Page 34 of From the Mouths of Sirens

Aurelia glared at him, uncorking her vial of titansblood and downing it in a single gulp. Saoirse drank hers quickly, choking down the disgusting concoction. But despite being able to breathe easier, she still couldn’t calm her racing heart.

Just as they all finished their dose of titansblood, a clicking sound suddenly echoed underneath them. Grinding metal pierced the stale air and cut through the silence from below. Saoirse’s stomach flipped as the floor began to move, shifting upward and rumbling with ancient mechanisms. She braced herself against the floor, falling to her knees as the ground lifted. The platform inched closer to the ceiling with agonizing slowness. Vangelis’s face twisted in concern before being obscured from view. Aurelia screeched, crouching next to Saoirse in a panic. They would be splattered across the ceiling, squished between two slabs of stone like insects.

But instead of meeting their end beneath the Stone Circle, the ceiling abruptly opened, the stones growling as they slid away to reveal a long tunnel. They continued to rise, the platform breaching the ceiling and gliding past the lower level. The tunnel resembled a well reaching deep into the ground. In horror, Saoirse realized that there were deep scratches on the walls around them. Desperate scratches from the fingernails of people who tried to stop themselves from rising up to the arena. Her blood ran cold.

“We stay together,” Sune ordered, his voice steady as they climbed toward the surface. “If we are to survive this,” he added, “We must be a team.” He looked up, taking in the bright azure sky that grew closer with every second. His jaw worked in concentration, the muscles in his cheeks tensing. Then the captain looked down, extending a hand to Saoirse. She took it, allowing Sune to pull her up from where she was still splayed across the platform. There was no room for petty pride or haughtiness in the arena. From here on out, Sune was an ally.

“Believe in your abilities,” Aurelia said in a tone reserved for leading troops to battle. “We have been trained with the mighty Torqen,” she continued, her voice carrying on the wind as the air roared through the tunnel. “We shall win, don’t doubt for a second that we won’t.”

The cheering of onlookers was deafening, nearly blotting out her voice. Saoirse nodded in reply, squeezing Aurelia’s hand. They crested the top of the tunnel, sunlight pooling around them and the wind ripping at their cloaks. Saoirse straightened and lifted her chin when they finally stopped moving, halting abruptly in the air. She could feel the weight of thousands of eyes stabbing into her.

Bring us honor, Saoirse. May glory be given.

“Welcome tributes,” a voice boomed across the crowd.

“Let the Revelore Tournament begin.”

18

SAOIRSE

Blinking in the sunlight, Saoirse dared to look around at the arena. On all sides, the towering Stone Circle enclosed them. Thousands of spectators were seated in the stands, all shrieking and cheering at the tops of their lungs as the tributes finally entered the arena from below. From her vantage point, the onlookers above were mere blurs of color and movement, undulating like waves. Her gaze moved along the ridges of the arena, eyes wide with awe at the sheer number of people crammed into the historic structure. Vaguely, she recognized the blue and green swaths of color on one side as the small section assigned to the Mer. In each corner of the arena, the different nations of Revelore sat in distinct rows of color, each unique and separated from the next.

Four towers stretched into the sky, stationed at every corner of the arena. She identified them as the private viewing towers reserved for the most wealthy and elite members of Revelore, where royals and aristocrats watched them in comfortable, cushioned rooms. Within the boxes, Saoirse knew they’d be fed sweet grapes and succulent meats as they watched their tributes slaughter themselves below. It was where she herself had watched the Tournament ten years ago as a child. And at the very top of the boxed viewing quarters, the Elders of every nation sat above the crowds, watching the events unfold below with a meticulous gaze. Somehow, Saoirse could feel Adda’s piercing eyes on her, even from the sky.

Her eyes moved back down to the arena itself, focusing for the first time on what spread out before them. The platform was raised above the sand floor of the arena, elevated only about six feet up from the ground. She had expected to see obstacles and barriers, perhaps even chained beasts reeling to fight. But there was nothing but pale white sand across the expanse, smooth and unbroken.

