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“Congratulations, competitors.” King Harkin’s thick brows knitted together as he eyed Talon. “You’ve all made it through the preliminary assessment. Trials will be held at the end of each week, beginning this full moon.” He straightened his fur coat, lifting his cleft chin to survey his adorning court.
Their frenzied whispers were still in full swing.
Until the king’s voice silenced them again. “Ten of you stand before us today, but only one will remain in the end. Freedom is a privilege for those who fight to keep it.”
Walking alongside Talon on the way to the bedchambers, I couldn’t help but sense the palpable tension emanating from him. Thick in the air. It wrapped around me like an unsettling shroud. It frightened me.
His stealthy demeanor unsettled me even more. He wasn’t burly, like some of the other guards. No. He was angular. Sharp. A perfectly honed blade.
We stopped outside the embellished door, and he leaned against the frame. His intensity made me self-conscious. “If today was any sign of your skill level, I certainly have my work cut out for me. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
“No one asked you to volunteer.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I was in a good mood.”
“A good mood?” I scoffed.
Talon arched a brow as if it was absurd to believe he’d volunteer for any other reason. “Well, it wasn’t for your athletic abilities.”
I laughed—the sound raw to my own ears as I pushed my fingers into my temples. “Oh, how inconsiderate of me. Please lead me to the nearest mountain so I can scream your praises for the stars to hear!”
“I’m not sure you’d make it up that far.”
His lips hinted at a smile while my glare promised murder. There was no way we’d survive training together these next couple of weeks. If I even made it through the first trial. This entire situation felt like a massive trap. I was damned if I did and would be killed if I didn’t.
“Well, this has been fun. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go into my room and get some rest.”
With the twist of his hand, the door popped open, and he pushed off the frame. “Such a foul, foul mouth. Meet me in the weapons room in the morning. We’ll begin our training at sunrise, firefly.”
“At sunrise?”
Talon stretched his neck as he strolled down the corridor. His back to me as he spoke. “That’s what I said. Be there … or don’t. Either way, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I beat my fists into the back of my chamber door as it closed behind me and let out a frustrated grunt. The collision with the door only served to remind me of how sore my body felt.
Resting my forehead against the wood, I wished my mother were there.
I felt lost. Confused. I knew I needed to get it together—to be the strong pillar of hope and believe in myself the way she did, but this was bigger than me. And as much as I despised my circumstances, I knew I needed to pull it together, if not for myself then to prove everyone wrong, especially a particular dark-haired sadist with a god complex.
I couldn’t see anything. At first, I thought I was back in the dungeon, but as my vision adjusted to my surroundings, I recognized I was in a small, confined cave.
“Elowyn, help me, please!” a woman shrieked.
I prayed I was hallucinating, but as I turned toward the sound, there my mother lay in her bed just past the boulders.
I raced toward her, only to be cut off by an avalanche of rocks blocking me in.
No!
The jagged walls came crumbling down, and I knew I needed to escape. I needed to get to her. I scoured the cave, but there was no exit. The air thinned with each breath I took.
Desperately, I pushed on the walls, searching for a weak spot. My palms scraped across the rock. My fingertips sliced into the rutting edges. Searching. For a trapdoor, a secret passage, anything to set me free. But I was stuck.
“Mother! Stay with me. I’m going to get to you, I promise!”
My knuckles turned blood red as I pounded on the walls, but it was pointless. There wasn’t a way out. I was going to die and so was my mother.
There was nothing I could do.
