He’ll go for Titus, Annev thought, watching the boy’s dark eyes fall on his companion. I need to surprise him … do something unexpected.
‘Titus!’ Annev called. The smaller acolyte turned to look at him. ‘Catch!’ Annev threw his rod towards the fair-haired boy. Kenton watched, astonished, as the golden object sailed through the air, then he came to his senses and rushed to intercept the falling piece of metal. Titus stood poised to catch the rod until he saw Kenton bearing down on him. He jumped back and the gold rod clattered to the floor.
But Annev had not been idle, and he raced to tackle the surly avatar while his attention was on the fallen rod. They collided hard, Kenton rose off the ground, and the two boys tumbled through the air, their tangled bodies thudding to the floor several feet away. Their momentum slid them towards one of the master avatars and the man stepped aside at the last moment, allowing the pair to slam into the wall.
Kenton’s iron rod clattered to the floor and rolled to a stop beside Annev’s golden one. The dark-haired boy spied them and tried to seize them both, but Annev grabbed him first, wrestling him into a submission hold. He tried to choke Kenton out but the boy had his hands between Annev’s, creating an imperfect hold – and a perfect impasse: Kenton had no leverage to free himself unless he allowed Annev to secure his choke hold, and Annev could hold Kenton … but not incapacitate him, and neither of them could take the rods.
Annev looked up from his entanglement and saw Titus standing less than two feet from the gold and iron rods. Opposite him, Therin had climbed back into the room and was running for them.
‘Leave them!’ Annev shouted. ‘Help me with Kenton!’
Therin hesitated, staring hungrily at the two discarded rods. There was a metallic ping as Titus dropped his bronze rod and hastened to help Annev. With a heavy sigh, Therin set down his silver rod to assist his friends.
‘TITUS!’ Kenton bellowed when the smaller avatar seized his leg. ‘You owe me!’
Titus flinched at Kenton’s words, but he shifted to stand beside Annev then seized Kenton’s left arm. Therin grabbed the right and both boys pulled, giving Annev the choke hold that had eluded him.
‘Let’s get him to the trapdoor,’ Annev said, when Kenton passed out.
The two boys kept their hold on Kenton’s arms while Annev seized his legs. Together they hoisted the avatar off the floor, waddled him over to the trapdoor, and unceremoniously dumped his unconscious body into the hole.
Another boy shouted from the dark tunnel, barely managing to jump out of the way of Kenton’s falling body.
‘It’s Fyn!’ Annev shouted, swinging the trapdoor shut. He hopped atop the door just as Fyn slammed into the other side of it. ‘Titus, help me stand on this! Therin, find something to hold it shut!’
With a nod, Therin ran to the discarded rods, picked up Kenton’s iron bar, and knelt down beside the receiver plate bolted to the floor. He shoved the bar into its metal slot, then forced it across the lip of the trapdoor, locking the door in place to the audible relief of all three boys. Beneath them, Fyn banged furiously on the wood, cursing and demanding admission.
Soft applause came from the right side of the room. Annev looked up and saw Tosan rise from his chair.
‘Well done,’ Tosan said, eyes glittering. ‘Now one of you must still present three of the four rods.’ He looked from Therin and Titus to Annev. ‘Whichever of you gives them to Edra will become an Avatar of Judgement. The others will become Stewards of the Academy.’
For a long moment, no one moved. Titus and Therin each glanced at Annev, who finally stood. Tosan smiled, a satisfied gleam in his eyes. But when Annev reached the rods, he scooped up only two of them. Without saying a word, he handed Titus and Therin their bronze and silver rods, then he walked back to claim the third. All three acolytes stood in front of Tosan, and then Annev went to his knees, bowing his head respectfully as he offered his rod to the headmaster. Therin and Titus followed his lead.
Tosan did not move, and the silence was broken only by Fyn’s fist banging against the locked trapdoor.
Annev could see Witmistress Kiara in his peripheral vision: the older woman had her head tilted sideways, studying Annev as if he had sprouted wings. A tiny smile pricked the corner of her mouth. Annev swallowed hard, anxious yet committed to his course.
‘Elder Tosan.’ He looked the headmaster in the eye. ‘We’ve all trained to earn our places as Avatars of Judgement. All three of us have fought to be here, and we have each passed today’s test. As the wit-apprentices showed us yesterday, we must each be capable alone, but we are unstoppable if we work together.’ He glanced at Witmistress Kiara, hoping to see another smile or some other non-verbal cue indicating she approved of his logic. Instead, her eyes had gone thoughtful, her face blank. Annev was instantly less sure of himself. Had he found the middle ground between Tosan’s ideology and Sodar’s principles? Or had he fooled himself … and failed yet again?
‘We have each demonstrated the necessary skills,’ Annev said, trying to regain his earlier confidence, ‘and we all deserve to become Avatars of Judgement.’ He tried to gauge the headmaster’s reaction. The ancient had listened, his face a perfect mask, but now Annev could see the anger smouldering behind his eyes: the man’s gaze burned with restrained fury.
‘Thank you, Acolyte Ainnevog.’ The headmaster looked between Therin and Titus. ‘Does your classmate speak for you both?’
Titus and Therin looked at one another then glanced at Annev. Titus nodded a moment before Therin.
‘Thank you, Acolyte Titus,’ Tosan said. ‘Each Test of Judgement is won by one acolyte and, by this statement of defiance, both you and Acolyte Ainnevog have withdrawn from this month’s Test. I am forced to promote Acolyte Therin.’ The headmaster snapped his fingers and Brayan stepped forward carrying a brown tunic and belt.
‘You came to us as an Acolyte of Faith,’ Tosan said, as Therin numbly accepted the bundle of clothing. ‘Today you have become an Avatar of Judgement.’
Therin stared at the package and then at Annev and Titus, a look of horror stamped across his face.
‘I didn’t … I don’t—’ The slender boy was dumbfounded by the turn of events.