Across from where they stood on the platform, four other raised podiums stood on opposite ends of the arena. Though they were distant and out of focus, Saoirse recognized the other tributes. To their left were the Tellusun warriors, their garments identical to the ones they now wore, save for the color. Their custom capes were bright orange, with small silk tassels lining the bottom.

On Saoirse’s right, the Terradrin tributes rose up from their platform. Their deep charcoal capes flowed starkly against the white hair that tangled around their shoulders. Neia Landum gave her an unnerving grin when she caught Saoirse staring.

And there, directly across the great stretch of blinding white sand, the Auran tributes stood proudly. Saoirse’s heart thundered as she glimpsed pale gray wings. Rook. She couldn’t see the details of his face from such a distance away, but she could somehow feel the heat of his gaze on her. The crowd grew hushed as a voice boomed across the arena.

“Your first trial shall begin in one minute,” High Elder Korina Petrakou called, her voice amplified by magic. Though Korina sat within the top of one of the towers, her voice was as loud in Saoirse’s ear as if she stood right behind her.

“Your task is to pierce your javelins through the center of a circle,” Korina explained. Saoirse stared at the blank canvas of sand, squinting in the sun as she tried to find the circle Korina described. On the opposite wall of the arena, she could see a gold hoop mounted on the stone paneling, a turquoise flag identifying the ring as the Mer’s. She could see identical gold hoops hanging on all four corners of the arena, color-coordinated banners waving above them.

“Shouldn’t be so hard,” Aurelia murmured, her hand already flexing around the blade at her hip.

“Find your way through the labyrinth, and do not lose your spears,” the Master of Trials warned. “Good luck. May glory be given to the most worthy among you.”

The crowd roared, the swell of clapping nearly deafening. Confusedly, Saoirse looked to the flat stretch of sand. There was nothing.

“What-” she began to protest. But just as she began to speak, enormous stone walls erupted from the sand in a spray of earth. Sand exploded over them as the walls jerked up and clicked into place, sending ripples of wind through the amphitheater.

And then all was abruptly still.

The labyrinth cut through the sand and stood higher than their platforms, weaving an intricate maze from end to end of the arena. Where the great walls had been hidden away, Saoirse couldn’t fathom. Like a giant tapestry, stone threads wove together to form tight passages and corridors. Vines crawled along the ridges of the walls, clinging to the ancient stone as if they had grown there for all eternity. From their seats high above, the spectators could see every exit. But from where the three of them stood, there was nothing but a great tangle of walls and paths, an impossible maze standing between them and the golden circle.

“Hel’s teeth,” Sune breathed, his jaw going slack.

Ceremonial trumpets suddenly wailed from somewhere in the sky, bright and cheerful. The crisp, jaunty tune felt out of place as they stood in the shadow of the giant labyrinth. As if echoing her fear, a rumble of foreboding thunder whispered across the distant horizon, dark clouds creeping across the sky.

“Begin!” Like some malevolent goddess from the heavens, Korina’s voice resounded across the amphitheater. As soon as her words rippled through the air, the three of them leaped down from the platform, catching themselves on the sand below. Blood pounded in Saoirse’s ears, her movements frenzied and singing with adrenaline.

Three javelins sat mounted on the wall near the entrance of the maze, their bright metal tips shining in the sun. Each of them grabbed a spear and turned to the labyrinth. Several different paths opened to them, all equally menacing. Aurelia charged for one of the paths, passing between the walls easily. But as Sune followed behind her, he abruptly ricocheted backward, as if he had been shoved away by some unforeseen force. Saoirse tried to enter the corridor, placing a tentative foot to the entrance. But just as Sune had propelled away, she was knocked to her knees by an invisible barrier.

Aurelia stood on the other side, frowning as they continued pushing against the barricade. She stepped forward, reaching out a hand to the entrance of the path. She placed her palm on the surface of the shimmering, invisible wall, pushing against it with all her might. Her feet faltered in the sand, sliding back as she helplessly bore down on the transparent barrier. She shook her head. There was no leaving once they entered. The labyrinth wouldn’t allow it.

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