Page 59 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

I brought my pipe to my lips, and it rattled against my teeth.

Nausea churned my gut.

I pursed my lips but couldn’t inhale.

My lungs were flat.

Sari knew me. She’d eaten lunch beside me every day for a month while I’d helped her with her homework. We’d talked for hours.

She was a friend.

From her expression, we weren’t friends anymore.

I tore my eyes away and stared down at the cracked gray floor. Scuffed my toes back and forth.

Concentrated on anything but the pressure on my chest.

“Settle down!” Lothaire held up his hand, and the hall quieted. “Students will still attend their respective classes but will get competition days off. The members of the academy legion will no longer attend class because they will be recovering and training.”

The students murmured with disappointment.

“Silence!” Lothaire shouted.

No one made a sound.

He breathed deeply, then said calmly, “As some of you know, the Legionnaire Games is a showcase where the strongest warriors in the realm compete before the gods. Yes, that means exactly what you’ve probably guessed—”

He paused dramatically.

Everyone stared at him with rapt attention.

“War is coming.”

Ice washed down my spine.

“A stadium is being assembled as we speak on the west lawn of this island, and per tradition, there will be six legions that compete. They are arriving now. You will treat them with respect and will bring pride to this academy.”

There was another swell of excited chattering.

Lothaire continued, “The gods will observe the legions in four competitions that will be held every ten to twelve days. All teams will be evaluated to see what role will fit them best in the upcoming war. After the first four performances, the gods will choose their top two legions to compete against each other in a showcase.”

Forty days.

Four competitions.

That was doable.

Lothaire spread his arms wide theatrically. “If the two chosen legions pass the showcase test, then the games conclude and all teams will be given their assignments. However, if the gods dislike what they see in the showcase, the games restart from the beginning. The process will continue until the top two legions pass the final test. Some of these games last for two months. Other times, they last for years.”

I blinked.

Never mind, not doable.

I wanted to puke.

Lothaire’s face was hard as he said, “If the top two legions pass the test in the showcase tournament, they will be named the champions in the next war. The rest will be sorted into leadership roles, training and guiding the generals, spies, assassins, and foot soldiers.”

Students smirked at one another across their tables.

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