I purse my lips. “Okay. Thank you, Jax. This is very helpful.”
Jax beams at me, as if he’s a child who just got the most delicious candy. “You’re welcome.”
I raise an eyebrow, but don’t comment on his excitement. Sometimes, he confuses me. Especially recently. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe he truly cares about me winning, and not only getting rid of Daegel so he can get whatever Daegel has of his.
“Alright, then,” Vera says, and rubs her palms. “Let’s do this. Let’s win this damn trial, Phoenix.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
PHOENIX
The wind at the top of the mountain is harsh as it tears through me. The Ezkai leathers I wear for the trial don’t offer much warmth or comfort. I can barely keep my teeth from clattering.
All the participants stand, scattered all over the rocky clearing. The naked black rock is wet and slippery under my feet. Anytime I take a step, I have to be extremely careful not to fall. I tense my core and leg muscles to keep myself stable and grounded.
Farther away, high above the clearing, a crowd of spectators gathers. I squint, trying to make out the faces, but the figures blur together. Only Taaslord Noire stands taller than everyone, so I can tell it’s him. I can’t see his eyes, but I can feel his gaze on me.
My heart pounds in my chest, and my breathing is labored. I look around. There is not a single sign of life here, just hard rocks and lumps of snow. I listen, but there is nothing apart from the howling wind.
We wait. Time moves slowly. Nothing happens. I bet the tension while we wait for the dragons to grace us with their presence is part of the damn trial.
The dragons are probably watching us all, hidden from sight. Maybe part of their hunting technique is to wait until the prey is weakened. If we stand here like this long enough, we’ll lose our sharpness. When the darkness falls over the mountain, the dragons will strike. Then the creatures can take us out one by one.
These thoughts do me no good. I take a deep breath and let the fresh mountain air reach every corner of my lungs. My eyes fall closed. I conjure an image of a burning flame in the middle of my chest, warm and soft. A moment later, the flame travels through my arms into my palms, to the very tips of my fingers. Then it slides down my torso, over my legs to my feet and the very tips of my toes.
When I open my eyes, my body isn’t shivering anymore. I’m warm from the inside. The harsh wind whipping over my body doesn’t bother me anymore.
Sudden movement at the edge of my vision catches my attention. I whip my head to my right. From behind a huge boulder, a tiny hand appears. My heart drops. A moment later, the tiny figure of a child crawls from behind it.
I cover my mouth with the palm of my hand. No way is this happening. The child is a girl, no older than seven or eight years old. Her face is dirty, clothes ripped to shreds. The girl’s knees are bloody when she scrambles to her feet.
Oh dear gods.
“Help,” the girl cries out, reaching a hand towards the Ezkai closest to her. “Please, help me. I’m so cold.”
The little girl’s voice carries through the clearing, desperate and pleading. I inhale a sharp breath. Blood pumps in my ears.
The Ezkai, a short and muscular man with a beard, hesitates. I want to scream at him to move towards the girl, to help her. The dragons can show up at any moment, and that girl stands no chance of survival if we don’t help.
Nobody moves.
I’m about to open my mouth to scream at the Ezkai next to the girl when the sound of lightning crackling pierces the air. It startles me, and I look around. Not a single storm cloud is anywhere close.
White smoke tendrils weave around the child’s body. The mist swallows the child, and the scream that reaches my ears makes my blood freeze in my veins. The crackling sound continues. I have to cover my ears as I hunch over, the sound is too loud.
Just as quickly as it appeared, the white smoke evaporates. Instead of a ragged child, a long serpentlike creature stands by the rock. It has four legs with large pearlescent claws and two large bat wings on its back. Metallic scales cover the length of its body, and with each movement, the color of the scales alternates between dark grey and silver.
The dragon’s square head moves from side to side, golden eyes observing the participants. Finally, it zones in on the Ezkai closest to it.
Spectators gasp. I’m speechless for a moment. The dragon exhales, and the warm air wave reaches even where I stand, warming up my cheeks.
I inhale a deep breath, steadying myself against the terror that threatens to overwhelm every sense in my body. I get a hold of my emotions and mold them into a small ball before I tuck it away.
I don’t feel. I don’t experience. I simply exist.
The dragon opens its toothy mouth and strikes at the Ezkai with full force. Somehow, the Ezkai is faster than the dragon,jumping out of the dragon’s path just in time. Unfortunately, he lands on his back on hard rocks.
Even from where I stand I hear the crack of his skull. The Ezkai is still alive, though, as he scrambles back to his feet. But not for long. The dragon snaps his jaw at the warrior and then flicks its long tail so quick I don’t see it. The tail slams into the Ezkai’s side and throws him against the boulder. Another crack of the bones as his body slams against the hard rock.
