The monopod beast towered over us, and his shadow shielded the entire coven from the light. I could hear the witches panting in fear as we took small steps back, and the creature lowered its large head and studied us with his yellow eyes.
As he came closer, I noticed how odd his features were. He had a human nose that looked as if it had been broken several times over, and his eyes were mismatched, with the right one lower than the left. His face was droopy and dumb-looking, and his lips reminded me of two fat oversized worms.
“Who dares come into my home?” he growled in a low, deep voice.
His breath hit us like a foul fog, and each word echoed around us. His voice made the trees and stones tremble, and birds cawed out in fear as they swarmed all around him. When none of us said a word, his broad face scrunched up in disapproval, as if he was appalled we weren’t responding to him.
“Well?” he demanded. “Why do you not speak? Do you think you’re better than me?”
“No, of course not,” I said as I hid my wand behind my back.
We’d never studied this kind of creature before, and I wondered if we could get out of this without resorting to magic. Who knew which spells would or would not work on such a magnificently large creature? So, I decided I’d do my best to find another way around.
If that was possible.
“We are foreigners,” I continued, “and we just so happen to have stumbled upon your abode. We meant no disrespect.
“Even if you didn’t mean any disrespect,” the creature growled, “trespassing is generally considered rude.”
“Cole,” Morgana whispered behind me, “what are you doing?”
The massive beast took a step forward, and when I looked into his eyes, I knew a conversation was not going to get us out of here.
If we wanted to get out of this alive, then we’d all have to work together and at the same time.
“Get your wands ready,” I hissed. “We need to attack at once.”
“What did you say, boy?” the monopod growled.
“I said we might need to head back at once.” I smiled. “We meant no harm, you see. So, we’d best be getting back.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” the beast snarled. “I hate to be the rude one, but I can’t just let you go, even if I accepted you as my guests.”
“And why is that?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
“I haven’t fed for days… and while it’s true I’m not usually partial to Wicca meat, I suppose you’ll have to do.” He grinned.
Then the monopod took another, hopping step closer, and I knew it was time.
“Now!” I called out.
Each witch raised their wand and incanted a plaga curse. All our spells hit the creature at once, and he wailed and took a clumsy step back. His eyes grew wide in pain and agony as his one foot tumbled backward, and he almost went crashing down to the ground as he stumbled around and knocked trees from their roots and sent them flying. He must have been in excruciating pain because large boils, scabs, and rashes began to cover his sallow skin, and the more he picked and scratched at them, the more he began to bleed.
“Let’s go!” I yelled.
My coven nodded vigorously, and we dashed into the jungle. We ran hard and fast and didn’t stop for a breath until we came to the edge of a cliff, and when I looked down, I saw the sand-colored ocean below us and the jagged red rocks surrounding the cliff wall. It was a long way down, and I thanked Satan I had stopped in time.
“Shit,” Akira muttered. “We’re going to have to turn back.”
“But that creature could be right behind us,” Faye argued.
“Would you rather jump?” Vesta asked.
“I know I wouldn’t,” Morgana huffed and folded her arms.
“So, it’s settled,” I sighed impatiently. “We turn around and find a safe spot to gather our bearings. And by the way, that’s a command, not a suggestion.”
My coven obediently turned around and began to make their way back into the jungle, but I stopped when I heard a rustling of leaves in front of us. Then my face fell when I saw the Mors trio right in front of us.
They were covered head to toe in blood and sand, but their eyes were visible. They glared hard at us, and I knew murder was on their minds.
“Stop,” I called out.
My coven stopped in their tracks, and it was a long, heavy moment before anyone said anything.
“You left us there to die,” Bram finally growled, and his green eyes were filled with feral rage.
“Well, you didn’t die.” Akira shrugged. “So, perk up and fuck off.”
“We should kill you all,” Malcolm spat as he flicked his white hair out of his pale face. “I wouldn’t care if it took away a bit of my soul… you’d all be worth the killing curse.”
