Page 130 of The Stone Secret
How would they watch us? How would they score? I had questions, but there was no time to ask them before we were ushered through the gates to the warp zone between the stones.
Prasan was there, standing by one of the huge stones.
“Where’s Willowman?” Farnell asked him.
“He got held up. But everything is set. We’re good to go.”
“All right, everyone into the circle,” Farnell ordered.
I adjusted the pack around my waist and followed the others past the stones.
Curi and Shar flanked me, and Touron and the twins were close behind us.
We ended in a cluster with Hawke and a couple of the goyles from his dorm.
“What you got in there?” Hawke asked, indicating my pack.
“Healing tinctures. I got permission to bring them.” Farnell had allowed it, and Selas had given me three daggers. One was strapped to my arm, the other to my hip, and the final one to my thigh.
The majority of the exam would take place at night, and as I couldn’t shift and didn’t have a goyle’s strength, I was allowed a weapon.
“You make the tinctures yourself?” Hawke asked.
“Yeah.”
He looked almost impressed.
“Cameron’s a whizz with herbology,” Touron said proudly.
“How’s your shield now?” Hawke asked. “Derek?”
“He’s healing.”
“Brave, what he did.”
“Yeah. Yeah, it was.” I wanted to ask about his golden sword, but it didn’t seem like the right time.
“Three tests,” Farnell reminded us. “Be aware of your surroundings and work together.”
I searched for Serath and locked gazes with him for a moment—the connection fortifying in a way that was impossible to describe. He gave me a nod, his beautiful eyes filled with confidence.
Confidence in me.
I wouldn’t let him down.
The world shattered, taking me away.
* * *
We materializedin a deep canyon bordered by steep rock face. It stretched into the distance then curved to the left.
“What do we do?” Ginia said. “Go up or forward?”
“Or back,” Palia pointed out.
“Saffe, Touron, with me,” Curi said. “Let’s go back a ways and check.”
“Everyone else stay put,” Hawke ordered.
