Ignore it, ignore it.
I took another bite of the apple, again letting my mind drift, thinking of nothing and everything. Phoenixia, the weather, Reaper’s Pines, my new boots—
The most godawful, putrid taste sliced through my thoughts, yanking me out of my daze.Raw fish coated in urine.
My belly roiled and twisted, and I couldswearbile tried crawling up my throat. I locked my teeth, determined not to spew.
Giving my stomach a chance to settle a little, I breathed in. Out. In. Out—
The person beside me shot forward in their seat and heaved, vomit fairly exploding out of their mouth. Smelling it, I squeezed my eyes shut as my belly rebelled yet again. The fact that I likely didn’t have dormant power made the whole thing more infuriating. Because, aside from how I couldn’t afford to fail for obvious reasons, I was otherwise enduring this for nothing.
Sweat beading my forehead and upper lip, I chewed what was left in my mouth and then took another bite. Again, I dissociated, my thoughts landing on Talon. I let questions roam around my brain …
Why didn’t he speak? What exactly did the Sovereigns do to him as a child? What did he look like in his dragon form? Did he hate wearing human skin?
All the while, I ate.
But then it happened—I tasted actual, honest-to-gods’ shit.
Yeah, I gagged, almost dropping the fruit. It was only then I noticed that my hands were tremoring.
I also noticed that I was almost finished. I had to take only one more bite.IfI could finish what was already in my mouth.
“Don’t stop now, Anara, you got this!” Khalida shouted.
Other voices were shouting words of encouragement, too. Some at me, some at others. Beneath that were the sounds of hurling, sobbing, whimpering, spitting, and swearing.
You’re almost done.
Yes, I was. But … I couldn’t dissociate this time as I chewed, couldn’t distance myself from the taste—it was just so utterly sickening that it clung to my attention.
It’s not real, you’re not eating shit, it’s just fruit.
I told myself that over and over, forcing myself to chew and chew. Somehow, some way, I managed to swallow what was left in my mouth.
One last bite, come on, do it.
I didn’t hesitate. Preparing myself for the worst, I bit down. As always, the first taste was pure perfection. It changed faster this time—going bitter and acidic, turning thick and gritty. It was like eating vomit. Clotted, chunky, grainy vomit that kept switching from hot to cold.
I chewed hard and fast, drumming my heels on my floor, fisting my free hand, swearing viciously in my head.
And then it was gone. Swallowed. Finished. All that was left was the core.
I sagged back in my chair, sweating and shaking and on the verge of puking.
People gathered around my chair but I didn’t open my eyes, too focused on attempting to keep down what I’d somehow eaten.
“Good girl,” said Khalida, taking the apple core from my hand. “You did it.”
Later, I’d be proud of that. Right now, my sole concern was that I could still at any moment start hurling.
“Here,” said Khalida. “Drink.”
Opening my eyes, I saw that she held a water pouch. With a shaky hand, I gratefully took it and sipped at the liquid. It was blessedly cool and fresh. “Thank you.”
She squeezed my shoulder. “I know from personal experience that you feel like a sack of crap right now, but once you feel better—”
“Ifshe feels better,” Soule cut in.
