The look on his face was absolute shock, but he covered it with a tight smile. “Nothing. You just… nothing.”
Shame burned my cheeks. Did I look bad or something? Was my back dirty? Probably. I’d showered this morning, and my clothes were clean-ish, but I’d never be Elite clean.
“I just what?” I pressed him. Let the clean Elite call me dirty. Sure, he was being nice now, but we grew up in different worlds. He still saw me as a rat.
He tenderly reached out and zipped up my jumpsuit and then cleared his throat. “I don’t want to offend you, but… you’re skin and bones. Do you need something to eat before?—?”
“I’m fine!” I snapped, spinning around and facing him fully.
My entire life, there was a slow-burning fire deep inside of me, an anger at the way things were. How the Hades could one family live in a ten-bedroom mansion and scrape half their dinner into the trash can while I boiled rat soup for my family of thirteen?It wasn’t fair. I wasn’t asking for a handout. I’d work sixteen-hour days, whatever it took to make enough to fill every belly in my house twice a day. But that was the problem. The pay wasn’t enough. The food wasn’t enough. Nothing was ever enough.
I knew Cassian’s comment wasn’t meant to be mean, but it ignited the fire inside of me until it was at full burn.
“I’m skinny because the class system has been starving the Dregs for centuries. Because whileyourbrother and his friends got fat at their party last night, I was sifting through the trash to feedmybrothers and sisters. I’m skin and bones because thesystem wants me that way,” I growled. “It wants me dead.”
There were unshed tears in his eyes, and he just nodded, which made me feel bad. Then the door opened and allowed the fire inside of me to burn iron-hot.
Screw the Elite. It didn’t matter that I was magicless. I was going to take this whole system down and probably die trying.
Regalis wanted equality and magic for all? That wasn’t likely to happen. But I could shove it in their faces and let them know I was more than just a little Dreg rat.ThatI could do.
Chapter Five
When I stepped back into the stadium, I peered again at the cluster of over a hundred wolfkin in their wolf forms. Some were already fighting each other, trying to get closer to the front row for a better view. The wolves were just behind the semi-circle of weapons. Each weapon stood atop a flat stone. I saw swords, axes, maces, and daggers. They all looked pretty deadly. But I knew the magic they held was the only source of magic I would have in this competition, so I’d need one to choose me that was really powerful. Around the half-circle of weapons and wolves sat the Elite. They towered high above the arena as Corvessa, the magistrate, sat in a regal chair on the dais, presiding over it all.
“First, we will have our initiates choose a randomdice with a number. The person who gets number one will go first and have the ability to get the most powerful weapon.”
A steel box was passed around, with each initiate grabbing a die out of it. When it was my turn, I pulled number four.
“Not bad,” Cassian said beside me under his breath.
“Please line up according to your number. Then we will begin!” the magistrate announced, and the crowd went wild.
I had the sudden, eerie feeling I was being watched, and glanced over my shoulder to see that white wolf staring right at me. Chills ran down my spine. I scrambled to get into order at my place, fourth in line.
“Mercy Solvaris, you are one lucky woman,” Corvessa trilled at the person in the number one place. Her daughter or niece, probably someone she’d had trained since birth for this, all to bringhermore magic.
Mercy grinned, rolling the number one dice in her palm. “I want the King Killer!” She pointed to a sword at the very end of the half-circle. Everyone laughed, Corvessa included.
“So do I, darling.”
I peered at Cassian, who stood by my side as all the sponsors stood at the side of their initiate.
“King Killer?” I whispered.
Cassian nodded. “Forged by the Creator himself, a weapon of untold power that hasn’t been wielded in centuries.”
Mercy stepped forward, following the little path in an arc in front of the circling wolves, and passed the first weapon.
“Will Whisper Fang choose her?” Corvessa spoke into her amplifier. “A silent and deadly weapon rumored to be cursed.”
Mercy winced as she passed it, but nothing happened.
When Mercy got to the second weapon, it glowed a buttery yellow, and she growled in disappointment.
I looked at Cassian. “The weapons are laid out in ascending order according to power,” he explained. “She just got a pretty weak weapon.”
I glanced at Corvessa, who appeared annoyed that her initiate had chosen poorly. I wondered if now a lower-ranking wolf would choose her?
