AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She glanced back at her sprite friend, who gave her a nod in return. It appeared her assessment was correct.
“Do you think we’ll die? Like, really die, if we chose the wrong one?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. I would rather not find out, though.”
“Agreed.” Sylvia fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, careful not to drop the egg as she approached each bowl. “Which one do you think it is?”
Tempest shifted her egg under her arm, afraid it would be lost if she set it down, and considered the bowls. “This is for the feather of fate, so what would best represent that?”
Sylvia stopped at the golden bowl. “Perhaps this one? It is a golden feather, after all.”
“I don’t know. Fate isn’t flashy. That’s by far the most over-the-top one in here.”
“You’re right.” Sylvia walked over to the bowl made of white marble. “What about this? It could represent that we should be pure of heart like she said we needed to be.”
Tempest thought for a moment. “I feel as if that bowl is a trap. Fate isn’t truly pure. Their hands are covered in blood. And rarely are those who think they are pure actually without blemish.”
“That makes sense. I suppose that leaves these two,” Sylvia mused as she moved on.
Tempest tried to understand what the bowls communicated about fate as she looked at them. She had to remind herself that this wasn’t an actual test from Fate itself, but rather from what a mortal designing the trial had decided fate was. Most mortals didn’t understand that Fate was, in fact, an actual being and not just a force of nature. While not even the gods knew who Fate was, they did know that they were a living being.
“Everything is known and nothing is hidden from fate,” Tempest began, “so it could be the clear crystal bowl. On the other hand, fate is unpredictable and often mends that which is broken. The jade bowl has been repaired with the gold, sealing it together.”
She glanced at the sprite, hoping for a clue, but found no help, only a reassuring smile.
Sylvia walked to both bowls and investigated more closely. “Which one do you think it is?”
“I’m honestly not sure,” Tempest said as she weighed the options in her mind. “Why don’t you decide?”
Sylvia gaped at Tempest. “I couldn’t! What if I guessed wrong?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
She watched as Sylvia made up her mind. While Tempest knew which one she would choose, the fact that this was a trial made by a mortal and not Fate itself made her hesitate. Having a mortal make the decision was her best bet to get this right—or so she hoped.
“It’s the crystal bowl.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course not! Your reasoning for it just makes more sense to me. Especially for a test from nobles who will want an empress to think she is always being watched and that she cannot escape judgment for her actions.”
Tempest’s eyebrows rose. She hadn’t considered that. She would have chosen the jade bowl, but found Sylvia’s reasoning to be sound.
“I agree.”
She carried the bucket of water to the crystal bowl and took a deep breath before pouring some in.
Chapter 13
TempestandSylviadroppedto their knees and protected the eggs with their bodies as the ground began to shake. Dust and small rocks fell in the room. For a moment, Tempest was sure they had guessed wrong.
The shaking stopped as quickly as it began, and a melodic laugh reached them from the pool. “You may arise. Both of you have passed this challenge.”
Sylvia looked up, still hunched over her egg. “We did?”
“Yes, you did. While your reasonings were…informative, the bowls were not actually your test. The eggs were.”
Tempest pulled her egg out from under her and held it up. “How were the eggs our test?”
