Page 29 of A Broken Ember

“You should. He could still Save you even when you win.” Hopefully, he wouldn’t be in power long enough to try, but the possibility had crossed my mind. Father wasn’t a man to be trusted.

“Are we going to get on with this or not?” he asked with a sharp edge to his voice. I had offended him. I glanced out at my balcony out at the distant mesas and oasis with longing. I nodded, opening my arms in invitation to speak. He swallowed.

“To do this one must be strong, a friend of the sun. Cowards are known for it. Children long for it. And the weak wish for it once more. What am I?”

I pursed my lips, but shook my head. “I don't know.”

He gave me a sly smile. “Flight.”

The riddle was simple but beautiful. “Who gave you such profound words?”

“My father,” Claeg whispered.

My eyes widened. I had so many questions. I wanted to know what he thought of his father now. What he would do if he knew his father was my . . . friend.

“A wise man,” I whispered, biting my lip. I wondered if I should tell him about Ercan. The answer was a resounding yes. “Eleos–”

Calian burst into the hallway, the doors slamming against the stone walls. We needed to return. I turned toward Calian, whose face was red with anger. He opened his mouth, no doubt to rebuke me, but I left without another word. Claeg followed silently, but I sensed the tension radiating off of him.

Back in the throne room, Father stood next to Hariasa, speaking in angry whispers. Upon seeing me, their facial expressions lightened—but only briefly. “Stay with me,” I instructed Claeg as I made my way up the dias. I felt Claeg’s presence like a shadow. A part of me. The looks my father and Hariasa gave us made me bristle. Calian stalked in behind me with an obnoxiously loud huff. I stopped before my father with my head held high, Claeg standing at my back.

“I have the riddle,” I said, turning away from them to address the clan. “Janus, Oriana, collect your weapons.” The invitation spurred them to action. Oriana once again chose a longsword while my friend chose a dagger. When they were in position below the dias, I nodded.

“Begin.”

Oriana immediately sprang forward, charging toward Janus. The minute the weapons clashed, I recited the riddle. Janus’ brow lowered as she concentrated on defending her blind spot. After watching them for days, I was familiar with their usual tactics. The fight bored me as if I were still plastered on the throne, stolen away from the one Selected I desired. Claeg was too close yet too far away. He commanded the air around him, even when imitating submission.

Janus caught a weakness and dove for the opening. She struck flesh, dyeing Oriana’s clothes red upon her forearm. The gash was large enough that Oriana switched her weapon hand. The wound didn’t slow Oriana down at all, instead using it to fuel her actions. She jabbed rapidly at her chest, shoulder, and abdomen, all pointedly on the side Janus lacked an eye. But for Janus’ part she defended beautifully, used to opponents trying to use the supposed weakness against her. The pair grunted with the effort to defend while also considering the riddle. The words were wise. It wasn’t surprising Ercan had given Claeg them to ponder. At the thought of the man at my side, my hair stood on end. I was nearly certain he was staring at me. My heart flipped. When a scarred hand wrapped around mine, I jumped. But it was just Claeg. My eyes found his, noting the determination in them. My mouth twitched with the beginning of a smile.

A sudden yelp snared my attention back to the combat. Oriana had switched tactics and it looked like it had paid off. A small tear bled above Janus’ brow, but head wounds were notorious for bleeding copiously. For anyone else the nick would be minor. An inconvenience at best. For Janus, it was detrimental. Such a slight wound, but the damage had been done. She did her best to wipe away the pouring blood in between defending Oriana’s persistent attacks, but the blood was no doubt about to cloud her vision.

My heart skipped a beat as I held my breath. Answer the riddle! I pleaded with her silently. Oriana couldn’t succeed. Please, I begged the gods. Janus’ hand was soaked with blood, the other barely managing to keep up with the barrage of assaults. Still, the blood fell relentlessly, drawing Janus’ attention away from Oriana again and again so that she could maintain her vision. And then it happened.

“Shadows!” Janus bellowed out her answer and my heart fell. It was wrong, though it made sense. Oriana gave a triumphant grin, dropping her weapon as she gave the correct answer. Janus and Claeg were to fight next, Oriana all but guaranteed to proceed to the final trial. With Janus’ eyebrow still bleeding, Claeg would likely be the second Selected to continue.

