Time passed.

  Five minutes. Ten minutes. Twenty. Forty.

  Little by little, the preternaturals in the assembly had filtered out without making a fuss. I hadn’t really noticed how the place had emptied out by the end. Probably because I was preoccupied with the fact that Rosefinch Valstein was sitting just two chairs away from me. a not-so-living-breathing vampyr that most people only encounter in the fictional sense. Most of those depictions had depicted them as forlorn, heart-wrenching romantic creatures who were simply misunderstood.

  But none of them had prepared me for the real thing.

  There was a quality about Rosefinch’s presence that continued to unnerve me. At first, I couldn’t put a finger on why.

  After about half an hour, I realized it was because I was scared of her.

  Every conversation we’d had so far was in a group setting or with some distance between us. In my head, I knew she wasn’t human. But this close up? Where I could reach out and nudge her with my arms if I wanted to? I didn’t need to be a practitioner to know that something was wrong; there were too many telltale signs that were too out of the ordinary. For one, her skin was near perfect. No birthmarks, no veins, no scars or wrinkles. Just smooth with a silvery luster, which was another tip-off. She had long lashes that drew attention to those moonlit eyes, and they were nearly hypnotic.

  And every time I stared, my body picked up on subtle signals, telling me that we should be scared of her. That she didn’t seem to inhale or exhale when she talked. She never coughed. When she sat still, she was still in a way that normal living beings couldn’t imitate. When she moved, my body kept jerking in small, definitely noticeable ways, because there was no warning at all. Stone cold stillness, then sudden movements. Every time she made a small movement, looking around or fanning herself, I found myself having to edge back closer after I unknowingly pulled away—lest I offend her somehow.

  I don’t care what pop culture says. I just couldn’t see her going out at night, sitting alone at a bar, and seducing strangers. She was beautiful, yes. There was no doubt about that. But instinct kept screaming that she was wearing the skin like a costume, all for the purpose of getting close enough until it was too late for me to realize that something was wrong. Her presence was too unnerving for me to imagine anyone actually hitting on her.

  Then again, guys tend to do stupid things. Source: I’m a guy.

  Wol curled up on a chair, putting himself between Valstein and me. Hwari lingered around, submerging and reemerging as it suited her.

  I looked around the room to see who remained.

  Mina and her second, an older asian woman who looked like she could either be a first-year employee at a Big Four accounting firm, or a sorority girl. It was hard to make out just how old she was, but the fact that Mina seemed to defer to her told me the girl was older.

  Her familiar stood behind her. And for all intents and purposes, looked exactly like the practitioner. Clothes. The short brunette hair that cupped her heart-shaped face. Even the posture. It reminded me too much of why things like vampires evolved alongside humans to look like them.

  I looked away before it could catch me staring.

  Victor was still here, too, arms crossed and hood over his head. He might have been sleeping. It was well past midnight, and I wanted to catch some shuteye myself. His second was an older man with a beard, locked in a conversation with one of the deer-masked people who had stayed behind.

  The deer masks were the last group to remain behind, besides the trial contestants. Besides the one talking to Valentine’s second, the other five huddled together. It was hard to tell their general mood because of the masks. I could imagine why hiding one’s expression could be an advantage in this world. Hide fear, hide excitement, and it’d be all the easier to make binding pacts and bargains; keeping your hand hidden from the other party, so to speak.

  Maybe I should get a mask.

  But I was already decked out in bandages wrapped around my shoulder down to my hand, and a cast on my broken ankle, plus the crutch. No need for a mask or any other tool. The painkillers were wearing off, and I debated asking Rosefinch if it was her duty as my second to get me more if I needed it for the trial. In the end, I decided against it. Even if she agreed, I wanted to stay sharp, and I’d never taken enough meds to know how I reacted to it.

