Frazer fidgeted. “You should eat.”
Somehow, he made his suggestion sound like a demand. I bottled up the exasperated noise fighting to get out. In the end, it was Adrianna who said, “Frazer, you keep looking at Serena like you’re about to fall on your sword for her.”
Frazer replied with nothing but a glare cut in her direction.
I almost groaned aloud. There’d been a fragile peace between them in the wake of their fight. Today, just hours before the trial, the conflict looked ready to spark anew.
Of rutting course.
Adrianna shifted forward and kept on. “You can’t afford to let your protective instincts take over. Not with witnesses around.”
I interceded. “Adi, we know. He knows.”
Frazer drank deeply from his glass and upon coming up for air, said, “You’re not my princess, so stop bullying me.”
A faint blush colored Adrianna’s cheeks. I could almost see the struggle for self-control behind her eyes. Then, she leaned back, her spine stiffened and a preternatural stillness, a black frost, gripped her. “I just don’t want to see either of you dragged before Morgan because of your recklessness.”
Frazer’s glass broke in his hands. No one heard the sound, thanks to Cai, but the noise barrier couldn’t hide the juice spreading and dripping down the side of the oak table.
Speech abandoned me.
“All right, enough!” Cai slammed a palm down flat.
No one spoke as Liora mopped up the sticky liquid.
“Adrianna.” Cai swiveled to his right to face her. “We know you’re worried, but what’s done is done.”
She scowled but stayed silent.
Cai’s wrath turned on Frazer who was placing shards of glass onto his plate. “And if you can’t control your temper, you’ll start drawing attention to us. A bit like you’re doing right now.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Individuals among the other packs were shooting curious glances our way. The only group to ignore us was Tysion’s, which seemed more suspicious somehow. Their whispered conversations had become a regular occurrence that set my teeth on edge. Although I couldn’t explain exactly why. In my scrutiny, I missed Goldwyn striding over to us.
I felt the release of the sound barrier, and then, “Oh dear.”
I swiveled around to see her halt, flank me, and stare down at the broken glass. “An accident? Or a bout of nerves?”
“Both,” Frazer grumbled.
“Not surprising. Now, if you could all follow me outside?”
Goldwyn whirled and strode out. A mighty brisk attitude.
We all scrambled along behind, but she didn’t slow once we’d left the hall; she sped up. My knees went weak upon realizing we were headed for the arena.
I matched her stride, saying, “I thought the trial didn’t start until 9.”
The hint of panic was all too clear in my voice. Damn.
“Correct. But I want you to have the time to get familiar with the space.”
Her words were edged; not as sunny and carefree as usual. I shared a surprised look with Liora.
Goldwyn had always been by far the most relaxed instructor. The idea that she might be competitive, or a strategic thinker hadn’t really occurred to me. My mistake.
The towering, roofless construct of limestone and sand loomed large, etched against a perfectly clear, blue sky. It was glorious and terrifying.
I’d been inside once before to watch the match between Wilder’s and Dimitri’s packs. Now it was my turn. I’d done everything to prepare for this, but it still didn’t feel like enough. It would never be enough.
I wiped sweaty palms down my jacket and looked around. My pack was quiet. Everyone seemed trapped in their own little pockets of fear. We couldn’t help one another this time. On this day, we stood alone.
Goldwyn veered right. I’d expected to enter via the main gate, but instead she led us toward a heavy wooden door. Goldwyn used a hidden key from around her neck to click the lock open. She ushered us through the low archway, into a long, narrow tunnel with burning torches set into brackets on the wall. Goldwyn grabbed one and held it out in front, illuminating the cold stone passage. I fell into line behind the others, walking along the sloping corridor, listening to the eerie echoes of our boots hitting the flagstones. Clack-tap. Clack-tap. Clack-tap.
At the end was a square room with benches set against the walls. Opposite was an annex with mounted weaponry. To the left, a ramp led to the ring. This must be the fighter’s entrance.
Goldwyn slipped the torch back into an empty bracket and beckoned us out onto the sands. A huge circular ring awaited us. Tiered benches ran all around the outside. Thousands of seats rose to the open sky. I spun in a circle, taking it all in, anxiety burning a hole in my gut.
“Can tell us who we’re fighting?” I asked, attempting to sound innocent.
A knowing smile touched Goldwyn’s face. “Sorry. The instructors don’t choose your opponents.”
“Then, who does?” Adrianna said sharply.
“Hilda,” Goldwyn answered.
“She’s going to be here?” Adrianna asked, intrigued.
I let their voices fade away and concentrated on taking everything in. From how well my boots gripped the sand, to the position of the sun. Frazer stuck close but didn’t seem interested in surveying his surroundings. Maybe he’d done it the instant we’d walked through the gate.
Sight of Goldwyn’s wings spreading punched through my haze of thought, and I turned to her again. Listening.
“I’ll be back later. And if you have the first pick of weapons and armor, then so be it.” She winked. As if we needed the hint.
“Are you allowed to leave us here?” Adrianna asked.
“I’m not entirely sure. I suppose we’ll find out.”
She shot us a fox-like grin and soared into the sky.
During the next hour, Cai complained that his breakfast had been interrupted … many, many times. We also kitted ourselves out in basic armor: leather tunics, and gloves reinforced with chain mail. Then, we picked blunted weapons from the armory. There were no bows or shields; otherwise, there was a wide variety.
I chose my beloved Utem?, long and slender with its protective hilt. Perfect for my slight build. Frazer was the only one among us to not chose a sword. He went for a spear instead. The very image was enough for fear to sink into my belly like quicksand. I wasn’t exactly afraid for him. No—I’d seen him with a spear. A striking asp, a violent tempest in action, and that was the problem; if I was matched against someone even half as good—or stars forbid, Frazer himself—then I’d be kicked out. It wasn’t clear where homeless humans went, either. Back to the slave markets?
After we’d picked our weapons, our pack moved on, testing the blunt edges in some warm-up bouts in the ring.
Eventually, the other recruits started to arrive. Dimitri was the first with his brutish pack treading along in his wake. When he spotted us training, he scowled but surprisingly said nothing. Next came Mikael and Cecile’s groups, and then Goldwyn returned via the main gate.
Those of us with swords sheathed them and greeted her in the middle of the sand pit. She gave us a fleeting smile, but the tightness around her eyes and jaw showed she was nervous for us.
“What are we waiting for?” Adrianna asked her briskly.
“Hilda. And the guests, of course.” She nodded to the stands.
My heart died inside my chest. “Guests?” I croaked.
“We’ve sent out invitations to the recruits’ kin and opened the grounds to paying customers.” Was that distaste in her voice? Goldwyn added, “It’s the first time we’ve ever let outsiders watch. It ruins the secrecy element. Hilda definitely wasn’t keen. But someone higher up in the court thought an audience would test your ability to focus. Or some such bullshit.”
She rolled her eyes. I didn’t smile. There would be nobody in the stands cheering for me. Yet, I still had to endure a bunch of strangers watching me.