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Merden turned and handed Jillian one of the books. “TheBook of Flora.” Jillian accepted the book with a look of cloying gratitude. Like she wouldn’t rip Merden’s face off if given half a chance. Merden walked to Luca. “TheBook of Fauna.”
“Are those reference books?” Kas asked.
I nodded. “Every noble would have a set of them at home. They have a decent amount of myth in them too, though. I’ve never seen half the plants and animals listed in them.”
He snorted but kept quiet as Merden raised another book. “And how many times have you studied the history of our great country? Professor Rainier here hardly needs this. TheBook of Saori Sang.” She turned and gave it to him anyway.
I shifted in my chair, catching Blaise’s raised eyebrow. Whatever Merden was up to, at least I wasn’t the only one confused. The other competitors looked equally at a loss.
“And last, the best students among you will be familiar with this great work - theBook of Prophecy. All of the dreams and predictions that have been made about our race, recorded in one volume.”
Merden handed the book to Janus, who was positively glowing with pride. Over what, I had no idea. It wasn’t like he’d earned anything.
Merden turned toward the rest of the competitors waiting before her. With Celestine gone, there were only twelve of us left. Eight sitting here at the tables, and four up front. I had a growing suspicion that this was going to be a team trial.
“The Trial of the Flower Moon will be a competition without surrender, and without mortal harm to your fellow competitors,” Merden called, giving me a particularly harsh look. I huffed, rolling my eyes but keeping quiet.
Let them think I was reckless enough to kill in the face of the mist. But just like last time, she’d left room fornon-mortal harm, and that was plenty for vampires like Jillian. I was happy to play that game too, though.
“She’s going to make them pick teams, isn’t she?” Kas whispered, and I groaned. Sure enough, Merden’s very next instruction was for the four competitors to each choose one to join them. I locked eyes on Luca and pointed discreetly to myself, then Kas. He gave me a tiny nod.
“Jillian, who would you like to join your team with theBook of Flora?” Merden asked, and my heart sank. Goddamn it.
“I choose Kana,” Jillian called in a clear, excited voice. Yeah, I’d fucking known that was coming.
Kas groaned, and Merden scowled. Gritting my teeth, I got to my feet and followed a guard who was beckoning me to come stand by Jillian.
Rainier was asked to pick next, and he chose Selene, which surprised me. Personally, I didn’t think she was good for anything. Janus picked a female named Collette who I barely recognized, and I sighed in relief as Luca asked for Kas. At least they could watch each other’s backs.
A second round began, and Jillian completed our team with Darnell, who I trusted even less than her. At least Jillian was transparent about what she wanted. Darnell was an enigma, and I didn’t like leaving my chances to someone who still hadn’t made their motives clear.
Rainier asked for a male named Jove, and Janus chose a second female named Nineve. I was surprised that Blaise was chosen last, but it was a relief to see her with Luca and Kas. They’d make a good team, even if I was jealous as hell of her.
I wondered if Merden’s original plan had been to let the mist eliminate the final competitor, since thirteen would have resulted in uneven teams. That would have been playground picking at its most brutal, and she was probably just annoyed that someone had prevented her that bit of fun by murdering Celestine.
The guards dragged all of our chairs up to the front, and I sat obediently between Jillian and Darnell, facing the crowd of nobles. Jillian clutched the book to her chest and watched Merden with rapt attention. Darnell settled back in his chair, legs spread casually and arms crossed over his chest as he watched the nobles before us with disdain.
“You smell of blood,” he whispered to me, not even looking in my direction.
I sniffed the air. “You smell of piss.”
“You both smell of mediocrity,” Jillian snapped, and I actually snickered. “Now, shut up so I can hear.”
Merden was rambling on about childhood stories again, this time going into cautionary tales like “The Cave in the Woods” and “What Waits at the Bottom of the Sea.” Apparently, gobbelins waited at the bottom of the sea, although the story I remembered had been about a blood-sucking sea creature.
At some point, Merden beckoned to the guards at the door, and they opened them to admit two tall men. They strode toward the stage, and my eyes narrowed when I saw that one of them had the distinct pointed ears of a fae. The other was dressed in the posh gentleman style mages often preferred.
“Please join me in welcoming our guests, and the architects of the structure for the Trial of the Flower Moon,” Merden announced, grinning like an idiot as the nobles clapped enthusiastically.
“What is she going on about?” I whispered, and even Darnell gave me a guarded look.
“I have no idea.”
“This is Charles Ellington of Patriam, and this is Angus of Aralia. Together, they have used these four books to create a wonderful playground for our competitors. And by playground, I do meanlabyrinth.”
Merden smiled, letting the word sink in for a moment. I suppressed a groan. Nothing good ever happened in a labyrinth, no matter where the story came from. “These men have used the stories in our books to create a dangerous wonderland for the competitors to prove their intelligence, cunning, and athletic ability. And you, my dear nobles, will be gifted the ultimate vantage point from which to watch your favorites!”
I blinked at the two men. Had Merden seriously paid a fae to design the third Trial, and then announced it in front of the same group of nobles who had just heard Vento accuse the fae of raising the gobbelins to come destroy us?
