Despite her vigilance, the sixth challenge caught Kayla off guard. She had escaped the snares of a giant spider, solved the puzzle of the lava geysers, clung to the stalactites across the wide river of blood, and disarmed the booby-trapped hall of death in the nick of time. Kayla had expected another beast to fight, a riddle to solve. But the sixth challenge instantly stilled her heart.

The glow of Kayla’s lantern illuminated a dark, cavernous space. No end in sight. No ceiling low enough to see. Kayla wiped the rivers of sweat off her forehead. She was getting close to the core. One step closer to the Jewel of Laridal.

Resting against the wall, she fingered sticky strands of web out of her hair, silently watching the dark space. Kayla didn’t trust the darkness. It was too thick. Too palpable. No telling what beast waited for her inside.

Come on, Kayla. You’ve come this far. Kevin didn’t give up on you. Just the memory of her brother gnarled her heart up into rancorous knots. He’d sacrificed his life for her. He’d tried to warn her not to enter the Challenges, and yet she hadn’t listened. Look what it had cost her.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she surveyed the growing darkness. She rubbed the sweat off her forehead again. Memories of the previous challenges haunted her mind. Weariness egged at her bones, dragged at her eyelids. Wouldn’t it all be better to face this next challenge tomorrow? Or the next day? Maybe never? This stone wall felt very soft to the touch. At least a little respite…

Just as she nodded off to sleep, lulled by the eerie darkness surrounding her, Kayla heard an ominous voice linger out of the dark hall behind her.

“That’s it, princess. Go to sleep. You deserve a little breather.”

Kayla’s eyes flew wide open. She recognized that voice. The silver-tongued voice of her ex-lover.

She scrambled away from the voice into the tangible darkness. The black fog swirled all around her, grasping at her with its icy tendrils. She quickly lost her sense of direction, and fear began to flood her veins. She should’ve known she see him eventually. He lived and breathed around the core.

“What’s wrong, Kayla?” The suave voice continued, echoing all around her in the cavernous space. “Having second thoughts about me? Just like you did the prince?”

Leave it to Lucius to bypass all forms of gentility and expose the raw areas of her heart. Kayla whirled around in a circle, trying to locate the former captain and chief-musician of Nev.

“You think you can retrieve the Jewel of Laridal?” Lucius continued, his voice winding around her soul like a snake. “You think yourself worthy of besting the King’s challenges? Look at you. You are despicable! The king banished you. The prince cannot marry you anymore because your ring is mauled with darkness. There is no sparkle left on your ring.”

Kayla’s chest heaved in and out as she wrestled with the doubts Lucius planted in her mind. He’s wrong. I have to rescue my people. It’s my fault they’re banished.

“Ah, yes, darling, it is your fault,” Lucius whispered, frighteningly close. “If you had only remained faithful to the prince, then your people wouldn’t be here. They trusted you, and look where you led them.”

Salty droplets dripped down Kayla’s face. “Stop it, Lucius! You’ve already destroyed my life.”

“No, dear,” Lucius hissed softly. “You did. And you killed your brother, too.”

Grief gnawed ravenously at Kayla’s heart, and she swung her sword into the direction of Lucius’s voice. Her blade passed through air, and she stumbled off-balance. Tears cascaded down, and Kayla’s lip trembled.

“No! That’s not true!”

“Isn’t it?” Lucius said. “If you had headed back to your village, you could both be alive.” He clicked his tongue, and his icy fingers brushed her cheek. “It’s too bad. You would’ve made a beautiful bride.”

Kayla instinctively arced her blade, but she connected with air again. Sobs rippled her chest as Lucius tore down every last inner defense, exposing her darkest secrets. “I was a fool to think I saw something in you before.”

Lucius emerged from the dark fog in front of her, his flawless dark hair rustling in the wind. A savage, evil glint in her debonair eyes. In an instant, Kayla relived all the attraction and repulsion she’d felt towards the former captain of Nev. Kayla thrust forward, but Lucius brought his sword down on hers hard. Her blade splintered into shards.

Quick as lightning, she whipped her bow off her shoulder and fired several arrows towards him. He deflected them with a single flick of his hand. Kayla unsheathed her dagger and rushed towards him. Lucius deftly grasped her wrist and flipped her to the ground.

Lucius gazed down at her, clicking his tongue disdainfully. “Is that all you’ve got, dear princess? Surely, you came better prepared.” Before she could reach into her pack, Lucius placed the tip of his blade at her throat.

Kayla played her last card. “The king has promised a Wanderer will retrieve the Jewel of Laridal. You can’t possibly reach it, because you’re not a Wanderer. You need me to get it.”

Lucius chuckled. A chuckle that froze Kayla’s blood. “My dear Kayla, you think you would learn not to trust my rumors. You need an unblemished ring to retrieve the Jewel of Laridal. And you, honey, have the furthest thing from. And now that the prince is in my grasp, I’ll be heir to the throne with you out of the way.”