‘We need someone nasty. If you’re not going to use magic, then be evil. I’ll make sure you stay in for at least the next few rounds.’

‘You can do that?’

He looked down the line. ‘The rest of this lot are much easier to manipulate than you.’

I didn’t think that was true. The contestants often seemed superfluous to what the producers wanted and the shenanigans they were aiming for, but that didn’t mean they were stupid. In fact, I reckoned they were smart enough to see which way the wind was blowing and act accordingly. After all, keep the crew on your side and you would probably be allowed to stick around for longer.

Moonbeam sidled up. ‘What’s up, partners?’

Barry scowled but, given Moonbeam’s ancestry, he stopped short of telling him to piss off – at least in so many words. ‘We’re having a quiet chat,’ he said. ‘Me and Ivy. You should go and make sure that Morris has everything he needs.’

Moonbeam pretended not to hear him. ‘It looked like you were discussing strategy.’ He glanced at me. ‘I thought I was going to be your tactical expert.’

‘You are,’ I soothed. Ignoring Barry’s glare, I told him what Barry and I had been talking about.

Moonbeam scratched his chin thoughtfully. ‘You won’t win if you’re the bitch.’

‘Maybe I’m not looking to win. Maybe I just want to get to the later stages.’ If Winter and I hadn’t found our necromancer before filming was over, we’d never find him. I flicked another look at Belinda. Or her.

‘Then it’s a good plan.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘That was decisive. You were telling me before not to start arguments.’

‘That was when I thought you were in this to win. Now I know it’s the grand prize you’re after.’

‘Eh?’

Moonbeam grinned. ‘Longer lasting fame.’

Good grief. That was most definitely not what I wanted. It sounded like hard work to me; I preferred a quiet life. All the same, I smiled back at him and bobbed my head towards Barry. ‘Then I shall do as you request.’ I paused. ‘Ask me those questions again.’

Barry’s face filled with delight and he wasted no time. ‘How are you feeling about this, Ivy?’

I bared my teeth. ‘I feel great. This obstacle course looks hard and I’m not very sporty, but have you seen what the rest of this lot look like? Besides, if any of them seem to be getting ahead of me, I might cast a spell and trip them up. They’ll fall flat on their faces and I’ll stroll through the finish line as the winner. Piece. Of. Cake.’

Moonbeam smiled in approval. Barry was almost giddy. ‘That was brilliant.’ He glanced at Armstrong, who was tapping his foot and looking irritated. ‘I should leave you now.’ He winked at me. ‘Good luck.’

Armstrong beckoned Belinda and, with an imperious flick of her hair, she strolled up and took her place directly in front of the obstacle course. ‘Here we are, at the gateway of our very first challenge! The winner receives automatic immunity from the vote. Everyone else will be fair game.’ As she continued, I blocked out her voice and focused on how I could find out what her vial was really about. There had to be a way. ‘On your marks,’ Belinda beamed. ‘Get set… Go!’