Page 34 of Spirit Trials
I swallow hard and eye Sariah, still aiming my bow at the guy’s chest. I could shoot an arrow, but he could slit her throat before it hits him. “Let her go,” I demand.
“Then give us the coin.”
“Fine.” I throw the coin to him. Time seems to slow down, and I watch in horror as the guy slides the knife across her throat. Sariah’s shocked eyes meet mine for a moment beforeshe crumbles to the ground. I stare in horror as a high-pitched ringing starts in my ears. I see the biggest guy’s lips moving, but I can’t hear his words over the ringing in my ears. I keep my bow up and ready, not trusting that they’ll actually leave. I watch them until they are completely out of sight before I turn and drop on my knees next to Sariah. Kinsley’s already there, holding her hand. I realize that the screaming is coming from her.
“Stop,” I say almost harshly.
Her scream abruptly cuts off, and the echo reverberates around the forest. I stare at Sariah. “She’s gone,” Harper says from above us. I reach for her wrist anyway, but Harper was right.She’s gone. I stare down at her lifeless body, now covered in blood and know that I won’t be sleeping tonight or possibly ever again. I barely turn in time to throw up all over the ground. It takes me a minute to realize Kinsley’s doing the same thing. Only she’s sobbing as she does. I gather myself and turn around and put a hand on her shoulder.
“We need to go,” Harper says in almost a cold voice that I envy. I wish I could be coldly detached right now. I manage to stand to my feet and help Kinsley up as well. I take one last glance at Sariah’s broken body and somehow manage first one step and then another. There’s an ache in my chest, but I make myself push forward.
It's quiet as we walk. There’s a rough sort of bond between the three of us now as we’ve just personally experienced the brutality of these spirit trials. “Why would someone kill just for a coin?” I ask when I can finally form words.
Harper glances over at me. “Which kingdom are you from?”
I don’t say anything for a moment, unsure what to say. I decide to just put it all out there. “I’m not from any of the three kingdoms.” They both stop and look at me.
“What do you mean?” Kinsley asks.
I take a breath. “I’m from a small village over a week’s ride from here. I’d never heard of any of your kingdoms until I came here. It’s a long story, but I’m here and have to compete in these trials if I want to ever see my mom and brother again.”I need to win.I keep those words to myself.
“If you didn’t grow up in any of the kingdoms, then you don’t fully understand the spirit trials,” Harper says in a hollow voice. “Or understand what a big deal they are for the three kingdoms.” I think she’s done, but she continues. “Winning is everything. People will literally kill to win, as you’ve seen.”
“The money?” I ask.
“Well, thereisthat. The money’s enough to change a family’s future; but that’s not all.”
“What then?” I ask exasperated.
“It’s the only sure way not to be banished,” Kinsley says quietly. I’m pretty sure she’s still in shock; we all are.
Harper nods. “There is no guarantee your spirit animal will show. Winning is the only sure thing that will keep you from being banished. As we get closer to the end, those who haven’t had a spirit animal show will become even more ruthless.”
“Is it so awful to be banished?” I ask.
Harper’s voice is stone cold when she responds. “Don’t speak to something you know nothing about.”
“Then help me understand. I mean, I get living in a protected city. It’s hard out there, but our village life wasn’t awful. It’s not a death sentence by any means.”
“Yes, because you’re able to go out and make a living, provide for yourselves. You’re part of the human world. We’re not. We may not have spirit animals, but we’re not of the human world. We’re flawed. By the king’s orders, we can’t leave designated areas for the banished, or we will be hunted down and killed. We can’t expose any of the kingdoms to the humans. They would hunt us just to study our people and their spirit animals. Ofcourse, that’s if you live that long.” I look over at her. “Oh, you didn’t know that the king’s men use the banished for hunting practice? Well, now you do.”
I stare at her back as she strides away, feeling sick to my stomach.
Chapter 19
“What do you mean?” I ask quietly, but she has no problem hearing me.
“Exactly what I said. The king’s men will randomly show up and start a killing spree. We try to fight back, but we don’t have the weapons we need.” Her words are full of bitterness. “We try to stay in small groups, so that we can live under the radar. But there’s only so many places to go in the small area we have to stay inside.” I look over to Kinsley, seeing what she has to say about any of this. It's honestly hard to take in.
“My parents were both killed that way,” she says softly.
Anger burns in me. “Do people know this? Do people know that the Wolf King is doing this?”
Harper laughs coldly. “Like they would care? They live behind their huge city walls, protected and cared for. They never go hungry and live a life of luxury.”
It’s quiet after that. I can’t wrap my head around any of this. I certainly can’t wrap my head around the fact that Rysden and his men brought me back here. Why would they do that when the kingdoms aren’t supposed to be known to the human world. “Why would I be brought here then?” I finally ask. “If nobody is supposed to know about your spirit kingdoms, why would they bring me here?”
Harper shrugs. “My guess is that they thought you were capable of having a spirit animal.” At my confused look, she adds, “I’m sure one or more of us have escaped over the years. I would if I could.”
