dinah gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

the candles flickered more. ever was about to truly embarrass herself. and that was something mina didn't want her friend to do. what did she have to lose at this point? she really couldn't stand to see annalora freely pick on the other girls.

mina picked up her glass of water and walked past annalora, dumping it in her lap. annalora shrieked in anger and jumped up.

"i thought you needed a bath. oh wait, i forgot. you already had one in the fountain." mina snarled and let a smile of pleasure show on her face.

"you! you pushed me in the fountain." annalora's face turned purple with rage. she really looked ugly when she was mad.

mina shrugged her shoulders, "how could i? i was in my room. alone."

she had forgotten about teague, but his laughter was a sudden reminder. mina raised the empty glass in her hand and made a play of saluting him. he drank the rest of his and returned her salute.

mina placed her glass on the table and left. instead of making her way back to her room, she picked up the edge of her skirt and wandered down the corridors until she found the main palace doors. she should have escaped as soon as she could with the shoes and found a way to her ancestors instead of getting distracted by helping teague. but now, she was trapped on the fae plane, and she hadn't even been able to help anyone.

the guards at the gate gave her a cursory glance, but let her pass without stopping her. she continued down the steps and walked up to the bridge, looking out over the lake. it was nearing sunset, and it was a terrible time to leave, but she couldn't stay. she needed to find help, to find an ally that would help her find a way back home.

her feet carried her over the stone bridge, and she hesitated a moment when she heard the sounds of the trolls underneath, their claws scraping along the stone. her steps piqued their curiosity, and she could see their red eyes watching her through the holes in the bridge. since she was leaving they had no reason to bother her. their job was to prevent unwanted arrivals.

when she passed through the hidden veil, her skin buzzed and she heard the pop. she wasn't sure why, but something told her to pick up her skirt and run. she'd made it past the final barrier without being stopped, but now she wanted to get as far away as she could. maybe she could find another schumacher to send her into the future.

she was walking into the unknown. but she knew what would happen if she stayed. she'd either fail the test tomorrow, or she'd pass and have to watch as teague got engaged to annalora. and then the event she'd been warned about would happen.

something would launch the prince onto a terrible warpath of destruction, and she needed to be as far away from him as she could when that happened.

tears filled her eyes, and it was difficult to see where she was going.

the two suns had finally set just as she made it into the woods. she wandered around and eventually found a small grove of twisted trees with the familiar purple fruit nix had shown her. she plucked some low-hanging fruit from a branch and sat down to eat.

what was her next move?

the bushes closest to her started to move, and mina jumped, alarmed.

suddenly, someone darted out from between the branches. ferah! bedraggled, pale, and wide-eyed with fright, she tripped and fell on the ground next to mina in exhaustion.

her hand gripped mina's forearm as she choked out one raspy word. "run."

chapter 26

that was the only warning mina received before a scythe sliced through the bushes-quick and clean. the reaper stepped into the open and pulled back his hood. his black face accentuated his evil yellow eyes. in the darkness, they seemed to glow like a cat as they followed her movements.

ferah whimpered and tried to move away, but it was clear that she was exhausted and couldn't run any farther. her lips were dry and cracked and even her eyes were losing their luster. what had the reaper done to her? she looked inches from death.

mina stepped in front of ferah, protecting her from the reaper.

"go away. you've done enough," mina warned, her hand slowly reaching for the grimoire.

the reaper laughed, or tried to laugh. a weird hacking noise came from his throat. "move, or you'll die with your friend," his coarse voice rang out, silencing the sounds of the forest.

"i won't be the one dying this night. now leave. this is the only warning i'm giving you," mina called out boldly. in the face of death, she wasn't afraid. if she couldn't save her family, then she would die trying to save one of the fae.

"you mean you won't be the only one dying tonight. for i shall kill you both." his hand gripped his scythe and the silver blade grew longer, creating an arc over four feet long.

mina couldn't let this girl die. not if she had any say in the matter.

she held the grimoire out in front of her, and it grew in size to a shimmering golden version of the reaper's own weapon. she changed her stance, gripped the scythe over her shoulder like a baseball bat, and beckoned with her hand.

"what's this, girl? you intend to mock me before you die? do you know who i am? i'm a reaper. i'm the killer of dreams."

"well, i'm the grimm...and i'm a reaper's worst nightmare." mina didn't wait. she rushed forward intent on catching him off guard. the reaper swung his scythe to meet hers and the blades rang as they collided. she turned, using her momentum to swing her smaller scythe at his thighs. he had to lower his own blade to stop her from cutting his legs.

they paused, staring each other down.

the reaper hissed. "i'm surprised at your enthusiasm to meet your death. weren't you one of the young ladies at the palace? i believe you were. you protected the prince from this one, and now you defend her? were you in league with her from the start?"

"no, i've never met her before. but i do believe in second chances. except when it comes to you," she growled.

this time it was the reaper who led the attack, while mina parried his blows. the clash of metal filled the forest, and she thought she saw a shadow pass overhead. but she didn't have time to be distracted. the reaper feinted and took a superman-like leap straight up into the trees. she lost him in the canopy of darkness above and slashed at the shadows that danced near her. goose bumps ran up her arms, and she thought she saw movement to her left. she screamed and sliced, connecting with nothing but air.

breathing hard, mina tightened her grip on her weapon and closed her eyes to listen. she knew the reaper was hiding in the shadows above her. the wind blew softly through the trees, and she waited...listening...until she heard it.

the rattle that comes before death strikes.

she screamed and held the scythe above her, using it to blast a golden beam of light into the face of the reaper as he leapt at her from the trees. he screeched in pain, covering his eyes from the blinding light that pulsed from her weapon. mina used the distraction to spin and cut the reaper out of the sky. he fell to the ground with a heavy thud, wounded but not dead.

but it was enough. he was weakened enough for the grimoire to entrap him. the scythe changed into the grimoire again. more light emanated into the forest, wind picked up, and she heard him scream in terror.

it was over.

afterwards, the forest was eerily silent, and mina saw the grimoire's pages flip. it stopped on a page, and just before its light faded and it closed, she could make out the picture of the final battle between her and the reaper.