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“Don’t touch me,” I snapped at him as I tried and failed to pull away from his grip. I was at his mercy and he knew it. Everything hurt, and I felt weak. My body ignited in pain as he grasped me tighter along the gash on my forearm, giving it a good squeeze. I cried out again as Professor Hale yelled something to Kole about our match being over.
“That was low,” I mumbled under my breath to him as I started to stumble off the arena, trying my best to stand up straight. Dizziness washed over me. I didn’t want to look down to find out how much of me was covered in red.
“Gotta do what you gotta do, little nix,” Kole shouted after me. “In the real world, I would have demolished you within seconds if I was allowed to use compulsion on you. I wouldn’t have needed to use the bleacher to hold you in place.”
I tried not to let his words sink in. I hated that he was right. I would have been defenseless against his compulsion. He could have compelled me to walk right into his fist and I would have obeyed. I had obeyed in the past.
Professor Hale called out Grady’s name. He was the last one to spar. I took a seat among the students who had already been eliminated.
Grabbing a sip of water, I tried to cool off as I watched the final round. An unsettling feeling washed over me, like I was being watched. I looked up toward the stands and saw Prince Noren glancing my way before he drew his attention back to the fight.
Grady surrendered to Kole within forty-five seconds of the next match.
TEN
SCOTLIND
The next day,I let out a sob as I rolled over in my bed. Bruises were scattered across my body like splattered paint from where Kole had landed his blows. Cradling my left rib, I slowly peeled myself off the bed, making my way toward the bathing room. I groaned as I lit a candle on my way in, hating even the small flame it produced.
I’d heard rumors that the Luxian City was flourishing with electricity. That every building lit up the sky, constantly humming with enough power that you couldn’t tell if it was day or night. I wished I could remember it, just to have been able to see what a golden city looked like.
Inspecting myself in the mirror, I let out a heavy sigh. My bottom lip was split open, leaving a bloody scab. The swelling around the cut made my lip almost twice the normal size and it looked ridiculous. The sight of me was laughable.
Last night, I opted to just listen to Vallie and Miles talk about how their own Trials went. They didn’t need to ask about mine. It was written all over my face and body how horribly it had gone. The previous bruise I had over my eye had now turned from purple to black.
Anytime I did chime in, whether it be to talk or laugh, my lip would burst open again from the tension, dripping blood down my chin. It was better to keep my mouth shut, and Vallie was sick of me getting blood on our carpet.
My ribs ached and throbbed the most. They were entirely bruised. There wasn’t any part of my skin shining through the blackened mess. I couldn’t take a full breath without wincing in pain.
I pulled my gaze from the mirror. After latching the lock on the door, which I always did when I bathed, I started filling the tub. Not bothering to wait for the water to warm, I slowly eased myself in. The cold water stung my body, especially the gash on my forearm, as I submerged myself into its embrace. I ignored the burn as I fully sank into it. The water always had a way of relaxing me, of making me feel at ease. I leaned my back against the cold marble and closed my eyes.
I was done. It was done. I would find out tomorrow at graduation if I’d passed. I just had to get through the banquet first, but my Trials were finished. My fate was out of my hands.
I soaked in the tub until the dried blood from my body merged with the water, turning it murky. I really should have washed last night, but I couldn’t get myself to do it. I could barely get myself to move.
Once I was dressed, Vallie greeted me from her desk chair as I exited the bathing room. “How are you feeling?” she asked, her eyes raking over my body. She had been doting on me like a concerned mother since my fight with Kole.
“I’m fine.” I gave her a wink. “You should see the other guy.”
Her warm smile faded as she said, “Miles and I came to your Trial after ours finished. We watched the ability-combat fight. We saw what Kole did to you at the end. It wasn’t right.”
We hadn’t talked about it last night, and I wanted to keep it that way. We’d spent the evening laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Happy. I wanted our last few memories together to be happy, not wasting our time talking about how miserably I’d failed.
“Vallie, I’m fine, really.” When she wasn’t buying it, I added, “We only have two more days together, Valerina, and I would like to make them good ones. Now let’s get you ready for this banquet.”
She smiled at that. “You’re right,” she replied as she shifted in her chair to look at me. “And I’m going to make us look so beautiful that even the Prince won’t be able to take his eyes off of us.” She sucked in her teeth as she scanned me. “Don’t worry, I’ll use some foundation to cover up your eye.”
Us.Crap. I didn’t tell Vallie yet that I wasn’t dressing up. I’d evaded the topic because I didn’t want to face her wrath or disappointment, but seeing as the banquet was in a few hours, I couldn’t avoid it any longer.
She loved dressing up as much as I loved being in the sparring ring, outside with a book, or soaking in the tub. I cleared my throat as she sprang up from her chair to open her closet door. “Um, Vallie, I forgot to tell you, but I’m not dressing up. Professor Hale gave me permission to go as a guard, so I’ll be wearing my guard uniform tonight.”
“You aren’t being considered as a match for tonight? Does that mean you passed your Trial? That you’re officially a guard?” she asked, stopping in her tracks.
The excitement on her face stung as I said, “No. I won’t find out if I got it until tomorrow at the graduation ceremony just like everyone else. So technically, I’m not one of the five students he selected, but I can at least practice guarding at the same time, and I don’t have to wear a dress.”
“What?” Vallie fumed, her doe-like eyes popping out of her head. “Scottie, come on. You promised me I could dress you up. What do you mean you aren’t wearing a dress? You can’t wear your guard uniform. It’s ghastly and awful!”
We continued bickering like sisters. Vallie was desperately trying to convince me to wear a dress, which resulted in her showing me each and every single one she had stuffed into her small closet. It was twenty minutes before we finally compromised. She would do my hair and makeup, but I was still dressing for the guard.
