“No.”Gael’s shoulders slumped the second the Arbiter’s polyphonous voice rang through the room. Paelin would not be joining them. The Trial of Spirit was over.
“Champions who reign over spirit and truth,” boomed the voice, “I offer my congratulations. And my sympathies.”
Well, that was new. Elyria didn’t think the mysterious being had expressed much of anything close to resembling sympathy after the first trial. Were they starting to get attached?
Elyria, unfortunately, knew the feeling.
Her chin still tingled where Cedric had touched her when he’d pulled her from her trance.
That fucking trial.
She hadn’t meant to lash out at Belien like that.
He deserved it, sure. But what she’d gone through in the trial had changed something in her. And when she reached for her wild magic with the intention of intimidating the human with alittle, tiny, itty-bittyearthquake, or maybe helping a few loose stones find their way to his smug face, her shadow had answered instead.
She didn’t fully realize what she was doing to him until Cedric stopped her.
And she had absolutely no idea how to feel about that.
“Your journey is far from over.” The Arbiter was still speaking. Oops. “Let the truths uncovered within yourselves guide you in the trials to come.”
Elyria glanced at Kit. “Trials?” she mouthed. “Two down, two to go?” That was another tally for Kit’s predictive prowess.
Kit simply stared back at Elyria, some inscrutable mix of emotions in her mismatched eyes.
At first, Elyria thought she simply didn’t understand what she’d tried to communicate. Then the realization hit. Kit never knew about Elyria’s dark magic. Elyria had never let her see it. Never told her.
Wonder, shock, and a little bit of hurt. That’s what Elyria saw reflected back at her.
But not fear.
She could work with that. Could work with Kit’s irritation. Her anger, even. As long as she wasn’tafraidof her.
Elyria would check in with her as soon as she could. But it was all she could do at present to focus on the rest of the Arbiter’s words, their next command. Especially with the hulking human knight still basically standing on top of her.
She considered elbowing him in the side, forcing him over. She needed space—to think, to breathe.
She could barely breathe with him right there.
“Emotional wounds cut deeper than physical ones,” said the Arbiter. “Two nights you’ll have to rest. Recover. Recuperate.”
The doors at the back of the room swung open.
“And then the Trial of Magic shall commence. Your strength alone will not be enough to survive. Rely on the bonds you’ve forged, thetrust you’ve built. Remember: unity is the key.”
And with that, the voice faded.
Elyria tried—she really tried—not to look at Cedric. She failed. And as she met his golden brown eyes, something stirred in the hollow place where her inner shadow slept.
A recognition. An understanding.
They didn’t say anything—there was no need for words. They were in this together now.
Whether they liked it or not.
The soothing stillnessof night should have brought Elyria peace. The chance to justbeafter so much strife. Instead, she found herself restless.
Kit hadn’t said much as they’d walked through one of the doors and their bedroom from the night before materialized before them. The agreement to hold off on any lengthy, emotional confessions until morning went unspoken as they’d poured themselves into their beds.
