A long valley stretched out in front of us. It had to be at least a hundred miles long and several miles wide. The ground swirled in different colors and seemed to shimmer with heat. An aura of danger hung over the place, dark magic that made my hair stand on end.

“Welcome to hell!” Ana cried.

“She sounds happy about it,” Ares muttered.

I grinned. These girls were nuts, but I could relate. Cass, Del, and I had mellowed a bit, but not that much.

The buggy ate up the ground as it sped toward the valley floor. Once we hit the bottom, Bree tossed a harness into the back seat. “Back platform person, put that on!”

Ares grabbed it, shoving his legs through the straps.

“Hey!” I shouted.

He buckled the thing around his waist and grinned wryly at me. “I’m sure you’ll have your chance to kick some ass.”

“I’d better.” I’d see to it.

“Hook the harness to the bar on your platform in case you get knocked off the vehicle—the heat of the sand can kill you if you lay on it too long.” Bree pointed to the red button on the front of the harness. “Hit that if you need to release the harness quickly.”

“Got it.” Ares climbed up onto the back platform as Ana drove like a bat out of hell across the flat, arid land. He latched his harness to the bar.

“I recommend kneeling on one knee,” Bree shouted as she climbed onto the front platform and hooked her harness off. Her black hair whipped in the wind. “If you end up on the ground, keep running. Don’t stand still on the hot ground.”

The sky was a cloudless blue as the buggy raced across the planes. The mountains rose high on either side of us. Ahead, the ground almost appeared white.

“Badwater coming up!” Ana shouted.

The buggy hurtled toward the white surface. It looked a heck of a lot like the Rann of Kutch, the salt plains I’d gone to in India last week.

Until a massive crystal of salt speared out of the earth, right in front of the buggy. Ana dodged it by an inch, driving like a pro, but another one speared out of the ground in front of us. There was no time to dodge without the buggy rolling.

My heart leapt into my throat. We were screwed.

Magic swelled on the air as Bree threw out her hands. A massive sonic boom hurtled toward the salt spear, blasting it to pieces. Ana drove straight through the rubble, laughing.

But the spears continued to surge out of the ground. Ana dodged what she could. Bree blasted the rest, avoiding a collision that would crush the front of the buggy.

They were an amazing team, but eventually, more spears started to pop up in front of us. More than Ana could dodge or Bree could blast.

My mind raced, trying to figure out what I could conjure. I hadn’t yet learned to throw my destroyer power in front of me, and it was too slow for this.

Ares slammed his hand against the red button on his harness and leapt from the buggy, hitting the ground running. He sprinted ahead of the buggy, his vampire speed in full effect.

My breath caught in my throat. I’d never seen him go so fast. This was Ares unleashed. He hurtled toward the salt pillars in the distance, slamming into them with enough force to blast them apart. They crumbled beneath the brute force.

Bree whooped a war cry at the sight, sending sonic booms at the other pillars, smashing them to bits. Ana dodged the rest, weaving the buggy through the spears of salt like this was a deadly game of Frogger.

Ana and Bree were a hell of a team.

Finally, the salt flats ended. Ana drove by a sprinting Ares, who leapt up and grabbed the rail on the back of the buggy, swinging onto the back platform. Sweat dripped down his face and he was panting, his chest heaving like he’d run a marathon in ten minutes. Which he kind of had.

“Not bad, vampire!” Bree shouted. “Now clip off your harness!”

“Safety first!” Ana cackled as she hit the gas and plowed forward.

We really were in Mad Max—Bree just needed a guitar that shot flames. Though I had a feeling she’d use it as a weapon before making music with it.

Ahead of us, stone arches loomed in the distance. We hurtled toward them, the buggy eating up ground. Ana drove under the first one, which was easily forty feet tall.

“Get ready!” she shouted.

The ground ahead of us heaved upward, a massive figure growing up from the dirt. It was shaped like a man, but it was made of gravel and at least twenty feet tall. It grabbed up a scoop of earth, which was really just a giant rock, and hurled it at us.

Bree blasted it out of the sky with her sonic boom, but the next one was aimed for Ares. In a flash, he conjured his shadow sword. His magic flared, the scent of a cold winter morning at odds with the heat all around us. His shadow sword pulsed with the power, and when it collided with the rock, the stone exploded in a blast of powder.

Ana drove through the arches, trying to dodge the rocks that the giant hurled. As we neared the beast made of gravel and sand, Bree shot her sonic boom at a slender spear of rock that protruded right over the monster’s head. It plummeted from its perch, crashing onto him. The gravel that created him crumbled to the ground.

Bree whooped.

But another monster appeared farther in the distance, as large as the first. It hurled more rocks, right at us.

Bree blasted them out of the air.

Ares cut them down with his sword.

I felt spectacularly useless.

Until one of the rocks glanced off Bree’s shoulder, throwing her back into the buggy. Her harness kept her from flying out, but she dangled limply in the passenger seat.

I hit the red button on her harness, allowing her to collapse into the seat, and leapt upon the platform. We were nearly to the monster, but without Bree’s power to blast a rock onto his head, we were in a pickle.

We were nearly to him, a hundred meters away. I had only a second to think.

