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Griff’s magic grows, and I know that he’s using his echolocation thing.

He doesn’t seem too concerned, judging from his expression, but he and Reed still cautiously enter the cave just to make sure that there is nothing lurking in there, as the rest of us continue to climb.

I must admit that my arms are starting to get tired now, and if I can walk tomorrow, after all of the running and climbing that I’ve done, I will be very surprised.

I did bring some of my favorite healing herbs that go into a warm bath and help to gently heal and ease sore muscles.

I frown slightly. I hope I’ve got enough for everyone.

Griff and Reed give us the all clear, and Doc and Van disappear over the edge of the cave and then reach down for me, hauling me over the edge with ease.

Once we’re all inside and relatively safe, I take a look around.

The cave is pretty big, and there’s more than enough space for us to move around.

The view out across the rocky terrain and the forest is absolutely amazing, and the forest is so vast that I can’t see anything else beyond it.

What I do see is the sun dipping ever closer behind the horizon, and a sense of urgency hits me.

We need to get out of here as quickly as we can.

Turning back to face the cave, I spot a plinth tucked away at the back, looking pretty unassuming. There is nowhere else that we could put the gemstone, and nothing has popped up to say put it here.

I mean, it would be helpful if there were a neon sign or something that would tell us exactly where to put it and what our next step is.

But then again, I suppose if there were, the Choosing would be far too easy and not the challenge that it’s meant to be.

I keep forgetting that the Choosing was intended for the warriors that trained in the realms and at the training academy in Trieneliea, the one that Kyrous led.

It wasn’t only meant to help deal with disputes about team members, which makes sense if you really think about it, because it’s not a simple or easy thing to go through.

“We can talk, but very quietly,” Griff says, barely above a whisper.

“Have you got the gem?” I ask, and then add, “Where the hell have you put it? None of us has bags.”

Ransom chuckles and holds his hand out, sitting in his hand is the giant gemstone, and I roll my eyes at myself.

Duh, of course they used magic to hide it and make it easier to carry.

River must have handed it to him at some point.

I can’t believe I missed them doing it, actually.

They had to have done it when we were still in the woods, or I think those local supernaturals would have spotted it.

“Magic,” Ransom grins.

I chuckle, “I am aware that the answer seems obvious now.”

“It’s been a long day,” Doc says, pulling me under his arm and dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

They’re all so free with their affection for me that it just seems to come naturally, and I think any hope that we had that people wouldn’t think that there was something going on between us, is pretty much shot to shit. I don’t really care though.

The more I think about it, the more I think it makes more sense to have them focus on that, than it does to have them focusing on all the things that the guys can do that they shouldn’t be able to do.

“I’m going to assume that the gemstone goes on the plinth?” Reed questions as he points to it.

River shrugs, “All the instructions said was to bring it to the cave, since the portal didn’t immediately appear when we got here, we must have to do something to trigger it and officially finish this task.”

“And we need to do it before the sun goes down completely and we end up being attacked by the things in the caves around us,” Griff reminds us.

“Good point,” Raiden agrees.

Van shrugs, “Let’s put it on the plinth and see what happens. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere else obvious for it to go.”

Ransom nods and walks over to the plinth, he places the gemstone on top, and it glows brightly. For a brief moment, I feel the tug of the portal, but then it disappears.

“What happened?” I ask the guys, we’re all still in the cave.

“I have no idea,” Reed answers as he looks around in confusion.

River does not look impressed as he says, “I thought I felt the portal, but it wasn’t as strong as it usually is.”

“Same,” Doc replies.

“Do you feel that?” Ransom asks.

Van nods, “Yeah, the magic is building again.”

“It feels different though?” Raiden says it like a question.

I nod, “Yeah, but I can’t put my finger on why.”

We don’t have any more time to try and figure out what’s going on because the portal magic suddenly appears again, but instead of pulling us in, the Draconian team suddenly appears, all of them looking sleepy and disoriented, apart from Coen, who spots us immediately.

His eyes light up, but his expression remains in a frown.

The effort that it takes me to not run to him immediately is so fucking difficult that I find myself clenching my hands at my sides.

“What the fuck are we doing here?” Kylen demands.

“The gemstone has gone,” River points out, completely ignoring Kylen.

However, my eyes are glued to his face, across his cheek is a bright red, and blistering handprint, about the same size as Ribit’s hand.

I burst out laughing, “Looking good.”

“Fuck you, cunt,” Kylen immediately retorts.

Growls of warning fill the cave, and my smile widens as Kylen immediately shrinks back, before pretending that he’s not scared at all.

Even the rest of the team looks nervous as they stay silent and watch us with caution.

Although a couple of them seem to have learned from their mistakes at the first task and are dressed, Kylen and Rupert aren’t, and are in pyjamas, although they do appear to have boots on, which is weird.

Then again, I think that the whole team is a bit off.

I mean, how does it make sense to wear pyjamas, but put boots on just in case?

Especially after they have already been caught out.

It’s stupid.

My eyes involuntarily drift back to Coen, I can’t fucking help it. His eyes briefly meet mine, and his jaw clenches tightly as he looks away. He’s finding this just as difficult as I am, but it really is safer.

For him and me.

The same glow of magic that appeared in the woods shows up again, and Evander reads the words as they appear.

“Head north, work together to get through the portal, everyone must go through the portal to pass the trial,” Van reads.

“North?” one of the Draconian team asks.

I still don’t know all of their names, and I have no desire to learn them.

More words appear and Van reads them aloud as they do, “Certain gifts and attributes of your supernatural sides will be suppressed from this point forward.”

I frown, and I’m not the only one as my guys all share a look and Coen looks completely unfazed since I am pretty sure that his magic has been suppressed for years, that’s the only thing that would explain why he can’t shift.

Doc is the first to speak, “Fuck. That’s not good.”

“It could have at least told us what parts of our supernaturals are going to be suppressed, at least then we would know what we’re working with and have an idea of how to get around it,” the Draconian member that we met in the search for Coen a few days ago says.