time to taste the deliciousness. “Who’s next—Gramps or the high turd of fire?”
Reyna snickered. “High Mage Snade is the meanest of them all, they say.”
She pointed to a marble castle, the white stone in stark contrast to the red and orange, flame-like, stained-glass windows. “When you’re done there, I’ll bring you back to Geoff for your spirit trial. Good luck.”
I guzzled the bottle of water she offered then gave it back to her empty, along with the burrito wrapper. “Thanks, Rey.”
“You bet.”
Was I walking with a slight limp? Sure. And I probably looked even worse than I felt, but I had this. I needed to pass my tests. Then I’d be in Rage’s arms in no time.
Turning away from Reyna, I trudged toward the castle of fire.
Not even five minutes later, I stood before the entrance with every nerve in my gut burning as if they were scorched with live flames. Maybe I was about to be burned alive. Maybe I was just a bit nervous. Maybe that was the jalapenos from my burrito.
I passed through the wrought-iron gate, and just inside the courtyard, I pulled to a stop. The red and orange streaks in the windowpane looked a lot like live flames licking the pristine stone. Fire was Rage’s element—which made me wonder what he was doing right now. What the Mage was the purpose of these stupid tests? And why did this initiation have to take all day? A bubble of self-pity welled up inside me. This initiation test sucked.
“Hello, Nai,” a man’s deep voice called from behind me, and I jumped.
Spinning around, I came face-to-face with the high mage of fire. He wore a bright orange silk robe and peered down his crooked nose at me with eyes that swirled like flames. At least, I was 75.4% sure he was staring at me with those creeptastic eyes. Black tufts of hair framed his otherwise bald head, and I noticed the tuft above his left ear was shorter than the one on his right … and was that ash on his shoulder?
“You scared me,” I admitted, and grabbed my chest.
He blinked, but his expression remained emotionless. “Typically, it’s bad form to enter someone’s estate without their permission.”
Okaay. Wasn’t he expecting me?
“I apologize if I was rude. I didn’t want to be late for your test … or, rather, my test …with you.”
He blinked again and then strode through the gates of his estate and past me, leaving me to scurry behind him.
We passed through the beautiful courtyard of the grounds that held a large grove of fruit trees. Ripe apples, clementines, and peaches hung from the branches, their colors mirroring the lilies and daisies that filled the flowerbeds.