Page 65 of Trial of Thorns
I pull in a long breath. All I feel is barely hidden panic. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He only smiles bigger.
Rook and I spar for a few minutes as the other champions enter the hall. We all stop to watch as Caelynn enters. I watch her features closer than before. Her eyes are dim, as usual, hooded and uninterested. Her motions smooth and posture confident.
Today, she is outwardly more prepared than before. Gone are her jeans and T-shirt. Now she wears leather pants, solid boots, and a tunic and carries a pack over her back presumably full of supplies for the long trial.
I have no idea what to make of her after that vision. The innocent, lovely female my brother tormented... Was it all a joke to screw with me, or was it real? I close my eyes, and that girl’s face stares back at me. Young. Bright. Innocent. Happy.
The fae warrior before me is nothing like the girl from my vision. The only thing the two have in common is their beauty.
When I open my eyes, I find Brielle watching me. Her eyes are wide, but otherwise, her expression is unreadable.
She blinks, her eyes softening. “Now is our chance. She won’t survive this challenge, right?”
My stomach twists, but she’s right. That vision shouldn’t affect my emotions. The second trial’s entire purpose was to test us in the most brutal ways. My task had been to choose. It was just trying to mess with my resolve.
I shake my head. No matter what kind of deceptions I face, no matter how believable—I’d have to choose. Kill her, or let her live.
I’ve already made my choice.
Caelynn
Ienter the trainingcenter with only ten minutes to spare. I ran this morning and probably pushed myself harder than I should have, but my thoughts were twisting around in my brain so tight I couldn’t tell which way was up. The next thing I knew, I was sprinting at full speed.
Today is the start of an extreme endurance challenge—both physically and emotionally—and I’ve used up more of that energy than was at all wise. Now, I’ll just have to live with the consequences.
The queen has yet to announce it officially, but apparently all the fae who hate me will now have an open license to kill me. The last time they tried to kill me indirectly. Traps, wicked creatures, and backhanded attacks. Now? They could all turn on me, shove a blade through my heart and move on—no questions asked.
Like they’re planning to do to Rev...
Despite what Drake said, I know I am target number one. The only reason they’ve added a name above mine is because if they want to kill Rev, they know they’re going to need the most power on their side. They think it will be easy to remove me later.
The strategy of hiding my power has been immensely beneficial. I’d be doomed if they knew how strong my magic was.
Over the last two weeks, I’ve managed to build some muscle and trained with my blades using the training center, even taking advantage of the blade masters when they’re willing.
