Page 30 of Spirit Trials
“Were you both at the dinner last night?”
Harper turns her gaze back to the front. “Oh, that’s cute. Brainiac here thinks we were invited to the king’s fancy dinner.” I keep my own snide comment to myself.
“I was thinking that if we all stay together—” Kinsley starts.
“Don’t even think about it,” Harper cuts her off. “Not gonna happen.”
Harper beats me to it, and I’m glad. I don’t need these girls slowing me down. But at least I don’t have to sound like a jerk to the nice girl; Harper did that all on her own. Before I can say anything to Kinsley, some guy bumps my shoulder hard. “If it’s not the kingslayer,” he calls out loudly. Another guy joins him, and they both circle around the three of us. I frown because I have no idea who these guys are and what they’re talking about. The loud guy stops and sniffs the air. “Do you smell that?” He sniffs again. “Smells like banished.”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Harper says dryly.
“You three definitely should stay together,” the obnoxious guy says.
His friend laughs. “Yeah, so you can all get banished together.”
The first guy looks at my new friends. “What? You didn’t hear about this idiot that knocked the king’s cup right out of his hand?”
I feel more than see both Harper and Kinsley turn to look at me. I don’t look at them, though. I’m too busy keeping my eye on the two threats in front of me. The louder one leans forward. “Better watch yourself out there.” He and his friend laugh and walk off.
“Great,” Harper mumbles. “Helplessandstupid.”
I ignore her comment. “You knocked the king’s glass out of his hand? With what?” Kinsley asks with wide eyes.
“A throwing star,” I say quietly.Not my brightest move.
Harper scoffs. “You should have buried it in his black heart.”
“Not a fan of the Wolf King, I take it?” I ask Harper.
She gives me a look. “Would you be if you were banished?”
“No,” I say honestly.
“You three,” somebody shouts. We all turn to see a guy walking towards us. “You’re in the middle group.” I realize they’re dividing the crowd into large groups. We move forward, joining the middle group. The king puts his hands up, and everybody quiets.
“Competitors from the Jaguar Kingdom, Dragon Kingdom, and of course our very own Wolf Kingdom, welcome to the 221stSpirit Trials.”
A cheer goes around us. “And the banished,” Harper adds under her breath. “Thank you so much for your kind invitation.”
I smirk but keep my mouth shut. This is going to be more interesting than I thought.
Chapter 17
I thought we’d have a hard time hearing the king, but his voice projects just fine. I’m assuming that’s probably his spirit wolf aiding him. “It is an honor for you to stand here today, representing your kingdom. As these trials commence, we are reminded of their importance.”
I shift and move around somebody tall, so I can see better. I see the Wolf Prince and the Jaguar King standing on either side of the Wolf King.Well, that solves that mystery.I’d wondered where Rysden had gone. I study him as the king continues his speech. He looks incredibly intimidating. He's wearing all black, his usual. Even from here, I can see how the shirt stretches across powerful muscles in his chest and arms. He stares out at the crowd, but I don’t think he’s really seeing them. I tune back into the king’s long-winded speech.
“...and without one, they are a danger to our kingdoms. That is why we have the spirit trials.”
Harper snorts, and it’s not hard to figure out what the king is talking about. “A danger,” she mutters, shaking her head. The king finally steps aside, and I find myself holding my breath as the older man steps forward. I half expect his voice to be weak, but it’s anything but. A sort of stillness settles over the crowd as he begins to speak.
“I offer my own welcome as well. My name is Terron, and I will be officiating these trials. There will be three trials, one representing each kingdom. The first trial represents our friends to the north and their fight for survival.”The Dragon Kingdom, I mentally supply. “For this trial, you must simply prove that you can survive out here in the wild. You will have to make your ownshelter, find water and food, and keep yourself alive.” I begin to wonder just how long we’re going to have to stay out here. “Each trial is pass or fail. You either survive, or you don’t.” He gives us a moment to process his words. “In these woods are hidden gold coins. If you find one, keep it. Those coins are how we will find our champion. While these trials are pass or fail, there is always one winner crowned at the end of these trials. The crown will go to the person who finishes all three trials as well as collects the most coins.” I frown. “With my spirit gryphon, I have the ability to project what I see. My gryphon will fly during the trials and take in everything going on for review later. And before you ask, I’ve been doing this long enough, I will not miss things. My vision allows me foresight, and therefore I am able to be in those places where the action is unfolding before it happens. Let me remind you. We’ve been doing this for over two hundred years; we have never failed in selecting our winner. And we will not fail this year. Should you see my gryphon passing over, please ignore him and carry on with whatever it is you are doing. Know that I, in my foresight, am aware of what is going on at all times. There is no fooling a gryphon, so there’s no use in hiding. Now, when the trumpet sounds, you will begin. You may not touch any other player for the first three hours of these trials. Anyone who does will be pulled from the trials, and you understand the consequences of that. Use that time to spread out, find shelter, and prepare for what’s coming. There are one hundred and twenty-seven of you. We hope that there will be one hundred and twenty-seven of you at the end of this first trial.” He puts his hands out. “May your spirit animal manifest itself. And don’t forget to show back up when it’s time, or you’ll be eliminated.” It’s deathly silent after he finishes talking. Finally, I hear the sound of the trumpets. Mass chaos ensues. I move forward with the group but quickly realize that’s a recipe for a disaster. Kinsley, who hasn’t left my side, turns to look at me.
“I’m going to give them a chance to get ahead of us.”
“That’s a great idea.” I take a few steps around, scouting out the area. Looking towards the front, it looks like the leadership has all disappeared except for Terron. He still stands there, watching everybody. I watch him for a little bit, hoping he’ll let his spirit animal free. I’d give anything to see his gryphon. When the crowd finally spreads out, and there’s only a few stragglers left, I bend down and pick up my sack and throw it over my shoulder. After double-checking that I have everything, I turn to Kinsley, who’s apparently my new buddy.
“Ready?”