The arch above his head caught my eye. In a flash, I conjured a bow and an arrow that had a grappling hook end. A long rope trailed from the back of the arrow.

I aimed for the arch, firing. The arrow flew straight and true, sinking into the arch above the monster’s head. I grabbed the rope, leaping off the platform and swinging through the air.

Behind me, Ares roared. I swung for the giant’s head, realizing suddenly how insane this plan was. I neared him, hoisting myself up onto the rope and praying that he was a conglomeration of loose gravel and not a solid rock monster.

Man, I’d be so screwed if he was one big rock.

I swung for him, feet first, my boots colliding with his head. He crumbled, collapsing through the ground. Victory soared through me, quickly replaced by panic. I was swinging straight for the solid rock wall. An image of the Wile E. Coyote smashing into a cliff while chasing the Road Runner flashed in my head.

An insane laugh welled within me, but I managed to twist myself just enough to plant my feet on the wall and push off, swinging for the buggy as it sped by. I released the rope and landed in the back seat, an awkward pile of shaking limbs and trembling muscles.

“You’re insane!” Ares pulled me up, his gaze frantic with worry.

“You ever need a job, you call us!” Ana cackled, speeding out of the arches and away from the threat of gravel monsters and flying boulders.

Death Valley was insane.

Panting, I climbed up so that I was standing on the back seat, my butt propped against Ares’s platform. Ana was leaned over the seat, looking at me and shaking her head. “Stone cold.”

“Thanks.” I searched the terrain ahead of her. “There’s sand dunes up ahead.”

“The Guantlet,” Bree said. “Haven’t seen that one in a while.”

“The obstacles change frequently?” I asked.

“Depending on the season, or the valley’s mood, yeah.” Ana slowed the buggy to a stop before the sand dunes and Bree leapt out, crouching by one of the tires.

“What’s she doing?” I asked.

“Letting out some air,” Ana said. “Better for sand driving.”

Bree raced around the buggy, finishing the job, then jumped back into the passenger’s seat. Ana took off.

Bree ducked below the seat, looking for something. She popped up again and tossed two pairs of steampunk-looking goggles back at us. “Put those on.”

I tugged them on, the world suddenly going strangely reddish.

“The color will help you see the snakes.”

“Snakes?”

Bree shot me a grin as she tugged hers down. “Yeah. Big ones. Better get those swords ready.”

Ana looked at Bree. “Ready to take the wheel?”

“Yeah.” Ana took Bree’s place—all without slowing the vehicle.

Ana climbed onto the front platform, then looked back at us. “Get ready for some heat. And swords at the ready.”

“It’s always summer in the gauntlet.” Bree laid her foot on the gas, speeding toward the golden, rolling sand dunes.

I called upon my magic, conjuring a long blade. But if there were going to be snakes… I conjured a shield as well, handing it to Ares. Then I conjured another.

As soon as the buggy passed over onto the sand, it slowed slightly, the tires plowing over the golden stuff.

Suddenly, the heat was intense, a pounding fire that beat down upon my head. Sweat rolled down my face. I’d been in deserts before, even magically enchanted ones, but this was incredible.

Rain began to fall from the sky, sizzling when it hit the hood of the buggy. A drop hit me, burning like fire. I yelped.

Acid rain. Made of actual acid.

Ana knelt on the platform, raising her hands to the sky. Her magic swelled, bringing with it the scent of rain, and it shined from her hands, forming a barrier over us like a dome. The magic was gray and opaque, some kind of surreal mist that blocked the sun and acid rain.

I had no idea what her gift was, but it was working. The heat lowered to a bearable level. But Ana looked like she was about to collapse, the effort making sweat pour down her face and her muscles tremble—as if she were Atlas, holding up the world.

“Ana’s got the heat under control,” Bree yelled. “But it’s all you now! Goggles on!”

A moment later, sand whirled up to form a tornado around us. It pinged against my goggles, blurring my vision even more. But through the whirlwind, I caught sight of a slender green whip of a thing.

Snake!

It darted toward me, fangs white enough to shine. I thrust my shield up, swinging out with my sword. The blade sliced through the neck of the beast. The head dropped to the ground.

From the back platform, Ares took out one of his own. Ahead, Ana kept the blazing sun off us. The wide back seat made a pretty good platform for fighting sand snakes, which popped up every few meters, striking for the vehicle. Some collided with the spikes, shriveling and dying within moments. But those with better aim, I took care of.

One struck straight for Bree, fast as lighting. I lunged for it, slicing it through the body as her hand whipped out and grabbed it around the neck, squeezing it tight. She kept her other hand on the wheel.

I laughed, amazed at her shear badassery. She was only a teenager.

She chucked the snake to the dirt and put her hand back on the wheel, driving us over the sand dunes like a pro while her partner held the weight of the sun on her shoulders.

Finally, after we’d slain countless snakes and Ana looked like she was about to pass out, we exited the sand dunes. The sandstorm died and the valley opened up in front of us. Ana dropped her shield and the sunlight returned, the heat dissipating and the horrible acid rain disappearing. Immediately, Ana collapsed into the front seat, panting.

