“Just forget about Tormund for now and have fun!” Lilia led me toward the arched stone gate, where dozens of bells hung from colorful ribbons, jingling in the breeze. “This is only for a laugh. You don’t actually have to do well, remember?”
Except Tormund would expect I’d try. And if I failed miserably, not only would he look at me with an annoying laughing smirk, but his cockiness about the Everstone would grow five sizes larger. I didn’t know how much more of his ego I could take. I could already see the twinkle in his eyes, bright enough to light up a cavern without a sunstone anywhere in sight. That spark of his was frustrating. Why’d it have to be wasted on someone like him?
What was more, Iwantedto show him up. He’d done nothing but antagonize me from the moment we’d met, and someone needed to put him in his place. It’s just…well, I wasn’t good enough to do it.
Lilia patted me on the bum, hard enough to launch me through the arched gate. I stumbled forward, and a cloud of dirt billowed around me. The cheering of the crowd dimmed, and I felt the weight of a thousand eyes settle on my face. A face that was flaming like a dragon’s breath.
Swallowing, I ignored my pounding heart and lifted my chin, striding into the center of the arena, where the other competitors waited for me. There were fewer this year than previous competitions, I noted. Usually, around twenty participated. But other than Tormund and his two pals, only six dwarves stood ready in the circle drawn in the sand. That made ten of us in total.
That bettered my odds.
I shook my head at myself, clenching my teeth. It didn’tbetter my odds. What in fate’s name was I thinking? I knew all these dwarves. They trained year in and year out for these trials, honing their skills. Most of them even weighed their food to ensure they consumed enough grub to fuel their bodies. I wondered if Tormund did the same…
As I approached the group, his broad, shadow-wreathed form tugged at my gaze. I couldn’t help but turn toward him,despite the talking to I’d given myself before coming here. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of any more attention.
He was looking right at me. A smile curved his lips, then he winked.
A furious heat flooded my cheeks. Who did he think he was? Honestly, I wished he’d come into my house again just so I could kick him right back out with magic. It would serve him right, waltzing in here with—
“Astrid,” a voice said from beside me. I blinked. Jostein’s face materialized just to my right. He was frowning at me, his brow furrowed in concern. “Are you quite all right, my love?”
“Yes, of course,” I replied, my throat tight.
“Hmm. You just take it easy, you hear? This first trial is the strength one.” He pounded me on the back, then walked over to welcome each of the other contestants. All of them were staring at me like I was some kind of corpse come to life.
When he’d finished, Jostein strode into the center of the arena with his hands outstretched. The lingering cheers died, and a pregnant silence descended on the packed stands.
“Welcome to the Eighteenth Annual Fittest Under the Mountain!” he exclaimed, his white bushy beard bouncing with every word.
The deafening roar of four thousand dwarves pounded against my eardrums. I lifted my gaze to scan the crowd in the circular stands, suddenly feeling as small as a grain of dirt. It looked different, seeing it all from down here. There were so many people eagerly awaiting a demonstration of strength, speed, agility, and endurance. None of which I really had.
My eyes drifted back to Tormund’s face as Jostein continued his yearly speech to signify the start of the trials. But for once, I didn’t catch Tormund’s stare. Head cocked, he was examining Galinn, who stood tall in the center of the cluster of dwarves, beaming like he’d already won the damn thing.
As if sensing the weight of my eyes, Tormund shifted his gaze my way. He arched a brow and inclined his head toward Galinn. I nodded back.
“Let the first trial begin!” Jostein suddenly exclaimed, interrupting our silent conversation.
I swallowed, dragging my attention back to the task at hand. Jostein motioned toward a row of ten large stones that sat waiting behind a black line drawn in the dirt. At the other end of the arena stretched another line. The beginning and the end.
“Each of you will lift a stone and carry it to the other side of the arena,” Jostein instructed. “Whoever is fastest wins.”
It was a simple enough task, especially for those of us who worked in the mines. We moved rocks around all the time, though the carts helped us across longer distances. I eyed the stones. They came up to my knees and looked pretty damn heavy. I usually left ones this size for others to deal with.
Tormund swaggered over and elbowed me in the side. “You still plan on showing me how much I’ve underestimated you?”
My hands fisted. “I wasn’t talking about the competition.”
“Oh? You could have fooled me.” Chuckling, he moved off—probably to annoy some of the other contestants. That seemed to be his strategy.
I ground my teeth and scanned the crowd for a familiar flash of silver hair, but the faces were nothing more than a blur. Right now, I sorely needed Lilia’s encouraging smile. She’d remind me that Tormund didn’t matter. None of this did. She’d tell me to make a game of it, to let go and have a little fun.
But since she wasn’t by my side, I had to repeat the words in my head. I had no chance of winning, and that was fine. I’d come last in most—probably all—of these trials. Again, no need to cry about it! I’d roll the stone as far as I could, then have a tankard of brew and some moss cakes with my friends. Maybe a bit of my leftover chocolate, too.
It would be a lovely way to spend the evening.
Nodding to myself, I followed the others to the starting position and took a spot behind the stone furthest down the line. Thankfully, Tormund had decided to go to the middle, so I wouldn’t have to suffer his taunting jabs when I fell behind.
“But before we begin,” Jostein suddenly shouted, “we have a surprise for this year’s winner!”