  I purposefully didn’t eat too, even though my stomach groaned in protest multiple times. Rosefinch didn’t offer to get me anything, and I assumed she knew my reasons. It was the same reason I didn’t eat breakfast on the day of exams. I’d feel heavy, and it would affect my brain. A slow languidity that’d force me to expend more energy just to get my brain to want to do something. I need my wits on edge. There’s no scientific basis for it, just a ritual of mine that makes me feel better.

  The pain was a knife that kept me sharp, and staying hungry made sure I was light on my unbroken foot and mentally as well.

  I didn’t know what the trial would be, but I knew that a battle of the mind was the only even playing field between us.

  Victor and Mina definitely didn’t think so. Before the group of other practitioners left, they brought back cheeseburgers and sandwiches in brown paper bags. The enticing scent of food filled the assembly, and since I was the only practitioner not eating, my stomach’s knots squeezed out audible hunger pants. The deer-masks… I was relatively sure they were either dabblers or practitioners, but I couldn’t be too sure.

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  I kept on shaking my leg. More than once, I found myself trying to chew my nails. I slapped it away.

  This was nerve-wracking.

  I was getting nervous.

  Could I really pull this off? What did I know how to do? Write runes on pebbles? Summon the Cold Sickness? Talk about geometry in relation to eldritch beings?

  What if the trial was something completely out of left field?

  It was Valstein who broke the silence first. “It’s time.”

  As if on cue, the door opened a split second after, and the Hudson Witch strode in. The deer-masks held up a strange hand symbol in a simple greeting over their hearts. Middle finger crossed over the index, ring finger directly on top of the pinky, with the thumb outstretched. It looked like a double-legged C. The Hudson Witch didn’t return it. In fact, she ignored them completely.

  “You have all secured your seconds. Good. Then we shall waste time no further,” She said, not taking more than two steps into the room. “The Trial shall convene in Westchester, at the edge of the Old Forest. We will gather at the Mother Tree. I expect you’ll find your own way.”

  Mina raised her hand, and the Hudson Witch gestured to her.

  “How are we supposed to find the Mother Tree?” She protested. “There’s, like, going to be thousands of trees.”

  At least she knew what it was. Today was the first time I’d heard of a Mother Tree.

  “Lass,” the Hudson Witch said. “You are contesting the right to inherit a Shaman’s path. If you, or any of the others, cannot find the Mother Tree, I reckon your elders should sit another round of council, and decide properly this time on who to send next.”

  As she spoke, her eyes strayed over to me. “I do not care for blood, nor tradition. This land needs a shaman, and a shaman it will have. The spirits deserve better than to be used as curling stones in a game, discarded after the fun is done with.”

  Mina looked like the type to argue with teachers if she thought they were wrong. She raised her hand again.

  “Speak freely,” the Hudson Witch said.

  “If I win, I’m taking the practice with me back to Korea, and the same for Victor except he’s going back to Europe,” She said. There was a soft furrow in her brows, either annoyed or concerned. Probably both. “I just wanted to make sure you know that.”

  “See to finishing the trial first. Let your elders worry about what comes after.”

  The answer pacified Mina, and she sat down again.

  “Anyone else?”

  Sheepishly, I raised my hand. “What is the Mother Tree?”

  Mina and Victor’s seconds exchanged knowing smiles. I felt the gaze of the deer-masks turn in my general direction. Rosefinch coyly played with her hair, not offering advice.

  Screw embarrassment. I didn’t get to where I was by being shy about not knowing things. It was normal not to know things; it’s only schoolyard drama that makes someone ashamed of not knowing stuff. Or maybe it comes from being poor. Everyone else seemed to know about stocks and 401Ks; it had only been me. This was no different. In a perfect world, no one should be afraid of asking questions because of ridicule from their own peers.

  But I did feel my ears flush down to my neck with embarrassment. But I’d be damned if I gave any of them the satisfaction of knowing it. So I stuck out my chest and rose from my seat just like Mina had.