“Not bad!” Bree shouted.

I stood on the seat, surveying the terrain that we’d driven into. The mountains still loomed on either side and the desert stretched out in front of us. Scrub brush grew low on the grounding patches, eking out a living in this tough terrain.

“You guys been doing this long?” I shouted.

“Three years.” Ana dug some water out of the footwell of the buggy and tossed us bottles. “It suits our magic, which can be a little out of control sometimes.”

“Doesn’t matter in the valley,” Bree said.

She had a point. Cass had once had a lot of trouble controlling her magic. This would have been a good place for her. Out here, there was nothing but sand and monsters to witness your wildness.

Bree stopped the buggy and jumped out, a steel tank of compressed air under her arm. She refilled the tires, then climbed back in and cranked on the engine. It roared to life and we zoomed off.

Wind whipped my hair as we drove through the valley, having a brief reprieve from the challenges. We passed a ghost town in the distance. The sight of the empty ramshackle buildings sent a shiver down my spine. What had happened to those people?

Bree slowed the buggy and called out, “Almost there!”

Eventually, she pulled to a stop beside a large crater. It at least half a mile across, with sides that sloped down to a flat bottom hundreds of feet below. Though it appeared empty, dark magic welled up from the bowl, making me shiver.

“This is where we leave you,” Ana said. “Good luck.”

“Any tips?” I asked.

She grinned. “Don’t die.”

“And Hider’s Haven is a bit farther along,” Bree said. “Won’t be easy to get to, especially if you don’t have an invitation.”

Shoot, we definitely didn’t have one of those. Not that we could worry about it now. I climbed down out of the buggy, followed by Ares. The girls looked down at us from their seats.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said. “You sure you’ll make it back across okay?”

They grinned. Bree said, “We’ve got some aces up our sleeves. We’ll be fine.”

“Really?”

“The desert takes a rest at dusk,” Ana said. “Only quiet time of the day. It’s why we schedule our journeys like this. Gives us a chance to get back safely. You were just lucky you showed up when you did or we’d have had to wait till tomorrow to cross.”

“Be sure to get across the crater before dark, though,” Bree said.

The sun was hovering just over the horizon, shedding an orange glow over the desert. It was gorgeous, but in a threatening way, because it didn’t give us long.

“Can’t we go around?” I asked.

“No can do.” Ana shook her head. “Gotta earn your way into Hider’s Haven, and crossing the crater is part of that. If you cheat, the next phase of the journey won’t be revealed to you.”

Damn. Sometimes magic was a pain in the butt.

“And I suggest camping out overnight once you reach the other side,” Bree said. “Just take a snooze and wait for daylight.”

“Yeah.” Ana grimaced. “Don’t want to meet the creatures that go bump in the night here.”

“Thanks,” I said.

They waved goodbye, then peeled away, tires kicking up dust. I hoped they made it back safe.

I turned, surveying the terrain. The crater was deep—at least four hundred feet down—but the sides were sloped enough that we wouldn’t have to rappel. To my left, there was a sign with a picture of a falling man and the words Don’t Fall In.

Ha.

I looked at Ares. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“I guess the plan is simple. Fight whatever comes at us.”

He grinned. “Works for me.”

Man, this was so different than working at my shop. There, I was in control. The unexpected happened—but it was always the same variety of unexpected. Demons breaking in, thieves trying to get away with our hard work. I knew how to take care of that.

But this… this was all different kinds of unexpected. And that’s where the trouble was.

I saluted Ares and stepped off the ledge, skidding along the slope down into the crater. The gravel was loose under foot, and a breeze blew my hair back as I slid down. I felt a huge grin stretch across my face. I was sliding into danger, but this part was fun.

Ares and I reached the bottom at the same time. It was darker in the pit, shadows cast by the setting sun.

“Warmer here,” Ares said.

“Yeah. Feels like the crater trapped the heat.” The other side was probably about half a mile away. A shame we couldn’t transport across. Even if it wasn’t impossible, it violated the earn your way in rule. That meant crossing the crater.

I bent down and picked up a rock, then hurled it into the middle of the crater. It landed about fifty meters away. Not the worst throw. Thankfully, it didn’t sink into the ground. “No quicksand there. You try.”

Ares picked up a rock and hurled it. His bounced to the ground about a hundred meters in the distance. He picked up another and threw it farther. It, too, bounced.

“Good enough for me.” I stretched, meeting his gaze. “Ready to run?”

“Let’s do it.”

“Go faster than me if you need to. I can take care of myself.”

“Sure.”

“Ha. Liar.” It was in his eyes. He wouldn’t leave me.

“Don’t worry about it.” He took off, sprinting ahead of me.

I followed, close at his heels. As expected, he didn’t race ahead of me.

At first, it was fine. The heat sent sweat rolling down my spine and my breath came hard as I sprinted. We made it halfway across before the air turned cold, an icy chill that smelled of snow and felt like a dark winter night. A bit like Ares’s magical signature, but not.

It was more than normal cold, and fear shivered over me, raising the hair on my arms.

Ahead of us, the air shimmered, coalescing into the forms of men and women. They glowed a transparent blue.

Oh, hell. “Phantoms.”