Distract yourself. Don’t let the flames die but think of something else.
The third trial is always held in the arena. Every village has one, a massive amphitheater carved from stone, with high walls that trap the contestants inside. Attendance is mandatory for all villagers fifteen and older.
I witnessed it the first time two weeks after I survived my first trial, still raw and trembling from what I’d experienced. I thought nothing could be worse than what I’d just endured.
I was wrong.
I was forced to watch again at sixteen, then seventeen, then eighteen, just five days after I passed the exam for the second trial, earning myself another three years of life. But it was impossible to revel in that happiness for long, not after being forced to watch the third trial for those who had turned twenty-one unfold.
Then I had to watch again at nineteen and twenty.
But this year, I won’t be a witness, I’ll be a participant, and I wish I knew what to expect.
Each trial has been different. A series of events that no one but the trial coordinators can predict. I suppose it’s a good way to keep the fear fresh.
One year, it wasn’t just one test, but multiple. The first round focused on accuracy, consisting of throwing daggers into a far-off target. Something Char has ensured I’d excel at if we were given the same challenge, which isn’t likely. Ever since he stole me that blade, I’d become pretty good at hitting my mark.
But the second round, I’m not so sure how I would have fared. Well, that’s not entirely true. As someone without Essentari abilities,I would’ve failed catastrophically, but as someone who can wield flames, I probably would have done okay.
Accuracy was still important, but it was coupled with hand-to-hand combat. No weapons were allowed and every fight was scored, every contestant was ranked.
The third and final test was focused on both memory and speed. A sequence of motions through a narrow track for each competitor was displayed. One wrong step would result in automatic disqualification. Only a certain number were allowed to cross the finish line, so contestants not only had to memorize the route, but then quickly implement what they saw to make it to the end before the others.
The memory part, I think I could have handled, but I doubt I would have been fast enough.
Although, I don’t think that will be a problem anymore…
I open my eyes. My flames are still there, the ache in my limbs not as prominent as before.
I allow the fire to die down, so I can see myself more clearly in the mirror. The person looking back at me feels like a stranger. My muscles are more defined than they once were, hard lines where there used to be softness. The more I call upon the flames, the stronger they seem to get. It’s as if my magic is forging me into something new, something capable of wielding the power I’ve been gifted.
It feels like cheating, but then I remember how painful this used to be, how painful it stillis. How every time I call upon the flames, I’m left with a relentless ache that brings tears to my eyes.
No, this isn’t cheating. I’veearnedthis.
I smile, thinking about how Norin and the others will react when they see me again, when they realize I’m no longer the girl they thought they could break.
I run my fingers along my arms, the faint warmth of the fire still lingering on my skin.
My smile widens.
Chapter 17
Serafina
Another three days have passed. Three long, excruciatingly uneventful days. And still, I have not seen the prince.
If not for Ishla, I surely would have gone mad by now. Okay, maybe I still might be going a tad mad becausewhere is he?
He promised to train me. To help me grow stronger. To help mesurvive.And he’s just…disappeared? Like I don’t even matter?
Which I suppose to him…I don’t.
I pull at my hair, the truth washing over me, and I hate that it hurts. I hate that when I saw him last, I had let my guard down. I had opened up to him. I shared things about my life, my sister,and my parents.
Moving to the door, feeling far more defiant than I should, I itch to open it. I itch to do what I promised him I would never do.
Leave this room.