  The Hudson Witch didn’t answer right away. She let the question linger. For a second, the irrational question came to mind: what if the Hudson Witch dismissed the question and lack of preparation on my part? Then the ridicule would be artificially justified. No one can sway the mood of the room like the person in charge, and that’s what the Hudson Witch was: the person in charge.

  “A Mother Tree is the first tree to take root in a given place and time. Whether that be a mountain, a forest, or a swamp, it matters not. She is the eldest among them, holding her first memories. Some way or other, all the dwellers of that place had their lives touched by her,” She said, her tone following that awkward cadence. It kept breaking up the flow of her sentences, forcing me to regurgitate what she said just prior. “You will know when you see her.”

  “Got it,” I said, sitting back down. Truthfully, I had been hoping for more of a clue on what to look for. But that would be information about the trial, and it looked like the Hudson Witch was not going to volunteer that tidbit freely.

  “The first part of the Trial is to find the Mother Tree by sunset. We will discuss more once we are all there,” the Hudson Witch continued. “A pair of Geistheilers will accompany you.” She was referring to the Deer Masks.

  At that, the Geistheilers broke up into pairs and came to stand behind the three contestants. My pair was composed of the shortest and the tallest Geistheilers. Both their faces and bodies were hidden beneath the horned masks and the long, leathery green cloaks.

  “If one of you takes action outside of what is allowed, they will speak. Otherwise, proceed as planned. Remember, children. Westchester, the edge of the old Forest. I will see you at the location,” She said and left through the same door.

  Rosefinch stood up immediately. “Then shall we?”

  I stood up, albeit in a more clumsy manner. As soon as I did, my two Geistheilers were behind me. Wol gave them an annoyed glance as he took his place next to my crutch.

  But before we could all leave, Mina and her second blocked my way.

  “Jain!” Mina said warmly.

  The older girl introduced herself. “I’m Amy, Mina’s second. Jain Shin Hallow, I assume?”

  I nodded.

  Her familiar —a replica of the practitioner— smiled at me, eyes curving into upside-down crescent moons, a little too long to be natural. But she did not talk.

  “I just wanted to tell you good luck,” Mina said. “And to see if you thought about my offer.”

  I sighed. “The answer’s no, Mina. I said that last time.”

  Mina took a step closer, Seoul on her heels. “So you’re willing to team up with a bloodsucker, but not me?” She hissed.

  Amy sidled closer to Mina, putting a soft hand on the crook of the younger girl’s elbow. “Mina, not here.”

  I sucked in a breath through my teeth and gauged Valstein’s reaction. I wasn’t in this long, but the word ‘bloodsucker’ was definitely a derogatory term if I ever heard one.

  Rosefinch’s pretty eyes were elsewhere over the fan she hid the rest of her face with. “How droll.”

  Seoul growled at Rosefinch.

  I frowned and stepped in front of Rosefinch. “Hey, call off your familiar.”

  Somehow, that made Mina even madder.

  Mina ignored Amy, preferring to lock her heated gaze on me. “Are you actually clueless or pretending to be? Because the fact that you chose a freaking—”

  “Mina!”

  Amy literally wrapped her hands around Mina’s mouth and pulled her back. Her familiar bent down and rubbed her hands around Seoul’s neck, whispering in soothing yet guttural tones to the Haetae.

  “Lady Valstein, I apologize on behalf of my cousin. It’s been a stressful two days,” Amy said, bowing her head slightly.

  Valstein spoke slowly, like she was chewing a particularly tasty morsel of steak and wanted to enjoy every bite. “I imagine so.”

  “Come on, Mina. Let’s go,” Amy said and started to usher her out.

  Mina scowled at Amy, then at me, refusing to look at Valstein till the end. “Good luck, Hallow. I’ll see you at the Mother Tree.”

  They left, their assigned Geistheilers in tow. Victor’s party was out the door long before, having a head start.

  “What the hell was that about?” I asked Wol.

  Wol gave me a mournful look.

  “Come, there isn’t much time till daylight,” Valstein said before he could respond. “The car is waiting for us.”