Inside the pit, a gong echoed.

“That’s ominous,” she commented as the crowd’s voices cheered and stomped.

“Are you ready?” Kai asked her. The angry light in his eyes had gone out.

“Se-ra! Se-ra! Se-ra!” The voices poured through the doorway; their stomps shook the stands. Apparently, they liked her. Or at least liked the way she brutally took down her foes.

“I’m ready,” she told Kai, taking a step toward the pit. She threw a playful wink over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here,” he said, planting himself in the doorway.

She nodded, then entered the pit.

Sera’s opponents stood on the opposite end, three female mages positioned in a wide triangle pattern. The one at the front wore a black leather crop top with long, bell-shaped sleeves made of red chiffon; they rippled in the magical breeze wafting off the magic barrier that surrounded the pit. Her pants were also leather, the bottoms tucked into her knee-high boots. The heels on those boots looked hard enough to hammer through a vampire’s skull.

Her ‘sisters’ were dressed…well, differently. The mage to her right wore a long and fluffy white gown that strongly resembled a wedding dress. A veil draped from the sparkling tiara on her head. She even held a bouquet of flowers in one hand. Oh, boy.

The third summoner wore a skin-tight fuchsia bodysuit with a thick gold zipper down the front. She had it unzipped halfway to her navel, exposing shimmering bronze skin. There wasn’t a tan line in sight. A big pink-and-white lily was tucked behind her ear, and her long, dark braid hung over her shoulder like a whip.

A row of fairies lined three sides of the pit. They were dressed like Tinker Bell’s entourage, the kaleidoscope of garish colors and fabrics making Sera’s eyes bleed. Their magic, thick with sugar and seduction, lapped at her like a gentle tide, singing like the ocean at sunset. She could feel them nudging her defenses, trying to find a way into her mind. They were still only teasing. Only playing. As soon as the match started, the sweet lie of their illusion would crumble into dust. They’d tear at her with everything they had.

Ahead of her, the three mages were smirking like they had some grand secret. Whatever it was, they didn’t care to share it. They shot monsters at her instead. A glittering silver cloud rolled across the pit at Sera, a storm of stampeding ponies carrying it forward. Their thick bodies, coils of tightly woven magic, glowed like crystal. Their galloping hooves thundered against the sandy ground.

Sera reached for the magic of earth, ancient and unchanging. It thumped through her like a pounding drum, its beat starting slow but growing louder—heavier—as she pulled it up. It burst through the ground beneath the ponies, shattering their bodies into a million crystal shards. The arena pulsated with magic, and the crowd fell silent.

Sweat dribbled down Sera’s face. Every inch of her skin was sticky and hot. Her head felt like it would split open. It was buckling under the strain of barricading her mind while using magic.

The fairies’ magic shifted, their illusions saturating her pores. The pit flickered, fading into blotches of golden light. Magic wrapped around her in soft, soothing layers. It tasted like buttermilk pancakes and warm summer mornings. She staggered sideways.

Something hard and heavy slammed into her. She rolled to her feet, shaking her head to clear it. The beast was gone, swallowed up by the thick golden fog that covered the pit from floor to ceiling. A shrill cry bounced around the arena, the echoes making the beast impossible to locate. She closed her worthless eyes and reached out with her magic.

She felt it—no, them. There were five of them. They were…diving. She snapped her eyes open and looked up, right into the red eyes of the griffins about to dive-bomb her. She threw up her hands. Forks of lightning erupted from her palms, skewering the beasts. Magic crackled and spat, and the light-woven griffins exploded.

The golden mist evaporated, revealing a dew-dripped meadow. It was morning here, the early sun painting the sky with light and color as it rose. Birds chirped and whistled. The mages stood on three tree stumps, their hands raised in the air. High above, something roared, rumbling the sky.

Bad. Really, really bad.

She’d no sooner had the thought when a dragon swooped down. Its jaws snapped at her. Sera punched out with her magic, and it shattered. Magic, tart and dry, scraped across her tongue. Salt burned her nose and stung her throat. Her stomach did a weak somersault. She had the overwhelming urge to retch.

Six dragons circled above her, their voices a chorus of beastly growls. Another one dove for her. She pushed out with her magic again, but her blast went right through it. Unharmed, the dragon continued to drop.

An illusion, she realized a moment before it passed through her, scratching a layer off her mental shield.

More dragons appeared above. The sky was thick with them. Sera blinked down hard, trying to sift the illusions from the summoned beasts, to dissolve the fake dragons—but there were too many fairies. The illusions flickered for a moment, then came back stronger.

“Sera.”

She pivoted around at Kai’s voice, watching him step out of the forest. He smiled at her like she was the only person in the world. Her lips curled up to return the smile—but she stopped herself.

“You’re an illusion,” she told him, tapping his forehead.

He crumbled to dust before her. Her heart stuttered in protest, even though it wasn’t real. None of this was real.

“Isn’t it, though?”