Page 21 of Trial of Thorns
We all wait, wondering if she’s doing something we haven’t noticed yet—shadows twisting or dancing. Lights dimming. But no. There’s nothing.
She has nothing. My lips curls into a sneer of a smile.
Brielle glances to me, her expression just as pleased. She will be an easy opponent.
The showcase finishes with the last few courts—the weakest ones at the end. The dwarf pretending to be a fae from the Crumbling Court spins rocks around his head without moving. The Beastly Court fae grows wings, nearly knocking the dwarf next to him over. Brielle snickers.
And lastly a petite dark-skinned girl from the Webbed Court—weakest of them all. She opens her mouth in a silent scream as a massive spider crawls out from under her tongue and onto her cheek. The crowd gasps, and even I shiver.
Creepy, but worthless.
“We welcome you all, champions!” Miss Koran announces proudly.Well, most of you.“We will eat in your honor, and in one hour, our first trial will begin.”
***
THE CHAMPIONS ARE SERVEDfirst. Plates full of several types of meat, vegetables, and a basket of rolls for each of us. I take a few bites of poultry and one roll from the full plates they serve us. I could use the energy for the challenge, but I don’t want to overdo it.
The rest of the champions shove their faces with the luxurious food. Except the betrayer—she doesn’t touch the food at all.
Now that’s an interesting strategy. Perhaps her stomach is too uneasy to eat. I’d certainly prefer to be weak than to throw up in front of everyone.
Acidic warmth fills my chest at her discomfort.
Perhaps I’ll enjoy this challenge more than I’d anticipated. I am eager for her downfall.
The champions are led from the banquet hall and into the training center. My friends Brielle, Rook, and even occasionally Nante have worked in here together for weeks, preparing for the trials. I’m quite familiar with the place. I spend my minutes before the first challenge stretching and bouncing on my toes to get the blood moving.
“Can you believe that?” Brielle says. “First she laughs at Nante’s name—wench.” She rolls her eyes as she pulls off her beaded belt and sheer skirt, leaving a quite flattering leather jumpsuit. “Then she does nothing. Nothing. Like what even was that?”
I shrug. “I’m hoping it means she has no power to speak of.”
“None?” Crevin says. “She has to have something.”
“I’m certain she’s out of practice, living as a human child for years.”
He nods. “Maybe she just didn’t want to embarrass herself.”
I turn to find her among the crowd, still keeping close to the dwarf—one of the only fae in the competition not ready and willing to take her head off at the first opportunity. But she doesn’t look at us at all.
“Lord Reveln!” a small voice calls. I look down to a young puck, his horns barely curled at all. “Which sword do you want?” Charlie asks me with a big grin.
He’s a squire apprentice and a big fan of mine. “You should know that answer already,” I say with a wink. He smiles big and runs off to grab my favored sword and belt. He skitters back, and I strap it onto my back in one smooth motion.
“How do you know which to choose?” Brielle asks. “They haven’t told us anything about the challenge yet.”
“And I don’t suspect they will,” I admit. If they haven’t yet even hinted at how they’ll first test us—it’s likely going to remain a surprise. At least to us. “I just chose my most familiar weapon. Light, powerful, and versatile.”
Nante purses her lips, unsure.
“I wonder if the eclipse has something to do with the trial?” the puck murmurs. “A hint maybe?”
“The what?”
“Oh! While you were in the banquet there was an eclipse. My mom told me that’s super rare. Do you think it was for the trials?”
My eyebrows pull down. “What do you mean, exactly? Can you describe it?” I hadn’t seen any eclipse—though we were inside the Flicker Court banquet hall with the curtains drawn—nor have I heard anyone else remark on it. Surely that would have been a major event, if there were even a partial eclipse this year.
Charlie shrugs. “The sun went totally black for like a full minute. All the servants stopped to watch it, waiting for something big to happen, but it never did. The sun came back out a minute or two later and still nothing. Then my brother and sister were ordered to serve breakfast, so we gave up waiting.”
