Four people stepped inside. Two were Elite magic users, one from the House of Vexalor and the other from the House of Marcellen. I remembered yesterday that they both had chosen pretty powerful weapons. Next to them were their wolfkin bonded, one female with long blond hair, and another male, his hair shaved completely bald—he glared at Kaelric with a hatred that made the skin on my arms prickle.
“Room’s taken,” Kaelric told them calmly, but I saw his hand go to the sword at his hip.
“We thought you might want some sparring partners?” the House of Vexalor male Elite said.
Kaelric was curt: “No, thank you.”
I peered at the female wolfkin to see that her head was low, avoiding eye contact with Kaelric. But the male with the shaved head was glaring at him hard.
“Oh, come on,Prikaran, are you scared?” the bald male wolfkin said.
Kaelric snapped his head in the wolfkin’s direction and met his gaze head-on. “Varran el thunsar,” he spat, and a shockwave of power burst outward. I felt it like aphysical weight on my chest. The wolfkin growled, lowering his head and his gaze.
The two Elites peered at each other wearily, unsure what to do, so they just turned and left.
I’d never heard the wolfkin language before. I knew it was called Vaskari and only spoken by the wolfkin, but having just heard it and feeling Kaelric use some kind of wolfkin magic… was wild.
“What was that about?” I asked him.
Kaelric’s eyes were green, threaded through with yellow.
“Nothing. Let’s focus on training. The first trial comes faster than you think.”
I frowned. “What was that power you used? I felt it. Do the wolfkin have magic like the Elite?”
Kaelric peered at me for a long time. “Not all of them.”
We said nothing more.
I spent the next few hours hefting my sword and deflecting his blows. They were pathetic attempts on my part, and I knew he was going easy on me. I’d never held a sword before, and it was heavy and awkward. By the time Cassian came by to check on us, my arms felt like rubber; I could barely hold up the steel. I thought I was strong for my body type. Today proved me wrong.
“Did you get some sleep?” Kaelric asked Cassian.
Cassian nodded, running his hand through his blond hair, but his gaze flicked to me warily.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He sighed, straightening his shoulders, which pulled his blue silk tunic taut against his chest. “I’ve just left a sponsor meeting where we learned about the first trial.”
“What is it?” Kaelric was suddenly alert, moving towards Cassian.
Cassian peered at me. “They’re going to try to take you guys out quickly in the first trial.”
Dizziness washed over me.
Take you guys out. That meantkill. They wanted me dead. I figured that, but hearing it now was sobering.
“What’s the trial?” Kaelric barked, and this time a heavy sensation pushed at the back of my neck like a physical force.
My head snapped in Kaelric’s direction as Cassian’s brows drew together. Kaelric was using that magic again.
“I can’t say. I’ve been magically gagged, but I can tell you it’s designed to take out Brynn.” He peered at me with a sadness in his gaze, like he had already accepted this fate and was saying goodbye.
Kaelric growled. “That’s not happening. Whatcanyou tell us?”
Cassian bit down on his lip, concentrating, as if trying to find a magical loophole. He peered at me, eyes boring into mine.
“You have to trust him, fully, if you want to survive this. He will be the only way,” he said to me, and I peered at Kaelric in surprise.
