Page 38 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

Shaking my head, I start forward again.

Another wave of nausea washes over me and then climbs up my throat.

I slap a hand over my mouth.

Across the ballroom, several other contestants do the same thing.

Panic slices through me as my stomach heaves.

With my hand firmly pressed against my mouth, I run towards the door.

Others do the same.

My insides twist. I sprint through the corridors as fast as I can.

I barely make it to the lavatories before the vomiting starts.

And as I sit there on my knees on the cold stone floor, emptying the contents of my stomach over and over again, Ican’t get the image out of my head. The image that I caught right before I ran out the door.

The image of Alistair and Maximus. Grinning. Clinking their glasses together.

And then raising their glasses to us in a mocking salute.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ibarely feel like a person. I feel more like a husk that someone has scraped all the important bits out of. My stomach is empty, I’m lightheaded, and it feels as if the slightest breeze is going to knock me over.

After I left the ball, I spent most of the night puking my guts up. It finally stopped early this morning. I staggered down to breakfast but only managed to drink some water and eat two bites of bread. Then I went back to bed and thankfully managed to get two hours of sleep. And now, as I stand here in a crowded corridor, waiting for the first trial to be announced, I can’t for the life of me figure out how I’m supposed to muster enough energy to win it.

“Food poisoning,” Maximus says from across the corridor. There is a mocking grin on his face as he tuts and shakes his head while sweeping a glance over the rest of us. “Such terrible luck.”

If we weren’t forbidden from killing each other outside of the trials, I’m pretty sure that Maximus would be dead several times over by now.

I wasn’t the only one who became ill last night. Several others mysteriously came down with the same sickness too.

And we all know why.

Because Maximus has poison magic, and he somehow used it to spike our drinks.

We just can’t prove it.

And the people who contracted this alleged food poisoning were not random. All of them are strong magic users and some of the most difficult competition in these trials. I’m pretty sure that I only ended up on that list because of the little stunt that Draven pulled last night. One more reason to hate the arrogant bastard.

“Careful now, Maximus,” Isera warns.

She was one of the people who were poisoned as well. Though she looks in much better shape than I feel.

Maximus flashes her a sharp grin. “Or what, ice lady?”

She just lets out a low chuckle, as if she can’t even be bothered to reply to such a ridiculous question.

Before he can bait her again, the large door at the end of the corridor is pulled open. It groans on its hinges, giving evidence that this is not a door that has been opened often. We’re somewhere at the back of the castle, and I’m pretty sure that the large door leads outdoors, but I don’t know where it leads exactly or what we’re doing here.

“Let’s go!” someone calls from outside the doors. “Move it.”

A ripple goes through our large group, and then footsteps echo between the stone walls as we hurry to follow the shouted command. My head spins with every step, but I try to block it out. It’s not as if I have never been exhausted and hungry before. It doesn’t matter that I’ve barely slept and that I spent all night throwing up. I can do this.

I hope.

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