Page 20 of War Hour

Silence suspends between us. Both he and I breathe heavily, staring each other down, not even a foot standing between us.

“She did nothing, my lord. Seems she only passed the Trial out of sheer luck. Nothing related to the Trial collapsing.”

Ardis isn’t going to reveal my freeing the Kadara. Did that mean he didn’t think it was related, or he just didn’t care to share the information with Lord Drytas? For now, it doesn’t matter.

I sag in relief, and wrench my wrist from Ardis’s grasp.

Lord Drytas watches me warily. “It can’t be a coincidence—she Trials, and everything implodes on itself.”

Ardis steps away from me, wiping his bloody nose while nodding. “We can keep a close eye on her if it would soothe your worries, my lord. But I saw nothing to show a need for suspicion.”

Leaning back on his throne, Drytas taps his mouth, deep in thought. “That is an acceptable solution, Ardis. But if she is loyal, as you say, then having her power at my side would serve me well.”

My jaw slackens in surprise. His side?

Drytas stands, sweeping his robes out as he stalks to me. As he moves closer, I pull my arm with the Kadara bite behind my back.

It isn’t a logical decision, but somehow, the injury feels like a sign of my weakness. Showing that I struggled through the Trial and nearly failed to make it out. Like I was barely Trialed.

“I haven’t seen your power come out of the Trial before.” Lord Drytas exchanges a look with Belthan that raises my guard. “How did you solve the Trial?”

Shifting under their gaze, I feel my heart rate accelerate at their questions. I should have expected it, but I didn’t think about having to tell Drytas I’d freed the Kadara. The way they look at me like a deadly gift bestowed upon them makes me keep it to myself.

Drytas watches for a reaction from me when he asks, “Did you kill the beast or perhaps even scale the walls like Belthan here?”

Looking at Belthan in surprise, I try to imagine the difficulty of climbing the concaved, steep wall. The pit had been over fifty feet in height, which seemed impossible to ascend even in the best conditions, but the wall had been just dirt. Nothing to grab onto.

Seeing the surprise on my face, Belthan answers without prompt, chest puffing in pride. “Pierced the knives and swords into the walls and used them as footholds. The beastie was inches away the whole time, snapping at my back.”

“Didn’t ask,” I mutter.

Belthan’s answering scowl tells me he heard the whispered words but doesn’t retaliate. His quick temper from a day ago lurks beneath the surface.

I wouldn’t admit he’d been smart about it,andhe didn’t have to kill the Kadara.

“How did you pass the Trial?” Drytas asks again, agitated at my lack of answering.

Ardis shifts nearby, and I worry he’ll tell Drytas the truth if I don’t answer. But if I lie and don’t have a power that matches, he’ll be even more furious.

Blinking slowly, I give him an answer he won’t be suspect of. “I didn’t fight it, just the hallucinations it gave me.”

Is it believable? I don’t think it even fits with the riddle, but Drytas doesn’t seem to notice.

He considers me for a moment but then turns toward Belthan. “It seems she will have more use than I thought. Better served in the Guard than wasted in the upper city.” Addressing Ardis suddenly, Lord Drytas tacks on, “Whether her abilities are a protective barrier or a force field, I want you, Ardis, to see if she can extend that protection to another.”

The guard? For a moment, I contemplate whether I’m hallucinating once again, as a new fear rears its head. Because how could there be a world where I’m made a guard?

Ardis looks to me expectantly, as if I should be the one to protest, but I’ve faced Lord Drytas’s wrath once already today, and I don’t beckon the feel of his hands around my throat again anytime soon.

Even if I’m wary of Drytas, having control over my powers isn’t something I can turn away from. If anything, it would give me time. Time to come up with a plan and to find Thoman.

If they are planning to use me, then I’ll use them right back. And once I have control of my powers—they’ll lose control of me.

Ardis nods at Drytas’s request before bowing once again. “Of course, my lord.” Without another word, he stalks from the room.

Lord Drytas turns to me, his eyes slimming into narrow slits like a snake.

“If it weren’t for the fact you have given me such a gift, Lysta, I would raise you to the top of the wall and then let you drop.” Drytas pauses, letting his threat sink in. When he speaks, venom laces his tone. “Do not use your powers against me again. I may not be able to take them away, but the same cannot be said for your life.”

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