“You just try,” Morgana sneered before she pulled out her wand.
Before anyone could say anything, trees began to come crashing down behind the Mors team. Then they all slowly turned around and screamed as the monopod ran right into them.
The dark-haired warlock nearly got crushed underneath the beast’s heavy, boil-covered foot, but he managed to roll out its way just in time. The creature was wild with rage and pain, and it was apparent he didn’t care who he killed, as long as he got to take out his anger on something or someone. He reached for Bram, and the warlock cried out as he was picked up by the monster. The warlock wriggled and squirmed in the giant’s massive, clenched hand as his teammates tried to hit the creature with their spells, but no matter what they did, the monopod wouldn’t let Bram go. Then he used his other hand to pinch his arm, and I watched as the monster twisted and ripped Bram’s arm right out of its socket. Dark blood spurted like a fountain through the air, and Bram let out a terrible scream.
“We need to go,” I hissed as I looked around.
“Maybe we can get around the monopod,” Morgana suggested.
Right as the words left her lips, though, we heard something like a giant stampede heading toward us. Trees were being knocked over, and when the trees parted, I realized with horror that at least five other monopods were heading this way.
“Maybe not,” Akira whispered.
I turned around and stared at the cliff. It was our only other choice, whether the women liked it or not.
“We’re going to have to jump,” I said.
“What?” Faye shrieked. “I can’t even swim.”
“Why worry about swimming when we’re probably going to die from the fall?” Morgana groaned.
“Look, I order you all to stop questioning me and just fucking jump!” I shouted as the beasts grew too close for my liking.
My coven whipped around, and as we sped toward the cliff, I didn’t even look down before I leaped. The witches screamed as we fell through the air, and I closed my eyes before we landed in the water. The impact was like slamming into stone, but I was still alive, so I guessed my immortal coven would be fine as well.
I sunk down into the depths of the lukewarm water, and when I recovered from the shock, I pushed my arms upward and swam to the surface. I gulped for air as soon as my head shot up from the surface, and as I swiped the water away from my face, I saw my witches above the surface with wet hair and red faces. They were coughing wildly, but my heart sank when I didn’t see Faye.
“Where’s Faye?” Akira cried out.
Without answering, I dove back under the water and opened my eyes. I searched for the redheaded witch, but I didn’t see anything in the murky brown water. I swam a little further, and then, behind some towering yellow seaweed, I saw red hair floating in the current. I pushed my body forward, and when I reached the unconscious witch, I pulled her by her underarms and swam upward.
I gasped for air when I broke through the surface, but Faye didn’t open her eyes or mouth when her head emerged from the water.
“Shit,” I muttered as I dragged her toward the shore.
The other witches were all on the beach, and their eyes were filled with terror as I carried the unconscious redhead back onto the teal sand.
“She’s not breathing,” I panted as I gently placed Faye down on the sand.
“But she can’t be dead.” Akira shook her head. “The pact won’t let her die.”
“She’ll be fine,” Morgana said as she swept a green strand out of Faye’s face.
“Let’s just rest here for a moment before we run back into the jungle,” I suggested as I tried to regain my breath. “We need to gather our bearings anyway.”
“At least this isn’t the same beach we started at,” Morgana sighed.
I looked around, and I realized she was right. The rocks were different, and this sand was a deeper shade of blue than the other beach.
“Check my back, Morgana,” I said.
The brunette stood up and examined the map. She didn’t say anything as she stared at my skin, though, and finally, Akira lost her patience.
“Well?” the black-eyed witch demanded. “Do I have to remind you time is not on our side? Who knows where the other teams are?”
“I’m taking my time because that’s the smart thing to do,” Morgana scoffed. “Sometimes, these maps are solely designed to trick you.”
The short-haired witch sighed but didn’t argue further, since we all knew when Morgana said something, it was best to follow her lead.
“What’s going on?” Faye groaned as she slowly sat up.
