Every time the ground stops trembling, I think all the obstacles have been revealed, but then the sand churns again and more rise into the air. I can’t even count them all, there’s that many. They look as though they run in two circular loops side-by-side around the arena, and I’m guessing you have to complete the inner circle first, before even making it to the obstacles in the outer circle.Just kill me now,I drone in my head.
“How do you feel, mate?”Thane’s voice whispers into my ear.
“Ready for anything,”I lie, bouncing on the spot with an energy I’m definitely faking. Truthfully, I feel like my head is being crushed in the claws of a giant crab, and my stomach is a few seconds away from making me throw up the granola bar I choked on, but I don’t say that. Telling my mates that won’t help anything.
“And your magic?”Knox asks.“Has the curse been removed?”
“I’m not sure,”I answer truthfully, and I take a moment to change my outfit. Soft leather encases my skin, including thick protective pads that cover my forearms. There’s no pain, and the outfit is better than anything I’ve created, but feathers stillcross over my breastplate. I have no idea if being with Knox has removed the curse, but I take that as a good sign.
Thane hums in approval.
As she did the night before, the queen stands to address the crowd. “Warriors of Kiru,” she says loudly, her voice projecting around the amphitheater. “Now that our students have had the night to rest, another trial begins.”
Rest?I scoff, but of course the queen doesn’t notice and she forges on. “The rings of obstacles are designed to test strength and stamina, endurance, and a willingness to overcome, but these aren’t any ordinary obstacles. No, this time the obstacles are designed not only to test the students, but also their bonded animali.”
There’s a cheer from the crowd, and my heart sinks.
“Yes, the students will complete this challenge with the assistance of their creatures, however, no animali is permitted to fly during the course,” the queen booms. “Now, students, call your beasts and let the day begin!”
The roaring from the crowd grows louder, and for a moment, I’m frozen. Kenzie stares at me, looking just as pale as I am, and I force myself to give her a weak smile.
“It’ll be fine,” I hear myself say, but we both know that’s not true. Now I know why the obstacles are so difficult. Because they’re not designed for a human to overcome on their own. I’m meant to have my own beastie helping me.It’s fine. It’s totally fine,I tell myself.At least, the curse on me has been lifted. Hasn’t it?
My mates mutter curses in my ears, and they’re clearly as panicked as I am.
Around the arena, the students space out from one another, calling their animali to them. Some of the beasts crawl over the sides of the arena, their claws scratching against the black stone, while others swoop in, filling the air and flying down fromabove. A few simply appear in a cloud of shadows. They come by the dozens until the sand around me is completely packed with students and their animali. Kenzie’s animali, Nellie, soon appears by her side, trails of shadows in her wake.
“Call for your animali, sunshine,”Raith’s voice rumbles in my ears.
I’ve been calling for my animali for weeks and there’s been no response. I doubt my creature is going to show itself now, but then I remember what the nasken told me the night before:You will see, in time, mistress. She has been waiting for you.A small, desperate part of me wonders if the nasken had been talking about my animali. Trying to hold onto that hope, I close my eyes. If the curse has been removed, then maybe my creature might finally answer me.
Focusing my mind, I send out a call, hopeful that the creatures in the shadow realm can hear it. At this point, even if a worm answered the call, I’d be ecstatic. You know, if it was a giant worm that could fly and eat the Xalgrith. …And maybe one that wasn’t slimy.
Moments pass as I wait for an answer, but even though I can feel my magic is sending out my call far and wide, there’s no reply. Disappointment weighs me down, and I open my eyes, staring hopelessly at the large obstacles on the sand.
The guys curse again, and after a long moment, Thane is the first one to speak.
“You can still do this,”my mate tells me, and to his credit, he sounds like he believes it.“Take it slow. Many of the obstacles are large but still manageable. It’ll take you longer to conquer them, but this challenge isn’t about who gets through it first. It’ll be about the journey and endurance it takes to get there.”
“The journey?”I ask.
“He’s right,”Galen replies.“Focus on surviving, treasure. It’s not always about who finishes first.”
Grinning, I’m about to make a dirty remark because he’s just left himself wide open for it, but I’m distracted when the queen starts talking again. The students are separated into three large groups, and I’m relieved to find out that I’m at least in the second group who will be completing the course. Ian and Satine are in the third group, and unfortunately, Kenzie has been selected for the first group.
The students in the first group arrange themselves before the first obstacle, and the queen announces for them to begin the course. I wish Kenzie luck, and she jogs forward with the other students. I don’t want to look, but I force myself to try and memorize the ways the students tackle the different obstacles, and I wince when students lose their lives and take note of why it happened. Watching Kenzie complete the course is horrible. I nearly have several heart attacks as I watch her struggle along with her animali, but thankfully, they both make it through the course. Kenzie is cradling her right arm when she finishes, and I’m guessing she has a dislocated shoulder, but she’s in one piece. The day crawls by, the sun moving slowly in the sky and the more I watch, the more discouraged I get, but I try not to let those darker thoughts enter my mind.
Focus on the bright side, Shade. You could have been first.
By the time everyone in the first group has finished, many of the obstacles are already slick with blood. The students who made it through the course are led to a holding cell beneath the arena, where I presume they’re permitted to rest until this section of the games is over.
Kenzie shoots me a grim look, and I give her a thumbs up, pretending I’mnotthinking about how I’m going to die, before she disappears into the holding cell.
The queen announces for the second group to start the course, and I might be imagining it, but I swear she’s staring at me when I line up with the other students. Even a few ofthe other originals seem to sit straighter in their chairs, leaning forward just enough to show how eager they are to witness this.Great. They’re definitely onto me and my mates.
Chapter Forty
~ Shade ~
