Page 59 of A Trial of Fate

“Daxton and Shaw had a hand in that.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Neera muttered, looping her armthrough mine. “The prince… the one that can magically disappear.”

“Daxton,” I answered, letting his name roll off my tongue with a firmer sense of familiarity.

“Yeah…” Neera didn’t miss anything. “He seems to be working with Shaw to help you recover, but you seem like the same old Skylar to me.”

I curled my lips inward. “I mostly still am. But—”

“You don’t need to explain,” Julia said, narrowing her eyes at Neera. “I spoke with Shaw yesterday and then with Daxton. We know you are still planning to go to the Inner Kingdom and compete in the trials. The first trial… will not be an easy task.”

I recalled the fae queen’s words in the meadow. The trial would test my mind, body, and soul. Fuck. The mind, of course, was first, and if I was frozen in fear by the traumas of my past, there was no way I would survive.

“I will have to talk about it.” The room went deathly silent. “About what they did to me. About the darkness that I can feel lingering like a stain on my soul.” I unconsciously reached my hand across my chest to feel the crest of a scar below the collar of the back of my shirt.

“There’s always a gift, even in the darkest experiences. You just need to figure out what it is. How you can use this to further strengthen and empower your transformation into the champion you were always meant to become.” I looked at Magnus with a deep-seated feeling of respect and gratitude for his kind words.

“Each day is an opportunity to feel a little better,” Julia added with a kind smile.

“Thank you,” I said with a warm feeling of love wrapping around my heart. They were both wise beyond their years, and if I was going to survive the trials, I knew I had to start somewhere.

“All right,” a voice boomed from a swinging door. Latte stepped into the room and eyed all of us from under her dark, long lashes. She put her hands on her hips with her sleeves rolled up, looking like she was prepared to brawl with someone. “Whatthe? Where is he?”

The four of us looked at each other with confusion. “Who?” I asked.

“That pointy-eared fae with the silver and black hair! I know he was here.”

“I just saw Daxton in the library,” Shaw said, poking his head through the doorway. “I said you wouldn’t have to scold him todayfor breaking your visiting rules.”

“Lies,” Latte cut in.

“We were just on our way out,” Magnus added as he and Julia stood up from the bed. “We understand your rules, Latte, and we were not planning to stay long.”

“Wise, Beta,” Latte mumbled with a scowl. “Smarter than that high prince… I don’t care what your rank is or who you are. When it comes to my patients and their healing, I am in charge. My word is final.”

“Yes, yes, we know,” Shaw whispered with a smirk, looking at me and circling his finger around his head in a funny gesture to make me laugh.

“You.” Latte whipped her small, robust frame around and snarled at Shaw. “You are no better than the other one. Let the poor girl rest in peace! As I said, you two can begin your work tomorrow. No sooner. End of story.”

“I know… I know.” Shaw defensively held up his palms toward Latte.

“Now, all of you, out! I need to inspect Skylar’s recovery.” Latte’s tone turned soft on that last note as she looked at Neera. “You will be able to visit again soon, I promise.”

As my family left my recovery room, Latte took my vitals and inspected my overall health.She was meticulous in her efforts, checking my temperature, listening to my heartbeat, and assessing my breathing. I assured her I was fine, but she just told me to hush and allow her to work. Finally, the time came to inspect the scars along my back. I knew she would have to.

“It’s all right,” I said bravely.

This was the first step—confronting the marks left behind by Blade’s whip and letting someone see the scars that left a mark on my soul. I didn’t know why, but I felt ashamed of them. Even guilty. I slowly reached for the bottom of my loose-fitted shirt and brought it over my head. The muscles in my back ached with stiffness since I had been confined to a bed these past few days. But I also knew the tissue below the surface was still healing. Latte was so strict with limiting my movements because if I did too much too soon, I could bleed internally.

Latte paused as she took the shirt from me, but bless her heart, she didn’t flinch or make any additional comments about what she saw.

“There were three tips on the whip,” Latte said as she ran herfingers over my shoulder, touching the highest mark. “He struck you five, maybe six, times?”

“Five,” I answered, as the memory of each lash burrowed its way into my mind. I felt my heart race as my breathing quickened. Fear was taking control.

“Call on your animal to help,” Latte commanded. “I don’t give a shit if you have not yet or cannot shift. You would not have been able to survive this if she was not with you the entire time. Tell her to get off her lazy ass perch and help calm your fears, girl!”

I followed her instructions, reached out, and she answered me without hesitation. Her calming presence and a fresh dose of power spread through my shaking limbs. We were now molding together as one being, not two separate souls inhabiting one body, but a united front that could never be torn apart.

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