Page 13 of Mistake of Magic
* * *
“I expecteda barren room with stacked wooden cots,” I say, running my hand over upholstered walls rich enough to give the Slait Palace competition. The suite our quint has been assigned has its own entrance on the bottom floor of a long two-story building, complete with a thick, ornately carved wooden door and a small, rose-bush-lined walkway. The suite itself has five sleeping chambers, four on one side of a common room and one—which Coal immediately claimed for himself—on the other. The armchair I sink into is soft and finely made, and someone has built a cheery fire in the hearth. “Is this not a bit... excessive?”
“It’s a message, like everything else,” River says, settling on the wide leather couch, the low mahogany table before it laden with fruit, cheese, and delicate finger sandwiches. “Power of opposites. Show the quints they are elite, but must bow completely to the Citadel’s rule. Make plain both the reward and penalties of this life.”
I consider the pile of new clothing now lying atop the grand four-poster bed in my room. Uniforms, yes, but of the finest quality cloth. The quartermaster complained about my abnormally small size as if it were part of a grand conspiracy to make his tailoring difficult, even as he heaped rich burgundy tunics, wide matching sashes, and several fitted black pants on the counter before me.
More games. More rules. More symbols. From the grandeur of the Elders Council to the arbitrary challenges in the arena, and the ironclad hierarchy of the trainees.
“Don’t listen to him, Lilac Girl.” Tye grins at me, snatching me up and putting me back down on his lap. “The Citadel simply has more gold than it knows what to do with, so it hires servants to embroider chairs—as if anyone’s arse cares what manner of quilted flowers it’s sitting on.”
I smile. Try to smile. Try to ask about the trials too. But with Tye’s pine-and-citrus scent caressing my body, his muscled thighs and arms wrapped securely around me, his nose gently nuzzling my ear, I suddenly find my eyelids too heavy to fight any longer.
Strong arms lift me from Tye’s lap, the scent of rain surrounding me. Shade presses his lips to mine as he lowers me onto my soft bed, his dark hair falling around us. I open my mouth under his and kiss him back, eyes still closed, and I fall asleep to a warm, furry body pressed against mine, gentle wolf breaths fluttering over my neck.
* * *
The following morningthere is no time for nerves, with Kora appearing at dawn to inform River that the arena is ready for our first trial. I barely manage to pull on my uniform and accept a meat pie that River somehow acquired before discovering that the whole damn Citadel is heading to the same place we are.
“You won’t be able to see the spectators from inside,” Kora says, following my gaze to a cluster of no less than ten quints, who I swear are exchanging bets. “If that helps.”
It doesn’t.
“Stop gawking around and pay attention, mortal,” Coal says, shouldering his way up to walk beside me, the large bowl-like structure beside the council tower growing larger with each step. “If you couldn’t deign to stay awake long enough to hear the rules last night, you sure as hell are going to listen now.”
I glance at Coal warily as Kora clears her throat and suddenly finds herself needed elsewhere.
“There are three trials,” Coal says. “Quint, Individual, and Field, traditionally completed in that order—though this isn’t strictly required. The quints may call for the trials at will, but each can be attempted no more than twice.”
“What happens after two failures?” I ask, though my gut says I little want to know the answer.
“The quint dies,” Coal says, tapping the runes on his neck and making me hate his honesty for a moment. “In the Quint Trial, two quints face off against each other to secure possession of the other’s flag. The battle is over when a flag is retrieved or when one of the quint commanders sends up a surrender signal. The second trial is a one-on-one duel with another quint’s warriors to test individual ability. And the final trial is outside the arena. Your quint is kidnapped and must reconnect and fight its way back to the Citadel.”
“Brilliant,” I say under my breath.
“You should have asked me to explain,” Tye says, inviting himself to walk at my other shoulder. “I would have made it sound a lot better.”
“Let’s move,” River calls, picking up the pace to a door at the base of the great bowl, which opens into a chamber that must be Coal’s notion of paradise.
Weapons and armor fill the walls in neat rows, ordered by size and type. Little cubbies and clear glass drawers filled with everything from bandages to spare buckles rise to the ceiling. A wide wooden table sits in the middle, high enough to work standing up. A lower table in one corner has plenty of water for both drinking and washing, and there is a space in another corner outfitted with weights and practice dummies, in case someone needs a moment to warm up or channel nervous energy.
Shade paces around the room with flared nostrils, running his hands along the walls and benches.
“You aren’t going to piss in the corners, are you?” I ask.
“Don’t tempt me,” Shade murmurs without a hint of humor, before turning to River. “I still dislike taking her in there.”
“I don’t see what choice we have,” River says.
Shade growls and, as if obeying some instinct beyond his control, stops pacing and strides straight to me. His deep-red uniform shirt is rolled up, revealing corded forearms that go around me at once. Tucking my back against his body, the male buries his face in my neck, his deep breaths tickling my skin. His heart, right behind my ear, beats as quickly as my own.
I turn into Shade, resting my cheek against his muscled chest for a moment before rising onto my toes to link my arms around his neck.
Shade lifts me easily, moving one arm beneath my backside, the other coaxing my thighs until I wrap my legs obediently around his waist.
“It’ll be okay, Shade,” I whisper, hoping that he’ll believe me even if I don’t. “I’llbe okay.”
His hold only tightens in response, his face pressing deeper into my neck.
