All eyes panned his way. “You don’t think so?” Zander said. “Why?”
“Just a feeling I have.”
“And where was this feeling yesterday?” Flynn scoffed. “Did it abandon you during the game?”
“I’m just saying…” Tobias scanned the group, his gaze stern, “…approach today’s challenge with caution.”
Flynn let out an unimpressed laugh, though it faded once the Proctor came down the labyrinth, a large, ornate hourglass in his hands.
“Good morning, gentlemen.”
The wall behind him burst apart, and the men recoiled.
“Welcome to your sixth challenge.”
The men hurried to where the wall once stood. The sanctuary had become a cliff, far below it a dark and narrow ravine. A small patch of stone floor sat across from the inky water, and seated at its rear were the exact four women Tobias expected to see.
“In the pursuit of love, sometimes we must extend ourselves. We must explore new depths searching for the means to unlock our beloved’s affection.” The Proctor’s gaze drifted to the black water. “At the bottom of this ravine lie the keys to The Savior’s heart. Hundreds of them. It is your job to collect as many as possible.”
He flipped his hourglass, sending flecks of white pouring down. “You have as long as the sands permit. Explore the ravine. Collect your keys. And may the best man win.”
Stepping aside, he cocked his head at the ravine below. “Now dive.”
Dive? Tobias stared down into the water—hellishly dark and likely unnavigable.
“You can’t see a thing down there,” Beau whispered.
Long seconds of gawking passed, and Garrick shouldered his way to the front of the group. “Bunch of cowards.”
He flung himself from the cliff, plummeting for what seemed like ages before crashing into the water. The remaining men peered over the edge, frozen stiff until Garrick bobbed up to the surface.
A second man dove over the cliff’s edge. A third. Others were apprehensive, gazing between the ravine and the hourglass, though Tobias’s stare was steadfast, focused on Leila. Throw the challenge, except he hadn’t a clue what punishment awaited the loser. Today, he fought for Cosima. He took a step back, held his breath, and dove off the edge.
An explosion of water erupted around him. He opened his eyes, expecting to see black, but instead his surroundings were perfectly clear, fading to darkness a short distance ahead. With a kick, he propelled himself deep into the ravine, the water around him perpetually bright.
Movement flitted in his peripheral vision, along with a glint of light—a competitor navigating the water, though it piqued his nerves nonetheless. He continued on his descent, and the ravine floor materialized in the distance, covered in silver, heart-shaped keys. The keys to Her heart. How trite. But the water still flickered at his side, more annoying than anything else, and he turned to glare at whoever was swimming too close for comfort.
The creature was massive, the length of a large boat or maybe a small ship—a monstrous eel of some kind, its body slim and narrow, its ragged fins like shredded kelp. Every inch of it was hideous, but the true horror lay in its face: large, glowing eyes and daggerlike teeth.
Tobias bolted toward the surface, fighting like mad to get out of that damn ravine. A tail flitted at his side—God, there’s more than one?—and he pushed himself, swimming faster until the light of the surface was in sight.
Bursting above the water, Tobias gasped for air and darted toward solid land. Other men did the same, flopping onto the floor and scrambling along its surface.
“What the fuck is down there?” Caesar spat.
“Something touched me.” Beau scuttled far from the ravine edge. “Did you see it? What is it?”
“They’re creatures,” Tobias panted, pulling himself to safety.
Zander’s brows knitted together. “Creatures?”
“Monsters. Eels or something. But with teeth.”
“How do you know this?” Beau said.
Tobias glanced between the men. “You can’t see them?”
“See what?” Caesar hissed. “It’s black as shit down there. There’s nothing but darkness and…and glowing dots.”
“They’re Guardians.”
The Proctor stood off to the side, clutching his hourglass. Beyond him sat the line of women, their faces twisted with intrigue, concern, and in Leila’s case, fear.
“The keys to our Savior’s heart are kept well protected,” the Proctor said. “Beware the Guardians, and swim with caution.”
“How the hell do we swim with caution if we can’t see?” Caesar barked.
“You waste time.” The Proctor nodded at his hourglass. “The sands are shifting. Compete, or forfeit and