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“I’m not sure it will, unfortunately.” She sighed. “Look, the Masters are coming.”

Indeed they were, but that wouldn’t stop my plan. We needed more time. “Never fear, Zane is here. I’ve got it covered.”

Master Nolan and Master Luna rushed over, shouting at the two dudes to stop.

Unfortunately for them, I had no intention of allowing them to do so.

Without thinking, I threw a punch at Nolan, then hid behind one of the guy’s fighting and shoved him towards Master Nolan.

The Master took one look at him before cracking a fist over his jaw.

Honestly, it couldn’t have worked out better. Now, there were two fights happening and a crowd full of Potentials urging them all on.

It was beautiful.

I caught Lou chuckling beside me when Nolan’s nose crunched beneath a fist. For someone who looked so innocent, she sure loved a violent show.

“That’s enough!” Master Luna boomed, her magic luring the vines from the walls.

They launched at Master Nolan and the two dudes, tearing them apart and shoving them into separate corners like naughty schoolchildren.

“Everyone is to return to their rooms where a jumpsuit will be waiting for you. Change and head to the Verdant Plateau arena where you will be given further instruction. Anyone who takes longer than twenty minutes will forfeit and no longer be eligible to win the crown. Go.”

“Oh, bugger,” Lou cried, racing for the door with the other Potentials eager to avoid elimination. “Kendra, where are you?”

Where was she indeed? And where was Starfish and the rest of my pod?

The foyer quickly cleared of Potentials, leaving me with the guests. It didn’t stop me from feeling as alone as a buoy in the sea, though.

She’d probably never be mine again after meeting with her dad, but that didn’t matter right now.

I just needed to see she was alive and well.

Noah, Ace, and Kayden on the other hand, would turn on me for sure and throw me out of the pod faster than you could say ‘walk the plank’.

Unless I won the crown. If I became king, I could fix everything.

Racing from the auditorium, I headed for my dorm. I didn’t see my pod as I went, but I tried not to let any fear sink in. They should have been back by now, but if something had gone wrong, then becoming Terrulia’s ruler might be the only way to save them.

I quickly changed as the empty pit in my gut grew with each minute.

Once I had the jumpsuit on, I moved determinedly to the Verdant Plateau where I found Lou on the lush grass.

The rest of our pod was nowhere in sight and there was no way to stall.

Master Luna would likely just wrap me in plants to shut me up.

The crown. Win the crown and everything would be alright.

Drones floated overhead, their bright lights and cameras focused on us below, broadcasting my shame.

Around me, Potentials were gathering, their jumpsuits’ colours matching their cities of origin, though their faces were all the same.

Anticipation and fear lined every face. I didn’t need my magic to sense they were equally scared and ready to be done with the Terrulian Trials.

“Ugh, this is so not my colour,” Lou groaned in her sky-blue outfit.

“You look fine,” I replied, looking around for the others. Was I a fool to not give up hope?

“Teal is definitely yours though.”

“Of course it is. Can you see them?” I asked, feeling less and less optimistic by the second.

She shook her head. “They should be back by now.”

This pirate needed a few bottles of rum to calm his nerves because right now, I was close to letting my magic go. Then we’d be having a communal panic attack.

“The Terrulian Trials consist of three tasks that seek to find the bravest, strongest, wisest and most suitable citizen to rule our country,” The Overseer announced from her perch on a boulder, overlooking all gathered.

I had no idea where she had snuck off to, but it had to be a good sign that she was here for this.

Her voice echoed in the air, silencing the conversations around us.

“This year, we were privileged to have an abundance of candidates complete the trials, and so we present one last trial—a tournament of sorts—that will lead us to our new monarch. You will battle with whatever means necessary, magic or weapon, versing one opponent at a time completely at random until we have a victor. Through representing our great cities, you will prove your worth and show the country that you will stop at nothing to sit on the throne.”

The Potentials glanced around at one another, eyeing our competition.

This was it. One of us would be king or queen.

The night was thick with emotions filling the air and making it feel as though I was swimming through them.

Excitement, fear, determination, and a whole lot of anxiety came from me alone.

Where the fuck were the others?

The Overseer snapped her fingers with a loud click. “You now have access to your magic. Prove to everyone that you are the most powerful, the most determined, and the worthiest.”

Sparks crackled from fingertips, grass grew taller around ankles, and the ground itself trembled as each Potentials’ magic broke free.

Rocks lifted in the air around one woman in particular, rotating in a circle around her like she was at the centre of her very own solar system.

Another dude just beyond her lifted his arm, the limb’s length stretching over three times its size before contracting once more.

“There are some seriously powerful people here,” Lou whispered at my side.

“You’re one of them,” I told her. “Don’t forget it.”

“Tonight,” the Overseer continued, her arms spread wide, “We will crown our victor in a battle to the death. The last one standing shall rule Terrulia.”