Claeg released my hand after a light squeeze. Father was speaking, beckoning Oriana to present her riddle. I paid no attention to Oriana as she placed the parchment in my hands. Claeg sauntered over to the table Calian stood before to select a weapon. He chose a longsword again while Janus stuck with her dagger.

Once in position, Father ordered them to begin. They circled one another with respect, each recognizing the other’s power and assessing their weakness. It was a beautiful dance, one where Claeg’s otherness was obvious. He moved like the wind, precise and gentle, but with a sharp edge. There was a crispness to his movements that I hadn’t seen anyone match. He was so in tune with his beautiful body, each muscle chiseled to perfection. But while Claeg was foreign power, an unforeseen edge, Janus was cunning and I knew she wouldn’t give up without a fight.

It wasn’t until Oriana cleared her throat that I realized I hadn’t spoken the riddle. My cheeks flushed, and I glanced down at the parchment in my hands. A single question was written in delicate ink. A question which made my chest feel too small. My ribs clenched my heart, squeezing it. I wasn’t sure Claeg knew the answer to this question. Would he have to force Janus into submission, too? The trick had worked with Oriana, but was unlikely to occur again successfully. Janus was too intelligent for that. I swallowed and forced the words out. “What is the cost of being Saved?” I could already see how this was going to play out. Claeg and Janus were two immovable forces. Neither would surrender. I wasn’t confident enough in either to place a bet on the winner.

I watched quietly, the familiar taste of blood in my mouth from the wound on my lip which would never fully heal before I gnawed through it again. It was particularly bad now, the swelling drawing my tongue’s attention. My palms grew slick with sweat, and I wiped them on my tunic over and over, just as Janus wiped her brow. Although the bleeding had slowed, it was still a distraction that Claeg used to his advantage. The two exchanged blows like they had fought together a thousand times. Yet I got the sense Claeg was holding back. The fight was well-matched; it was only when Janus made contact with Claeg that I started to worry. Curiously, despite the ripped clothing he did not bleed. He growled at his opponent, muttering something to her that I couldn’t hear.

Moments later, Janus pinned his sword arm down, demanding he submit. Claeg growled at the woman, his eyes flashing as he picked up the sword in his other hand as if they were one and the same. The transition was so smooth that even Janus had no time to prepare a defense before Claeg was back on the offensive. He pushed forward again and again, forcing Janus back, not giving her a break to collect herself.

The crowd held its breath, waiting for one of them to slip up. It wasn’t long before they got their wish. Claeg began taunting his opponent, almost making a mockery of the duel. He slashed here and there, opening little nicks all over her. In response, she huffed. Janus flushed, and her chest heaved, perhaps as confused by the sudden change in technique as everyone else. When she bled from perhaps a hundred spots, she cried out her answer. “Wings!”

Claeg grinned at her but didn’t relent. It was a cruel smile, one with no mercy. He continued the assault, refusing to give his answer. What was he hoping to achieve? Janus balked at him, her tiredness becoming obvious. She wouldn’t last much longer. Moments after the thought crossed my mind, her weapon was cast aside, clanking along the ground. Claeg’s eyes lit up, the fire of his Ruptor evident behind them. He licked his lips and brought the edge of the blade to her throat. Only then did he repeat her answer as his own. When his weapon fell to the ground, I winced. His answer sounded too much like a statement, like he knew he was correct.

I glanced around the room, seeing faces with a mixture of fear and respect in their eyes. Claeg rolled his shoulders and turned toward me, his eyes alight. Everyone looked at me, but I only felt him. His chest heaved, clothing slicked with sweat, revealing the perfect curves of his muscles beneath, begging to be worshiped and admired by my touch. I took a step forward, forcing myself to finish the ceremony.

“De Vita, the answers to the riddles are as follows: magic, flight, and wings.” I kept my words short and to the point. “The Selected who will proceed to the final trial are Oriana and Eleos.”

Chapter 25: Claeg

The ceremony following the trial felt rushed, although who was I to say? I hadn’t been conscious during the previous one, so maybe the quick end was to be expected. Either way, I was grateful to not have to linger with my enemies.

Anastasius led me back to his chamber in silence. I couldn’t read him. I had won, yet the rules had been adapted for me again when I couldn’t write. That was the word they used for making the marks on the thin fabric-like material. I cringed. At least now I knew their strength: magic. I just needed to learn more about it to discover a definite weakness and find out why Odon was capturing Circulus draconis. My guts twisted at the thought of what I would do when I had solved the riddle and gotten my answers.

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