“What do you think the test will be today?” Mina asked Dinah absently.
Dinah yawned and rubbed her back. “I’m not sure, but I hope we’re done soon. There was a lump in my mattress, and I could barely sleep last night. I think I’m bruised.”
“Maybe there was a pea under your mattress,” Mina said, amused.
“Oh don’t be silly, Elle. Why would there be food under a mattress in the royal palace? It had to have been a rock.”
“Why would a rock be under the mattress? In fact, I’d think it was more likely for food to be under the mattress than a rock.”
“Fine—pea, rock, or elephant. It was awful. You wouldn’t want to switch rooms tonight, would you?”
“If I make it past the next round, I would do anything to help.” Mina agreed easily, knowing she probably wouldn’t be here after the next test. “So, have the betrothal tests always been this grueling?”
Dinah raised an eyebrow at Mina. “Do you really not know?”
Mina shook her head. “I’ve lived a very sheltered life.”
She wasn’t sure if the nymph bought her excuse, but the tall girl explained. “Well, depending on whether the heir is male or female, the choosing ceremony varies. If it’s a female then the princes of lesser kingdoms and first-born sons are tested on wit, honesty, and bravery. In the past they’ve been sent on quests to fight a dragon, steal a golden fleece, or travel to the ends of the known world. But the princess test is always kept a secret. I’m not altogether sure why, but it is always conducted within the palace. Usually the youngest and prettiest daughters—and other princesses—are the candidates. There was a rumor that Queen Maeve was selected because she spun straw into gold.”
That didn’t sound so bad, but it still seemed out of Mina’s expertise. Teague’s warning came back to her. “You don’t think they’d make us do anything dangerous, do you?”
Dinah shrugged her shoulders. “Who knows? But I’m not expecting it to be as easy as yesterday.” Her words only confirmed Mina’s fears. “By the way, I’m glad you brought Annalora down a peg. I’d just be careful around her. She’s got it out for you.”
She turned to face the door when King Lucian entered alone.
“Greetings, princesses and ladies. Day two of our quests will commence shortly. One at a time, you will proceed through the double doors into the library. On the other side is your test.”
Dinah let out a sigh of relief and Mina had to agree. A test in a library didn’t sound too bad. Did that mean Teague lied to her?
King Lucian wiped his brow and pointed to Tawny to enter first. Tawny smiled and stepped away from Annalora to head through the doors.
They closed behind her, and then the girls waited. Each one of them strained to hear, trying to gather a clue as to what was transpiring on the other side.
There were a few seconds of utter silence.
And then the terrified screams began.
“You can’t be serious.” Annalora turned to confront the king. “Is she being tortured? I didn’t come all this way to be killed.”
Most of the girls looked equally confused, while Ever remained thoughtful. Dinah seemed tense but steady. Neither of them appeared to know what was going on the other side of the door.
Estellya spoke up, “Maybe that’s not Tawny’s voice. Maybe that’s part of the test, to distinguish her real cry from fake?”
Mina was confident enough to answer. “No, I’m pretty sure those screams are not part of the test.”
Sephora turned on her. “How do you know?”
Well, she sure wasn’t going to explain to the others that Teague had snuck into her room to warn her. “I just have a gut feeling.”
More screams followed. Sephora covered her ears and tried to call the king’s bluff. “I think this is our test. Her screams are fake.”
King Lucian shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry to tell you, you’re incorrect. Those screams are very re—”
A deep roar echoed in the next room, the sound resonating through the floor. Mina felt it through the soles of her shoes. King Lucian winced at the sound.
“What kind of test is this? This doesn’t seem proper,” Annalora shrieked again.
“One that is fully appropriate, I assure you.”
The sounds coming from the other room died down, and Mina could just see the barest shimmer of light passing under the door. Then it went dark.
King Lucian waited as the servant from yesterday reappeared and whispered the results to him. He looked disappointed.
“Ah, it seems we are ready. Who will go next?” He cast his golden gaze around at the girls, waiting for a volunteer. It appeared they wouldn’t know the results of the previous contenders until they’d either failed or passed the test themselves.