“You were knocked out, but Cole brought you back.” Vesta smiled. “Now, we’re just waiting for Morgana to lead the way.”
We waited for another long moment, and finally, Morgana nodded slowly.
“Alright,” the bookworm said. “I think I know where we have to go… follow me.”
Morgana stood up, and we followed her back into the multicolored thicket. She led us past three-eyed monkeys, pink elks with flowers in their antlers, translucent birds, and other whacky-looking creatures. We treaded through the jungle, and the deeper we went, the quieter it became, and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as the air grew colder.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going, Morgana?” Akira asked after a while.
“Yeah, I have a strange feeling about this place,” Faye added and wrapped her freckled arms around herself. “There aren’t any animals around… it’s too quiet.”
“Trust me,” Morgana replied, and her tone was confident.
We trailed after the brunette, and finally, we reached a long, golden cave that glittered off in the distance. It sparkled like real gold under the pale light that streamed through the canopy, and a smile spread across my face.
This had to be it.
“You did it, Morgana!” Akira grinned. “Well fucking done.”
“Thank you,” Morgana giggled.
We headed down to the cave, and when we looked around, we noticed no one else was around. We must have been the first ones to reach the finishing line.
“We did it,” Akira breathed. “We won!”
“Not just yet,” I reminded her.
When we reached the mouth of the cave, though, all our faces fell. The entrance was blocked by a massive golden stone with carvings on the front, and something told me we wouldn’t be able to physically move or use any spell against it.
“In lunam, ut non revelare secreta mea,” I read the inscription off the statue’s base.
“Only the moonlight may reveal my secrets,” Morgana muttered before she looked up to the sky and grinned. “We need to bring the moon out.”
“That requires a lot of energy, Morgana,” Faye said, and she chewed on her lower lip with worry. “We read about that in the books down in the cellar. Only the most powerful Wicca can turn day into night with a full moon… and also, remember where we are? We’d need to imagine a normal night sky, and what if we mess that up and create a black moon and a white sky?”
“What if we recite the spell together?” I suggested. “It’s a blood curse… and we’re bound by blood.”
“That’s brilliant.” Morgana smiled. “He’s right!”
“How do you know?” Akira grumbled.
“Did you see how much damage we inflicted on that monopod when we combined our powers?” she reminded us. “Well, imagine what we can do with a blood curse when our blood is bonded by a pact? I’m sure we can bring the real moon out.”
The witches took a deep breath and nodded their heads before we raised our hands above our heads. Then I stared right into the blank sky partially hidden by the bright canopy. All these colors that surrounded us would make it difficult to think of a dark night with a full moon, but we had to try.
We all closed our eyes, and, in my mind, I pictured a deep, blue night sky. I imagined a full yellow moon and how brightly it would shine on our faces. I could smell the cold, crisp night air in my head and the gentle night breeze that followed. As I continued to picture this, a small wind picked up around our ankles, and the air grew colder. I could feel the light leaving the jungle and night falling down upon us, and when I opened my eyes, I smirked in satisfaction. We’d managed to turn the sky into a midnight blue, and stars sparkled above us.
But more importantly, there was a full moon that shone through the canopy, and its light hit the cave door.
“We did it!” Faye squealed with joy.
The cave stone slowly started to rumble, and it gently rolled away from the entranceway.
“Let’s go!” Akira breathed.
“Wait,” I said before she stepped inside the darkness, and I raised my wand in front of me. “Illuminana.”
A small light illuminated the way, and when we stepped inside, it seemed like an ordinary cave, aside from the golden walls that surrounded us, of course. We ventured deeper into the tunnel, and we all stopped in our tracks when we saw a tall, golden column with a small chest on top of it. It glittered even brighter than the golden stone walls, and we all circled the tiny container. There was no key, and for some reason, I thought that was too easy. There must have been a trap of some kind, I was sure of it.
Faye reached out to touch it, but I snatched her hand before she could.
“Wait a moment,” I said. “Let’s not open it in here.”
