Page 48 of Forged in Flame and Shadow

I suppress a wry smile at his framing of it. Agreed to, or was shamelessly tricked into? It’s the same thing apparently. What’s a little coercion between friends?

“What we’d like to see,” he continues, “is a demonstration of your precision with magic and your ability to heal something. I will explain more in just a moment.”

He gestures to Velrir, who in turn barks an order to some fae beyond my vision. A creaking noise groans across the room as some kind of mechanism is turned, and the trapdoor inches open. My theory is confirmed as I spy the pit underneath. This time, I know my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. Under the bright lights of the arena, it’s clear that something huge is moving around inside it.

Respen offers me an excited smile as a blood-curdling screech rips from the pit.

Chapter 16

Morgana

Itear my eyes from the fae king’s face, keeping a close watch on the pit opening. Whatever’s down there doesn’t seem interested in making its way up here just yet, but it must be able to climb, or else the setup with the trapdoor and my audience would make no sense.

“The aisthekis has a natural disgust of humans and fae, Princess Morgana,” Respen says. “The aroma of magic repulses it, so please trust that you’re not in danger of getting eaten.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, if I’m not overly comforted.” If there’s a possibility I might die, I don’t want to go without giving Respen a little snark first.

I risk a glance upward. Leon still looks as serious as a funeral, but a few of Leon’s unit are smirking at my response—even Tira manages a smile—and Idotake comfort in their support.

“Perhaps that is wise, Princess Morgana,” Respen responds. “After all, the aisthekiswillattack if sufficiently motivated.”

Aisthekis. The word sounds Agathyrian—something about “many senses,” I think? I suppose I’ll find out soon enough what its name means.

“Bring out the bait,” Respen orders Velrir, who again signals to someone I can’t see.

As it’s being collected, Respen continues to explain my task.

“Once the aisthekis sees you as competition for its prize, it will certainly take an interest in you. You’ll need to bring it near to death, without actually killing it. Then, you must revive it, with your alleged command over celestial flame.”

I exhale. What he’s describing sounds possible. Dangerous, but possible. I’m just grateful I finally got a handle on my power last night. Otherwise, there’s no way I’d have the confidence to attempt this now.

There’s a series of whines and snarls as a fae uses aesteri magic to lower the “bait” into the arena.

My heart sinks, because of course it’s the fox animal from yesterday, its body twisting frantically as it tries to fight the magic carrying it to the ground. Now I understand why it was locked up in that cage and treated so terribly. It was only being kept alive to die.

“Is this necessary?” I demand, gesturing to it. “There’s nothing wrong with this animal. Why throw it away on this test?”

Respen looks the fox over thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing.

“You’re right that this korigos looks to be in surprisingly good health—certainly better than the last time I saw it.” He shrugs. “But I have no use for it, and it is the favored prey of theaisthekis. Besides, I consider this test very important, princess, and anything in aid of it could hardly be called a waste.”

I can see I can’t change the korigos’s fate, at least not yet. It lands on the ground, shaking out its fur as its eyes lock with mine.

I said I’d come back for it, but I didn’t do it quickly enough, and now it’s stuck in this death trap with me.

I’m sorry. I mentally send out to it, hoping it understands I didn’t choose this. It just looks away though, padding to the edge of the trapdoor.

The korigos sniffs it and immediately, its hackles rise. Releasing a low growl, it starts to back away without taking its eyes off the pit.

I can see why. The movement within the darkness starts to take shape, as whatever is in the pit starts to climb toward the trapdoor and into the light.

“It’s smelled the bait,” Respen says, sounding satisfied.

A long, brown leg covered in black bristles emerges from the pit first. It’s soon joined by another…and another. My gut twists in horror as six legs, all as long as I am tall, reach out of the pit, pulling a huge body with them. Another six legs follow, a thick carapace and sloping thorax undulating as the aisthekis hauls itself out of the darkness.

I was wrong about its name—it’s not a creature of “many senses” but “manysights.”Because above its twin set of sharp, black pincers are twelve eyes. They’re not small and beady like an insect’s or the spider it so much resembles. No, they’re utterly human looking, the whites flashing as it rotates its eyeballs first toward me and then the korigos.

It shrieks, then charges at the korigos, pincers snapping and legs scuttling so fast they’re practically a blur. It happens so quickly, I almost don’t have time to summon my magic, but I manage it, launching a thin but searing sun beam across the arena. It hits the aisthekis square in the back. The monster screeches and stops mid-charge, but I can see that while the sunlight left a smoking welt on the creature’s back, it didn’t penetrate its thick hide.

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