“But we have to,” Akira hissed. “The key is in there, and that’s our way back to the school.”
“Just… give me a moment,” I sighed.
“You don’t have one,” Morgana breathed as she pointed to something behind me, and I turned to see Penelope, Ivy, Iris, and Beatrix all standing there.
The second Scholomance team looked like hell. Each one of them had blood and gore splattered all over their uniforms, and small cuts were bleeding all over their faces.
“What the hell happened to you?” Akira scoffed.
“A pack of lutins, if you must know,” Penelope grumbled.
“Don’t bother talking to her, Penelope!” Beatrix hissed. “Let’s just get them out of the way.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said with my own wand raised.
“Get out of the way,” Penelope sneered as she glared into my eyes. “We’re not going to kill you. We just want you to move away from the chest… and carefully.”
“I don’t think we’ll be doing that,” Morgana muttered.
Then the bookworm closed her eyes and raised her wand, and her palm split open as fresh blood began to drip down her wand. A heavy wind picked up, and it blew across the other Scholomance team. They tried to push against it, but the wind knocked their wands out of their hands.
When the gusts settled, the witches all looked at us with pale faces and wide, fearful eyes.
“Please,” Ivy pleaded. “Don’t hurt us… w-we said we wouldn’t kill you.”
“We won’t hurt you,” Morgana replied with a light shrug. “As long as you leave now, then we’ll spare you any pain.”
The twins tugged Penelope back, but the orange-haired witch didn’t budge. Beatrix looked torn as if she couldn’t decide to stay or abandon her teammates, but Penelope shot daggers at us all and refused to move.
“I’m not fucking leaving,” she growled. “They won the first game, and I promised myself they wouldn’t win the second.”
“Come on, Penelope,” Iris begged, and I noticed the blue streak in her hair had been ripped out at the scalp. “It’s no use. Our wands are gone."
“Yeah, Penelope,” Akira mocked. “How about you go, too?”
Without further hesitation, Penelope lunged forward, but Morgana was too quick.
“Volant!” the brunette cried out.
The blast of light hit the orange-haired witch right in the chest, and it sent her flying back. Her scream echoed for a long while, so Morgana’s spell must have sent her to the mouth of the cave.
“Who else wants to try the express route?” Morgana asked with a raised eyebrow.
The rest of the team shook their heads and turned on their heels. Then they left the cave and didn’t look back.
“That’s what I thought.” Morgana smirked.
“That was badass, nerd,” Akira snickered as she nudged the brunette. “I like it when you are sassy. It’s super hot.”
“Why, thank you,” Morgana chuckled.
“Hey, I hate to break up your moment,” Vesta snapped, “but we need to find out how to open this chest.”
“Yeah, according to you, Cole,” Akira said with her arms crossed, “we can’t open it here.”
“Don’t you get it?” I smiled.
They stared at me as if I were a madman, though, so I sighed and looked away.
“The stone said only the moonlight can unlock my secrets… we need to open this under the moonlight!” I explained.
Morgana began to laugh, and the others turned to her in confusion.
“How could I have missed that?” She shook her head. “Oh, I'll never forgive myself for not thinking of that first.”
“Well, you can self-loathe later,” Akira said. “Let’s take this chest and open it outside.”
I gently grabbed the box, and we carried it out of the cave, but when we stepped outside, I was surprised to see none of the witches or warlocks were around. But then again, who knew which ones were still alive? Especially now, when the darkness had fallen upon us. The night would only bring out more deadly creatures, and I knew the sooner we returned to the academy, the better.
So, I set the chest down on the soil, exactly where a beam of moonlight was hitting the jungle floor, and as soon as the light hit it, the chest slowly turned from wood to solid gold. My coven gasped as the lid popped open, and glittering gold light emerged from inside the chest.
I reached into the small container and pulled out an intricate and heavy gold key, and the moment I lifted it up in my hands and twirled it under the light, we heard thunderous applause from above us.
We had won the second game.